Why do some men become convinced—despite what doctors tell them—that their penises have, simply, disappeared? Why do people across the world become convinced that they are cursed to die on a particular date—and then do? Why do people in Malaysia suddenly “run amok”?

In The Geography of Madness, acclaimed magazine writer Frank Bures investigates these and other “culture-bound” syndromes, tracing each seemingly baffling phenomenon to its source. It’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.

Author: Frank Bures
Publisher: Melville House
Pages: 256pp
Size: 5.5 x 8.5
Notes: paperback
Release Date: April 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-1612195568