I really enjoyed it! Like most NYRB Classics, it’s a gem of a book—fascinating as a work of psychology, touching as a work of literature.

I don’t want to give too much away about the plot, but here’s the premise: Rokeach’s academic work is all about the often-glacial systems of belief we base our lives on, and he wants to see what happens when two of our most deeply-held beliefs clash against each other. And what might be the most deeply-held beliefs involve our identity, specifically who we are and how that makes us… well… US!

So Rokeach gets the bright idea to find several patients with delusions of identity, and he manages to find three within the Michigan state hospital system that all think they’re Jesus Christ. And in the very first chapter, he brings them together and the book goes from there.

The book takes several twists-and-turns through its course, enough that I’d almost caution you against reading Rick Moody’s introduction or really anything about the book that could spoil things. It’s from a different era, back during institutionalization when doctors had an almost unparalleled level of control over their patients and did things that would be unthinkable today.

Would strongly recommend!