Rating: 
Summary: Supervision
Review: Actually, if you look on page 114 of the paperback edition- the author writes,"Ever since the day Tim and I had met, I as the fourth year medical student and he as the second-year resident assigned to supervise me..." Her fiance was, in fact, her supervisor for awhile. I don't think this fact detracts the the book's overall impact and importance, however.
Rating:
Summary: Supervision
Review: Actually, if you look on page 114 of the paperback edition- the author writes,"Ever since the day Tim and I had met, I as the fourth year medical student and he as the second-year resident assigned to supervise me..." Her fiance was, in fact, her supervisor for awhile. I don't think this fact detracts the the book's overall impact and importance, however.
Rating: 
Summary: The author's response nearly as pathological as the stalker!
Review: As a therapist, it is one thing to encounter a pathological person. It is something else again, to respond in a pathological fashion. I could not help feeling that the author's overreaction to all that she experienced, could not have helped the situation. As therapists, we are at risk. Less than some professions, far more than others. Her fear and reactions were consistantly unwarrented. I would have like to have seen her get help with her own reactions to a difficult situation!
Rating:
Summary: Very real story about victim of stalking
Review: Being a victim of stalking myself it was a great relief to know that I am not the only one victim of obsessive love. Great book, easy to read, lots of different other people's stories. Dr. Orion sheared her story to help others.
Rating:
Summary: Horrifying real-life story that everyone should read.
Review: Dr. Doreen Orion's book was a glimpse into the real-life psychiatrist's world whom actually became a suffering victim herself. The book told of a horrifying account of a mentally ill patient fixating on a psychiatrist that actually treated the patient for a short period of time. The irony is that a dedicated professional was stalked by the very patient she was trying to treat. This fixation became the worst nightmare that Hollywood could have ever dreamt of. Could it happen to anyone? The answer is yes. I have asked my husband to read it. I have asked my friends and family to read it. You can never be too sure. When mentally ill people are involved, horrifying things may happen to innocent people. This book was insightful and impactful. A must read for the 90s and beyond.
Rating:
Summary: excellent, but lacking a fulfilling depth
Review: excellent because: grippingly written, obviously well-researched, carefully thought-out, and with powerfully expressed feelings of terror and powerlessness. my critique: it sounds horrible to say, but I wonder if Doreen Orion really did all she could to protect herself from her stalker. it struck me that her only real growth in the book in relation to her stalker was to become a better legal advocate for herself, and as such the book degraded from a personal journey into a legalistic and advocacy morass. then: I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when she said how she met her psychiatrist fiancé - that he was her THERAPEUTIC SUPERVISOR! she failed to see the parallel in power dynamics between the beginning of her relationship with her fiancée and the beginning of her "stalker's" relationship with her! although I don't want to jump to any conclusions, I felt this was completely unmined territory in the book (and in Orion's personal life), and my raised antennae tell me there's more to this than meets the eye... some other questions in the same vein: it seemed, as of publication of the book, that Orion's stalker was still at large, and would almost certainly read this book. why would Orion even open this door? I think she, like many writers and would-be famous people, use the most awful bits of their own personal life to launch themselves into the public eye, to get even more famous - but wouldn't that just fan the flames of an erotomanic? perhaps at some deep and unspoken-of level, despite her true horror of being stalked, she gets some primal gratification from the attention of her stalker, and somehow her stalker picks up on it...like the two of them feed each other...and actually are in a relationship. finally: never does Doreen Orion mention some vital relationships of her own - that with any therapists of her own, or, and I think most importantly, with her parents. I can only wonder what knowledge of the dynamics between Orion and these important others would add to my understanding of her apparently still-evolving relationship with her stalker.
Rating:
Summary: excellent, but lacking a fulfilling depth
Review: excellent because: grippingly written, obviously well-researched, carefully thought-out, and with powerfully expressed feelings of terror and powerlessness. my critique: it sounds horrible to say, but I wonder if Doreen Orion really did all she could to protect herself from her stalker. it struck me that her only real growth in the book in relation to her stalker was to become a better legal advocate for herself, and as such the book degraded from a personal journey into a legalistic and advocacy morass. then: I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when she said how she met her psychiatrist fiancé - that he was her THERAPEUTIC SUPERVISOR! she failed to see the parallel in power dynamics between the beginning of her relationship with her fiancée and the beginning of her "stalker's" relationship with her! although I don't want to jump to any conclusions, I felt this was completely unmined territory in the book (and in Orion's personal life), and my raised antennae tell me there's more to this than meets the eye... some other questions in the same vein: it seemed, as of publication of the book, that Orion's stalker was still at large, and would almost certainly read this book. why would Orion even open this door? I think she, like many writers and would-be famous people, use the most awful bits of their own personal life to launch themselves into the public eye, to get even more famous - but wouldn't that just fan the flames of an erotomanic? perhaps at some deep and unspoken-of level, despite her true horror of being stalked, she gets some primal gratification from the attention of her stalker, and somehow her stalker picks up on it...like the two of them feed each other...and actually are in a relationship. finally: never does Doreen Orion mention some vital relationships of her own - that with any therapists of her own, or, and I think most importantly, with her parents. I can only wonder what knowledge of the dynamics between Orion and these important others would add to my understanding of her apparently still-evolving relationship with her stalker.
Rating: 
Summary: Informative and eye-opening
Review: Having recently befriended a man who is being stalked by a former girlfriend, I found this book very timely. It offers excellent information from both a personal and professional view. It was published in 1997; I understand that awareness and legislation have been increasing exponentially since then. I am grateful to the author for all the energy she poured into her story, and dismayed that she was still being pursued even as the book was published.... I disagree strongly with one statement in the book, from page 224; she quotes Lieutenant John Lane of the LAPD; he says, "The stalking problem belongs to the victim...." NO! The problem belongs to the stalker, who created the problem in the first place. The victim unwillingly carries the burden of the problem -- the stalker obviously takes no responsibility for his/her actions. Other than that horribly erroneous statement, I found the book to be very helpful, although not particularly encouraging -- the average erotomaniac's obsession lasts about ten years....
Rating:
Summary: Avoid Victimization
Review: I am very pleased that the topic of victimization gets adequate attention in recent times and gets addressed in the public.
Doreen Orion gives insight the minds of perpetrators and victims.
If you are currently stalked, this book helps you to protect yourself.
BUT much more important, the author empowers you to avoid victimization in the first stages.
Establish firm personal boudaries and be alerted if they are crossed. Do not make an "easy" victim. Be confident, not overwhelmed!
A must read for counsellors!
However, I would recommend the Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker to complement this book for a holistic understanding of stalking behavior.
Rating:
Summary: Brief response to Leah
Review: In a highly readable form, this book very well presents the facts concerning stalking. It would have benefitted from a decent editor (for example, to get rid of inappropriate use of subjunctive, change "led" for "lead,") but overall, I recommend it strongly.
Leah complains that another reviewer mistakenly stated that Tim, Dr. Orion's husband, was her supervisor. It is Leah who is mistaken: on page 102, she explicitly states that they met when he was her resident supervisor and she a medical student.
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