In this cultural history of the treatment and healing of suffering, Kay Jamison writes about what makes an effective healer, and the role of imagination and memory in the regeneration of the mind.
Not a book for the lazy or the linear-minded ... It is often fascinating and sometimes exquisite. But it can also leave you with your head spinning, wondering why you can’t keep up ... Jamison is a beautiful writer, with a vast store of knowledge ... Her book contains a blueprint for finding a way out of darkness — a great gift for anyone who sometimes struggles to overcome psychic pain. But it would have benefited from a clearer narrative through-line. For while there are some exquisite moments, the book’s power is undermined by problems of pacing.
The author studs her narrative with luminous figures such as Paul Robeson and Robert Graves ... A humane, elegantly written contribution to the literature of trauma and care.
Jamison... brings personal and professional insight to this rigorous, deeply felt meditation on psychological healing ... It’s an eloquent, wide-ranging, and edifying look at healing relationships of all kinds.
