Insanity: The Idea and Its Consequences

Dr. Szasz is a brilliant debator, and the unpopularity of his position only serves to hone his formidable writing talent. He can turn a topic as somber as insanity and its social context into a book that is extraordinarily entertaining. He is as likely to quote Shakespeare or Molière as Freud and Jung, and when it suits him he quotes Ann Landers and Dear Abby, too. His irreverence and moral outrage fairly sizzle on the page. (The New York Times Book Review)

In this book, Dr. Szasz challenges the way both science and society define insanity; in the process, he helps us better understand this often misunderstood condition.