From the <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of <em>Manic</em> comes a gripping and eloquent account of the awakening and unfolding of her debilitating bipolar disorder during her childhood and adolescent years. <P>As a young girl, Terri Cheney&rsquo;s life looked perfect. Her family lived in a tranquil Los Angeles suburb. She was pretty and smart, an academic superstar and popular cheerleader. But starting with her first suicide attempt at age seven, it was clear that her inner world was anything but perfect. <P> In an attempt to save her own life, Cheney wrote <em>Manic</em>, a soul-searing account of her mental illness, whose bestselling success was largely due to the harrowing, probing voice that she used to describe the depths of her depression and the terrible, shaky heights of her mania. But that book told only half the story. <P><em>The Dark Side of Innocence</em> speaks with that same intensity, yet it is blended with a pitch-perfect, childlike voice and keen adult observation, exploring Cheney&rsquo;s tumultuous formative years through the lens of her rapidly evolving and undiagnosed illness.