
The Great Pretender
The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness
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Narrated by:
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Christie Moreau
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Susannah Cahalan
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By:
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Susannah Cahalan
About this listen
A Literary Hub Most Anticipated Books of 2019 Pick
From "one of America's most courageous young journalists" (NPR) comes a propulsive narrative history investigating the 50-year-old mystery behind a dramatic experiment that changed the course of modern medicine.
For centuries, doctors have struggled to define mental illness - how do you diagnose it, how do you treat it, how do you even know what it is? In search of an answer, in the 1970s a Stanford psychologist named David Rosenhan and seven other people - sane, normal, well-adjusted members of society - went undercover into asylums around America to test the legitimacy of psychiatry's labels. Forced to remain inside until they'd "proven" themselves sane, all eight emerged with alarming diagnoses and even more troubling stories of their treatment. Rosenhan's watershed study broke open the field of psychiatry, closing down institutions and changing mental health diagnosis forever.
But, as Cahalan's explosive new research shows, very little in this saga is exactly as it seems. What really happened behind those closed asylum doors, and what does it mean for our understanding of mental illness today?
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2019 Susannah Cahalan (P)2019 Hachette AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Breathtaking! Cahalan's brilliant, timely, and important book reshaped my understanding of mental health, psychiatric hospitals, and the history of scientific research. A must-read for anyone who's ever been to therapy, taken a brain-altering drug, or wondered why mental patients were released in droves in the 1980s. And a thrilling, eye-opening read even for those who thought they weren't affected by the psychiatric world." (Ada Calhoun, author of St. Marks Is Dead and Wedding Toasts I'll Never Give)
"A well-told story fraught with both mystery and real-life aftershocks that set the psychiatric community on its ear." (Kirkus)
"Susannah Cahalan has written a wonderful book that reflects years of persistent and remarkable historical detective work. The Great Pretender is an extraordinary look at the life of a Stanford professor and a famous paper he published in 1973, one that dramatically transformed American psychiatry in ways that still echo today. The book is fast-paced and artfully constructed - an incredible story that constitutes a tribute to Cahalan's powers as both a writer and a sleuth." (Andrew Scull, author of Madness in Civilization: A Cultural History of Insanity)
"The Great Pretender is a tight, propulsive, true-life detective story which somehow also doubles as a sweeping history of our broken mental health-care system. Cahalan herself has experienced this system as both a patient and a reporter, and her background informs every fascinating page of this dogged investigative odyssey. It is an amazing achievement, and there is no question it will go down as the definitive account of one of the most influential psychology experiments of all time." (Luke Dittrich, New York Times best-selling author of Patient H.M.)
"Cahalan researched The Great Pretender over the course of five years, but the pages practically turn themselves. It's absorbing, sometimes sobering, sometimes seriously funny. Cahalan's narration makes the reading great fun, with an urgency occasionally akin to a thriller." (Shelf Awareness)

Editor's Pick
What is sanity?
"I loved Susannah Cahalan’s memoir, Brain on Fire, for both its unflinching firsthand portrayal of a young woman’s experience with a mysterious brain condition, as well as its detective-like exploration into her diagnosis. So I’m thrilled to see this brilliant writer tackling the topic of mental health once again in her latest release, The Great Pretender, which focuses on a groundbreaking experiment in which eight healthy individuals voluntarily went undercover into the asylums throughout the US. The outcome is at once a fascinating slice of history, a shocking expose, and an education into the field of psychiatry and mental health treatment—in other words, another captivating combo from Cahalan. I’m thrilled to have the chance to be in this writer’s brain once again."
—Sam D., Audible Editor
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- Get Through Fertility Treatment and Get Pregnant Without Losing Your Mind
- By: Amy Klein
- Narrated by: Amy Klein
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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There are so many ways to be Not Pregnant: You can be young, old, partnered, or unpartnered. Maybe you have endometriosis. Maybe you don’t have enough eggs or your partner doesn’t have enough sperm. Or maybe there’s nothing wrong except you’re Just. Not. Pregnant. Amy Klein has been there. Faced with fertility obstacles, she quickly became an expert. And she wrote about it all for the New York Times Motherlode blog in her Fertility Diary column. Now, Amy has written the book she wishes she’d had when she was trying to get pregnant.
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Very informative
- By Tracie on 07-09-23
By: Amy Klein
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A Place to Belong
- Celebrating Diversity and Kinship in the Home and Beyond
- By: Amber O'Neal Johnston, Julie Bogart - foreword
- Narrated by: Amber O'Neal Johnston
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Gone are the days when socially conscious parents felt comfortable teaching their children to merely tolerate others. Instead, they are looking for a way to authentically embrace the fullness of their diverse communities. A Place to Belong offers a path forward for families to honor their cultural heritage and champion diversity in the context of daily family life.
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amazing book for homeschool fams
- By Brooke C. on 03-17-25
By: Amber O'Neal Johnston, and others
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Stacked
- Your Super-Serious Guide to Modern Money Management
- By: Joe Saul-Sehy, Emily Guy Birken
- Narrated by: Joe Saul-Sehy, Emily Guy Birken, Julie - Ray Harrison
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Rich. Wealthy. Well-heeled. Moneyed. Affluent. Not bad — but why not get Stacked instead? If you’ve ever dreamed of a basic philosophy of money that’ll help you live bigger, be bolder, and laugh harder, you need this book. In these uncertain times, the basics matter more than ever. But for most of us, concepts such as investing, budgeting, and getting out of debt just don’t float our boats (or 150-foot yachts) — and so we put them off longer than we should.
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Great starter book to conceptualize finance
- By Rick B on 02-15-22
By: Joe Saul-Sehy, and others
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The Master Plan
- My Journey From Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose
- By: Chris Wilson, Bret Witter, Wes Moore - foreword
- Narrated by: Chris Wilson, Wes Moore
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Growing up in a tough Washington, D.C., neighborhood, Chris Wilson was so afraid for his life he wouldn't leave the house without a gun. One night, defending himself, he killed a man. At 18, he was sentenced to life in prison with no hope of parole. But what should have been the end of his story became the beginning. Deciding to make something of his life, Chris embarked on a journey of self-improvement - reading, working out, learning languages, even starting a business. He wrote his Master Plan: a list of all he expected to accomplish or acquire.
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"Read books that feed your soul."
- By Lighteyes214 on 03-17-20
By: Chris Wilson, and others
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Burning Bright
- Rituals, Reiki, and Self-Care to Heal Burnout, Anxiety, and Stress
- By: Kelsey J. Patel
- Narrated by: Kelsey J. Patel
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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When Kelsey Patel was struck by searing back pain in her 20s, she had no idea that repressed emotions could manifest as intense anxiety and physical pain. Her healing came from acknowledging the disharmony in her life, which led Patel to seek out the self-care techniques and practices that helped get her body, health, and emotions back into alignment: Reiki, Emotional Freedom Technique, yoga, and other practices.
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READ THIS
- By Julietta Amazon Customer on 05-24-20
By: Kelsey J. Patel
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The Chair and the Valley
- A Memoir of Trauma, Healing, and the Outdoors
- By: Banning Lyon, Jonathan Eig - foreword
- Narrated by: Banning Lyon, Jonathan Eig, Maria Shriver
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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The Chair and The Valley is a raw, gut-wrenching, and amazing story about healing from trauma and starting over. It is a testament to the importance of chosen family, the restorative power of nature, and the strength it takes to build a new life in the face of fear and doubt. Banning takes listeners through his fraught relationship with his family, the mistreatment he suffered at the hospital, the lawsuit against the owners of the facility, and his desire to make sense of what happened to him. We witness Banning navigate the difficult landscape of trauma and his battle to live a normal life.
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Moving memoir of forgiveness and healing
- By kathy adams on 04-19-25
By: Banning Lyon, and others
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If We Break
- A Memoir of Marriage, Addiction, and Healing
- By: Kathleen Buhle
- Narrated by: Kathleen Buhle
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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For decades, Kathleen Buhle chose to play the role of the good wife, beginning when, as a naïve young woman from a working-class family on the South Side of Chicago, she met the dashing son of a senator in Oregon. Within months, Kathleen found herself pregnant and engaged. Determined to build her family on a foundation of love, Kathleen was convinced her and Hunter’s commitment to each other could overcome any obstacle. But when Hunter’s drinking evolved into dependency, she was forced to learn how irrevocably a marriage can fall apart under the merciless power of addiction.
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A true survivors story
- By Kristin on 06-25-22
By: Kathleen Buhle
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Think Like a Breadwinner
- A Wealth-Building Manifesto for Women Who Want to Earn More (and Worry Less)
- By: Jennifer Barrett
- Narrated by: Jennifer Barrett
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Nearly half of working women in the United States are now their household's main breadwinner. And yet, the majority of women still aren't being brought up to think like breadwinners. In fact, they're actually discouraged - by institutional bias and subconscious beliefs - from building their own wealth, pursuing their full earning potential, and providing for themselves and others financially. In Think Like a Breadwinner, financial expert Jennifer Barrett reframes what it really means to be a breadwinner.
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Great advice
- By Dreda Phoenix on 04-16-21
By: Jennifer Barrett
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Exponential Living
- Stop Spending 100% of Your Time on 10% of Who You Are
- By: Sheri Riley, Usher - foreword
- Narrated by: Sheri Riley, full cast
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Constantly striving to achieve one goal after another and investing more in our careers than in our actual lives have left many of us feeling overwhelmed, overworked, and disconnected from who we are. Take Sheri Riley. She rose to the top of her field and was miserable. Sure, she was successful, but she couldn't buy peace, and material possessions didn't bring her clarity. Now an empowerment speaker and life strategist, Sheri Riley shares the secret that helped her regain her sense of self and purpose.
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I did not like this book. At all!
- By Lillie on 02-08-18
By: Sheri Riley, and others
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Becoming Wise
- An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living
- By: Krista Tippett
- Narrated by: Krista Tippett
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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In Becoming Wise, Tippett distills the insights she has gleaned from this luminous conversation in its many dimensions into a coherent narrative journey, over time and from mind to mind, into what it means to be human. The book is a master class in living, individually and collectively, curated by Tippett and accompanied by a delightfully ecumenical dream team of a teaching faculty. Wisdom emerges through the raw materials of the everyday.
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A bit of an interview clip show
- By Adam Shields on 08-26-16
By: Krista Tippett
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Who Says You Can't? You Do
- By: Daniel Chidiac
- Narrated by: Robbie Daymond
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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A moment came in Daniel Chidiac's life when he realized he wasn't living his truth. His work didn't fulfill him, his relationships hurt him, and he was making choices that didn't align with his true values. But he did have the ability to know his own purpose - a gift we all have - and thus his journey began. Daniel studied the lives of great achievers, sought guidance from spiritual leaders, and discovered the secrets for shaping one's own destiny.
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Uninspiring.
- By Charissa on 08-14-18
By: Daniel Chidiac
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Die Wise
- A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul
- By: Stephen Jenkinson
- Narrated by: Stephen Jenkinson
- Length: 18 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Die Wise does not offer seven steps for coping with death. It does not suggest ways to make dying easier. It pours no honey to make the medicine go down. Instead, with lyrical prose, deep wisdom, and stories from his two decades of working with dying people and their families, Stephen Jenkinson places death at the center of the discussion and asks us to behold it in all its painful beauty. Die Wise teaches the skills of dying, skills that have to be learned in the course of living deeply and well.
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Wonderful book!
- By Kate on 12-22-16
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How to Have a Good Day
- Harness the Power of Behavioral Science to Transform Your Working Life
- By: Caroline Webb
- Narrated by: Caroline Webb
- Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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In How to Have a Good Day, economist and former McKinsey partner Caroline Webb shows listeners how to use recent findings from behavioral economics, psychology, and neuroscience to transform their approaches to everyday working life. Advances in these behavioral sciences are giving us ever better understanding of how our brains work, why we make the choices we do, and what it takes for us to be at our best.
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Who Doesn't Want to Have a Good Day?
- By Ariel on 02-04-16
By: Caroline Webb
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Renegade Beauty
- Reveal and Revive Your Natural Radiance - Beauty Secrets, Solutions, and Preparation
- By: Nadine Artemis, Carrie-Anne Moss - foreword
- Narrated by: Kate Marcin
- Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In this essential guide, Nadine Artemis introduces listeners to the concept of "renegade" beauty - a practice of doing less and allowing the elements and the life force of nature to revive the body, skin, and soul so our natural radiance can shine through. Anyone stuck in perpetual loops of new products, facials, and dermatologist appointments will find answers as Artemis illuminates the energizing elements of sun, fresh air, water, the Earth, and plants.
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Author's Awful Alliteration
- By Nikki B. Williams on 03-01-23
By: Nadine Artemis, and others
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Life Reimagined
- The Science, Art, and Opportunity of Midlife
- By: Barbara Bradley Hagerty
- Narrated by: Barbara Bradley Hagerty
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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There's no such thing as an inevitable midlife crisis, Barbara Bradley Hagerty writes in this provocative, hopeful book. It's a myth, an illusion. New scientific research explodes the fable that midlife is a time when things start to go downhill for everybody. In fact, midlife can be a great new adventure, when you can embrace fresh possibilities, purposes, and pleasures. In Life Reimagined, Hagerty explains that midlife is about renewal.
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For the wealthy
- By A Reader on 02-03-17
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Messy
- The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives
- By: Tim Harford
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives celebrates the benefits that messiness has in our lives: why it’s important, why we resist it, and why we should embrace it instead. Using research from neuroscience, psychology, social science, as well as captivating examples of real people doing extraordinary things, Tim Harford explains that the human qualities we value – creativity, responsiveness, resilience – are integral to the disorder, confusion, and disarray that produce them.
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I'm a neat freak with three kids...
- By Amazon Customer on 12-13-16
By: Tim Harford
Slow going but got better.
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I’m thrilled people are talking about mental health
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Enlightening
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Highly recommend
Thought provoking
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A great book for any professional of the mind
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interesting listen
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pretty boring
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Second half much more interesting than the first
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The author’s position on “mental” versus “physical” illness and health was difficult to discern. At first it appeared that she was arguing for a dichotomy separating mind and brain/body. Her initial dismay at “transfer to psych” reinforces a stigma against which she seems to argue. Hard to follow.
There are many other books by neurologists and psychologists and psychiatrists (as well as lay people) that present more poignant and compelling pictures of the struggle of “mental” versus “physical” illness. See for example anything written by Oliver Sachs; An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison; The Center Cannot Hold by Elyn R Saks; Darkness Visible by William Styron; The Noonday Demon by Andrew Solomon; or The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman.
The narration was marred by mispronunciations of words well-known in the professional community. Questioning my own pronunciation and concerned that a colloquial and idiosyncratic accent might have biased my appreciation of the narration, I “googled” several and confirmed my suspicions: the acCENT was often on the wrong syLLAble.
Muddy presentation of subject marred by mispronunciations
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Wonderfully researched, surprising and enlightening
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