The Center Cannot Hold by Elyn Saks
an autobiographical account of her own personal struggles with schizophrenia and how it shaped her life. an easy read, and i enjoyed it.

The Day the Voices Stopped by Ken Steele & Claire Berman
another autobiographical account of Ken's schizophrenia. really a very sad story even though he pulled through in the end. also a good read.

Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Patients, and Providers by E. Fuller Torrey, M.D.
A very no-nonsense guide to everything you'd ever want to know about schizophrenia, from symptoms to treatments. A very good book, and written in a non-academic tone so it's easy to read. He gives a lot of first-hand accounts of symptoms from people in their own words which I found easier to identify with than clinical terms. He also gives a huge list of books about sz that are worth reading and ones to avoid at all costs. Overall a very nice resource.