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jessplayin's review against another edition
2.0
Very scattered. Several minor mistakes in details that call into question larger sections of the book and an unsatisfactory conclusion. I enjoyed doing research on the subjects in the book while reading but cannot recommend as a book by itself
genthebookworm's review against another edition
4.0
The Great Pretender was initially intriguing to me as mental health diagnoses and treatment is a topic I am very passionate about and has also been a part of my life personally. Author Susannah Cahalan shares an in-depth look at a study from the 1970s that I had previously never heard of before but still affects the diagnosis process to this day. It was an eye-opening experience to see how mental health has been treated both historically and some practices that still continue today.
Cahalan's first book, Brain on Fire, was a personal look at her own experiences and I loved that this book was a wonderful follow up to this important and timely topic as a whole. While we have come so far, we still have a way to go when dealing with mental health stigmas and treatment.
Non-fiction books like this are such a powerful and important conversation starter. While this novel was insightful and thought-provoking it wasn't an easy read at times. With that said, sometimes discomfort is what can fuel the fire for change and I am so glad I gave this once a chance.
Cahalan's first book, Brain on Fire, was a personal look at her own experiences and I loved that this book was a wonderful follow up to this important and timely topic as a whole. While we have come so far, we still have a way to go when dealing with mental health stigmas and treatment.
Non-fiction books like this are such a powerful and important conversation starter. While this novel was insightful and thought-provoking it wasn't an easy read at times. With that said, sometimes discomfort is what can fuel the fire for change and I am so glad I gave this once a chance.
teahousebreeze's review
5.0
Cahalan's journalistic abilities shine in The Great Pretender. It is a thorough account of a fraud that many will always know as a fact. Read this when you're ready to open the curtain hiding the history of America's psychiatric institutions and the studies that shaped them.
isabellesbooks's review against another edition
2.0
I loved Brain on Fire, but this one... not so much. What pulled me in beyond Cahalan and her firsthand experience with mental instability was the premise of the study this book is supposed to be about.
I know the author is a journalist, which should have been my first clue that the style of this book isn’t my cup of tea. Rather than presenting solid facts in a single timeline, we follow Cahalan on her journey to find information, which I wasn’t very interested in. We meet those she meets and learn the information that she gathered as well as how she gathered it. I would have loved this if it was presented as more of a story without all the “behind the scenes” details. The journalistic style of this book reminds me of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which I did enjoy more.
Another thing worth noting is that this book is, in a way, all over the place. When we meet someone who needs to tell us information about the study, we learn their entire backstory, which leads to another backstory, which leads to... so on and so forth. I simply didn’t care about a lot of the content and was just waiting to hear about Rosenhan’s study, which way more of the book could have been dedicated to.
I know the author is a journalist, which should have been my first clue that the style of this book isn’t my cup of tea. Rather than presenting solid facts in a single timeline, we follow Cahalan on her journey to find information, which I wasn’t very interested in. We meet those she meets and learn the information that she gathered as well as how she gathered it. I would have loved this if it was presented as more of a story without all the “behind the scenes” details. The journalistic style of this book reminds me of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which I did enjoy more.
Another thing worth noting is that this book is, in a way, all over the place. When we meet someone who needs to tell us information about the study, we learn their entire backstory, which leads to another backstory, which leads to... so on and so forth. I simply didn’t care about a lot of the content and was just waiting to hear about Rosenhan’s study, which way more of the book could have been dedicated to.
spacetoread's review
3.0
Looking at the history of psychiatry through the lens of a 1973 study involving pseudo-patients in mental hospitals, Cahalan then extends this book into a question of psychiatry as a whole. Cahalan provides an interesting perspective given her history with mental impairment and psychosis. However, the book overall felt weirdly organized and tough to follow.