Will Self Books

Rather than read some goofy book that disses Geller, why not do years of research on reality and consciousness, as I have? There is plenty of scientific evidence that our beliefs color our perception of and influence reality, if you're inclined to really investigate the subject yourself.

I was in a roomful of people whose spoons started melting, including my own. They just lost their solidity and went soft. A couple of little kids' spoons started bending first and that got everyone very excited. The kids bent tougher objects too, but I don't remember what they were. Anyway, I really like and trust Geller's work and recommend. You can bend spoons. It's not just a parlor trick but, like firewalking, is a genuine phenomenon that can be experienced by you.

On one of the reviews someone is saying that Uri Geller is using nothing but parlor tricks and I'm here to tell you that he is for real because tonight I was hearing him on am 600 (coast to coast) for the 1st time and he told the listeners to either pull out a watch that was not working or to place a spoon over the radio, my eleven year old son and I placed a spoon over the radio and we watched in shock as the spoon moved across the radio as Geller instructed us to say the word "work" repeatedly. The spoon was not moving because of the radio's vibration because prior to us saying the word " work" the spoon was not moving at all and once we stopped saying the word "work" it stopped moving completely. I will never forget this experience and I am going to purchase some of his books early in the morning.

How do you bend a spoon? As The Amazing Randi says - "you bend the spoon when they're not looking". Sleight of hand in other words. No aliens or psychic powers are required at any point in the process, which may explain why Uri Geller refuses point blank to be tested under conditions that prevent him from cheating.

Now what has all this to do with this book? Well it gives you some background of who Geller is - a magician with a limited repertoire that he's been performing for 30 years. Do you seek out advice from magicians? If so at at least pick a *good* magician! Derren Browne and Ian Rowland have written authoritative and acclaimed books on willpower, mindreading and coldreading. Their efforts are based on the practical application of psychology, not on a bunch of new age guff that sounds good on paper but is little more than platitudes.

If all you want is platitudes, here is the only one you'll ever need - just do something or don't do it. Try talking yourself into something instead of out of it and just do it. You shouldn't need a book to figure it out.

i`m a student who study eastern mediteranian universty in cyprus.my department is psychology.but i could not understand that how can i buy of this book with your web site can you send me e-mail please information much more to buy it because i `ll turn to turkey for semester holiday about 1 mounth later my adress is:

Mert Suslu 40 sok. no24/1 d.2 guaelyali-izmir Turkey

my e-mail is: merts12@yahoo.com

thanks a lot from now.

It only takes minute amount of research and questioning to realize that Mr. Geller's career is little more than parlor tricks.

I would highly suggest that those willing to question Mr. Geller's techniques and see if they actually hold up under scientific scrutiny read James Randi's book "The Truth about Uri Geller"

i read a positive review of this book months ago and picked it up. but when i started reading it on my last silent retreat, i had no idea what to expect, and merely chose it because i like to start those retreats with something story-driven and fictional, as a detox.

what i didn't expect was a long (475 pages) and challenging read that blew me away in both its creativity and it's allegory nature. more on what it's an allegory of in a moment.

first, a description. the book of dave takes place in two times: current day london, and an extremely distant future london. we don't know the actual date of how far in the future the future-scenes are, as the calendar system resets with the discovery of "the book of dave" at some point in the future, and those future-scenes takes place about 500 years after that point.

in the current time, dave rudman is a bitter london cabbie, working through an ugly divorce and custody issues surrounding his son. his obsession with "the knowledge" (the massive and perfect memory of all streets cab drivers have to have in london) informs just about everything in this life. after things take a decidedly bad turn for him (and, fueled by anti-depressant meds), dave writes a book -- a missive about what's wrong with society and the rules that should govern everyone. this book he writes starts with the "runs and points" of "the knowledge", and shifts into a diatribe about the inability of men and women (mommies and daddies) to live together. dave has this tome printed as a one-off book, on metal plates (for indestructability), and burries it in the backyard of the home where his estranged wife and son are living.

eventually, dave gets some things figured out in life, finds love and peace, and after discovering that his hidden book is irretrievable (due to a new concrete deck built over the spot), writes a second book as a personal cathartic exercise, overturning much of what he wrote in the first book. dave's story is really a beautiful story of redemption.

in the future time, a catastrophic world-wide episode of some sort (some allusions to polar ice-caps melting) has wiped out most of the world with noah-like effect. all technology as we know it is gone (and forgotten). things seem to be as they would have been in, say, the 1500s (or so). oh, and the geography of southern england has completely changed. most of the future-story takes place on a small island off the coast of england where a primitive clan of families live a simple isolated life, under the burden of "daviantity", the hard-core state religion that took hold of all of england in the wake of the discovery of the book of dave. this religion is mostly incomprehensible in it's meaning, but the rules are all very clear: particularly the rules about the complete seperation of men and women, with children spending half the week in "daddy time" and half the week in "mommy time".

the language of this time is part of what makes this book a challenging read: it's a phonetically-spelled goulash of extreme cockney, mixed in with text-message shorthand, and a whole new set of slang vocabulary that only starts to make sense as the book unfolds (though there is a glossary in the back of the book to unpack some words). at first, i found myself reading some of this dialogue with only partial understanding of what i was reading (even regular words). but i got used to it, and really got a kick out of it. many of the slang words are cab-driving-related (for instance, the only acceptable greeting upon meeting someone -- used when we would say "hi", or "how are you?" -- is "ware to, guv?". and the only acceptable response, for followers of davianity is, "t' nu london").

we follow two generations in this future time, over about 30 years, or so. the chief protagonist is a boy without a father. he doesn't know much about his father, but eventually learns that his father was declared a heretic for claiming to have found a second book written by dave that overturns much of davianity (i'll not go much further there, as i don't want to spoil anything). eventually, the boy, along with a heretically-leaning tutor, discovers some truth about the second book and his father, and embarks on an epic journey to new london (still a major city, but more like what london would have been like in the 16th or 17th century) to find truth, escape the island, and search out the rest of his father's story.

now: the author clearly intended the book as commentary on a whole bunch of things, not least of which is the role of religion in society. and, clearly, the author does not have a positive view of the church or religion. this is postmodern commentary, though, as the heroes of the story still have ardent and passionate faith (in dave, no less!), but not in the structures and strictures of the religion set up to encase it, or the forceable control this religious system has over all people (in england, davianity hasn't reached the rest of the world), all practices, all life.

on one hand, that's the commentary in a nutshell. at first, it struck me as an allegory (whether the author indended this or not) of the law and grace, of an old testament system and the threat of a new testament system - the threat of jesus, if you will. but I found myself seeing another level: an allegory of the current church in america (or, to be fair, around the world), and the church's response to the "threat" of the emerging church. over and over I found myself drawing parallels and connecting dots. certainly, the author can't have intended this: but I found so much resonance at this level.

a fascinating book, at face value, and at these "other" story levels.

THE BOOK OF DAVE took me by surprise! I adored the book and found the story line clever...allegorical? yes, adventurous? yes, logical, of course!

No need to echo the other reviews as far as the plot and story line go, it's funny and well executed.

I put myself through college driving a taxicab in Manhattan...ever since then, I've been fascinated by cabbies all over the world. I worked for a few UK firms so I got to see "knowledge boys" first hand as they learned their trade. The evolution of that "cabbie speak" and obscure "cabbie knowledge" were enough to keep me madly reading on and on. And the post-apocalyptic touches were brilliant...no nukes here, rather a slow inundation of the UK by rising water, leaving Hampstead as a lonely little island on the outskirts of nowhere.

Highly recommended!

The book of Dave is an entertaining and demanding work that amuses and enlightens at the same time. The cast of characters, including Dave and the post apocalyptic Dave followers are an interesting study into the dark nature of man and the survival of hope and faith. Its a great book and Will Self is now one of my favourite authors.

This is a richly, intricately, thoroughly well-thought through post-apocalyptic fantasy about an unimaginably distant future in which we and all our works either have been forgotten or are misinterpreted in bizarre and sometimes very funny ways. In this world a tyrannical religion runs amok to the benefit of the political power structure. Sound familiar?

The book follows two storylines, that of present-day Dave Rudman, the unknowing inventor of said religion, an angry, depressive, borderline psychotic London cabbie who writes and buries the Book of Dave for the son he is no longer allowed to see, or, failing that, as a gift to the future and revenge on all humanity. He has no idea. The second storyline follows future people trapped in the grim social structure he has imagined.

Caveats: almost all the dialogue in the latter storyline is carried on in a futurespeak that is part text messaging abbreviation and part Cockney slang. This is very difficult, especially for Americans, but not impossible. A lifetime of PBS helps. So does the glossary provided, though not enough.

If there's one thing I really did not like, it's that the second storyline does not end. Self sets up a tremendous cliffhanger that can go either way. One turns the page in breathless anticipation, to discover there's nothing more. Now, other novels I have read that use this device each contains the clues necessary for one to figure the thing out for oneself. This is even rather satisfying when, late at night on the verge of falling asleep, one finally solves the puzzle. In this case, the clues don't seem to exist. Either I'm not as smart as I thought (always possible), or the failure of imagination is the author's. I can see how either of the obvious resolutions might be vaguely unsatisfactory, but that's one reason we read the works of people cleverer than ourselves, to be astonished. Perhaps, in this case, the thing's just a cheat.

I'm a speed reader. When I encountered this book, I found myself forced to slow WAY down, even to read out loud, so I could understand the dialect in which the dystopian sections are written (kind of like a text-messaged cockney). As a Mormon, I found the treatment of revealed religion had a special resonance with me--the buried plates were such a clever twist. Overall, I felt like I left this book knowing more about the human condition than when I started, and I was also thoroughly entertained. I highly recommend The Book of Dave.

This book has sparked some very interesting conversations with my friends.
Thanks for the ideas.

The title of this book is misleading. I expected the book to be about hypotethetical situations where the major question would be "how far will you go?" Unfortunately the book is a bunch of random questions, most of them uninteresting, but several of them thought-provoking. It's good for a laugh but don't expect to have any deep conversations over this thing. I got it as a present but I wouldn't spend any money on it.

I bought this book for a friend for Christmas. As soon as she opened it, we started reading and answering the questions. Questions like, "Who is the person you miss most right now?" "What would you most readily die for?" or "In what way are you least understood?" Not only will it tell you alot about who you are talking to, but it will also make you dig deep within yourself for the best possible answer, and end up telling you alot about yourself. She is planning on using this book at our New Years Eve party and I know that it will be a hit. If you want a good conversation starter, a new party idea, or you just want to get to know more about your friends (or yourself) you should buy this book. It may be small in size, but it's contents can be powerful.

My friends and I had a girls night out and I decided to whip this book and the other "If" book out. Two hours and a few tears later we know more about each other than we did the years that we've known each other. I would recommend it to anybody, not just for social situations and in getting to know others but to get to know yourself better too, your limits, strengths, and weaknesses.

Book of interesting questions. I got this because I thought I'd enjoy answering the questions, and getting to know myself even better. Don't you like it when someone asks you a thought provoking question, and you know that they really wanna know your answer? This would be a fun book to use with company or your friends or family. (Course, there may be some questions that would be better left unanswered from some people.) It would also make for a good coffee table book.

Some of these questions I'm sure you've never thought of, or how you'd answer them. The back cover of the book says "Define your boundaries". I know people, who have no idea what their boundaries are or if they even have any. Some questions are fun, some are trivial, and some are more serious. Some will take longer to answer than others.

I think this could also be good excercises for writers, as a writing prompts.

I was impressed with the depth and insight this author has and found the book extremely well-organized and thought out.Each story has a different problem or a different angle on a problem so there is plenty of material that any of us can identify with and find useful. I liked the fact that it omitted a lot of technical talk yet was specific enough about the sessions that the reader got a clear picture of Habib's therapy and his approach.

This book is a treasure. In his uniquely personal, wise and compassionate style, Dr. Habib gives us the gifts of hope and courage to change. Particularly disarming - and relevant - is Chapter 11: Contentment Versus Happiness, which should be mandatory monthly reading for all partners committed to a full and intimate relationship. As a former patient of his I attest to his genuine desire to facilitate personal growth in his patients. He achieves in this book what he effects in his practice: the gift of enabling his patients to give voice to knowledge contained within but struggling to be made present, and the courage to change and, ultimately, transcend.

In a few words, that is how I experienced this book. The medicine Dr. Habib presented was honest and truthful, thoughts about life and love; yet the way he delivered it was with sugar, fun and practical. I appreciated his openness and desire to share his experiences in an approachable manner. Even though I am not yet married nor do I have children, I enjoyed the sections on these topics as they gave me some "heads up" things to consider. This is an enjoyable and awakening read!

Not everyone is satisfied with their life or how they live it. But therapy, for many, might seem to be uncharted waters. Dr. Habib uses 25 stories from clinical practice to illustrate areas where therapy could help someone. Chapter 14 "Love is Not a Constant"--if we fall in love, why don't we stay in love, and the most interesting, if scary part--how we choose a partner from aspects deep within ourselves, are the chapters that I found fascinating. If you are considering therapy or are just curious, this is an excellent and rather unusual book.

In life, many of us talk to friends about our daily challenges, but occasionally it is healing to talk to a therapist about problems, which seem to be overwhelming our worlds and threatening to change our lives in significant ways.

In this book, a therapist reveals 25 stories without breaking any doctor-patient confidentiality agreements. The patients in his stories have given their explicit permission and names and circumstances have been altered to protect the individuals whose lives were influenced by Thomas A. Habib's care and concern.

There are three main sections:

Your Life
Love and Marriage
Parenting and Families

Many of the stories are filled with the disclosure of intimate feelings, struggles with parenting issues, life lessons and marital issues that have some rather creative solutions. The issues in this book cover everything from choosing a life partner to dealing with life when passion inevitably cools and the fantasy of marriage dissolves into reality. He discusses the dynamics of relationships and how expectations can be more damaging than reality. Through reading this book you can learn how to:

Solve differences in sexual desire
Determine if your perfectionism is ruining your life
Understand critical parenting skills
Avoid conflict with your adult children

The area of "living in the purgatory of hope" was rather enlightening to me and I had never quite looked at some situations in quite that way. Hope can at times be a damaging influence in a relationship, while at other times it can help you make it through a time of conflict or betrayal.

At times Thomas A. Habib encourages his patients by exploring the idea of how we rarely marry the wrong person and then at times he uses creative methods to allow reality to seep into his patients lives (filing for a divorce) in order to encourage them to delve more deeply into their own psyche and realize they want to save their marriage.

Throughout this book, he uncovers cherished, but unrealistic expectations, exposes sociological variables and discusses how relationships do require an advanced level of participation and emotional awareness to survive the constant change of life itself. Through adapting and adjusting to life, we can be more open to possibility.

His comments about the willingness to be open to sexuality are interesting and I was only left thinking that it is not about women not enjoying sex, it is more about women wanting to experience a deep loving relationship that allows them to feel more erotic and experience more desire. I believe these types of women do exist, in fact, I think every woman has an inner goddess who only needs to be awakened by a loving man who may need to display a level of patience that allows a woman's heart to open fully. Reading David Deida's work on how to love a woman and then recently reading a book by Steven Andrew Guerrero showed me how men really can inspire a woman if they are willing to read a few "instruction manuals" for women. We are not quite as mysterious as it appears. There are definite keys that will start our engines. I personally think "romance" in itself is one of the most important keys to desire. Our hearts are definitely connected to our sexuality and to feel loved and appreciated we need more than a subtle nudge in the direction of the bedroom. If a woman is giving "duty sex" as explained in this book, her heart must be in complete pain and her inner goddess might be in hiding.

As to the author's comments about age and cosmetic surgery. I'd like to add that a lot can be done without surgery. Simply by adding a variety of supplements to your diet, or by reading a book like: The Metabolic Plan, you can start on your way to a much healthier you and see your body literally grow younger. When you look after your body, you not only feel better, you feel sexier too. So, exercise can be a way to encourage a more loving relationship.

This is a great book to read if you are considering marriage or you are looking for a comforting and nurturing read. It is comforting in regards to our universal needs and experiences. Thomas A. Habib presents a variety of accepted norms and discusses our deepest disappointments and failures by presenting real-life examples from souls he has met and counseled through the years. There are a few moments of humor and a wealth of interesting sage advice that I will start to apply to my life.

As I tend to currently believe: Someone has probably written the solution to your problems in a book. This is one of those books that will find you if you need to read it! The author discusses everything from road rage to the twelve things you should avoid in a future marriage partner.

~The Rebecca Review

Had Carol Rutter wanted to debunk The Secret, all she really had to do was research its proponents, one of whom is J.Z. Knight, the spiritual advisor of Linda Evans and a woman who claims to channel a warrior named Ramtha, a chiropractor who is her devotee, filmmakers who are also her devotees, a former priest who was accused of sexual abuse, and one professor of physics at Columbia University, who claims he was "had", i.e., edited, after he told the Ramtha-ites that there is no connection between quantum physics and consciousness or spirituality. And that would have been a much more interesting story than the one Carol Rutter wrote.

Anyway, the author claims she fell for The Secret's thesis that we create our own reality through affirmations that cause our minds to have an effect on quantum mechanics. And this had disastrous consequences on her personal life and health, self-examination and personal health and growth having been hindered by her constant and relentless repetition of affirmations which did not work.

However, her rebuttal makes even less sense than The Secret. She uses New Age-y gobbledygook to try to refute even more New age-y gobbledygook, attempts unsuccessfully to incorporate Carl Jung, Alice Miller, and pop psychology into her argument, not to mention some dream theory, a discussion of repression, and some Eastern philosophy. Then she throws in some stuff about pre-birth agenda (which I have never heard of anywhere outside of Sylvia Browne), the Akashic Record, angels, life reviews, reincarnation, karma, Theosophy, and near-death experiences.

By no means does she manage to integrate all of the afore-mentioned concepts, and by no means is her argument anywhere near being coherent.

I am a recovering alcoholic and have just begun my spiritual quest. I read The Secret earlier this year and my spirit totally rejected it. I wondered how I could be right when this book was so popular. When I just happened to see Burying the Secret, I was thrilled. This book validated my feelings. I was disturbed that in The Secret there was no mention of soul and spirit and God's will. I had tried for years to dictate to God what was best for me---and when he didn't answer to my standards, I blamed him and thought he hated me. That led me to a devastating bottom--which Carol touches on in this book (she has a great understanding of the pain an addict or alcoholic must go through to live). I found many spiritual angles in her book--some made my spirit sing, because it validated what I thought, some made me think, and some made me go "huh?" But that gives me food for thought, and I know I will respond to the things I need to know when I need to know them.
Overall, the book was awesome. I read it in a short time. I couldn't put it down. It definitely deserves another read to pick up the things I missed.

I am a full supporter and believer in The Law of Attraction, as well as all the universal laws. I've read The Secret, watched the video, and practiced the law. However, as with anything in this universe and as logical humans, we tend to question. I'm one that questions.

I'm so glad Carol Rutter had the courage to write this book. I was sure I wasn't the only one with questions and obviously I'm not. I don't think Carol left anything out when she wrote this book because she certainly dispelled any questioning thoughts I had. She writes with vigor, understanding, and truthism. I encourage anyone wanting more understanding to read this book. I promise, you will be enlightened and you will be able to move on, knowing The Law of Attraction does work, IF there is Karmic flow involved.

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (2/08)

In "Burying the Secret," Carol Rutter shares her story with us of how the Law of Attraction did not work for her. For years, she adhered to this idea, but things got worse and worse for her. When she started researching psychology, mysticism and Eastern thought, she realized that not all prayers are to be answered for a variety of reasons. She states, "The Secret" fails to acknowledge that unanswered petitions are the norm because fulfillment of the most dramatic or life-changing prayers usually conflict with our karmic standing and/or purpose in life..."

This really makes a lot of sense to me, especially after reading her book. She extensively researches the other areas mentioned above and references them so that you can further review her discussion. In her writings you discover why bad things happen to good people and you see good things happening to bad people. She really makes a lot of sense.

I enjoyed "The Secret" to the point that I read it, watched it, and went to a conference on it. Even though, I am a fan of "The Secret," I had a lot of questions in my mind; that she addresses. These questions and thoughts were lurking in the back of my mind, because I was afraid if I verbalized them, then I would be cancelling the Law of Attraction. After reading, "Burying the Secret," I feel like I have a greater understanding of how things really work.

I highly recommend "Burying the Secret" to people who are familiar or interested in "The Secret" or the Law of Attraction. It will help provide some balanced ideas to people who are on their spiritual quest. It will definitely help you understand why karmic law and/or prayer, does not always allow our prayers to be answered. Reading this book made me feel so much more positive about the path that I am on.

I was intrigued by Carol Rutter's Burying the Secret, because I have read works on esoteric and mystical spirituality. First in studying intuition to enhance jazz improvisation, then as a means of evolving along my Christian pathway.

I had time to read this carefully as I recovered from surgery and reflected upon the circumstances in my life.

While, ostensibly, this book is an indictment of a pop psychology/light metaphysics light book, The Secret, the far-ranging work became much more to me.

I benefited from in depth treatments of the psychological aspects of parent child relations, a general treatment of Jungian psychology, particularly the collective unconscious, a short, but effective synopsis of Caroline Myss's work on recovering from wounds and intriguing sections later in the book on universal laws as she discerned them.
I also found her biographical sections on her life's lessons, how difficult it was to learn them and why "The Secret" was not effective for her to ring true and hold inspiration for me.

While I am not ready to embrace her more esoteric ideas, such as the Akashic records, definitive treatments of pre-birth activities, the fact is, I got plenty of inspiration from her words.

For example, Karmic debts and releases seems the same thing that the Bible describes as "whatever a man sows, this he will also reap". The human condition is to evolve. Whether the lessons are sent by a benevolent universe, as she believes, or all part of God's plan, as I believe, the individual must accept responsibility for their human and spiritual evolution and discerning and acting upon their purpose in life. Like Ms. Rutter and myself, people who do not want to learn life's lessons will be given repeat opportunities to learn them.

I do not believe that one book can an all-purpose spiritual and evolutionary guide, except maybe the Bible. However, one idea can inspire an individual to critically examine beliefs and behavior and make a change. There were many such ideas in this book. I received plenty of helpful inspiration and I can enthusiastically recommend this book.

I also want to say that there is a marvelous exercise in self understanding in an appendix near the end of the book.

I'm sorry, but this book was a disappointment to me. Partly because the title implies that it will point the way to finding greater joy in your life and I didn't find much of anything I could apply. The book is written for the author's three daughters and has a fair amount of biographical material that I found irrelevant. It also addresses the author's obsession with appearances and thinness and how she works through that. Sorry, I couldn't relate.

Your message is so very important. It is women like you who inspire the
rest of us to turn it up a notch or two and make things happen, to not be afraid of what's ahead but look at the future with anticipation. Your contribution to the world is priceless - whatever other gains there may be it is clear that you are most certainly reaping life's joy in life-style, in friendships, loves and certainly in experiences. Bravo!
Through your sharing woman all over the world will know that age in numbers is no longer a dreaded evil!

I used to be sco scared of getting older.....And now I realise that I can take control of my life. I can be more beautiful and enjoy my sexuality in ways I never dreamed possible. I learned that if I look at things differently, take risks and 'jump".......my life has changed because of it. I am no longer a victim, but I am in control of my life now!
This book is a must read!

I know you may think I'm biased because Linda is my mom, and perhaps I am, but with reason. She truly is this person you read about. My mom is the person I know with the most integrity and whatever she put in this book, she's lived and researched herself. She cares more than anyone I know. Though she first started writing this for us, we clearly realized this could truly change people's lives. Her goal is that every single person can read this and live the life they deserve and CAN live, no matter what cards they were dealt. I was the luckiest person to have grown up with this BEATUIFUL, (inside and out), courageous, strong, amazing women, and I'm glad that at least there is a book out there so you can have a taste of this magic and I KNOW that if you follow my mom's wise and down to earth advice on menopause, nutrition, exercise...and mainly love; this book will change your life- the advice is there, the rest is up to you! By the way, don't be surprised if you find yourself laughing and crying along the way!

This book is a wonderful source of information about aging, it covers so many different topics that generally are found in several different books and believe I have read so many books on this topic that when a valuable one comes buy I love to recommend it, the other plus that I got was that it includes beautiful letters from the author to her daughters that compliment the information and make it heartfelt and interesting at the same time.
This is the best gift you can give a friend, a sister, or a mother they will thank you.

Billy is a hard-working kid with a hard life. His parents own a farm and his older brother was killed five years ago, when Billy was eight. It was Billy's fault that his brother was killed with a piece of farm machinery, and things have been strained in his family ever since.

Billy understands the need for hard work, especially since money is tight. Billy's family doesn't have a lot of the luxuries those in town have, and he usually doesn't complain. There is only one thing he misses: baseball.

One afternoon while in town waiting for his father to finish grinding grain at the mill, Billy wanders to the field where the baseball team is practicing. When a ball rolls toward him and he throws it back, he catches the attention of the coach, who decides he needs a kid this good on his team.

This summer is one of changes for Billy. He finds himself more interested in and protective of his two teenaged neighbors--especially when he witnesses something bad happening to one of them. He has to decide if he has the courage to do something about the situation. For the first time, Billy's mother goes to work, at a doctor's office in town. Billy and his father have to adjust their lives to not having her home all of the time. And this is the summer, too, that Billy has decided he will finally find a way to fit baseball into his plans.

I liked the strength in Billy's character and the fact that he always stood up to people instead of letting them make him feel bad about where and how he lived.

Striking Out
Up until now, Billy Baggs's life has tired and bored him out. He has never had any real friends or played baseball for an actual team, and has never gotten over feeling guilty for his brother's death. Billy works almost all day at his father's farm, and rarely sees the outside world. One day he goes into town with his dad, to help purchase the animal feeder. Across the street from the Farmhouse is a baseball diamond where a game is in play, a homerun is hit and the balls rolls near Billy. He picks it up and tosses it back, with ease, it goes all the way to home plate. The Coach for one of the teams is amazed, and rushes over to Billy and his father. The Coach offers Billy a spot on the team, but Billy's dad argues that he has too much work, and no time for such games. Billy is disappointed, but ends up getting to play after talking to his mom, who settles it with his dad. After attending his first practice ever, Billy and his teammates realize that he is a natural born player, and an amazing pitcher. He makes many friends, and learns things about himself that he never realized was there. His new friends teach him that life is full of disappointments and let-downs, and that with family and friends, you can make it through anything. For once in his life Billy is having a blast while leading his team to the championship game. Everything is seeming to fit into place for Billy Baggs, until a surprising misfortune happens, and Billy is left with a serious choice, to give up his new friends, and the game he loves so much, or to let his family down. Will Billy figure out his predicament, or is he destined to pitch hay the rest of his life.
In my opinion this book was really good and very interesting! I thought that it had an excellent plot, and an amazing ending! I was able to feel like I was in the book a lot, I could easily relate to the situations and characters in the story. Thanks in large part to the fact that, the author used a great deal of description, when describing the setting and characters. I was really into the main conflict too, since I love baseball, and that was what the whole story was pretty much based around. I thought that characters were realistic because I could relate to their emotions in the types of situations they were in. I believe that the ending was extremely satisfying and easily the best part of the entire book, it was exciting, and I never expected what happened and it worked out great in this type of story.
Will Weaver's voice in this book, is 3rd person. The author did not really use vocabulary in interesting ways, aside from the slang "southern" drawls in the dialogue. I think that the authors vocabulary and writing style were pretty easy to read. Will Weaver used dialogue but didn't really use enough I believe, If there was one thing I could change about the authors' writing style it would be for him to add more dialogue. I thought that Will Weaver did an excellent job describing the characters and their emotions, which made the story a lot more fun to read.
If I had to rate Striking Out, I would probably have to give it an 8 out of 10 possible points. It was honestly that good,. I enjoyed the book so much I will probably end up reading it again sometime. I thought that the descriptions in the novel were superb, and the characters were like everyday people that I have probably met before, and that's how realistic they were.
All in all, I enjoyed the book a lot! I thought that the entire book was well paced, and extremely exciting throughout. The author did a phenomenal job, and I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, especially someone who enjoys baseball, and likes to read about it. This is totally the book for you!

"Striking Out" is about a boy named Billy Baggs who wants to play baseball but his father won't let him. Billy found out that he liked baseball when went to watch the kids play at the park across the street from the feed mill. A ball flew over the fence and landed In front of Billy. Billy picked up the ball and threw it from where he was standing to home plate in one throw. Billy lives on a farm where he works every minute of everyday. One day Billy and his father had to cut up a heifer or one of there animals because it was dead. Billy's mom had an interview for a job as a secretary at the clinic.
The things I liked about the book were that Billy was a pitcher, that Billy likes to drive tractors, and that Billy likes to work. The dislikes were that the Erickson sisters keep bugging Billy, that Billy has to work all day without having fun, and that Billy has to hang out with Tiny Tim who talks a lot.
The people who would like this book are people who like baseball and farms. Similar books are Farm Team.

After five years of trying to fill his dead brothers' shoes for his father, Billy Baggs begins the struggle to forge his own dreams. In his first novel for young adults, STRIKING OUT, Will Weaver uses his memories of growing up on a farm in Minnesota to shape the setting and plot of this book. Will Weaver now lives in Bemidji with his wife and two children, where he teaches Creative Writing and English at Bemidji State University.
I think male or female teenagers who enjoy realistic fiction will enjoy this book. Although it seems like this book is mainly directed at teenage boys who enjoy baseball, I think it's a book that will attract both baseball, and non-baseball fans alike. The book deals with all problems that young adults face with their parents when they take their first steps towards independence. Billy wants to begin playing baseball, his father is against it, finally Billy and his mother take a stand, and he begins playing.
The book is written in the third person, although it focuses mainly on Billy, it occasionally takes on the view of his baseball coach. The effect is interesting, throughout almost the whole book you see what Billy sees, feel what Billy feels, and then suddenly you switch to what the coach sees in the boy, or what other people would think when they saw Billy; a tough, gap-toothed farm boy who is good at baseball.
I think the main purpose of this book was to teach readers the value of family, and finding your place in the world. Throughout the book Billy's family is arguing, or ignoring each other. Each one is haunted by the past; the book starts during a turning point for the family. The title of the book STRIKING OUT is very important since Billy and his mother are both starting to take a stand, and strike out against his father living in the past. At one point in the book his mother, pent up with emotion, starts yelling; "things have to start changing around here!"
Will Weavers' strength in writing is character. Each of the characters is well defined, they all have their weaknesses, they are not good, or bad. Although he is writing in the third person you still understand how Billy feels, and when you switch to the Coaches' point of view, you understand what other people see in Billy. When you take on Billy's point of view farmers are described as the normal people, and other higher-class members of the town, are looked on as being snobby. When the coaches' point of view is taken on, Billy is described in a somewhat ragged fashion, as a person of higher class would see him.
Billy, and his father both have complicated characters, Billy's father is strict but sensitive, a deep and emotional character that somehow seems believable. Weaver's writing is raw and powerful when it comes to writing about Billy's family. You understand the hurt each member felt when his brother died, and how much it has impacted their lives, Billy's father especially.
When I first started reading the book, I didn't realize that Billy was only thirteen, he seemed much older, I thought that the author wasn't very good at capturing the character of a thirteen-year-old, but I soon realized that I was wrong. The reason Billy seems older is because he's a farm kid, he has more responsibilities, and therefore seems older. Weaver subtly explained this in parts of the book, and made me understand.
Weaver painted a fairly detailed picture of the setting, a small town in rural Minnesota, home of farmers and the "upper class"; suburbans.
The plot of the book is engaging, the trauma of Billy's home life, trying to get on the baseball team, and the memories of his brother all add up to a large amount of excitement. There are some baseball scenes, but even if you are a non-baseball type person, you will still be able to understand what is going on, mainly the competitiveness of Billy and the other members of the team.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone over the age of thirteen, there are some adult themes, but otherwise I think most people who enjoy realistic fiction, and don't mind baseball, would enjoy this book.

A boy and his brother live on a farm with their parents in a small town. One day the main character goes and works in a field on their farm. His little brother wants to join him so he comes and gets on the tractor with his older brother. The little boy wants to drive but his older brother won't let him so he tries anyway. He falls backwards off of the tractor and dies because he gets tore up in a plow. A while later the boy goes to a baseball diamond that's near his house. He finds other boys about his age playing and thats when he falls in love with baseball. Some things I liked about the book was that it starts right off with action when the boy is thrown from the tractor. Some things I didn't like were that the story is not totally focused on baseball right from the start like I was hoping, but that isn't such a bad thing and that is why I gave it a four-star.

It took me a while to find this book. There are so many books out there about relationships...but when I came across..this title. It immdiately caught my eye.. I read the summary and customer reviews..and it sounded like a smart investment.

I in a committed relationship of three..years was going through some rough spots..and wanted to find a book that would not only help me improve myself, but my relationship with my loving Boyfriend josh. I was so excited when i got the book and flew through the first 50 pages..within hours.. It was so hard to put it down!

This book doesn't just ....waste your time on satistics...and crazy things, techniques etc you need to do...to improve your relationship but really... break it down in easy ..chapters.

The author givess...GOOD CONCRETE advice...and backs it up with real examples from couples she has encountered in counceling. There are so many examples in this book...you don't know what to do with yourself and each of them...the author suggests various solutions to improve yourself and your relationship.

It has been an absolute wonderful read! I am so glad I read it.
The author has such a way with words..that ...i have over half of the book hilighted.....because of the key points she made which hit right at the BULLS EYE.

I HIGHLY RECCOMMAND IT! it will defintely...renew, refresh, your relationship.

In this book, author Dr. Ellen Wachtel gives advice on what she has seen work in couples therapy sessions that she refers to as "The 4 Truths" and other simple, practical tips that hundreds of couples she has counseled have found useful to repair a relationship that seems to be going awry as well as how to maintain a good relationship over time. As an interpersonal- relational communication major, I found much of her advice supports research done in the field. This book is an easy read and contains both things you never knew could help strengthen your relationship as well as things you probably already knew. Life gets hectic, this book is a nice reminder of the small things you can work on daily to maintain a healthy loving relationship. smlykaili

I couldn't beleive there were so many similarities! I read the book in a day. I hated to put it down.

As an interpersonal and relational scholar in the field of communication, I viewed this book through the eyes of someone educated on the topic of relationships. Ellen T. Wachtel has many good points in this book, but I would stress that it is a book aimed at marriages and long term relationships. This is not something that young couples just starting out would find very helpful. Many of the tips in this book help to remind readers of the maintenance required everyday in their relationship. Overall, I would recommend this book for someone who does not have a lot of experience studying communication who is interested in preserving their marriage.

As a student who has spent a good amount of my college career delving into the subject of interpersonal relationships, I can appreciate this book. I have found Wachtel's concepts relevant and well put. Certainly her work is interdiscplinary, with references to theories in Social Psych. Her Basic Truths are fundamental to relationship building and maintenance. By addressing valid concerns of people who are in a relationship or who have ever been in one, Wachtel is able to offer realistic guidelines that can help individuals regain their sanity & help couples regain control over their seemingly downward spiral. Certainly others can benefit from her tips for how to manage commitment & autonomy, how to determine when to define self and when to agree, and how to pick and choose battles. The idea of collaboration rather than compromise is reinforced in this book. Not only is the book full of a wealth of information, it is also filled with ways to put the information to good use. Particularly useful sections/chapters were:
- "Guidelines for deciding whether there is enough good in the relationship to stay committed to one another." >> Discusses the idea of costs and rewards
- "We Love Each Other, but... we get into really bad arguments.
- "We Love Each Other, but... Now I'm not so Sure."

This book is not only for married couples... many can benefit from it!!

I agree with most all of what was written, and the self-assessment portion is critical. With that said, I was the other woman ... I am the only woman now ... and we are not married as neither of us wishes it for us. We lead very separate lives 3000 miles apart 6 months of the year. But, we are truly emotionally intimate at all times. Most importantly, the time we spend together is quality time - we only celebrate one another. There are benefits that could have been covered in this book and I feel they were overlooked.

It was though the author of this book got into my head and wrote about everything I was thinking and feeling. The non-judgemental tone was a much needed relief and sets this book apart from almost everything else I've read on the subject. Although I highly recommend this book, there were a few quirks that I didn't especially like. First, the author makes reference to fiction and movies for examples. This isn't totally ineffective, but it seemed odd to me. Second, she repeatedly said there were three possible outcomes: continue the affair, end the affair and relationship, or the man divorces his wife and marries his lover. How about he leaves his wife and then continues his relationship with his lover but they don't marry? Finally, the book focused entirely on married men. How do the principles apply to an unmarried man with a long-time girlfriend that he's cheating on? This does happen. I am the "other woman" in just such a case.

The author absolutely understands affairs and the dynamics involved in them. More importantly; she provides sound advice to help you make a sound decision if you are involved in one. The outcome may be painful but in the end you may walk away with some self-awareness, compassion and understanding of yourself.

Ms. Subotnik really brings reality to the table in this book. Without judging "the other woman", she brings up points that we may have put out of our minds in pursuit of "The One", who happens to be married to someone else.

What if we waste years yearning, and even believing his promises that he'll leave her when this or that happens, only to find ourselves older and unable to have children, or having wasted years of our time waiting for something that never happens? Is it worth it?

She constantly brings up those important aspects of reality we'd rather ignore, and asks us "is it worth it?".

This book is a great wake-up call for those of us in relationships that will probably never go beyond affairs with married men. The odds are heavily against us that he'll never leave his wife for us. Ms. Subotnik makes this very clear.

5 stars all the way.

I wish I had read this book about 1 year ago, but maybe it wasn't the right time. I have been in a relationship (affair) for almost 2 years. It has been heart wrenching, emotional, and a test of who I am. This book really helps you to analyze who you are, why you are in this situation. And helps you to be honest about where it might be going. It is NOT a chick-lit, Lifetime kind of book. It is written by someone who has seen both sides and is not judging you for why you're here, rather trying to really help you to examine things and be strong to become happier. Anyone is this situation knows how abnormal the relationship is, despite the feelings you may have for this person. PLEASE read it if you're here, and you will be better off for doing so, no matter what comes of everything.

This is a fairly good, quick read. The book consists of about 10 or so case studies in luck. Each story is short, and many of them are thrilling. The book starts off with a story about a huge lottery winner and what made it interesting was it not only talked about the luck involved in winning the lottery, but it went a bit into what life was like post-win.

There were a few harrowing tales throughout the book such as ones about a plane crash at sea, a vacationer getting lost in a blizzard while skiing, and an Air Force pilot's accidental partial ejection into the Plexiglas cockpit cover. There are some fluff stories, too, such as one about the one-hit wonder Tommy Tutone ("867-5309/Jenny"), the inventor of the Pet Rock, and the toy buyer who discovered both Cabbage Patch Dolls and Pokemon.

The stories were almost all entertaining but the author's attempts to explain how to make luck go one's way seemed amateurish, as did his introduction that was a blatant plug for his previous writing, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook.

it was a good present for my uncle who has been struck by lightning.

Piven writes a superb book about the seemingly inexplicable fortunes of everyday people -- a topic that is universally appealing, but little understood or explored. As a reader, I found myself wondering what I would have done in the same situation presented to the "luck receiver" (or "bad luck receiver" in some cases). The stories are interesting, well chosen and keep their reader wanting to know "what happens in the end." Who knows -- perhaps reading this book will bring similar luck to its readers.

Ultimately, Piven proves that he can write more than just "Worst Case" scenarios; he is a first-rate author with an easy-to-read style. It will be interesting to see what topic he decides to tackle next.

Sam Goldwyn, legendary film producer, is credited with having first said, "The harder I work, the luckier I get" . . . I kept thinking about that quote as I read AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT by Joshua Piven--a fascinating collection of stories from lottery wins to fad products and a whole lot
in-between.

In nine short chapters, Piven introduces an eclectic range of individuals who all have something to say about how luck impacted their lives . . . he also brought in research on the subject, as well as these techniques that can help better ensure the results we get in life are ones we can live with:

First, when possible, be prepared.

Second, keep an open mind.

Third, stay informed.

Fourth, stay curious and know where to look for new ideas.

Fifth, maintain broad, diverse circles of personal and professional relationships.

Sixth, trust your emotions and your instincts.

Seventh, share your good luck with others.

Eighth, be self-reliant.

Lastly, keep a positive mental attitude--perhaps the most important aspect of effective luck management.

I particularly liked reading about Steve Roberts, the swimming pool repairman who had only a $100 bill to pay for his hot dog . . . so he asked for his change in lottery tickets and won $180 million . . . in addition, I was inspired by the stories of Gary Dahl and Al Kahn, the brains behind the Pet Rock and Cabbage Patch doll, respectively.

Also, there were several memorable passages; among them:
In attempting to counter his bad luck, Bennet was showing many of the signs of a condition mental health professionals call "illusory control." First identified by the Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer in the 1970s, illusory control is the belief that we are in control even when, objectively, we're not. Some common examples of this phenomenon deal with luck and chance. The lottery player who chooses his own number, or the gambler who insists on rolling his own dice, experiences the illusion of control over a random, uncontrollable situation. Illusory control is
an adaptive measure that can increase motivation when one is facing difficult or adverse circumstances. It may make the player feel better about his chances, that his actions will cause a specific outcome, even when, from an observer's perspective, it is obvious that the event itself cannot be influenced.

The mathematician and author John Allen Paulos relates the tale, probably a fable, of the frequent flyer who is deathly afraid of the remote possibility of a bomb on his plane. Knowing the chances are low-but not low enough for comfort-the man decides he will always travel with a bomb in his suitcase, reasoning that the odds against having two bombs on an airplane would be astronomical.

But perhaps the lens through which we judge bad luck needs a wider view, and a sharper focus. Steve feels that every negative is simply a chance to create a positive, and in this way his bad luck was transformed into good luck for the hundreds of people he and his organization have helped, people who desperately needed assistance and had nowhere left to turn. "You learn from bad experiences," he says. "And one of the things you learn is that you either hate the world
or you help the world. Being struck was my lot in life, but it happened for a reason."

I checked this out of the library recently, and yes, it's fascinating to read about these people's lives and how they have coped with various kinds of luck. If you've got a plane ride in your future or a day at the beach, bring this along.

Piven is an interesting writer, but employs some gimmicks that can misfire. For example, he starts each story with a striking detail from the middle of the story. Distracting and confusing? Could be for some, but it really hooked me. Also, every story is told in the present tense, which I found odd.

What's less than successful is the author's attempt to cobble together a scientific framework for the stories; worse yet is the last chapter, which reads like a 'PowerPoint' presentation on things we can do to manage our own luck.

On balance, though, it's readable and interesting.