Untamed by Suzana E. Flores was interesting enough while I was reading but ultimately mostly forgettable and I skim read most of it. I do want to give this book another try when I'm not in a reading slump though.

DNFed. But enjoyed want I read. I had to DNF though becausenthe way this was written made me start to feel like homework. Which can totally work for some people but I just couldn't do it.

Examination of the long evolution of Wolverine, Marvel's character. Flores did a very good work on this, she explored his development very well, from old version to modern one. I can't say I was stunned by this, but at least I have learned new interesting things.

Wolverine's backstory is woven with an analysis of psychological theories used to explain why he does what he does and why he is who he is. the author unravels the traumatic story of James Howlett and the external and internal pressures that led him to become Wolverine. The sections that focused most narrowly on that tale are the most engaging.

For fans of the Wolverine this would come highly recommended. There were some compelling facts stated and some very dark sides of humanity shown. I had an interesting experience. Thank you Netgally for granting me this ARC

Please note: I'll publish the post on my blog on 29 August.

About:
Untamed: The Psychology of Marvel’s Wolverine by Suzana E. Flores is a non-fiction analysis and exploration of the titled fictional anti-hero. Dr. Flores, a fan of comic books, is a social media expert and commentator.
Thoughts:
I stumbled across Untamed: The Psychology of Marvel’s Wolverine by Suzana E. Flores accidentally and couldn’t let it pass by. I have read several books in the same vein (either “The Science of…”, “The Psychology of…”, or “The Philosophy of…”) and enjoyed many of them, as well as learned a thing or two along the way.
Always a good thing.
Dr. Flores uses her knowledge, schooling and just plain logic to analyze Wolverine. The author obviously has done research beyond just watching the X-Men movies, but she also read the comic books and interviewed the creators themselves for more insights.
Before starting the analysis, the author writes a thorough examination of the anti-hero himself, what makes him who he is, past events which shaped him, major milestones and relationships. Wolverine’s wonderful / disturbing quote of “I’m the best there is at what I do … but what I do isn’t very nice” is featured prominently throughout the book – and I can’t blame her, it’s a brilliantly descriptive quote which captures the essence of the character.
I enjoyed learning how the writers and artists came to create Wolverine, mainly as a Canadian hero to capture a readership segment. I was also surprised that much of the history of Wolverine came from the author’s personal life, which is why it hit so many chords with readers all around the world.
This book is short, but very well organized, so well organized in fact that I noticed how organized it is. The themes, events, and theories all have their own place, as well as dedicated chapters to portions of Wolverine’s life and battles (with others, himself and romantic ones as well).
If you like the comic books, the character, the X-Men team, or just the Marvel Universe this book will certainly be right up your alley. The author makes connections to the story-lines and themes to today’s world, explaining the role comic books, or as I like to refer to them as American Mythology, have on our society and the future.

It was interesting to read nonfiction book about fiction character. I really enjoyed it. I love Marvel and learning different things is really amazing to me.

I can honestly tell you that I never expected to see a novel that literally analysis the psychology of a comic book character…but man am I happy to be surprised by this one! While it may never have occurred to me to seek out a book like this, I am happy that it was written and that I stumbled across it.
Suzana E. Flores absolutely had the writing and psychology chops to nail this analysis. While some of her explanations may have been long winded, it doesn’t change the fact that she knew what she was talking about. I don’t know if I agree with every conclusion she came to about Wolverine, but likewise I really can’t argue with her logic for getting there.
Along with an in-depth analysis of Wolverine’s mental state, Untamed includes an in-depth view on the character himself (which makes sense – you have to know the character before you can study him) and major events in his past. Since these events made him the character he is today, that all makes complete sense.
Still, it was interesting to learn so much more about Wolverine. For example, I never knew the origin behind Wolverine’s creation, nor did I know about the author’s real life histories that gave Wolverine such a lifelike backbone.
Flores breaks up major events, themes, and theories into nicely organized chapters. She has an entire chapter dedicated to Wolverine’s childhood (which again, makes sense), the subject of torture (which again, unfortunately for Logan, makes sense), and Wolverine’s romantic interests and failures. There’s more, of course, but those were the parts that stood out in my mind the most.
Together all of these chapters, perspectives, and theories give us a fuller idea of Wolverine and the true suffering he’s experienced over time. It gives us a better idea of the character he’s become, and why he behaves the way he does.

This is a nonfiction book that takes different elements of psychology and applies them to the Marvel Comics character, Wolverine. Wolverine is very iconic in society today, and many people know him from the X-men movies, and some know him from the comics. For those that aren't familiar with his story beyond the cinematic universe, this book summarizes various aspects of Wolverine's origins and history as he is written in the comics, applying major psychological foundations to his behavior and analyzing why this anti hero does what he does.

Wolverine aside, this book definitely has a textbook feel to it, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Some of the topics discussed in relation to Wolverine as the subject in question are the Absent Mother (which we see in numerous  pieces of fiction), The Five Stages of Grief, The Psychology of Torture (in which various types of torture and what they do to the body are written therein), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Dissociation Identity Disorder, and a whole slew of other psychological topics that can be analyzed as they relate to Wolverine's development as a person. I found this book interesting in that, while I knew quite a few of these things from college, I learned quite a bit more about psychology that I did not know, and applying these concepts to a character that I am familiar with and have empathy for helps focus these complex ideas. If you are a psychology major or a Wolverine fan, this book may just interest you. If I were a psychology professor, I might select this as the course textbook because it not only hits major areas of psychological study, but the subject of interest (Wolverine) may connect better with the younger generations and would make learning psychology more interesting than not having a contemporary and well-known example to draw the reader in. Overall, a bit of a heavy read, but vastly interesting!

A very in-depth look at the psychology behind Wolverine, but one that could have benefited from a slightly narrower focus.

Wolverine's backstory is woven with an analysis of psychological theories used to explain why he does what he does and why he is who he is. Touching on everything from Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to attachment theory, the author unravels the traumatic story of James Howlett and the external and internal pressures that led him to become Wolverine. The sections that focused most narrowly on that tale are the most engaging.

Unfortunately, a good portion of the book wanders away from that focus. There are long sections that explore the role of personality disorders in various villains Wolverine has faced, a seemingly misplaced diatribe about equality in Trump's America, and numerous other sections where the author seems to lose the thread of what this book was meant to be about. While the information presented is accurate and I mostly agree with her opinions, the entire book suffered because of these lapses in focus.

Perhaps it would have been better for the author to take those topics (which she is obviously passionate about and which are, in fact, interesting) and expand them into other books (I.e., The Psychology of Mutants in America, or The Psychology of Marvel Villains) rather than shoehorning them into this book.

Thank you NetGalley and McFarland & Company for this ARC.

The author explores Wolverine's development from bit character to modern legend over more than four decades, with a focus on his enduring appeal as an allegory for resilience through torment.

I was super excited when I got the approval notice for this one. Wolverine is one of my favourite comic book characters, and no not just 'cause he's Canadian....though that helps ;)

Fun fact found in the book: Wolverine was created to satiate the growing incline of Canadian comic book readers. Booyah!

I was expecting an in depth look at Wolverine and all his fascinating personality traits and the growths in his psyche over his lifetime. There was some of this though not as much as you would have though given the title.

"Wolverine (a.k.a James Hewlett, and later known simply as Logan) is a mutant, an antihero, and a human being all in one conflicted carcass."

The author pulls her research from his comics, movie appearances, and creative geniuses behind all the works. There is A LOT of unnecessary words in this book. Including (but not limited to) a long winded rant about the 2016 Presidential election in America, and far too much detail on how torture is carried out all over the world. Straying so far off topic so often throughout the book made it difficult to get through something I was so very much looking forward to reading.

"He wasn't born a rebellious lone wolf; he was made on."

I did enjoy the deconstruction of Wolverine's love life found in Chapter 7:The One That Got Away. I thought the way she broke down some of his more infamous relationships using clinical theories and comparative examples before explaining the hows and whys to reinforce them was brilliant! If the whole book had been more like this chapter this would have been a solid five stars for me.

Flores, a psychologist, examines the long evolution of Wolverine, from Marvel's market driven demand for a Canadian superhero, the 1970s association with alienated Vietnam vets, to 21st century explorations of PTSD, moral injury, and survival of torture and forced government experimentation.