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A review by lory_enterenchanted
The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture by Gabor Maté
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
I read this rather quickly, thinking I would buy a copy and read it again and take notes. It started out really strong, but I was disappointed with the last section on healing - it could have gathered much of what has been discovered about healing from trauma in recent years, synthesizing the work of many authors that Mate cites in the rest of the book (van der Kolk, Perry, Schwartz, etc). Instead it kind of fizzled out with some vague strategies, and a chapter on psychedelics, of which I am quite suspicious although they're so popular nowadays.
Still, the earlier part makes the case for what I think is a very true observation, that our society is organized in a way utterly counter to human nature and human health, and that this must be addressed rather than just shifting the blame around in superficial ways. How to address it is a big question, but one that must be asked. To me, all the fuss still circulating about the virus that shook the world should take a back seat to this, the actual problem behind all other health issues, but of course it's easier to "fight germs" than to change ourselves and our whole way of interacting with one another.
I do still intend to read again, but I'm not sure when I'll get around to it.
I read this rather quickly, thinking I would buy a copy and read it again and take notes. It started out really strong, but I was disappointed with the last section on healing - it could have gathered much of what has been discovered about healing from trauma in recent years, synthesizing the work of many authors that Mate cites in the rest of the book (van der Kolk, Perry, Schwartz, etc). Instead it kind of fizzled out with some vague strategies, and a chapter on psychedelics, of which I am quite suspicious although they're so popular nowadays.
Still, the earlier part makes the case for what I think is a very true observation, that our society is organized in a way utterly counter to human nature and human health, and that this must be addressed rather than just shifting the blame around in superficial ways. How to address it is a big question, but one that must be asked. To me, all the fuss still circulating about the virus that shook the world should take a back seat to this, the actual problem behind all other health issues, but of course it's easier to "fight germs" than to change ourselves and our whole way of interacting with one another.
I do still intend to read again, but I'm not sure when I'll get around to it.