More books -

• A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius: Based on a True Story, by Dave Eggers. One the one hand, this is the story of a 23 year old guy whose parents die and leave him to care for his 8 year old brother. On the other hand, it's a smart alecky book full of self-referential humor and, mandatory for one of his generation, plenty of irony, starting with the copyright page. My first reaction to his story was - what a jerk - he's so self-centered and obsessive. Then it dawned on me that this reminded me of someone I know, someone who perhaps has ADHD, or as a gentler age might put it, an artistic temperment. In real life, he's the kind of guy you'd be happy to say hello to and just as happy to say goodbye to, if you know what I mean. On the written page, his blunt honesty and sense of humor do well. He does go on - this is one of those books where I skip a few pages every now and then - just more blah blah blah.
• Of Two Minds: The Growing Disorder in American Psychiatry, by T.M. Luhrmann. Luhrmann is an anthropologist who studied mental health care workers in this country. She explains the great divide between drug therapy and psychotherapy. Once, psychotherapy was king, and all mental illnesses were explained using Freud's theories. Then came effective drugs, such as lithium and Prozac. Now, the psychotherapists are in decline. She is sympathetic to the Freudians (while giving short shrift to other talking therapies), but the data in the book damns them despite her efforts. To me, the bottom line is that, while psychotherapy may be good for you, so is a balanced diet and regular excercise. And your health insurance won't cover a cobb salad nor membership to a gym. See any Woody Allen movie for more.
• Sin Boldly! Dr. Dave's Guide to Writing the College Paper, by David Williams. The New Yorker reviewed this and trashed it. I saw it in a bookstore and started thumbing through it and it looked good. And indeed it is good - the New Yorker reviewer took it as recommending the only way to write, which it does not. It's a guide to writing a (non-fiction) essay. The advice is explicit and I think that's helpful. You can ignore it, of course, but I much prefer a book that takes a strong position. It's useful for anyone wanting to write better essays.