Critic Reviews
Good
Based on 8 reviews on
The refreshingly original and "startlingly hopeful" (Lisa Taddeo) debut memoir of an over-achieving young lawyer who reluctantly agrees to group therapy and gets psychologically and emotionally naked in a room of six complete strangers--and finds human connection, and herself.
Christie Tate had just been named the top student in her law school class and finally had her eating disorder under control. Why then was she driving through Chicago fantasizing about her own death? Why was she envisioning putting an end to the isolation and sadness that still plagued her despite her achievements?
Enter Dr. Rosen, a therapist who calmly assures her that if she joins one of his psychotherapy groups, he can transform her life. All she has to do is show up and be honest. About everything--her eating habits, childhood, sexual history, etc. Christie is skeptical, insisting that that she is defective, beyond cure. But Dr. Rosen issues a nine-word prescription that will change everything: "You don't need a cure. You need a witness."
So begins her entry into the strange, terrifying, and ultimately life-changing world of group therapy. Christie is initially put off by Dr. Rosen's outlandish directives, but as her defenses break down and she comes to trust Dr. Rosen and to depend on the sessions and the prescribed nightly phone calls with various group members, she begins to understand what it means to connect.
"Often hilarious, and ultimately very touching" (People), Group is "a wild ride" (The Boston Globe), and with Christie as our guide, we are given a front row seat to the daring, exhilarating, painful, and hilarious journey that is group therapy--an under-explored process that breaks you down, and then reassembles you so that all the pieces finally fit.
Reese Witherspoon is an actor, producer and book club host.
Have you ever read a book that made you want to hug the author? #Group by @ChristieOTate is a testament to the power of connection. We need each other through good times and bad. Read it with a group of friends you cherish and if you don’t have a Group, join Mine! @ReesesBookClub https://t.co/jdThOpTxI3
Each month @ReeseW picks books she loves with a woman at the center of the story.
The #ReesesBookClub pick for November is #Group by @ChristieOTate. This honest, raw and real memoir gives us a front row seat to Christie's group therapy taking us on her daring, painful & unexpectedly hilarious journey to understand what it means to truly connect with others. https://t.co/2VkLK1ZJzF
Writer. Practicing my Buddhist name: Manjō (bountiful kindness). Novel-in-progress longlisted for Caledonia Novel Award 2022. Pronounced WORD-a-man.
@writesloud One of my favorite memoirs is Group by Christie Tate and one of the moments that doesn't leave me is the bag of apples on her car seat.