Audiobook12 hours
Behave
Written by Andromeda Romano-Lax
Narrated by Elisabeth Rodgers
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
From the author of The Spanish Bow comes a lush, harrowing novel based on the real life story of Rosalie Rayner Watson, one of the most controversial scientists-and mothers-of the 20th century "The mother begins to destroy the child the moment it's born," wrote the founder of behaviorist psychology, John B. Watson, whose 1928 parenting guide was revered as the child-rearing bible. For their dangerous and "mawkish" impulses to kiss and hug their child, "most mothers should be indicted for psychological murder." Behave is the story of Rosalie Rayner, Watson's ambitious young wife and the mother of two of his children. In 1920, when she graduated from Vassar College, Rayner was ready to make her mark on the world. Intelligent, beautiful, and unflappable, she won a coveted research position at Johns Hopkins assisting the charismatic celebrity psychologist John B. Watson. Together, Watson and Rayner conducted controversial experiments on hundreds of babies to prove behaviorist principles. They also embarked on a scandalous affair that cost them both their jobs-and recast the sparkling young Rosalie Rayner, scientist and thinker, as Mrs. John Watson, wife and conflicted, maligned mother, just another "woman behind a great man." With Behave, Andromeda Romano-Lax offers a provocative fictional biography of Rosalie Rayner Watson, a woman whose work influenced generations of Americans, and whose legacy has been lost in the shadow of her husband's. In turns moving and horrifying, Behave is a richly nuanced and disturbing novel about science, progress, love, marriage, motherhood, and what all those things cost a passionate, promising young woman.
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Reviews for Behave
Rating: 3.9117647000000004 out of 5 stars
4/5
17 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is historical fiction that focuses on the second wife of behaviorist psychologist John Watson. Having read about Watson and his early work in psychology, this book was interesting for me. The author does a great job of describing the time period and events so that I could easily image the happenings, such prohibition and the depression. Rosalie is a woman ahead of her time but living in the shadow of a luminary in his field, and this creates tension for her throughout her life. During a time when most women were staying at home and advertising was really in infancy, I enjoyed reading about how the time period and theories shape both the character of Rosalie and women today.Note: I was given a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm all for dark books with unlikeable characters, but there was something particularly bleak about this one—maybe because you could see where it was going, maybe because there wasn't quite enough joy to balance out the sadness. It was well-written and a good enough read—just never quite emotionally engaging enough for me to be invested in the characters.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rosalie Rayner Watson comes to life through the pages of Romano-Lax’ s Behave. We see the character mature from an idealistic and entitled young woman to a harried young mother who realizes the choices for women who want it all, in the Twenties and thirties, are limited. At times, I simply forgot I was reading a book that wasn’t taking place right now as the story is still so relatable, right down to the male professor and/or executive and his power both in and out of the classroom or boardroom. The fact that this novel is based on real people and the theory of behaviorism, a seemingly flawed study, is all the more fascinating. This really is an interesting novel that is well worth the read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Title: BehaveAuthor: Andromeda Romano-LaxPublisher: Soho PressReviewed By: Arlena DeanRating: FourReview:"Behave" by Andromeda Romano-LaxMy Thoughts....This is a interesting historical fiction however, based on a true storyabout 'parenthood, marriage, feminism, mistakes, sex, science, and religion,' The author really does her job giving the reader a believable story that is well written of a 'fictional biography of Rosalie Rayner and her husband psychologist John B.Watson 'bringing out the fundamentals of raising a child. "Behave" was definitely one of those reads that will very thought provoking even though it is fiction as she author gives us the reader 'quotable material on many pages.' I will say this novel left me in ...well one that was definitely not a happy read, however, if this author was trying to stimulate the readers...well I think she got there.