RICHARD POLLAK, THE AUTHOR OF "THE CREATION OF DR. B", BRINGS TO HIS STORY HIS OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH DR. B. HE ALSO BRINGS WITH HIM A LOT OF PERSONAL RESENTMENT. HE SEEMS UNABLE TO SEPARATE BETTELHEIM'S STRONG FREUDIAN PERSPECTIVE AND BELIEFS FROM BETTELHEIM'S QUESTIONABLE BEHAVIOR. POLLAK'S RESENTMENT GETS THE BETTER OF HIM WHEN HE MAKES DUMB REMARKS LIKE: BETTELHEIM WAS A "A MOMMY HATER"
HIS BIO DOES GIVE SOME GOOD HISTORY ABOUT BETTELHEIM, THE TYPE OF HISTORY WE ALL LIKE TO SEE ABOUT GREAT MEN, ALL THEIR DIRTY LAUNDRY. IN BETTELHEIM'S CASE A LOT OF THIS AIRING OF LAUNDRY IS WARRENTED. BUT BETTELHEIM WAS A TRUE FREUDIAN. AND I FOR ONE HAVE FOUND HIS WRITINGS EXTREMELY ENLIGHTENING. THAT HIS PERSONAL LIFE WAS A [FAKE] DOES NOT TAKE AWAY FROM HIS POSITIVE BELIEFS ABOUT HUMAN NATURE. POLLAK THINKS OTHERWISE.

On an episode of "The Simpsons," Bart is climbing on a psychiatrist's bookcase and knocking off some tomes. The psychiatrist says, "Stop that! Some of those books haven't been discredited yet!" "The Creation of Dr. B" is truly an astonishing book. To think that such a fraud could obtain such a prominent position in American life makes you wonder what other now-respected people out there are con-men and phonies. Pollak's book is a model of research and writing: those post-modern people who say we can never come to a definite knowledge of the truth should eat their words after reading this. "Dr. B" is one of those recent works that help show the insanity of the Freudian dominace of psychology in the mid 20th century. Can we now lump it with phrenology, as it deserves to be?

As a former student at Bettelheim's Orthogenic School, I would like to commend Mr. Pollack for a well written and truthful account of Dr. B. He was NOT the "saint" as people would like to have him be. Mr. Pollack's description of Dr. B is totally accurate in every detail. We, the students, as Mr. Pollack did point out, were very intimidated by Dr. B and were often slapped and beaten by him. The Orthogenic School staff, never came to our aid, themselves, as well, being intimadated by this man. I am glad Mr. Pollak wrote this book and only wish others would also expose the fake Dr.B.