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Rating: 
Summary: Slightly outdated, poorly written, but good information
Review: I read this book after reading Christine Sparks' novel, "The Elephant Man", which is based on the movie based on the true-life story of Merrick. Reading Montagu's book helped me realize which parts of the story were from Merrick's actual life and which were artistic creations. Montagu includes a number of primary documentation in presenting the history of Merrick (including Treves' memoirs, Merrick's autobiography, Carr-Gomm's letters to the Times, etc.), as well as what later researchers have found out about Merrick's history and a description of the disorder he was inflicted with, neurofibromatosis. After presenting this information, Montagu continues by explaining the moral lessons that come from the story of Merrick. This is where Montagu's book starts to reveals its dated-ness. Though the lesson of the importance of loving a child will never be outdated, Montagu insists on the special role of the mother, whereas modern anthropologists have conclude that fathers can nurture children as well as mothers (men are not as inclined to participate, but do have the ability). In the 70's when this book was written, child rearing was still looked upon as being the sole domain of the woman. Mother-love should be read parental-love. The second complaint I have is Montagu's actual writing style. Though he has good thoughts and ideas, he has little skill in expressing them and has a tendency to rehash the same thought over and over again. His writing is not well organized (beyond being divided into chapters) and his presentation of moral truths comes off more like pleading rather than as a well-presented argument. The language is simple and easy for children to understand so it is a great book for young readers, but the adult reader will feel the book lacking. I am glad I purchased this book, and I recommend it for people who want to know more about the life of Joseph Merrick, but the rest of the content must be read with a grain of salt - realize that the writing is poor and the analysis is somewhat outdated. I could not give it 4 or 5 stars because of these faults.
Rating: 
Summary: A very good book.
Review: I really liked reading this book and would highly recommend it to anyone. It is about the life of Joseph Merrick. It shows people how that it is what is inside a person that counts. What is in their heart that counts, and not how they look. It's one of the best books I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Well researched, and well written. A shining example of an attitude towards life that all can learn from. A "must read."
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