Written at the invitation of the U.S. Office of War Information, in order to understand and predict the behavior of the Japanese in World War II by reference to a series of contradictions in traditional culture, this book was influential in shaping American ideas about Japanese culture during the postwar occupation of Japan, and popularized the distinction between guilt cultures and shame cultures. Although it has received harsh criticism, the book...

Margaret Mead, America's most famous anthropologist, offers an intimate portrait of her long-time colleague and friend, Ruth Benedict. The first met when Mead was Benedict's student at Barnard in the 1920s; their professional association and their friendship were close and lasting. Beginning with Benedict's early life, Mead discusses her long struggle, as a woman, to attain an identity of her own, her early interests as a writer and poet, and her...