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Michael B. Sussman

Goodreads Author

Born

in Evanston, Illinois, The United States

Website

http://www.michaelsussmanbooks.com/

Twitter

MichaelBSussman

Genre

Fiction, Children's, Psychology

Member Since

December 2008

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Abandoned by a cackle of hyenas, Michael Sussman endured the drudgery and hardships of a Moldavian orphanage until fleeing with a traveling circus at the age of twelve. A promising career as a trapeze artist was cut short by a concussion that rendered him lame and mute. Sussman wandered the world, getting by on such odd jobs as pet-food tester, cheese sculptor, human scarecrow, and professional mourner while teaching himself the art of fiction. He now lives in Tahiti with Gauguin, an African Grey parrot.

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Michael B. Sussman’s books

Average rating: 3.91 · 611 ratings · 160 reviews · 8 distinct works • Similar authors

	Duckworth, the Difficult Child by Michael B. Sussman (Goodreads Author), Júlia Sardà (Illustrator) 3.94 avg rating — 307 ratings — published 2019 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Otto Grows Down by Michael B. Sussman (Goodreads Author), Scott Magoon (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 3.83 avg rating — 126 ratings — published 2009 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy 4.09 avg rating — 69 ratings — published 1977 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Crashing Eden 3.62 avg rating — 53 ratings — published 2012 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Incognolio 3.95 avg rating — 41 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Perilous Calling: The Hazards of Psychotherapy Practice 3.93 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 1995 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mynhardt die moeilike kind by Michael B. Sussman (Goodreads Author), Júlia Sardà (Illustrator), Rentia Bartlett-Möhl (Translator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Curious Calling by Michael Sussman (1992-08-01) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Michael’s Recent Updates

Michael Sussman rated a book it was ok The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (George Smiley, #3) by John le Carré	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 16, 2026 11:19AM · like
Michael Sussman and 24 other people liked Mary's review of The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (George Smiley, #3): "I’ll be berated, I’m sure: I failed to enjoy this. The main character (the protagonist) works for MI6 and is ordered back to London from his position as Head of Station, Berlin (he must be a top spy - good at what he does - dedicated - loyal); the net" Read more of this review »
Feb 16, 2026 11:18AM · see review
Michael Sussman and 25 other people liked Rincey's review of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (George Smiley, #3): "In the end, the actual plot revealed itself and I thought it was an interesting story. But man, I did not like this writing style. "
Feb 16, 2026 11:18AM · see review
Michael Sussman and 46 other people liked Scott's review of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold: ""What do you think spies are - priests, saints or martyrs? They're a squalid procession of vain fools, traitors too, yes; pansies, sadists and drunkards, people who play 'cowboys and Indians' to brighten their rotten lives. Do you think they sit like" Read more of this review »
Feb 16, 2026 11:18AM · see review
Michael Sussman rated a book it was ok The Woman in the Dunes by Kōbō Abe	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 03, 2026 07:28AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Woman in the Dunes by Kōbō Abe. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Woman in the Dunes by Kōbō Abe <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Sussman rated a book it was ok The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 16, 2026 08:28AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Sussman rated a book liked it Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 30, 2025 08:23AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Sussman rated a book it was ok Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 01, 2025 02:01PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Sussman rated a book it was amazing In the Time of Five Pumpkins (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #26) by Alexander McCall Smith (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 20, 2025 09:16PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of In the Time of Five Pumpkins by Alexander McCall Smith. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — In the Time of Five Pumpkins by Alexander McCall Smith <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Sussman rated a book really liked it Les Misérables by Victor Hugo	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 14, 2025 06:46PM · like

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Quotes by Michael B. Sussman (?)

“But how can psychotherapists purport to dispel the illusions of their clients while protecting and maintaining their own? Furthermore, a therapist's belief in and commitment to the therapeutic process ought not to be based on naive idealism, but rather on realistic appraisal.”
― Michael Sussman, A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy

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“Those who choose to enter the profession typically manifest significant psychopathology of their own, which, if sufficiently understood and mastered, may actually enhance their ability to understand and help their clients. From this perspective, personal suffering is a prerequisite for the development of the empathy and compassion that characterize competent therapists.”
― Michael Sussman, A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy

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“Via the role of therapist, individuals with a diffuse self-concept can, in a sense, be "all things to all people." Coming into contact with a wide range of personalities, they may vary how they relate to others according to the needs of the situation. Depending upon the type of the phase of treatment, the clinician may function as teacher, healer, advisor, confidant, psychic masseur, devil's advocate, audience, or teddy bear.”
― Michael Sussman, A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy

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Michael’s Quotes

“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.”
― Groucho Marx, The Essential Groucho: Writings For By And About Groucho Marx

tags: animals, books, dogs, friends, humor

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Michael’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-2) post a comment »

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message 2: by Ellen

Mar 26, 2018 09:01AM

Thank you!

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message 1: by Michael

Aug 16, 2014 09:24AM

Edward wrote: "Appreciated. We have 83% compatibility with the few books we have in common. While I truly have enjoyed our recent discussions, and am still thinking about them, I'm going to try to refrain from fu..."

Thanks, Edward. I hope our thread is still active by the time the book is published!

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