Nonfiction

Everybody: A Book about Freedom

Everybody: A Book about Freedom

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  • Create Date：2021-07-07 08:51:48
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Olivia Laing
  • ISBN：0393608778
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Summary

 The body is a source of pleasure and of pain， at once hopelessly vulnerable and radiant with power。 In her ambitious， brilliant sixth book， Olivia Laing charts an electrifying course through the long struggle for bodily freedom， using the life of the renegade psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich to explore gay rights and sexual liberation， feminism， and the civil rights movement。

Drawing on her own experiences in protest and alternative medicine， and traveling from Weimar Berlin to the prisons of Joseph McCarthy’s America， Laing grapples with some of the most significant and complicated figures of the past century—among them Nina Simone， Christopher Isherwood， Andrea Dworkin， Sigmund Freud， Susan Sontag， and Malcolm X。 Arriving at a moment in which basic bodily rights are once again imperiled， Everybody is an investigation into the forces arranged against freedom and a celebration of how ordinary human bodies can resist oppression and reshape the world。

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Reviews

Sarah ，

“Pleasure is frightening， and so too is freedom。 It involves a kind of openness and unboundedness that’s deeply threatening both to the individual and to the society they inhabit。 Freedom invokes a counter-wish to clamp down， to tense up， to forbid， even to destroy。”Extraordinary in scope and insight。 The book is a bit hard to describe or pin down—the central organizing theme is following the life and writing of psychoanalyst and activist （and eventually， pseudoscientist） Wilhelm Reich， but also “Pleasure is frightening， and so too is freedom。 It involves a kind of openness and unboundedness that’s deeply threatening both to the individual and to the society they inhabit。 Freedom invokes a counter-wish to clamp down， to tense up， to forbid， even to destroy。”Extraordinary in scope and insight。 The book is a bit hard to describe or pin down—the central organizing theme is following the life and writing of psychoanalyst and activist （and eventually， pseudoscientist） Wilhelm Reich， but also the main freedom movements of the last century （feminism， civil rights， gay liberation）， but also the author’s own life as a body—but despite its slipperiness， fascinating and well-written。Like Reich， and like me in my newest book， Laing is trying to understand “the body itself: why it’s so difficult to inhabit， why you might want to escape or subdue it， why it remains a naked source of power， even now” and also how this power exists “not despite but because of [its] manifest vulnerabilities。” 。。。more

josefin。 ，

dnf @ 24%

Auderoy ，

QUOTES:I’d had a strong sense since childhood that I was holding something， that I’d locked myself around a mysterious unhappiness， the precise cause of which I didn’t understand。The past is interred in our bodies， every trauma meticulously preserved， walled up alive。There can be no possibility of a safe zone， no way of keeping yourself isolated from the world。 Life demands exchange。Bottom line， the body becomes its own inescapable prison， its needs turned against it， reduced to unbearable， unig QUOTES:I’d had a strong sense since childhood that I was holding something， that I’d locked myself around a mysterious unhappiness， the precise cause of which I didn’t understand。The past is interred in our bodies， every trauma meticulously preserved， walled up alive。There can be no possibility of a safe zone， no way of keeping yourself isolated from the world。 Life demands exchange。Bottom line， the body becomes its own inescapable prison， its needs turned against it， reduced to unbearable， unignorable sensation。 This is the true horror of violence， that the you of you is still inside。Pleasure and love aren’t just alluring possibilities， but annihilating states， places you can reach but perhaps can’t come back from。No， what I really miss is hope。 The larger truth of road protests is that they existed at a time when it still seemed possible that climate change could be averted， and my grief at the willed foreclosure of that future has only grown larger and more painful with the years。Evil is not confined to specific bodies in specific eras。 It bleeds out， seeping and staining through the years。 History always comes home to roost。 There is no possibility of a life uncompromised by the violence of the past。Freedom is a shared endeavour， a collaboration built by many hands over many centuries of time， a labour which every single living person can choose to hinder or advance。 It is possible to remake the world。 What you cannot do is assume that any change is permanent。 Everything can be undone， and every victory must be refought。This is what one body can do for another: manifest a freedom that is shared， that slips under the skin。 Freedom doesn’t mean being unburdened by the past。 It means continuing into the future， dreaming all the time。 A free body need not be whole or undamaged or unaugmented。 It is always changing， changing， changing， a fluid form after all。 。。。more

Les ，

Its very difficult to write a review of this in less than 500 words that does it justice。 Its both an exploration and a history of how societies fixation on classifying people by the traits you were born with has been used to oppress and control them。 Its dense and requires a lot attention， but it well worth it。

Andrea McDowell ，

I love Olivia Laing， with one qualification， and I loved this book， with the same （those of you who follow my reviews probably already know where this is going）。Laing's research into the figures she covers， including psychologists， writers and artists， and her close reading and interpretation of their works， and how she links them together， are stunning and beautiful。 Her thesis is liberating and a joy to investigate with her （that people's bodies are the site of both their vulnerability and the I love Olivia Laing， with one qualification， and I loved this book， with the same （those of you who follow my reviews probably already know where this is going）。Laing's research into the figures she covers， including psychologists， writers and artists， and her close reading and interpretation of their works， and how she links them together， are stunning and beautiful。 Her thesis is liberating and a joy to investigate with her （that people's bodies are the site of both their vulnerability and their power， in the quest for freedom and vulnerability）。 She writes about the subjugation experienced by racialized， queer， trans， female and feminine bodies， various kinds of incarceration and their effects， and the use of those bodies to find and enjoy freedom。 However， in all of this， she nearly entirely ignores disability。 There are a few offhand mentions here or there to the fact that disability is also a site of oppression， and that's it。 In the meantime， disabled people and disability in general have often been incarcerated， institutionalized， sterilized， euthanized， controlled， and deprived of access and equal rights to this day， on the basis of their bodies。 Illness enters the book often， but not disability。 I'm not the only reader/reviewer to notice this omission （see: https://www。npr。org/2021/05/06/992049。。。）。 Highly recommended， but with notable oversights。 。。。more

Meital ，

Dear OliviaI love everything about your writing; your choice of subjects; the way you dissect famous people’s biography and rebuild it to create a highly enjoyable read that contributes to the overall narrative you are trying to develop; the excellent measure of personal experience you add in; and above all， your way of ignoring what is considered “the right way to look at things” in favour of fresh look。 Will you be my friend？Best wishes（I only read two books of yours， but I am moving on to the Dear OliviaI love everything about your writing; your choice of subjects; the way you dissect famous people’s biography and rebuild it to create a highly enjoyable read that contributes to the overall narrative you are trying to develop; the excellent measure of personal experience you add in; and above all， your way of ignoring what is considered “the right way to look at things” in favour of fresh look。 Will you be my friend？Best wishes（I only read two books of yours， but I am moving on to the next one）Meital 。。。more

Glen Helfand ，

Befitting its title， "Everybody" is an intellectually extroverted book。 Olivia Laing has assembled something that comes across as a Wilhelm Reich theme party， inviting various personages whose lives and works intersect with his ideas about the intersections of mind and body。 Laing plays host， inviting in Kathy Acker， Susan Sontag， Ana Mendita， Agnes Martin， Nina Simone， Christopher Isherwood， Bayard Rustin， Oscar Wilde， Malcolm X， Marquis de Sade， William Burroughs， Andrea Dworkin， and Justin Vi Befitting its title， "Everybody" is an intellectually extroverted book。 Olivia Laing has assembled something that comes across as a Wilhelm Reich theme party， inviting various personages whose lives and works intersect with his ideas about the intersections of mind and body。 Laing plays host， inviting in Kathy Acker， Susan Sontag， Ana Mendita， Agnes Martin， Nina Simone， Christopher Isherwood， Bayard Rustin， Oscar Wilde， Malcolm X， Marquis de Sade， William Burroughs， Andrea Dworkin， and Justin Vivian Bond， among others。 It is a fascinating group， not without their clashes。 Laing writes about them with engaging clarity--this is a well-researched book of ideas that flows with ease， like a convivial conversation。 The approach and concepts are inspiring， pertinent， and personal to the author。 And like a gathering， it only goes so deep。 The beauty of "Everybody" then is in its way of generating the desire to dive deeper into her subjects， and in that way， everybody is invited。 。。。more

Taylor Pelletier ，

3。5 rounded up to 4

Ellie ，

I actually couldn’t put this down。 This was absolutely beautiful， and a masterpiece， and an honour and privilege to read。 I have never had more respect for the human body and the power it holds just by being it’s complex self。

Wolf-Eberhard Mehling ，

Must Read！I am 72， getting older every night。 What our understanding reached becomes irrelevant。 It's all included in what the next generation knows and understands even better and furthers。 So glad to be able to see and read this。 Must Read！I am 72， getting older every night。 What our understanding reached becomes irrelevant。 It's all included in what the next generation knows and understands even better and furthers。 So glad to be able to see and read this。 。。。more

Jillybb ，

Again， this author brings together disparate threads to form a cohesive narrative。 She does a better job of sticking the landing in this book than in the one on loneliness。 She is clearly a deep reader and thinker。 I especially loved the threads on racism。

Brynn ，

"The inner world， she thought， was far more fluid and changeable than the body in which it's housed。 She tried to invent a better design: perhaps a body made of gas or cloud， so that it could expand， contract， maybe break apart， fuse， swell， get thicker or thinner according to a person's shifting moods。" （36）"'The number of actual and imaginable sexual varieties is almost unending，' he wrote that year， sounding very much like Virginia Woolf in her gender-swapping， time-traveling masterpiece Orla "The inner world， she thought， was far more fluid and changeable than the body in which it's housed。 She tried to invent a better design: perhaps a body made of gas or cloud， so that it could expand， contract， maybe break apart， fuse， swell， get thicker or thinner according to a person's shifting moods。" （36）"'The number of actual and imaginable sexual varieties is almost unending，' he wrote that year， sounding very much like Virginia Woolf in her gender-swapping， time-traveling masterpiece Orlando。 'In each person there is a different mixture of manly and womanly substances， and as we cannot find two leaves alike on a tree， then it is highly unlikely that we will find two humans whose manly and womanly characteristics exactly match in kind and number。'" （79）"As Chris Kraus says in I Love Dick: 'Why does everybody think that women are debasing themselves when we expose the conditions of our own debasement？'" （150）"To be born at all is to be situated in a network of relations with other people， and furthermore to find oneself forcibly inserted into linguistic categories that might seem natural and inevitable but are socially constructed and rigorously political。 We're all stuck in our bodies， meaning stuck inside a grid of conflicting ideas about what those bodies mean， what they're capable of and what they're allowed or forbidden to do。" （179）"The biggest mistake he made was to think you can isolate yourself from the outside world。 You can't。 Our past stays with us， embedded in our bodies， and we live whether we like it or not in the object world， sharing the resources of reality with billions of other beings。 There is no steel-lined box that can protect you from the grid of forces that limits in tangible， tormenting ways what each private body is allowed to be or do。 There is no escape， no possible place to hide。 Either you submit to the world or you change the world。" （193）"I find it hard to watch footage of protests from the 1990s， especially of the evictions at Newbury， because it feels as if I'm looking directly into a moment when the future could still have gone a different way， a microcosmic， speeded-up version of what is happening now to the planet as a whole。" （251）"There is no republic of unencumbered bodies， free to migrate between states， unharried by any hierarchy of form。 It's impossible to know if it will ever be achieved， but if I'm certain about anything at all， it's that freedom is a shared endeavor， a collaboration built by many hands over many centuries of time， a labour which every single living person can choose to hinder or advance。 It is possible to remake the world。 What you cannot do is assume that any change is permanent。 Everything can be undone， and every victory must be refought。" （308）" 。。。more

Rob GQ ，

1st DNF

Jennifer Howard ，

DNF， somewhat to my surprise。 I much enjoyed Laing's TO THE RIVER and expected to like this one even more， given what I had heard about it。 But about halfway through， its accounts of the body's trials and tribulations got to be too much for me。 That's part of the point， I think， and I don't hold it against the author， but it began to feel like a masochistic reading experience and I decided to move on。 （FWIW， I was listening to the audiobook， and might have had a better experience if I'd been rea DNF， somewhat to my surprise。 I much enjoyed Laing's TO THE RIVER and expected to like this one even more， given what I had heard about it。 But about halfway through， its accounts of the body's trials and tribulations got to be too much for me。 That's part of the point， I think， and I don't hold it against the author， but it began to feel like a masochistic reading experience and I decided to move on。 （FWIW， I was listening to the audiobook， and might have had a better experience if I'd been reading it in print。 That was the case with TO THE RIVER anyway。） 。。。more

Cheryl ，

I've loved everything I've read by Olivia Laing。 The way she can draw connections between artist and thinkers across genres and eras is dazzling。 "Everybody" is an insightful and lucid examination of the way bodies carry political and cultural meanings， and how those meanings differ depending on the body you're in。 Using Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich as a jumping off point， Laing makes her way through the 20th century， from Weimar Berlin to the civil rights and gay liberation movements in I've loved everything I've read by Olivia Laing。 The way she can draw connections between artist and thinkers across genres and eras is dazzling。 "Everybody" is an insightful and lucid examination of the way bodies carry political and cultural meanings， and how those meanings differ depending on the body you're in。 Using Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich as a jumping off point， Laing makes her way through the 20th century， from Weimar Berlin to the civil rights and gay liberation movements in the US and Britain， to the feminist body artists of the 1970s America （Ana Mendieta and the University of Iowa are featured）。 She then moves to the present， from the struggles for trans rights to the resurgence of white supremacy under Trump， and the current issues around bodily autonomy during a global pandemic。 I had a visceral reaction to some of Laing's writing， which is only appropriate for a book about bodies。 。。。more

Skye ，

This book is a revelation on several levels。 Loved it。 I haven’t felt this way about a book since Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine; that I am being shown something new with which to make/ remake my sense of history and the world I live in。

Josephine Ensign ，

Having enjoyed reading Laing's earlier books of nonfiction， I looked forward to reading this recent one。 While there were parts of the book I found interesting （like the chapter "Unwell"）， the bulk of the book did not hang together well enough for me to like it very much。 Having enjoyed reading Laing's earlier books of nonfiction， I looked forward to reading this recent one。 While there were parts of the book I found interesting （like the chapter "Unwell"）， the bulk of the book did not hang together well enough for me to like it very much。 。。。more

Eliza ，

I loved this in the way that I love everything Laing writes， but at the end I wondered what I came away with - maybe it was just too broad in scope or （more likely） the intelligence and themes confound the usual forms I’m familiar with， requiring more thought and future returns。 Using Reich as a touchstone Laing explores the modern arbitrary restrictions placed on individuals and societies as a result of the involuntary forms they inhabit。 By way of the fallout from psychoanalysis in Vienna （Fre I loved this in the way that I love everything Laing writes， but at the end I wondered what I came away with - maybe it was just too broad in scope or （more likely） the intelligence and themes confound the usual forms I’m familiar with， requiring more thought and future returns。 Using Reich as a touchstone Laing explores the modern arbitrary restrictions placed on individuals and societies as a result of the involuntary forms they inhabit。 By way of the fallout from psychoanalysis in Vienna （Freud， Reich） Weimar Germany （Isherwood， Hirschfeld， Reich again）20th Century NYC/US （Acker， Sontag， Dworkin， Mendieta， Martin） and her own personal experience in various locations （among many， many others）， Laing traces the impacts and legacy of Reich’s theories - not least in the sad conclusion of his own story， serving as a foreboding living metaphor。 An original， awe-inspiring journey。 （And， on a more mundane level， I was delighted that the origins of Kate Bush’s Cloudbusting were unearthed， along with the accompanying Donald Sutherland anecdote。） 。。。more

Ellison ，

We think of our minds as controlling our bodies but in many ways the opposite is true - we judge ourselves by our thoughts but we are judged by others by our looks and our actions and how others treat us so we are formed。This is a beautifully written book examining basic questions about what it is like to be alive。

Noah ，

Bodies， porous， ever changing， powerful， violent， gentle， peace-making。 Olivia Laing is a craftsman of history， philosophy， and art。 Examining the intersection between Malcolm X and Foucault， Angela Carter and Angela Davis， Christopher Isherwood and Kate Bush， James Baldwin and Freud， Laing finds the common center being the body and the work of Wilhelm Reich。 Incredibly vast in its intellectual scope and yet this book reads like a thriller。 ‘Everybody - A Book about Freedom’ is marvelous， joyous Bodies， porous， ever changing， powerful， violent， gentle， peace-making。 Olivia Laing is a craftsman of history， philosophy， and art。 Examining the intersection between Malcolm X and Foucault， Angela Carter and Angela Davis， Christopher Isherwood and Kate Bush， James Baldwin and Freud， Laing finds the common center being the body and the work of Wilhelm Reich。 Incredibly vast in its intellectual scope and yet this book reads like a thriller。 ‘Everybody - A Book about Freedom’ is marvelous， joyous， insightful， terrifying， ominous， and brilliant。 （And even more apt if you read it while sick in bed the whole day long）。 。。。more

Diane S ☔ ，

Laing is such a fabulous writer， not only are these essays interesting but they also teach， empathize and she always leave some wanting more。 In these she uses Wilhelm Reich to tie these essays together or maybe I should say she uses him to guide us through what freedom for our body actually means。From Isherwood and Weimar Berlin she explores the sexual freedom that was prominent， where all sexes， what one was or wanted to be was not judged。 From freedom to McCarthyism which was almost the oppos Laing is such a fabulous writer， not only are these essays interesting but they also teach， empathize and she always leave some wanting more。 In these she uses Wilhelm Reich to tie these essays together or maybe I should say she uses him to guide us through what freedom for our body actually means。From Isherwood and Weimar Berlin she explores the sexual freedom that was prominent， where all sexes， what one was or wanted to be was not judged。 From freedom to McCarthyism which was almost the opposite。 From illness， using Sontag and her will not to submit to the cancer eating away at her body， to Agnes Martin， who wanted to escape from people and her mental illness。 Malcolm X and Nina Simone， all the different freedoms they wanted but did not have， though they fought for them。 There is so much here， people who found freedom， people who want to take away others freedoms， these essays exemplify both the body's power and it's vulnerability。 A truly terrific grouping of essays。ARC from W。 W。 Norton and Edelweiss。 。。。more

Bonnie Wroe ，

Reading Olivia Laing is luxurious。 Eloquent without being pretentious， educational but in an incredibly readable， storytelling way。 I really savoured this one to make it last as long as poss。

Cat ，

“The body is a source of pleasure and of pain， at once hopelessly vulnerable and radiant with power。”In Olivia Laing’s latest publication， Everybody， she explores the many facets of freedom using the psychoanalyst， Wilhelm Reich as the main thread throughout the text。 Laing succinctly investigates bodily freedom， gay rights， sexual liberation， feminism and the civil rights movement whilst drawing on her personal experience。In addition， Laing’s draws on the experiences of Andrea Dworkin， Christop “The body is a source of pleasure and of pain， at once hopelessly vulnerable and radiant with power。”In Olivia Laing’s latest publication， Everybody， she explores the many facets of freedom using the psychoanalyst， Wilhelm Reich as the main thread throughout the text。 Laing succinctly investigates bodily freedom， gay rights， sexual liberation， feminism and the civil rights movement whilst drawing on her personal experience。In addition， Laing’s draws on the experiences of Andrea Dworkin， Christopher Isherwood， Malcolm X， Susan Sontag， Sigmund Freud， Nina Simone and many others to demonstrate the pursuit of freedom in its various forms。In the chapter Unwell， Laing looks the spectrum of health and trauma。 I was particularly fascinated with the extremes of how Susan Sontag and Kathy Acker dealt with their cancers。 Sontag wanted all treatments for her cancer notwithstanding how sick they made her， especially at the end of her life compared to Acker’s refusal to have treatment。 Also， whilst discovering Reich’s orgone accumulator ‘invention’， it was the inspiration to Kate Bush’s song， Cloudbusting。 There is so much to unpack in this part memoir， part exploration of freedom but ultimately， it’s a must read and will stay with me for a long time。4。5 stars 。。。more

Ari Levine ，

The self-indulgence and indiscipline are strong here。。。 Crudo was not an isolated event。

Stephen Kastner ，

Olivia Laing is both a writer and a detective， filling her books with a wealth of research。 In this title as in The Lonely City， she delves deeply into the life and philosophy of Wilhelm Reich as it relates to the lives and struggles of Nina Simone， Christopher Isherwood， Andrea Dworkin， Sigmund Freud， Susan Sontag， and Malcolm X。 All of these people are connected by a philosophical thread that she weaves about sexual freedom， gender identity， and her own life。 Since I learn so much by reading h Olivia Laing is both a writer and a detective， filling her books with a wealth of research。 In this title as in The Lonely City， she delves deeply into the life and philosophy of Wilhelm Reich as it relates to the lives and struggles of Nina Simone， Christopher Isherwood， Andrea Dworkin， Sigmund Freud， Susan Sontag， and Malcolm X。 All of these people are connected by a philosophical thread that she weaves about sexual freedom， gender identity， and her own life。 Since I learn so much by reading her novels， she has become one of my favorite writers。 Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency is the next Laing I look forward to reading。 。。。more

LittleSophie ，

Intesresting but a bit baggy， is my impression of Laing's latest work。 Offcially concerned with the body and its relationship with freedom， she then makes big jumps through the connections with feminism， queer liberation and the civil rights movement among others。 All of that is completely interesting and relevant， I just wanted to learn about more about the whole body/mind theories， as they were the hook into the book。 Obviously fascinating as always with Laing， just not quite as relevatory as Intesresting but a bit baggy， is my impression of Laing's latest work。 Offcially concerned with the body and its relationship with freedom， she then makes big jumps through the connections with feminism， queer liberation and the civil rights movement among others。 All of that is completely interesting and relevant， I just wanted to learn about more about the whole body/mind theories， as they were the hook into the book。 Obviously fascinating as always with Laing， just not quite as relevatory as I would have liked it to be。 。。。more

Rebecca ，

Walking into a gallery was like stepping off a ledge into deep water。 The paintings hummed。 They were like windows into how the world would be if all the architecture was remove， language gone， the concepts dispensed with， the forms melted away。

Andrea ，

The chapters that caught my interest were the ones in which Laing addressed incarceration and the topic of racism and the civil rights movement。 Although it was very well written， it was nothing new， however it was well researched and I was captivated by the information。 I love Olivia Laing's writing and I am not saying this was a bad book， but I grew increasingly frustrated with the references to Wilhelm Reich， Freud and the Marquis de Sade （especially and not in a Andrea Dworkin sense）。 I unde The chapters that caught my interest were the ones in which Laing addressed incarceration and the topic of racism and the civil rights movement。 Although it was very well written， it was nothing new， however it was well researched and I was captivated by the information。 I love Olivia Laing's writing and I am not saying this was a bad book， but I grew increasingly frustrated with the references to Wilhelm Reich， Freud and the Marquis de Sade （especially and not in a Andrea Dworkin sense）。 I understood that Reich was a central figure to the book， but there were times when I felt like I was reading his biography rather than a book about freedom。 The end of the book is what really did it justice because Laing started to address more prominent issues without the influence of psychoanalysis present and I felt more of her voice come out。 I would still recommend the book t0 people I feel would understand the content， however it would come with a hefty warning about the overwhelming views on psychoanalysis in the 1930s and it's overbearing presence on the entirety of the book。 。。。more

Patricia Linville ，

 Everybody: A book about freedom by Olivia Laing， while difficult to define， is a fascinating read。Laing states her book is about  “。。。bodies in peril and bodies as a force for change。” She uses Wilhelm Reich， “。。。one of the strangest and most prescient thinkers of the twentieth century…who dedicated his life to understanding the vexed relationship between bodies and freedom。。。” to illustrate the extent to which bodily freedoms or the lack thereof have shaped our current reality。  This thread is  Everybody: A book about freedom by Olivia Laing， while difficult to define， is a fascinating read。Laing states her book is about  “。。。bodies in peril and bodies as a force for change。” She uses Wilhelm Reich， “。。。one of the strangest and most prescient thinkers of the twentieth century…who dedicated his life to understanding the vexed relationship between bodies and freedom。。。” to illustrate the extent to which bodily freedoms or the lack thereof have shaped our current reality。  This thread is woven into the fabric of the sexual revolutions and freedom movements of the last century and the rise of incarceration as a tool of suppression。Within the weaving are multiple personal histories of artists， musicians and activists， some notable and others not so， who are associated with efforts to define and achieve freedom。  From Ana Mendieta’s performance art to combat violence to women， Nina Simone’s evolution into a civil rights activist， Freud’s acquiescence to Hitler and much more are the central draw of the book。  These anecdotes entertain as well as educate， creating an insatiable need to know more。One such story was of Reich’s orgone accumulators， essentially a box in which patients would sit， shutting out all stimulation， as a way to achieve bodily freedom。 The author doesn’t miss the irony of comparing the box to the use of solitary confinement in prisons。  Aptly， Laing uses a photo of Reich’s orgone box， increasingly dimmed， for each chapter， as she journeys through the history of oppression and the fight for freedom， both individual and collective。Laing may have woven a lot into her work yet she has created much food for thought。  What more can be asked of a book？  Highly recommended。 。。。more

James ，

A thoughtful， thought-provoking， expertly researched book about what it means to inhabit a body written in a time when so many bodies and the related freedoms and rights are under assault。 Laing uses the difficult life of psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich， who studied under Freud but had a falling out， to explore gay rights， civil rights， feminism， and racism。 Well-written， powerful， and insightful。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Everybody: A Book about Freedom

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Everybody: A Book about Freedom&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Everybody: A Book about Freedom&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0