All Reviews
Reviews are listed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent review appearing first in the list.
How to Sleep Well
There are many books about sleep and on how to improve one’s sleep, all emphasizing how important sleep is to living well and health. Different “experts” have different theories and recommendations, though there is a good deal of overlap between many of t
Summer and July
Apart from setting out the psychological lessons of the benefits of friendship and learning sports skills, Summer and July also depicts the charms of a Californian surfing town. The friendship between the two girls is nicely drawn, and the story proceeds
Psychiatry and Its Discontents
But be forewarned—Professor Scull’s pronouncements are as pessimistic as the jeremiads articulated by the Hebrew prophet whose writings inspired this English-language noun. In fact, much of this book evokes the Book of Jeremiah, and not only because Prof
How to Count Animals, More or Less
Interests are interests, regardless whose they are, and like interests deserve equal consideration – this is the basic idea of a common position within animal ethics, related to Peter Singer, Tom Regan and other influential names. It is also a view that S
500 Miles from You
500 Miles from You is the third Jenny Colgan novel to feature the Scottish Highland town of Kirrinfief, which she first featured in The Bookshop on the Corner and then returned to in The Bookshop on the Shore. But most of the characters from those previo
Separation Anxiety
Laura Zigman’s comedic novel of anxiety and parenting is awkward but entertaining. The awkwardness seems intended because it is so persistent. Judy is unhappy because her marriage with Gary is not working and they have separated even though they are still
The Fear of Child Sexuality
The Fear of Child Sexuality, by Steven Angelides, demonstrates that children are sexual beings and writes about an environment where children should be protected but also allowed to express their sexuality. The author discusses sex panics in Anglo-Saxon s
Moral Distress in the Health Professions
Moral Distress in the Health Professions traces the history and evolution of the concept of moral distress (chs. 1, 2, and 4), demonstrates the variety of ways it is experienced by health professionals in the US (chs. 3 and 9) and around the world (ch. 8)
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Becoming a Man
Becoming a Man is not a guide to the trans world, or a survey of academic thought on gender theory. Rather, it is a record of P. Carl’s thought and experience as someone who has gone through transformation. Readers will find a lot here to like, and probab
The Illness Lesson
Clare Beams’ debut novel The Illness Lesson is a smart story about an innovative school for young women in 19th century America, complex enough to defy simple analysis. Caroline is the central figure, old enough to be a teacher in the school, but a junior
The Meaning of Life and the Great Philosophers
MoL is an edited collection which aims to bring together a range of perspectives exploring some of the greatest minds in the history of philosophy on the question of MoL. The topic is seeing some resurgence in philosophical interest and just this year th
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A Children’s Bible
Millet’s new novel A Children’s Bible is a striking fable set in the present about a group of wealthy teens on vacation with their families. The teens hang out together and avoid the adults, and they soon head off on a boat to an island, where they plan t
How To Be Trustworthy
How to be Trustworthy is a highly readable and thought-provoking study of trust and trustworthiness that is philosophically and conceptually sophisticated. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the philosophy of trust and social epistemology more gen
The Zyprexa Papers
Gottstein clearly should be praised for his bravery in standing up to Eli Lilly. He may overestimate the clinical harm caused by olanzapine, although weight gain is a serious side-effect and doctors should properly warn patients of the risk. I’m not convi
Brain-Mind
The manuscript itself is very accessible. The overview of cognitive science in the first chapter can be read as a separate piece, for example, as one of the introductory readings for a lower-year undergraduate course. Each chapter provides references for
Restorative Yoga
Author Caren Baginski is a yoga teacher and yoga therapist in training who has long offered supportive yoga practices on her YouTube channel. One of her areas of specialty is the restful practice of restorative yoga, and her new book—with its simple titl
Individuation, Process, and Scientific Practices
Editors and contributors, Otávio Bueno, Ruey-Lin Chen, and Melinda Bonnie Fagan, do a remarkable job of not only articulating why the titular question “What things count as individuals, and how do we individuate them?” is of critical importance to contemp
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Regretting You
Colleen Hoover has written 19 novels, and is only 40. Apparently, they are aimed at the “new adult” category, which is for those aged 18-30. Regretting You has some adult themes, but also feels like some combination of romance, young adult, and pop psycho
Coaching Athletes to Be Their Best
Ever since Miller and Rollnick published their first works in the 1980’s, the world at large has recognized the fields of motivational interviewing, together with Deci and Ryan’s self-determination science, as the epitome of Carl Roger’s client-centred ap
The Other Americans
The Other Americans is a multicultural novel set in California. The central narrator is Nora, from an Iraqi family, whose father was walking from his restaurant and was killed by a driver. She thinks it makes no sense and wants the police to investigate t
The Psychology of Performance
The Psychology of Performance by Stewart T. Cotterill is a coherent and informative account of the conditions under which human performance may fit or fail environmental demands and expectations. The author’s writing is clear, and, most importantly, relia
When Harry Became Sally
When Harry Became Sally is Ryan T. Anderson’s response to what the author calls the “Transgender moment”. Anderson believes that rather than focusing on transitioning for young children and teenagers who identify as Transgender, it is imperative to provid
Delusions in Context
Bortolotti’s book is aimed, mainly, at philosophers interested in clinical practice, rationality and epistemology. However, I would personally recommend it to psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses and university students because of the broad frame of usefu
Make America Healthy Again
Nicole Sapier is a NYC physician, working in radiology. She is also a Fox News contributor, and given her statements it is not hard to imagine that she is a Trump supporter, although she does not say who she voted for. She does argue often against the ACA
The Will to Punish
Fassin presented the 2016 Tanner Lectures at the University of California, Berkeley, entitled ‘The Will to Punish,’ over three consecutive afternoons in April of that year, followed by participant’s comments and a short reply by Fassin. The overall thrust