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Michael B. Sussman

Goodreads Author

Born

in Evanston, Illinois, The United States

Website

http://www.michaelsussmanbooks.com/

Twitter

MichaelBSussman

Genre

Fiction, Children's, Psychology

Member Since

December 2008

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Abandoned by a cackle of hyenas, Michael Sussman endured the drudgery and hardships of a Moldavian orphanage until fleeing with a traveling circus at the age of twelve. A promising career as a trapeze artist was cut short by a concussion that rendered him lame and mute. Sussman wandered the world, getting by on such odd jobs as pet-food tester, cheese sculptor, human scarecrow, and professional mourner while teaching himself the art of fiction. He now lives in Tahiti with Gauguin, an African Grey parrot.

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Michael B. Sussman’s books

Average rating: 3.91 · 616 ratings · 160 reviews · 8 distinct works • Similar authors

	Duckworth, the Difficult Child by Michael B. Sussman (Goodreads Author), Júlia Sardà (Illustrator) 3.94 avg rating — 310 ratings — published 2019 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Otto Grows Down by Michael B. Sussman (Goodreads Author), Scott Magoon (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 3.83 avg rating — 126 ratings — published 2009 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy 4.09 avg rating — 69 ratings — published 1977 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Crashing Eden 3.62 avg rating — 53 ratings — published 2012 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Incognolio 3.98 avg rating — 43 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Perilous Calling: The Hazards of Psychotherapy Practice 3.93 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 1995 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mynhardt die moeilike kind by Michael B. Sussman (Goodreads Author), Júlia Sardà (Illustrator), Rentia Bartlett-Möhl (Translator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Curious Calling by Michael Sussman (1992-08-01) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Michael’s Recent Updates

Michael Sussman rated a book it was ok Impossible Creatures (Impossible Creatures, #1) by Katherine Rundell	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I am puzzled by so many glowing reviews. Third-rate Pullman, at best.
Apr 20, 2026 11:05AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Sussman and 110 other people liked Ana's review of Impossible Creatures: "I read the book when I saw the comparison to Pullman and Tolkien, excited to read a great young adult novel. I was very underwhelmed from the first few pages. I found the prose clumsy, with an overuse of dashes (which are odd to find in fiction prose" Read more of this review »
Apr 20, 2026 11:03AM · see review
Michael Sussman and 199 other people liked Meike's review of Vigil: "Well, we don't have to discuss whether Saunders can write - of course he can - but this cutesy and simplistic tale reaches Bertolt Brecht levels of pedagogical impetus paired with Bewilderment heights of righteous undercomplexity. The main narrative " Read more of this review »
Apr 15, 2026 11:24AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Vigil by George Saunders. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Vigil by George Saunders <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Sussman and 83 other people liked Richard Hensley's review of Henderson the Rain King: "If you can endure the narcissistic, misogynistic narrator-protagonist, if you can pretend to believe that every woman he meets wants to jump his bones, every guy wants to become his pal and no one anywhere wants to slap him silly, if you can abide th" Read more of this review »
Apr 10, 2026 09:29AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Sussman rated a book really liked it Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 10, 2026 09:28AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Sussman made a comment on his review of The Hearing Trumpet " Plenty of readers enjoyed it, Diana, but I found it disappointing. It starts out promising, but I lost interest over time. "
Apr 08, 2026 05:45AM · see review
Michael Sussman rated a book really liked it The Word is Murder (Hawthorne & Horowitz, #1) by Anthony Horowitz (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 07, 2026 05:22PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Sussman rated a book it was ok The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (George Smiley, #3) by John le Carré	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 16, 2026 11:19AM · like
Michael Sussman rated a book it was ok The Woman in the Dunes by Kōbō Abe	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 03, 2026 07:28AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Woman in the Dunes by Kōbō Abe. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Woman in the Dunes by Kōbō Abe <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Michael B. Sussman (?)

“But how can psychotherapists purport to dispel the illusions of their clients while protecting and maintaining their own? Furthermore, a therapist's belief in and commitment to the therapeutic process ought not to be based on naive idealism, but rather on realistic appraisal.”
― Michael Sussman, A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy

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“Those who choose to enter the profession typically manifest significant psychopathology of their own, which, if sufficiently understood and mastered, may actually enhance their ability to understand and help their clients. From this perspective, personal suffering is a prerequisite for the development of the empathy and compassion that characterize competent therapists.”
― Michael Sussman, A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy

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“Via the role of therapist, individuals with a diffuse self-concept can, in a sense, be "all things to all people." Coming into contact with a wide range of personalities, they may vary how they relate to others according to the needs of the situation. Depending upon the type of the phase of treatment, the clinician may function as teacher, healer, advisor, confidant, psychic masseur, devil's advocate, audience, or teddy bear.”
― Michael Sussman, A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy

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Michael’s Quotes

“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.”
― Groucho Marx, The Essential Groucho: Writings For By And About Groucho Marx

tags: animals, books, dogs, friends, humor

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Michael’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-2) post a comment »

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message 2: by Ellen

Mar 26, 2018 09:01AM

Thank you!

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message 1: by Michael

Aug 16, 2014 09:24AM

Edward wrote: "Appreciated. We have 83% compatibility with the few books we have in common. While I truly have enjoyed our recent discussions, and am still thinking about them, I'm going to try to refrain from fu..."

Thanks, Edward. I hope our thread is still active by the time the book is published!

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