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Book Review: A FIRST-RATE MADNESS by Nassir Ghaemi

2011 at 5am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky

Published August 4, 2011 by The Penguin Press

Consult any list of the traits that make a person fit for crisis-time leadership, and you’re not likely to see “mentally ill” on it. In A First-Rate Madness, Nassir Ghaemi, a professor of psychiatry and director of the Mood Disorders Program at Tufts Medical Center, contends that perhaps that shouldn’t be the case.

Applying principles of modern science and psychology to character studies of eight prominent historical leaders, Ghaemi argues that “in times of crisis, we are better off being led by mentally ill leaders than by mentally normal ones.” Ghaemi identifies four elements of mental illness that promote crisis leadership–creativity, realism, empathy, resilience–and examines their manifestation in the lives of leaders who suffered from depression or bipolar disorder, leaders like Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.

Ghaemi draws from public records and private documents to present data about each man’s symptoms, family history, course of illness and treatment. He lays out his theory using language that is accessible, if not entirely jargon-free, and illustrates his case studies systematically and succinctly to establish a compelling argument for the link between certain types of mental illness and crisis-time leadership. The keyword here, though, is “link,” and Ghaemi strays at times from the proviso that “correlation does not equal causation” to imply a more directional relationship than the evidence supports. Readers who bring both a passing familiarity with psychology and a healthy skepticism will find much food for thought in A First-Rate Madness.

This review originally published in Shelf Awareness, August 5, 2011.

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8 Comments

Comments

8 Responses to “Book Review: A FIRST-RATE MADNESS by Nassir Ghaemi”

Judith on August 8th, 2011 8:15 am

This is a great book
I finished it in two days
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Jenn's Bookshelves on August 8th, 2011 9:17 am

I believe I heard about this book at BEA and my interest was immediately peaked. I studied psychology in college and the effects of leadership on one’s mental stability has been a topic that has always been of interest to me. Previous reviews have indicated the author’s personal opinions of the leaders discussed shows through; I still look forward to discovering this on my own.
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Book Review: A FIRST-RATE MADNESS by Nassir Ghaemi | The Book … | Pulplit Magazine on August 8th, 2011 11:03 am

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zibilee on August 8th, 2011 12:19 pm

This sounds intriguing, and I would love to read his arguments that following a mentally ill leader may be preferable to following a sane one. Great review. I need to check this one out!
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Jen - Devourer of Books on August 8th, 2011 1:36 pm

Oh, this sounds really interesting, I may need to add it to Ye Olde TBR pile, especially after reading THE PSYCHOPATH TEST.
Sandy on August 8th, 2011 3:22 pm

Yes, I was just thinking of Devourer’s review as I was reading this. I was chuckling the whole way through your review though! What’s next? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the best leaders are wacko. And if you aren’t wacko prior to a crisis, you will be afterward.
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Carin Siegfried on August 8th, 2011 6:07 pm

I saw this book and thought it looked really interesting. The author of the book, The PsychopathTest, also talked about CEOs who are psychopaths (I heard him interviewed about it on NPR) so this would be an interesting follow-up.
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Erin on August 9th, 2011 2:48 am

It is the third time in two days that I’m hearing about this book, after this post I realize that its probably about time for me to read it, thanks dear
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