In The Shadow of Fame: A Memoir by the Daughter of Erik H. Erikson

Rating:
Summary: Liberating Fame's Captives
Review: Using her own personal history as well as other historic sources, Sue Erikson Bloland documents the phenomenon of "fame" and its origins. Ms. Bloland has described not only her particular situation but the dilema of a generation. At some point in the 20th century, the cult of the individual eclipsed the cult of the collective (religion) and our immersion, both conscious and unconscious, in its web continues to shape our contemporary cultural landscape. This book is aptly packaged as a personal memoir yet Bloland sets the stage for further research as to why fame has become a defining social goal. Her focus is the damage rendered not only to those intimately connected to fame's fall-out but also to a society that diminishes itself as it elevates individuals to super-human status. At the end, Ms. Boland reconciles herself to her family (and heritage) and encourages us to re-examine our own need to worship other mortals. "In the Shadow of Fame" has brilliantly set the groundwork for liberating ourselves from the "cult of the individual" and gently encourages us to humanize the heroes we worship.