To the High Castle, Philip K. Dick: A Life, 1928-1962

by Gregg Rickman

This book is the story of Philip K. Dick, American author, from his birth to the age of 32, and the publication of his most famous novel, The Man In the High Castle. It is the story of a man who more than most authors lived his fiction, it is a story of courage and perseverance in the face of trememdous difficulties. It is a book that says a lot, not only about a fascinating writer and man, but also about American culture at mid-century, and perhaps most importantly about a topic of overwhelming child abuse, it causes and its effects.

Genres: Nonfiction

451 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1989

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

The major difference between this and the several other PKD biographies is Rickman's contention that Dick was sexually abused as a child. Rickman presents a good deal of circumstantial evidence for this, as well as one significant piece of direct evidence (A conversation between Anne and Philip Dick in the early 60's). I find his theory reasonably plausible, although we'll never know for sure. Sexual abuse could explain Dick's history of severe anxiety, phobias and prescription drug abuse/self-medication. However, Rickman seems to think of Dick as mainly a collection of symptoms, rather than a brilliant and complicated human being. In my reading, Rickman tries to dismiss Dick's rich and complex inner life as a sort of pathology, even though it was also the source of his immense creative gifts. His analysis of Dick's work is uninspired-- largely a fishing expedition to find quotes to support his own theories. Rickman's writing is inconsistent, fluctuating between an informal conversational style and a dry, dull academic tone. He tends to repeat himself, and is prone to strange and awkward sentence construction. The book needs a good proofreader; the numerous typos were distracting. While Rickman presents interesting perspectives on PKD's life at times, his writing makes this book a bit of a slog.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

The majority of the first half of the book is spent on Dick's childhood and adolescence, a subject that is not covered in so much detail in other biographies. However the main point of controversy, that of Dick having suffered from sexual abuse as a child, is not backed up with enough supporting evidence to convince this reader of its veracity. The book then tends to get bogged down in the later sections, especially when dealing with Dick's non-sf novels.