Hey all,
Sorry I haven’t been posting new work. I’m experiencing what might be called writer’s stall; the ideas are in my head but the problems in getting them from the head onto the word page. And when I find myself in this place I go is to books and get some help and inspiration. While the Read Only Mind site has been a new place to go to read more stories and get more inspiration, my Kindle has a couple of books on it that I want to share. They are:
https://www.amazon.com/Brainwashing-Fictions-Control-Study-Demonology-ebook/dp/B004W9CW6K/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TKSC88FTYU57&keywords=brainwashing+the+fictions+of+mind+control&qid=1646619030&s=digital-text&sprefix=brainwashing+the+fictions+of+mind+control%2Cdigital-text%2C106&sr=1-1
and
https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Depths-Hypnosis-Robin-Waterfield-ebook/dp/B005E8A8FU/ref=sr_1_1?crid=15KUXVL2UBILU&keywords=hidden+depths+the+story+of+hypnosis&qid=1646619214&s=digital-text&sprefix=hidden+depths+the+story+of+hypnosis%2Cdigital-text%2C115&sr=1-1
Between the two I’m reading Brainwashing right now and I’ve finished the Introduction. The list of works that deal with mind control before WWII is amazing and while some titles are obvious for a book on fictional mind control (1984 and Brave New World) there are a host of titles I had never heard of from the 1920s, 30s and 40s that sound amazing and I’ve already found one that I’ll have to get in book form (the printed version dates back to the 1980s). Most shocking to see was Ayn Rand’s Anthem; to think that even she worked mind control into a novel was a “Hold Up!! Wait a Minute!!” moment (didn’t stop me from ordering a sample of the novel to see if I wanna get the whole work). But definitely enjoying the Brainwashing book so far. Hopefully Hidden Depths will be just as much fun and engaging as well.
So since I’ve given two books for you to look at if you get the chance, feel free to add some of your own to this thread and keep it going.
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BTDT! I feel your pain…thanks for the refs.
Well, I’m getting some writing done, but I wanted to give an update on these two books. I had high hopes for Brainwashing with it being the scholarly/academic book, but I stop reading in the midst of chapter 1. On the other hand, I’m in the midst of reading Hidden Depths I find it more accessible and enjoyable. It is a history of hypnosis tracing back to Franz Mesmer, the man whose name is immortalized in the word mesmerize, and tracing how his practices moved through Germany, France, Britain, and America and changed over time. I think what’s enjoyable is the people who show up in the history. For example, Charles Dickens shows up in the British section as he was interested and practiced for a while the mesmeric trancing and the bond he had with his subject ended up breaking up his marriage. The story of how what eventually becomes hypnosis is rather interesting and the book does have a mind control chapter that I’ll looking forward to getting to. So far every morning after my morning walk and breakfast I sit down and read the book for an hour. So between the two I give my support to Hidden Depths