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The Three Christs of Ypsilanti
The Three Christs of Ypsilanti | Milton Rokeach
3 posts | 5 read | 8 to read
On July 1, 1959, at Ypsilanti State Hospital in Michigan, the social psychologist Milton Rokeach brought together three paranoid schizophrenics: Clyde Benson, an elderly farmer and alcoholic; Joseph Cassel, a failed writer who was institutionalized after increasingly violent behavior toward his family; and Leon Gabor, a college dropout and veteran of World War II. The men had one thing in common: each believed himself to be Jesus Christ. Their extraordinary meeting and the two years they spent in one anothers company serves as the basis for an investigation into the nature of human identity, belief, and delusion that is poignant, amusing, and at times disturbing. Displaying the sympathy and subtlety of a gifted novelist, Rokeach draws us into the lives of three troubled and profoundly different men who find themselves confronted with the ultimate contradiction conceivable for human beings: more than one person claiming the same identity.
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review
ValerieAndBooks
ValerieAndBooks
The Three Christs of Ypsilanti | Milton Rokeach
post image
Mehso-so

The background story of this is interesting— three men, each believing they‘re Christ, are brought together in Ypsilanti State Hospital (early 1960s). However, this is fully a case study with more detail than I wanted/needed. Plus, some of the approaches taken then would be questionable today, something that the author (who ran the study) acknowledges in his afterword penned 20 years later.

Still curious to see the movie based on this.

Zelma I am very intrigued by the movie. 5y
70 likes1 comment
blurb
ValerieAndBooks
ValerieAndBooks
The Three Christs of Ypsilanti | Milton Rokeach
post image

For those of you interested in my current read, nyrb is having a flash sale (40% off) this weekend on this book and also some others of their titles that have been turned into movies. If you don‘t mind having a movie tie-in cover!

Soubhiville If Peter Dinklage is on it I definitely don‘t mind ❤️! 5y
ValerieAndBooks @Soubhiville Gotta love Peter Dinklage 💖! 5y
Liz_M #nyrbbookclub might be interested in this sale! 5y
Suet624 What a cast of characters! 5y
48 likes4 comments
blurb
ValerieAndBooks
ValerieAndBooks
The Three Christs of Ypsilanti | Milton Rokeach
post image

Some time ago, this cover‘s title caught my eye and I bought it. Ypsilanti MI is the next town over from Ann Arbor where we lived for many years. In fact my 3 kids were born in Ypsi.

Finally out of the TBR, because I found out it‘s been made into a movie with Richard Gere and Peter Dinklage. This book is a case study by the author about three of his mental hospital patients who each thought they were Christ, and he brought them together.

LeahBergen Wow! That sounds fascinating! 5y
DrexEdit Oh yes. That's a must read! Stacking! 😊 5y
BarbaraBB Sounds fascinating. Looking forward to your thoughts! 5y
See All 8 Comments
readordierachel It's a very striking cover! 5y
ValerieAndBooks @LeahBergen @DrexEdit @BarbaraBB it starts out reading mostly like a psychology text or research paper , but getting interesting now that the Three Christs are in the picture! 5y
ValerieAndBooks @readordierachel it‘s feels very moody! 5y
Suet624 Holy Toledo! I‘ve got to read this! 5y
ValerieAndBooks @Suet624 you‘ll like it if you like case studies — it doesn‘t read like narrative non-fiction. Still interesting! 5y
65 likes4 stack adds8 comments