A review by booktalkwithkarla
The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture by Daniel Maté, Gabor Maté

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

After listening to Gabor Maté interviewed several times and quoted often, I was intrigued to read his latest work The Myth of Normal. Even the title is attention grabbing. 

In it, Gabor Maté and his coauthor (and son) Daniel Maté write about mind body unity. Their premise is that we have lost site of what is natural and are calling illness/disease (mental and physical) normal. Our environment and culture have lost the thread and we need to stop the destruction. Maté admits that describing the problem is easier than solving the problem. Yet he lays out the problem inviting us to make changes individually and collectively. Getting back to natural (a new normal) will require many social shifts that are within our power to change. 

I listened to the audio (periodically while on vacation, usually while on the peloton bike) so I was able to observe and reflect between taking in the content. There is depth and heft to the content so this worked well. The audio is narrated by Daniel Maté. He is talented and uses different voices, mastering other languages when called for. The authors bring their expertise, research, anecdotes, and examples to bear to prove the point from multiple angles. The organization of the book was solid. I own a hard cover also so hope to mark it up with my notes as I revisit the material. There is so much in this book that I could read it multiple times, and learn something new each time. If you are curious at all, you have my resounding recommendation to engage with this content and consider what changes you can make in your sphere of influence.