Karen Horney: Pioneer Of Feminine Psychology (Women in Medicine)
Grade 9 Up–This series presents biographies of women who endured rampant stereotyping, ostracism, and the medical communities' skepticism to become leaders in their fields. Each book has a centerfold of photographs of the subject, her family, friends and coworkers. The books are well organized and written in a way that will attract general readers. All quotes are documented. Horney criticized Freud because of his focus on a male-dominated society and a male point of view. She was convinced that studying the female psyche would prove that people are not predestined by things that happen during their early years, but that they are products of their total environment and their experiences throughout life, bringing ideas from sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies to weigh into her analyses. Kübler-Ross also spent a good part of her life on the fringes of traditional medicine. Her rugged determination to enter the field saw her in many different lowly jobs. Throughout this time, she tried to talk with patients whenever she could, to try to help those who had lost hope after devastating diagnoses such as blindness or terminal illness. She realized that there were similarities in their minds, theorizing that there were stages of grief that most people endured. Like Horney, she renounced Freudian theory. Both Horney and Kübler-Ross are great role models for girls who want to enter any male-dominated field. These interesting, inspirational biographies are solid additions to biography collections.–Marilyn Fairbanks, Azure IRC, Brockton High School, MACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.