Handbook of Child Psychoanalysis: Research, Theory, and Practice: Edited by Benjamin B. Wolman, Ph.D. New York: Van Nostrand-Reinhold Co., 1972. 645 pp.

In the reviewer's opinion, this volume is more than a 'handbook'; it is an important, thoroughgoing, systematic, and objective account

of the current state of knowledge in the areas of child psychoanalytic theory, research, and therapy. Classical freudian concepts are given an honest and penetrating critical re-examination, while other psychoanalytic models, principally those representing the 'neo-freudians', are put into contemporary perspective.

It was Wolman's specific interest in this volume to promote, through his own contributions and those of others, the integration and, indeed, the synthesis of variant and controversial psychoanalytic theories relevant to social change. He has sought to examine how psychoanalytic models can be utilized in therapeutic operations that are responsive to the emotional and psychological needs of children in the 'here and now'. For example, Wolman considers the role of classical psychoanalytic psychiatry in the everyday life experiences of the disadvantaged, affectively starved, lonely, isolated, and frequently cognitively bankrupt 'street kid'. He asks, too, what are the practical implications of psychoanalytic psychology for the newly emancipated, though still struggling, 'brave new world' adolescent coming from the suburbs. And Wolman and his contributors seem to be asking: How can psychoanalysts widen their impact and begin to move beyond their traditional roles, which frequently seem only to inhibit them from fulfilling innovative, bold, and useful positions in society? Wolman attempts to bridge the gaps between those who are perceived as the 'helpers' (clinicians) and those who are in need of 'help' (patients).

There are some very solid, provocative, and original contributions included, which attempt to be responsive to the questions raised. This is not a collection of previously published papers; all of the chapters have been specifically drafted for inclusion in this anthology. There are important contributions by