The Roots of Treason: Ezra Pound and the Secret of St. Elizabeths

Torrey is the most original and definitive chronicler of mental illness and this previously out-of-print book is a stunning example of why. In Roots of Treason, Dr. Torrey takes on St. Elizabeth's Hospital which conspired to label the poet Ezra Pound, 'mentally ill' in order to help him avoid a prison sentence for treason. It is a delicious commentary on the intersection of cold war politics, liberalism, and the abuse of mental institutions. In previous books, Dr. Torrey has taken on the American Psyciatric Association (Freudian Fraud), politicians who kicked the mentally ill out of hospitals (Nowhere to Go), misguided mental health advocates (Out of the Shadows) and others. He has also expanded our knowledge of Schizophrenia (Schizophrenia and Manic Depressive Disorders) and provided invaluable assistance to those who have schizophrenia or have someone in the family who has it (Surviving Schizophrenia). This book differs from other Torrey works in that it should be of immense interest to those who have no interest in mental illness, per se, but are interested in the life Ezra Pound and the literati who surrounded him. The book details Pound's escapades in Italy, atraditional lifestyle, and return to America that ultimately ended in him being charged with treason. It's a fun, fast, informative read, ridden with blunt Torreyisms. SO glad it is back in print