[candles, subdue] Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, by Lori Gottlieb, 4.5 stars

[NancyJ]

This is an amazing memoir of a therapist, full of stories about her clients, her therapist, and the people in her life. The book is insightful, sometimes funny, and quite entertaining. Each of her clients had different types of issues to work on. One was a young woman dying of cancer, Another was sabotaging her life by drinking and dating the wrong men. A 70 year woman was contemplating suicide. An overbearing middle aged man with marriage problems can’t talk about the real thing that led him to get therapy. The therapist herself seeks out another therapist to help her get through a breakup with her fiancé, I really enjoyed hearing these stories, and learning about the secrets and complex dynamics that influenced their behaviors. While some of the stories were sad, there were many heartwarming and funny moments.

I also enjoyed hearing about the MC’s previous career in Hollywood, and how she decided to find a career that was more meaningful. The author includes many psychological concepts and writings, including Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E Frankl. The search for meaning is a theme that is relevant to many of the stories within the book. This wasn’t always an easy book to read. The author argues that we tend to avoid the topics that make us feel uncomfortable, but those are the topics that have the best potential to improve our lives. Several times I felt the need to take a break from the book due to my own discomfort. Maybe I should talk to someone about that. : ). I especially appreciated the authors willingness to openly show us her own foibles and concerns. Particularly because clients sometimes quit when they see too much of their therapist’s personal humanity.

[Ellen]

I just read this one a few weeks ago and I loved it too! The cases were quite fascinating as well as her own story.