Book Review: The Examined Life
Grosz, Stephen. The examined life : how we lose and find ourselves. W.W. Norton, 2013.
Someone commented today that the unexamined life was not worth living. I strongly disagree as some of the happiest people I know are the least introspective. Yet profound satisfaction and understanding of our actions and feelings comes from examining one’s life.
And so while on vacation in June, I borrowed a Ford Library Kindle and read the book, The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves. Written by London psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz, this remarkable book tells the stories of his patients, who come to him troubled by complex emotions or their own puzzling behavior.
As a practicing therapist, Grosz is trained in deep listening and attentiveness, and he uses conversations with his patients to reveal unconscious desires or masked anger. He helps his patients understand themselves so they can live a happier and more fulfilled life. As Grosz shares the stories of his patients’ lives and work, he teaches about love and loss, intimacy and separation, change and acceptance.
The Examined Life is a captivating look at the hidden feelings that drive our behavior, and is recommended to anyone wanting to deepen their own sense of self or to improve their relationships with others. This brief book is an excellent choice for Labor Day holiday reading and is available on the Ford Library’s Best Sellers Kindles and in print in the book stacks. Also available as an online audiobook.
© Meg Trauner & Ford Library – Fuqua School of Business.
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