The Geography of Madness: Penis Thieves, Voodoo Death, and the

The Geography of Madness: Penis Thieves, Voodoo Death, and the Search for the Meaning of the World's Strangest Syndromes

Why do some men become convincedâ€”despite what doctors tell themâ€”that their penises have, simply, disappeared. Why do people across the world become convinced that they are cursed to die on a particular dateâ€”and then do? Why do people in Malaysia suddenly â€œrun amokâ€?

In The Geography of Madness, acclaimed magazine writer Frank Bures investigates these and other â€œculture-boundâ€ syndromes, tracing each seemingly baffling phenomenon to its source. Itâ€™s a fascinating, and at times rollicking, adventure that takes the reader around the world and deep into the oddities of the human psyche. What Bures uncovers along the way is a poignant and stirring story of the persistence of belief, fear, and hope.

The Geography of Madness: Penis Thieves, Voodoo Death, and the Search for the Meaning of the World's Strangest Syndromes