What a challenging read, but I'm glad that I read it. I knew a little bit about the history of lobotomies in North American psychiatric hospitals, but I had no idea that so much of the horror of the procedure as we frequently think of it was attributed to one man's desperate need for power and fame.

I thought at first that Freeman's actions could partially be blamed on very misplaced intentions and a desire to help, but reading this take on his life and career makes it evident that the majority of the damage he caused was simply due to his own greedy, over-inflated ego.

On a happier note, Prentice's writing is engaging and quick to read through, and I appreciate the emphasis placed not only on how tragic it is that these people's lives were forever changed or cut short, but also the attention to how misogynistic and racist Freeman's preferences for women and/or Black patients were. The end of the book wonders aloud if we could ever see such grand-scale medical malpractice as the likes of widespread lobotomies, and I'm genuinely chilled to imagine it.