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The Myth of the Shiksa and Other Essays
“Why did I give advice to Eve instead of going directly to Adam? I knew I would never be able to stop the Creator’s overall plan, but I thought I might really be able to frustrate it if I could screw up some relationships.” So speaks Satan as The First Family Counselor in this new collection of Edwin Friedman’s most popular essays, edited by his daughter, Shira Friedman Bogart.
Friedman’s signature wit and playfulness goes straight to the heart of human relationships from one generation to another.Throughout his life, Friedman eloquently applied the insights of family therapy to churches and synagogues, rectors and rabbis, politicians and teachers, and his humor, sense of paradox, and unique style of storytelling were trademarks of his teaching style.
Friedman’s signature wit and playfulness goes straight to the heart of human relationships from one generation to another.Throughout his life, Friedman eloquently applied the insights of family therapy to churches and synagogues, rectors and rabbis, politicians and teachers, and his humor, sense of paradox, and unique style of storytelling were trademarks of his teaching style.
211 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 24, 2025
His summary of Bowen theory in the last ~60 pages of the book may be the most clear, well-defined encapsulation of Bowen's paradigm shifting perspective.
Filled with a variety of novel stories and useful learnings; recommend as a supplementary material for further considering new perspectives around one's family of origin within the lens of self-differentiation.
Filled with a variety of novel stories and useful learnings; recommend as a supplementary material for further considering new perspectives around one's family of origin within the lens of self-differentiation.
December 25, 2023
Not as important as his Fables but still worth studying if you're going down the Friedman rabbit hole.
June 23, 2009
Friedman's genius as a thinker and creator comes shining through in this collection of essays published some 10 years after his untimely death. What is unique about this collection is that youu see the development of Friedman as a thinker in Family Systems. Trained by Murray Bowen, Friedman used his unique sense of humor and his training to be a mentor to those in the religious community who were looking to apply Bowen Family System concepts to their personal and professional lives
May 11, 2016
Friedman is worth reading. He is an engaging and thoughtful Rabbinic voice with a puckish note; oh, and he's a pyschotherapist using family systems theory. This particular book has some of his essays detailing his thoughts in various forms.
March 31, 2023
This was one strange guy with some strange insights into extended-family dynamics.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews