Interesting but consider getting written version

An interesting, thought provoking and impassioned book. It contained an eclectic mix of mythology, history, research, author opinion, and, essentially, manifesto. At times these worked very well and added to the richness and depth of the book, at other times, the book could feel a little disjointed because it was doing so much.

I particularly enjoyed the research chapters and felt the author made a lot of valuable points about engendered mental illness, how this plays out socially, and patriarchal power imbalances being reproduced within mainstream psychiatry. Insights into these areas attracted me to the book and I wasn't disappointed. I'll definitely be going back to re-read these chapters and Chesler's primary research.

I felt that some of the points were more nuanced than than the way they were presented, which could be quite forceful. For me this meant some of the arguments lost their power e.g., comparison of homosexuality and historic treatment of lesbian women vs gay men.

The narrator was very fast and, because the arguments could be complex, this meant I sometimes missed the crux of them even though I had set the narration speed to 90%. I have purchased the book and am looking forward to re-reading it at a slower pace.

I recommend the book but unless you are very familiar with the topics or process information very quickly, I would suggest getting the written version.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!