I read the first 100 pages and then a number of the later stories. I very much like the premise of the book. But the stories were dated (many are oldeI read the first 100 pages and then a number of the later stories. I very much like the premise of the book. But the stories were dated (many are older than the 2011 publication date, all the way back to 1945) and the approaches were all over the place. I read all the schizophrenia stories, and the writers seemed like good people, but I didn't get any idea how they got to the much-improved states they reached. I'm unsure about whether autism spectrum (the Asperger's name was still in use) belongs in this book, but those stories were pretty good (except the disturbing and unedited one by a minimally literate young man who could have also been a sociopath). While the stories by transgender people were good, and "gender dysphoria" ("gender identity disorder" when the book was published) is apparently still in the DSM today, I don't think they belong here. A couple of older stories by public figures used flowery language that I didn't enjoy reading and showed quite a sense of, hmm, rich white male privilege? And the story of a guy who became a bank robber because he liked BDSM was just weird....more
The author always had unusual ways of thinking, so she finally got a professional evaluation and found out that she is on the autism spectrum. Her memThe author always had unusual ways of thinking, so she finally got a professional evaluation and found out that she is on the autism spectrum. Her memoir is a look at how her mind works. The book is personal, and is not at all a guide to autism spectrum disorder. If you know an autistic person, you might understand some things about them from this book, or not. She does "interview" people on the subject, and that gives her some generalizations, which may or may not be applicable to a significant percentage of people on the spectrum.
The author describes herself straightforwardly, and the reader gets a taste of what it's like to be her. She is an interesting person, smart and of course quirky. She has constant anxiety, unrest, and obsessive behaviors; she starts the book describing those. She doesn't feel love for her husband, though she continues to choose to be with him and appreciates how good he is to her sometimes, but feels it strongly for her kids, in her own way. I didn't understand how, with all the other ways she doesn't have typical feelings, she could be so happy to have kids - four! - and be so devastated when they grow up and leave the nest.
She recognizes both her strengths (she is able to have an excellent professional career) and her deficits. Like anyone, she sometimes feels shame (or something negative) about the deficits. Mostly, she tries to structure her life to accommodate her needs, with substantial success - if you don't count the ubiquitous anxiety.
I found the book easy to read, but it is sometimes repetitive, and it's scattered. One problem is, there are two sections on her efforts to find her birth mother (she's adopted). The first section ends abruptly, so I was relieved to see the second section later. But then that also ends abruptly, with no resolution. Why bring up her birth family if she isn't going to say whether she ever made contact? It was just left hanging. ...more
A lot of short graphic pieces by people on the spectrum about how it works for them and others. I thought with that many stories, some would be too shA lot of short graphic pieces by people on the spectrum about how it works for them and others. I thought with that many stories, some would be too short to be coherent (my experience with other anthologies), but each one was complete and made its point well. It would have been good to have the title and author at the beginning of each one. Very interesting read!
Merged review:
A lot of short graphic pieces by people on the spectrum about how it works for them and others. I thought with that many stories, some would be too short to be coherent (my experience with other anthologies), but each one was complete and made its point well. It would have been good to have the title and author at the beginning of each one. Very interesting read!...more
I couldn't finish the book, got about 60 pages in and then skimmed some of the rest. This is not a methodical book that outlines facts about introversI couldn't finish the book, got about 60 pages in and then skimmed some of the rest. This is not a methodical book that outlines facts about introversion. It's a cheerleading book, and the writing is strangely extroverted. There's tons of bold, italics, and ALL CAPS, with many text boxes with quotes from famous people and people she's interviewed. In fact, the author started to lose me near the beginning with a quote incorrectly attributed to Bill Gates. Soon after that, another quote was attributed to Gloria Steinem, who did say it but was nowhere near the first person to. Why didn't someone do some fact checking? For me, that made many things the book stated as fact suspect.
Not that there was much science-y stuff; the book is mostly the author's experiences and opinions/ideas. For example, she often equated introversion with more appreciation for nature; I doubt that there's any evidence that extroverts appreciate nature any less. And much of the time, she is comparing extreme introverts to extreme extroverts, when a quick google shows opinions and/or evidence that there's a bell curve between the two, with most people falling in the middle. I did like (confirmation bias, as the data she presented isn't stringently verified) that she says that at least 50% of people are introverts. On the other hand, I'm not sure that everybody can be easily categorized.
Another problem, also a problem in the book I note below, is that she is talking to and about mostly white middle-class to upper-middle-class people, with outlooks and problems related to their class. I do like that she talks about Japanese culture and how introversion is the norm there, but again, some of what she said seemed more like opinion than verified fact, and other factors contribute to those cultural norms.
This book is about the author's generalized anxiety disorder and how she's dealt with it. A large component of it is social anxiety, which I can relatThis book is about the author's generalized anxiety disorder and how she's dealt with it. A large component of it is social anxiety, which I can relate to. The title is a bit hopeful - it doesn't seem like she's "conquered" the anxiety, but she's pushed on through it, with some excellent results. The art is good, and she expresses her feelings very clearly - nicely done!...more
This is a classic. I vaguely remembered Rubin from long ago, and decided to read it. It's good, but extremely dated, in terms of terminology and cultuThis is a classic. I vaguely remembered Rubin from long ago, and decided to read it. It's good, but extremely dated, in terms of terminology and cultural context. It was written in 1975, almost 50 years ago! I'm surprised to see so many positive reviews that don't mention its age. I liked it, a lot in places, but I had to update concepts and specific items in my head as I read. Because of that, I'm unable to give it a star rating.
Theodore Rubin seems like an exceptionally insightful and compassionate professional. He outlines first "self-hate," which he describes as a violent negative emotion. I don't know if more people flagellated themselves more extremely in that era or if the people I know well have a higher than usual incidence of milder self-dislike or low self-esteem. I did not make it through all the "Forms of Self-Hate" (direct and indirect); I had to stop when he explained how it was the cause of schizophrenia. (I would have agreed with that back then, but it's fatally outdated now.) I read most of the Compassion sections. I don't know if it's old terminology/concepts, but he uses the word mostly about being compassionate with ourselves, in such a way that I had to twist my mind a bit to understand what he meant. It is refreshing to feel such a kind and accepting attitude in his words.
I really liked the section on "The Destructive Culture," which points out many ways that cultural expectation can lead to self-hate, and gives the rationale why and how we don't need to be bound by them. His viewpoint on gender differences is progressive even today: men and women are people and not all that different. And, briefly, it's okay to be gay. And his last section, "Joy," is lovely.
I did get a lot out of reading this book. It left me with things to think about, and feeling a bit better about myself. But it's so outdated that I would only recommend it to people who are already fairly well-read in more current books on the subject....more
Amy Kurzweil's grandfather, Fred, escaped from Nazi Austria just before it would have been too late. The family was educated, prominent, and Jewish. HAmy Kurzweil's grandfather, Fred, escaped from Nazi Austria just before it would have been too late. The family was educated, prominent, and Jewish. He was an musician and conductor, very talented. Her father, Ray, is a well-known computer scientist, author, futurist, and inventor of the Kurzweil synthesizer. He decides to create a digital simulation of his father, what Rudy Rucker would call a lifebox, and recruits Amy to help with the research and parameters. Kind-of-spoiler: I would not consider the results very good. I think there are already algorithms for better conversation; this one mostly replies to questions with actual quotes. Maybe they've upgraded it by now.
But the book is about much more than that. It's about the lives of Amy, Ray, and Fred and their significant others; their oddities (Ray has kept massive amounts of his father's notes and journals as well as keeping his own, and Amy has the same tendency to save everything); artificial intelligence; the phenomenon of consciousness; and the meaning of life.
I found a lot to like in this book. The questions it tackles are fascinating. The family is likeable, and the fondness among them is sweet, especially between Amy and Ray. That said, boy do they think a lot. There's a lot of what to me is overthinking, in a way that is maybe a definition of "intellectual" as a cultural style, and which I generally prefer to not do. Still, following the thought processes led me to some interesting ideas. Also, the Appendix expands on things noted in the text, and is worth at least skimming....more
This book presents fascinating and groundbreaking information on the neuroscience of how humans connect with each other. Specific regions of the brainThis book presents fascinating and groundbreaking information on the neuroscience of how humans connect with each other. Specific regions of the brain show activity during certain types of thinking and relating. There are two separate areas that are active, one when we think about non-relational things (like math or maps or Wordle), and one when we think about social stuff. Other areas of the brain treat social pleasure and pain the same as physical pleasure and pain. When people are given positive or negative social interactions and then presented with tasks, those with positive interactions perform better. This may be old style stuff, but now it's backed up with measurements of brain activity.
The book has many more details and studies. It is very well organized (though a little wordy at times) and it presents a cohesive picture. The last two chapters give some idea of how this knowledge could be used to improve the workplace and the educational system, which would lead to improvements in many other areas.
I don't know why, but I approached some of the book from an adversarial place, looking to find flaws. I think that started the first time that the author (unnecessarily, imo) brought in evolutionary psychology (which I consider to be permeated with unproven speculation) to explain why the brain is what it is now. He also references Simon Baron-Cohen on theory of mind as it applies to autism, which, taken to a logical conclusion, implies that people with autism are not human. Oh, and did he really need to trash Maslow's hierarchy of needs? Even though Lieberman is presenting incontrovertible (I think) evidence, Maslow has wider implications at a societal level, and those are still very relevant.
For some reason, thinking about other people's feelings or motivations is called "mentalizing" - an odd word that reminds me of things like phlogiston or humors. But it's apparently in current scientific use. He also uses the word "mindreading" for assessing another person's state of mind. Makes me wonder how our current state-of-the-art neuroscience will hold up in a century or two.
This book is now ten years old. I'd be very interested to read any books that give updates on this research. ...more
I've loved Dawn Prince-Hughes and her writing since reading Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism years ago. I was happy to finally gI've loved Dawn Prince-Hughes and her writing since reading Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism years ago. I was happy to finally get a chance to read this book. It was written 20 years ago. In those 20 years, the neurodiverse community has, to a large extent, come into its own. So this book, while still very relevant, is in some ways outdated.
Prince-Hughes collected essays from a dozen people on the autism spectrum. At the time, the Asperger's label was still in use, and I think all the writers were considered to have that. The cover says they were college students, but most of them had graduate degrees and spent many years in academia. Some were older, writing about their previous college days. Most also wrote about their earlier school years and other parts of their lives. In the introduction, Prince-Hughes says that she barely edited the essays in order to let the writers' ways of thinking show through, and this works well. Her own essay is the last in the book.
I found the stories fascinating, both for finding out about people's experiences and for the glimpses into people's ways of thinking. Most of the writers had sensory differences, learning problems, and other differences from the "norm" that made school and other parts of their lives difficult. Most also had major problems socially. Their lives were not easy. At the same time, they are mostly quite likable, and they explain themselves very well (except one short essay that I couldn't quite understand). Although I don't think the writers wanted a "cure" (one says this specifically), and they like being themselves (with one or two exceptions), there's not nearly as much advocacy for neurodiversity as more recent books of this nature.
I would probably give this 5 stars except for it being so outdated....more
This book comprises over 35 short pieces written by people who are on the autistic spectrum and also trans or nonbinary. Many of these people did not This book comprises over 35 short pieces written by people who are on the autistic spectrum and also trans or nonbinary. Many of these people did not realize they were trans or on the spectrum until they were older teenagers or adults. So many interesting people!
Many of the stories were similar (this is how I realized I was on the spectrum, this is how I realized I was nonbinary, plus they were bullied in school) and for me, that repetition made it not so easy to read. At points, I found it disturbing, both because of the bullying (bad flashbacks to my childhood) and because I found myself almost inside somebody's head, and it was weird there (though no weirder than inside mine). I wondered if the book should have been edited more thoroughly, but that might have taken away from its "own voices" aspect. As it is, all the voices come through clearly. Nice collection....more
This book was extremely disturbing. It's supposed to be a novel, but I assume that much or most of it is based on the author's experiences as a psychiThis book was extremely disturbing. It's supposed to be a novel, but I assume that much or most of it is based on the author's experiences as a psychiatric resident. After the first hundred pages, I mostly skimmed, as the hospital and his life were both disasters. I mean, the protagonist, Roy, tried to do things right, but he was very closed off. When his partner (or anyone else) asked anything about his feelings, he couldn't answer, and wouldn't even acknowledge that he was upset about her questions or anything else.
The psychiatrists are totally crazy, and the patients are mistreated to the point of a number of avoidable suicides. At his first ward assignment, the head doctor is on vacation, and Roy's friend Malik is in charge. Malik gives him common-sense guidelines for working with the patients, and also tries to discharge as many as possible before the crazy head doctor (who diagnoses all patients as borderline) comes back. When he does come back, Roy falls under his spell and adopts his extreme, Freudian-oriented viewpoint, which causes him to treat patients inappropriately, doing harm. When his rotation takes him to the psychosis ward, he finds that the head doctor doesn't even consider the patients human and doesn't interact with them, just prescribes excessive amounts of harmful drugs. Some people there are misdiagnosed and shouldn't be there, but the head doctor doesn't care. When it's obvious that another prominent psychiatrist in the hospital is having sex with his patients and even a younger women doctor, Roy tries to help, but the doctor is charismatic and the hospital circles its wagons around him. Meanwhile, Roy starts an affair, which is the last straw for his wonderful partner. (Yes, the book is thoroughly sexist.)
It has a happy ending for Roy, but the book is an indictment of the psychiatric establishment and mental hospitals, this model of which I don't think still exists. Also those who work with the Freudian model are much rarer now. But the issues he raises about insurance and pharmaceutical companies continue. And care for the mentally ill is woefully inadequate.
All the blurbs say the book is witty, funny, hilarious. Yes, it's written irreverently, but overall, I found it more disturbing and tragic. If I were to re-read The House of God, I wonder it I'd like it as much as I did long ago when I read it. ...more
This is an excellently written look at the pluses and minuses (mostly minuses) of involuntary hospital commitment for psychiatric care, with a little This is an excellently written look at the pluses and minuses (mostly minuses) of involuntary hospital commitment for psychiatric care, with a little about involuntary outpatient care. The authors look at all the angles; the person's experience, opinions from prominent practitioners and advocacy groups, hospital staff's (mostly doctors) experiences, laws and court systems in various states, customs in various hospitals, and (they seem to think this is most important to the public) the prevention of mass murders by people with mental illness. While being sure to present the opposing views, they come down firmly for using involuntary commitment as sparingly as possible.
Everything in the book is well considered and presented as factually and scientifically as possible. The authors cite a number of studies, but, as they point out, very few meet the gold standard for study design.
Unfortunately, I am familiar with the mental health care disaster that is the regional situation here, and is likely not worse than most regions in the US. The major mental health care provider is the jail system. They have few options of where to send mentally ill people who are picked up for ranting on the street or whatever, so they keep them, and medicate them, often for months. It was three months for our family member. Though it's absolutely the wrong setting, they try to do it well. They even had a counseling group for families, where they talked about what might ideally happen, but didn't happen for most of the group. Our person was finally accepted into a non-jail program (500 miles away) because they had private insurance, but that wasn't possible for most. Even once out in the community, people who don't have a family with the resources to navigate a complicated yet inadequate system don't have good prospects. Another family member in another state recently received negligent "care" that could have killed them.
So. I liked this book. I agree with almost all of the authors' observations and viewpoints. They gave a lot of space to the sad state of psychiatric care in this country and offered a lot of recommendations. And what happens with those? I'm not hopeful.
I liked the book; it was easy to read and has lots of good information, much of it stuff that I've read about previously. The author is a neuroscientiI liked the book; it was easy to read and has lots of good information, much of it stuff that I've read about previously. The author is a neuroscientist, and she is explaining to a nonscientific audience, placing the book firmly in the pop science category. I was expecting, and would have preferred, more technical material, with references. I also am pretty sure she is conflating causation with correlation in several places (mainly with the relationship between diet and Alzheimer's). If she'd included references, I could check on that.
She talks about the different kinds of memory, which is interesting, and gives examples, many of which are redundant (maybe so that they will sink into the reader's memory better?). It seemed to me that each chapter could have been shorter; she gets to the point, states it a couple more ways, then rambles on about things like forgetting where she parked her car. It's a relevant example, but too drawn out. I know she's trying to engage the reader, but some of it is just too cutesy for me.
I was expecting to learn more neuroscience, but instead learned about how memory works in actual conscious people. It has a self-help aspect, dealing with what readers should know about how their memory works (personally more than technically) and how they can improve their memory. Good stuff, really, and I'd recommend it....more
The thesis of this book is that that each person needs to find something that they are dedicated to in order to find happiness. As a psychiatrist, FraThe thesis of this book is that that each person needs to find something that they are dedicated to in order to find happiness. As a psychiatrist, Frankl differentiates between neurosis, which is psychological issues based in concentrating on oneself, and existential crisis, which is the search for meaning in one's life. His approach is logical and has a lot of common sense. His school of logotherapy is based on helping people to find this meaning. I would think it would be an effective therapeutic approach, though I don't know how widespread it ever became.
The story of his time in concentration camps is grueling. Yet, he managed to continue making observations of the human psyche and to try to reconstruct his book manuscript that had been confiscated and destroyed. Those things and the idea of reuniting with his wife kept him going.
The word "man" is used hundreds of times in the book, as are male pronouns. "Woman" or female pronouns, maybe when he mentioned female psychotherapists/authors. No judgement, this was how it was done even when I was younger, but it was jarring to see now. ...more
I'm giving this book five stars mostly because it made me think so much – and such interesting thinking! Devon Price pulls together not only all kindsI'm giving this book five stars mostly because it made me think so much – and such interesting thinking! Devon Price pulls together not only all kinds of facts about autism, illustrated by descriptions by autistic people about how various traits affect their lives, but also a philosophy about neurodiversity - not a new one, but well-stated.
The book’s focus is on unmasking. Masking is when a person stops acting like their self in order to appear "normal" to fit in better. It can take a lot of concentration and energy and cause additional anxiety on top of the already-existing anxiety of knowing you are considered different and weird. Families and therapists push young children hard to act like they are not having issues with sensory sensitivities, to not do stimming behaviors, to not talk constantly about their pet subjects, etc. This results in children and then adults who have shame about being themselves, and who are constantly anxious.
I found myself really liking the author. I did not agree with everything he said, but I feel more informed about neurodiversity (including things like ADHD and mental illness), and I recommend the book highly.
I'm not sure how to rate this. I'm giving it three stars because I felt detached from the story while reading it, and much of it seemed random. But thI'm not sure how to rate this. I'm giving it three stars because I felt detached from the story while reading it, and much of it seemed random. But then, the author felt kind of detached from her life, so maybe that's what's coming across, so it's actually an excellent communication. And as far as randomness, mass shootings seem random too. I liked the book and would recommend it, but I also felt kind of flat and unengaged after reading it. Numb, as in the title, so again, excellent communication....more
I learned a lot from this book. State-of-the-art information on the physical causes of neurological diseases, including mental illnesses, the autism sI learned a lot from this book. State-of-the-art information on the physical causes of neurological diseases, including mental illnesses, the autism spectrum, and movement disorders like Parkinson's. There's also a chapter on gender (sex organs and gender identpty are determined at different times in fetal development). The last chapter is about consciousness; what is it and what are its biochemical components. Fascinating stuff.
Kandel is the consummate scientist. He looks at credible studies and information, and synthesizes it all into overviews of the subjects. He's clear about what is known, what's not yet known, and the direction the research is going in, with some amount of clearly-identified speculation on where current research may take us in treating these conditions.
This book puts you right inside the author's autistic mind. It's a busy place. Despite being nonverbal and having a lot of sensory deficits, he's veryThis book puts you right inside the author's autistic mind. It's a busy place. Despite being nonverbal and having a lot of sensory deficits, he's very smart and thoughtful. He describes how he processes information and communicates; because of his deficits, he's come up with various workarounds. He's aware of the difficulties he causes his family (as well as the joy), and aware of how he appears to other people. He's also very loving and grateful for the help he gets. He's a very good writer. Recommended....more
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