2 comments about Heinz Kohut: The Making of a Psychoanalyst.

1. A biography of Heinz Kohut who was at the center of the 20th century American psychoanalytic movement. After the Nazis took over Vienna he fled to Chicago, where he spent the rest of his life & is now remembered as the founder of "self psychology."

   That said: you have got to have an appetite for exploration into the deep recesses of our psychology & the ways we live our lives.

   This biography will appeal to those who have lived through the same era as Heinz Kohut & who have encountered the less authoritarian & more compassionate school of psychoanalysis now known as self-psychology which made major changes in reformatting the revered Freudian theory & practice.

   A deep drink from an unusual well - well-written, if somewhat dense in places. Well worth it, however, if you are at all interested in the signs of intelligent life during America's post WWII years which led up to the human potential movement.

   I'm amazed that I read it because my mind was boggled by the subject & the author! What did I learn? Zounds - it'll take me years to process a fraction of what has been brought to the surface!




2. For those who knew in vivo many of the characters forming the cast of this epic, reading the book would have an illusory experience of deja vu.
   
   Kohut and many of the members of the Institute for Psychoanalysis in Chicago had the courage to launch a new system that shook the freudian orthodoxy in its very foundations --- while in so doing managing to enrich this, until then, fading system.
   
   I highly recommend this biography as a fair and just assessment of the man (and of the men and women that formed his inner circle) and of his grasp on narcissim and empathy.
   
   Kudos to Strozier!

5 comments about Sight Unseen.

1. Yes, this book LOOKS good! But HOW can my husband READ it when he is B-L-I-N-D? Does the author want only to appeal (SELL TO) the majority of the world which is sighted? Blind people NEED books like these but they MUST be A-U-D-I-O.



2. I have just read this book (BTW for the reader who wanted it in audio format- check out NLS (National Library Service- or your state Library for the Blind) as this is how I read this book). I can relate to what the author goes through- as I'm also legally blind. However, unlike the author I was never fully sighted so I appreciate her compairson to being "sighted" as opposed to beling blind.

   Like the author I do have some useable vision and employ the same sort of adaptive devices she does. I believe this book could educate people that being blind does not mean you see nothing -- only 10% of people who are blind see nothing at all. There are varing degrees of blindness, and I think the author does an excellent job of conveaying this to her readers.




3. Georgina Kleege, the blind author of _Sight Unseen_, speaks of her book as a kind of coming out narrative where she stops staging a sighted identity and accepts her blindness. Kleege describes her amazing experience dealing with blindness beginning at age 11 and details the ways she has adapted to living in a sighted world. Pretending to be sighted when you are blind poses an incredible challenge, but Kleege explains how the benefits outweigh any effort it takes to conceal blindness due to such a heavy stigma associated with the disability. However, even as she denied her blindness to others, Kleege has never viewed her disability as a punishment or cause for despair. It has not stopped her from becoming the successful writer and professor that she is, nor has it held her back from the activities she loves.
   Kleege opens our minds to her world, and describes with vivid imagery what and how she sees. Her condition causes a block to her central vision, but allows her to distinguish between colors and make use of her peripheral vision. Kleege makes her readers aware of a great many fallacies surrounding blindness, and gives numerous examples of how movies and literature concerning blindness often perpetuate negative stereotypes. Her readers accompany her to an art museum, back in time when she was sighted, and to France where she found inspiration from Louis Braille's accomplishments.
   The amazingly adapted author also invites her readers to try and imagine making use of their eyes the way she does on a daily basis. Her descriptions of viewing art and reading print evoked in my imagination a longing to temporarily share in her experience. I would have expected, however, the once sighted author to better understand the fear that sighted people have associated with blindness. The transition to permanent blindness is a great deal harder than just closing your eyes to simulate the disability. Kleege speaks only on behalf of her own blindness, and effectively captures the attention of her audience in helping them face and appreciate how a rich life without sight is possible.



4. Like many people who have read this book, I am legally blind. It was recommended to me by a friend who has very good vision. Comparing notes with her was particularly educational. The perspectives of a sighted person and a blind person on the text turn out to be not all that different.
   
   This book has incredible ups and downs. First- the ups.
   Kleege's description of what a blind person sees is incredible, perhaps the best I have ever read. People who haven't had to worry about it are under such misconceptions. A lot of people think that if you can see- kind of- that what you see is a blur. Even the cover of this book appears to tell us the same thing, but that's far from true for everyone.
   
   The author makes the point that the designation of what constitutes legal blindness really was a pretty random decision. Who says 20/20 is normal? How many people do you know who use some kind of correction? Given that, how normal can it possibly be? Also, just because someone is legally blind, they may use their vision so efficiently that you don't know until they tell you that there's anything different about them. Ms. Kleege reports this experience in her own life. Conversely, someone who is legally blind may not use their vision at all. Also, her descriptions of the process of making sense of visual information is well done and should help to explain to people who don't know exactly how sight works, how different it can be for various people.
   
   My favorite of the points made by this book, however, has got to be that the fact that you can see something, doesn't mean you're not blind; doesn't make it not a good idea to learn Braille. Many of us with some useable sight were refused this tool as children. Frankly, if you can't read print at all without pain, this encourages illiteracy. Kleege is spreading the word that Braille is NOT a foreign language- it's just another way to percieve the alphabet that we already know. She raises the question of whether audio books constitute reading in the same way that reading print or Braille do. (given that it stimulates different parts of your brain, I'd argue no, although like Kleege, I think it's a useful tool at times.)
   
   Now for the downs.
   Kleege can be really disparaging of sighted people. There are subtle and less subtle digs and jabs all over the book. She puts words into the mouths of passing strangers, extending a real encounter into a possible outcome, making assumptions about what the sighted person would have said if she'd said something different, herself. Honestly not every sighted person is a complete jerk, or ignorant about how sight works. She asserts that a mother will stop a child from staring at a blind person because if you don't look at something unpleasant, it will go away. No, mothers do that because it's very rude to stare! My sighted friend was really offended by the middle of the book and actually exclaimed "well, so sorry I can SEE!"
   
   Her take on Oedipus' blindness, I thought, was overly dramatic. Kleege regards it as symbolic castration, setting the stage for the way people percieve blindness to this day. Frankly, Oedipus wasn't Freudian until Freud. If Oedipus had meant to castrate himself, given that this is a classical story and they didn't mince words- he would have.
   
   I also thought some of her arguments with modern cinema were perhaps a bit harsh. Not that really bad stereotypes don't exist. Movies like "Jennifer 8", portraying blind people as needful of institutionalisation and completely helpless when confronted by a sighted crazy, are a real problem. The blind aren't the only people stereotyped in Hollywood, though. One could argue that the heroine was helpless as much because she was a woman in a horror movie as that she was blind. Also, wasn't the protagonist in "Scent of a Woman" more stereotypically bachelorish than blind? True, a lot of movies were clearly directed by people who have never met a blind person. however, the unmoving stare empolyed by many film directors to typify the blind, which Kleege finds so offensive- exists. If one has been blind since birth, one sometimes lacks body language, never having observed it. If one lacks eyes, why blink to moisten them? Sometimes one forgets.
   
   All in all, I really enjoyed this book, even though I periodically wanted to yell "OH, come ON! Get over it!" I'd reccommend it to the blind who have not found anyone with whom to relate, lately, or the sighted who want to understand.
   
   And one more thing- anyone who gets embarrassed because they just said "Hey, look at this!" to a blind person. . . It's ok. We do it too.



5. I have recently finished this disaster of a novel for a college honors course "Disability through Autobiography." While attempting to read this book, my frustration took over and in a couple of instances, resulted in the book being thrown across the room. Much of the book seems a criticism of those that are not blind as well as the depictions of the blind by those who are not blind, namely authors and Hollywood directors. I can think of a much better topic for a book than nit-picking at random quotes in movies, books, and social groups. Kleege seems to only show the ability for a blind person to criticize those who are not blind and may not completely understand what blindness is. Although I have taken many courses that focus intensely on accepting those with disablilities in society, I find it very difficult to accept severe cynicism no matter what disability the author may have.

3 comments about Dancing With Dementia: My Story Of Living Positively With Dementia.

1. I sent this to my sister who says it's a good book, has helpful ideas in dealing with someone with dementia, but mostly identifies the problems and some of the similar manifestations of someone with the problem.



2. This is evidence that some people can overcome the impossible. The dreaded calamity of not being able to remember in one of its worst forms hit Christin Boden at the age of 46 when she was diagnosed with progressive Althemizer's disease. Of course, she was hit hard and set out to learn all she could about this debilitating disease. The main thing is that she did not just crawl in a corner and give up. After all, she had three children to care for, so she became an advocate for people with dementia.
   
   She wrote a book, WHO WILL I BE WHEN I DIE? and, three years after her initial diagnosis, she married again at the age of fifty and got on with her new life. She lectured around the world for the Dementia Advocy and Support Network International. She sets forth the reality of living with this major setback. Both emotional and physical needs must be considered. Unlike Michael S. Gazzaniga's proposal in THE ETHICAL BRAIN, the consideration of euthansia was not an option.
   
   "It's like a 115-year-old brain trying to power a 55-year-old!" In the Appendix to this book, she makes a point, "Do You Believe in Miracles?" In her case, a supporting husband, along with new drugs, and her high-level of capability have slowed down the progression of this disease. She makes suggestions for caregivers about what to do without demeaning the person.
   
   DANCING WITH DEMENTIA is a vivid account of her tenacity in exploring the effects of memory loss. Ethical challenges are a part of life and emerges as the brain ages. Normal aging involves DNA in the early stages of forgetfulness. During the aging process, we have problems with short-term memory and being able to form new long-term memories. She shows what it is like to live with dementia, the exhaustion of coping with simple tasks, and the many difficulties in communication. Even a simple TMJ probe can cause major problems if the surgeon hits the wrong nerve, causing paralysis of that side of the face and possibly making the patient unable to speak clearly.
   
   Like Christine Bryden, as we get older, it is necessary to keep a positive attitude and believe in miracles.



3. This book contains information that most books dealing with dementia do not - HOPE & a personal account from someone who is actually going through the disease themself! Which gives great insight to anyone connected to dementia! I would highly this book!

5 comments about Closing the Chart: A Dying Physician Examines Family, Faith, and Medicine.

1. To say that this is a profoundly moving work is understatement. It should be mandatory reading for any patient or care giver, but more especially for any who would be called "Healer". Simply stated ... closing the chart is a magnificient work. It will no doubt become highly acclaimed and will be appreciated by any care giver or patient in the modern world of medicine. It is rich in texture and flavor, providing a remarkable insight into the progression of change that occurs when a family is faced with a profound illness,and must come face to face with the methdologies of modern medicine. This work will provide the next level of understanding in the process of illness, such as that initiated by Norman Cousins in Anatomy of An Illness.



2. As a brief patient of Dr. Hsi's and a memeber of the healthcare industry for 25 years, this book struck at the core of my very being. I not only see what he experienced everyday in my line of work but also expierienced it on a different level for myself. Anyone thinking of pursueing a career in medicine, should let this book open your eyes and your heart. It would make sense to have this be required reading for every nurse, pre-med student, intern, resident or seasoned physician. I know with some it would fall on deaf ears, however if it only made a difference in a few, what a difference it could make in so many lives.
   Many thanks to Beth Corbin-Hsi, Jim Belshaw and of course Steven D. Hsi, M.D who gives us wisdom and courage through his words even now.



3. He describes so well what family members go through when a loved one is terminally ill. Doctors do need to look at the whole person, their family and their spiritual side and treat people holistically.
   He spoke quite well of the pain that is often inflicted on those who are the most helpless by those in the position to be most helpful. This definetly is a gift to be given to those in the medical field or those who are thinking of entering it.
   Steve was my doctor when I was growing up and we went to the same church. I remember praying for him when the calls would go out that he needed surgery while praying for my aunt who was terminally ill at the same time...what he describes about being a patient is not far off from what my Aunt experienced while she was hospitalized in Arizona.



4. I am a nursing student. I happened to notice this title on amazon. I have to tell you, that I know that I will be a better nurse because I read this book. I think that it should be a mandatory part of the curriculum in the every program for all of the health care professions. It is very difficult sometimes, to know what it is like for the patient. This book made that realization abunduntly clear. Dr. Hsi's story is an inspiration. Definitely read this book, whether you are a health care worker, a patient, or just looking for a good book to read!



5. My parents attended the same church as Dr. Hsi but this book came to me through my fiance's mother, a retired nurse in CO, who is passing this book around as a must read after receiving a copy from my parents. Through the years, she was horrified to experience the reduction in her & her peers ability to provide proper care as a result of "managed care" & opted to move into insurance rather than continuing her successful career as a nurse.
   This isn't a typical reading choice for me but was eye-opening & a quick, absorbing read. I'm sure my seatmates on two different plane rides were wondering what was wrong as I dabbed at my eyes in vain to stem the flow of tears.
   Decent doctoring is something we take for granted & we don't always know how or are made to feel guilty or inadequate when we press for answers or explanations from an authority figure such as an esteemed specialist or doctor. We need to push for change & I only hope that books like this become mandatory in the medical study curriculum!

3 comments about Pet ER : Memoirs of an Animal Doctor.

1. Dr. Porter does a great job with his 'down home' style in bringing to life what happens to people who love their pets and want them taken care of. He shares the struggles of the pets, their families, and how he and his own family tie into the complete story.



2. The short stories in Pet ER give you greater compassion and care for your pets. Dr. Porter shares story after story of animals in need of medical attention and how animal, owner and veterinarian worked together to bring healing. A good book for casual reading.



3. Reads like a medical chart. Stacatic and abrupt. I've read many vet books and the only redeeming factor in this book is that it is about animals. James Herriot he is not!

5 comments about All Creatures Great and Small/All Things Bright and Beautiful.

1. I first read James Herriott's series about 25 years ago, and I've re-read them numerous times since. The paperbacks in my original boxed gift set are falling apart, with missing pages and loose bindings. Now I'm buying them in hardcover to make sure that I have them available to read again and again for the rest of my life and to pass on to my children and grandchildren.



2. This is a feel-good book - the sort of book that gives you that warm-and-fuzzy-feeling' - the sort of book that convinces you that there is still hope for this sad-world-of-ours. I make it a point to read this book at least once a year.

   James Herriot is successful not because of the beauty of his sentences or the brilliance of his plot, but for the warmth he radiates. He handles the humourous and the poignant with equal ease, and sometimes you wonder why he ever became a vet when he had such a wonderful gift with words. Perhaps it was just as well.

   All Creatures Great and Small is, along with 'Every Living Thing' my favourite of his books. He manages to achieve a perfece balance between simplicity and originality - something so many writers fail to do. If I ever visit England, I know I have just _got_ to see the Yorkshire Dales, if for no other reason than that this was where James Herriot lived and worked.




3. I have been reading excerpts of 'All Creatures Great and Small' in publications such as 'Reader's Digest' for years and have always enjoyed them. When I came across a hardcover copy of the two combined books on the sale table at the local mall, I bought it. Let me tell you, the excerpts didn't do it justice. James Herriot is a superb writer, combining humor, insights, sadness...the list can go on and on. He writes as if he's sitting right next to you talking directly to you. I caught myself tearing up in some places and belly-laughing in others. I had such a good time reading it that I now own all of his books (except for the children's books).



4. Mr. Herriot's journey through life as a veterinary surgeon is a heart-warming tale. As he goes about day to day, he meets some difficult tasks and is challenged by them. He pulls through almost all of them with extreme care towards the animals that are loved by many. He shows compassion while going about the work that many would get sick to their stomach just thinking about it. An awesome story.



5. I received this book as a gift for graduating college with a degree in veterinary technology. It was fascinating to learn about the ways of a country vet so long ago. Some of the things the author writes about, I wouldn't have known without being familiar with veterinary terms, but it's definitely a book anyone could enjoy.
   
   It's helpful that the chapters are their own little stories, because sometimes I don't get a chance to read for weeks at a time, and would've forgotten the details of the plot by then. But starting a new chapter is like starting a new mini-story with the same characters.
   
   I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a good read.

5 comments about The Thing About Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead.

1. The author's obsession with death is revealed throughout the book. The interesting question is: `Do atheists and theists view death in the same light?' If you read books by saints or religious people, you'll find that indeed they welcome death. Death to them is not an end but a beginning. At death, we are reunited with our loved ones. The world of the dead is another world where we are as much alive as in this world.
   
   Throughout our body, since conception, a process of birth and death is taking place every second--new cells are born while old ones die. Our body is attuned to the constant bombardment of birth and death taking place, yet we--the part that is not the body (call it spirit or soul)--are not. Why? Why do some people welcome death while others shun away from it? Would we be scared of dying if there was no love in this world? These are actually very interesting questions to ponder.
   
   A lot of the book was about the author's relationship with his father. I found some chapters slow. I wanted the author to go more into the core of life and death. Maybe I missed something. Maybe the author wanted us to learn about death through his relationship with his father. If he did, I missed the point. I also found too much personal information about the author and his family that distracted me from the essence of the book. For example, the author talks about his sex life, his girlfriend's herpes, and his acne during his youth. Was the book meant as a biography or a memoir?
   
   I did like the scientific information included, such as the difference in size between a girl's and a boy's brain and the physiology of ageing.
   
   Some interesting chapters in the book:
   
   Our birth is nothing but our death begun: existence is warfare. Human beings have existed for 250,000 years; during that time, 90 billion individuals have lived and died.
   
   Decline and fall: All mammals age; the only animals that don't age are some of the more primitive ones: sharks, alligators, Galapagos tortoises. Schopenhauer said, "Just as we know our walking to be only a constantly prevented falling, so is the life of our body only a constantly prevented dying, an ever-deferred death."
   
   Life is that which gives meaning to life: life is perfected by death.
   How to live forever: In ancient Greece, old men were advised to lie down with beautiful virgins.
   
   Towards the end of the book you'll realize that we are not learning how to live, but how to die.



2. (Thank goodness!)
   
   A near-terminal case.
   
   Author David Shields runs this book along parallel and often intersecting tracks. One is a litany of facts regarding the birth, maturation and aging process. The other consists of reflections on his own life and, particularly, the life of his 97-year old father.
   
   Not everyone will find this a novel revelation (Hey - people age and die! Who knew???!) or a fascinating story.
   
   The chapters offering straight biological facts and others that consist of a multipage succession of quotations seem like "filler," a data vomit.
   
   "The Thing About Life" stops just short of being a complete waste of time. Not a terrible book, but bordering on the lame-oh...Hence the three-star rating.



3. I found this book to drag on and on and provide useless information. Yes the author did do a lot of research in finding the facts but the book itself was a huge let-down. It is about a young man and his stages of life, but chooses very bad stories that have facts in them. It goes back and forth about his relationship of his dad. It also tells many stores that the reader does not want to know. (i was thinking T.M.I. a few times) Im very mad at myself for buying it in a book store and spending $23 on it. It was a waste of money and of my time. I normally never stop reading a book unless im done with it. Although for this book, about 3/4 of the way through i really couldnt take it anymore and stopped reading it. It was that bad. Basically, it is a book about facts listed off in paragraphs. I saw no "inspirational messages" and it did not get me to look at life in a different way like all the reviews on the back had said. Dont waste ur time reading this!



4. Rarely do I not finish a book. I made an exception in this book. I was expecting a book of soulful insight and instead found a book of disjointed information presented in an awkward way. The further I read, the greater my sense that this book was not going anywhere. Finally, I stopped mid-chapter. Where was this author's editor?



5. It kind of puts you in that river that sweeps you toward the end. It gets you thinking of all the things that can go wrong and lead to the stopping of your heart.
   
   That said, there are plenty of interesting facts on every page. All this with a twist of sad humor.

5 comments about On Any Given Day.

1. Joe Martin and his family (family, friends and bank colleagues) are the greatest support system. Joe's life inspires, challenges and motivates all to do more. His will to live is refreshing, unbelievable given the impact of ALS on his body but not on his mind or spirit. For anyone facing disease, stress or looking for meaning, this is a must read.

   It's a quick read and doesn't leave you down -- but instead deals with a tough subject -- living with a terminal disease -- with reality and purpose. You will learn how "you can live like this"




2. I found this first person account co-authored by Joe Martin, who has ALS, very inspirational. Joe allows the reader to share his feelings of frustration as well as to grasp the depth of his convictions that life should be celebrated and cherished. Ross Yocke's commentary throughout the book provides an additional source of information which is helpful for the reader to gain perspective about Joe Martin's life with ALS. This short 178 page book pulls the reader into Joe Martin's reality, and allows the reader to share his religious and moral convictions, as well as to revel in his wonderful anecdots. This book reminds me of Tuesdays with Morrie. I hope others will enjoy reading On Any Given Day as much as I have.



3. Like another reviewer, I also have the pleasure of knowing Joe Martin. And while I knew of some of his remarkable achievements, I was astounded to read of many more. Like Joe, I have ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. He, and his book, have inspired me to live life with joy, love, purpose, hope and faith notwithstanding the ravages of this disease. His book, like Tuesdays With Morrie, should inspire anyone and everyone. But while Morrie spoke as a dying man, Joe, with the same terminal illness, speaks with the vitality of a man truly living life to the fullest.

   Laura Murphy Atlanta, Ga.




4. I cannot add much to the previous reviews-- all of with which I agree-- except this: Mr. Martin is, first and foremost, a writer. Indeed, he has ALS, and that is much of what he writes about here. But his lean, athletic style, keen observation and outstanding sense of humor would entice me to read router bit catalog copy, if Mr. Martin wrote it. I'm in search of his short story published in the Crescent Review (malcolm@walkaboutpress.org-- if anyone finds it first) and am hopeful he is at work on something else for us to enjoy and think about.



5. Mr. Martin's book is an inspirational and moving work for anyone to read, regardless of your position in life. If you've ever faced adversity, there is something to be learned about courage and optimism from this book. His candor, humor, and vision will inspire you and give you a sense of appreciation for this life we have. My mother is suffering from a degenerative disease, and this book gave me a new sense of perpective on what she and many others face as they battle each step of their disease. As a North Carolinian, I am proud that this brilliant writer and powerful soul is a leader for our community, and has been able to reach out and touch so many other lives. This book will make you cry, make you laugh, and most importantly, give you inspiration and appreciation for what you have.

1 comments about Green Parrots.

1. "Green Parrots: A War Surgeon's Diary" is a remarkable book with frank reality coming from a true humanitiarian.
   
   Dr. Gino Strada has been been helping victims of war, 90% civilians, for over seventeen years. His experience has brought him to Afghanistan, Iraq, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Pakistan, Sudan, Cambodia and other countries affected by war. Dr. Strada cuts through the clutter revealing what truely matters.
   
   Government A fights government B with a devastating price being paid by C, Civilians. More than talk or protest, these civilians need real help immediately.
   
   Dr. Strada and his organization EMERGENCY has been offering that help for over ten years but it is still just a drop in the bucket.
   
   Green Parrots is an anaesthetic-free-root-canal into humanity's irrational cruelty and violence and simultaneously and more importantly, it is about profound empathy and the real love countless 'Gods' of this world continuously attempt to take credit for. Green Parrots is about sovereign human conscience driving sovereign human action, collectively of course!"
   
   This book is be required reading. I DECLARE IT! Read it and share it.
   
   And check out [...]
   
   -Jason Bosch, Founder of ArgusFest.

2 comments about Sigmund Freud (Routledge Critical Thinkers).

1. Pamela Thurschwell's text on Sigmund Freud is part of a recent series put out by the Routledge Press, designed under the general editorial direction of Robert Eaglestone (Royal Holloway, University of London), to explore the most recent and exciting ideas in intellectual development during the past century or so. To this end, figures such as Martin Heidegger, Jacques Derrida, Friedrich Nietzsche, Paul Ricoeur, and other influential thinkers in critical thought are highlighted in the series, planned to include at least 21 volumes in all.

   Thurschwell's text, following the pattern of the others, includes background information on Freud and its significance, the key ideas and sources, and Freud's continuing impact on other thinkers. As the series preface indicates, no critical thinker arises in a vacuum, so the context, influences and broader cultural environment are all important as a part of the study, something with which Freud might agree.

   Why is Freud included in this series? It is hard to come up with a more controversial and influential thinker in the twentieth century than Sigmund Freud. His name has become a household word by those who know absolute nothing about him or his real work. While starting out in the then newly-developed field of psychology as a primary focus, his thought and intellectual influence has extended far beyond to almost every academic field. Particularly in the areas of philosophy, politics, theology, sociology, and science, Freud's influence will continue to be significant for a number of reasons.

   Thurschwell's text is well organised. In the first chapter, she recounts both a brief biographical sketch of Freud, as well as the discussion on how Freud's development of psychoanalytic ideas and processes impacted the intellectual development of the early twentieth century. It is important to know which time-period of Freud his works were produced - a career in such a new field that extended for such a length of time means that Freud's ideas not only developed rapidly, but sometimes came to contradict each other. Thurschwell sees this kind of development as a strength rather than a weakness, but it does call for increased care on the part of scholars and other interpreters, to be careful about just how much authority to lend to any particular work or idea.

   One of the useful features of the text is the side-bar boxes inserted at various points. For example, during the discussion on Freud's development of sexuality (obviously a major theme in Freud from the start), there are brief discussions, set apart from the primary strand of the text, on the Super-Ego, Perversion, the Castration Complex, and Ambivalence, developing further these ideas should the reader not be familiar with them, or at least not in the way with which Freud would be working with ideas derived from them. Each section on a key idea spans twenty to thirty pages, with a two-page summary concluding each, which gives a recap of the ideas (and provides a handy reference).

   The book is designed so that each chapter can be a stand-alone essay, peripherally related to each other, but not dependent upon any particular order of reading. Should the reader want a quick introduction to Freud's development on society and religion, or an overview of Freud's case histories, those can be read independently or out of sequence without any loss of accessibility by the reader. Should this text be used as part of a class, the chapters can be rearranged to suit any number of syllabi patterns.

   Part of the problem of putting Freud into a series like this is that the series requires the identification of key ideas. Thurschwell develops six key areas (as opposed to ideas). The first of these are Freud's early theories on hysteria, hynosis, cathartic methods, repression, fantasy, and free association. Next comes a discussion on dream and thought interpretation. Freud's ideas on sexuality occurs next, followed by an examination of some of the case studies conducted by Freud. These are generally accessible and fascinating, not the least of which reason comes from the work with and explorations of therapeutic relationship which, if occurring today, would be at least a breach of professional ethics, and at worst legally actionable! The final two subjects include Freud's mind-mapping ideas, and his ideas for the development of society and religion.

   The concluding chapter, After Freud, highlights some key areas of development in relation to other thinkers, as well as points of possible exploration for the reader. Freud's thought vis-à-vis modern ideas such as feminism, film theory, art and literary criticism, and the dialectic process of going out of fashion and coming back into vogue make his ideas as they apply to the continuing development of philosophical and intellectual history, particularly in the areas of art and literature, a relevant if controversial segment in intellectual development.

   As do the other volumes in this series, Thurschwell concludes with an annotated bibliography of works by Freud, works on Freud, further readings on psychoanalytic theory and practice, and some internet resources.

   While this series focuses intentionally upon literary theory, in fact this is only the starting point. For Freud (as for others in this series) the expanse is far too broad to be drawn into such narrow guidelines, and the important and impact of the ideas extends out into the whole range of intellectual development. As intellectual endeavours of every sort depend upon language, understanding, and interpretation, the thorough comprehension of how and why we know what we know is crucial.




2. well organized/categorized and very readable. but i found all the small typos annoying.