Customer Reviews

When the Body Is the Target: Self-Harm, Pain, and Traumatic Attachments

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an impressive and fascinating book. As a high school teacher for well over 20 years, I picked it up because one hears so much nowadays about these disorders among adolescents.Since I have no specialized knowledge in this field (nor any personal issues here), I was apprehensive about my ability to read what I assumed would be highly technical material. To my delight, I found the writing style itself extremely clear, and the material deeply engrossing. I feel I've gained enormous understanding of an area that was not at all clear to me before, and, even better, new ways of thinking about people and myself in general. What a treat!

This book is an academic exploration of some pretty heady topics, and although I have no experience in psychoanalysis, I found it to be a real page-turner. The writing is perfectly descriptive but Farber uses fascinating examples in order to avoid alienating the layperson. She is interested in what is so ordinary about certain impulses, and the cases in her book are not monsters. If you are interested in the mind and what makes us human, read this book.

Beware of the doctor/writer who discusses mental illness in terms of semiology and dialectic. She is looking to further her career with this book, establishing herself as a so-called expert and believe me, Michel Foucault she is not. If you are looking for something pratical, useful or the least bit helpful, look elsewhere. Buyer/petient/parent beware! I gave it one star because zero wasn't an option but if it were...negative numbers anyone?