I received this copy of Micah Toub's memoir from @cbcbooks for tweeting book reviews to their feed. Having recently taught Catherine Gildiner's SEDUCTION and introduced students to the theories of Freud and Jung, I was happy to thumb my way through GROWING UP JUNG and relieved that I hadn't shared Toub's coming-of-age experiences.
Toub admits that some of the time what his Jungian therapist parents shared with him and his half sister was often flaky, but also occasionally profound. However, I can't ever imagine the mental health benefits of discussing my sex life with my mother as Toub so readily did with his mom who insisted that he "BE the penis." Or, that pursuing an active "animus" could lead the "synchronicity" of a fiancé.
What I did enjoy about Toub's narrative was the frankness with which he wrote and the Jungian theory refresher that reminded me why I had at one time been drawn to Jung's ideas about dreams and the shadow self.
Micah Toub writes a biweekly column about relationships from a male perspective for THE GLOBE AND MAIL and may be followed on Twitter @MicahToub.
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