Customer Reviews

The Culture of Pain

5 star:		(2)
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This is an extraordinary book, serious and varied and passionate; I recommend it to anyone who has encountered pain, and would be happy if all doctors had to read it in medical school. It argues that modern society no longer has any effective ways of coping with suffering - especially chronic pain -, of finding meaning in it, and explores some of the ways people in the past learned to live with - and learn from - pain, pain understood not as an enemy attack on human lives which ought to be pain-free, but as a part of life which must be lived with and which can be meaningful in itself, not just a deprivation of meaning.

how does one rate a book about pain?

it was painful to read! it's even painful to write this review.. i've been putting it off for weeks. pain can be fluid and contagious like this

the book is very thorough, and covers pain from a large variety of viewpoints: historical, medical, biological, literary, social, sexual, aesthetic, etc

i found it fascinating - full of interesting information, stories and cultural references. the connection between humor and pain was especially interesting (and enlightening), and i will not forget the description of pre-anesthetic surgery as long as i live

it is heavy on literary references. david morris is clearly excited by literature, but some are extraneous or repetitive. it's a minor criticism

having spelunked into the abyss and back - it was a powerful reading experience, but not one i'm in a hurry to repeat

i would bet the author experienced sheer agony researching and writing this book :)