Mariam El El itibaren Nowiny, Polonya
Bu kitabın ilk sahnesinde, anlatıcı zar zor tanıdığı bir kadının evinde - bir ilişkiye başlamak üzereler. Aniden kadın ölür, doğal sebeplerden. Anlatıcı daireyi terk eder (çocuğu hala uyurken) ve kitabın geri kalanı çocuğa ne olduğunu ve kadının ailesinin ölümüne nasıl tepki verdiğini bulmak için saplantılarıyla ilgilenir. Bu bir gizem değil, çünkü büyük olay ilk sahneye geldi, ancak uygun görünen bir "ahlaki gizem" olarak tanımlandığını gördüm - takıntısının açıldığını ve başlarına girmesini çok fazla gerilim ve dram var ölümünden sonra aile. Javier Marias İspanya'dan geliyor ve görünüşe göre orada gerçekten popüler ama burada olması gerekmiyor. Bu kitap çok fazla bilinç akışına sahip ve çok edebi (başlık Shakespeare tarafından Richard III'ten geliyor ve çok sayıda Shakespeare referansı var) bu yüzden zor ve ciddi bir roman ama buna değer. Uzun zamandır okuduğum en eşsiz kitaplardan biri.
Oku onu. Tekrar oku. Tekrar et.
The human animal is quite complex, capable of acts of heroism and cowardliness, compassion and selfishness, honesty and deceit. I respect Peck and find his work fascinating because he embraces both a high and low view of humanity. In The People of the Lie, Peck unveils his dissatisfaction with psychology’s attempt, or lack there of, at naming evil. This, in fact, is the stated purpose of the book. Peck believes that to name something correctly creates a sense of predictability and control, thus ensuring a greater sense of agency. This work is intended to be the starting point in the discussion of the legitimacy and necessity of a psychology of evil. Peck “names” evil by sharing a cornucopia of case vignettes. The characters in his vignettes all share a common bond- they are lazy and self-absorbed. What makes them evil? According to Peck, evil, at its core, is consistent deceit and narcissism. More specifically, “evil” people display a) consistent destructive scapegoating behavior, b) excessive, but subtle, intolerance of criticism, c) prominent concern with public image and d) intellectual deviousness. Sounds strikingly similar to the diagnostic criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder. So, the thing that remains unclear to me is Peck’s intended purpose for carving out a psychology of evil, as opposed to placing it under the umbrella of narcissism. The answer might reside in his desire to distinguish “sin” from psychopathology. A distinction that is difficult to make when dealing with various perspectives that contain illusive definitions. Although I appreciate his attempt, his distinction, in my opinion, fell short. Besides “naming” evil, Peck offers little in the way of curative treatments. Towards the end of the book, in the chapter titled The Danger and The Hope, Peck did allude to the fact that love and acceptance can absorb evil, but it must be done carefully and intentionally. The lack of “answers” didn’t detract from the substance of this read. In fact, it enhanced it. Peck’s understanding of the human psyche is intriguing. He opens up new doors of exploration that many in our field won’t touch with a 10-foot pole. I give this read 9 out of 10 Freud stickers.
I would recommend this book to everyone. It tackles the deep seated issues within America putting into perspective history, the constitution, and facts that divide Statis and Conservatives. Levin did a nice job providing statistics and data to present his case, and was able to clearly state and address his points.