Customer Reviews

Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream: A Forensic Psychiatrist Illuminates the Darker Side of Human Behavior

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Dr. Robert I Simon's book Bad Med Do What Good Men Dream is an erudite and readable treatment of one of the knottiest questions in the history of humanity: what separates good men from bad men? Dr. Simon has applied his vast experience in clinical and forensic psychiatry to illuminate the similarities and differences between those who demonstrate remarkable psychopathology and "normal" people. He has explored the spectrum of violent and horrifying behavior, from killer cults to serial murderers to workplace violence, and provided a thoughtful discussion of the difficulties of identifying the good and evil inside us and around us. As a forensic psychiatrist, I found this book enlightening, thought provoking and well written. I highly recommend it to any professional or lay student of human nature.

...[T]his book has four or five chapters of differing criminal
behaviors (the serial murderer, the sexual deviant) told in
sensational stories with little serious discussion of the the
psychological basis or reasoning of why bad men do what good men
dream. In fact, the question of why bad men DO what good men dream is
never seriously examined. In fact, there is little, if any,
illuination of the causes or understanding of psychopathic behavior.
If this is a topic that interests you, you're much better off with
Charles Patrick Ewing's work or Henry Steadman.

Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream is a fascinating and well researched account of mankind's capacity for evil. Written by a forensic psychiatrist with years of clinical experience examining the human mind, the book not only provides the theoretical underpinnings of the subject, it provides the seasoned observer's inside account of what makes us "tick". In the humanist's tradition, it recognizes that dark thoughts are latent in all of us. Dr. Simon has produced a highly educational and riveting read without ever lapsing into the usual pomposity or sensationalism often found in writings on this topic. Readers will enjoy the many thought provoking discussions not only about why we do the things we do, but about what separates "good" people from "bad".

The artist Paul Gauguin once said that "life being what it is, one dreams of revenge." In "Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream," Dr. Robert Simon explains that all people have "bad dreams"--thoughts of suicide, or revenge, or crime--but only a very few cross the line from bad dream to bad action.

This book explores the nebulous borderline between what people think and what they do. The topics covered include serial killing, workplace violence, multiple personality disorder, killer cults, suicide, sexual misconduct by professional caregivers, rape, stalking and pyschopathic behavior.

In each area, Dr. Simon's analysis shows just how complex and surprising the human mind can be. Even apparently straightforward questions, such as whether a given criminal is likely to be dangerous in the future, or whether a "suicide" is actually an accident, turn out to be very hard to answer.

At times, Dr. Simon's style is a bit academic, but on the whole he writes clearly and does a good job of covering a wide range of complex issues.

I was particularly interested in Chapter 8's account of what was called the "Oshkosh MPD rape case" at the time, because I was the victim advocate in the case. Sarah and her Others lived with my family and me for almost two months after hounding by the media precipitated a suicide attempt. I knew her/them well, and I know the facts of the case well.

Yes, the kindly neighbor testified that he explained Sarah's multiple personalities to Mark, a 32-year-old grocery bagger, while he waited to take Sarah on a date. Yes, Mark was convicted. But Mark never served a day in prison. Two months after he was found guilty, his conviction was vacated. Why? Because the kindly neighbor had been having sex with Sarah for over a year. If Sarah said no, he would call out a personality who would say yes. And he never explained anything to Mark, who probably couldn't have understood it in the first place.

The fact that Mark's conviction was vacated was widely reported. It is public record and easily accessible. Failure to fact-check something so significant is an error of such magnitude that it calls into question all the other assertions in the book. How many others are similarly misreported here?

Incidentally, there is one key player in this who went to prison -- the District Attorney. He's serving 7 years in federal prison for taking bribes to fix cases.

"Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream" is a timely, fundamental contribution to our growing understanding of character and behavior, and to the perennial question of why there is good and evil. In the tradition of Freud's "Interpretation of Dreams," Simon gazes into the abyss of the psyche with both courage and wisdom. The ensuing reflections will not only be 'must reading' for forensic psychiatrists, but illuminating for any clinician or, for that matter, anyone seriously asking the question 'Why?' when confronted with the horror of 'mad and bad.' Harold J. Bursztajn, M.D./Co-Director, Program in Psychiatry and the Law/Massachusetts Mental Health Center/Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry/Harvard Medical School

I love the idea behind the book: that everyone has a bit of whatever it is that makes a criminal a criminal in them. But the fact-checking is *horrible*. There are so many errors and, well, just made up stuff!

Other reviewers have pointed out some of them. Just one more example that I noticed: under the heading of Group Rape in Ch. 4, the author states "Perhaps the most notorious gang rape was that of the Central Park jogger [...] Her attackers were eventually put on trial and convicted." Well, sort of. Yes, a group of men were convicted, but later their convictions were vacated!

There were other statements that were presented as accepted fact that I'm sure have either been disproved or are controversial. Just sloppy research.

"Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream" has successfully bridged the fields of psychiatry and criminology. The age-old question of 'mad or bad' has been brilliantly explained by current examples of psychopaths in crime, workplace violence, stalkers, spies, cults, and serial killers. This book provides answers previously unavailable to those who are trying to unravel the puzzle of a violent society. Robert K. Ressler, M.A./Author of "Whoever Fights Monsters" and "Justice is Served"/Federal Bureau of Investigation, Retired/Director of Forensic Behavioral Services

This book is a disappointment on so many levels. I think the biggest issue is that Simon plagiarizes his idea from the bible. Seriously, bad men do what good men dream is not different from the concept that we are all born sinners and must rise above our sinful nature. Not to mention that he completely contradicts himself by saying we are all evil, and then, he describes a healthy minded individual as being as far from evil as possible. What the ........?? This is truly dumbfounding. Honestly, I think the sole reason he wrote the book was for boosting his name in the media and career enhancement. Finally, I have read reviews for this book on other sites by other forensic psychologists, and they criticize Simon's accuracy as well as his writing quality. I am thankful that I did not spend much on this book.

It was a good book, not great,probably because I could not relate to the extreme cases of criminal activity that this author is familiar with as a profession. The author did not really have a goal in mind either. I have no idea why most people behave well in society and some are outrageous psychopaths other than they are wired differently than the rest of us. The author needed a cause for writing the book other than it was his job for many years.