Shepherd is an intriguing website, where “8,000+ authors have shared five of their favorite books around a topic, theme, or mood.” It’s a fascinating way to get a little more insight into authors as they describe their own books, as well as get very personal, expert book recommendations from them. I’m a bit reluctant to use a term like “best”–especially when I know all too well how many great books I couldn’t include–so I might have instead called mine a list of “books that, placed together, craft an insightful overall picture into contemporary involuntary commitment and forced psychiatric treatment.” In any case, I liked writing this, and if you’re an avid reader, you’ll probably enjoy meandering further through the site. So, without further ado, here’s my list of “The best books for understanding contemporary involuntary commitment and forced psychiatric treatment.”