The Best I Can Do: A True Story of Navigating the Complexities of Mental Illness and Homelessness

Winner of the Gold Book Award for Nonfiction from Literary Titan and the Silver Book Award for Nonfiction from the Nonfiction Book Awards | Honorable Mention in the Nonfiction category in the July 2025 Books Shelf contest | Finalist in the Health: Psychology/Mental Health Category in the 22nd Annual "Best Book" Awards from the American Book Fest

She started off happy, successful, and looking forward to the future. So how did she end up homeless and broke?

Cheryl thought she knew her husband. Nine years after marrying her college sweetheart, the middle-class woman wondered if his odd episodes of paranoia were more than just work stress. But when his condition worsened significantly after being laid off, she made a surprising discovery that revealed the depth of his mental deterioration.

Stunned when he vanished without a word, Cheryl was left with a pile of guilt and empty bank-accounts and being forced to live in her car. As she looked back on their past, their moments of bliss fought with the gut-wrenching despair of his downswings and launched her on an emotionally draining roller coaster.

In this raw and compelling account of her battle against her spouse's mental illness, Cheryl Landes provides a lifeline of hope to anyone in the same position. And after witnessing her resilience, caring, and final revelations on how to cope with the impossible, readers will discover renewed optimism and courage in the face of adversity.