The author writes in a highly sophisticated yet lucid and readable style.... An interesting investigation of a relatively little studied aspect of Freud's life that ought to have appeal not only in relation to Freud's life but as a prototypical study of Jewish identity. * Library Journal *
Oring uses psychoanalytic methods of interpretation and his detective work is uncanny. His novel approach yields a devastating, original portrait of Freud, rich in startling insights. * Publishers Weekly *
The most sustained effort, a well-informed monograph from which I have learned. -- Peter Gay
There is something very bracing in Oring's ability to find some of Freud's deepest concerns in something apparently frivolous. * Women's Wear Daily *
Oring's book on Freud is meticulous, intelligent, solidly researched, and well written. -- Leo Rosten
Oring's work is a serious work of psychobiography. He has collected the jokes and compiled other materials in a scholarly, beautifully annotated way. * International Review Of Psychotherapy *
Oring's analysis is subtle, extremely well-documented, and practically free of conjecture. * Semiotica: Journal of the International Association for Semiotic Studies *
The author manages to be analytical without denigrating Freud, thus avoiding the negative bent in which so many of his critics seem to delight. It makes enjoyable reading. * L.I.G.H.T. *
The thoroughness of Oring's scholarship is impressive. He has ferreted through a mountain of writings by and about Freud, and his treatment of the material is highly intelligent and interesting. * gem *
Professor Oring, an anthropologist, has not told us what Freud has eaten, but his integration of data provides a satisfying treatment of the socio-historical context for what other pathologists have previously uncovered. * International Psychologist *
Oring has made a major contribution to the study of Freud. * Los Angeles Jewish Community Bulletin *
