EXUBERANCE The Passion for Life

Professor of psychiatry and renowned expert on bipolar disorder Kay Redfield Jamison writes about exuberance, a little-studied and often overlooked but contagious emotion. Jamison approaches her overview with the premise that depression, the opposite end of the spectrum from exuberance, is given much more "air time," when exuberance, a more positive emotion, should warrant similar interest. Bernadette Dunne reads Jamison's work with authority, balanced with equal parts of compassion and enthusiasm. Dunne's zeal for the subject is apparent, mirroring Jamison's, whether reading about the microbe hunters of the past, FDR, or John Muir. Together, the two present a thought-provoking and absorbing look at a powerfully motivating mental force. H.L.S. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 05]