Surviving Madness: A Therapist's Own Story (Living Out: Gay and Lesbian Autobiographies) [Hardcover]

Betty Berzon (Author)

Book Description

Series: Living Out: Gay and Lesbian Autobiog | Publication Date: April 21, 2002

    Betty Berzon, renowned psychotherapist and author of the bestselling book Permanent Partners, tells her own incredible story here. Berzon’s journey from psychiatric patient on suicide watch—her wrists tethered to the bed rails in a locked hospital ward—to her present role as a groundbreaking therapist and gay pioneer makes for purely compelling reading.
    Berzon is recognized today as a trailblazing co-founder of a number of important lesbian and gay organizations and one of the first therapists to focus on means of developing healthy gay relationships and overcoming homophobia. Her sometimes bumpy road to success never fails to fascinate. Along the way she encounters such luminaries as Anaïs Nin, Eleanor Roosevelt, the Sitwells, Evelyn Hooker, and Paul Monette. Her recollections here provide a collective portrait of her fellow pioneers and a stirring lesson in twentieth-century history.
    It is, however, the intimate story of Berzon’s own private passage toward self-discovery—from mental breakdown and suicide attempts, through hospitalization, eventual triumphant recovery, and her own coming out as an open lesbian at the age of forty—that makes this memoir an urgent, insightful, and deeply emotional testament to human survival.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Betty Berzon is a treasure to the gay civil rights movement, a pioneering therapist who has shown many the way in battling homophobia. Now, in Surviving Madness, we get a rich account of the fascinating journey of her own life, the remarkable people and places that punctuated it, and the war that raged inside her head within a culture that has often demonized homosexuality. It is an enthralling, instructive, and ultimately uplifting story."—Michelangelo Signorile, author of Queer in America and Life Outside

From the Publisher

Living Out: Gay and Lesbian Autobiography Joan Larkin and David Bergman, Series Editors

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press; 1 edition (April 21, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0299176207
• ISBN-13: 978-0299176204
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,628,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars what an amazing journey!, October 28, 2005

By 

James E. Van Buskirk "jevb" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Surviving Madness: A Therapist's Own Story (Living Out: Gay and Lesbian Autobiographies) (Hardcover)

Difficult to imagine that this revered guru of same-sex relationships was for many years the victim of her own internalized homophobia. The highs and lows of Berzon's life are vividly recounted, punctuated with names of friends like Anais Nin, Evelyn Hooker, Paul Monette, and Michael Murphy. It's no spoiler to say that she ultimately found happiness in a long-term relationship, making her tale that much more inspiring. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent historical account--just rather impersonal, November 3, 2007

By 

K. Cole "starving student" (Waco, TX) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Surviving Madness: A Therapist's Own Story (Living Out: Gay and Lesbian Autobiographies) (Hardcover)

This book is well-written and covers a lot of ground; it was just too impersonal for my tastes. The book starts out with the air of a traditional memoir, but towards the latter half it changes tone and becomes more of an historical account. It's an excellent history of the gay/lesbian rights movement as seen through Berzon's eyes; unfortunately, if you're not familiar with the players in that movement then it's easy to lose your bearings. Berzon's rise from the depths is inspiring, however, no matter what your background. It just got lost for me in all the names and dates towards the end of the book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surviving Madness: A Therapist's Own Story, August 21, 2006

By 

Richard Kazan (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Surviving Madness: A Therapist's Own Story (Living Out: Gay and Lesbian Autobiographies) (Hardcover)

A very compelling story of a top Psychotherapist who was also a deeply closted lesbian for the 1st half of her life and a gay activist in the 2nd half. Ms. Berzon opens her heart to the reader as she shares her joys and her sufferings. She is also an excellent writer and for readers who would like to become writers, she offers some valuable insight.