The Thief of Happiness: Depression, Psychotherapy, and Enchantment

by Bonnie Friedman

Book Overview

The Thief of Happiness is the story of a sevenyear therapy between the author and the mysterious Dr. Sing-a therapy that was part cult of two, part enchantment, and part love story. In an age when the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807072427
• ISBN13: 9780807072424
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Beacon Press (MA)
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Hits the nail on the head

Finally, a gifted writer conveys exactly what powerful therapy is really like! So many millions of people have been telling their secrets in darkened offices in pursuit of transformation, yet that sense of secrecy has kept anyone from openly conveying this extraordinary experience until now. And just our luck, Bonnie Friedman is the one that decided to do it. After reading her first book, Writing Past Dark, I would have been delighted to read her on any subject. She has such a wonderful ability to create an engrossing world and intrigue you through it with a sense of fresh discovery.

Read This Book

I was a little scared to read this book, afraid that it would inhabit the realm of Too Much Information. Thankfully, it did not: it read like a gripping novel, and I devoured it. Because the structure of the book was modeled so unambiguously on the therapeutic process, I was able to feel the author's therapeutic experience from the inside out. Consequently, all the feelings the author had- discomfort, excitement, relief- passed through me as I was reading the book. Friedman has an exquisite ear for language and an incredible eye for detail. I think she's a stunning writer. I loved the book.

Beautiful!

I appreciate Bonnie's courage and generosity in opening up her heart. This is a sad story, but exquisitely and subtly told. I have always been skeptical of psychonalysis, and felt all along, while reading, that Bonnie had walked into a trap that would invariably sidetrack her from more productive ways of spending seven years. I do wish she had been more critical, overall, of classical analysis as a philosophy, and not just of her own particular experience, but this is her book, and not mine, and it seems that her final word on it all is that there were good things along with the bad in her therapy.

Extraordinary, indeed-Astoundingly honest and brilliant tale

Ever since Bonnie Friedman wowed audiences with WRITING PAST DARK -- which remains one of the finest books about the whole writing experience ever written (and destined to become a classic in the manner of the Burnett's)-- I have been waiting, breathless, for her next book. The Thief of Happiness is an astounding tale of psychological dependency, deceit, trust, and a devastatingly subtle betrayal on the part of Ms Friedman's mental health practictioner. This book not only delves deeply into Ms Friedman's creative and personal soul; it takes the reader on an otherwise illicit journey behind the closed doors of psychotherapy. The only person who helped Ms Friedman was, ultimately, Ms Friedman.A must-read for all those who are interested in the psychological ramifications of the creative process; the often over-tread boundaries of shrink-dom; and how one very talented author came away --- just barely --- with her life intact. If you were infuriated by the stories some years back surrounding very well-known author/psychologist Masson, etc, you will not be sorry. With any luck, The New Yorker will cover this book in a feature piece. Ms Friedman certainly deserves the attention, as does the book.

WOW! A Compulsive Read

Bonnie Friedman has the uncanny ability to take intimatica (that's a word I just made up, meaning "the most personal information a person can reveal about him or herself") and make it not only accessible to others, but suddenly and violently important. She heaves herself on the page, blemishes and all -- a literary gurgitation that is wondrous to behold. Such is her writerly charisma, however, that we don't merely behold, we partake of her; we feast upon this author's innards. Friedman has one of the most exquisite literary sensibilities around -- her words chime and rattle and gong with passion -- and her poetic vitality is so infective that one comes away not only knowing her inside out, but just maybe oneself, too.