Mad, Bad and Sad: A History of Women and the Mind Doctors from 1800

"A very well researched and written account of psychological pressure through the life and times of women
(Including lots of insights into the after lives of some famous patients). This book is fascinating, and it's written in a lively and stylish manner, without a whiff of jargon.
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~ Written on 2008-04-30

"Long and thorough but easily dipped into by chapters, this is a great survey of specific women - from famous literary figures on down - and the medical practices and theories that bound them and defined them in different ways. While it's clearly taken on a lot of the theory of Foucault and others in its reading of history, it's not a difficult book. Though rigorous, it is less interested in a final conclusion or a theory of history, than it is in the weave of detail and the weighing of comparables in actual lives, both of the mind-doctors and their subjects. Some of the life stories are both unbelieveable and inspiring. Making difficult ideas accessible and even entertaining to read about, i recommend this highly as a very usfeul and readable survey of the field.




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~ Written on 2008-02-15