"Intimate and revelatory . attuned to subtlety and complexity . This isn''t an anti-psychiatry book-- Aviv is too aware of the specifics of any situation to succumb to anything so sweeping and polemical . a book-length demonstration of Aviv''s extraordinary ability to hold space for the ''uncertainty, mysteries and doubts'' of others." -- Jennifer Szalai, New York Times "A groundbreaking exploration of mental illness and the mind" New Yorker (Best Books of 2022) "In writing against the limits of psychiatric narratives, into the space where language has failed, Ms. Aviv paradoxically finds language for the most ineffable registers of human experience. She begins to name correctly what has been named wrongly. For a journalist, as for a psychiatrist, there is no higher achievement.
" -- Elizabeth Winkler, The Wall Street Journal "One of the pleasures of this book is its resistance to a clear and comforting verdict, its desire to dwell in unknowing. At every step, Aviv is nuanced and perceptive, probing cultural differences and alert to ambiguity, always filling in the fine-grain details. Extracting a remarkable amount of information from archival material as well as living interview subjects, she brings all of these people to life, even the two whom she never met." -- Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic "Every attempt at resolution comes with its own pitfalls, which Aviv considers with empathy and analytic perspicacity . She is especially sharp in the granular--by focusing on the unique composition of each of these individuals'' perceptions, she can show how they change shape as soon as they come into contact with perceptions crafted in the forge of social history." -- Callie Hitchcock, Los Angeles Review of Books "The strength of Strangers to Ourselves is in its engrossing case studies, which contribute vivid anecdotes to this ongoing conversation about the complex and perplexing nature of the mind . as typically excellent as Aviv''s magazine journalism, viscerally rendered and thoughtful portraits that slide into meditations on the mind." -- Kate Knibbs, Wired "This deeply empathetic book raises probing questions about our psychiatric system and the very nature of self-identity.
" -- Kristen Martin, NPR (Best Books of 2022) "Written with an astonishing amount of attention and care . Aviv''s triumphs in relating these journeys are many: her unerring narrative instinct, the breadth of context brought to each story, her meticulous reporting. Chief among these is her empathy, which never gives way to pity or sentimentality." -- Charlotte Shane, Bookforum "Vivid, wrenching, and ambitiously researched. Strangers to Ourselves showcases [Aviv''s to dwell in unknowing. At every step, Aviv is nuanced and perceptive, probing cultural differences and alert to ambiguity, always filling in the fine-grain details. Extracting a remarkable amount of information from archival material as well as living interview subjects, she brings all of these people to life, even the two whom she never met." -- Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic "Every attempt at resolution comes with its own pitfalls, which Aviv considers with empathy and analytic perspicacity .
She is especially sharp in the granular--by focusing on the unique composition of each of these individuals'' perceptions, she can show how they change shape as soon as they come into contact with perceptions crafted in the forge of social history." -- Callie Hitchcock, Los Angeles Review of Books "The strength of Strangers to Ourselves is in its engrossing case studies, which contribute vivid anecdotes to this ongoing conversation about the complex and perplexing nature of the mind . as typically excellent as Aviv''s magazine journalism, viscerally rendered and thoughtful portraits that slide into meditations on the mind." -- Kate Knibbs, Wired "This deeply empathetic book raises probing questions about our psychiatric system and the very nature of self-identity." -- Kristen Martin, NPR (Best Books of 2022) "Written with an astonishing amount of attention and care . Aviv''s triumphs in relating these journeys are many: her unerring narrative instinct, the breadth of context brought to each story, her meticulous reporting. Chief among these is her empathy, which never gives way to pity or sentimentality." -- Charlotte Shane, Bookforum "Vivid, wrenching, and ambitiously researched.
Strangers to Ourselves showcases [Aviv''s nature of the mind . as typically excellent as Aviv''s magazine jour to dwell in unknowing. At every step, Aviv is nuanced and perceptive, probing cultural differences and alert to ambiguity, always filling in the fine-grain details. Extracting a remarkable amount of information from archival material as well as living interview subjects, she brings all of these people to life, even the two whom she never met." -- Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic "Every attempt at resolution comes with its own pitfalls, which Aviv considers with empathy and analytic perspicacity . She is especially sharp in the granular--by focusing on the unique composition of each of these individuals'' perceptions, she can show how they change shape as soon as they come into contact with perceptions crafted in the forge of social history." -- Callie Hitchcock, Los Angeles Review of Books "The strength of Strangers to Ourselves is in its engrossing case studies, which contribute vivid anecdotes to this ongoing conversation about the complex and perplexing nature of the mind . as typically excellent as Aviv''s magazine journalism, viscerally rendered and thoughtful portraits that slide into meditations on the mind.
" -- Kate Knibbs, Wired "This deeply empathetic book raises probing questions about our psychiatric system and the very nature of self-identity." -- Kristen Martin, NPR (Best Books of 2022) "Written with an astonishing amount of attention and care . Aviv''s triumphs in relating these journeys are many: her unerring narrative instinct, the breadth of context brought to each story, her meticulous reporting. Chief among these is her empathy, which never gives way to pity or sentimentality." -- Charlotte Shane, Bookforum "Vivid, wrenching, and ambitiously researched. Strangers to Ourselves showcases [Aviv''s to dwell in unknowing. At every step, Aviv is nuanced and perceptive, probing cultural differences and alert to ambiguity, always filling in the fine-grain details. Extracting a remarkable amount of information from archival material as well as living interview subjects, she brings all of these people to life, even the two whom she never met.
" -- Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic "Every attempt at resolution comes with its own pitfalls, which Aviv considers with empathy and analytic perspicacity . She is especially sharp in the granular--by focusing on the unique composition of each of these individuals'' perceptions, she can show how they change shape as soon as they come into contact with perceptions crafted in the forge of social history." -- Callie Hitchcock, Los Angeles Review of Books "The strength of Strangers to Ourselves is in its engrossing case studies, which contribute vivid anecdotes to this ongoing conversation about the complex and perplexing nature of the mind . as typically excellent as Aviv''s magazine journalism, viscerally rendered and thoughtful portraits that slide into meditations on the mind." -- Kate Knibbs, Wired "This deeply empathetic book raises probing questions about our psychiatric system and the very nature of self-identity." -- Kristen Martin, NPR (Best Books of 2022) "Written with an astonishing amount of attention and care . Aviv''s triumphs in relating these journeys are many: her unerring narrative instinct, the breadth of context brought to each story, her meticulous reporting. Chief among these is her empathy, which never gives way to pity or sentimentality.
" -- Charlotte Shane, Bookforum "Vivid, wrenching, and ambitiously researched. Strangers to Ourselves showcases [Aviv''s nature of the mind . as typically excellent as Aviv''s magazine jour nature of the mind . as typically excellent as Aviv''s magazine journalism, viscerally rendered and thoughtful portraits that slide into meditations on the mind." -- Kate Knibbs, Wired "This deeply empathetic book raises probing questions about our psychiatric system and the very nature of self-identity." -- Kristen Martin, NPR (Best Books of 2022) "Written with an astonishing amount of attention and care . Aviv''s triumphs in relating these journeys are many: her unerring narrative instinct, the breadth of context brought to each story, her meticulous reporting. Chief among these is her empathy, which never gives way to pity or sentimentality.
" -- Charlotte Shane, Bookforum "Vivid, wrenching, and ambitiously researched. Strangers to Ourselves showcases [Aviv''s to dwell in unknowing. At every step, Aviv is nuanced and perceptive, probing cultural differences and alert to ambiguity, always filling in the fine-grain details. Extracting a remarkable amount of information from archival material a.