Books: April 2023

Thoughts Without A Thinker: Psychotherapy From A Buddhist Perspective — Mark Epstein

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Coming off two other books on Buddhism and knowing little about psychoanalysis, I found this fascinating and convincing in the parallels between the two. Psychoanalysis still seems pretty kooky in the examples laid out (but maybe there’s context missing). Freud sounds very interesting; it’s kinda sad to think psychology went from this oddball philosophizing to formulaic experiments and regression.

Indigenous Continent: The Epic Contest for North America — Pekka Hämäläinen

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Not as good as the great Lakota America but still worth reading. The broad history is useful even if at times it feels like you’re zooming around. It’s a strange book to read knowing how it all ends. The main argument, that the various nations were actually very powerful and kept Europeans in check for decades or centuries, is convincing but hard to reconcile with the eventual destruction of these nations.