To Redeem One Person Is to Redeem the World: The Life of Frieda Fromm-Reichmann

A fascinating and dramatic account of a controversial figure in twentieth-century psychiatry.

In this €œdazzling and provocative€* biography, Gail Hornstein brings back to life the maverick psychiatrist Frieda Fromm-Reichmann. To Redeem One Person Is to Redeem the World tells the extraordinary life story of the German-Jewish refugee analyst who accomplished what Freud and almost everyone else thought impossible: she successfully treated schizophrenics and other seriously disturbed mental patients with intensive psychotherapy, rather than medication, lobotomy, or shock treatment. Written with unprecedented access to a rich archive of clinical materials and newly discovered records and documents from across Europe and the United States, Hornstein€s meticulous and €œdelightfully lucid€** biography definitively reclaims the life of Fromm-Reichmann. The therapist at the core of Joanne Greenberg€s I Never Promised You a Rose Garden is also the analyst who had an affair with, and later married, her patient Erich Fromm. A pioneer in her field, she made history as the pivotal figure of the unique and legendary mental hospital, Chestnut Lodge.

€œA lively, well-written account of a charismatic leader in an important period of psychiatry€s history.€
€"Psychology Today

€œAt a time when little pills are seen as a quick fix for almost everything, this book is well worth taking time to read and contemplate.€
€"Philadelphia Inquirer


*Publishers Weekly **Kirkus Reviews