Swing Low: A Life

One quiet morning, Mel Toews put on his coat and hat, walked out of town, and ended his life. In the eyes of his Mennonite community, he was everything a man should be: a devoted husband, a beloved father, and a gifted teacher admired by generations of students. But beneath that steady surface, Mel battled the relentless tides of bipolar disorder—an invisible struggle that slowly wore down his spirit.

Internationally bestselling author Miriam Toews gives voice to her father in a fictionalized memoir imagined through his eyes. With tenderness, clarity, and quiet fury, she reconstructs his inner life—his pain, his resilience, his longing for peace. The result is a powerful, intimate portrait of a man trying to reconcile faith, family, and mental illness in a world that offers few answers.

This is not just a story of loss, but a testament to compassion, memory, and the fragile beauty of a mind at war with itself.