Book Reviews

In this issue we again have a wide variety of reviews. Philosophers will find reviews of books on Heidegger and three recent books on Sartre as well as a book about the application of Wittgenstein's ideas to therapy. The theme of opening to life is addressed in one way in a book by Kirk Schnieder and in an entirely different way in a book by Natascha Kampusch about her imprisonment and its aftermath. Both are impressive accounts of resilience in extreme circumstances. Also reviewed is an important book on 'Asbergers Syndrome'. Readers interested in psychotherapy integration will find a book which looks for links between the existential and gestalt perspectives. Insights represented and echoed in more mainstream non-academic books are represented by two of the Sartre books, by the Kampusch book and also by a review of Delusions of Gender, which challenges the current fad for neurological explanations for existential issues, in this case so-called gender differences. These books remind us of the value of non-academic books if only because they are more firmly anchored in our experience in-the-world.

The Sartre Dictionary

Gary Cox. (2008). London: Continuum.

Sartre and Fiction

Gary Cox. (2009). London: Continuum.

How to be an Existentialist or How to Get Real, Get a Grip and Stop Making Excuses

Gary Cox. (2009). London: Continuum.

It is obvious from the titles of the first two books that Gary Cox is a Sartre scholar. He is an academic who now works as a writer and teacher in both academic and non-academic contexts and this is apparent because he knows how to write for different audiences. All these books are clearly written although all have rather different writing styles and they all fill much needed gaps in the Existential literature

The remit of the first book, The Sartre Dictionary, is clear from the title. The back cover says that it is 'a comprehensive and accessible guide to the world of Jean-Paul Sartre […] More than 350 A-Z entries include clear definitions of all the key terms used in Sartre's writing and detailed synopses of his key works, novels and plays.' Also some of the entries are for Sartrean phrases like 'consciousness is consciousness of...' and 'condemned to be free'. It also includes key features of his life for example the circumstances around his refusal of the Nobel Prize for literature. This