pILLARI TAKES UP THE SCAPEGOATING THEME PRESENT IN WESTERN MYTHOLOGY,LITERATURE AND THE bIBLE. tHIS FOCUS HAS RECEIVED MUCH ATTENTION IN THE LAST THREE DECADES WITH THE IMPETUS OF rENE gIRARD WHOSE THEORY OF MIMESIS IS CLOSELY TIED TO SCAPEGOATING. pILLARI EXAMINES THIS THEME IN THE CONTEXT OF FAMILY DYNAMICS AND SHE OFTEN TOUCHES UPON THE MAJOR IDEAS OF gIRARD. pAUL rICOEUR,A fRENCH PHILOSOPHER TAKES THIS THEME TO A "HIGHER" LEVEL IN HIS "SYMBOLISM OF EVIL" AND "FALLIBLE mAN". tHIS DYNAMIC OF SCAPEGOATING AFFORDS INSIGHT NOT ONLY FOR FAMILY DIFFICULTIES BUT FOR CULTURALLY BASED AND INTERCULTURAL TENSIONS.

I never thought I'd find a book like this so fascinating! At first, I shook my head, thinking, "There's no way this book can relate mythology and parenting!" Boy, was I wrong. Not only do Arthur and Libby Coleman present a very interesting idea of the psychology of fatherhood, but they present a very interesting mythological arguement as well.

This book is not for the casual reader; between the heavy mythological references to the psychological jargon, it's not an easy book to read. Simpler books on parenting and mythology abound. But for those who enjoy books on unorthodox psychology and/or the evolution of mythology, you can't pass this up!