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Rating: 
Summary: Great for Tom, bad luck for U of Iowa if he leaves!
Review: A cohesive, artfully written book on a subject near and dear to many people's hearts (and heads), "Crying" moves seamlessly from academic analysis to a cultural critique of the emotions involved in a readable, intelligent, and plain fun format. With this book, Dr. Lutz may very well make the move from academic publishing (which few read) to publishing success, and hey-- go for it, Tom! A merry reader, Iowa City, Iowa. (will you promise to come visit after your success?)
Rating: 
Summary: Tons of fun examples, but argument-free
Review: I admired Lutz's throughness in accruing examples, and there are many interesting sidebars and historical illustrations, but there's almost no point to this book at all. It reads somewhat like Marjorie Garber's latest works, except it's even more "lite"--it's as if he had been so busy finding things to discuss relative to tears that he forgot to spend time actually discussing what sorrow and sentiment and sentimentality actually mean.
Rating: 
Summary: A little bit of something for everyone!
Review: In this book, the author puts his multi-disciplinary knowledge to good use by summarizing literary, artistic, cultural, biological, and psychological analyses of tears. Lutz synthesizes these viewpoints in clear language, accompanied by vivid pictures and illustrations that further clarify his points. With examples ranging from Alice in Wonderland to Freud's rejection of crying as catharsis, the book covers a remarkable amount of material across a great deal of time, while remaining a cohesive text. Those interested in psychology will appreciate Lutz's analysis of the varied psychological explanations of crying, as well as his perspective on Phineas Gage. Students of anatomy will be impressed by his clear explanation of the lacrimal system and the history of how it came to be understood. Sociologists and anthropologists will be fascinated by his insights into cultural mourning. And fans of literature will enjoy his analysis of tears in fiction, in which he discusses playwrights from Shakespeare to Neal Simon and authors from Socrates to Dostoyevsky. The book even treats crying in relation to films such as Lorenzo's Oil and Titanic! In effect, although classified as a psychology book, "Crying" has a little something for most everyone. A useful book for analysis, self-reflection, reference or study.
Rating:
Summary: A little bit of something for everyone!
Review: In this book, the author puts his multi-disciplinary knowledge to good use by summarizing literary, artistic, cultural, biological, and psychological analyses of tears. Lutz synthesizes these viewpoints in clear language, accompanied by vivid pictures and illustrations that further clarify his points. With examples ranging from Alice in Wonderland to Freud's rejection of crying as catharsis, the book covers a remarkable amount of material across a great deal of time, while remaining a cohesive text. Those interested in psychology will appreciate Lutz's analysis of the varied psychological explanations of crying, as well as his perspective on Phineas Gage. Students of anatomy will be impressed by his clear explanation of the lacrimal system and the history of how it came to be understood. Sociologists and anthropologists will be fascinated by his insights into cultural mourning. And fans of literature will enjoy his analysis of tears in fiction, in which he discusses playwrights from Shakespeare to Neal Simon and authors from Socrates to Dostoyevsky. The book even treats crying in relation to films such as Lorenzo's Oil and Titanic! In effect, although classified as a psychology book, "Crying" has a little something for most everyone. A useful book for analysis, self-reflection, reference or study.
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