Happy Friday!!
I love to read. If you ask anyone who knows me, they will all agree that I have too many books and I am always reading more than one at a time. Just this past Wednesday, I reposted a blog on purchasing books and happiness. Because we all need an excuse to buy more, right?!
One thing I love about reading is sharing good books with others. Therefore, I have decided that every Friday at noon I will be presenting short book reviews and/or recommendations for various topic areas. Sign up below so you don’t miss out!
The Silent Patient– Alex Michaelides
Description: The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband―and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.
Review: The Silent Patient was one of my favorite books this past year. You know the kind of book that you can’t put down because you have to know what happens? Yeah. It’s that. I read the entire book in two days because I just needed to understand this one patient and why she remained silent throughout her treatment. The author painted a vivid illustration throughout the entirety of the book and was obscure enough to leave the reader in suspense. Though there were not a lot of twists and turns for the majority of the plot, any reader will be surprised by the ending. Definitely a must-read for psychologists and all individuals who like thriller stories.
An Unquiet Mind – Kay Redfield Jamison
Description: The personal memoir of a manic depressive and an authority on the subject describes the onset of the illness during her teenage years and her determined journey through the realm of available treatments.
Review: I have read many diverse reviews of An Unquiet Mind, some individuals seem to love the story and openness while others dislike Jamison’s retelling of her more academic successes. I initially read this book in high school, I remember liking it immensely. At the time I was just getting interested in psychology and found this personal account played perfectly into my new fascination. When I recently reread this book, I noticed what some of the more negative reviewers have discussed. Jamison does a wonderful job of illustrating the challenges and sufferings of someone with this disease; however, the literary prose is not what I typically read at this stage in my life. I believe that, as a memoir, An Unquiet Mind is a must-read and that it is somewhat unfair to compare it to more professionally written literature, as this was never the intention.
Ordinary People – Judith Guest
Description: The Jarrets are a typical American family. Calvin is a determined, successful provider, and Beth an organized, efficient wife. They had two sons, Conrad and Buck, but now they have one. In this memorable, moving novel, Judith Guest takes the reader into their lives to share their misunderstandings, pain, and ultimate healing. Ordinary People is an extraordinary novel about an “ordinary” family divided by pain, yet bound by their struggle to heal.
Review: Many may have seen the movie that was based on this book, but I think they would benefit from reading the book as well. This book keeps the reader engaged and illustrates a deeply emotional setting of a family dealing with heartfelt distress. The emotions and characters are fleshed out within this well-written book.
The Treatment – Daniel Menaker
Description: Jake Singer is an anxious young schoolteacher in New York–barely on speaking terms with his father, recently abandoned by his girlfriend, and heading for a life of compromise and mediocrity at a prestigious New York prep school. Emotionally paralyzed by a case of the vapors, he embarks on a course of psychoanalysis with a maniacal Cuban-Catholic Freudian–Dr. Ernesto Morales, a therapist from hell, a man who wields his sarcasm like a machete in the slash-and-burn process he calls interpretation.
Review: I originally picked up The Treatment at a used bookstore, initially captured by the title and then further by the cover design. When I read this book I was really glad that it had caught my attention, one of those rare finds amongst millions of discarded or traded in books. Menaker has an original concept, and a good handle on the highly implausible, but no less hilarious character of Dr. Morales. The switch in stories, as well as narrators (from Jake to the third-person), was disconcerting and not becoming in what was otherwise an intimate and cleverly wrought novel.
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden – Hannah Green
Description: I Never Promised You a Rose Garden is the story of a sixteen-year-old who retreats from reality into the bondage of a lushly imagined, but threatening kingdom, and her slow and painful journey back to sanity. Chronicles the three-year battle of a mentally ill, but perceptive, teenage girl against a world of her own creation, emphasizing her relationship with the doctor gave her the ammunition of self-understanding with which to help herself.
Review: This is one of those older books that has become a classic, not only in the realm of psychology but in many literature classes. I first read this in high school as part of an English course. At the time, we dove deep into all the meanings, prose analysis, and cultural norms of the time. When I later reread this I found that there was so much more to the book than just what one might learn in an English class, but maybe that is because of my years in psychology. It isn’t really the easiest read, but the story is intriguing and the illustrations throughout the book are illuminating to the conditions of the era. The writing is very good; the story is well laid out and executed. I believe, from my experience, her portrayal of a mentally ill teenager is close to what is actually experienced, as well as the reactions from the family.
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