The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality, and the Origins of Culture

Rating:
Summary: Silly
Review: Some interesting ideas about mythology, and some fine writing, are ruined by sloppy scholarship, wishful thinking, and general nonsense. The author either can't understand, or misrepresents, basic scientific thinking as well as Julian Jaynes, Noam Chomsky, Richard Leakey, and Charles Darwin. Thompson is obviously sharp enough to understand his primary sources -- and I'm afraid that he selectively quotes things out of context as well as setting up straw man fallacies. Meanwhile Thompson treats Edgar Cayce's past-life experience claims seriously. This book was highly reccomended and I was annoyed to find that it was new age hooey. For works on the psychology, sociology and history of myths stick to Cambell and Frazier

Rating:
Summary: re-imagining our past
Review: thompson is so dazzling a writer that, even when you don't agree with some of his conclusions, you are nevertheless thrilled to be taken along for this intellectual joyride through prehistory and myth. half the fun is the argument that this book will most assuredly start with yourself. new age mystic or not, thompson will forever change the way you perceive your world, in challenging many things you have previously taken for granted: patriarchy, sexuality, gender and identity, religion. literate, passionate, and eccentric--this is one of my favorite books.

Rating:
Summary: Above average "new age" stuff
Review: Thompson takes us on a rollercoaster ride through the origins of culture, sex, agriculture and patriarchy.He does not solely rely on left brain abstract thinking, but has got the right side of the brain working too.In other words, he is into mythopoeic thinking, which gets down to deeper levels of existence.If for nothing else, this book is worth it for the sentence "Myth is the history of the soul."There is much wisdom in this sentence.Thompson has more insightful things to say about myth than many other writers on the subject.If he has a fault, it is a too wide sweep over his subject matter.Nevertheless, he has many challenging ideas to confront us with.