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Rating: 
Summary: I am creating a review; do I have to destroy next?
Review: Although this book is only 118 pages and easy to fly through reading, I found that it took me longer because I wanted to stop and ponder so many of the trinkets of wisdom Johnson displayed and I eventually got out a highlighter to mark the parts I found especially educating.The premise is that everything is based on balance -- yin and yang, black and white, good and evil, but that to find our true balance we must explore the dark side of ourselves as much as the better part of ourselves. This is how we are (only momentarily) enlightened. I do have to slightly agree with some of these reviews in that Johnson's examples on just how to achieve this goal are sparse; yet, at the same time we are allowed to interpret our own shadows as we would like to and we are forced to find our own solutions. In this way, Johnson's book is more of a piece that requires you to work as much as he does. The only thing that bothered me a bit was the collective shadow of a nation, which transforms into the tangible via wars, oppression, etc. While this is an interesting idea to ponder, it seems a little extreme to say that World War II (for example) was the formation of a shadow of a nation and not the real, underlying causes.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent global discussion of ones Shadow
Review: I am a therapist who comes from a Jungian perspective, but I would not yet call myself an "analyst." I am very impressed with Johnsons discussion on ones shadow. I found that it was a little off beat from classicaly Jungian thought, but not in any serious ways. I found his discussion of projecting ones shadow to be a great introduction. If however you have read Jung himself you will find the ideas fairly basic. The real strength of this work is the authors ability to reduce complex concepts into a form which can be so easily read. The biggest error a reader can make is to try to read the book as a step-by-step manual. This book should be read for the big picture which appears when all of the details are assembled, otherwise the apparent contradictions will become very confusing. The reader would do well to remember that any discussion on the shadow is a discussion of opposites. You must therefore be able to focus on both opposites to understand the essence of the shadow. If you read other reviews you will notice that at least one of the reviewers seemed to be unable to make this leap. I was surprised with the authors heavy use of Christian symbols. Normally Jungians draw from several spiritual systems with thier systems, but I suppose it fits with Christianities repeated attempts to demonize the shadow in the first place.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent global discussion of ones Shadow
Review: I am a therapist who comes from a Jungian perspective, but I would not yet call myself an "analyst." I am very impressed with Johnsons discussion on ones shadow. I found that it was a little off beat from classicaly Jungian thought, but not in any serious ways. I found his discussion of projecting ones shadow to be a great introduction. If however you have read Jung himself you will find the ideas fairly basic. The real strength of this work is the authors ability to reduce complex concepts into a form which can be so easily read. The biggest error a reader can make is to try to read the book as a step-by-step manual. This book should be read for the big picture which appears when all of the details are assembled, otherwise the apparent contradictions will become very confusing. The reader would do well to remember that any discussion on the shadow is a discussion of opposites. You must therefore be able to focus on both opposites to understand the essence of the shadow. If you read other reviews you will notice that at least one of the reviewers seemed to be unable to make this leap. I was surprised with the authors heavy use of Christian symbols. Normally Jungians draw from several spiritual systems with thier systems, but I suppose it fits with Christianities repeated attempts to demonize the shadow in the first place.
Rating: 
Summary: Meet your shadow
Review: I am currently ordering from amazon all the books by Robert A.Johnson, so this was the next one. This is a good general axplanation of the jungian concept of shadow illustrated, as it is usual in Johnson, with examples of western literature and art in general. The explanation of the mandorla (a typically mediaeval figure representing two circles that overlap, and that symbolizes the union of the opposites or paradox) is especially interesting. However, I have to give this book 4 stars because, after insisting so much on the importance of examining our shadow, honouring our shadow and balancing ego and shadow, he never gives a clue of how we can do do this.
Rating: 
Summary: good intro to "shadow" concept for wiccans
Review: I read this book after a suggeston from a friend and was a little disappointed. It was nice in that it was easy to read, but it did not seem to do very much more than skim over the basics. It would seem that an author would offer more in the way of practical information in a book of this type. I guess that I would be compelled to call this a beginner's book on the subject. It is the first that I have read on the subject, but hopefully there are more detailed ones out there.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT FOR SELF IMPROVEMENT
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading Owning Your Own Shadow. Johnson presents concepts in an easy to understand manner and in situations most people could relate to. I learned about myself when I read this book; I learned how to recognize my shadow. A quote from page 37 plainly demonstrates a concept everyone should understand, "You can refuse a shadow projection and stop the endless cycle of revenge if you have your own shadow under conscious control."
Rating:
Summary: A short but encouraging invitation to wholeness
Review: Johnson provides many engaging illustrations of the shadow aspect of personality from myth, culture, history and religion. The "golden" shadow is also mentioned, that brightest and most noble aspect of ourselves often projected before it is integrated.
Johnson captures the relevance of shadow work for this time in a line on page 27: "Any repair of our fractured world must start with individuals who have the insight and courage to own their own shadow."
A must for those of us headed into an "ownership" society!
Rating:
Summary: Clear and elegant
Review: Robert A. Johnson has written a modestly powerful book with "Owning Your Own Shadow", delivered in a clear, elegant style. Johnson plumbs the depths of Jung's concept of the shadow and emerges with flashes of pithy insight. One of the things I most appreciate in Johnson's work is his accessibility (many Jungians intellectualize concepts to a dizzying degree of confusion - not so with Johnson). His important work is always instantly readable, full of practical wisdom, and compassion. This concise guide to recognising one's shadow, honoring it, and finally, balancing it within (to become more wholly (holy) human) is a quiet little masterpiece. Also: See his book "Transformation" for further reading on integrating the shadow at mid-life.
Rating:
Summary: gotta love the living mythos...
Review: short but sweet, this goes great along with and before Inner Work.
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