2 comments about I Promised God: A Diary.

1. I love this book. Well written, soulful, and passionate, this is a true story of a beautiful and talented woman and her equally remarkable eldest son as they heroically navigate their way through challenging and devastating family and life dynamics. A love story of the highest order, this is an important chronicle of a young man's shaken world and the love and faith that ultimately bring him back to a second life. This book makes me want to be kind to all those who are lost and scared in the hopes that they,too--just like Dan through the help of his mother--can find their way home, again.



2. "I Promised God" was a moving and heartfelt journey for me. The author's visually descriptive and intelligent writing style kept me riveted and yearning to experience more of her story.
   
   My partner and I were reading the book at the same time, and for several days it was our main topic of discussion. The book definitely initiated significant inner contemplation as I joined the author and her family in this turbulent, tragic, tender, and inevitably uplifting and soulful tale.

No comments about My Journey of Healing from Cancer.

No comments about I Am Not Afraid.

3 comments about A Case of Brilliance.

1. This book expands the horizons of literature on profound giftedness. It is an engaging parental account of one family's discovery of their children's extreme asynchrony leading ultimately to the author's discovery of her own. In their struggle to understand the complex and unusual needs of their children, Rebecca Hein and her husband Ellis must also learn how to best meet those needs. This journey of discovery reveals much about their own lives, bringing them full circle to a greater understanding of themselves and what is required for them to live their lives most fully.

   Rebecca Hein details with clarity and insight the unusual ways her children learn, perceive and think. She chronicles the family's home schooling as she finds new ways to teach the children, all the while relating these to her own experiences as both student and teacher. Through Rebecca's keen observations, we accompany her family through this journey and in doing so find a familiar understanding of their experience.

   This book can further the understanding of that experience for educators and professionals working with profoundly gifted children. It makes a compelling case for both the unusual educational and emotional needs of this population, and for the reasons these needs must be served. Even more important, is the book's value for those families who might see themselves in its pages and know that they are not alone. There is both comfort and optimism to be found in the ways this family chose to meet their challenges.




2. I don't usually write reviews, but this book is an exception. It is a deeply moving account of a mother's discovery of her children's giftedness, and along the way the discovery of her husband's giftedness and her own. I also have two gifted children, and although they are not profoundly gifted as Ms. Hein's family, much of what she wrote made sense to me.
   
   I took this book out from the library, but I'm going to recommended it to my family, friends and school contacts.



3. This mom struggles with what to do with her musically gifted kids. She becomes pretty consumed with developing their skills. This book encouraged me to take a more active role in working with my own musically gifted child. However, it also vividly illustrates the dangers of becoming a "music" mom. Overall, I didn't enjoy the book but think it gave me new direction and perspective to my own situation.

5 comments about Sister Ignatia: Angel of Alcoholics Anonymous (A Campion Book).

1. In the early days of Alcoholics Anonymous, the recovery rate was about seventy five per cent. Today, the recovery rate is less than one per cent. In the early days of AA, 1935 to 1945, the founders of AA (Bill Wilson, Dr. Bob Smith and Sister Ignatia) operated under the concept that alcoholism was the indication of a spiritual illness. You first took away the alcohol, let the patient go through the withdrawal, and then they trained the alcoholic to be a spiritual person, both by learning to pray, (any religion would do) and then to pass your victory on to other suffering alcoholics. As AA grew, it began to be accepted in government run hospitals. And anything to do with the government has to have nothing to do with religion. So they began to treat alcoholics with psychiatry and downplayed the religious angle, hence the much lower recovery rate. Groups that use religion to treat alcoholics, like Teen Challenge, have an 80% recovery rate. When Sister Ignatia was helping to steer the recovery boat, along with Bill Wilson, Dr. Bob and the assent to Grace, recovery from alcoholism was possible for the first time on this planet. The other influence working against AA's religious methods was the birth, in the late 50's, of political correctness which fears surrender to religion (of ALL kinds) Reading this book about Sr. Ignatia has strenghthened my spirituality in AA. I just celebrated fourteen years sober.



2. Mary Darrah's book on Sr. Ignatia is an excellent historical document for all to read whether or not they are in recovery from alcohol or other drugs. This book is an accurate historical account of both the early days of Alcoholics Anonymous as well as the life of a compassionate yet tough woman.

   This book is a must read for anyone interested in the truth about AA history. It is interesting, informative and enlightening.

   Mitchell K. (Author of HOW IT WORKED, The Story of Clarence H. Snyder and the Early Days of Alcoholics Anonymous in Cleveland, Ohio)




3. Mary Darrah deserves credit for tackling the biography of a tremendously overlooked personality from AA's past. The story of the little Nun is covered in detail. Darrah does a good job of getting the facts down.
   
   However, this book suffers from stilted language and poor organization. The narrative conveys no passion or excitment, something I'm sure the writer must have possesed in order to cover such an obscure figure as Sister Ignatia. The chapters are not organizaed well and do not flow evenly into each other.
   IT almost has the feel of one of those bad textbooks you had in high school.
   
   However, it's still worth laying out the money for this book if you're desiring a better understanding of AA history.



4. For eighteen years now, I have been researching, analyzing, and pulling together all of the wellsprings of A.A. My area of focus and such expertise as I have concerns the original A.A. program in Akron which derived primarily from the United Christian Endeavor Movement of Dr. Bob's youth in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. The Akron program was summarized by Frank Amos in his report to John D. Rockefeller, Jr. in 1938; and its ingredients are a dead ringer for the techniques of the Salvation Army, the Rescue Missions, the principles and practices of Christian Endeavor, and several of the Oxford Group life-changing ideas. But early Akron A.A. was a unit unto itself. On the East Coast, Bill Wilson was formulating his ideas for recovery from the conversion thesis of Dr. Carl Jung, his own conversion at the altar at Calvary Rescue Mission, Ebby Thacher's prior conversion there, and Bill's study of the monumental coverage of such conversion experiences by Professor William James. There is much more, and it is discussed in my latest title The Conversion of Bill W. And later, after the Akron program had earned its spurs as a Christian Fellowship, Wilson was commissioned to write a text which was supposed to describe the original program and flesh it out with testimonials by those who participated. Instead, Bill drew on all the sources in the East, plus some newcomer ideas from Richard Peabody, Sam Shoemaker, Dr. Silkworth, and New Thought writers. Out of this came the Big Book, published in 1939, and very much based on the teachings of Rev. Sam Shoemaker of Calvary Episcopal Church. But Bill left out the rich Akron roots including the Bible, Quiet Time, Anne Smith's teaching and her journal, the Book of James, the Sermon on the Mount, and 1 Corinthians 13, and the devotionals like the Upper Room, the books AAs studied such as Drummond's The Greatest Thing in the World, plus what Bill was later to call the "doctrines and dogma" of the missions. The end results of the Wilson pen were a Big Book and Twelve Steps which neither resembled the Akron program nor the conversion picture painted so clearly for Bill by Jung, Hazard, Thacher, Silkworth, James, and even Shoemaker. Because of this jumble, I have spent most of my research time and 31 published titles covering the materials that were left out, are virtually unknown today, and yet produced the astonishing 75% success rate in Akron and the 93% rate in Cleveland.
   Meanwhile, author Mary Darrah had been working up her materials on Sister Ignatia of St. Thomas Hospital in Akron. For me, the material seemed at first to be irrelevant to my work on the earliest A.A. But, from the beginning, I noticed the very important pieces of Akron history that Darrah had unearthed and placed in the Ignatia book. I appreciate them even more today. These included: (1) Specific mention of Anne Smith's Journal and its relevance to the Twelve Steps later penned by Wilson. (2) Her delightful phrase that Anne Smith served God and Scripture daily to those who supped at the Smith home each morning. (3) Her highlighting of the close relationship between Ignatia and Dr. Bob's wife Anne. (4) Her providing Ignatia's materials on hospitalization and recovery. While Darrah's history pertained to the period which began after the Big Book was published in 1939 (though Mary tries to make it otherwise), she seemed to grasp the importance of the all-but-forgotten history of Akron A.A. itself. She overrates Ignatia's part in the "founding," but she brings to light one of the major factors that branched forward in Akron during Bill's twelve or so years of major depression. For, in post-big book days, while Bill was suffering from immobilizing depression, it was the work of Clarence Snyder in Cleveland, Dr. Bob and Anne and Ignatia in Akron, Richmond Walker's writings, Father Pfau's writings, Ed Webster's writings, and the materials from local groups that changed the face of A.A. yet allowed it continued growth. By all accounts, Ignatia's contributions in this period were enormous. And I believe that if one looks at the very unusual AA of Akron pamphlets that were written by Evan W., commissioned by Dr. Bob, and circulated from the 1940's to this day, you can see that there was a hearty ember of Bible, Christianity, and devotional practices that was fanned and kept glowing during New York's dark years. And if you look at the original Akron program (1935-1938), the sources of that program, the surviving details as outlined in DR. BOB and The Good Oldtimers, the program at St. Thomas Hospital as spelled out by Darrah, and the Akron pamphlets, you can see a deeply religious foundation in the A.A. program which no one seemed to understand any better than Sister Ignatia. My recommendation? Look at A.A. from a chronological standpoint--not the tired and erroneous timelines still being circulated. Look at the Akron beginnings in Vermont and the program that emerged and produced the pioneer 40 in Akron and their cures. Look then at the beginnings in the East Coast and the original emphasis by Bill on conversion--sparked probably by his own grandfather Willie's conversion and healing of alcoholism. Then look at the Big Book program and Twelve Steps that Bill fashioned in 1938 and 1939 largely from the Oxford Group teachings of Rev. Sam Shoemaker. At that point, you have three major legs of our history. Then came Bill's long devastating depression, the new ideas and writings that sprang into being, coupled with Clarence Snyder's consistent championing of the Big Book, the Steps, the Bible, and the Four Absolutes and Ignatia's priceless work with beginners that did not diminish or detract from the Christian principles and Bible roots and did produce worthy results. The Darrah book is very valuable if one wishes to see the biography of A.A. from 1934 through 1955 when major and substantially different changes were placed in cement with A.A. Comes of Age, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, and the St. Louis Convention. Good for Mary. See a summary of the foregoing picture, including Darrah's findings, Ignatia's role, the St. Thomas story, and the important Akron picture in the 1940's in my title Real Twelve Step Fellowship History. Dick B.



5. This is a great history of the beginnings of A.A. and of the struggles of Dr. Bob to find a credible medical facility to help in the physical and spiritual recovery of alcoholics. Sr. Ignatia is one more non-alcoholic, like Dr. Silkworth and Fr. Ed Dowling, who serve at a pivotal point in the A.A. story. The author helps us see in Sr. Ignatia's own spiritual and personal biography how uniquely prepared and how providentially generous she was to be able to facilitate Dr. Bob's and A.A.'s program at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio. I was intrigued with the seriousness that Sr. Ignatia, the doctors at St. Thomas and the Sisters of Charity in recognizing and attending to the underlying spiritual dimension of alcoholism. They were not the only ones to do this, as the book relates, but they helped bridge the moral/clinical gap that so many professionals and others, then as today, refuse(d) to accept.
   I found Sr. Ignatia's life journey very instructive. She was a very diligent teacher of music, professional, and in a sense driven. She had her Waterloo experience in a near nervous breakdown. The doctor asked her if she wanted to be a dead music teacher or a live nun? Thence, began her service as Admissions Director at St. Thomas. She had learned first hand that living life involved ups and downs and that a "mysterious-to-us-at-times" Providence, Power Greater Than Ourselves, God would lead when we were ready to surrender. Living in that awareness allows one to take risks for the good. The story of Sr. Ignatia, Dr. Bob and early A.A. in Akron and Cleveland is a story of risk and fulfillment.

2 comments about My Own Medicine: The Process of Recovery from Chronic Illness.

1. I love this BIG little book! Kerner hits the nail on the head about what it's like to have life as you've known it gradually swallowed up by long-term illness, and what it takes to find your way back to a rare new quality of joy and reach maximum recovery. Her validating observations, insights, questions, and humor reveal the ups and downs of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia in a way that left me no longer feelings alone and clueless (and I'm sure would have a similar positive affect on those who suffer with other conditions or limitations). Her honest prose and deeply moving yet matter-of-fact journal entries made me want my friends, family, boss, and doctors to read it so they'd know ME better. It's inexpensive enough that I AM giving them all copies, and short enough that some have already read it (two wanted to give a copy to friends who are on a destructive path playing fast-and-loose with their health)! While brief and easy to read, it is in no way short on wisdom or practical strategies; they're all laid out in a straight-shooting yet 'freindly' tone that could strike a chord with almost any reader and merits re-reading. Clearly, I can't say enough about this book or Diane Kerner as an author and survivor.



2. Diane Kerner has generously made her own healing process with CFS transparent in "My Own Medicine" so that others may benefit and be inspired for their own recovery from chronic illness. Through the course of her illness, we are able to observe Diane re-wire her entire internal circuitry, her relationship to self. Her illness forced her to start from scratch in developing a self-concept and a daily routine that was compatible with the capabilities of her body and also, a clear reflection of her spirit. Diane Kerner is like one of your good friends who is smart, honest and full of heart; she has the rare ability to show her thinking; and you can trust her intention to help. If you or a family member has chronic illness, this book will help validate and empower the internal process that can deliver one out of suffering. If you are a health care provider, this book will bring encouragement and insight to your patients: it is very good medicine.

No comments about On A Roll: Reflections from America's Wheelchair Dude with the Winning Attitude.

5 comments about The Cannibal's Wife: A Memoir.

1. The Cannibal's Wife is a searing, self-revealing, and frightening book. On a personal level, it is about sadomasochism, gender asymmetry, and abuse of power. On a social level, it is about institutional blindness and complicity. It is ironic that the church may be one of the last locations in which sexual harassment can be practiced without serious repercussion. It is a riveting read.

   --Margaret R. Miles Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs The Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA




2. well very boring!at first I wanted to cr



3. I don't generally like nonfiction/biography books, but The Cannibal's Wife is a sensitive, moving read. I only gave it 4 stars because the subject matter made me, well, disturbed. Nevertheless, I recommend it highly. Sometimes we need to be disturbed.



4. If we indeed believe that people "called" to religious service should strive to be paragons of moral vigilance, reading this book will lead one to inescapably conclude that the wrong person, in this case, was compelled to give up their religious responsibilities, in favor of letting a church retain a vain glorious womanizer as priest.

   The "cannibal" in this instance -- a priest who sexually and emotionally abused author, Yvonne Maes -- is still a so-called "man of God" while his victim is no longer a nun. Out of an apparent jealous need to squelch whatever in her noble service record reflects negatively on his deficiencies as a priest, Fr. Frank declares his sexual passion for Sister Yvonne, rapes her and then snidely belittles her protests until she is silenced into dazed compliance for a time.

   When she finally emerges from years of depressed submission to Fr. Frank's misogynistic take on "God's will" for them, Yvonne next suffers secondary abuse from a kangaroo ecclesiastical court, only convened to respond to her complaints in a proscribed and condescending way. (And fancy finding out later that the bishop acting as the diocesan equivalent of a district attorney is himself a sexual predator)

   The charade of justice includes one in-court confrontation between Yvonne and her former tormentor that is most awkward and wrenching for having been played out before moral arbiters who are themselves as much in conflict with their own sexuality as the nun and priest on trial. The priest admits he broke his vows of celibacy, but remains oblivious to the damage he did to Yvonne as a human being and colleague in religious service. For him, ultimate accountability is only an issue of admitting to a moral lapse, receiving absolution and continuing on as a priest. While Yvonne, who tried to take a moral stand, in exposing the abuse done to her leaves the church that failed to back her in that stand.

   When I was eight years old, I saw the movie "Song of Bernadette" and became enchanted with the idea of becoming a nun. But after reading Yvonne's heart-rending memoir, I know that as long as the Church retains these wolves in sheep's clothing who call themselves priests, I'd rather take my chances walking down a blind alley at 2 A.M. in a drug-infested part of town than play guessing games with wondering who's really a good priest and who's not!




5. For me, this book showed clearly that it is children who are abused (sexually or emotionally) who are most vulnerable, as adults, to suffer similar abuse again--and remain silent. Unfortunately, I know many similar stories of sexual abuse by clergy and counselors who abused power over while pretending to serve those in their care. An example is a psychiatrist in a West European country, running an isolated clinic for women with psychosomatic problems, and "helping" his patients by forcing them into sex!

   The most horrible part is that, in all the cases I know, the victims of abuse called for help many, many times before anyone even believed their stories. It is the failure to find even a single suitably "enlightened witness" (in the words of Swiss psychiatrist Alice Miller) that in the end shocks me more than the instance of abuse. (Don't we all suspect that an abuser like Fr. Frank was himself victimized as a child?)

   It seemed to me that Fr. Frank's supervisor was also an abuser: he was hardly likely to have reported Fr. Frank. And also Fr. Stamp, before representing Sister Yvonne, had perpetrated sexual abuses on children... The web of abuse is very vast; many people in the clergy have a stake in keeping victims silenced.

   Sister Yvonne was deeply troubled that so few people believed and supported her when she finally told the story that had caused her to lose spirituality and optimism. I believe her; I know that her story needs retelling many times before healing can occur. It is for us to listen, again and again, even when the listening hurts us or the story seems old. This is the least we can do to break the pattern of abuse.

   For anyone with a similar history, I can recommend the books of Anne Wilson Schaef and those of Alice Miller (in translation from the Swiss German). For the Catholic Church, I wonder when it will notice the harm done in its treatment of women and children...

2 comments about A Life in the Balance.

1. Mr. Burton uses his gifts of humor, kindness, and in your face truthfulness to lead you through the scariest days of his life--this book will uplift you



2. A truely inspirational book. Mr.Burton relates his story with warmth,courage and humor. A very talented writer and performer. It's definitely worth your time to read "A Life in the Balance" In addition, if you ever get a chance to see him perform, DO IT. His comedy/juggling act is amazing!

No comments about Reflections: The Life and Writings of a Young Blind Woman in Post-Revolutionary France (The History of Disability D).