
A First-Rate Madness
Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness
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Narrated by:
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Adam Barr
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By:
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S. Nassir Ghaemi
About this listen
The New York Times bestseller
“A glistening psychological history, faceted largely by the biographies of eight famous leaders . . .”—The Boston Globe
“A provocative thesis . . . Ghaemi’s book deserves high marks for original thinking.”—The Washington Post
“Provocative, fascinating.”—Salon.com
Historians have long puzzled over the apparent mental instability of great and terrible leaders alike: Napoleon, Lincoln, Churchill, Hitler, and others. In A First-Rate Madness, Nassir Ghaemi, director of the Mood Disorders Program at Tufts Medical Center, offers a myth-shattering exploration of the powerful connections between mental illness and leadership and sets forth a controversial, compelling thesis: The very qualities that mark those with mood disorders also make for the best leaders in times of crisis. From the importance of Lincoln's "depressive realism" to the lackluster leadership of exceedingly sane men as Neville Chamberlain, A First-Rate Madness overturns many of our most cherished perceptions about greatness and the mind.
©2011 Nassir Ghaemi (P)2024 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“A glistening psychological history, faceted largely by the biographies of eight famous leaders . . . A First-Rate Madness is carefully plotted and sensibly argued.”—The Boston Globe
“Ghaemi isn’t the first to claim that madness is a close relative of genius, or even the first to extend the idea into politics. But he does go further than others . . . His explanations are elegant, too—intuitively accurate and banked off the latest psychiatric research.”—Newsweek
“Ghaemi is a remarkably disciplined writer, and he examines both psychiatry and history with impressive clarity and sensitivity. A First-Rate Madness will almost certainly be one of the most fascinating books of the year, not just because of the author's lucid prose and undeniable intelligence, but because of his provocative thesis: 'For abnormal challenges, abnormal leaders are needed.'”—NPR.org
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Are you ready to unlock the greatest resource of your life? Gabby Bernstein has written the ultimate self-help guide, offering a revolutionary practice to radically shift your core beliefs and connect you to an infallible inner guidance system: the energy of Self within you. In this groundbreaking book, Gabby demystifies the power of Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, taking its life-changing teachings out of the therapist’s office and into your everyday life.
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Self Serving
- By pricefreund on 01-14-25
By: Gabrielle Bernstein, and others
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Brown Noise
- By: Audible Sleep
- Narrated by: Audible Sleep
- Length: 12 hrs
- Original Recording
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Tune out the world with brown noise. Brown noise can promote relaxation, improve focus and sleep quality by blocking external sounds through its roaring sound frequencies. This 12-hour track is designed to support long-term focus and sleep quality overnight.
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Better than white noise
- By Amy Lohmann on 03-04-25
By: Audible Sleep
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Pink Noise
- By: Audible Sleep
- Narrated by: Audible Sleep
- Length: 12 hrs
- Original Recording
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Tune out the world with pink noise. Pink noise can promote relaxation and improve sleep quality and focus by blocking external noise, and this 12-hour track is designed to support long-term focus and sleep quality overnight.
By: Audible Sleep
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Natural Rapid Weight Loss, Lose Weight Faster with Hypnosis, Meditation, and Affirmations
- The Sleep Learning System
- By: Joel Thielke
- Narrated by: Joel Thielke
- Length: 2 hrs and 47 mins
- Original Recording
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Naturally lose weight fast and get the body you've been wanting. Stop old habits in their tracks, shed pounds now, and feel amazing. Rapid weight loss is yours today with this powerful guided meditation program from the Sleep Learning System and world-renowned hypnotherapist Joel Thielke.
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My new favorite hypnosis audio!
- By Penny on 04-03-16
By: Joel Thielke
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The Gift of Fear
- Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence
- By: Gavin de Becker
- Narrated by: Gavin de Becker
- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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These days, no one in America feels immune to violence. But now, in this extraordinary, groundbreaking book, the nation's leading expert on predicting violent behavior unlocks the puzzle of human violence and shows that, like every creature on earth, we have within us the ability to predict the harm others might do us and get out of its way. Contrary to popular myth, human violence almost always has a discernible motive and is preceded by clear warning signs.
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Decent book severely undermined by last chapter.
- By zachary on 11-01-22
By: Gavin de Becker
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perfect context for issues of antisemitism & money
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The Banished Immortal
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I Am Dynamite!
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Fascinating; tragic
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Rush
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By the time he was 30, Dr. Benjamin Rush had signed the Declaration of Independence, edited Common Sense, toured Europe as Benjamin Franklin’s protégé, and become John Adams’s confidant, and was soon to be appointed Washington’s surgeon general. And as with the greatest Revolutionary minds, Rush was only just beginning his role in 1776 in the American experiment.
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The narration problem can be corrected
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Avenue of Spies
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The leafy Avenue de Foch, one of the most exclusive residential streets in Nazi-occupied France, was Paris' hotbed of daring spies, murderous secret police, amoral informers, and Vichy collaborators. So when American physician Sumner Jackson, who lived with his wife and young son, Phillip, at Number 11, found himself drawn into the Liberation network of the French resistance, he knew the stakes were impossibly high.
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Gripping, inspirational, and informative!!
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Mama's Boy
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Overall
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From the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Milk and political activist, a heartfelt, deeply personal memoir about growing up as a gay Mormon in Texas that is also a moving tribute to the mother who taught him about surviving against all odds. Mama's Boy is a stirring celebration of the connections between mother and son, red states and blue, and the spirit of optimism and perseverance that can create positive change in the world.
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Consider reading instead of listening to this book
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What listeners say about A First-Rate Madness
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- TvK
- 07-12-24
Excellent read.
Engaging and informative with clarification on historical leaders and the events that shaped our world. Shows us we are all somewhere on the neurotic spectrum and leaders are not immune.
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- Pierre Palo
- 05-02-24
Thought-provoking
The similarities between great leaders and depression are uncanny. He delves into why some of the most outstanding leaders in history likely had depression, bipolar disorder, and its closely related relative hyperthermia and dysthymia.
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- Etienne Juneau
- 07-07-24
Solid, evidence-based
Loved the insight as a doctor of public health. Author is a psychiatrist and professor at Tufts.
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- Ryan Gustafson
- 06-24-24
not scientific
This is frustratingly not "scientific" as author claims. Study sample is hand picked to prove his theory. Uses one study of all white men to define "normal" and misses obvious counter points. Horribly unpersuasive.
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