Customer Reviews

Divine Madness: Ten Stories of Creative Struggle

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I agree with BogWoz that this is a sloppy treatment of the artists' lives that does little to add any new insights.

Being a follower of Charles Mingus and Lenny Bruce, I was interested in seeing what the author would say. Instead he mentions that Mingus's childhood friend Britt Woodman went on to play trombone with Miles Davis (he means Duke Ellington), and that the position in which the deceased Lenny Bruce was discovered was manipulated by the police (the police did wrap a bathrobe sash back around his arm and placed a box in the background that was labeled "syringe" -- although it was a bulb syringe and not hypodermic...the odd position of the body came from Bruce's friend discovering him and falling as he picked him up).

Albert Goldman's "Ladies and Gentleman -- Lenny Bruce!" is plagiarized (the mention of Lenny's mother nagging him to "Eat better. Exercise. Take care of himself..." is a direct lift from Goldman's work) and likely other biographies are borrowed from liberally.

Kottler also says things that are overblown such as "Judy Garland is perhaps the greatest performer ever...Garland's 1961 Carnegie performance is perhaps the greatest performance ever...Mingus is perhaps the greatest bass player ever." Everyone in the book is a master of their particular art, but anyone who would admire these artists would know that there are equally great artists who influenced or were influenced by these people. Is Kottler trying to validate his work by hammering at the idea that the people he's writing about are the most important ever? Why not Elvis? Why not Montgomery Clift (equally as messed up as Judy...and by the way, Judy and Monty were both in "Judgment at Nuremberg" but not in any scenes together, so Kottler citing Clift as an actor of caliber that Judy performed with is fudging the facts)? Why not Charlie Parker (way more messed up than Mingus, yet Parker is the model that Mingus is held to)? Why not Pollock, Roethke, Delmore Schwartz, James Dean, Richard Pryor?

Or are you planning "More Divine Madness: The Creative Struggle Continues"?

I am a college student in an abnormal psychology class. Divine Madness was for extra credit. I did not want to put the book down, I loved it. The stories are all very intrigueing, and things I never knew about some of the "stars" in the book. I would reccommend it for those that like psychology.

Poorly Written, January 25, 2006
Being a "doctor" does not necessarily make one a good writer, which is the case here. The subject matter is intriguing for sure, but the author here does nothing to elevate the subject matter beyond what is already quite well-known. What is surprising and a little unsettling however, in regards to having this written by a "doctor" is the continued use of expressions like "she wasn't quite right in the head" and the complete lack of medical insight, and more importantly, respect. There is also a general disrespect for women-- or rather "girls"-- as the author prefers to call them. Some of the facts are completely incorrect, and one wonders who the fact checkers and editors on this project are. The psychiatric and medical credibility of the author is nill, as well as the ability to write well. It is up for debate within which of these two trades he is most lacking in skill, ability, talent or integrity.

I wanted to rate this book very well because I believe it is a book of powerful value! The idea is good, to chronicle 10 separate stories covering a wide spectrum of what each of these people endured. The author does it well and is able to bring a human touch to their lives but also an intimacy of innocence. I learned a lot about these ten people as well as myself while reading. A lot of good and healthy points which are edifying for anyone, especially someone struggling with madness or creativity. This book deserves praise because I never got the impression the author was trying to bully any of his beliefs, or even his points of view. I believe the idea is an honest one, expressed tastefully and professionally. There are a lot of critics out there, but we must remember, it is much easier to criticize than it is to create. Jeffrey Kottler has created a good work here, and I hope others can benefit from his style, which is quite creative I might add!