Ericka_Larson's Full Review: Morgan Scott Peck - The Road Less Traveled: A New ...
A friend of my sister's first gave me "The Road Less Traveled" over a year ago because I was in an abusive relationship and having a mental breakdown over the entire situation. I glanced at it and my first thought was, "Another one of those Christian self-help books!" I tossed it in my suitcase and when I got home I stuffed it in the bookshelves along with various other self-help books. About a month or so later I pulled it out and tried to read it, but the religious point-of-view got to me so much that I just tossed it on the floor next to my bed and moved on to other books that dealt more directly with my situation such as "Is It Love or Addiction?" and "Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus". I never finished those other two books because although the information in them is accurate they just weren't helpful for me. After I had been forced to move out of my home to avoid a confrontation with my ex "The Road Less Traveled" was one of the books I chose to take with me to my friend's. She read it before I did and she couldn't stop talking about it. "It describes both of our men to a T!!! Haven't you read it yet?" she'd ask excitedly. Eventually I pulled it out again and started reading. This time I didn't notice any overly religious overtones. I just found help and reassurance.
Why did I begin with such a long preface, because Scott Peck is a difficult man to read. You have to be ready for him in order to be able to benefit from what his works can teach you and then they can help you make a complete change in your life. There are Christian overtones to "The Road Less Traveled" which is interesting because Dr. Peck was completely unaware of this as he was writing the book. In reading the successor, "Further Along the Road Less Traveled", he comments on this matter and uses it to show that the book is evidence of his own change and growth.
While reading "The Road Less Traveled" I found it of great assistance to have my journal open so I could write about topics he raised that either bothered me or simply brought questions to mind. Many times I would find myself violently disagreeing with what he said (i.e. that depressives are narcissists) and at other times I would be silently thanking the man for stating the obvious (i.e. prince/princess syndrome). I took the book with me to therapy and we covered some vast areas rather quickly because we were able to use Dr. Peck's writing as background. Many therapists recommend the book to their patients, but the religious context does have a tendency to lose many people who could possibly gain so much from it.
Dr. Scott Peck has truly written a wonderful self-help book in "The Road Less Traveled" that can assist a person in really getting to the core of problems and working them out. The major problem with this book (and most of Dr. Peck's writings, unfortunately) is the religious overtone. His writings have lost a lot of people who could benefit from his insight merely because of the religion.
Perhaps no book has had a more profound impact on intellectual and spiritual lives than The Road Less Traveled. In his new Introduction, Dr. Peck reca...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.