A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness Audiobook

" Although Ghaemi scores easy marketing points by looking at Kennedy and Hitler, there's some good analysis and thought provoking ideas. Ghaemi distances himself from psycho-history and instead focus on the actual psychology conditions of the historical persons. As someone who lives with constant depression, I found his analysis of Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr. interesting. In many respects, my admiration for these persons can be seen as recognizing kindred spirits. "

" Very interesting..but I skipped around and just read what interested me. Learning many hidden facts about these leaders was very interesting but when the author spent time validating his theory (psycho-babble...I skipped! But I do believe he has a good point. "

" I like the subject matter and material the author writes about in this book. But the book seemed poorly organized. He would talk about one person's story and then all of a sudden refer back to another person's story. It was kind of confusing, and I didn't always know who the person was, or I'd confuse one person with another. If it was organized better, I would have liked it even more. "

" You're not okay, and that's ok. "

" I wanted to like this book. The premise was really interesting. However the mix of writing style and little to no actual facts made it almost unreadable. For the handful of interesting tibbits this book was not worth it. "

" I enjoyed the authors objective views, and thought he made solid arguments. I enjoyed the additional insights on Kennedy as well. "

" A very interesting look at why sometimes mentally 'unhealthy' leaders can actually do a better job in times of crisis. This juxtaposition was interesting, but I also found the general insights about depression and mental illness to be fascinating and informative as well. "

" Interesting premise and engagingly written...it took me many pages to realize I didn't really care "

" Book itself isn't edited all that well but the message is worth 5 stars. It's a worthwhile book if you are leading any group. "

" This is an important book about how mental illness can be a positive factor in leadership qualities. Totally fascinating. And yes, I also liked it because I have a hyperthymic personality -- and now I understand better some of about my leadership qualities, good & bad! :) "

" For some reason I just couldn't get into this book. I read about 100 pages but I didn't think that the author's arguments really supported his thesis, and I wasn't motivated to go on. "

" Just as I thought! You have to be a fanatic to be a great leader - good or bad. "

" I'm not sure if I agree with the author's thesis that mental illness can be an asset to leadership, but this book presents interesting information about the personal struggles of leaders like Gandhi, JFK, MLK, Hitler and George Bush. It's worth a read. "

" Ghaemi takes a psychiatrist's look at a series of great politicians from Churchill to Lincoln to Kennedy...and concludes they were all a bit whacked. Which, as it turns out, is why they were great leaders. Compelling bit of history for a different POV. "

" A compelling a thought-provoking approach to history and our historical leaders. But including Ted Turner in with Lincoln, Churchill, MLK and Ghandi? Really? "

" Very interesting..but I skipped around and just read what interested me. Learning many hidden facts about these leaders was very interesting but when the author spent time validating his theory (psycho-babble...I skipped! But I do believe he has a good point. "

" Interesting. With a history background I find the lack of footnotes distructing. However, the raw words just facinated me on linking the conclusions to support the topic. "

" Interesting study of several leaders (Lincoln, Kennedy, Churchill, Hitler, Gandhi, and other) who had indications of depression or other mood disorders. Very interesting. "

" A very interesting premise-- that some of the most famous and successful leaders in history suffered from mental illness-- but not all of the cases were convincing, and some seemed to be a pretty big stretch. I thought the author gave only a cursory look at a very complex subject. "

" Very well written book that is more clinical in its approach to this topic! However, it is very readable. This are interesting perspectives. Provides a very different view of leadership to the reader. "

" Interesting premise and engagingly written...it took me many pages to realize I didn't really care "

" A compelling a thought-provoking approach to history and our historical leaders. But including Ted Turner in with Lincoln, Churchill, MLK and Ghandi? Really? "

" So far, this is a very intriguing book. "