All Reviews
Reviews are listed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent review appearing first in the list.
Confucianism
We turn to books in the Very Short Introduction series when we are looking for the basics about a subject. Probably we will also do a web search at the s…
Conquering Shame and Codependency
Conquering Shame and Codependency is a book about shame and codependency. The author, Darlene Lancer, JD, LMFT, is a licensed family…
Foucault Now
James Faubion announces that the aim of his new book, Foucault Now, lies far beyond the usual collection of interpretations and application…
Gang of Four’s Entertainment
There are not many great Marxist/feminist rock bands, but Gang of Four have a strong claim of being among them. Entertainment was thei…
Generation Dada
In this book, Michael White focuses on the friendships that forged the enigmatic and difficult to define avant-garde art movement (or anti-art movement)…
Guilt, Shame, and Anxiety
The modest title of Peter Breggin’s new book, Guilt, Shame and Anxiety, barely captures the critical message of this work, which…
Let Me Be Frank With You
At about half the length of the previous Frank Basc…
Living with Bipolar Disorder
In the big scheme of things, Bipolar Affective Disorder is not too prevalent, but when it does hit, despite its rarity, it hits hard. Many will take thei…
Malice
This is a murder mystery where the main puzzle is why one writer murders another. Set in modern Japan, Police Detective Kyochiro Kaga is trying to…
Mental Biology
Mental Biology is a book about brain and consciousness. The author, W.R. Klemm, DVM, PhD, is a professor in the College of Veterinar…
Philosophy of Biology
In the early 1970s Michael Ruse’s The Philosophy of Biology (1973) and David Hull’s Philosophy of Biological Science&nbs…
Policing Sexuality
In Policing Sexuality: The Mann Act and the Making of the FBI, Jessica R. Pliley tracks the history of the FBI in their efforts to curb and…
The Aesthetic Mind
As readers enter each of the debates in The Aesthetic Mind: Philosophy and Psychology–the psychology of the aesthetic; emotion in aestheti…
The Magic of Reality
My grandson gave me a copy of this book for Christmas. He said “I realize the book is intended for younger readers, but you should read it too, because i…
The Myth of Mirror Neurons
If you Google “mirror neurons,” one of the top results currently comes from a website …
The Pleasure’s All Mine
Although the phrase “sexual perversion” was first used only in the late 19th century when the burgeoning field of sexology was in its early stages,…
The Violence of Care
In The Violence of Care: Rape Victims, Forensic Nurses, and Sexual Assault Intervention, Sameena Mulla focuses her attention and resea…
A Brief History of Death
Historian W.M. Spellman has managed to provide in this book a relatively brief (250 pages or so) yet comprehensive review of many assorted aspects of dea…
Anatomy of a Misfit
Anatomy of a Misfit is an odd book, combining a smart-mouthed and irreverent nar…
Blue Is the Warmest Color
The plot of Blue Is the Warmest Color is simple: Adèle is in high school, studying literature. Everyone is interested in dating, an…
Brainstorm
I am always amazed when I see parents negotiating with young children and then demanding complete compliance with teenagers. After all, young children ne…
Character and Moral Psychology
Character and Moral Psychology and the companion volume Moral Character: An Empirical Theory (Oxford University Press, 2…
Global Philosophy
Executive Summary: In essence, Maxwell’s (2014) “new” book GLOBAL PHILOSOPHY again suggests that we (universities in general and academic p…
How We Hope
Adrienne Martin begins her book How We Hope: A Moral Psychology with a poem from Yehuda Amichai who writes, “hope needs to be like barbed wire t…
It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Based on the young adult novel by Ned Vizzini, It’s Kind of a Funny Story is about a teen put into an adult psychiatric hospital. Craig lives in…