Hitchhiking to Madness

In Hitchhiking to Madness: A Memoir, Dr. Carol Hamilton takes readers on a soul-stirring journey through the 1970s—a time marked by hippies, Jesus freaks, and the awakening of social consciousness. After being excommunicated from her church for advocating a more accepting form of Christianity, Hamilton dropped out of college and embarked on an odyssey across America with her young husband. Through humor and horror, she explores life on the road, the terrifying descent of her husband into madness, the sexual assault she endures, and his attempt to murder her and their unborn child. Amid the crisis, Hamilton decides to trust in herself, drawing strength from the support of friends and family, and eventually severing the marital bond. She navigates through a sea of post-trauma emotions and outlines her journey to becoming a physician at a time when female doctors were a rarity. Hamilton ends her memoir with thoughtful insights on mental illness and encourages readers to find courage in their unplanned detours—it's never too late to redirect one's path.

Hitchhiking to Madness: A Memoir is Dr. Carol “Susie” Hamilton’s first work of creative non-fiction. She is an Internal Medicine physician and Infectious Diseases specialist by training, and her career has featured over one hundred peer-reviewed scientific publications and numerous awards including the D. A. Henderson Award for a lifetime of achievement in global public health from the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Her 35 years at Duke University included patient care, research and teaching. She spent the last 10 years of her career with FHI360, nurturing research skills among physician scientists in Africa and Asia and helping improve care for people with TB and AIDS. She is now an emeritus professor at Duke and works with younger doctors training in infectious diseases.

She considers herself a lifelong learner and enjoys delving into new topics like Astrophysics and the history of Soul music! She also loves teaching, including with Duke’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. She is a gardener, conservationist, and birder, now serving as the President of the New Hope Audubon Society. She also enjoys more creative hobbies including oil painting and sewing. She and her husband have four children and three grandchildren and enjoy living in North Carolina.