A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness

· Sold by Penguin
4.2
12 reviews
Ebook
352
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

The New York Times bestseller

“A glistening psychological history, faceted largely by the biographies of eight famous leaders . . .” —The Boston Globe

“A provocative thesis . . . Ghaemi’s book deserves high marks for original thinking.” —The Washington Post

“Provocative, fascinating.” —Salon.com

Historians have long puzzled over the apparent mental instability of great and terrible leaders alike: Napoleon, Lincoln, Churchill, Hitler, and others. In A First-Rate Madness, Nassir Ghaemi, director of the Mood Disorders Program at Tufts Medical Center, offers a myth-shattering exploration of the powerful connections between mental illness and leadership and sets forth a controversial, compelling thesis: The very qualities that mark those with mood disorders also make for the best leaders in times of crisis. From the importance of Lincoln's "depressive realism" to the lackluster leadership of exceedingly sane men as Neville Chamberlain, A First-Rate Madness overturns many of our most cherished perceptions about greatness and the mind.

Ratings and reviews

4.2
12 reviews
A Google user
September 12, 2011
I liked it!
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A Google user
I think this will be an good book.
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Dr dhodan
January 6, 2018
Nice book
10 people found this review helpful
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About the author

Nassir Ghaemi, M.D., is a professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine and director of the Mood Disorders Program at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. He has published more than a hundred scientific articles and several books on psychiatry.

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