Norman Cousins – författare

In this book, a seasoned commentator on world affairs discusses the way power in government becomes enlarged, exploited, and institutionalized—not just as the result of external dangers, real or contrived, but as the result of the way the arms race spills over into and dominates foreign policy. The clandestine operation that led to the Iran-Contra affair, Norman Cousins observes, is a recent example of dangerous trend with its own momentum. Mr. Cousins returns here to the central theme that dominated the editorial pages of the Saturday Review during the thirty years of his editorship: the challenge to human freedom and safety represented by vast destructive power slipping away from the means of control.

Anatomy of an Illness was the first book by a patient that spoke to our current interest in taking charge of our own health. It started the revolution in patients working with their doctors and using humor to boost their bodies' capacity for healing. When Norman Cousins was diagnosed with a crippling and irreversible disease, he forged an unusual collaboration with his physician, and together they were able to beat the odds. The doctor's genius was in helping his patient to use his own powers: laughter, courage, and tenacity. The patient's talent was in mobilizing his body's own natural resources, proving what an effective healing tool the mind can be. This remarkable story of the triumph of the human spirit is truly inspirational reading.

Cousins recalls key moments from his forty years of learning, editing and writing, reporting on important events, acting as a presidential emissary, and working on health projects, and tells of his work with famous men and women.