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Lesley F. (San Diego, CA)
Bodily Freedom
In my life I have enjoyed a great amount of white privilege and at the same time felt the struggles involved in trying to feel that my body was important and acceptable to "my tribe". This book has explained to me the other side of the reported current events over the last 100 or so years and done that in a remarkably clear explanation.
Bodily rights are AGAIN currently imperiled and so this is not just a history lesson but a rallying cry as well.
I intend to tell all my book groups about this wonderful book and hope they can all read it! Thank you, Olivia Laing.
Janine S. (Wyoming, MI)
Thought provoking read
Wow! What a thought provoking and exhilarating read! Beautifully written and exquisitely researched, this is a book that when read can profoundly in part the soul if one is open to viewing freedom from a different construct: the body you are in is constrained by forces and laws that do not allow you to live freely. Laing centers her proof on giving insights into the lives of individuals ranging from Wilhelm Reich to Malcolm X where these individuals were confined and persecuted by ideologies that sought to deny them their individuality. She also draws upon her personal experience to further the portrait of
…more society's limitations on freedom. Laing seeks to point out too that "freedom is a shared endeavor" and the wrongness of white supremacy, religious bigotry and malign meanness of the human spirit deprive the body of freedom. It's impossible to capture the brilliance of this book in a review. I can only point out that while this is a book that should be considered as worthy to be read, it is one that is necessary and important to read. (less)This is a serious and not quick to read and absorb book. It takes time, concentration, thinking and sometimes rethinking to get through it. That's not a bad thing though - it's well researched and well-written with a relevant topic. I will read it again at some point to peel off more of the layers and wrap my thoughts around some of the topics. It would be good for a book club discussion.
Patricia W. (Desoto, TX)
Everybody
Everybody is an interesting, extensively researched book about the human body and freedom. Laing has the exceptional ability to make connections among events and thoughts of particular times and to point out the struggles of individuals and of societies. I enjoyed reading and thinking about these connections. Today and throughout history, people have been marginalized for who they are, while some have worked to take away or limit the freedom of certain people with laws to control their bodies. This book gave me a better understanding of some of these events, especially related to sexual orientation and rights,
…more feminism, civil rights, the prison system, and immigrants. (less)This work is really more a collection of essays that all center on the theme of bodily freedom and how individuals manage to express that freedom. The connective tissue that (mostly) links these essays together is the life of psychoanalyst William Reich, and author Olivia Laing uses examples and aspects of Reich's life, along with her personal experiences and extensive research, to discuss issues such as sexual orientation (gay, transgender rights), civil rights/racism, feminism and criminal justice (the role of prisons). The book takes what most would define as a liberal view on these issues and the author does
…more not hide her advocacy on issues. Agree or disagree, the essays prove thought-provoking and should inspire lively discussion/debate in a book club. (less)I really wanted to love this book. It had moments where I did. The problem is, I had to slog through a tremendous amount of what felt like unnecessary verbiage to get to those moments. The author's personal opinions seemed to taint her message as well. She spoke kindly, even glowingly about Reich and other males but all her dissections of the females she wrote about seemed sharply critical. A prime example of this is her treatment of Andrea Dworkin. All in all, I think this material would have been better presented in a peer-reviewed journal article instead of a full length book.
Shirley T. (Comfort, TX)
Everybody by Olivia Laing
This is a very unusual book, well written and researched with information and ideas from the early twentieth century onward regarding the connection between freedom, the lack thereof, and the effect on the body and mind.
The author, Olivia Laing, writes about symptoms which could be caused by the lack of choice or freedom of choice for sexual activity, or the result of incarceration and other activities. In the civilized world total freedom is not possible because a body does not exist alone.
The explicit accounts of the suffering of "unfree" people make this a powerful but disturbing book.
Carole A. (Denver, CO)
EVERYBODY probably not for everyone
If you are looking for a quick light read EVERYBODY is not for you. I read it through once and then went back and skimmed it a second time to sort out the layers. There are some that will be omitted here due to space. The subject matter is interesting with multiple layers. It is because of the multiple layers I believe this would be an excellent book for a serious book club. At the very least a book to keep on your side table and to read and digest a bit at a time.
Laing based many of the thoughts she expresses on the work of William Reich, a disciple of Freud. Reichs' major concept was that the body
…more houses both pleasure and pain and as such both can be a powerful force for change. There are many examples of this theory in Laing's life as well as in the lives of many others ranging from the Marquis de Sade, Simone, Isherwood, Sontag and Malcom X. She explores the impact of this theory on many issues of the 2nd half of the 20th century such as feminism, civil rights and the freedom to be openly gay. Laing goes even further in taking on the subjects of the exploding racism and misogynistic attitudes of today.
Yet another layer explores the ways in which the body can heal itself through her own stories and through leaders in the field such as Louise Hay. Laing stresses you can remake your body, your world and the wide world beyond as all is ever changing and nothing is static. The book can be, indeed, a reminder of the freedom we have within ourselves and the world around us. (less)
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