2 comments about Motherhood Interrupted.

1. Motherhood Interrupted is a volume of stories about real women and real pain. The pain of choice, fear and heartache. The stories talk about what happened in these womens' lives, the choices they made, and the life that took place after their choice was made. It is the reality of the choice of abortion, not the fast talk you get from the pro-abortion groups. Read it and decide for yourselves whether abortion is good for women.



2. A very compelling account of the long term impact of abortion on the women and their families who share their stories. The stories are heart-wretching but also so full of hope and forgiveness--a must read for those who have had abortions, those who have helped in abortions and those who want to understand what abortion does to alienate women from their true femininity.
   
   Lynn Kuenz, Parker, Colorado

3 comments about The Soul Support Book.

1. Deb reminds us in a most elegant and deeply witty way that the "essence" of all good things lies in our need and abitity to hope....then...change. I bet even her ex-husband loves and admires her work.



2. The thoughts - put down in brilliant colors and thought-provoking text will keep your mind delighted and carried away from the banal. Makes a great gift.



3. I came across Deb's book while waiting to get a massage in Great Barrington and as soon as I picked it up I felt like it was speaking directly to me. It is disarmingly simple with it's whimsical "cartoon" drawings, yet deeply profound -- speaking of simple basic truths about being human that all one has to do to verify is look inside one's self. Flipping through Deb's book put me back in touch with my childlike innocense. I highly recommend it!!!

5 comments about Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot: Unleashing Your Brain's Potential.

1. Basically a book of memory and brain exercises, with a few anecdotes thrown in. I was expecting more about brain function in diverse areas of human endeavor. The title is one of the best things about the book. The exercises are probably effective, but seem so tedious I can't imagine doing them (physical activity has shown this need not be the case with exercise).
   Worth a magazine article, perhaps, but not an entire book. Disappointing.



2. Although there were some interesting parts, this book (I had the audio-book version) ultimately disappointed as it bogged down, and got downright boring.



3. This book would be most useful to students of human anatomy,
   medicine and biology. The author begins with an exhaustive
   description of how the brain operates. He explains that we
   should not be wedded to notions of rationality or order.
   
   Three important states are described. These are the passive
   state. The passive state is conceptually similar to watching
   TV or listening to calm music. The intellectual state involves
   solving an involved puzzle, playing chess or reading. The
   physical state involves playing sports. Our brains cope with
   all three states.
   
   Another important point enunciated involves differential
   time frames to co-exist simultaneously in our brain.
   Associative links can lead to new learning by aiding recall.
   Remembering can be enhanced through exercise and practice.
   Individual thoughts are characterized by the left brain;
   whereas, images are articulated in the right brain.
   
   The author mentions unique ways to cope with uncertainty
   and ambiguity through deep concentration and reflection
   techniques. Overall, this work provides important
   perspectives on how the brain operates and how to
   enhance its current/potential functioning. There are
   important implications for Alzheimer's patients.
   The acquisition would be a worthy purchase for students
   of biology, medicine, biochemistry, psychology and anatomy.



4. Ask anyone: you're destined to end in a rocking chair with a shawl...while a 4-inch drool hangs from your lower lip and eyeballs pinwheel in their sockets--right? That's because, as everyone knows, brain cells don't reproduce and just go to brain cell heaven, leaving you with a vacuum--right?
   
   Richard says "no" to both. He says that your 3-pound brain is unlike any other organ...that it never wears out or grows old! Sure, and brain cells reproduce. In exact opposition to common belief, your brain is capable of both learning and growth in size and complexity until the day you die.
   
   
   And no, Richard is no flower-child-kook or cult leader. If you "Google" Richard Restak, you'll get 37,200 hits. He is an MD neurologist, also a neurophychiatrist, and a clinical professor of neurology at George Washington University's Medical Center. If that isn't good enough, he has written some 18 or 20 well accepted books...at least two of which were main selections of the book of the month club.
   
   Richard is the first to say that you'll acquire your 4-inch drool if you let the circuits and connections--that you took great effort to establish in younger years--atrophy from disuse. As your daddy always told you, "what you don't use, you lose".
   
   So...Richard is a head-guy, right? As such, he'd like to keep you sharp and eagle-eyed and forever becoming smarter and smarter. To do that, he offers-up a litany tasks and brain exercises that you'd easily spend 24-7 before getting started...some hard, really hard. Stuff you would hate doing...though he claims you'd love in the end. Maybe drools ain't that bad. Or, maybe you'd get a "lot of bang for the buck" by doing some of these exercises. Read his "Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot" to judge for yourself.
   
   That you're not doomed to the rocker isn't his only revelation...here is a big one. You'll first need to bear with me. Learning involves establishing more and more connections...but in varying specific brain locations, depending on the type of learning. Now, the left hemisphere stores thoughtful/reasoning, analog-type stuff...like language, chess playing, results of reading or mathematics study, and etc. The right hemisphere stores digital-type stuff, as images.
   
   Here is the thing: before television, much learning resided in the logic-based left hemisphere. You played cards and told stories with your friends, or read books, or played musical instruments. So, your left hemisphere became the 900 pound thought gorilla. Television spoon-feeds your right hemisphere with digital information...MTV, sound-byte news, and etc...leaving the logic circuits of the left hemisphere with nothing to store, and undeveloped! Among the nasty results, says Richard, is runaway Attention-Deficit among children and now adults. There is developing a universal inability to focus on a given subject lasting more than a 3-minute sound-byte.
   
   Oh, and bye the way...once storage and connections are formed, they never disappear...they atrophy. Restoring atrophied connections is often accomplished quickly.
   
   I thought you'd like to know that there is hope for you.



5. Richard Restak's central message is an important one: your brain is like a putty, and its flexibility and performance is directly correlated with the amount of effort you put into exercising it - it's not the age, or some inherent 'intelligence' quotient that determines its performance.
   
   Throughout the book the author offers 28 ideas, and exercises on how to improve your brains performance. Overall, it is an interesting read, and you'll pick up a few good tips, but ultimately I felt that authors focus on the mechanics of these exercises missed the larger point: remain curious, try new things, meet new people, and you won't have to worry about dedicating time to special mental exercises.

4 comments about Embracing Your Power Woman: 11 Steps to Coming of Age in Mid-life.

1. Take a guided journey to build your woman strength as you are through Barbara Wilder's refresher course Embracing Your Power Woman: Coming Of Age In The Second Half Of Life. Yes, it's New Age: it uses myths, stories, and essays to explore aging concepts in women's lives - but it's deftly juxtaposes spiritual and health concerns with social issues as well, showing women how to become more focused and directed. An intriguing survey of money, health and beauty, self-directed power and motivation which is very highly recommended for Women's Studies and Self-Help supplemental reading lists.



2. I was prepared to resist this book as "been there, done that," but I was soon drawn in by the creative way Wilder not only charts an emotional and psychological map of coming into one's own as a Power Woman, but illuminates where we are on the spectrum, both personally and in a mythic and social context. I found it validating to see what had gone right as well as awry in my own evolution as a woman in our culture. The deeper I got into the book, the more avidly I took notes, particularly in regard to Wilder's new paradigms of authentic leadership and profound definition of success. I found this book heartening and revitalizing.



3. Nowadays it's said that 60 is the new 40 (or is that 45?). Barbara Wilder's terrific, empowering book makes that statement true. Each step in this marvelous work takes us closer to youth -- not Seventeen mag and not Merlin going backward -- but back to the future, to the youths we might have had were it not for cultural repressions, and back to the kind of strength we had as children, transformed into TRUE adulthood, maturity and fulfillment. Wilder gives meaning to aging, and nothing could be more important in a society that loathes old folk (and makes them loath themselves and therefore often live in utter selfishness) and that discards women after we have reached a "certain age." Someone once said middle-aged women could be cat burglars and get away with it because no one remembers what we look like, we are invisible. Take these 11 steps and your crime career is over -- you will be learn to be seen and never forgotten. Let us hope WIlder does a sequel: for men.



4. This book changed my life. As I entered middle age, I started to fear my future on almost every level. I worried about ageism in my career field, dreaded the physical changes my body was starting to go through, and became anxious about my relevance on the planet. Reading "Embracing Your Power Woman" made me stop and realize how unnecessary all this fear was. Unlike the cultural messages around us that seek to nullify the role of middle-aged and older women in our society, this book celebrates our strength, our wisdom and our important place in the world. It helped me get in touch with my own beauty and worth and allowed me to look forward to the next phase of my life with excitement, not dread. Every woman should read Ms. Wilder's book!

No comments about Aprendiendo A Quererse A Si Mismo.

2 comments about Flying Lessons: 122 Strategies to Equip Your Child to Soar into Life with Confidence and Competence.

1. This book is just what I was looking for with my son.
   It gave me great information about helping my son succeed!
   I wish more books were like this one.



2. Not only will this be a great aid for helping your children and grandchildren have the confidence to excell , but is also a great aid for adults to do the same.

3 comments about Self-Esteem.

1. This book was written by Virginia Satir to help a fifteen year old girl understand life. It demonstrates in a just a few words, what we could spend a lifetime trying to learn or explain.



2. I am trying to read the book but it is out of print. I have seen the poster in my son;s Dr.s office "I AM ME" I will write the Celestial Arts in Berkley and try to get a copy of at least the poster and hopefully the book. does nayone have any other ideas?



3. A wonderful read for all ages and I would really like to get hold of the poster. Is it available anywhere?

No comments about Ninja Chick: Six Sacred Lessons for Becoming Cheeky, In Charge, and Simply Genius!.

No comments about Self-Esteem: The Cross and Christian Confidence.

5 comments about A Path to Power: A Master's Guide to Conquering Crisis.

1. Mack Newton's motivational speeches pump his readers into overdrive, giving them a workout of the mental kind. This new book, compiled by Michele St. George, will challenge the way you think, feel, and consequently act about yourself. Regardless, of the crisis you face; no matter how far down on the ladder life has pushed you - "A Path to Power" will lift you up.



2. A Path to Power is 181 pages of condensed wisdom that provides a framework for transforming your life and realizing your dreams. I've always been skeptical of "peak performance" gurus, but Mack has what the others lack - credibility and selflessness. Here is a man who sincerely wants everyone to realize his or her own potential. The book is straightforward - you can improve your life immediately - and the messages contained are both powerful and universal. This is a book you will refer to time and time again as you navigate the inevitable challenges of life. Get A Path to Power and share it with others!



3. Mack Newton's book is a rehash of pop-culture trash that's been written about before. And much more profoundly. For various reasons (based on a rationalist's skepticism), I really do question the validity of most of the book's contents. And in a "self-help" book such as this, integrity is all important. If a story is created just to make a point, that's nice and all. But getting happy applying Mack's advice in real life works the same way you get rich by playing the lottery. Additionally, the book is self-published by Mack himself. Listen folks, the world is made up of a million self-help gurus selling us stuff to make us like them. How may ways can these people rehash such simple human observations such as, "to thine own self, be true, "seek and ye shall find, and, "life is misery." Read a novel. Don't buy this book.



4. This is one of the most inspirational books I have read in a long time. I don't seem to have read the same book as the previous reviewer, who labeled it "rehashed trash." I also find it interesting that he chooses to remain anonymous while spewing vitriol. He seems as though he has an axe to grind and a great deal of personal resentment toward Mack Newton. At any rate, this book contains some timeless observations about human nature, as well as some refreshing and thought-provoking ways to live your own life with sincerity, integrity and joy. I highly recommend it, as have the other reviewers I read on this page.



5. This book is so poorly written and has no profundity at all.
   Folksy wisdom anyone learns just living life.
   I find none of the stories inspirational because they are sophomoric and mere reports of average struggles and bland testimonials without any substance or insight at all.

   If you want to read and inspirational book leave this one on the counter. This is a self-aggrandizing account by a narcissist living out a frenetic existence. The author writes nothing pity about the author's personal life? Does he lead a life that is balanced? My impression is this is a savant with one directional and one dimensional skills and experience. Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah as the saying goes. This review is more exciting than this mundane pseudo informative self-help cud.