Letters to the Editor That Were Never Published: And Some Other Stuff

Over the course of the last ten years, Dr. Alex Caemmerer has written well over one hundred letters to the editors of the New York Times, the Record (of Bergen County, New Jersey), and Psychiatric News, a journal aimed at psychiatrists and other behavioral health providers. The letters, arranged in chapters, represent his response to articles on a variety of topics, including psychiatry, psychoanalysis, religion, priests and bishops, depression, violence, homosexuality, and miscellaneous subjects of general interest. He was also inspired to write in on a variety of subjects, including the business of "Big Money," the American automobile and its role in American culture, the symbolic meanings and needs the automobile satisfies in one's psychology, and the practice of psychiatry (including a few examples of what brings one to a psychiatrist). He shared his opinions on business newscasters and their use of language, specifically the words and phrases aimed at scaring the public with frightening metaphors. Over the decades of his career, Dr. Caemmerer has been a witty observer and commentator on how people and society are changing-and not always for the betterment of either. These letters capture his unique perspective and his creative solutions to get things back on track.