Thousands of readers have offered to pay for copies of Matt Haig’s Reasons to Stay Alive for anyone suffering from depression in the wake of British television presenter Caroline Flack’s suicide, the Guardian reports.
The offers started when a reader named Emma got in touch with Simon Key, owner of online bookstore Big Green Bookshop, telling him that she would buy two copies of Haig’s book for anyone who felt like they needed it.
“[T]hen the flood gates opened,” Emma wrote on social media. “The stunningly beautiful people of Twitter reached out and funded more copies. And more. And more!”
Thank you beautiful people of Twitter! #BeKind #RIPCaroline #SuicidePrevention @Biggreenbooks ❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/FB6iBTvigR
— Emma えま (@emmaisaway) February 16, 2020
Haig’s autobiography, published in 2016, tells the story of his struggle with depression. A reviewer for Kirkus called it “a vibrant, encouraging depiction of a sinister disorder.”
Flack, known to British TV fans as the presenter of Love Island and The X Factor, took her own life last week. She was scheduled to stand trial next month on charges of assaulting her boyfriend, English tennis star Lewis Burton, who opposed her prosecution.
Key said that several people have donated to the fund, with some giving more than $130.
“I’m getting thousands of DMs from people who need the book, and who are telling me why,” he told the Guardian. “This book has made a difference—lots of people have said it saved their lives. And this is not just about people getting the book, it’s about how they’re getting it. They’ve been brave enough to ask for it, and that’s a step forward.”
The phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.
Michael Schaub is an Austin, Texas–based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.