Lifton

As those who already posted have said, so much important territory is covered in this memoir and in the lifetime of work Robert Jay Lifton completed. As I think about the memoir in its entirety, I find myself thinking about our class discussion about the definitions of the words "witness" and "extreme."

I found Lifton's response as a witness to the 20th century more than impressive; the work he completed as a psychiatrist, scholar, and individual who understands the importance of discussing and responding to events, was imperative. Imperative to understanding what humankind did over the course of this century--what human beings are capable of (both good and "evil")--and what must be done in attempt to stop such history from repeating.

While reading the book I also found myself thinking of my own projects, and of how Lifton's research might inform my writing. The length at which he discussed his research on subjects of the mind such as "psychic numbing" and "de-realization" helped me begin thinking about the reasons my mother's Jewish family ignored their religion in different ways. In fact, I'm hoping to read more of Lifton's work on Nazi doctors and on this human need to "forget" the past--forget parts of who we once were--in order to move forward.

I'm also hoping that when we read Primo Levi I'll be able to start working on a research project the combines these aspects of Lifton's work, Levi's writing, and my own research on my Jewish ancestry.

Oh--almost forgot! In response to Kayleigh's thought that Lifton often seemed like "an explorer being dropped into a deep well": Yes, I agree, and would take the thought a step further and say that he presents himself as an explorer throughout his entire life. And, in this book specifically, he is an explorer in the sense that he is revisiting all of his work and reassessing all he's experienced, learned, and uncovered, and, often times, seeing parts of his life, work, and the 20th century in ways he hadn't before.