A review by lauravogt
How the Brain Lost Its Mind: Sex, Hysteria, and the Riddle of Mental Illness by Brian Burrell, Allan H. Ropper

4.0

This is a hard book to review. It wasn't exactly what I needed for my research, so I found HOW THE BRAIN LOST ITS MIND a bit boring. It's more a wide overview of 19th & 20th century psychologists and syphilis versus a more detailed insight into popular views of insanity. I am interested in 19th century views of hysteria--the everyman not those on the forefront of research and ideas.

A 5 star book if you're interested in a high level survey of the history of syphilis & those researching it, a 3 star book to everyone else. Not one of those nonfiction books about niche topics with wide audience appeal. Seemed well researched but felt distant.