Paul R. Robbins

I grew up in Washington, D. C. It was at the time of the Second World War. The War was the singular event of my youth, leaving me and my friends with the feeling that a nation in crisis and scarcity all around us was the normal way of life. My early interest was in astronomy. As a teenager, I constructed a large reflecting telescope, grinding and polishing the mirror in my basement, while listening to radio soap operas. Although I did some scientific research (variable star observations), mostly I just delighted in the beauty of what I could see. You can imagine the thrill of a 13-year-old feasting upon the glories of the cosmos.

I went to college at the University of Chicago, which at the time had a Great Books curriculum. At Chicago I became very interested in both the humanities and the social sciences.I went to Columbia University for graduate work, taking a Ph.D in psychology. When I arrived in New York City I was 19 years old and alone. I rented a room near the university and while not recognizing it at the time, I embarked on my own "coming of age" story. I shared apartments on the west side of Manhattan, lived for a while in a cold water flat (rent $22 a month) in Little Italy, and eventually settled in Greenwich Village where I met people interested in the arts and theater. During my years at Columbia, I made life-long friends, experienced love and loss, saw new plays by Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams, had glimpses of legends at the twilight of their careers, Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony and Joe DiMaggio playing a peerless centerfild at Yankee Stadium. When I left the city ,I took away a store of memories which filtered their way into my novel "A Time to Remember."

My first professional jobs were as a research psychologist. I worked on studies at the National Institute of Mental Health, at the Public Health Service in downtown Washington, D. C. and directed a large research project for the University of California and the State Health Department at Berkeley, California. I lived in Berkeley during the explosion of student unrest in the mid 1960s. When I left Berkeley, I returned to Washington, D. C. for a long stint at the Department of Psychiatry at the George Washington School of Medicine. I published many technical papers in psychological journals on such topics as dreams, coping behaviors, and depression.

After I left George Washington, I began my own private practice of psychotherapy which lasted about 20 years. I worked mostly with people who had interpersonal difficulties (frequently with a romantic partner) and people who were experiencing depression.

My career as a writer began when I found that I had an ability to translate what we know about psychology into readable, non-technical English. I started writing books for general readers on psychological topics, beginning with "The Psychology of Dreams," and followed this with many titles such as "Understanding Depression," "Coping with Stress," "Adolescent Suicide," "Anger, Aggression, and Violence," (all published by McFarland) and "Anorexia and Bulimia" (published by Enslow).

I have always enjoyed reading stories and making them up. I remember as a child, my brothers and I used to tell each other stories at bedtime. I suppose I always wanted to write novels and I feel a sense of fulfillment now that I am doing so. I have written a mystery and two historical novels.

I am very pleased that many of my books were well thought of by reviewers. For example, Science Books and Films gave its highest ratings to "Anorexia and Bulimia" and "Understanding Depression" was recommended by The Book Report, called "very helpful" by Choice and the Second Edition was said to be "written in jargon-free language" by ARBA. One of the most flattering reviews for any of my books was written by Choice for "Romantic Relationships." Choice wrote, "An excellent book,universally relevant, well written, resourceful, well documented, and entertaining. It deserves widespread distribution." It's nice to get a pat on the back and I appreciated it.