I have read numerous books over the years on corporate culture and more specifically normative culture. Each time I have been left with many unanswered questions. For me, the whole concept of controlling something so esoteric has always been hard to conceptualize. Organizational Unconscious is the first book to give me a clear and easily understood roadmap for controlling the culture in any organization. 95% of all managers, in my opinion, are completely unaware of the power and influence culture has on any organization's programs and performance. After reading this book, they may wish to significantly redefine their priorities.

The title is slightly misleading as the bulk of the narrative focuses on the first-person accounts of Laura Glenmorris and her daughter Medora, as told to George Delmont, the young philosopher. Smith parodies the romanctic/Gothic genre of the eighteenth-century while simultaneously using both modes to her own advantage. She critiques the English legal system, especially as it relates to women, and the views of Delmont, and other philosophical idealists, as inadequate to fight against the corruption of English law. Originally published the same year as _Maria, or the Wrongs of Woman_, 1798, fans of Mary Wollstonecraft should enjoy this novel for Smith shares many of Wollstonecraft's social views. Additionally, fans of Ann Radcliffe and Jane Austen should also enjoy _The Young Philosopher_. The inset tales are suspenseful and humorous while the main plot of the novel is more complex than a simple love story between Delmont and Medora (told by an omniniscient narrator). As a student of Smith's romantic poetry I was pleasantly surprised to discover this enjoyable and thought-provoking novel.