A review by kellee
Good Morning, Monster: A Therapist Shares Five Heroic Stories of Emotional Recovery by Catherine Gildiner

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

3.5

First of all, let me preface this by saying that I’m glad I read this book. It was hard to read at times, and content warnings for all sorts of abuse, but I regard Laura, Peter, Danny, Alana, and Madeline as people who deserve much much more than they were given as children, and they deserve to have their stories told, so I am glad to be a witness. My forthcoming review has more to do with the writing and Gildiner’s approach, which are the reasons why I ultimately gave it 3.5 stars. So, spoilers from here on.

I have several issues with this book. Gildiner wrote about how it was imperative that her clients be unrecognizable, and so I’m not sure how much was real or composited for each. Some explanations for their pathologies seemed a bit too simple, aka
Laura’s issues with her father leading to her choosing the wrong men, Peter’s emasculation due to his mother, Danny’s throat cancer due to his losing his first language, Alana fighting her father in the video game, and Madeline’s fear of abandonment due to her mother. Maybe it is that simple, but I would have appreciated more nuance.


Gildiner used a Freudian approach for her therapy in the 80s, which I imagine is not requisite anymore. However it was fascinating to read about, especially the dream interpretation. I also had an issue with her therapeutic approach in general, including her emotional involvement, and especially her sarcastic remarks; for example,
hearing about Madeline’s affair and her seemingly sardonic comment in the book, wondering if he was the one who brought them coffee.


One more quick thought before I wrap up; I listened to this on audio, and I did not enjoy the narrator’s characterizations or voices for Peter, who is Chinese, or Danny, who is Cree. I also felt some inherent bias from Gildiner (it was a different time, and she was born in 1948) but as someone who is AAPI, I am sensitive to Caucasian interpretations of AAPI experiences. I did appreciate that she acknowledged her limitations for Danny, but I struggled as to why she didn’t with Peter.

Lastly, I’m not sure how I feel about the term “psychological heroes.” It’s undeniable that Laura, Peter, Danny, Alana, and Madeline endured horrific childhoods, but I don’t know if I like that Gildiner put them on display as heroes. I don’t know if I can idealize any of them, since there’s no one can live up to those kinds of standards, but I <i>can</i> acknowledge their resilience and their strength. 

3.5 stars.
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