Customer Reviews

Violence: Our Deadly Epidemic and Its Causes

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At a time when dialog on this subject is dominated by unscrupulous politicians appealing to ignorance and vengeance, this book provides a thoughtful study of why men (and it usually is men) commit unspeakable crimes. The book is based on Dr. Gilligan's years of work with violent men in maximum security prisons. It goes far beyond clinical study of deviant individuals to show parallels between criminal behavior and society's responses to crime. It turns to Greek tragedy, classic literature, and mythology, as well as psychiatry, for understanding. It shows how similar societal forces lay behind Hitler's rise to power. It asks, and provides answers to, the fundamental question: Why is violence far more widespread in America than in any other Western democracy?

Dr. Gilligan's years of psychiatric work with America's most violent males brought him to ask why America is the most violent, and yet most penal, industrialized country on Earth. The possibilities for an answer seem to surprise even him. Writing with clarity and incredible compassion, Gilligan examines mythology, ritual and the role of shame in the mechanics of violence in American society. His case for treating violence as an issue of health rather than morals is sure to be unpopular with America's prison czars and those scientists looking diligently and expensively for the "violence gene." "Violence..." is gripping, painful, disturbing, and, through Gilligans' clear suggestions for combatting this deadly outbreak, hopeful

I have only read the first half of this book. Mr. Gilliam is 'right on' with his analysis of violent crime and life today...and why the prisons are filling up as they are. He is so ingenius as to spell out how prevention is so attainable, yet going totally ignored by our systems, both moral and judicial today. That is the sad part.

I was in prison, and know what he is talking about is very true.......now I am a youth violence researcher and Hispanic Gang Alternative Educational Specialist. His work has tied together many loose ends for my theories.

Each page is fascinating and interwoven with factual stories.........makes it very good reading.

Del Hendrixson Dallas, Tx

This book helps to put in perspective the relationship between how we treat children/young adults and their later emotional development. Read any of Alice Miller's books for another viewpoint into the psychological evolution of criminal behavior.