On a fateful day in the spring of 1954 Robert Jay Lifton, a young American psychiatrist just discharged from service in the Korean War, decided to stay in Hong Kong rather than return home-changing his life plans entirely-so that he could continue work that had enthralled him, interviewing people subjected to Chinese thought reform. He had plunged into uncharted territory in probing the far reaches of the human psyche, as he would repeatedly in the years ahead, and his Hong Kong research provided the first understanding of ...
Read More
On a fateful day in the spring of 1954 Robert Jay Lifton, a young American psychiatrist just discharged from service in the Korean War, decided to stay in Hong Kong rather than return home-changing his life plans entirely-so that he could continue work that had enthralled him, interviewing people subjected to Chinese thought reform. He had plunged into uncharted territory in probing the far reaches of the human psyche, as he would repeatedly in the years ahead, and his Hong Kong research provided the first understanding of the insidious process that came to be known as brainwashing. From that day in Hong Kong forward, Lifton has probed into some of the darkest episodes of human history, bearing his unique form of psychological witness to the sources and consequences of collective violence and trauma, as well as to our astonishing capacity for resilience. In this long-awaited memoir, Lifton charts the adventurous and constantly surprising course of his fascinating life journey, a journey that took him from what a friend of his called a "Jewish Huck Finn childhood" in Brooklyn to friendships with many of the most influential intellectuals, writers, and artists of our time-from Erik Erikson, David Riesman, and Margaret Mead, to Howard Zinn and Kurt Vonnegut, Stanley Kunitz, Kenzaburo Oe, and Norman Mailer. In his remarkable study of Hiroshima survivors, he explored the human consequences of nuclear weapons, and then went on to uncover dangerous forms of attraction to their power in the spiritual disease he calls nuclearism. During riveting face-to-face interviews with Nazi doctors, he illuminated the reversal of healing and killing in ordinary physicians who had been socialized to Nazi evil. With Vietnam veterans he helped create unprecedented "rap groups" in which much was revealed about what we now call post-traumatic stress disorder, helping veterans draw upon their experience for valuable, even prophetic, insights about atrocity and war. As a pioneer in psychohistory, Lifton's encounters with the consequences of cruelty and destructiveness led him to become a passionate social activist, lending a powerful voice of conscience to the suppressed truths of the Vietnam War and the dangers of nuclear weapons. Written with the warmth of spirit-along with the humor and sense of absurdity-that have made Lifton a beloved friend and teacher to so many, Witness to an Extreme Century is a moving and deeply thought-provoking story of one man's extraordinary commitment to looking into the abyss of evil in order to help us move beyond it.
Read Less
Add this copy of Witness to an Extreme Century: a Memoir to cart. $10.10, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Free Press.
Add this copy of Witness to an Extreme Century: a Memoir to cart. $10.10, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Free Press.
Add this copy of Witness to an Extreme Century: a Memoir to cart. $10.10, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Free Press.
Add this copy of Witness to an Extreme Century: a Memoir to cart. $10.10, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Free Press.
Add this copy of Witness to an Extreme Century: a Memoir to cart. $10.13, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Free Press.
Add this copy of Witness to an Extreme Century: a Memoir to cart. $10.15, fair condition, Sold by GoodwillVSB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Oxnard, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by The Free Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. The book is 100% readable but visibly worn, and damaged. This may include stains, tears, rips, folded pages, binding damage, dents, scuffs, scratches and sticker residue. The book also may contain heavy highlighting and notes. Please ask for photos as our books are donations and may not contain above mentioned defects.
Add this copy of Witness to an Extreme Century: a Memoir to cart. $11.99, fair condition, Sold by St. Vinnie's Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Eugene, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by The Free Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Acceptable. ATTN: EX-LIBRARY COPY>>> Former Library book. hardcover 100% of proceeds go to charity! Acceptable reading copy with obvious signs of use, wear, and/or cosmetic issues. Item is complete and remains readable despite notable condition issues.
Add this copy of Witness to an Extreme Century: a Memoir to cart. $13.18, very good condition, Sold by AmazingBooksPGH rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Pittsburgh, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Free Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good jacket. Size: 6x1x9; Unmarked. Dj with light edge-wear. Price intact. First Free Press hardcover edition June 2011. Number line starts with 1. (1h)
Add this copy of Witness to an Extreme Century: a Memoir to cart. $14.49, good condition, Sold by Firefly Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Kutztown, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Free Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Used Good. Dust Jacket has some edge and corner wear, some scuffing, but still intact. Front and back covers have light wear to edges and corners. Spine intact, some wear. Binding is intact. Pages are generally clean with minor edge or corner wear. Clearly a pre-owned and used copy but still in readable condition. Firefly Bookstore sells items online and in our store front. We try to add images and descriptions when we can, but if you need additional information or photos of the books we list, please contact us.
Add this copy of Witness to an Extreme Century: a Memoir to cart. $16.95, good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
