Victoria Books

Although my sister had died before I read Dear Sister, Once Abused, I gained necessary insight into her challenges with childhood sexual abuse. This was the best book I could have read on this subject for my situation. There were many similarities. This book has helped me and I will pass it on to others."

As I read through the Pages of Dear Sister, Once Abused, I found myself finally understanding the reasons why my life was in such a turmoil. I understand what I have to do to heal. Now I have hope.

Victoria Lynn, psychiatric nurse, draws upon her experience and talks openly about her healing process from childhood sexual abuse. This book is a powerful resource for adults who have suffered abuse and for their families and friends. Well written and hopeful, it is about a journey that connects with human suffering and opens hearts to understanding.

If Dear Sister, Once Abused, the first book written by psychiatric nurse Victoria Lynn, were a conventional first-person account of discovery and recovery from childhood sexual abuse (CSA), sympathetic readers would expect a higher than usual quotient of self-absorption and finger-pointing.

They will be pleasantly surprised that Dear Sister's...deeply troubling story is coupled to specific information and techniques that other victims, their families and friends as well as clinicians, therapists and clergy may use to understand and deal effectively with the seemingly chronic after affects of childhood sexual abuse. Lynn also hopes that reading about the lasting damage they cause may even dissuade some perpetrators and provoke them to seek help.

Lynn tells her story in conversational language that creates the distinct impression that she's invited you into her kitchen for a confidential "straight-from-the-soul" chat - tangents and all --over a cup of coffee. Her obviously cathartic report candidly bares many excruciating details-- confounding setbacks and exhilarating breakthroughs.

Plagued all her life by serial physical and emotion maladies, Lynn's vivid "breakthrough" recollection at age 42 that she had been molested as a three-year-old sets of an obsessive quest that illustrates dramatically the life-long residual affects of childhood sexual abuse.

The details of her struggle make a compelling case for early intervention and vigilance by parents, health care providers, teachers and clergy. "That's why I wanted to write the book in the first place - to help victims and people who can help victims," she says emphatically.

"Although I had the telltale symptoms, mother admits she did not know what to look for and none of the doctors she took me to ever suggested I might have abuse trauma," Lynn writes. She notes that key telltales are eating disorders: one expert claimed "that 90 percent (or more, in his opinion) of those suffering from an eating disorder have a history of sexual abuse," she writes.

Understandably Lynn's search for "my truth, as I know it" upset those near and dear,, but, in the end, brought deeper understanding as to why relationships with her mother, father and step-father -- who took over parenting duties when Lynn was just seven-had been strained, frightening and contentious.
When her paternal grandmother finally seems to confess that Lynn's recovered memory is accurate, but that the abuser was her recently deceased grandfather, not her father as Lynn had suspected, the grandmother adds dismissively - "you can't blame a dead man." In keeping with the way people of her generation often dealt with painful issues from the past, her grandmother chides: "Why can't you just forget about something that happened so long ago?"

The confession - and subsequent loss of a close relationship with her grandmother-- propelled Lynn into another mental and physical tailspin, yet "It helped me to have my my own knowledge of what happened to me in order to continue healing," she noted.

Lynn's journey forces her to reevaluate the roots of her life-long fear of her mother, the downright cold and aloof relations with her father, who apparently would have preferred a male child to Victoria -- " His European upbringing had convinced him a son made a man manlier -- and I was his second daughter," she writes, and a somewhat checkered relationship with her step-father.

Even the breakthrough flashback presented life-threatening traumas. "It's my belief that victims can die not only of shock from abuse itself, but from the shock that almost always accompanies the breakthrough flashback as well," she said in a telephone interview. "It is not uncommon for traumatized victims to consider or attempt suicide and other self-destructive acts."

Although the book underscores that there is much a victim can and must do on his/her own, Lynn lays out specific tactics parents, spouses, children, siblings and friends can do to speed the healing process. She illustrates her points with many touching examples of how her husband and six sons coached her through set-backs and tough times.

Further, she emphasizes the importance of getting professional help, but cautions: "as is true of any therapy, the most benefit is derived if the therapist is well trained...Someone who is not well trained can cause even more trauma." Ditto the importance of using pharmaceuticals to control depression and anxiety as well as the need for gradual weaning under the supervision of trained medical personnel.

Because she interweaves her story with practical suggestions, the book is likely to become a primer for clinicians, parents, educators, victims, students and clergy. Each chapter follows this general format: chapter topic and discussion; here's what happened to me; here's how I responded; here's what you can do; here's how others can help; here are the outcomes.

Oddly, Lynn virtually ignores the impact CSA may have had on her first attempts in high school to forge romantic relationships with boys. She remembers avoiding a particularly handsome classmate "because he was so good looking, I worried he wouldn't be very reliable. As intimacy (with men) barriers continue to fall - remember God probably had a purpose in mind when he gave me a nurturing husband, and six sons to raise -- perhaps I'll have something to add in a second edition of the book."

Lynn's "everything but the kitchen sink" healing formula includes the need for spiritual/religious tools, although she hastens to add "one needn't be religious to employ spiritual resources. Meditation-"prayer is a powerful form of meditation--" can be enormously helpful, particularly in the "forgiveness" stage.

Concluding a cathartic open letter to her abuser, her dead grandfather, she writes: "I can look at your picture and see you as the handsome soldier grandma fell for. Who am I to judge? Only you and God know what went amiss for you. I feel mercy toward you-not really love-but mercy is an improvement."

Above all, Lynn's book demonstrates that she is indeed improving. She assures that with time, clinical help and support from their families and friends, so too can most victims of childhood sexual abuse. This is good news indeed!

I haven't finished reading the book yet, but it seems very well documented and written. The authors were publishers of Dalai Lama books in the 80 and even had a personal relationship with him. They decided to do a more complete research on Tibetan Buddhism and were totaly surprised by what they found. Labeling the authors as communits is not a valid book review. Please try a bit harder.

So well put by the fellow reviewer! My father, a Korean Buddhist, was a Professor of Eastern Philosophy up until the mid 1970's when he quit to direct the college library instead. His frustration stemmed from what he saw as a terminal lack of criticality in his Western students, a stubborn romantic need to whole-heartedly buy into the charms of Eastern mysticism. He was raised in a Japanese Zen military school system, and he wanted to write and to explore the exploitation of Buddhism for political gain --alas, Ram Das and Ginsberg and Chogyam Trungpa were the "cool" brands that the scholarly market bought-up. No one wanted to have his or her fantasy of eden/heaven/nirvana/shambhala/(_____) questioned. I'm so happy for this book, which I am sending to my father, who now, at 80 years old, might be relieved to find Western critical thought being applied where Western counter-culture's pathological submission to "cool" was worked before.

I was raised, and to some extent remain, a Buddhist. I admire both Tibetan Buddhism, generally, and the Dalai Lama specifically. Nevertheless, I found this book fascinating and absolutely essential reading.

On one level, this is just a jaw-dropping, sensational page-turner. I read the whole book in one sitting, and repeatedly had to call my wife into the room to tell her about one aspect of the book or another.

On another level it is a deeply important text. Too often, in approaching Eastern wisdom traditions, Westerners "check" their individuality "at the door," in pathological submission to the guru or lama. Too often, this leads to an abusive/exploitative spiritual relationship (e.g Osel Tenzin, Adi Da). This potential has been noted by many commentators, but the extent to which it is a tendency latent in Tibetan Buddhism has never been explored in the West. The authors of this book make the case that it is a danger inherant in Vajrayana properly understood - it is not a misinterpretation. I am tempted to compare this book to "Darkness at Noon," Arthur Koestler's classic re-appraisal of Communism, from the perspective of a former devotee. But, rather than heralding the end of an ideology, this book represents the beginning of a cultural watershed: the critical appropriation of Buddhism in a uniquely Western incarnation. If dharma is the East's cultural gift to the West, the sort of skepticism that infuses this book is the West's gift to the East. As Einstein said: "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

Most importantly, reading this book was, for me, a spiritual experience. The one thing I had never questioned in my life was the essential goodness and correctness of Buddhist dharma. It was the last fixed point of belief in my world. This book cast even that in doubt, leaving me in a wonderful state of spiritual detachment. This was itself enlightening. As the Zen proverb says: "If you meet Buddha on the road, kill him." This book does just that. And I think Gautama Buddha would have approved.

(An English translation of this book is -as far as I can tell- not yet available in print, but several Internet sites have the full text. Google and enjoy.)

The authors have gone through several phases mentioned in their online autobiographies. This book is a product of the "Culture Critical" phase where the different spiritual, political, and social (as an interrelated set) cultures are critically evaluated. One aspect of their analysis is to see how the social institutions apply the philosophical or theological ideas which form the culture and to see if those ideas and they are applied honor woman, promote egalitarean and democratic ways of interacting, and offer perspectives that help humans grow further through the challenges of our time period.

The book looks at Tibetan Buddhism and the spiritual views that deify the Dalai Lama. They provide in depth view of the Kalachakra teachings and quote a vast array of writings about Buddhism from many sources. The number of references at the basis of their research and analysis is very impressive and large. They point out some themes that have been overlooked in the mystique built up around Tibetan Buddhism in the west. They show the apocalyptic side of the Kalachakra teachings and how it is filled with violence images and has final clash between believers and nonbelievers, how females are symbolically sacrificed in Tantric rituals, and how certain visualizations seem to hypnotically make the Lama into an authoritative diety in the mind of the students.

While perhaps many of these teachings and images can be interpreted in different ways, I feel the authors raise important questions and require us to take a critical look at what we might be buying into when we accept the Tibetan Buddhist worldview. It may be at the expense of certain hard won values that were gained in western civilization through a long historical road, many revolutions, and a lot of philosophical questioning. The authors give enough information and quotes for us to make up our own minds about some of these issues. Whether or not we agree with the authors, I feel the issues that they raise are important for us to consider.

As a practicing Buddhist, I do not feel that the authors represent an antibuddhist propaganda but a serious questioning into what Tibetan Buddhism may be offering to us. The Buddha himself in his final words admonished people to question everything and to not believe something merely because of authority, heresay, and tradition but to thoroughly question everything and only hold on to what makes sense in your own reason and experience. I feel a healthy Buddhism invites this kind of critical questioning and such questioning is therefore honoring of the kind of philosophical, ethical, and psychological integrity that keeps any religion healthy and growing. Such inquiry, to me, is therefore highly respectful. It shows in the enormous research that the authors did in order to create this book. I found a lot in the book that helped clarify things that helped my meditation go deeper and become truer to my actual experience.

Read this book together...it is a beautiful gift. Sharing the book helped us explore our needs and feelings. So often, I found it seemed difficult to express myself, but reading the book together, the words started to flow---from a place of love and connection and our devotion for each other. Miracles can happen!

My husband and I had some breakthroughs in our sex life because of this book. I bought it because of Hugh Prather's Foreword, because I trusted what he said about how our sex life could improve if we studied this book. He was so right! We learned to understand each other so much better, and we actually have been having some sexual experiences we both think are "ecstatic." We always had a good sex life, but we had some problems and conflicts about it too. Now, we're closer than we've ever been, and I know it's just going to get better and better. Thank you, Dr. Lee!

My wife and I loved this book! The chapters explaining men to women and women to men were especially helpful. I never understood before how getting emotionally and spiritually close could make such a difference in our sex life. The book has a spiritual foundation, but it's very practical in telling you exactly how to have more excitment, more intense orgasms and more feelings of closeness. My wife finally wants to make love as much as I do. That change definitely made the book worth buying!

This book helped me to enjoy my love life more than I ever thought I could. I'm a religious woman who finds most sex books either offensive or not helpful. Ecstatic Lovemaking really touched me because it showed me that a great sex life with my husband is perfectly consistent with having the deep faith I have and know I always will have. The chapter on how "Sexuality and Spirituality Do Go Together" said it all.I also used to feel that my husband had no clue what really turned me on. Now he understands that I need to feel emotionally and spiritually close to him before I want to be sexually close to him. I think it was worth getting the book just for that, but my husband says the best part is that now I seem to want to make love with him as much as he wants to with me.

I am half way through this wonderful cookbook and have found all of the recipes to be easy to fix and absolutely delicious! With so many cookbooks designed for the main courses, it's so refreshing to see a book dedicated solely to the first and last part of a meal. Thank you Victoria for a sumptuous addition to my collection.

Everyone is always looking for new appetizers and desserts. It's nice to have it condensed in a small book instead of having to go through hundreds of pages. I especially like the note in the beginning giving us helpful hints for the recipes. I intend to buy several of these for gifts. It is written in very easy to follow instructions. We need more of these

What a great little book! I love bread pudding and Victoria has included several recipes - all delicious! Nancy's Shrimp Spread is an appetizer to die for!

As I read through the recipes, I thought to myself, this is a great idea, publishing a small cookbook for just Desserts and Appetizers, dishes that anyone can make for almost any occasion. Very useful when friends just drop by or for special occasions. The author includes some very Basic and I might say EASY dishes that can be enjoyed by most everyone. There are NOT HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS of recipes with lots of photos, but the 60 or so recipes in this book are ones that people will want to make time and time again over the years and mother's, father's, grandmother's and grandfather's, etc. will want to share and hand down to their children and grandchildren. I'm sure many will become family favorites. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

Thought Field Therapy (TFT) was developed by Roger Callahan in the 1970's. This involves touching or tapping on prescribed series (algorithms) of acupuncture points that are specific for particular problems.

Prior to starting a series of these interventions, a person assesses her level of distress on a scale of "0" (not at all" to "10" (the worst I could feel at this moment as I focus on this issue). While tapping, a person will focus mentally on an affirmation. This process is repeated until the distress level is zero.

In a brief period, many people can eliminate their symptoms and transform their lives. Being trained in psychology, medicine, psychiatry and research, I was highly skeptical when I first heard of this therapy. I expected that if symptoms were rapidly eliminated, people would have them recur or would develop other symptoms - in the service of unconscious conflicts and needs. Having been an observer and active participant in these Meridian Based Therapies (MBTs) for five years, my opinions have drastically changed. I've seen hundreds of people cured of problems - major and minor - with these brief interventions.

These authors bring us an excellent summary of their variation on this system of treatment, which they call Evolving Thought Field Therapy (EvTFT). They summarize succinctly the history of TFT and explain the ways in which they have taken this further. Diepold, in particular, has pioneered new approaches that involve breathing to augment the therapeutic effects of treatment. In addition, muscle testing derived from Kinesiology is used to identify issues and attitudes that may impede or facilitate therapy.

This book is a helpful contribution to the field. It is clearly written and well organized, with illustrations to identify acupressure points and muscle testing methods, ample case examples, an excellent index, and generous references for further perusal.

The authors bring nearly 100 years's worth of clinical experience to their collaboration in this unification of many aspects of thought field therapy and body/mind/energy work. It's the first book that provides a cohesive explanation of *how* energy psychotherapy seems to work. By drawing in examples from many different ways of thinking about energy fields in human experience, the authors show how EvTFT just seems to "make sense" on many levels--intuitive, historical, spiritual and yes, even clincal.

I have had the privilege of working with the author in the entire decade-plus that he's been actively learning and integrating TFT into his practice. It has been a life-transforming experience from day one.

It is my hope that the skills taught in this book will find a wide audience among therapists in many disciplines and encourage the use of EvTFT in daily practice. EvTFT can be like magic in its effectiveness in lifting away painful, lifelong blocks in clients' lives.

I have been trained in and have used Thought Field Therapy for many years. Before this ETFT book, I barely understood the background and theory. This book is clearly THE book on the subject. It is dense with information as well as practical methodology. It is to TFT what Francine Shapiro's book is to EMDR. I have read ETFT and continually refer to it to sharpen my practice. THIS IS A "MUST OWN" Text for anyone who wants to deepen the effectiveness of their psychotherapy practice.

Diepold, Britt, and Bender have produced a remarkable addition to the emerging literature of energy psychology. In the first part of the book they introduce the reader to the importance of understanding paradigms as they apply to psychology, and how they must inevitably shift as knowledge accumulates. They then give a solid review of the basics of the meridian system of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the procedures of manual muscle testing to assess what is happening energetically in the body. They go on to describe the Touch and Breathe method of balancing meridians (which I have used with great success for several years)--an approach with which every practitioner of energy psychology will want to be familiar. They then present the most detailed explication of system disruption and treatment blocks that is available in the literature. They challenge the reader to understand and experiment with two additional forms of therapy localization (diagnosis)--contact-directed diagnosis using the therapist's own body, and thought-directed diagnosis. New ground is broken with the treatment approach for positive emotions which lead clients to be trapped in destructive compulsions, including addictive behaviors. This is really a break-through for a number of clinical conditions. Their section on supplemental and and modified protocols is well-presented, especially the section on the tratment of dissociative disorders. By no means a cookbook, the authors stress and explain how Evolving Thought Field Therapy is integrated into the overall practice of psychotherapy, and 25 terrific case examples are presented which effectively elucidate their position. The final chapter, Epilogue, and Afterward (by William Tiller, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Stanford University) present challenging and thought-provoking theories as it becomes apparent that the authors are thinking deeply and profoundly about the underpinnings of this most powerful and effective therapy tool.

This is a book that will be appreciated the most by those practitioners who already have some experience with energy psychology and are hungry for refinements in technique, applicability to a greater range of clinical conditions, and deeper understandings of what is going on with this amazing technique.

Beautifully illustrated and well told. Frances' art is to die for (no pun intended). Her luscious gothic world is definitely a keeper. I cannot wait for the next installment in the Favole series. Disappointingly short though.

i loved this book the only problem is that its too short. this girl is a terific writer and artist and i recomend this to any one who likes reading edgar allan poe or bram stoker. it is meant for a mature crowd but anyone who loves literature will like this piece

The stories in this book are so poetic and beautiful. The gothic art work is amazing! The colors are soft, but yet still bold. I love it!!

I first saw some of Victoria Frances' art in an issue of "Heavy Metal", and I fell in love with it right then. When I got the book, "Flavole: Stone Tears", I felt like I was reading a dream. The art is unbelievable. I love this book, and I can't wait for more books in this series.

Originally published in 1994, Fires of Aggar is a re-release of the second "Aggar" planet sci fi/fantasy by Chris Anne Wolfe. Occurring some 500 years after the events of Shadows of Aggar, Wolfe took this opportunity to explore the impact of the relationship between the Amazon Diana N'Athena and her "shadow" and life partner, the blue-eyed, Aggar woman, Elana, two characters from Shadows. In the intervening years, Aggar's ruling Council and the women of "dey Sorormin " (a planet populated by lesbians, known as the sisterhood) forged an alliance that led a colony of "dey Sorormin" women to settle on Aggar in the Valley Bay.

The war that was postponed in Shadows eventually consumed the Terran Empire. In the last five centuries, the descendants of those Terrans stranded on Aggar continue to clutch at their former, and now decaying, technology. They struggle with Aggar's natural habitat and against the native population.

Fires opens with a request for Gwen'l N'Athena, Royal Marshal to the council, to go to the aide of the Dracoon, the heir apparent of the city state of Khirla located to the South. Gwen is a "Niachero" or "daughter of the stars." This is the name given to those "dey Sorormin" that carry the appearance of the women of the N'Athena House or "Amazons." The Dracoon, Llinolae is a very gifted Blue Sight, a skill she has been carefully hiding. Fires is an espionage thriller with government intrigues and spies between various factions. Gwen is assisted by Ty and Ril, a pair of sentient sandwolves, and two shadow bound Amazons, Sparrowhawk and Brit.

Wolfe creates a refreshingly non-homophobic society on Aggar that values the strengths of "dey Sorormin" and respects their integrity. This is illustrated by the farmer who Gwen assists on her trip south, as well as the acceptance by the general population of same sex romantic relationships.

Finally, Fires of Aggar is a love story. Gwen and Llinolae, faced with a political knot, must balance their respective duties with their personal desire and the possibility of a future together. Fires draws the reader into their struggles to root for their success on personal and professional levels. Thankfully, the publishers have re-released this enchanting fantasy. Regretfully, they've changed the cover from the original illustration. The new photographed image is not an improvement. Ignore the cover; enjoy the book.

Fires of Aggar is a worthy sequel to Shadows of Aggar. Often the sequel is a poor immitation of the original. Not this time. Wolfe has leapt centuries past many wars and much political upheaval to a place in time where the Marshal Gwyn n'Athena is free to travel to the distant domain of Kirla where the "blue sighted" Dracoon Llinolae is calling for assistance. What a shame the author will never fill in the gaps or take us winging once again across the centuries as they unfold on Aggar.

Llinolae is gifted with the blue sight but also possesses immense strength of character. She is struggling in a losing battle to protect her people from the encroaching Clansmen. Gwen and her Amazon companions, Brit the irrascible healer and Sparrow the intrepid acrobat, join with Llinolae both to save and to support her. This book is filled with intrigue, plot twists and wonderful characters. Gwyn's bond mates, the sandwolves, add an interesting dimension to the stories. For there are many stories interwoven masterfully.

You will enjoy the developing romance between Gwyn and Llinolae. Wolfe has chosen to let her characters develop into an intimate relationship with full knowledge of how the other feels. The annoying denseness exhibited regularly by lesbian characters in romantic situations continues for less than 3 chapters.

Wolfe never wrote clear, straight forward dialog if half sentences and raised eyebrows could be used. Grit your teeth and keep reading. You won't understand how the other character figured out what was said, but you will eventually understand what you need to know.

I was dismayed by the bad editing. The author misused several words and the editors didn't catch them. For instance Wolfe uses the word feign instead of feint. She uses feign correctly elsewhere. There are others. If you are a crabby grammarian like me, steel yourself to read past the stumbles. The story is worth it.

I bought the first book along with the second book in tandem since I like books that just dont end. I have to guess I purchased these in about 1999 or so and bought both The Shadows of Aggar and Fires of Aggar. I am somewhat embarrased to say that it wasnt until last night September 15th 2004 that I decided to look up the author Chris Anne Wolfe to see what she was doing. This was of course after finally reading the dedication to the second book. I used the internet to 'google' the author and found 2 more books by her that I will likely purchase. I was greatly saddened to hear that she lost her battle with cancer.

I have seen some reviews out there on the internet that bash her style and writing, but I am one to say that these books have been great re-reads over the years, perhaps I am simplistic in the type of escapism I seek when reading, but I will continue to treasure them and mourn the fact that there will be no more sequels.

I identified with characters, understood the emotions of others and was not lost in the techno babble I have found curiously present in some of the more recent writers of this type of fiction. Inventing in the mind is a wonderful thing, being able to convey the concept is a gift. Chris Anne Wolfe does that well. My most recent read was a huge disappointment which is why perhaps I decided rather than trying out something new, I would reread something I knew appealed to me. I wish she had been granted the time to publish more than the 4 books I have found to read.

If you liked Shadows of Aggar you'll enjoy this too. If you haven't read Shadows then get it first! Both are imaginative enjoyable lesbian sci-fantasy with well thought through characters and romance with plenty of suspense.

I love cats and was looking for some books on large cats, especially on the cougar which is my favorite animal. I already knew a lot about wild cats from first hand experience but this book taught me more than experience ever could. I found the information very interesting and the pictures are just beautiful. I was even able to use some of the facts for a research paper I wrote for my taxonomy and systematics class. Great book and I recommend it to anyone who like cats or needs to learn about them for a project.

This book really is wonderful. My interests lie mainly in bobcats, and it is rather difficult to find good sources on these felines. This book is one of the few good bobcat books I have found, giving equal attention to bobcats, lynxes, and cougars. It combines beautiful, vibrant photos with informative, clear text. Color range maps and "basics" boxes appear for each species, and the book even contains several American Indian legends, trivia (such as "How not to become a cougar victim,") and quotes concerning these cats. I am very pleased with this book, and highly recommend it to any lover of American wildcats.

This is a good book to learn about behaviors of the 3 Northern cats. Expecially good for those of us who own, and are interested in learning about the behavior, traits and differences between the species. Of course in tame bobcats, the authors comments about being like a big domestic? housecat are very true. Who can explain "domestic" in any cat species anyway? There are in my opinion only 2 types of cats: feral (wild NO human contact) and Tame: (raised by humans from birth)

We have all enjoyed the fact based information along with the wonderful picutres of Bobcats and Lynx Cats. We were pleased to find the depth of the information provided. This is a wonderful reference for anyone with an interest in these incredible cats.

This is a lovely book, though I haven't yet tried many of the recipes. I use it not only for the recipes, but also for ideas on what to grow in my garden. It's also changed the way I cook corn: the roasted corn and garlic soup started me roasting corn in the husk instead of boiling it. Delicious!

I loved this book so much at my neighbor's that she bought it for me, even though it is out of print (Thank You!). Even though I live in New England, and it is written from California, it amazes me how all those unusual vegetables at the farmer's market are in it. I've cooked brussels sprouts with walnut oil, the fried baby turnips and green beans, and a host of other things. There is a lot of Italian influence, and everything's fried in butter. Yummie.

I started frequenting my local farmer's market after a stint living in Greece, where shopping at the open-air stalls taught me how good produce COULD be. This book is a treasure for anyone who has access to great veggies or grows their own; divided by season, it's full of delicious recipes showcasing produce at its very best.

Everything I've made from here has been very good; I have a pot of the yellow split-pea soup with squash and kale in the refrigerator right now. I also really like the turnip and turnip greens soup, which lets you use both good things together. And then there's roasted asparagus, which I must make at least once a month throughout asparagus season.

The only reason I haven't given this book five stars is because there are too many things here I would not make. Fletcher's recipes can be a little too "restauranty" -- too elaborated, too many strongly flavored ingredients canceling each other out. Still, for magnificent food photography and good eating, plus nice tips on how to choose the best of the market, this book is hard to beat. A good addition to any cook's shelf -- and if it inspires you to patronize your local farmer's market, so much the better!

I can't browse this book without getting hungry. It hits the nail on the head, especially for us East Bay locals

Reading Victoria Greenleaf's book is a fascinating and eye-opening experience. It is as compelling as a well-written novel, yet it has the added value of being true, provoking readers to ask themselves difficult questions about loopholes in socialization our culture has left open, and where the responsibility lies for those who, through cunning and guile, craft a life within them only to eventually become everyone's unackowledged problem. Dr. Greenleaf paints a comprehensive picture in which the social mechanisms we have created to deal with this problem are woefully inadequate. The agencies are understaffed, underfinanced, and undervalued. Because of the prevalence of this character disorder, we are losing a significant portion of the best of what we have. Her character, Daniel, eventually becomes a moderately productive member of society, but contributes perhaps only a fraction of what he might have. The part he will never manifest is a devastating shortfall, especially when one considers how prevalent this condition is. Greenleaf makes the point well that as a society we can not afford to continue ignoring this problem. We are losing too much of our most vital resource at a time when it is sorely needed: the full commitment to our mutual problems by not only the best and the brightest but by every member of our community. This book gives us an Erin Brockovich heroine who stands up for saving our children by taking on every possible task to try to correct her son's personality flaw. It is an honest statement in which she willingly opens herself to possible criticism by telling her story the way it actually happened. It took years of her time to put this together, a task she performed because she felt this is a story that should be told. She deserves more than our gratitude; she deserves to see a general awakening to the extent of this problem and an increased resolve to do something about it. This is a brave, compelling, and much needed book.

In A Handful Of Ashes: One Mother's Tragedy, psychiatrists Victoria Greenleaf maintains that children can be born with negative personality traits that even the most exemplary upbringing will be unable to overcome. Dr. Greenleaf makes a convincing case that childhood personality disorder do not necessarily stem from flawed parenting or parental abuse. She asserts that genetics may be equally influential and supports her remarkable assertion with a personal account of the agonizing impact a child with Antisocial Personality Disorder can having on loving parents who, despite professional expertise and tireless efforts, were unable to reverse their son's condition. A Handful Of Ashes is highly recommended reading for child psychologists, family counselors, and parents who are trying their best to effectively and lovingly nurture an antisocial child.

This book is very well-written, a brutally honest account of the author's struggles with her wayward son. However, all through the book, one vacillates between having sympathy for the author, and being enraged with her for her arrogance, and bewildermment for having such a son. She seems to be totally naive to the fact that even "good" parents can raise "bad" children, and her methods for trying to "help" him are questionable at best. She seems to be unable to show motherly love to her children, and instead appears to raise them as a scientist conducting an experimment. Additionally, after reading the book, the reader is left with more questions than answers. For instance, what has become of her 2 younger children? How old is "Daniel" now, and what is he doing? And why, in God's name, hasn't she divorced "Peter?"

I first interviewed Dr. Greenleaf when reporting an article for Time Magazine on Anti-Social Personalities (a.k.a. sociopaths or psychopaths), so it was with great interest that I read this book about her struggles with her sociopathic son, Daniel. This is an engaging, well-written, gut-honest narrative that is a must read for any parent with a baffling "black sheep" child or anyone who wants to be able to identify and avoid the sociopaths among us. The book also shatters the long-held assumption that bad kids are the by-product of bad parenting. Daniel, like so many destructive people who are without conscience, seems to have been born bad.