Tuesday 24 June 2014

Book Review of The Examined Life by Stephen Grosz


Synopsis
Echoing Socrates' time-honoured statement that the unexamined life is not worth living, psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz draws short, vivid stories from his 25-five-year practice in order to track the collaborative journey of therapist and patient as they uncover the hidden feelings behind ordinary behaviour.
These beautifully rendered tales illuminate the fundamental pathways of life from birth to death. A woman finds herself daydreaming as she returns home from a business trip; a young man loses his wallet. We learn, too, from more extreme examples: the patient who points an unloaded gun at a police officer, the compulsive liar who convinces his wife he's dying of cancer. The stories invite compassionate understanding, suggesting answers to the questions that compel and disturb us most about love and loss, parents and children, work and change. The resulting journey will spark new ideas about who we are and why we do what we do

My Musings
Very thought prokoking and enjoyed it more than the Skeleton Cuboard but I am not sure you were supposed to be 'enjoying' that book anyway!!
I did at first find the short chapters annoying as they gave no conclusion but then I realised that the process was ongoing. There is no 'conclusion' to life or peoples issues. Insightful and gives a lot to think about long after you finish the book. I like his style

If you like this you might also like
The Skeleton Cuboard by Tanya Byron

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