Listen, Little Man! (Noonday, 271)

Rating:
Summary: Reality Check
Review: Although it's been awhile, I love this book. I am looking for another copy, as the one I read was borrowed. Yes, many negative comments are true in that Reich does lambast an imaginary little man and it seems like an endless relentless diatribe.. However he does not do this for fun and recreation or because he is full of hate for peoplekind. I think this is a genuine recognition of his own ability to be an automated human. No one can engage in such an intimate critique without having "been there" himself. It really is a call to liberation of self, not in the tradition of spiritual monasticism and such, but rather the liberation of "Prisons We Choose to Live In" quoting Doris Lessing's book title, for the average person.

The cartoons are great, especially the one with the broken ball and chain and angst-ridden prisoner, who is finally free. Reich gets to the point, without writing some long winded academic treatise. Brief and unapologetic.

Rating:
Summary: Read and be inspired to independent thought!
Review: I first read this book, as I recall, in the mid 60's. I'm now on my third copy; the previous copies were worn out from handling!"Listen Little Man" is a must read for thinking people who care about humanity, particularly in today's geo/political climate. The information is as relevant today (perhaps even more so!)as it was when first written. We just need to consider it, apply it to our own lives and spread the message--we must trust ourselves to be able to take care of ourselves rather than rely on any exernal force, particularly our leaders and governments.

You will love this little book, or hate it, but I don't see how anyone could read it and not be moved by the impassioned plea that we all assume responsibility for our lives and that we instill this responsibility for future generations. It was my first great inspiration to start thinking for myself (and this was after all the classroom teachings, college included)! I'm still inspired by it.

Rating:
Summary: Sortir du Bourbier
Review: Reich nous relève la nature mesquine du "petit homme" qui est la cause perpetuelle des problemes sociaux. Les reflexions de ce grand penseur provoque une ouverture de l'esprit et un conscience plus critique du monde qui nous entour.
Il faut considerer que ce livre est centré à la période Faciste du 20ième siècle, mais on peut toujours appliquer les concepts de Reich de nouveau en observant comme exemple, la politique étrangère Americaine ou bien les extremes actions Israelienne contre le peuple Palestinien. Reich procure une évasion de l'autorité sociale qui prive la personne de son individualité et sa liberté de penser. Si vous desirez approfondir votre comprehension du sens de la vie, lisez se live, si-non, il y a des chances que vous resterez toujours un petit homme!

Rating:
Summary: Not an easy read, but a valuable one
Review: Sure, "War is bad" (platitude #1). However this message delivered repeatedly is a waste of paper and ink.

This sermon focuses on the nature of "the little man". This character is so-named because the Author is highly attuned to the nature of this character and blames him for all the ills of mankind. Thus, the little man is selfish, warlike, likes war movies, boxing-matches etc.

The didactic nature of this character can be completely contrasted by the natures of real people. The little man doesn't really exist outside of this book. Even the author's experience as a witness to the third reich doesn't justify most of the natures attributed to the little man.

Overall, the book is just unreadable. It is simply blase' to read a book which repremands an imaginary character for 125 pages.

Rating:
Summary: Not an easy read, but a valuable one
Review: The name of "Wilhelm Reich" is not widely known today. Of those who have heard of him, most know of him from second and third hand accounts that label him a quack. "Listen Little Man" stands apart from most of his works in that it is not, specifically, about his theories. Rather it is about his observations of the world and the people who make live in it.

Much had been said about Reich's tendencies to be opinionated, excitable and at times tactless. A sense of this comes across in "Listen Lettle Man." The writing style is not (and is not intended to be) soft-handed. This does NOT, however, invalidate his message.

The book speaks to the everyday person, the one who works for a paycheck, comes home and watches the news, helps the kids with their homework and goes to bed day after day as if on automatic, simply because it is what he/she "should" do. In this book, Reich suggests, demands and at times implores the everyday person to ask "why." Why do you give up your dreams for a life of miserable "security?" Why do you look to political ideologies to set you "free?" Why do you find relief in others' pain when you watch or listen to the "news?" If you have never asked yourself these questions, you need to read this book!

Note that although Reich's voice in this book tends to be harsh he does not speak out of contempt or disgust. He emphasizes that being happy is the right of everyone, but you can never achieve happiness if your life is run on automatic. Note also that he makes frequent reference to "contemporary" issues like the first world war and the Russian revolution. Don't let that fool you into thinking that his messgae is dated. If anything, in this age of sound bites, fads and disposable pop-psychology, his message is more relevent than ever.

Thank you for reading my review

Rating:
Summary: An impassioned plea from a remarkable scientist
Review: The story of Wilhelm Reich is one of the most frightening and shocking episodes in American history. An innovative scientist and psychoanalyst, Dr. Reich upset many with his unorthodox views on sex, physics, and other branches of knowledge. He was ultimately convicted in a United States court; his writings were burned by government authorities (!), and Reich died in prison in 1957. "Listen, Little Man!" is Reich's very personal defense of his own life and work; the book also represents his bold diagnosis of the disorder which he felt pervaded the human world.

"Listen, Little Man!" is a powerful, but problematic piece of literature. Reich seems to have a Messiah complex, and the book often sounds like a rambling, preachy rant. Despite this often strident tone, however, "Listen, Little Man!" is rich in insights into the human condition. And Reich's compassion for humanity shines through.

In the book, Reich reflects upon many topics: his own discovery of "orgone" energy, the persecution of Galileo, the rise of the Nazis in Germany, the racial discrimination directed against African-American singer Marian Anderson, and more. Ultimately, he expresses hope that he will be vindicated by history.

Those interested in Reich's own testament should also read Robert Anton Wilson's brilliant play "Wilhelm Reich in Hell," a work which is very sympathetic to the embattled scientist. But first read "Listen, Little Man!"; we, as a human race, cannot afford to forget Reich's tragic story.

Rating:
Summary: The next level
Review: Wilhelm Reich was far ahead of his time. Like seemingly all visionaries, he was completely at odds with mainstream thought. By the time he wrote this book, he had been completely discredited, humiliated, and even imprisoned! Despite his ruin, he still had hope for mankind, as evident by the tone of this book. Inspirational, entertaining, and most of all, empowering.

Rating:
Summary: A superb book for anyone interested in Reich
Review: Wilhelm Reich was many things in his lifetime- a student of Freud, a political activist, a research scientist, and an inventor. His work was decades ahead of its time and is finally being rediscovered and reevaluated by the public. If, like me, you are interested in Reich and his work, you might want to check out a novel called We All Fall Down, by Brian Caldwell. it draws heavily on Reich's theories, particularly Listen Little Man and The Mass Psychology Of Facism. It's a great introduction to Reich's work and the entire novel draws heavily on his theory. It's very interesting watching an author explore his theories in a fictional setting. Well worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: A call to rise above.
Review: Wilhem Reich was an influential psychoanalyst and thinker whose work has greatly influnced many practitioners and theoreticians of psychotherapy, psychology and psychoanalysis. He was a member of Freud's circle but like many before and after him broke free from his influence later on. His analysis on fascism can be considered as seminal and has influenced amongst others Theodore Adorno in his work for the Princeton institute. His insights into how the human body is inseparable from the human human psychic have also had a great influence on therapeutic practise. He postulated that the various phobias, neurosis and mood disorders have a direct effect on ones body both on the physiological level (internally in the organism) and on the overall posture and facial expressions, and saw Freud's attempts at bringing about change with the sole use of language ('the talking cure') as, to say the least, problematic and insufficient. He, on the other hand, believed that one can go the other way round and make changes at the overall posture which will in turn help resolve the inner psychic conflicts, thus bringing in a whole new perspective to therapy. The several years he spend in the U.S. where primarily conserned with 'orgone energy', a term that he coined for the everlasting, unchangeable energy that permeates the universe and is the source of healing, something like Freud's libido but in more broader cosmic terms, or Bergson's elan vitale.

Falling victim of the U.S. goverments witch-hunt at that period, the vile fanaticism and hatred that they intilled in people against his research, and the smearing campains that went on against him personaly, he was finaly incarcerated, his institute broken apart, his research papers and other documents confiscated and burned. He finally died in prison in 1957, a horrible, undeserved end for such a human being.

This book was written in hot blood in 1947, 10 years that is before his demise, and it is a pamphlet, a critique, a rant, a vibrant piece of history in the making. It was not meant to be published but later on was in fact published as Reich's defence for the atrocieties commited against him. Reich here focusses on the individual, the little man of the title, who is lead to believe this and that by the powers that be, and never who assumes his responsibilities for his own life and freedom. It is a powerfull text in every possible sense. Reich rallies against the "sentimental plague", the propaganda of his time, and makes a call to arms to anyone who is willing to listen, to stop being the little man, or a big little man of fame and fortune, and to become what he is meant to be, an aware, responsible, lively individual. It is an inspiring short piece more poetical than philosophical, more political than psychological. I would recommend it a primer to E. Fromm's escape from freedom and to any existential writing for that matter.

Reich in the end is optimistic. Unlike Giacomo Leopardi whose thought abounds as an influence to this book (although i doubt that Reich ever read Leopardi), Reich believes that in the centuries to come men and women will finaly assume this responsibilities and rise above the "mass" the "common man" in a more free, egalitarian, honest future.

Read it for yourself, be inspired, and what is more...act on it.