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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
I'm kind of a sucker for therapy books - I adored Lori Gottlieb's "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone" - and though "Group" is from a layperson's perspective, and ventures more pointedly into how sexuality and intimacy are braided together (Tate is way more candid about her sex life than I could ever imagine being), I found it quite funny and compelling and satisfying.
It did strike me, as I approached the (kind of suspenseful) conclusion, that the story of successful therapy follows the exact same arc as a good fictional story: person in pain seeks relief and help, grows in slow, subtle ways, and changes for the better. I don't think it's a spoiler to say, in general terms, that's precisely what happens in "Group"; and as much as I've gotten out of my own four months of individual therapy, the book did make me curious about what it would be like to be so unapologetically open and vulnerable with a group of people every week.
That said, I also found myself wondering, as I often do, if writing and selling such memoirs are wholly dependent upon a happy ending. I mean, what about those of us who want something, have worked toward it for years, and it seems just as unlikely as ever? These days, I find myself more intrigued by the stories of those who DON'T end up getting what they always wanted. Because ... the question is ultimately more open: what do you do when it becomes apparent that that dream will never become real for you? Will the trying by itself be enough?
Overall, though, an enlightening, gripping read.
It did strike me, as I approached the (kind of suspenseful) conclusion, that the story of successful therapy follows the exact same arc as a good fictional story: person in pain seeks relief and help, grows in slow, subtle ways, and changes for the better. I don't think it's a spoiler to say, in general terms, that's precisely what happens in "Group"; and as much as I've gotten out of my own four months of individual therapy, the book did make me curious about what it would be like to be so unapologetically open and vulnerable with a group of people every week.
That said, I also found myself wondering, as I often do, if writing and selling such memoirs are wholly dependent upon a happy ending. I mean, what about those of us who want something, have worked toward it for years, and it seems just as unlikely as ever? These days, I find myself more intrigued by the stories of those who DON'T end up getting what they always wanted. Because ... the question is ultimately more open: what do you do when it becomes apparent that that dream will never become real for you? Will the trying by itself be enough?
Overall, though, an enlightening, gripping read.
(I would prefer not to rate memoirs. It feels icky to put "stars" on someone's story.)
I found this book riveting, even if a bit uncomfortable at times. A good one to discuss!
I found this book riveting, even if a bit uncomfortable at times. A good one to discuss!
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
It feels complicated and kind of icky to give a rating to someone’s memoir, but I rate unless I DNF, so I’m forcing myself to do it. I pulled this off my shelf for the Read What You Own in Community prompt for May, which was to read something out of your go to genres. I chose nonfiction because it is what I gravitate to the least of what I own. I know I bought Group after I read and loved Maybe You Should Talk to Someone but it turns out not all therapy nonfiction is the same. Who knew?
I’ve never been to group therapy, though I know plenty of people who have, and these therapeutic methods are like nothing I’ve ever heard before. I see from the reviews here that a lot of therapists also have problems with it, and that validated my ick feelings. While I don’t want to tell a memoirist that they told their story wrong, I wish she’d gotten to the bottom of why she reacted to everything in the way she did, but maybe that only reflects my own experiences with individual therapy.
Group is well written and paced—5 stars for that. The content is like watching a slow motion train wreck—1 star for that. So I’m giving this a 3 stars.
all the red flags and trigger warnings for disordered eating. felt like getting hit with dozens of nerf darts.
I’ve never been to group therapy, though I know plenty of people who have, and these therapeutic methods are like nothing I’ve ever heard before. I see from the reviews here that a lot of therapists also have problems with it, and that validated my ick feelings. While I don’t want to tell a memoirist that they told their story wrong, I wish she’d gotten to the bottom of why she reacted to everything in the way she did, but maybe that only reflects my own experiences with individual therapy.
Group is well written and paced—5 stars for that. The content is like watching a slow motion train wreck—1 star for that. So I’m giving this a 3 stars.
all the red flags and trigger warnings for disordered eating. felt like getting hit with dozens of nerf darts.
It’s hard to know what to make of this. She’s self-centered and shallow and destructive, but she gets called out on all her crap and she learns how to be vulnerable - so much that she wrote the whole thing out and published it for a bunch of strangers to argue over on the internet.
I appreciated the insights into connection and emotion and how feeling feelings is raw and can be challenging and how progress doesn’t usually feel like progress.
I’ll forget all the details of her toxic relationships and all the bad sex she chooses to have to sabotage her desire for real connection, and I’ll look sideways at the “healing” of a person who chooses to spend hours in therapy every week in perpetuity…
Would I recommend it? Doubtful. Unless you need to learn not to be scared of emotion and you can benefit from seeing that someone is worse than you at it. If she can do it, you definitely can.
I appreciated the insights into connection and emotion and how feeling feelings is raw and can be challenging and how progress doesn’t usually feel like progress.
I’ll forget all the details of her toxic relationships and all the bad sex she chooses to have to sabotage her desire for real connection, and I’ll look sideways at the “healing” of a person who chooses to spend hours in therapy every week in perpetuity…
Would I recommend it? Doubtful. Unless you need to learn not to be scared of emotion and you can benefit from seeing that someone is worse than you at it. If she can do it, you definitely can.
I liked this, but I can't say that I would recommend it to most people. This is definitely a memoir of one person's colorful experience. If you are thinking that you will learn what typical group therapy is like-you'll be disappointed. The therapist's style is unusual and at times goes against standard ethical practices. I actually felt like as a therapist I learned some positive things from the way he practices, but I can't say that I would refer clients to or go to this type of therapy myself. This memoir is also very descriptive of the author's sex life which is probably TMI for many people. Overall, for me, I enjoyed seeing her growth but I think a lot of my friends would not enjoy this book at all and I think in a way the eccentric psychiatrist character does not do many favors for those looking to make therapy seem like a non-threatening thing to do. I would make very different therapeutic choices than him.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced