Confessions of a Former Child: A Therapist's Memoir | 
 enlarge | Author: Daniel Tomasulo
Publisher: Graywolf Press
Category: Book
List Price: $16.00
Buy New: $8.49
You Save: $7.51 (47%)
New (27) Used (6) from $5.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 455406
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 208
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.7
ISBN: 1555974996
Dewey Decimal Number: 920
EAN: 9781555974992
ASIN: 1555974996
Publication Date: April 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: New, Unread Mint Condition, No remainder marks or marks of any kind. Perfectly New!
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Product Description
A hilarious and perceptive examination of the mysteries of childhood and the perils of parenthood
From August 1956 through April 1961 I controlled the traffic and streetlights in New York City and northern New Jersey. It was a daunting task for a five-year-old, but by the summer of ‘56 I realized I had a responsibility I could not ignore. My identity and my mission were top secret. With the exception of terse, encrypted communications to the National Security Council and the CIA, I couldn’t breathe a word.
In this honest and witty debut, Daniel J. Tomasulo chronicles and confesses his childhood delusions, his particularly challenging experiences as a parent, and his life as a psychologist. His memories of being a kid—controlling streetlights, avoiding any foods with seeds lest he get pregnant, enduring his mother’s cold love—are vivid, and his life as a parent is riddled with dilemmas. To start, he finds himself locked in a rubber-walled hospital room while his wife is in labor, and later he faces the necessity of giving mouth-to-mouth to his daughter’s suffocating Raggedy Ann doll. As a professional who specializes in the highly personal, he traces the unusual and illuminating connections between his own life and evocative scenes from the lives of his patients.
With refreshing candor and laugh-out-loud humor, Tomasulo explores the elusive magic of childhood, the complications of parent-child relationships, and the lasting significance of the everyday.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
Not what I expected July 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Having known Dan and his wife Nancy, I was expecting to roar with laughter the way I do when I speak to him in person......well I did roar with laughter, but I also teared up in places because I related so closely to some of these stories from Dan's childhood. We are the same age (two months apart) and my Dad and his family are of Italian descent so some of Dan's anecdotal stories were similar to experiences I had growing up in the fifties and sixties. The fact is, I realized after reading this book that I am still growing up and I don't ever want to lose my childhood enthusiasm for life.....no matter how tough it gets. This book is a must read for anyone with a sense of humor and the willingness to shed a tear.
Absolutely Fantastic Book! A page-turner July 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Dr Tomasulo has a real winner here with his debut book. I could not put it down and turned my wife and father on to the book - they both loved it. It is very honest, funny and insightful. Anyone who has ever thought much about their own psychological development and trajectory will be impressed by his ability to deconstruct and analyze the vignettes that shaped his psyche. The book certainly is not all "psychobabble". in fact, it is an easy, fun read from start to finish. You will learn a lot about this very insightful man, and probably learn a thing or two about yourself in the process.
Captivated by his style - as an author, a therapist, and a former child who you may just "know" June 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I can't remember the last time I was so enthralled with a book. In retrospect I realize that I had just experienced several great therapy sessions disguised as entertainment, and I was completely captivated. Captivated not only by the clever, heartfelt stories, but by the feelings they evoked inside of me. As I reached the final chapters I read it more slowly so as to savor every bit; and when I finished it, I opened it up and started again. I figure I'll just keep reading this one until another comes along. And in the meantime, I will continue to recommend it to anyone who once was a child and is now an adult ready to be entertained, inspired and in many cases validated...and maybe even those who aren't. Thanks for a great experience, Dr. Dan!
Witty and Sensitive June 29, 2008
Could this be the same person I sat with at Shea Stadium through the longest ballgame in my history? Danny hit a home run this with one.
I couldn't stop reading it and I was sad to get to the end. The writing technique and imagery will make you smile, laugh out loud, and cry all at the same time.
If you're not from Jersey, it doesn't matter. It is life as we knew it then, as we know it now.
Devon the Original
You will see yourself.............. June 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is one that you wish would go one a few more chapters. If you are like me, you will see yourself and your family in much of the book. Every chapter provides lots of laughs coupled with some insightful thoughts on how our family relationships shape us. I'm looking forward to reading it again. Don't miss this one.
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