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Rating: 
Summary: Bridging the gap between medicine, psychology and culture
Review: "Just as expected, seventy-two percent of the male students are circumcised. At Clem's party I had been reminded of the promiscuous way in which American doctors circumcise males in childhood, a practice I highly disapprove of...it constitutes, in [an] advertiser's phrase, 'a rape of the penis'. Until the forties, only the upper or educated classes were circumcised in America. The REAL people were spared this humiliation. But during the affluent postwar years the operation became standard procedure, making money for doctors as well as allowing the American mother to mutilate her son in order that he might never forget her early power over him..."Gore Vidal
MYRA BRECKINRIDGE If there was ever an issue that metaphorically encapsulates the Achilles heel of Western society, it turns out that this may be it, above all others. The title of this incredible, clearly thought out, brilliantly edited and masterfully written book may lead you to believe that it is all about a seemingly benign issue. Make no mistake: what this book is actually about are 1) the actual definition of the surgical practice and 2) the social, economic, sociological, psychological and anthropological forces that go into us seeing it as other than what it is. Dr. Goldman effectively teaches in this book, from the anthropological perspectives of such luminaries as Ashley Montagu and Margaret Mead, that circumcision is a practice that is older than all recorded history and religions. (The practice was actually regimented and ritualized by the Egyptian priests and pharohs, millenia before the advent of Judaism.) Yet the practice, in and out of a religious context, continues. Dr. Goldman shows us from the purely medical/health/surgical perspective (with an avalanche of evidence and corroborative opinions in the medical profession) that circumcision is a practice that has little to no medical health value, and was once actually called a cure for masturbation and cancer by last century's medical community. Yet the implausible and unscientific theories justifying its existence keep coming up, and the practice continues. Dr. Goldman shows us, amazingly, from an internationally sociological and cultural perspective, that the United States is the only industrialized nation in the modern world that has the overwhelming majority of its infant boys be subjected to the practice. Yet the practice continues. Dr. Goldman shows us, from an ethics in medicine perspective, that circumcision is a practice that, by virtue of the harm done to infant children physically and psychologically--with little to no up side beyond the money going to obstetricians and pediatricians for the procedure--completely rips to shreds any conception of the Hippocratic oath and turns the entire life of any doctor who performs them routinely into a profoundly dangerous lie. Yet, the practice continues. It is an old anthropologist's dictum that the most important thing to know about a culture is what it takes for granted. Dr. Ronald Goldman, with CIRCUMCISION, THE HIDDEN TRAUMA gives us not only the hidden, true anatomy of the surgical process, along with the actual complete and (heretofore to my knowledge in everyday America) unknown anatomy of the human male, but also the secret architecture of the social forces and weaknesses that make up the ritualised American denial of the inherently violent nature of its existence. Dr. Goldman shows in this both innovatively and exhaustively researched book that the entire surgical procedure of circumcision depends on the total invalidation of the soul of the infant male child and their personhood for its existence in medicine. Only paleolithic theories of the child feeling no pain and suffering no lasting or remembered traumatic side effects from the procedure--WHICH ROUTINELY INVOLVES THE USE OF NO ANESTHESIA--justify its medical practice; and fly in the face of all kinds of logic while doing so. I along with most of the country have never seen actual pictures of or witnessed a circumcision; part of the reason I saw no problem with it when I picked this book up. The *pictures* in this book alone of children in the process of being circumcised, however, will change your way of looking at the practice forever--as it has changed me and mine forever. Picture an adult male going through the process of circumcision, complete with his hands, arms and legs forceably bound in industrial strength velcro to keep him from being able to interrupt a surgical process performed on his perfectly healthy sex organ against his will--again, *without anesthesia*--and the first thought that will probably come to your mind is one of two things: the electric chair, or Nazi Germany. Which by definition takes away the mystery of how BOTH in the 20th century could have come into existence. I discovered Dr. Goldman's work in the bibliography of one of the seminal books by the psychologist champion of the human child Alice Miller (author of, among other classics in the field, FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, BANISHED KNOWLEDGE and PRISONERS OF CHILDHOOD--THE DRAMA OF THE GIFTED CHILD). Between this, Alice Miller's work, and William Dufty's SUGAR BLUES, I feel as if I have the answer to why our culture can move so far forward and fall so far backward on the evolutionary ladder at the same time. The door separating Western culture from the embrace of higher consciousness, as told to us by poets, mystics,yogis, leaders of ancient religions, transpersonal psychologists and theoretical physicist/philosophers, is our view of the spiritual and physical completeness of the human child--and the actions we take upholding that view. That door is locked with a dead bolt called CIRCUMCISION. And even unlocking the door, as Europe has already shown us, does not by definition mean opening it. But without unlocking it opening it isn't posible. Read this if you have to in small doses, but read it; it will change the way you view our world.
Rating:
Summary: Bridging the gap between medicine, psychology and culture
Review: "Just as expected, seventy-two percent of the male students are circumcised. At Clem's party I had been reminded of the promiscuous way in which American doctors circumcise males in childhood, a practice I highly disapprove of...it constitutes, in [an] advertiser's phrase, 'a rape of the penis'. Until the forties, only the upper or educated classes were circumcised in America. The REAL people were spared this humiliation. But during the affluent postwar years the operation became standard procedure, making money for doctors as well as allowing the American mother to mutilate her son in order that he might never forget her early power over him..." Gore Vidal
MYRA BRECKINRIDGE If there was ever an issue that metaphorically encapsulates the Achilles heel of Western society, it turns out that this may be it, above all others. The title of this incredible, clearly thought out, brilliantly edited and masterfully written book may lead you to believe that it is all about a seemingly benign issue. Make no mistake: what this book is actually about are 1) the actual definition of the surgical practice and 2) the social, economic, sociological, psychological and anthropological forces that go into us seeing it as other than what it is. Dr. Goldman effectively teaches in this book, from the anthropological perspectives of such luminaries as Ashley Montagu and Margaret Mead, that circumcision is a practice that is older than all recorded history and religions. (The practice was actually regimented and ritualized by the Egyptian priests and pharohs, millenia before the advent of Judaism.) Yet the practice, in and out of a religious context, continues. Dr. Goldman shows us from the purely medical/health/surgical perspective (with an avalanche of evidence and corroborative opinions in the medical profession) that circumcision is a practice that has little to no medical health value, and was once actually called a cure for masturbation and cancer by last century's medical community. Yet the implausible and unscientific theories justifying its existence keep coming up, and the practice continues. Dr. Goldman shows us, amazingly, from an internationally sociological and cultural perspective, that the United States is the only industrialized nation in the modern world that has the overwhelming majority of its infant boys be subjected to the practice. Yet the practice continues. Dr. Goldman shows us, from an ethics in medicine perspective, that circumcision is a practice that, by virtue of the harm done to infant children physically and psychologically--with little to no up side beyond the money going to obstetricians and pediatricians for the procedure--completely rips to shreds any conception of the Hippocratic oath and turns the entire life of any doctor who performs them routinely into a profoundly dangerous lie. Yet, the practice continues. It is an old anthropologist's dictum that the most important thing to know about a culture is what it takes for granted. Dr. Ronald Goldman, with CIRCUMCISION, THE HIDDEN TRAUMA gives us not only the hidden, true anatomy of the surgical process, along with the actual complete and (heretofore to my knowledge in everyday America) unknown anatomy of the human male, but also the secret architecture of the social forces and weaknesses that make up the ritualised American denial of the inherently violent nature of its existence. Dr. Goldman shows in this both innovatively and exhaustively researched book that the entire surgical procedure of circumcision depends on the total invalidation of the soul of the infant male child and their personhood for its existence in medicine. Only paleolithic theories of the child feeling no pain and suffering no lasting or remembered traumatic side effects from the procedure--WHICH ROUTINELY INVOLVES THE USE OF NO ANESTHESIA--justify its medical practice; and fly in the face of all kinds of logic while doing so. I along with most of the country have never seen actual pictures of or witnessed a circumcision; part of the reason I saw no problem with it when I picked this book up. The *pictures* in this book alone of children in the process of being circumcised, however, will change your way of looking at the practice forever--as it has changed me and mine forever. Picture an adult male going through the process of circumcision, complete with his hands, arms and legs forceably bound in industrial strength velcro to keep him from being able to interrupt a surgical process performed on his perfectly healthy sex organ against his will--again, *without anesthesia*--and the first thought that will probably come to your mind is one of two things: the electric chair, or Nazi Germany. Which by definition takes away the mystery of how BOTH in the 20th century could have come into existence. I discovered Dr. Goldman's work in the bibliography of one of the seminal books by the psychologist champion of the human child Alice Miller (author of, among other classics in the field, FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, BANISHED KNOWLEDGE and PRISONERS OF CHILDHOOD--THE DRAMA OF THE GIFTED CHILD). Between this, Alice Miller's work, and William Dufty's SUGAR BLUES, I feel as if I have the answer to why our culture can move so far forward and fall so far backward on the evolutionary ladder at the same time. The door separating Western culture from the embrace of higher consciousness, as told to us by poets, mystics,yogis, leaders of ancient religions, transpersonal psychologists and theoretical physicist/philosophers, is our view of the spiritual and physical completeness of the human child--and the actions we take upholding that view. That door is locked with a dead bolt called CIRCUMCISION. And even unlocking the door, as Europe has already shown us, does not by definition mean opening it. But without unlocking it opening it isn't posible. Read this if you have to in small doses, but read it; it will change the way you view our world.
Rating:
Summary: Circumcision, The Hidden Trauma
Review: A book that should be in every library in America. Children deserve to be born free.
Rating: 
Summary: I just want a fair argument
Review: A very erudite and compassionate work. Having grown up in Europe as a non-Jew, I was stunned to discover the extent of routine circumcision among non-Jews in North America, especially the USA. The classic movie Europa Europa exemplifies the degree to which European attitudes differ from those in the US. In EE, a young Jewish guy inadvertently ends up in a WWII Hitler Youth group and therefore has to hide the fact of his circumcision to the nth degree - simply because in Europe (even now) only Jewish boys are routinely circumcized. The main modern argument in favour of circumcision is that there is a lesser chance of one's female partner developing cervical cancer etc. if the foreskin has been removed. Yet, as a man who has been married for more than 20 years, it is quite clear to me that provided proper cleanliness is maintained, the woman is at no more risk than she would be from having intercourse with a circumcized male. This book is absolutely essential reading. The bottom line, is that unless there are deeply felt religious considerations in your family, FORGET IT! You only need to surf the Men's Movenment groups to see how outraged thousands of men feel about their unthinking abuse at the hands of their unthinking parents and a soulless system that just runs on automatic. Quite brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: Ron Goldman Validates Our Spirit
Review: I am deeply grateful to Ron Goldman for his work. It is so important to us, as a society, to remember that we all start out as fragile, vulnerable individual people, worthy of protection from unnecessary harm. He helps us to recognise that regardless of the intent, the act of circumcision is perceived by the infant/child as terrifying and "overwhelmingly painful". We must not discount these early experiences, and be willing to accept the real possibility that negative and painful experiences endured in infancy, can affect the person throughout life.
Rating:
Summary: A gift for expectant parents
Review: I knew in my bones that to circumsize either of my non-jewish boys was unnecessary...thank goodness my husband and I had been made familiar with the topic by a doctor on the radio and we had discussed it thoroughly before our first child was born. But we have known so many people who sleepwalked through this important decision. Most chose circumcision, most didn't feel comfortable talking about it, most went into the surgery blinded by ignorance. I have given this book to friends so that they can sip from the cup of knowledge slowly, at their own pace and in privacy. I always hope they will select to leave their sons intact, but I try to gently advocate so that they can come to this decision with a clear mind and heart. I strongly recommend this book for giving...sometimes passion can be scary, but simple information can be transforming. This book provides the right amount of both.
Rating:
Summary: The number one Must Read Book of the decade
Review: If there was ever an issue that metaphorically encapsulates the Achilles heel of Western society, it turns out that this is it, above all others. The title of this incredible, clearly thought out, brilliantly edited and masterfully written book may lead you to believe that it is all about a seemingly benign issue. Make no mistake: what this book is actually about are 1) the actual definition of the surgical practice and 2) the social, economic, sociological, psychological and anthropological forces that go into us seeing it that way. And, how the prevailing of those forces keep us from actually being a totally civilized society. Dr. Goldman effectively teaches in this book, from the anthropological perspectives of such luminaries as Ashley Montagu and Margaret Mead, that circumcision is a practice that is older than all recorded history and religions. And the practice, in and out of a religious context, continues. Dr. Goldman shows us from the purely medical/health/surgical perspective (with an avalanche of evidence and corroborative opinions in the medical profession) that circumcision is a practice that has little to no medical health value, and was once actually called a cure for masturbation and cancer by last century's medical community. Yet the implausible and unscientific theories justifying its existence keep coming up, and the practice continues. Dr. Goldman shows us, amazingly, from an internationally sociological and cultural perspective, that the United States is the only Industrialized nation in the modern world that has the overwhelming majority of its infant boys be subjected to the practice. Yet the practice continues. Dr. Goldman shows us, from an ethics in medicine perspective, that circumcision is a practice that, by virtue of the harm done to infant children physically and psychologically--with little to no up side beyond the money going to obstetricians and pediatricians for the procedure--completely rips to shreds any conception of the Hippocratic oath and turns the entire life of any doctor who performs them routinely into a profoundly dangerous lie. Yet the practice continues. It is an old anthropologist's dictum that the most important thing to know about a culture is what it takes for granted. Dr. Ronald Goldman, with CIRCUMCISION, THE HIDDEN TRAUMA gives us not only the hidden, true anatomy of the surgical process, along with the actual complete and (heretofore to my knowledge in everyday America) unknown anatomy of the human male, but also the secret architecture of the social forces and weaknesses that make up the ritualised American denial of the inherently violent nature of its existence. Dr. Goldman shows in this both innovatively and exhaustively researched book that the entire surgical procedure of circumcision depends on the total invalidation of the soul of the infant male child and their personhood for its existence in medicine. Only paleolithic theories of the child feeling no pain and suffering no lasting or remembered traumatic side effects from the procedure--WHICH ROUTINELY INVOLVES THE USE OF NO ANESTHESIA-- justify its medical practice; and fly in the face of all kinds of logic while doing so. I learned from this book that the practice of circumcision may be, perhaps unlike anything else--including war or rape--the ultimate metaphoric symptom of the schizophrenia of Western civilization. Only because Dr. Goldman, who doesn't even go as fully into the anthropological and philosophical implications of his findings as he could have, makes it so clear that our treatment of infant children as they go, under violent duress, under the knife for no apparent reason could be playing a principal role in the genesis of ALL of the cultural diseases of mankind--from child abuse to rape to murder to war. I along with most of the country (and again, our United States is the *only* industrialized country in the world that still practices circumcision routinely on the overwhelming majority of its newborn boys--this includes all of Europe and a major chunk of the Middle East) have never seen pictures of or witnessed a circumcision; part of the reason I saw no problem in it when I picked this book up. The *pictures* in this book alone of children in the process of being circumcised will change your way of looking at the practice forever--as it has changed me and mine forever. Picture an adult male going through the process of circumcision, complete with his hands, arms and legs forceably bound in industrial strength velcro to keep him from being able to interrupt a surgical process performed on his perfectly healthy sex organ against his will--again, *without anesthesia*--and the first thought that will probably come to your mind is one of two things: the electric chair, or Nazi Germany. Which by definition takes away the mystery of how BOTH in the 20th century could have come into existence. I discovered Dr. Goldman's work in the bibliography of one of the seminal books by the psychologist champion of the human child Alice Miller (author of, among other classics in the field, FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, BANISHED KNOWLEDGE and PRISONERS OF CHILDHOOD--THE DRAMA OF THE GIFTED CHILD). Between this, Alice Miller's work, and William Dufty's SUGAR BLUES, I feel as if I have the answer to why our culture can move so far forward and fall so far backward on the evolutionary ladder at the same time. The door separating Western culture from the embrace of higher consciousness, as told to us by poets, mystics,yogis, leaders of ancient religions, transpersonal psychologists and theoretical physicist/philosophers, is our view of the spiritual and physical completeness of the human child--and the actions we take upholding that view. That door is locked with a dead bolt called CIRCUMCISION. And even unlocking the door, as Europe has already shown us, does not by definition mean opening it. But without unlocking it opening it isn't posible. Read this if you have to in small doses, but read it; it will change the way you view our world.
Rating:
Summary: Groundbreaking, brilliant, must-read book on important topic
Review: Once in a very great while, a reader will have the great fortune of coming across a truly remarkable book. A book which may treat a specialized subject but which is so beautifully written, so meticulously reasoned, so broad in the compass of its grasp of its subject as to transcend the specificity of its topic, and yet at the same time so tightly focused on each specific aspect it discusses, in short, so superb that it stands out head and shoulders above the mass of books being published today. Ronald Goldman's book Circumcision: The Hidden Trauma is such a book. Opening with a compelling forward by famed anthropologist Ashley Montagu, Circumcision: The Hidden Trauma leaps headfirst into some controversial questions in the introduction and does not let up until it ends more than 200 pages later with a stirring series of closing meditations. Any reader may expect to be struck in the early pages by Goldman's effective blend of emotional insight and objective fact, the latter documented throughout the book by hundreds of footnotes. As Goldman continues, he effortlessly distills and integrates decades of research on infants and children. I appreciated his excellent summaries at the end of each chapter. Particularly valuable was the list on page 74 of the many similarities and the few differences between circumcision and female genital mutilation. Have you ever wondered whether America's high rates of violence may be related to our high circumcision rates? Goldman has done more than wonder; he has extensively researched the possibility, although he is always careful to add cautionary statements that at most, circumcision is one of several factors affecting American men's (and women's) lives. Goldman has an impressive ability to continue to generate and synthesize new insights and questions throughout the book. Although circumcision is often done so that the child does not have a different genital status from his father, is it actually the PARENT'S fear of difference which is apparent here. Is it possible that sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is actually infant suicide? Goldman relates circumcision to other problematic American birth practices such as birth with the mother on her back, use of drugs, forceps deliveries, routine episiotomy, and cesarian births. He includes an admirable short section addressing the interrelationship of social problems and noting the possible connection of circumcision trauma to the epidemic divorce rates. Equally unforgettable are sections in which men circumcised as adults speak about their incalculable loss and in which Goldman addresses the disruption of the infant/mother bond. Goldman concludes his masterful work with a truly stunning series of innovative meditations, each three or four insight-filled pages long. These address 1) the American motivation to circumcise (our lack of awareness is alarming; the use and exclusion of certain words helps to maintain support for circumcision); 2) science and medicine (flawed studies are the rule not the exception, and doctors tend to MEASURE rather than to FEEL pain); 3) ethics and medicine (isn't it the medical profession's responsibility to LEAD rather than FOLLOW community health care standards?; since when does a trained surgeon take the advice of laypeople as to whether he or she should operate?); 4) cultural and social perspectives (we can circumcise our sons because we are so alienated from each other); 5) hope for healing (no matter how "bad" our feelings are, expressing them feels good); 6) preventing future harm (taking action to prevent others from being victimized aids one's own recovery). Goldman closes his book by reminding us that to think that newborn infants can be subjected to circumcision without an impact on them or others ignores the interconnnectedness of all life. When a baby's sexuality is not safe, no one's sexuality is safe. Goldman's conclusions and speculations regarding the possible connection of circumcision to high levels of American violence remain compellingly plausible. Small publisher Vanguard Publications has done a beautiful job with the physical layout of the book. Wide margins, attractive typeface, high quality paper, and readily usable supplementary matter all combine in an extremely appealing package. Ronald Goldman's book is certain to become an instant classic in the growing field of books about male circumcision. By the very depth of its commitment to the truth about this issue, and the logic and poetry of its presentation, it should appeal to anyone with any interest in children, men, or American society.
Rating:
Summary: Complete and compelling!
Review: This is one book I had trouble putting down and picking up. 'Putting down' because it was extremely insightful and well crafted--riveting, in fact. 'Picking up' because of the painful and complex social implications--and the guilt. This book is an unsettling account of what our society does to infant males in the form of a cultural medical procedure, ie. circumcision, and how that initial trauma continues to alter our society in ways few of us can comprehend or wish to acknowledge. As a physician who has performed circumcisions (and hated every second), and as a mother of three children, I found myself thankful that I had the courage to stop performing circumcisions. But I also became despondent as I suddenly became aware of how our medical system and society has failed our children in so many ways. I realized that I had fallen prey to many of our societal and medical games/expectations and had not nurtured my children as I should have. Reading this book has permanently changed my perspectives on our society, and therefore, on my practice of medicine. This book is profoundly fascinating and disturbing. It is not for the weak and insecure. It is extremely well-written and well-researched. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Great book....
Review: This was compelling, but disturbing reading for any Mother who cannot undo decisions made in ignorance. I only wish I could have read this book 24 years ago when I allowed my own baby boy to be abused in this way. Out of all my parental mistakes, that was my first, and my worst.....
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