One of the best things about this book is the way that the author handles the healings that Aimee performed. Many writers would view these with a skeptic eye but Epstein does not. While he does sometimes offer a psychological explanation for certain healings, he never comes out and says that the healings had nothing to do with God and that Aimee was a fraud. He also makes a very valid point, one that many have overlooked: It would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to use actors and fakes to organize healing ceremonies the size of the ones that Aimee McPherson held.

My only complaint about this book is that near the end, the writing just seems to slow down. It's almost as if Epstein put all this passion into the first part, and started to lose it as the book drew to a close. But that really does not take too much away from it all (as I said before, if I could have given it 4 1/2 stars, I would have). This is a wonderful book.

The intense, highly emotional poet comes alive in the pages of his well-researched book. She comes to us as a rebel, determined to live on her own terms, to make love with the freedom of a man,to explore the ecstatic heights of feeling. (Shelley, the author tells us, was her idol.)

A central point that I feel Epstein misses is that, although she may have escaped the feminine role dictated by conventions of her time, she did not escape her own compulsion to make the search for love the driving force of her actions. Her poetry also has as its overriding theme, romantic and sexual love. For this reason she missed achieving stature as a great poet. Even though she possessed a great facility for language, her works are too limited in scope.

Her eventual descent into alcoholism and drug addiction can serve as a cautionary tale against the wild self-indulgence and perpetual adolescence that plagued Millay. It must be said, however, that her verbal gifts were so great that even in the midst of her addled despair in later life, she was able still to produce, although the work then was of lesser quality.

Kudoes for Epstein's carefully researched, comprehensive biography.

Edna St Vincent Millay was not only a great person of words, but a great seductress and everyone, male and female alike, fell under her spell. Apparently, accordingly to this book, she managed to live up to their expectations quite well. Mr Epstein matches the love poems to the folks they were written for and gives the details of the various affairs. It may not sound interesting, but it is quite interesting - especially since M's Millay seemed to have a weakness for men who were not quite as talented as she was. The background behind "Fatal Interview" and the story of her (apparently) one love she lost before_she_ was ready to is quite an interesting read by itself.

Mr Epstein focuses on M's Millay as sort of a self made goddess and how her various affairs shaped her writing. M's Mitford focuses on how M's Millay's relationship with her mother shaped her life. Both of these are very interesting and I'd advise reading them consecutively and draw your own conclusions. In some respects, I think Mr Epstein is correct in what he presumes, but the same can be said of M's Mitford.

Throw yourself into the words and life of Edna St Vincent Millay - you'll find yourself awash with her beautiful poetry and prose and this book will help you make sense out of it.

I've read much on psychology and Epstein's book is one of the best from several angles. It cleared up many misperceptions about Buddhism, and revealed its potential value.

It also did a wonderful job of presenting the case for introducing a spiritual component into Western Psychology, which has been sadly lacking, and possibly accounts for the pervasive ineffectiveness and limitations of psychology as it is practiced.

E.g., the references to work by many psychologists (Freud, Winnicott, etc.) were illuminating:
... Suspending the Critical Faculty in treatment.
... Absence of psychoneurotic illness maybe health, but it is not life.
... Even the best therapy can only return us to a state of "common unhappiness."

I recommend this book highly to lay people, and even more to professionals. As healers, they owe it to their clients. It's time to turn back the tide of analytical processes that have swamped the psychological practices, and usher in fresher methods that promise more enlightened treatments. Epstein's book provides a great direction if one will follow the behest, "Don't look at my hand, look where I am pointing!"

As the book went on, however, it became apparent that the author sought to write about Buddhist practice, sprinkled here and there with thoughts about psychology. Not that writing about Buddhism is a bad thing its just not a new thing. And for my money, Mr. Epstein did a more than admirable job of writing about Buddhism in his first book, "Thoughts Without a Thinker." I wanted more of a balance between western psychology and Buddhist practice, not more of the same. I was also a little lost by the excerpts taken from D.W. Winnicott and how they related to the points being made in the text.

Altogether not a bad read, just not a great one either.

Specifically, the examination of the Buddhist Realms of existence (of which there are 6 I believe) and its relation to our states of mind. In doing so, we are treated to stories of the personal struggles of his patients as well as their parallels to Buddhist concepts (most notably the 6 realms).

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good INTRODUCTION (as the depth could be expanded further of course)to Buddhist philosophy within our current scientific concepts, as well as psychologists looking to expand their world view and see ancient Buddhists as their predecessors. A well written and caring book.

I can see how some readers would not read and evaluate this book as highly as I do. Epstein's personal approach won't resonate with everyone. But when it does it works well, and I suspect it will resonate often and deeply enough with most readers interested in the subject matter to make this book an enjoyable and valuable read.