He: Understanding Masculine Psychology (Perennial Library) by Robert A. Johnson (1-Feb-1991) Paperback Paperback

Insightful treatment of life's most complex subjects in a most unpretentious, persuasive, story-telling style by the Master himself.

I first read this book nearly 25 years ago. It became (and I did not expect this) a touchstone.Johnson presented a wide view in this book and in his talks. I once heard someone ask him if a certain religion could have any value for the soul. His answer as I recall it, was, "Every religion has prescriptions for the soul, if we can hear them." I take that to mean that any discussion of the "merits" of a particular religion is time spent in argument when that same time could be spent listening for those prescriptions.I am personally grateful for this book and this man.

I am a psychiatrist, retired and experienced, and I enjoyed reading this well written book. I wish more books were written with this degree of clarity and brevity. Some writers might learn from reading this book! I used it along with certain other books in order to review a program. The writer gets to the point and most people would read it, and again, easily, and find it of practical use today. I don't know what students read in college these days, but I would recommend this book. I could give it a five, and I might, but no human work is perfect so I give it a four+

I found this very brief book quite provocative. Some of the myth's metaphors are well-explained while others are only mentioned in passing. This at times left me wanting more in-depth discussion of some of them, but I think this may be the author's intention: to call forth each reader's (subliminal) reflections. It is still reverberating in me and certainly has stirred up my inner masculine Self.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book though, I was at odds with it at times. It articulated masculinity in a way that the barefoot scholar, yet avid reader could understand. Although, I didn't care for some of the subtle digs at manhood and the occasional dismissal of the sensitivity associated with the lack of a male role model during a man's formative years. It is otherwise a very good book and reading it for understanding, as opposed to confirming one's own biases, makes for quality introspection. You could occasionally tell that this guy worships the feminine but, attempts to dial it back to teach a philosophically coherent lesson about masculinity. Male readers should evaluate the author's intent closely and consume only those ideas that are useful for building their self-esteem.