Reviews

Review Excerpts

New York Times Book Review – April 16, 2006
“By analyzing case studies both civilian and celebrity… [Saltz] endeavors to explain why ordinary people, and not just superheroes, create alter egos… In titillating anecdotes, Saltz describes killers, addicts, cheaters (on wives and taxes), a teenage wallflower murdered by her secret online love. Offering a less guilty pleasure – it’s history – are her analyses of Lindbergh and Lawrence… Saltz is detailed and thoughtful in her inquiry, acknowledging the limits of psychoanalyzing… and Saltz writes with eloquence and sophistication.”
— Lynn Harris

Publishers Weekly – February 27, 2006
“Saltz takes us on an engrossing and voyeuristic journey through the secret lives of several people, some composites from her psychoanalytic practice… The difference between keeping a secret and living a secret life is one of degree, says Saltz, and the most malignant secrets are the ones that remain in our unconscious, causing us to repeatedly act out. While most people’s secrets aren’t as dramatic as the stories related here, this book serves as a cautionary tale of how a secret is formed, lived, justified—and eventually exposed.”