by James Hollis
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| List Price: | $25.00 |
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Product Description
Author James Hollis’s eloquent reading provides the listener with an accessible and yet profound understanding of a universal condition—or what is commonly referred to as the Mid-life crisis. The book shows how we may travel this Middle Passage consciously, thereby rendering our lives more meaningful and the second half of life immeasurably richer.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
A true eye opener, 2008-12-24
This book was life changing for me. It is a must-read for anybody facing midlife challenges. Hollis is thought provoking and insightful. He is philisophical yet I never found it difficult to read or understand the concepts presented. His gentle tone throughout the book makes personal and spiritual growth more palatable.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
More tools from the good doctor, 2008-12-23
I picked this book up shortly after finishing another Hollis book called "Why Good People Do Bad Things." I was so impressed by that book that I wanted to delve further into Hollis' Jungian take on life and I was not disappointed.
"The Middle Passage" examines many of the same concepts but focuses more on that time in our life when we seem to seek meaning with greater desperation than when we were younger. It really is a special time and this book encourages the reader to not only celebrate the gifts this milestone in life provides, but to furthermore seize the opportunities to re-define ourselves on our own terms and once and for all destroy the roots of angst and frustration.
This book helps make sense of the jumble of conflicted emotions, duplicity, and self-destructiveness that lingers in all of us and comes to an ugly head during this transitional phase of life. Understanding why and what is the most beneficial tool that Hollis provides, and armed with it, I can dissect myself with the precision and sense of purpose that had heretofore been little more than shouts into the void and the maddening cycle of failure. As a teacher, I can appreciate the value in being given the chance to help myself instead of being provided with water-downed solutions that build no independence and problem-solving skills. Hollis does just that and I will forever be indebted to his wealth of understanding of the human psyche and his willingness to share it with the rest of us.
The seeds Hollis plants demand painful and thorough self-analysis to bear fruit. The look within might be too frightening for many or simply too difficult for those seeking soft answers and blankets of comfort instead of chilling realities. If you are ready to take the journey or are already down the path and finding yourself a bit lost, use this psychological map. It bears repeating of the cliché that you can not know where you are going if you don't know where you've been.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
The middle Passage, from misery to meaning in midlife, 2008-12-21
Great explanation to first having a good relationship with one-self in order to be able to have a good relationship with others. Easy reading! Encouraging!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Interesting, 2008-05-29
I am a student of Eastern philosophy and I looked at this book insofar as what it has to say from a Western, Jungian perspective. I was curious. At it's core Middle Passage explains Jungian theories of personality development and complexes that grow and change over time. The problem of the mid-life crisis, according to Hollis, is that we tend to hang on to ego-centric dynamics that worked in the past, perhaps out of necessity, but no longer work. The coping techniques run their course and rather than letting them go, growing, and accepting responsibility for our well-being and spiritual development, we cling to our former selves and projections on other. The book, however, tends to be abstract, more theoretical than practical. It explains more about HOW we get into mid-life in crisis and precious little about WHAT to do about it. But this is just the intersection with Buddhist teachings on essentially the same subject. Buddhism, in a sense, picks up where Jung leaves off. The Four Noble Truths, for instances, starts with the premise that human beings are prone to suffering for all the reasons Hollis gives in Jungian terms. It does not explain so much HOW we get into trouble with too much ego. Yet in 2,500 years of history, Buddhism and it followers have developed a rich set of tools centered around meditation for "staying awake" and living in the present as a practical anecdote for the ego -- namely, WHAT to do about it. In fact, toward the end of Middle Passage, meditation is one of the suggestions Hollis recommends for working through mid-life crisis. So I would say after reading this book take look at the writings of Pema Chodron, my favorite being Comfortable with Uncertainty. Get her seminar, How to Meditate, and see for yourself if this doesn't line up with Hollis and Middle Passage.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Wish I'd read it sooner, 2008-03-20
I had read all the reviews for this book before I purchased it but in the past that has not always been a guarantee. This was also the first Hollis book for me. Happy to say it won't be my last. I have a minimal amount of psychology studies (I minored in it) but am starting a master's program this summer. I picked it up mostly because I'm turning 50 this summer and felt the urges to put some "order" to the chaos I've been chasing the last decade or so in my life. It hasn't really been traumatic for me as much as it has been unsettling but I needed a name for it and Hollis names it well - the Middle Passage. I look back now and understand more clearly now why I seek out what I do and why I needed to reconcile what wounded me in the past. It gave me tremendous hope for the second half of my life and Hollis has a way of writing that is not intimidating. Too bad it's not a "must read" for every adult hitting 40 or 50. Marriages might have a better chance of staying stronger. People in general might not be wired so tight with superficial undertakings as they mature in life. I am grateful I found this author and intend on reading his other works.
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