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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.