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Denial of the Soul
M. Scott Peck Book Review

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Plot Summary of Denial of the Soul
"In this 1997 book, the author of the bestselling _The Road Not Taken_ addresses the issues of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Though always thoughtful and sensitive, and sometimes a little crusty (he tells people who bug him about his dependence on alcohol and tobacco, "Sometimes it is better to walk with crutches than not to walk at all"), Peck's argument appears to come down to: growing and learning often involve suffering, and to cut short suffering is to "short-circuit God." But what if God allows, even wants, us to face death on our own terms, as well? A useful, if not terribly convincing book, especially if you live in the one state to have legalized physician-assisted suicide, as I do, and have seen that it seems to be working just fine."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Denial of the Soul
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
job/profession: - doctor/nurse
Job/profession/poverty story Yes
Family, ill Yes
because he/she is - physically ill
Phys disability/mental struggle? Yes
Struggle with - physical disability/sickness - general search for meaning

Subject of Biography
How sensitive is this person? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
Century: - 1980's-Present

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Book makes you feel? - thoughtful
Commentary on society? Yes
Commentary on - dying
Writer's slant towards subject: - somewhat unfavorable
How much dialogue in bio? - little dialog
How much is philosophy rather than life story? - 51-75% of book
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Recollections: An Autobiography by Viktor E. Frankl by Viktor E. Frankl
A Midwife's Tale: The life of Martha Ballard by Laura Thatcher Ulrich
A Doctor's Odyssey by Robert Doy


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M. Scott Peck Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
David Loftus  

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