Customer Reviews

Prisons We Choose to Live Inside (Massey Lectures)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
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In a time of polarization, Lessings small book shines a much needed light on how we use out-groups and outsiders in general as projection points for the feelings that society and religion tell us are unacceptable. We want to think of ourselves as noble when we identify some evil to correct and go about righteously eradicating it. Unfortunately, the core problem is that we are angry and feel a need to hurt someone or something. That is the real evil that we never look at. How noble were the people in her book who cut down a beautiful and historic tree because it was used to hang someone they liked? Was it the trees fault or did their need to express rage simply find a helpless victim?

The behaviors discussed in this book need to be recognised, not only because we will engage in them without thinking, but because they can be used against us by governments, religions and other social groups who fully understand their power. No group can survive for long if the natural aggressions of its members is not diverted toward some outside source. Every group is going to have something, or someone that they are against.

While she can go on too long in making some points, If you really think about the studies discussed in this book and began to apply them in your life, you will wakeup to some uncomfortable "slights of hand". Currently religion and politics in this country seem to be focused on homosexual marriage and abortion as "the problems". The message is, "spend your time fixing these people and you are part of the good group." You might want to stop for a moment and ask yourself why someone is trying to divert your aggressive feelings toward social groups and issues that there is a 95% likelihood you will never be part of and whose members are unlikely to ever impact your life. When that righteous feeling wells inside you ask yourself...what is this great group I belong to asking me NOT to look at?

This book contains a series of 5 lectures given by Doris Lessing, sponsored by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1985.

Their basic thesis is that groups of human beings behave in certain predictable ways under cetain circumstances, and that those who value liberty and individual thought could make the world better by doing 2 things:

1. Learn about the many studies that have been done about group behaviour, brain-washing, & so on. Governments, advertisers, & others in a position to make use of this knowledge to manipulate us are certainly doing so. We should make use of it to avoid being manipulated.

2. Hold on to cool reflection & individual thought, despite all the pressures to conform, adhere to dogma of various kinds, party lines, & so on.

Many of the ideas presented here are also expressed in Lessing's novels. Better expressed, in my opinion, but it's certainly interesting & instructive to have them all together in one book.

The trouble is, this book is the equivalent of an academic thesis or scholarly study, yet without any of the documentation or foundation which would take it out of the realm of individual reflection or opinion. If one wants to look up any of the studies she mentions, one is on one's own, as there is no bibliography, no citations, no references, etc. Lessing's views are very interesting, but don't mistake these essays for social science.

Doris Lessing is a brilliant thinker & keen social & historical observer. She has been a first-hand witness to or participant in much of what has happened politically in the 20th century. She is superbly self-educated, but she is not a sociologist or a historian. She is not even a high school graduate.

This book is short, so it does not take a big investment of time to read it, and it certainly sheds light on many phenomena one may have noticed. For example, it helps explain how quickly in the wake of the September 11 attacks on NY & Washington, Americans polarized into 2 camps - the "bomb 'em into oblivion" camp and the "evil/misguided/mistaken US policies are to blame for bringing this hatred upon us" camp. A more mundane example might be how new mothers polarize into "conservative: train your baby to be independent, sleep alone, suck on a pacifier, wean early" & "liberal: a filled need goes away, sleep with your baby, nurse until the baby chooses to wean" positions. It also help explain the process by which suicide bombers and kamikaze hijackers come to be.

So if you are interested in these issues, or enjoy the more analytical passages of Doris Lessing's novels, this book is defintely worth a read. But take it with a grain of salt. And if you don't like that sort of thing, read MARTHA QUEST instead.

A great fiction writer such as Lessing has the tools to describe the causes and consequences of human behavior better than most psychologists or historians. In these beautifully written, brief essays, she describes the phenomenon of Eric Hoffer's "true believer" in the light of her own experiences with war, racism, political movements, and the seductive pleasure of self-righteousness. I have probably personally bought 100 copies of this book to give to friends; it is a great antidote for those times when you are sure you are right, and that you are justified in treating other human beings as the Enemy. Lessing addresses the fact that this kind of moral certitude, which is one of the fueling factors for most war, is equally prevalent among all political belief systems. She ends with hope that it is possible to raise children who are too good at thinking critically and at asking questions to ever get swept up in some vicious madness

So often one comes across a piece of literature that asks for nothing from the reader, this is not one of those works.

We are all guilty of branding and labeling, the point is that one examine oneself during the process so that we understand the meaning behind those labels. AS humans we have a tendency to use words in ways that make them meaningless or less powerful. Yet the implications are still evident and strong. So often we fall prey to the whimsy of the age we live in, yet Lessing implores us to look deeper. If you enjoy the metaphysical in literature and other Lessing works such as The Golden Notebook, then Prisons we Choose to Live Inside will be a riveting read. Please do not become discouraged by those who say this is a tough read (or scholarly), this book is a MUST read for those of us who are, or would like to become more self aware.

I teach college sophomores in a Humanities course where we spend 4 semesters trying to answer the question "What does it mean to be human?" Starting in the spring of 2003, I will do my best to see that students completing the course have read this enlightening piece by Lessing. Her critique of "groupthink" has never been more relevant. In a world where multiple brands of fundamentalism seem to be gaining ground every day, with marked influence on the under 30 set, I believe that Lessing is a must read.

Doris Lessing's collection of essays are very insightful into human behavior and how society is changing as a whole. Even though this collection is slightly dated, it is eerily appropriate for today and the current world situation. It has helped to change my perspective on current events and the world in general.

I love Doris Lessing! I have read many of her works of fiction but, I am new to her essays. I was blown away by her honest "bird's eye view " of our world. She has the insight to look around us and truely see what the world has become and how we got here. Her points are simple yet, seem to escape most of us. Reading Prisions will give a first time reader the oppertunity to experience the witt and prose of a master. After finishing try The Fifth Child!

I read this book less than a week before the September 11 tragedy, and however valid and insightful it seemed then, it became even more so when very blatant proof suddenly unfolded in front of me. Everything Lessing says about group minds, conditioning, and wars because we like them has played out so predictably. Talk of the "terrorist attack" quickly turned to "we're at war," and it seems almost everyone has glommed onto Bush's transparent war rhetoric, gloating about retaliation as if that were the only option. Which all spawned flag fever, with store owners being questioned and boycotted for not displaying one. Not to mention the innocent Muslims and Arabs who've been harassed or murdered out of an illogical guilt-by-association mentality. At a time when rational thought is especially needed, we're in an emotional fervor--and what good result can come from it?

This book is a very worthy read anyway but so very timely now.

This book contains a series of 5 lectures given by Doris Lessing, sponsored by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1985.

Their basic thesis is that groups of human beings behave in certain predictable ways under cetain circumstances, and that those who value liberty and individual thought could make the world better by doing 2 things:

1. Learn about the many studies that have been done about group behaviour, brain-washing, & so on. Governments, advertisers, & others in a position to make use of this knowledge to manipulate us are certainly doing so. We should make use of it to avoid being manipulated.

2. Hold on to cool reflection & individual thought, despite all the pressures to conform, adhere to dogma of various kinds, party lines, & so on.

Many of the ideas presented here are also expressed in Lessing's novels. Better expressed, in my opinion, but it's certainly interesting & instructive to have them all together in one book.

The trouble is, this book is the equivalent of an academic thesis or scholarly study, yet without any of the documentation or foundation which would take it out of the realm of individual reflection or opinion. If one wants to look up any of the studies she mentions, one is on one's own, as there is no bibliography, no citations, no references, etc. Lessing's views are very interesting, but don't mistake these essays for social science.

Doris Lessing is a brilliant thinker & keen social & historical observer. She has been a first-hand witness to or participant in much of what has happened politically in the 20th century. She is superbly self-educated, but she is not a sociologist or a historian. She is not even a high school graduate.

This book is short, so it does not take a big investment of time to read it, and it certainly sheds light on many phenomena one may have noticed. For example, it helps explain how quickly in the wake of the September 11 attacks on NY & Washington, Americans polarized into 2 camps - the "bomb 'em into oblivion" camp and the "evil/misguided/mistaken US policies are to blame for bringing this hatred upon us" camp. A more mundane example might be how new mothers polarize into "conservative: train your baby to be independent, sleep alone, suck on a pacifier, wean early" & "liberal: a filled need goes away, sleep with your baby, nurse until the baby chooses to wean" positions. It also help explain the process by which suicide bombers and kamikaze hijackers come to be.

So if you are interested in these issues, or enjoy the more analytical passages of Doris Lessing's novels, this book is defintely worth a read. But take it with a grain of salt. And if you don't like that sort of thing, read MARTHA QUEST instead.

I found this book interesting in several regards. I have enjoyed the writings of Doris Lessing very much. As an author she went through three distinct and overlapping periods, one as a feminist, one as a socialist, and one as a Sufi student. Following the insights gained through her contact with Sufi teachings (which show up strongly in THE FOUR GATED CITY and in the Shikasta series), she shares the theme of "influence", all the ways which we are influenced to conform to group think and to make purchases of items we either do not need or which are not healthy for us. There are roots to why these conformist pressures work, some biological and some sociological. Lessing discusses these. The book lacks documentation for some of the assertions made, but I think this is understandable because they were lecture transcripts and because Lessing herself is speaking more from what she observes. There is an assumption that we can take her words as a lens and look at what is going on through them. Most of the themes are present in our daily lives, if we are awake enough to look and verify them. It takes a kind of self reflection that is part of Sufi training. She does not present her observations as a Sufi exercise, though, but simply invites listeners/readers into a self reflection about what is going on, and then perhaps curving back to ourselves to see how we are influenced and how we can break free of this. This particular edition has a beautiful black and white picture of Lessing inside the front cover and a one page biography. Unlike many of her writings, this book is a fairly speedy read, making it an ideal introduction to her writings.