Customer Reviews

Churchill's Black Dog and Other Phenomena of the Human Mind

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The late Anthony Storr was British. As you read this insightful book, it is good to keep this in mind. He had a neighbor's perspective of Winston Churchill and (although centuries separate their lives) of Isaac Newton. These essays were the most valuable of the entire book. These men were two of the most influential men that the world has ever produced. With the knowledge of their exquisite gifts, emotionally both of these men had to conduct their lives. Churchill's 'black dog' makes us wonder if today he would have been able to hold a powerful public office, with society's fear of mental illness. Storr documents much of Churchill's emotional life and discusses Newton's also, which is very valuable to the reader. This book was written by one of the most prominent psychiatrists of the 20th Century, who in the same vein as the neurologist Oliver Sacks, fortunately decided to expand his career by publishing books.

Psycho-history using pschoanalysis as a historical tool often apears on shaky ground. Yet Storr's work is a first rate piece of writing based on scholarly analysis and adds immeasurably to our understanding of churchill and the forces thar drove him on and on. The first essay is the finest but all the others have a solid quality to them. Yet the Churchill essay is the finest. By realising the immense personal challenges he faced, it adds to his reputation. The internal obstacles were often more than the external ones. A fine book that rewards continual rereading.