A Solitary Dance

by Robert Lane

The story of the relationship that develops between a psychology intern and his first patient-a young boy with the diagnosis of childhood schizophrenia. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451130464
• ISBN13: 9780451130464
• Release Date: July 1984
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 277 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Long time favorite

I read this book when I was about 14 and found it perfect. No great over the moon ending (sorry if that spoils it), but I prefer that to something that comes off Hollywood. The reader has such an understanding not only for Mike, but for his family and others who have to deal closely with those with mental illnesses. Mike grows and so does everyone else. It's a very evolving book that I love still, some 13 years later.

An amazing journey!

This is a beautiful book, a fiction that reads like a case file of childhood schizophrenia and the miraculous human potential to heal. It traces the slow, halting steps of an institutionalized boy's journey from isolation into reality. It is narrated by a young psychotherapist, Pat, fresh out of graduate school and in his first internship, who gradually comes to understand Mike's history, family and illness and who ultimately joins Mike as a friend and guide on the path towards a recovered self-identity. Perhaps because the author, Robert Lane, is himself a psychologist, the book is full of information about childhood mental disorders -- how they might arise and potentially be surmounted. The story moves along each step of Mike's recovery and describes each setback and small triumph of their budding friendship. Lane builds an authentic and compelling bond between these two characters and brings the reader completely into their world. A memorable and moving story.