Will Self Books

Not nearly as memorable as the surrealist pornography of "The Story of an Eye," nor as thought-provoking as his study of the tangling of the great death and the "little death" of orgasm in his sex-and-mortality, violence-and-the sacred exploration "Erotism," this slim novel, as the author's uncomfortable tone betrays in its afterword, appears half-finished and abandoned rather than meant as it is for publication.

Lazare's fanatical devotion to the Left and especially Dirty's penchant for decadent and unsanitary lifestyle choices remain the most powerfully characterized moments, but too much of the novel remains as jittery and haphazard-- albeit Bataille argues in the afterword he meant it to be read as such-- as comparatively mundane next to the strong opening vignette of Troppmann and Dirty in one of literature's most effectively rendered dives, even by Parisian standards.

As one who has read plenty of Céline, a bit of Sade, and some of Sartre's fiction, this novel held some interest. Yet, it seems too slack, too dragged down by ennui. Far less erotic than a reader of "The Story of An Eye" might expect, this instead recalls Bataille's protege, Pierre Klossowski (his novels have been reviewed by me on Amazon; he's the brother of the painter Balthus) and his philosophical protagonists who also are prone more to shuffling about rather than coupling energetically. The extravagant claims left by readers here appear unfounded, given the turgid pace of its pages and the uneven tone of the narrative.

I don't understand why this book is considered to be one of Bataille's bastard children. It's beautifully written. The man was capable of working miracles with words through his style and arrangement of them. Blue of Noon is definitely not an exception.

Bataille's style is always one of brutal elegance. He's like a lover who slaps you in the face, only to pull you into a gentle embrace a moment later.

The main character, Troppman, is the star here - he is a deviant trying is best not to be. Ahhhh, the internal struggles - do you stay married and live your life as a respectable, productive member of society. Or do you run off with whores and derelicts to indulge the savage needs you've so long supressed.

Not to be outdone, his brightest co-star, is a woman named Dirty. She is a beautiful creation. She is a train wreck of a woman. She and Troppman braid themselves together in clearly conspicuous codependence of the worst sort, bawdy drunkeness paving the pathways to irrevocable damnation.

I also enjoyed Lazare; a woman Troppman finds himself thoroughly disgusted with, she has no redeeming features. Yet, he cannot stay away.

If you are a fan of the madman Bataille, don't miss out on this one. I think this is truly some of his best work.

"Blue of Noon" is the story of Henri, an amoral man living in Europe during the 1930s. He is supposedly married, but spends his time with similarly amoral women, lacking clothing, inhibition, shame, and even proper hygeine at times. He zips between London, Paris, Barcelona, and Frankfurt, and frankly, engages in nothing but immoral self-satisfying activities in every spot.

At various times, he agonizes over his relationships with his wife, his sexual partners, and his deceased mother. He becomes embroiled in a Communist revolutionary plot in Barcelona, with one of his sexual partners, a Jewish woman, involved in its planning and execution. He reveals his necrophilic obsession to two of his partners, further revealing the exact, even more sickening, subject of his obsession to one of them. He has sex, he gets sick, his women have sex, they get sick, everybody has sex, everybody gets sick. For the punchline, near the end of the novel, Bataille throws Nazis into the picture, showing us that all the depravity of fascism is comparable to the depravity he has shown us all along. Though published in 1957, the book was originally written in 1936.

This reviewer isn't buying it. Not a word of it. Not the story, not even the "1936" part. For one thing, the writing style is actually more mature than that of "L'Abbe C", published in 1950. Bataille is most probably trying to show off that he detected the evil inherent in the Nazis "way back when". I don't give him that much credit.

For another thing, I think he uses Nazis as an easy way to score "scary" points. One might intellectualize his choice by saying Bataille is trying to tell us that no matter how disgusting humans may act, at least we're not as bad as Nazis. Imagine a murderer begging leniency because he's not a Nazi. He's still a murderer. It seems Bataille is using Nazis to justify the pornography he just wrote, as if the world is such a horrible place that pornography is just another little bit of it, and tries to throw a philosophical wrench into the works, as if saying life is meaningless in the face of all the horrible things fascism is doing to us in Europe, but I suspect it was all done just for the hell of it. I frankly don't see any rhyme or reason to the thematic choices he makes.

I have nothing against the depravity or explicit nature of the book. "Been there, done that", right? It's not even all that explicit, there's probably less sex in this book than the average mainstream novel today, and he's certainly not advocating committing even the slightest harm to anyone. There are a few disturbing or distasteful ideas here and there, but one never gets the sense Bataille really means what he's writing. One gets the sense he's simply trying to come up with every juxtaposition of immoral behavior and social taboo he can, just to tweak the reader's moral compass a bit, trying to get a cheap rise out of his audience. Maybe this was an interesting exercise in 1957 (or "1936"), but given the state of depravity which existed in Germany during the 1920s, and the state of sexual liberation which swept Europe from the late 19th century through the early 20th century, I strongly doubt it.

Perhaps the target reader for this book will be the person interested in twisted versions of 19th-century literature (Bataille wrote like someone living 50 or 100 years before his time), or the works of De Sade (albeit in highly shortened format, this book being only 126 pages).

According to Georges Bataille's autobiographical note, LE BLEU DU CIEL ("The Blue of the Sky") was composed in the twilight before the occupation of Vichy France.

The descending night darkens these pages.

Dissolute journalist Henri Troppmann ("Too-Much-Man") and his lover, Dirty give way to every impulse, to every surfacing urge, no matter how vulgar. Careening from one sex-and-death spasm to the next, they deliver themselves over to infinite possibilities of debauchery. A fly drowning in a puddle of whitish fluid (or is it the thought of his mother, a woman he must not desire?) prompts Troppmann to plunge a fork into a woman's supple white thigh. The threat of Nazi terror incites a coupling in a boneyard.

Their only desire is to besmirch whatever is elevated, to vulgarize the holy, to pollute it, to corrupt it, to bring it down into the mud.

By muddying whatever is "sacred," they maintain the force of "the sacred."

As a historical document, BLEU DU CIEL is eminently interesting. It offers unforgettably vivid portraits of Colette Peignot (as Dirty) and the "red nun" Simone Weil (as Lazare).

It is also the story of a man who is fascinated with fascism and the phallus, of someone who loves war, although not for teleological reasons. It is the story of a man who celebrates war on its own terms, who nihilistically affirms its limitless power of destruction.

As the night materializes, the blue of the sky disappears.

Joseph Suglia, the author of YEARS OF RAGE

I don't understand why this book is considered to be one of Bataille's [illegitimate] children. It's beautifully written. The man was capable of working miracles with words through his style and arrangement of them. Blue of Noon is definitely not an exception.

Bataille's style is always one of brutal elegance. He's like a lover who slaps you in the face, only to pull you into a gentle embrace a moment later.

The main character, Troppman, is the star here - he is a deviant trying is best not to be. Ahhhh, the internal struggles - do you stay married and live your life as a respectable, productive member of society. Or do you run off with [prostitutes] and derelicts to indulge the savage needs you've so long supressed.

Not to be outdone, his brightest co-star, is a woman named Dirty. She is a beautiful creation. She is a train wreck of a woman. She and Troppman braid themselves together in clearly conspicuous codependence of the worst sort, bawdy drunkeness paving the pathways to irrevocable damnation.

I also enjoyed Lazare; a woman Troppman finds himself thoroughly disgusted with, she has no redeeming features. Yet, he cannot stay away.

If you are a fan of the madman Bataille, don't miss out on this one. I think this is truly some of his best work.

This book is very entertaining, but after I received it I was disappointed to find that it is actually 12 years old. If you aren't old enough to have a good handle on 1996 and what was happening then and what didn't exist yet, you will have trouble with a lot of the things in this book. Things about computer and other technology are often not relevant, as you may expect.However, there are many other things you will appreciate, such as finally learning the difference between a magnate, a mogul and a czar. I would recommend the book to people who were not in elementary school or earlier during the 90s and were alert enough to remember the cultural and business environment at that time.

An interesting read but it really needs to be revised as it was published in 1996; a significant amount of things have obviously occurred since then and they would greatly alter many of the passages.

Don't bother, if you are half inteligent, you should know everything that's in the book, just commonsense.

I did learn a lot from this book and the writing style allowed me to just read straight through. I would suggest ignoring the entire section on computers though. Too much has changed since the book was written.

When I picked up this little tome;I didn't really expect it to amount to much. As usual,I read the customer reviews,and was really left wondering.Quite a spread of opinions!
After reading,I have to say that I fully agree with those who gave it top marks.
I didn't count the things covered exactly;but there are about 45 or so. When you finish;you are going to feel there could easily be thousands of things and expressions we use all the time,without really knowing what they mean or how they came about.
An excellent little gem to lay around for people to pick up and wile away a little time. However;don't be suprised if,as the Irish so aptly put it; "it gets nicked"....oh,how I love that word!
If you think this little book is superficial, and just might not be one of the pinacles of greatness in the world of books;you may be right.But wait till you see the extensive Bibliography at the end of the book.If you think the subject of this book is minor ,just skimming through this Bibliography,will show you how little we really know of what we speak.
Here's a smattering of what to expect:

What is the legal definition of insanity?

Why are the Liberals to the "Left" and the Conservatives to the "Right"?

What is the difference between a Republic and a Democracy?

How do microwaves work?

What makes food Kosher?

How do subiminal messages work?

Did The Three Musketeers actually exist?

What pasta names go with whatpasta shapes?

If you know the answers to all these questions,you might find this book dull;but if you want to know some of what you're talking about;now's your chance!

I thought this book of course does a good job explaining Alice Miller's position that abuse has harmful lasting effects. But the title of this book led me to believe it had helpful ideas for recovering people. It doesn't. It just explains her position, and when you are disability and haven't worked in a few years and you are just trying to come to terms with all that's happened to you and you spend money to buy a book with the title that it will help you recover and it doesn't have any helpful ideas then you might feel pretty ripped off, which is what I Think about this book.

I see kids at church where their parents don't discipline them, and they act up and do things that I never would have even thought about doing as a child. I would have had the living daylights beaten out of me, and I would have suffered extensively. I never would have dreamed of it.

I do see that the abuse has had long lasting effects in my life, and I"m seeking to recover, but this book wasn't very helpful.

It has been some time since I had originally read this book, but in coming back and further reflecting upon it, I feel a need to distance myself further from it. There are of course the basic, standard, good premises: bad parenting is bad and hurts children. Yet, when you get depth little more so than that, the book is sorely simplistic. Admonitions to just "love yourself" might just not be all that is needed for a true, curative psychotherapeutic process. As a licensed psychologist, and to plain and simple just be quite the bit more pragmatic, a person, breathing, I find much more depth in works such as "On Human Symbiosis and the Vicissitudes of Individuation: Infantile Psychosis," by Margaret S. Mahler and Manuel Furer and "Collected Papers on Schizophrenia and Related Subjects" by Harold F. Searles, the former showing you much more intently the inner workings of the mind of an infant or a young child in distress, with the latter showing what it is to do true psychotherapeutic work, that is, not just theory-based, but if one examines what Dr. Searles has to say, one can also see that he is giving of himself most immensely. Now, again, as a psychologist, and as a human being, more so, and more so I live, learn and thrive, I have found it most remarkable that other persons in the psychological and psychiatric professions not just only take umbrage (offense or annoyance) with my views, such that this work of Ms. Miller is simplistic and fails to strive at finding core bases for the transformation of the human psyche or better yet the amelioration of psychiatric symptomatology, better yet the working through of intrapsychic conflict, but also that they resort to plain out-and-out mockery and attempts at denigration. Maybe Ms. Miller did hit the nail on the head in noting that these unresolved conflicts lie within each of us and manifest in manifold manner; yet, Freud did say that, too. Either way, the book lacks any significant element of in-depth insight, without which change--or psychic restructuralization--is just plain not possible. And, if you get into the vanity inherent in mockery, well, it's a long characterological road on back then.

I read this book carefully & slowly. I will not be the same again, in that I will no longer go through life, with my eyes closed. Emotionally, this book has freed me to a great extent. I believe then, that it can do so for anyone who is honest & open.

Alice Miller goes into a facinating and undoubtably true acount on how we are often are own worst enemy. We often poison ourselves with comfortable lies that end up causing more damage than we realize both spiritually and physically.
The Truth will Set you Free, is a wonderful title for the books content. As someone who has been meditating almost daily for the past several years I have grown to develop an awareness of myself that I did not have in earlier years. So I put Alice Miller to the test. After a meditation session I stayed sitting and relaxed and began to think Aloud the following statements pausing for 3 minutes between each one. 1- He was the best father in the world and he loved me very much growing up. 2- My father never loved me and wouldn't have cared if I died. 3- Though he did care and provide, my father was a pathetic man who loved himself much more than he ever loved me. When I said the first two statements, I felt an inner tension in my gut and upper spine. When I claimed the last one the tension released completely. That's because the last statement was the true one, regardless of how hard it might be to admit. But such tension is subtle and not detectable by most people at first. Alice Miller states that we often take the lies told to us by society and family and embody them, but our bodies/subconscious CANNOT be lied to. And our bodies carry around the toxic lie until finally we find ourselves getting sick. Facing truth may hard for your mind to bear initially, but it's the only thing that alleviates pain in the soul and body in the long run. The only problem I have with this book it offers almost no practical guideline as to what someone can DO to get to the truth. It mentions therapy briefly. Meditation I know works too, but it took me a long time before I grew to an awareness of subtle little shifts in emotion and the body like what I experienced in the 'experiment.' The type of people who would buy this book most likely have already faced their emotional blindness on some level and are looking to learn ways to enhance that- and that practicality is what this book is missing. Still a fascinating and potentially enlightening read.

Miller's main premise is that God set up mankind for the fall. The truth is that God allowed the tree of knowledge of good and evil to co-exist next to the Tree of Life. Man was given a choice. Choose your own way or choose life. Man has been paying for its choice ever since....

The same goes for discipline. Miller wants to give reason to just let children do what they want to. Go ahead and do that if you want, but I am writing to warn that this thinking is destructive to the soul. Of course we have choices, but there are good choices and bad choices. As parents, it is up to us to help our children make good choices. When there are bad choices, discipline is in order. Use your best judgement what type of discipline in necessary in that situation.

Children will grow into adults and make their own decisions without our intereference eventually anyway. Hopefully by good parenting, they will learn that there are consequences to their actions. You will not be responsible to administer correction any longer, but their future spouses will, the legal system, their employers, their friends, people on the road driving next to them. Hopefully they will make good choices.

Peace. Read something like Dobson, it will help you.

Didn't care for the bull. Kinda dug the C*ck. I thought that the story was insightful, funny, sexy, etc. Maybe that was a bit too much c#ck for some people. They should stick to reading John Grisham or the like.

There's this woman, right, and she grows a penis!! It's soooo rude! That Will's so naughty! And then there's this subtext about antisemitism and it's so, like, deep! Crikey, he's clever.

Will Self wants to be Kafka. Or maybe he wishes Kafka had never been born then he could have got there first. Let's be thankful good old Franz did beat him to it, and with a lot more style to boot. And Brett Easton Ellis does that shocking nastiness thing a whole lot better, too.

These two novellas, written at great speed during a holiday in Morocco, when Self was, as he proclaimed himself 'high on marijuana' have the brio and freshness of stories rolled out with swift, merciless satire.

The concept is similar in both stories - exploring the murky waters of human sexual identity, but the pace differs. In 'Cock' a woman trapped in a moribund marriage to a bloke whose idea of sexual seduction is to ask if he can 'climb on board' gradually finds the grisly stub of her clitoris growing and expanding into a fully fledged penis, which takes over her personality giving it freakish impulses.

In 'Bull', the metamorphosis is more sudden. Like Gregor Samsa, Bull, a slightly dimwitted, naive rugby player who implausibly writes an arts column for a listings magazine wakes up one morning to find a vagina has sprouted in the crook of his knee. Strange things happen to him as he tries to come to grips with this, and the curious attentions of his doctor Alan Margoulies...

This is not Self's best work. It pitches well, but the stories are too frenzied and overwrought to have the subtleties and satirical power of his greatest stories. But there is still plenty of humour, and like all Self's writing, his prose holds up an ugly and uncomfortable mirror to ourselves, and our modes of living.

A definite oddity of a book that explores how and why men and women are infinitely different. One woman grows fully functional male genitalia and conversely a male is disfigured with female genitals in the back of his knee. What's most interesting about the books is the emotional metamorphosis, not necessarily the physical one that these two independent people experience.

I liked the idea of the book, however I found the vocabulary to be grandiloquent at times. Reading this book with a dictionary nearby was a necessity for me. This isn't necessarily a weakness, however I found that the book should have been a little more decipherable for being such a small novelette. The story itself was grand; the vocabulary just confused and overshadowed the narrative. I liked the book, and I recommend it, just be prepared to sit with a dictionary while reading.

In this book, Will Self explores gender. Unfortunately, he doesn't really commit. In the first book, a bored suburban woman develops a penis. She doesn't develop a true, honest to God, do-I-dress-left-or-right one, just a nub. There just is not a lot driving her, either. She just seemed like a sad little person, who never goes anywhere. In the companion story, a macho man develops a vagina on his leg. To use the AOL-type acronym, WTF? Why not commit? Why not put it where they generally are located? You certainly won't find one on someone's leg!

Both stories were too weak. He doesn't wake them up completely switched in gender, he does not really show how society treats men and women through the fresh eyes of someone who has undergone a full transformation. He just makes these oddball half-baked chimeras and has all of the consequence of the mutation be a result of their own internal ruminations.

Best ignore this one and enjoy his other, more entertaining books.

IT was amazing to read a book that through it's title gives you the clue that this book will be wierd, but to still be taken aback at how twisted the reels of faces can become when reading such a well written book.

Self and Rowson make a pungent pair - both left wing, media London establishment jesters as writer and cartoonist respectively, they team up in this short novella to paint a verbal and visual zeitgeist crusher of a book. The story is a simple one, not a bit of it cannot be found in some other tale or parable somewhere: naive, northern boy leaves his miserable life in the north with his 'girlfriend tending towards parturition, and small flat that would have required partition' to try and make it in the cocaine blasted world of media London as journalist for Rendezvous - one of those listings magazines that claims to surf the very tip of the cultural wave with weekly listings for tedious avant-garde cultural events.

Richard, our hero, finds himself drowning in a sea of drugs and superficiality. His nemesis, Bell, is a modern media baron - a promiscuous womaniser and hairsuite sex god. Mixing excessive substance abuse with paranoid affection for Ursula Bentley - a sort of twenties decadent siren reconstructed afloat on the pillow of narcotics in 90s central London, Richard finds his crush on the flighty Ursula growing with his cocaine fuelled paranoia about seeing Bell's face everywhere he goes. Richard has the nub of goodness within him, bless him. His wish is to make a genuine connection with Ursula, lift her and her tedious sex column out of this ephemeral dirge of media London to a married life of meaning and permanence. Ursula merely ruffles his hair and calls him 'sweet'. The twin poles, and scents of Ursula's perfume 'Jicki' and Richard's psychosis - entwine and grow as the novella roars to a swift and surreal denoument.

So the story is basically a bog standard modern parable of values being important than drugs, beautiful people and glamour blah blah. But the style - Self's amphetiminic and thesauras powered prose and Rowson's Hogarthian grotesque cartoons is to be savoured.

I can't put my finger on why I didn't like this book. I like his other books (Great Apes and Grey Matter are great). You can't help, but feel dirty after reading a book like this, yet there was little humor or even interesting perspective to lighten the blow. I found this to be creepy and not in a good way. Maybe I was just in a bad mood...

This joyfully venomous novella, whose title invokes the excellent Burt Lancaster/Tony Curtis film Sweet Smell of Success (1957), is ostensibly intended to satirize the sorts of tabloid hack journalists who had enjoyed themselves so thoroughly at the expense of Martin Amis, Will Self's literary godfather, several years ago. But, perhaps just because I'm not British, there did not seem to be anything presslike about the characters; instead it seemed just a vicious, but worthwhile, savaging of the sort of amoral, ambisexual, drug-addled, sensation-chasers who are all too common in every walk of life and line of work these days.

Richard Hermes is an entirely minor features writer who has become caught up in the vortex of young journalists who revolve around Bell, a constant media presence known for bedding any man or woman he sets his eye on, sort of Larry King crossed with a satyr. Richard recognizes the emptiness of the lives the group leads, and still has a sufficient remnant of decency to be repelled by the acts of needless cruelty that they thrive on, however, he's fallen in lust with Ursula Bently, an icy blonde beauty, who hangs with this crowd, but whom he compares to "a diamond found in a gutter behind a Chinese takeaway."

Richard pays court to the intermittently receptive Ursula, and descends deeper and deeper into a paranoid cocaine-induced haze, in which everyone around him seems to resemble Bell. He harbors the improbable hope that Ursula is redeemable and that the two of them can break out of Bell's gravitational pull to live happily ever after. But in the end, even as he plans to get away from the City and Bell, to return home for the Christmas holiday, Richard finally gets his chance to bed down Ursula, though the experience proves less than heavenly.

If the book is intended to say something specific about the press, it escaped me entirely. No one actually seems to perform any kind of work in the book, it's all clubbing, drugging, drinking, and scrumping. But taken simply as a cautionary tale, a warning that by being with these people you become one of them and sink into the abyss, it worked well enough.

GRADE : B

The Sweet Smell of Psychosis is classic Will Self. He has such a delightful and distinctive writing style. Sardonic, monstrously grotesque, twisted. And not without moments of cruelty. The story itself is almost irrelevant. I find myself reading and rereading certain passages, charmed by the sounds of the language yet nauseated by the sentiment. I end up looking up a lot of words, which slows me down. For any given word I didn't recognize, I wasn't sure if it is was a unique Self-neologism, British druggy underworld colloquialisms, esoteric vocabulary, or a reference that's over my head (I read the book on mostly on the run, circling words and phrases to later run through the good ol' Wikipedia, God I love that thing).

The Sweet Smell of Psychosis is a nice short novella, baroque and ornate as any of self's writing but linear in its narrative. It has short little sections punctuated by illustrations, just like the old chapter books I used to read in grade school. I like that. Like a rat pressing the lever in an old skinner box, I find myself reading faster, turning pages hoping for the intermittent reward of a illustration. Martin Rowson's illustrations certainly liven things up, (although I was a little self-conscious reading it in the heat-wave, rush hour train, packed in shoulder to shoulder, with vague paranoid ideation of people reading over my shoulder) much in the same way that Ralph Steadman's demented illustrations complemented the writings of Hunter S. Thompson.

The story sets itself within the post-post-modern world of media observing media, with our protagonist, Richard, being a self-loathing hack writer associating in the world of "media-associated subsidiary professionals." "They were transmitters of trivia, broadcasters of banality, and disseminators of dreck. They wrote articles about articles, made television programmes about television programmes..." (sic, as pertains to that unpleasantly odd British spelling) "They traifficked in the glibbest, slightest, most ephemeral cultural reflexivity, enacting a dialogue between society and its conscience that had all the resonance of a foil individual pie dish smitten with a paperclip." Richard is sinking deeper and deeper into the dopaminergic driven psychosis of cocaine abuse, and finds himself unable to separate himself from the gravitational field of Bell, a charismatic but treacherous talk show host, and Bell's sycophantic clique. Within that clique is Ursula, who Richard falls in love and the story is centered around Richard's attempts to connect with her and disconnect the both of them from Bell's vicious druggy world.

So, on some level, it is a quite charming boy-meets-girl love story. But with Self's unique style. For example, when a hung-over, burnt-out Richard gets a laugh from Ursula, "By God! He'd said something right! A thousand thousand pink flamingos lifted off from the volcanic lake of Richard's stomach." Two brief paragraphs later, when Ursula mentions her recent outing with Bell's gang, "The flamingos were machine-gunned by Nazi vivisectionists." Throughout the book, the decompensating unconscious of drug psychosis intermingles and fantastical subjectivity overtakes the real. I don't want to give away the brilliant ending, which surprised me both with its absurd humor and its intensity.

Thumbs up, buy this book. Tell a friend. Thank me later.

The author's solution to the problem described in the book title is simply to rid yourself of all sexual hang ups; you and your partner are then free to become so much in love that sex hardly matters any more. Even if this were a reasonable solution (which it likely isnt) the book gives little useful information on how to achieve that state. The author claims "traditional" counseling can be destructive and spends a good bit of the book on sex addiction, implying that the partner who wants more sex is acting out of a pathology. She defines healthy sex as lacking urgency, expressing itself only by certain sorts of (tame) acts and existing in a state of ethereal bliss so overwhelming that one can scarcely remember what happened. The author's own (healthy) sexual experiences are recounted only because, luckily, she recorded them on paper directly after. There are cases sprinkled throughout the book but most of them will likely be unfamiliar to many readers as they do not generally include typical problems. Finally, the book is filled with bald assertions concerning what sex is truly intended for, what constitutes "healthy" and "unhealthy", what behaviours signal pathology, how couples should behave, and host of other issues (including her famous sexual moratorium which she suggests couples engage in--for perhaps a year or two!!), with no references, no explanation for her opinions and no real support for her arguments. Instead there is a bunch of jargon, unsubstantiated opining and new age posturing toward ethereal (if romantic) goals that most of us will find unrealistic, at best.

I've read the book 3 times over 12 years and maybe the newer additions still in print are better organized---there are problems with this one but it's short and you can skip around. If you're savvy on self help, start in the middle. What this has that is priceless and I found no where else has little to do with a couple that wants differing amounts of sex, it's this: to pay attention to what emotions you may be avoiding by initiating sex, because you can't avoid them, they ruin the sex AND the rest of your life. So yeah you end up sometimes "using sex" for therapy, and yeah she doesn't give you details on HOW to become self aware of those feelings and how to find a therpist or mate who's not so triggered by what you're doing with their own stuff that they shut you down...but how can she? The chapter on self loving is priceless and frees you from that "Ican't find anyone to do it with" block.

This is the best paradigm shift on the subject of sex that I have read. The commercial standard that sex is portrayed in our society is revealed for what it is. The reader is faced with the choice to continue in that frustrating vein or open the mind to the possibilities of resusitating the natural sexuality that is in all of us.

After years of sexual addiction, ..., going to adult books stores, I engaged in sexual healing. Anne Stirling Hastings' books have helped me understand what I can do in order to discover what kind of sex is possible now that I have given up this crazy kind. I didn't know it was possible to love my wife so much, and that sex could SEEM so ordinary while it is vastly better than the old kind. I have discovered that the passion that can occur with little physical stimulation is of a different nature than what I got when having sex after watching a porn video, or having sex for the first time with a conquest. I recommend this book for anyone who really wants to find out what sex was meant to be, what it can be. My shame is greatly reduced. I don't engage in sexual jokes or inuendo any longer.

Her solution is to wait until both partners want sex, and then maybe longer. Say up to a year or two. I would highly recommend this book to the wife of my worst enemy.

This might be the most disturbing book I've ever read.

This book is biased and one sided. Its far out predictions are based on selective and creative interpretation of Biblical texts, and a paranoid view of current and past events.

Some of the author's more far out theories:
- The spirit of the 60s is demonically inspired
- The campaign against nuclear weapons was bankrolled by communists
- Christians are being systemically persecuted worldwide, but he says nothing about how radical Christians are persecuting Muslims, supporters of abortion, multilateralists and more
- Boutros Boutros-Ghali is the most powerful man on the planet (in 1996), and the US is 'pliant' to the UN (any casual observer would be able to see that the UN Secretary-General has little power compared to the President of the United States, and if anything, it is the US that bullies the UN by refusing to pay its dues, imposing all sorts of conditions on it, stomping out of UN bodies like a petulant child, manipulating the Security Council and more)
- The World Bank forces sterilisation and abortion
- UFOs are demons

Hal Lindsey demonises many groups including Communists, Muslims, Humanists, European integrationists, Liberals, non-fundamentalist Christians, and the left in general.

Many of Hal Lindsey's far out conspiracy theories are putatively proven and corroborated, not only with selective and creative interpretation of Scripture, but by way of his unnamed "primary intelligence sources", which are constantly referred to but never described in any but the vaguest of terms, and which know of some very unbelievable things, like Rafsanjani's proclaiming that Muslims want to take over the world.

I am trying my best to be objective here, but the sheer paranoia and negative vibes contained in this book really put me off. Only buy this book if you don't already have another of Hal Lindsey's works (they all say the same thing, apparently, and he reuses choice paragraphs from book to book, with slight modifications to show that his interpretation of prophecy was right when it actually wasn't).

I bought this book in a bookstore along with Harold Camping's wonderful, "1993?" To say the least, the fact that I bought both titles in 2003 should be evident to how much I enjoyed the books and found their theological discourse convincing. While I am not an expert of theology by any means, I know a little bit about dates, and it seems that Hal is still off. This is another example of why the Pessimistic-Evangelical-Doomsayer genre is a complete farce in the field of theology and a total humiliation to the Christian world.

I respect Mr. Lindsey for trying to read the signs and offering answers that point to the Lord. My problem with him is that we just look foolish when we predict the end and it doesn't happen, and in that we also making our God a bit of a side show gimmic. Again, while I have respect for men such as Lindsey and Lahaye as writers and evangelists, prophets they are not. Oh, and if you would like what I consider a theologically sound end-times argument, check out what Martin Luther said of the Book of Revealations.

If one is going to read with any degree of serious interest the genre of prophetic interpretation, then certain allowances must be made. Adjustments for elapsed time, language, technology, and other such major differences in frames of reference over the ages, need be accommodated by writer and reader alike.

Now, nearing 2006, it's clear that radical islamist hatred towards Jews and Christians has been amplified by Arab oil money, and that the crisis is very great. Equally significant, the U.S. is without reliable allies through the European Union. Both these ideas were major planks in the Lindsey outlook.

Politically, not biblically, the question that arises is does the United States isolate itself and put its dwindling and over-indebted assets behind its defenses, or does it stand virtually alone in its imperfect but noble campaign for liberty and equality of opportunity for fellow human beings?

It's not an easy debate to resolve. Does a leading society model its global role around selfish gain, negative prophesy, or higher mortal and spiritual principles? It's really an open question, and Lindsey seems to leave it that way.

Hal Lindsey was very blessed by God with much insight and access to many facts. His book was not dogmatic, nor was it full of candy-coated truth. It was full of hard core truth. Truth is not to be candy-coated. People are frightened of the End Times because 1.) they are not sure they're saved 2.) many know deep down that they are coming soon... Therefore, they want people to preach messeges of comfort rather than messeges full of hard facts. People remember that God is gracious, but they forget that God is also a JUST God. Hal used up-to-date facts and was very good at pointing out how the liberal media and politicians cover up the ugly truth. They hide the attrocities they cause from the eyes of the people. They deceive the people. Very well-written piece of literature.

planeet aarde 2000AD is a magnific book!!Hal lindsey is a good writer,and realist,I hope that many people can read this book,so they can see that we are not far away from the climax of the history,and that God loves us for what, or who we are.And remember...God never leave us.Isn't that good news?Maranatha.Halleluja!!

Blah blah blah... this guy is full of it! Not helpful-- this stuff is obvious. I think this kid is actually helping the author to feel better about himself, not the other way around. Basically, it's BORRRRRRRRING!!!!

I'm not sure how many people would share this view, but I've often faced events that have made me wonder about whether it would be fair to call it merely a coincidence. Will not get into that line of thought here (would take too long!), sufficient to say that finding this book was one of those.
For some years now, I've been thinking and wondering about what to make of what's happening in the world at large, and with the youth of today in particular. In a specific and selfish sense, this would come up in my mind in the statement 'what kind of world and life is my son going to have' - and he's just turned 6-years now!
Generation gaps, the adolescent crises, forming an adult identity, these have always existed as passages right from the dawn of man, I've gone thru' many of these myself, as part of growing, not so many years ago. But there seem to be many differences in what youngters seem to be facing today - and from the way they behave, the situation seems to be much, much worse than during my time.
Just some days back, I'd thought that I should start writing to my son - pretty much about experiences, thoughts, ideas, beliefs and so on, as much for me as for him. And then I go and stumble on this book, would you call that a coincidence? :)
Dr Shwartz has written well - he's taken positions, made provocative statements, used contemporary examples and his language is pretty much aligned to the youth of today. I'm tempted to level a charge that he's pretty much stayed in the shallows of human nature and the enormous destruction that we're all capable of and keep seeing. But even within this, he's navigated wisely - and wisdom is about understanding the receiver of the information and their ability to handle and process.
The chapters (or letters to Patrick) have well intermeshed themes that flow and build up, and even within the chapter, the thought builds up smoothly. I'm repeating myself, but what has been particularly interesting is how Dr Shwarz has taken positions - he's called bad habits, bad approaches, bad lifestyles with names and labels, something that's not seen too much in such work.
My socio-cultural background is very different, being as I am from India and many of the cultural and familial situations described didn't completely translate to my growing years. But for the last decade or so, India has been frantically racing to catch up with the West in every sense, and with the information age well and truly upon us, this trend has a life and force of its own. And many youngsters are being swept along in the incredible force of this torrent. This book has the potential to make them think, if they're inclined that way already.
The need for a purpose higher than ourselves, the need for meaning, name it what you will, is as old as man. Dr Shwartz has made an eloquent hypothesis - he has tried to inspire Patrick and his generation to arrest the damage that the baby-boomers triggered off! And then works towards arming Patrick with a body of wisdom, to help him on this quest.
If you're on a similar quest, this book is bound to make you think and even provide you some guideposts and signs.
Happy reading!

Schwartz is a brilliant neuroscientist who here ranges far afield -- through Buddhism, Edmund Burke, Eliot, Moses and more -- with seamless erudition and not a trace of condescension as he teaches a troubled teenager some invaluable life lessons.

A really great book, and a great explanation as to why these ideas (from Buddha, Jesus, Moses) are so important to our lives. Though technology has reshaped our physical lives, human nature has not changed, and we still have the same basic desires.
I had the opportunity to meet the author and speak with him (and to thank him for writing this book), and was thoroughly impressed by his scope of knowledge on these subjects.
This is the best book I have read in years, and has significantly altered how I look at my own life (a wake-up call you could say), and has allowed me to better understand the shortfalls of modern culture. It has helped reignite and reinvigorate my interest in religion, and I am grateful for having read it in a thorough and focused (though we can all be more focused) manner.

I'm not sure how many people would share this view, but I've often faced events that have made me wonder about whether it would be fair to call it merely a coincidence. Will not get into that line of thought here (would take too long!), sufficient to say that finding this book was one of those.
For some years now, I've been thinking and wondering about what to make of what's happening in the world at large, and with the youth of today in particular. In a specific and selfish sense, this would come up in my mind in the statement 'what kind of world and life is my son going to have' - and he's just turned 6-years now!
Generation gaps, the adolescent crises, forming an adult identity, these have always existed as passages right from the dawn of man, I've gone thru' many of these myself, as part of growing, not so many years ago. But there seem to be many differences in what youngters seem to be facing today - and from the way they behave, the situation seems to be much, much worse than during my time.
Just some days back, I'd thought that I should start writing to my son - pretty much about experiences, thoughts, ideas, beliefs and so on, as much for me as for him. And then I go and stumble on this book, would you call that a coincidence? :)
Dr Shwartz has written well - he's taken positions, made provocative statements, used contemporary examples and his language is pretty much aligned to the youth of today. I'm tempted to level a charge that he's pretty much stayed in the shallows of human nature and the enormous destruction that we're all capable of and keep seeing. But even within this, he's navigated wisely - and wisdom is about understanding the receiver of the information and their ability to handle and process.
The chapters (or letters to Patrick) have well intermeshed themes that flow and build up, and even within the chapter, the thought builds up smoothly. I'm repeating myself, but what has been particularly interesting is how Dr Shwarz has taken positions - he's called bad habits, bad approaches, bad lifestyles with names and labels, something that's not seen too much in such work.
My socio-cultural background is very different, being as I am from India and many of the cultural and familial situations described didn't completely translate to my growing years. But for the last decade or so, India has been frantically racing to catch up with the West in every sense, and with the information age well and truly upon us, this trend has a life and force of its own. And many youngsters are being swept along in the incredible force of this torrent. This book has the potential to make them think, if they're inclined that way already.
The need for a purpose higher than ourselves, the need for meaning, name it what you will, is as old as man. Dr Shwartz has made an eloquent hypothesis - he has tried to inspire Patrick and his generation to arrest the damage that the baby-boomers triggered off! And then works towards arming Patrick with a body of wisdom, to help him on this quest. An important concept that I encountered in this book was that of the ethosphere, which like the ecosphere can be irreversibly damaged and needs nurturing. Made intuitive sense to me, will let you figure it out for yourself from reading the book.
If you're on a similar quest, this book is bound to make you think and even provide you some guideposts and signs.
Happy reading!

Communication Plus, by Marita and Florence Littauer is a good introductory book on communication both publically and interpersonally. It is very strong in that it brings out the 4 ancient greek personality styles (Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholy, and Phlegmatic) and focuses on their play into communication. It spends a good deal of time explaining how each personality style is different and differently communicates and accepts communication from others. The book also excels in helping people see how each communication personality has weaknesses and it gives tangible applications how to avoid those pitfalls. As Christians communicators, the Littauers are very clear in their agenda of Christ first with such a wide range of references to the Bible at every turn. I was very impressed at their ability to pair Biblical references concerning communication with the changing focus of the book throughout.

As weaknesses, I found myself discouraged when trying to figure out which personality type was my dominant. While the book was very concise, it could have cut out a lot of the other things and added an easier way to find which personality type you have tendencies toward. Furthermore, the Littauers' answer to this issue was to try and sell you a personality inventory on their website which was quite expensive. I found myself having to spend much extra time researching the greek personality types to find sufficient answers to my tendencies. In addition to this, the book was weak in some of the pratical applications which were more preferential than true. When covering clothing to wear while speaking, the Littauers show their limits as older women who are obviously not fashion experts, and fail to give timeless truths such as "be all things to all people" in respect to dress. In all, the book was good at keeping Christ first, and in bringing an introduction to the ancient personality styles and how they affect communication.

"Communication Plus" by Marita and Florence Littauer gives a good surface overview on "How to speak so people will listen." The book gives a surface look at the basics of communication: figuring out what you have to say, learning your communication personality, how to communicating with other personalites, and how to present your speech in such a way that people will listen. The Littauers give you the simple, "time-tested" tools that you need to become a better speaker and conversationalist.
"Communication Plus" is an easy read and gives you a taste for the different aspects involved in communication. The book only giving the reader a taste on the subject, sadly leaving you hungry for more in the end. The book covers a wide range of topics associated with communication; but doesn't cover any of them in significant detail. If you are looking for an in-depth resource on communication this is not the book for you.

This may be an effective, helpful book; however, I could not make it through the first chapter as a result of the countless references made towards Christian values and God. Let me say that I have absolutely nothing against a person who wishes to preach the word of God. On the contrary, I am encouraged by those who believe this is their calling. Unfortunately, I did not purchase this book to be inspired; I purchased this book to understand the author's perception of valuable communication skills. If this book were titled, "Communication Plus: How to be a Good Christian Speaker so People Will Listen" I would better understand the author's perspective.

The Littauers have done it again! They are THE VOICES of knowledge and encouragement for aspiring and seasoned speakers and writers. This is one book worth studying over and over. You'll want to own your own copy.

I have a few concerns with the words Willie Jolley writes and speaks.

Never quote the bible then talk about going out and doing all you can to make more money. Do you really believe Jesus condones the desire to gain "worldly" things Willie? You talked the entire time about your riches and have the nerve to quote proverbs...

I have a little tip for you Willie, when you write or speak, don't use Microsoft / Bill Gates as examples of success. You do know that they were found guilty in a court of law numerous times of illegal practices to get where they are right? They lie, steal, and cheat to get ahead. Will you be endorsing Martha Stewart and Enron next? Maybe use Tyco or Halliburton as an example of how to succeed and make loads of money.

I have a little tip for you too Willie, maybe a little something you can throw in your speeches or possibly your next book: Tell the people you talk to, that no matter how much money they get, that in life, happiness is what really counts. Just, do something everyday that makes you smile. You don't have to brainwash yourself by repeating affirmations of "I am happy" 800 times a day. You don't have to force yourself to be a type-a personality. You don't have to climb the corporate ladder of achievement to have a wonderful fulfilling life. No Willie, all you need is to accept you for who you are, and strive to be happy. I smile everyday. I don't have to brainwash myself to get there.

You're either the bee or the windshield? Too bad life isn't so black and white as to only be reduced to such.

I say, seek out the fields of flowers and avoid the highway altogether.

I read this book while sitting in a dentist office-and that day my life changed. Jolley's rare gift of verbal expression had me overwhelmed. After reading it, I made some drastic changes in my lifestyle. I realized it was up to me to change things about myself and I didn't need the approval of anyone else before I decided to do so. If anyone needs a boost with their self-esteem this book is a sure-fire winner. I bought the paperback version so that it would fit nicely inside my purse, anytime a needed a little "boost" while I am traveling.

Anyone who is discouraged with their present career or life in general and wants to change for the better, should read this book. Willie Jolley has a refreshing perspective on life that few people have. If you are discouraged, depressed, lonely, or just feel like you're in a rut, this book is definitely for you. After reading this book, you won't be the same. Want to get excited about life again? Read this book.