Books

The Pathologizing of Everyday Life

When Did Sadness Become a Disease?

The increasingly blurry distinction between normal and abnormal not only makes us easy targets for Big Pharma’s advertising, but also distracts us from the... Read more

The Taste Bud Conspiracy

Are we the victims of the food industry?

A new book exposes the story of the corporate competition for our taste buds and ever-expanding tummies. Read more

Is Now Really Better?

Lessons from Traditional Societies

Jared Diamond’s new book explores the many lessons modern cultures can draw from the wisdom of small-scale, preindustrial societies. Read more

Testing the Bond

What's family without shared identity?

In an encyclopedic new book, Andrew Solomon explores how parents and children forge emotional bonds with one another in the presence of sometimes vast inborn... Read more

Driven Crazy

TBI is Claiming the Hearts and Minds of Too Many Vets

With the U.S. Army suicide rate at an all-time high, there’s a greater need than ever to understand the struggles of soldiers returning from war zones and... Read more

Bookmarks: Creatures of Habit

Understanding the automatic loops that shape our lives

A surprise bestseller shows us the crucial roles that even minor habits can play in individual and group behavior. Read more

Stop, Look, and Listen!

Resisting the Culture of Extroversion

A new book about the power of keeping your mouth shut provides a much-needed corrective to our cultural enchantment with extroversion. Read more

System One Meets System Two

Daniel Kahneman Expands Our Vision

Daniel Kahneman, the founder of behavioral economics, has written a comprehensive dissection of the reasoning mind, which should be on every therapist’s... Read more

A Bond Like None Other

Sometimes proximity isn’t the same as closeness

Exploring the complex fabric of an often poorly understood family bond that shapes us, in one way or another, throughout our lives. Read more

The Heart of Darkness

Plumbing the Nature of Evil

Plumbing the eternal question: Why are there bad people? Read more

Kids For Sale

The Realities of Sex Trafficking on Our Streets

Those gritty TV depictions of kids scratching out an existence on the streets aren’t just a sensationalistic fabrication. Read more

The Stories We Live

In therapy—as in Fiction—There’s Always Possibility

Both doing psychotherapy and the writing of fiction are about stories. The essence of the art of both pursuits is the openness to the possibility that, no... Read more

Creating New Paths for Change

How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World

In an age of cynicism, a refreshing look at “the social cure.” Read more

Red Speak, Blue Speak

The Psychology of Political Rhetoric

The work of linguist George Lakoff on the psychology of political rhetoric has become must reading for anyone who wants to understand how candidates get... Read more

The Most Famous Book Never Read

What Makes the Feminine Mystique so Special?

Nearly 50 years after its publication, a look at the shortcomings and enduring power of one of the most influential books of our time.  Read more

Hidden in Plain Sight

Adult AD/HD is Too Often Unrecognized
Gina Pera

Adult ADHD too often goes unrecognized. Read more

The Specter of the Big "C"

A Modern Look at an Age-Old Malady

A modern look at cancer treatment through the ages. Read more

Misstating the Obvious

The Pitfalls of Doing What Comes Naturally

While many therapists like to trust their intuition, research shows how often "gut instinct" can lead us astray. Read more

Recipe For Life

Is Attuned Eating the Answer to Diet Failure?

Despite the common cultural notion that anyone can successfully lose weight---constantly reinforced by the $60 billion-a-year diet industry---at least 95... Read more

Whatever Became of Feminism?

Harriet Lerner on the Legacy of the Women's Movement

Psychologist and bestselling author Harriet Lerner speaks about her body of work and addresses the question of the continuing impact of feminism on... Read more

Embracing Life, Facing Death

An interview with Irvin Yalom

For existential therapist Irvin Yalom, even depth-oriented therapy doesn't go deep enough. Read more

The Age of the Über–Parent

Can science really help us raise better adjusted kids?

Can science really help us raise better-adjusted kids? Read more

The Art of the Practical

The Triumphs and Limits of Psychotherapy

From Freud to Zoloft, the story of therapy in this country has been the triumph of pragmatism over esoteric theory. Read more

The Art of Self-justification

We're all at the mercy of cognitive dissonance

Far from being a relic of Psych 101, the theory of cognitive dissonance may have more relevance in understanding today's world than ever. Read more

Blinded by Science

Are There Ways of Knowing That We Refuse to Acknowledge?

A book by a respected researcher argues that telepathy and clairvoyance may be on a continuum with more common traits of intuition and empathy. Read more

The New Consciousness

Bridging science and spirituality
Jim Naughton

A book review of Destructive Emotions: How Can We Overcome Them? A Scientific Collaboration with the Dalai Lama Read more

Oversimplifying Schizophrenia

Hawks and Doves Battle over the Most Effective Treatment
Christian Beels

A book review of Mad in America by Robert Whitaker Read more

Jim Naughton

Book reviews of The Soul of Recovery; Trauma Practice in the Wake of September 11, 2001; and Love at Goon Park Read more

In Search of a Balance

Informing our children of both the beautiesmdashand dangersmdashof sex
Jim Naughton

A book review of Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children from Sex by Judith Levine Read more

In the Bedroom

Countering the destructive effects of trauma on intimacy
Eric McCullum

A book review of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy with Trauma Survivors: Strengthening Attachment Bonds by Susan M. Johnson Read more