Customer Reviews
A "how to" guide for overcoming "destructive narcissism" of parents 
2008-04-27
There is a lot written on the subjects of parents and the different forms of abuse they can intentionally or unintentionally inflict. This book, which is published by a publisher that specializes in very good, hands-on, psychology self-help, is not a theoretical kind of work. It does help you understand by taking you through things one step at a time rather than depending on you to just grasp a complex idea which may be "too close to home."
The author distinguishes between healthy narcissism and what she calls DNP--the destructively narcissistic person. The book is actually useful whether the DNP in question is a parent or someone else very close in your life...but it is aimed specifically at the more difficult problem of the DNP parent which, I suspect, many people will be surprised to recognize. The overly self-absorbed parent is the parent who is also not there for the child, not providing support, and who always, just always makes themselves the center of things through their own dramatics and theatrics. If you've been there, you know.
I like the semi-workbook format, though it doesn't work for everybody. But if you want to try to understand this and grapple with it on your own, this is definitely the book.
You know who you are 
2008-04-08
If you had a narcisstic parent, you already know a lot about the topic, probably because you had years of therapy. I read this book and then passed it around from friend to friend. It made us all feel validated and comforted. The most usual aspect was to see the effects on ourselves, (in a admittedly sketchy way) and why we interact as we do with other people. It also helped me see why my own children sometimes back off. It's definitely worth reading for the validation. By the way, there is a wonderful review already posted by "Sister Renee" which is worth reading for its own merits.
Practical, Simple, Helpful 2008-04-06
Although my "self-absorbed relative has passed away, this book gave me an in depth understanding of the self-absorbed person's modis operandi and creates practical solutions to make the experience less traumatic even after the fact. I was able to be more forgiving and understanding to both the parent and myself and feel compassion for both of us. I recommend this book to anyone who had an overbearing, controlling and unconscious parent to help liberate you from the complicated maze of thoughts, feelings and emotions that may be holding you back from your own self expression and freedom.
For adult children of Narcissists 
2008-03-15
Quite a helpful book aimed at the adult children of Narcissists whose lives are still detrimentally affected by their parents' personality disorder/s. Plenty of good, practical advice on how to 'get over it' emotionally, deal with the N-parent/s if that is still necessary, and brief analyses of typical N-behaviour patterns.
A Must Read 2008-03-15
Anyone who has grown up with a narcissistic parent should read this book. It' full of information, self-tests, projects and solid strategies to help you deal with interactions with your parent, as well as healing yourself. You certainly don't have to have a degree in psychology to understand and apply what is being said. This book is very reader friendly for the lay-person. I was told if there was only one book you could read about narcissistic parents, this would be it. After reading it, I have to agree.
Excellent Starter for Self Evaluation 2008-07-24
The book is written in simple language and therefore very accessible to those not familiar with the field of psychology. Additionally, the book is very interactive, forcing the reader to be invested in the book's content and therefore their own development. Nina Brown is knowledgeable and is able to relay her knowledge differently than most authors of psychological texts. I have read many texts on narcissism and honestly can say this is the best one in its breadth, accessibility, sophistication, and perspective.
My last comment is that, Dr. Brown is very straight forward. She introduces ideas that may be difficult to accept and investigate. As opposed to other authors in this field, she does not sympathize with the victim and the emotionally lazy. She asks that the reader take the content of the book and their own development seriously. This is ultimately helpful.
Not all so-called self-absorbed parents are narcissistic 
2008-06-17
What is it about all these books being written about how parents were sooooo bad? Why does society expect parents to be perfect? Guess what? NO parent is perfect, because no human being is perfect. Yes, the Baby Boomer generation (which no doubt this books mostly talks about) was more self-absorbed than other generations, but not necessarily because of being narcissictic, but rather because of having problems of their own that could not be overcome.
But if those under 30, have the need to feel better about themselves by bashing those who raise them, then go ahead. But let's have books published giving parents equal time. I know of many parents who have done the best they could, but you would never know it by the way some children do turn out, and contrary to popular belief, it isn't always the parents' fault.
It's all about my mother 2008-06-01
This book is written about my mother to a tee. It is reasurring that it is a personality disorder because I thought it was me that is crazy. I'm not crazy, but have been dealing with a NPD for my entire life and now that I realize the person I am dealing with. This will help me cope and strategize when she is near me. I now know to set my boundries to stay alive and well. Thank you. I would recommend this book to anyone that is dealing with a malignant narcissistic parent.
Many Books In One 2008-05-22
Upon reading some of the reviews written here, I am glad to see that this book was helpful to many. Dr. Brown is dealing with an incredibly complex subject, and tries to cover much ground in 200 pages. However,in going through it, I was struck not only by the author's ambitiousness in trying to define, clarify, sort out and enumerate the vast number of concepts, psychological terms and suggestions tangent to the issue of narcissism, but how confusing this must all be to the reader. Many ambiguous, generalized, inaccurate terms and definitions are thrown into this stew, stated here in an attempt to simplify the subject matter. However,it leaves a great deal of room for misconception.
If well-organized, this material easily could have been a few different books, along with a workbook. But, more disconcerting is the meandering assortment of topics thrown in with no apparent logic. It is way too much inaccurate information trying to pass itself off as "psychologically"correct and helpful, but in reality is a hodge-podge. The "dumbing down"of the concept of narcissism and its malignant effects upon
the child-parent relationship, just further contribute to what Susan Jacoby aptly describes as "the Un-Minding of America". Perhaps Ms. Brown might stick to simpler
issues and leave the tough ones for professionals more adept at accurate, well-developed psychological formulations for the layman to absorb.
Eyeopening 2008-05-09
As the good friend of a child psychologist who buys everything published in the field, I saw this book at her house and picked it up, never having given much thought to the subject before. This is one of those eye-opening books that makes you realize there are more narcissists in the world who damage their kids by being absorbed with their own activities, their own lives outside their children, etc than may be realized. Being the child of a narcissist can lead to becoming one yourself, and I think this book is really an important step in identifying parents who are this way, and recognizing the potential to become this way yourself.
