Mister 5150

Insanities of the Night in the City of the Angels

By: Jonathan Jaye

Narrated by: Jonathan Jaye

A psychiatric emergency team member on a night shift in LA - not a job I'd wish on anyone but my worst enemy - but somehow it works for me. I try not to think too much about what that says about me, and to do the job with heart and brains. This book is made up of episodes...various night shifts over the years. They tell a story of the true meaning of "sanity" in the universe, and the true nature of life in the wasteland they call "the center of the world". The comical mingles with the tragic. Like the man said, the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

©2017 Jonathan Wesley (P)2017 Jonathan Wesley

An oddly humorous juxtaposition!

This snippet of experiences from the memoirs of Jonathan Jaye, once again sets the stage of mental disorder in a clinical setting, but then leaves convention behind as he recounts the gritty reality of his life's poorer, (IMHO), choices in the Venice beach drug scene and the relationships that sustained them. While the story takes place among the seedier side of society, I didn't care for the excessive profanity and felt it took away from the story and didn't add to it, as I assume the author had intended.

I was given this audio book for free in exchange for this unbiased review.

these short stories may be off-putting to some

Story

Mr. 5150 is written by Jonathan Jaye and also narrated by Jonathan Jaye. Mr. 5150 is a short collection of stories of the beginning of his career in Emergency Psychiatry Care. 5150 is California code for the section of the California Welfare and Institutions Code which authorizes a qualified officer or clinician to involuntarily confine a person suspected to have a mental disorder that makes them a danger to themselves or to others. That his job. I picked this book to have a fun stroll down memory lane. I spent 13 years as an EMT. We learned to love or loathe these people. We would have loved this man from the stories he tells.

I will note that these short stories may be off-putting to some by the fact that the main character is open about his flaws including alcohol and drug abuse. And the fact that other characters encountered in these stories use and abuse drugs and alcohol. Some people will be put off by the fact that there is plenty of profanity all through these short stories and will feel this is the mark of a poor or unskilled writer. There is one quote that is stuck in my head because it was true from a career as an EMT with my ambulance crew as much as it was true for the author “You do not F*** with Mr. Clipboard”. I have been on the receiving end of Mr. Clipboard when it was wrestled away by a Psych patient who pulled a Houdini getting out of ‘soft restraints’ after being drugged with all the Valium the Paramedic had in the med kit. Mr.Clipboard was not my friend that night.

Attention Holding

The short collection of stories was over too soon. The author paints vivid characters and tells many truths about the healthcare profession that may bother some people. I giggled and snorted at the character of Borderline Betty the RN from Hell. Anyone who works in Healthcare will be able to relate because there is one of here everywhere. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Combine that with the access to medication and employee files and personal information. You have everyone’s worst nightmare. I knew a version of her in my EMS career. Anyone who has worked in EMS, Law Enforcement, Psych or Social Service, with a good sense of humor should enjoy this book. It held my attention and really made me think about all the changes in healthcare especially now in mental health from the late 70 to 1993 where the last short story ends.

Narration

The narration by Jonathan Jaye was enjoyable. I liked his voice and the way he told his story. This is his collection of stories and he makes the best narrator for it. He gives the narration an authentic feel that would be missing if someone else was doing the narration for him. It felt like we were just spending an afternoon together sharing stories of our professions the way people do.

Production Quality

The production quality of the audiobook was fair but could really be improved. The average listener could be put off by the production value of this audiobook placing quality over content. There were times hollowness entered the narrator’s voice. I was hooked on the stories and the characters and did not mind the production quality

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog.

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Another insanely entertaining hit for Jonathan..

This book is told in the same style that's made Jonathan's other book's such a success. I really enjoy the humorous way in which Jonathan writes & narrates his stories. You will never get the uptight boring psychiatrists mumbo jumbo with this guy. His unconventional methods of dealing with crazy situations is hilarious. The blunt way he conveys his stories will have your gut aching from laughter. My husband (who is a police detective) says this approach is what keeps metal health and public safety perfessionals sanity intact. In this memoir we get a voyeuristic look inside the phych ward at a Los Angeles hospital. Jonathan takes us on a journey through the early days of his interesting career working with the mentally disturbed. If this were a T.V show.. Jonathan would be his own unique version of Robin Leach and it would be called lifestyles of the mentally insane 😄.
If you've ever wondered what your tight liped, straight faced shrink is writing in his clipboard? but, not telling you.. It's probably something like this.. What contest in hell did I loose to get a bat shit crazy patient like you? Note to self.. I'm going to need a vodka IV to stay in this profession lol😅.

On a serious note it does take a special type of person to do a sometimes dangerous job like this. I wouldn't want to walk even a half a mile in those shoes. I'd rather be the listener LMAO on the couch about it. Kudos to the people like Jonathan who have the patience for it. I Voluntarily listened to this book in exchange for my honest review. I can't recommend Jonathan Jaye's book's enough. Always more than 5 star listens on a day when you really need a good mood lifter. I also recommend buying How to tell if your friend is a sociopath: and How to tell if your neighbor is a borderline: If I've persuaded you to jump on Jonathan's crazy train be prepared for one helluva entertainingly funny ride.

Day in the life story

This was a day-in-the-life set of stories of a psychiatrist. It was overall interesting, but the author who read the book himself needs to work on the recording. His voice sounds a bit hollow - either too much compression or noise reduction. It is not terrible, but it can be improved.

A guided tour of Crazy Town (L.A.)

Mister 5150 is an incredible memoir/story by Jonathan Jaye about a pretty normal guy with a pretty not-so-normal job. And for those of us who also have not-so-normal jobs, it was funny and refreshing to hear someone else struggling with the difficulties of explaining what you do for a living to someone who didn't even know that what you do for a living is even "a thing".

Jonathan Jaye is the King of hilarious profanity when you least expect it, yet where it's most deserved. People who allege that writers who use profanity are simply lazy and don't use the English language well are full of it. Jonathan Jaye is an artist with words. One of my favorite lines goes something like this...... The idea was solidifying like a turd on a cold windshield.

Now don't tell me that's someone who is lazy with the English language. That's one of the most visual lines I've read in recent memory, and an image I can't unsee in my mind's eye, not do I want to because it cracked me up. The laugh out loud moments of JJ's bizarre adventures were too numerous to count.

If you are looking for a fun, funny romp into the innermost thoughts of what shrinks really think of the rest of us (nut jobs), but most psychiatrists are wound too tightly to say out loud for fear of being sued, get this book and be ready to gasp, chuckle and above all, not want it to end.

By the way, Section 5150 is a section of the California Welfare and Institutions Code which authorizes a qualified officer or clinician to involuntarily confine a person suspected to have a mental disorder that makes them a danger to themselves or to others. And laughing insanely for so much of the book often made me feel sometimes like I was just as crazy as the characters in it. In other words, 5149 and counting.

Crazy funny!!!

What did you love best about Mister 5150?

Great, hilarious stories told by someone who knows how to tell them! Several times, I couldn't help but bust out in laughter.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Mister 5150?

This is very hard to say. These are one episode after another and they are all the memorable.

Which scene was your favorite?

I absolutely loved when he was talking about Uncle Bob but then again, I loved every episode. This was so good and amusing I started it over immediately and listened to it again. I never do that!

Any additional comments?

Jonathan Jaye is a great storyteller who I could listen to all day. He knows how to put words together (including a lot of profanity) to put the best pictures in my head! I love anything I have listened to from him and always find myself laughing out loud while listening with my earbuds in, looking like a crazy person myself! I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Not quite what I expected...

Would you listen to Mister 5150 again? Why?

Nope, I wouldn't listen to Mister 5150 again because I don't typically listen to many books more than once. It was an interesting listen, but isn't one that I need to listen to again.

Would you recommend Mister 5150 to your friends? Why or why not?

I likely would only recommend Mister 5150 to my friends that aren't offended by language (there's quite a bit of profanity, which doesn't bother me, but may offend some) and are more heavily into drugs. This story was less about 5150s and more so about the author and didn't touch much on the hospital/mental health aspect but more on his own drug use activities. It definitely wasn't want I had expected TBH. I was expecting more of his dealings with the 5150 cases that he dealt with in the hospital.

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Jaye – was your favorite?

I enjoyed Uncle Bob. He just seemed like a fun guy and I appreciated his and Mister 5150's long history together. It's unfortunate that they had to reconnect under the circumstances that they did.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I honestly have no idea...

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher for an honest review.