A review by julesnichols
How to Live. What to Do: In Search of Ourselves in Life and Literature by Josh Cohen

hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

I thoroughly enjoyed this for so many different reasons, and I typically hate reading nonfiction to begin with. That being said, Cohen masterfully threads stories from his own private practice as a psychoanalyst with excerpts from widely read pieces of literature to help make sense of, to put it simply, what exactly life is meant for. Aside from his voice and personal stories, his profession shines through with his continuous references to Freud and Erikson. I took a class a couple years ago that covered development across the lifespan so I was familiar with Erikson's stages and I thoroughly enjoyed using them in the context of  many books I've previously enjoyed reading. I'm also an OT student so the focus on psychosocial development, especially in regards to play in children, interwined with references to such notable characters was right up my alley.
I almost wish the book was longer and delve even deeper.