Author:Barbara Taylor
The Last Asylum is Barbara Taylor's haunting memoir of her journey through the UK mental health system.
A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK
SHORTLISTED FOR THE RBC TAYLOR PRIZE
In July 1988, Barbara Taylor, then an acclaimed young historian, was admitted to what had once been England's largest psychiatric institution: Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum, later known as Friern Hospital.
This searingly honest, thought-provoking and beautifully written memoir is the story of the author's madness years, set inside the wider story of the death of the asylum system in the twentieth century. It is a meditation on her own experience of breakdown and healing, but also that of the millions of other people who have suffered, are suffering, will suffer mental illness.
'Personal story, psychoanalytic process, the experience of madness, the feel of being an inpatient in the last days of Friern, the history of the asylum . . . A beautiful memoir, engrossing' Independent
'Moving, brave and intelligent' Susan Hill, The Times
'Dazzling. A great achievement, full of life and hope' Sunday Telegraph
Barbara Taylor's previous books include an award-winning study of nineteenth-century socialist feminism, Eve and the New Jerusalem; an intellectual biography of the pioneer feminist Mary Wollstonecraft; and On Kindness, a defence of fellow feeling co-written with the psychoanalyst Adam Phillips. She is a longstanding editor of the leading history journal, History Workshop Journal, and a director of the Raphael Samuel History Centre. She teaches History and English at Queen Mary University of London.
Eloquent, compassionate, and utterly absorbing . . . The Last Asylum is the best sort of memoir, transcending the purely personal to confront a larger social history
—— Sarah WatersBeautiful . . . it is hard to write well enough about this book because it is so good
—— Susie Orbach , IndependentA wise, considered and timely book
—— Hilary MantelMoving, brave and intelligent
—— Susan Hill , The TimesSuperb. Riveting, insightful and relentlessly honest
—— Darian LeaderAn impressive book, strong on narrative, deeply felt and measured in tone... The Last Asylum will stand the test of time.
—— Literary ReviewA gripping (often painful) account of madness, a fascinating description of psychoanalysis, a historical reflection on asylums and a meditation of the interrelationships between care and cure... Unsparing [and] subtly theoretical, an endeavor not only worth reading, but worth emulating.
—— LA Review of BooksA fascinating if harrowing journey . . . Taylor is a deft and engaging historian
—— Washington PostBarbara Taylor's [memoir] is not to be missed . . . An extraordinarily measured, fascinating and honest account, that stands out within the genre... Her book can be compared with Helen Macdonald's H is for Hawk . . . Barbara Taylor is to be applauded for an important and original contribution
—— MetapsychologyMy Age of Anxiety is a mine of information and extensive soul-searching. For contemporary readers, especially those beset with anxiety, it will prove an invaluable resource.
—— Literary ReviewTerrific…an unsparing and unsentimental look at a subject many keep hidden: mental illness.
—— Nature magazine[A] fascinating, page-turning book, with Stossel interspersing facts with personal experiences, as well as stories about famous names who have suffered from the condition and snippets of information he has received from the many therapists he's seen over the years. This is a captivating and insightful look at anxiety.
—— Press Association, 4/5 stars[An] informed and authoritative but personal overview of a debilitating condition
—— MetroStossel writes a well thought out, in-depth analysis of the history of anxiety disorders in modern times.
—— The Bookbag[A] full and frank account
—— Access magazine[A] wonderful book
—— Yahoo UK
zpostcode
Recruit
weather
mreligion
Yellowpages
sport
constellation
shopping
name
game
directory
literature
Word
tour
furnish
Lottery
tftnews
lyrics
News
digital
car
dir
Edu
Finance
