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Ralph Greenson's image dominates the cover of this book. His personality dominates its contents.
The book jacket depicts Greenson looking grimly determined, his jaw thrust forward, his hand raised in an almost fist. The posture could be defensive, but it leaves no doubt that this man will not be shoved around. This message is the essence of the book. Each chapter is a transcription of one of the lectures that, over a span of years, Greenson used to tell the public how he felt life should be lived.
This second monograph of the Ralph R. Greenson Memorial Library of the San Diego Psychoanalytic Society and Institute is composed of 24 lectures that Greenson delivered from 1955, after a serious heart attack, until the year before he died in 1979. The editors introduce each chapter with remarks about when in his life Greenson delivered the particular lecture and, emphasizing Greenson's points, frequently quote his wife about him. The purpose of publishing the lectures seems to be to celebrate the quality of the man, and in this the book succeeds very well.
It is easy to understand why Hildi Greenson, his widow, and three close colleagues felt that their personal appreciation of Greenson should be shared by others. He was a glamorous figure in our profession. He was immortalized by Leo Rosten as Captain Newman, M.D., a man who defied the U.S. Air Force in his resolute defense of his patients. Anyone who read that best-selling book or who enjoyed Gregory Peck's portrayal of him in the film version might well like to read Greenson's own words. Furthermore, he was famous as the West Coast psychiatrist of Marilyn Monroe and was one of the last people to see her alive.