Abuse Books

I am a non-offending parent of a sexually abused child. This book is exactly what I needed last year as we were not only introduced to the dark side of sexual abuse, but the failure of the system that is in place to protect our children.

This is an easy book to read and will educate and validate you to the process of protection (or lack of) that you will encounter on this journey.

Claire has hit the nail on the head. Her years of experience and insight is a blessing to all. Thank you!

Forget about monsters. Forget about ghosts. You can even forget about the latest horror movie full of blood, guts, and teen exploitation. The most frightening book I've read in years has to be Childhood: It Should Not Hurt!

Claire Reeves recounts true stories of incest and childhood sexual abuse and uncovers some of the myths and unsettling truths surrounding the issue.

Do you think you could "spot" an abuser? Read this book then ask yourself again. You probably already know at least one abuser--and at least one victim.

Reeves may not be a great writer, but when she writes about incest and childhood sexual abuse, you feel every ounce of her passion and compassion.

When I first reviewed this book for my own newsletter, I rated it 3 out of 5 because I was focused on the writing. Today, I'm looking at it simply as a reader looking for information--and in that light, Reeves delivers.

I very much enjoyed reading this book & found the information contained in there to be invaluable.

During the fall of 2004, I was informed by another parent that their child was abused by our babysitter. This parent was concerned because I have 2 children. I assisted this parent in reporting on behalf of her son. Then, I was left with nothing but the possibility that something might have happened with my 3 year old daughter who had spent so much time with this young teenage girl in question. The only thing for me to do was arm myself with education.

I searched on Amazon.com & found, purchased & read your book. As an adult
survivor of child sexual abuse, I had no intervention or support & was at a loss as to where to begin. Your book really saved me, taught me & educated me. Then, only a few weeks later after reading your book my 3 1/2 year old daughter disclosed to me that she was being sexually abused by this teenager.

Had I not read your book, I would not have had the education or knowledge to assist my child. I knew to believe her, support her, not over question her all from your book. I was repeatedly told by professionals that they were impressed with the manner in which I handled the disclosure.

Over the course of the last few years, I have advocated heavily on my daughter's behalf. In May of 2005, I joined the Vermont Victim / Survivor of Crime Council as a board member. There have been many agencies & parties that I have worked tirelessly with to try & change existing laws which DO NOT support children.

I wanted to thank you for writing & educating so many people. You have really made a difference in my life & the life of my now 5 year old daughter.

Lori Nadeau

I found it to be very well written and it contains timeless information for everyone. I am a big advocate of prevention and believe the information found on Page 102, "A Final Word" should be taken to heart by all, especially where it states "Arm yourself with every bit of knowledge available. Set boundaries for your child's activities and behaviors, and be involved in every aspect of their lives ... Protecting the children means protecting the greatest natural resource of any country. Children are the world's future."

Ted Blevins

Lena Pope Home, Inc.

While no single book can ecompass EVERYTHING one needs to know about the critical issues of child sexual abuse, Claire Reeves does a fantastic job in her book, "Childhood, It Should Not Hurt!" Being a non-offending mother myself, six years ago I went searching the bookstores for books like these to no avail. I wish I had found this book then. Although difficult in retrospect to read some of the accounts with which I can so readily identify, I find this book to be an excellent guide for non-offending parents and survivors.

The reader will most definitely find Chapter 10: Parental Alienation Syndrome, and Chapter 17:Pedofilia: An Alternative Lifestyle? both shocking and eye-opening. I had no knowledge that such opinions exist and are even finding their way into our children's sex-education curriculum. I can't fathom a society that condones and even encourages pedophilia - we can not let our societal values become that lax!!!

Also exceptional are the comprehensive Recommended Reading List and Resources sections at the end of the book.

I am honored to have recently met Claire via email and telephone. She is a woman of amazing strength and integrity. I appreciate and applaud her continuous efforts in keeping all children safe from predators.

I have purchased over a dozen copies of this book. I literally give them away to people. Ashley Rhodes-Courter is a success story. Unfortunately not all kids in foster care get to have a success story. Ashley aptly shows the reality of living in foster care in an engaging and spellbinding way. I have adopted 3 children out of foster care, 2 of them older child special needs adoptions with RAD. It is a tough life plan, but so necessary and more importantly, fulfilling. Many people will ask us about our adopted children's stories but we have to always answer, "that is confidential." Ashley provides us with a book that we can give people and say this is what it is like to be an older child waiting in the system for a forever family - and watching "forever" families disrupt. Older child adoptions are NOT easy, but they are worth it. Ashley travels and lectures so keep your eyes open (or check her web-site) and take the opportunity to meet her in person and get your book signed. Don't buy just one copy of this book, buy two and give one to a friend.

When I read the last few chapters of this book I couldn't stop crying. What a wonderfully inspiring true story! Sometimes, dreams do end up coming true, even for foster children.

The first part of the book asks some important questions: what makes someone fit to be a mother - or a substitute mother? Ashley was nurtured and loved by a dysfunctional grandfather and his enabling girlfriend, and actually, that was where she should have stayed. These two people loved her dearly but weren't exactly model citizens; grandpa drank a little bit too much, and did engage in some questionable behavior when he drove drunk with his toddler grandson in the car.

It would have cost taxpayers and society far less if the family had been kept together. I am not an advocate of family reunification programs in general, but in this family's case, the outcome would have most likely been positive. Ashley's mother was incapable of raising her children, but her relatives were far more able, and completely willing to accept the responsibility. And a drunk grandpa would have been paradise compared to the hell that Ashley and her brother Luke endured over the next decade of their lives. They were taken away from their grandfather and placed with abusive foster parents, including one foster mother who punished her wards by making them drink hot sauce.

When Ashley dared to confide in someone about the abuse, she was tagged as a liar and a manipulator. She learned to keep quiet and to silently endure whatever was done to her by her foster parents. Her only savior was her court-appointed CASA advocate, also called a guardian-ad-litem, an unpaid volunteer who represents the best interests of children in foster care. However, there aren't enough advocates to meet the needs of every child, and it was several years before Ashley was assigned a CASA volunteer.

Some parts of Ashley's story may prove difficult to read if you've walked in her shoes and you have unresolved personal issues, abandonment, abuse, etc. Don't expect to get much sleep the night you finish reading this book.

A series of improbable coincidences would lead Ashley out of foster care and orphanages. What happened to her was nothing short of a miracle. She won the foster care child lottery, and was given a second chance at a new life. I highly recommend this book.

I real a lot of fiction, and this book was a departure from my usual literary fare. I was not disappointed. I listened to the book on CD during a long drive and was hooked. As a CASA, I understand how the system works, and how often children are under-served. On the flip side, I have encountered wonderful foster/adoptive families who have worked tirelessly to improve the lives of children. This book is refreshingly honest. Ashley Rhodes-Courter is articulate, passionate, and courageous. I recommend this read to everyone.

This book was excellent. It gave me some very good insight into what our older adopted daughter might be thinking. I would recommend it to anyone that is considering adopting an older child.

I'll preface this review by saying that I am a young man that does not normally cry, and although I managed to avoid tears, my throat has never felt so compressed as I held them back. On a hot summer day I visited a non-profit organization named CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates. CASA seeks volunteers, then thoroughly trains those volunteers to track and advocate for children under the care of the state. All of the children that are in custody of the government are referred to a Child Protective Services agency that is overwhelmed and understaffed. Thus, CPS agents routinely end up with dozens of children to watch out for and they often end up doing a poor job. CASA is there to make sure that these children do not fall through the cracks.

Anyway, while at CASA, a lady asked me what I knew about the organization and more importantly, the thousands of children in foster care and orphanages in the country. I admitted that I knew little, if anything. She then grabbed a copy of "Three Little Words" from the book shelf and gave me a copy with the challenge that I read it at once. I did. Since, I have paid visits to all of the CASA chapters in my region and donate funds to them whenever possible.

"Three Little Words" follows the plight of Ashley & Luke, siblings whose parents are in and out of trouble throughout their childhood. These kids spend time in horrible and average foster homes as well as orphanages for the next decade. Ashley does a wonderful job of highlighting the difficulty that a child has in grasping the changes in the world around her. How can a five year old child understand that her parents aren't fit to take care of them? How do they understand that adults are not meant to be feared when they are routinely abused and not looked after? As mentioned, this should be a MUST-READ for any foster parents-to-be, CPS personnel and prospective adoptive parents. It is a recommended read for everyone else.

I read all of her books and especially like this one and DOMESTIC ABUSE ALL SIDES.
This book I found to be very eye opening!
I recommend all of her books
Murder in New England & Closing the circle
Domestic Abuse All Sides
and of course this one.
THUMBS UP!!! And thank you!!!

I wrote this books in hope that it would bring about an awareness to the people involved in domestic violence. They need help, and we as a society need to put our hands out to these people in need and help them. Each case is similar in the respect that violence has occured. Yet, they are all different situations. We all know someone, who knows someone, who has been abused. Let's help out someone in need.


Other books I have written:
Domestic Abuse All Sides and Murder in New England & Closing the Circle

I read Domestic Abuse Our Stories and was quite moved by the many stories in this book. I checked out on the computer and her next book Murder in new england and closing the circle is coming out in January! I can't wait to read the next one!!!Wonderful writer!

Great book
Great stories
Great research
Great author

This is a very powerful book with very powerful stories...wonderful and informative.

What an amazing book. Not just for women or so-called survivors of abuse. This book has so much tremendous wisdom on how to live a victorious life -- no matter what your past is. I recommend this book so highly, I've purchased a copy for everyone who is important in my life. Must read!

This is a wonderful read for anyone who wants to live a Biblical life, but just can't seem to get over the hurts of abuse and betrayal. Joyce Meyer writes in her straight forward yet compassionate transparency. In this book, she takes the reader on a hope filled, "get from there to here" journey. I wish I had read this book a long time ago.

This book has helped me tremendously. It was a real eye-opener into my personal life. Thanks Joyce for writing the things God gives you.

not only it help me understand why im going through what i gone through at that time. at first i did'nt know about healing process if there is such a thing but there is. thank God for this book. as God was doing His beautiful,healing yet painful work in me this book encourage me, help me. plus i love how joyce would include her experience, her story it's very helpful!plus she's so real, honest not faking it. Thank you Lord

My grandfather sent this book to me and I confess that when I first saw it, I wasn't sure it was anything I wanted to read. Emotional healing? What could *I* possibly need to be healed from? Denial is an amazing thing. Thankfully, I had nothing else to read at the moment and picked up this book. From page 1, I was captured by Meyer's ability to share her story, make light of her struggle, and give examples of God's amazing power to heal us from our wounds, whether we recognize them or not. This book took me through the whole scope of emotions. I found myself laughing, and alternately, weeping as I recognized myself in the pages and yes, even found God speaking to me through Meyer's testimony. I simply could not put it down. If you are a survivor of any type of abuse, or even if you're just trying to work on building mature, Christ-centered relationships, consider this book. You won't be sorry you did.

This book by Mattieu Ricard really breaks down happiness. He differentiates between pleasure and happiness and how happiness is something that must be cultivated and practiced. Mattieu Ricard also gives a handful of in depth meditation exercises at the end of a few chapters. And he points out that you don't have to be a Buddhist monk to achieve enlightenment, but everyone can reach a better plateau of happiness.

Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill

This is the best book I have ever read on the subject of happiness. A real treasure.
Happiness is not a mystery but a possible goal for anyone who seriously wants to become a happier and better person. If you love science, literature and culture, Matthieu Ricard is the right guru for you.
A must read for everyone who loved his book "The Monk and the Philosopher".
A book you won't ever part with for you'll want to read in it again and again.

Inge Hohndorf

This book has been written by the world's happiest person. Neuroscientists have conducted various tests on thousands of people including the author and have come to the conclusion based on scientific proof. It is therefore necessary to keep that piece of information at the back of your mind when you read the book.

Every word in the book comes out loud and clear as having been created by a truly happy and contented person.

Simply by reading the book and following some of the exercises that the author suggests, you can transform yourself from a tense and neurotic being into a joyful, stress free person.

Though the author is a Buddhist monk, this book is not about Buddhism nor does it attempt to convert one to that religion. This is a practical, down to earth method to learn to be happy.

I've got to admit that the writing is so deep that sometimes I have to only read a couple of pages and then take a break. But don't let that deter you. Within 1 or 2 chapters I was feeling happier than I think I ever have. And this from a mildly chronically depressed person.

It does rely heavily on Buddhism but it IS a Buddhist writing it )). For the ultra religious, don't worry. He does not shove his beliefs down your throat. It is just his examples are from his life so that are flavored that way.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested i attaining happiness.

I read this book during a bout of depression. It is proverbial that Conspicuous Displays of Contentment push the depressed into even deeper despair more effectively than anything else. Yet I didn't find this book infuriating; it didn't drive me to suicide. No, I enjoyed it immensely and finished it rapidly.

The ramifications of the subject matter are endless. What ancient and modern Western philosophers thought about happiness; what they thought in Asia. The social conditions conducive to happiness, the brain-states that coincide with it. Then what the author's own Tibetan Buddhist tradition has to say about happiness and mental afflictions.

You only have to glance at the design of this book to know you're not going to get any great depth. But that's fine. Always room for compact and lucid accounts of Big Subjects. If you want reams of detail about neurochemistry or Buddhist meditation practices, you can find that elsewhere.

I have only two complaints. One is that, as somebody who has suffered from life-long severe depression, I didn't find anything here that would help me to be happy. Everything here I have seen before, and it doesn't work. It may work if you're already happy, but then, well, you don't need it, do you?

I suspect the reason for this lies in my second complaint. The author tells of his famous father, of his upbringing in elite French cultural and intellectual circles, hobnobbing with luminaries and jetsetters. When he finds all of this... somehow lacking, he toddles off to a sheltered enclave of Ancient Eastern Wisdom, where he hobnobs with the Dalai Lama and endless Rinpoches... (To be honest, I'm not exactly sure how you "hobnob".)

My point is: you Would be happy, wouldn't you? A book about Happiness would be so much more convincing if the author were the child of a Haitian beggar, born with a speech impediment, and... we don't want to get into sick humour territory, but you get my drift. If someone like That managed to be happy, Then I would be impressed.

This is the book for anyone who has a blood sugar problem. This blood sugar malfunction may manifest itself in weight gain, alcohol abuse, overuse of sugar, or simply in sinking energy levels. The author of this book gives her own personal story, and she gives some amazing, yet easily understandable details on how our bodies handle sugar and what our bodies need to function well. A practical plan is laid out that helps each person learn about his or her individual body reactions to the food we eat. Of all the diet or health books that I have read, this one has helped me the most. (It is not a diet book, it is a plan to maximize your body's ability to function in good health.)

Reading this book, my wife has realized that she and our daughter have sugar sensitivity. Though the recommendations in this book are not necessarily easy to implement, they're much better than many other approaches we've tried in the health and diet genre. Going through the steps, after some withdrawal symptoms similar to caffeine withdrawal (headache but not as severe) getting her body cleansed, my wife is reporting much higher energy levels.

The potatoes thing seems to work. Pleasant dreams!

The original version of this book gave me my life back. Depression gone, cravings gone, crazy thoughts gone, self-loathing gone, PMS gone. All through the simplicity of eating the right foods for my body. I gave up sugar without shedding a tear, something I thought I would never be able to do, and I don't miss it at all. This edition has all the newest, updated info that Kathleen and the Radiant Recovery community have discovered since the first edition came out. This book will change your life, will give you a life you might only have dreamed of otherwise. Thank you, Kathleen.

This book is changing my life. To overcome twenty years of craving chocolate and bingeing on sweets--twenty years of wondering what was wrong with my willpower--by simply following the seven steps outlined in this book: well, it's nothing short of a miracle. Here I am, someone who could never imagine life without chocolate, actually embracing cutting sugar out of my life. My daylong grazing has been replaced by planned snacks, I'm less cranky, I rarely battle mild depression anymore, and I can now stay up till 9:30 or 10 PM without petering out (a biggie for me). And it all began with getting enough protein for breakfast.

One of the best things is that you don't have to believe this eating program will work. If you just do the food, the changes will happen by themselves. It's straightforward (no complicated calculations), simple (though not always easy), and cheap (once you buy the book, there's no big outlay of money). Plus, there's a wonderful and caring online community to support people each step of the way.

I also highly recommend Kathleen DesMaison's eating program for children, outlined in LITTLE SUGAR ADDICTS. Through this book, my four daughters' lives are changing in wonderful ways as well.

I suspected that I had a problem with sugar when I tried to get rid of it and couldn't. I also noticed that I tended to increase my sugar intake every day for several days and then go off of it for a while and then start again. I used it like a drug.

The first edition of PNP changed my life. All of DesMaisons' books are great, but PNP is the best. It explains the science behind the theory in greater depth than the other books, which gives the theory more power in my opinion. The second edition is sort of a different book. It has a lot of updated information based on what DesMaisons' has learned by working with the online community. It's worth reading both, but if you only buy one, get the second one.

Visit her website if you want to know more about the theory before you buy. There is life after sugar addiction and it is a great life!

I admire this author and person very much. She survived a hideous childhood, yet has the strength to write about it. I know her story will help countless others who have endured similar experiences. Her writing skills are excellent.

I had to order this book for school, but I would definitely recommend it if you are interested in social work.

The story belongs to the one who tells it best. This will never be topped. Sensitive and brave, Sue William finds the words to tell the truth and heal not only her own soul but many others.

There is a reason why this book has such a high customer rating. I have never read such a well written and beautifully articulated story of horrendous abuse. I read ALOT of books on this subject. None can compare. It addresses the subject of incest by a father and an enabling mother. It speaks of her relationship with her parents well after the abuse has ended. Anyone who must, or choose, to stay in relationship with their abuser will relate to this. There is much to connect with in her story. Buy it quickly!

I bought this book with hesitancy due to what I thought would be wading through the horrors of family incest, however; Silverman writes with such beautiful prose she makes the subject remain heartwrenching, yet readable in one of those books that does not come along very often. Her account is horrific and not for the faint of heart, but the writing and her courage to to endure and survive the atrocities of her childhood give the reader faith in how strong the human spririt can truly be. An amazing story told by an amazing woman who is obviously also a very gifted writer.

This is one of the best books I have read -certainly the best in the category of social history. Jay Stevens has researched his material meticulously and has delivered the narrative in a most enthralling manner. I found it hard to lay the book down. Whether, like me, you lived through the psychedelic experience of the sixties or you have but a passive interest, you will be amazed to learn of the full impact that the psychedelic culture has had on Western society, religion and philosophy -right through to the chemical hedonism of today.
This is truly a superb read!

I bought this on the recommendation of Dr. Stanley Krippner in a lecture on ayahuasca. It is absolutely the best book I have read on the history of the psychedelic movement during the past 100 years or so. Timothy Leary is not dead - he's only outside looking in. :-)

This should be required reading in American History. Who knew Canada had legal LSD centers? And the characters- Nin, Huxley, Kesey, Leary and Capt.Al Hubbard (??). Will we ever see their like again? Really a very sad story, and a fascinating one. Nice to see the Chief Boo Hoo, old Art Kleps in there as well. Sen. Kennedy: "Is your title really Chief Boo Hoo?" Art Kleps: "I'm afraid so, sir."

This is the definitive account of the 1960s psychedelic drug scene. Stevens does a great job of conveying the highs and lows of LSD and its proponents. His ability to relate endless facts while retaining a fast-paced narrative structure is amazing. I found this one of the most "addicting" books out there about the significance of drugs in American culture. Stevens reviews all the major personalities: Albert Hoffman, Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, the Grateful Dead, Alan Watts, Jack Kerouac, Aldous Huxley, and more. If you're interested in this electric decade, the power of psychedelics to warp the mind, or any of the poet-prophets who were compelled to experiment with and sing the praises of acid then this book is sure to delight.

This was a very good book. You get lots of interesting stuff about Aldous Huxley, the famous beat writers, Owsley, Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey and the evolution of the so called counterculture as a whole.

The problems that I have with Storming Heaven is not for what was in it but what was left out. For one Stevens was WAY too easy on Timothy Leary. The author seemed almost like a school girl with a crush when he recounts his visit to Learys home for an interview for the book. He comes off more as a fan than he does an objective writer at times when he deals with Leary. Why wasn't it mentioned that it has come out that Leary was a government informant and information he gave led to the death of two members of the Weather Underground? Its also a known fact that Leary was surrounded by CIA assets and there is a lot of evidence that he was a government agent himself, and at the least he was feeding them information.

There is also a fleeting mention that wasn't elaborated on about Ken Kesey that he had LSD experiments done on him at Stanford by the guy that ended up in charge of the CIAs Mkultra mind control program. This really makes me wonder about Kesey. Its more or less accepted history that the first LSD to get out on the street level was what Kesey stole from the medicine chest at his job as a night shift janitor at a mental hospital and distributed it among his elitist friends. Kesey went from writing what was probably the best novel written during the 1960's to, while becoming a counterculture hero, never writing another thing worth reading again. Did doing too much LSD scramble his brains and ruin his creativity or was his creativity nullified by Mkultra programming? Its hard to say for sure but I have to wonder if Kesey was not under some sort of mind control or was being used by the CIA in one way or another. There are a lot of unanswered questions in my mind about Kesey.

They also fleetingly mention the Brotherhood of Eternal Love who were major LSD distributors and were known to be full of CIA people and had a close association with a Jewish man named Ron Starks who was a CIA spook that also happened to the biggest LSD dealer in the world. Starks was not even given the first mention in this book!

I mean with all these ivy league, Mkultra and CIA connections to the elites of the so called counterculture I have to seriously wonder how much of the hippy movement of the late 60's was an organic rebellion against what was (and still is) a very repressive society both socially and politically and how much of it was intentional social engineering that came from the highest levels of the power structure. Many people believe that the anti-war movement was flooded with drugs, in particular LSD, by federal agents. Its well known that the government tried to subvert and destroy the anti-war movement with the cointelpro program so why wouldn't they also use drugs to try to destroy it? While it can't be denied that LSD has enhanced many an artist, writer and musicians work can you honestly say that sitting around frying on acid all the time is going to do anything but disable political activists who in many cases were in a life and death struggle? Besides that the fact remains that many people became permanently damaged as result of doing acid.

All that said I would definitely recomend reading or of you can get it cheap, buying Storming Heaven. I could hardly put it down once I started reading it. I realize that this book was more geared toward looking into what psychelic drugs can do with the mind and its exponents history and theories on the subject than any conspiratorial maneuverings by the US government involving LSD but it just didn't go deep enough into the rabbit hole for my tastes.

It is the Alaskan Arctic, it is 1971, and Kayuqtuq "Gretchen" Ugungoreseok is a troubled with young woman with a difficult past. She does not know what happened to her mother, her first foster family were pathetic, uncaring, money-grubbers who were very poor, and she has an ambivalent relationship with her second foster family. Now, in her twenties, and quite attractive, Kayuqtuq, or Gretchen as the Outsiders have named her, is trying to figure out who and what she is, including whether she is an apprentice shaman, a rarity for a woman, at that time and in that area. Then, life becomes much more complex, with the arrival of Leif Trygvesen, an Outsider who is a field biologist trying to study a certain species of goose, as well as measuring the impact of oil spills on the local ecology. The inevitable slowly happens, as Gretchen and Leif fall in love, while trying to grasp each other's culture.

This work of fiction, often told in journal format or by showing letters exchanged between Leif and Kayuqtuq, is loaded with information on the cultures and the era involved, and the degree of detail is impressive. I found the degree of detail to also be oppressive. The complexity of romance often makes a good story, and cross-cultural romances add another dimension. As many romances are, the Kayuqtuq-Leif romance is on-again-off-again. However, it changes direction so often that it becomes predictable and redundant. The same is true for the culture-shock issues, with repeated misunderstandings, miscommunications, and just plain misery.

Several years ago, I wrote a novel, still in search of a publisher. As I wrote, I became intoxicated with the process, and my "final" copy was close to 200,000 words long. Not long ago, I entered the novel in a contest, that had a maximum of 175,000 words for entries. I was able to cut enough out to meet the limit, and I believe that my leaner version was better. I think that the experience of writing-intoxication might have occurred in Flight of the Goose, and I think that a trimmer version would be a better book.

One thing that I look for in a novel is whether I can identify with one or more of the main characters, and possibly even like them. I did end up liking both Kayuqtuq and Leif, and felt that I knew and understood them enough to make them interesting. That is the main reason why I was able to stick it through to the end. That is not enough, though, to make this is good and recommendable book.

I have at least one other quibble for this book. At the back of the book, there is a glossary of terms in Inupiaq, the language of the Alaskan Arctic villagers in this story. At its core, this is a good idea, to use these terms, interspersed throughout the story, and have the glossary to help translate. It adds color, and an air of authenticity. However, even as the author, Lesley Thomas, got carried away with details, and with the ups and downs of cross-cultural romance, I think that she also over-did this native language idea. I think that the best way to illustrate this is to show good and bad examples of its usage.

I found it helpful to know that "Aka" not only meant "grandmother" but was also a term of respect for a woman who was an elder. That enriched the story. The same is true for the term "angutkoq" that roughly translates to "shaman" but definitely has many local cultural connotations to it. Some of terms were not readily translated into English, and were so culturally embedded that the use of the rough English translation would miss the mark and diminish the concept. A prime example would be "atka", to refer to the part of the soul that lies within one's name. However, having a wolf be referred to as an "ameguq" or using "ninaq" for "sullen, sulky" did not add anything as far as I am concerned.

So, is this a good book? If you like cross-cultural romances, and you are comfortable with a slow pace and a high level of detail, this book might be right up your alley. I believe that this book was a labor of love for Lesley Thomas, and that she put a huge amount of time, effort, information, and, yes, a bit of her soul, into this book. But, for the average reader, some of that will go unappreciated. It was not the book for me. I would have enjoyed it more if more of the focus had been on Kayuqtuq's quest to become a shaman, and less on the romance. I am generally a patient reader, and I have read, and enjoyed several huge books that were very slow-paced. This one really tested me, though.

The sexual encounters between Leif and Kayuqtuq are described pretty graphically at times. This is definitely a book for adults.

I found this book through a series of "you might also like" searches on Amazon. Coupled with the glowing reviews, I felt like I'd found a keeper. And I did! I love it when a book totally captures me... and on so many levels. The "voice" of the main character was so fresh and real, and the way her story unfolded with the "birdman" was extremely poignant. Five stars!

This is a story about one of the last great American frontiers: Alaska. The novel takes place in 1971 / 1972, with the Vietnam war as a distant backdrop. The book covers a series of clashes beyond the war, including the clash between nature and technology / big oil companies. There seem to be several haunting premonitions of the Exxon VALDEZ disaster, which occured over a decade later.

The center of the book, however, is love story. An young, abandoned Indian woman (Gretchen) is "adopted" by Eskimos. When she reaches her late teens, an ornithologist (Leif) picks out a nearby spot to set up his base camp. He is obsessed with a certain type of geese. The courtship is awkward and somewhat unorthodox. The story is somewhat unique in that we get a 1st person view from both persons.

I believe that Leif and Gretchen seem to represent a sort of "marriage" between the native Alaskans and the white man. Even though both mean well, there is still plenty of friction in their relationship. Just as was the case in the world back then (as is the case now), there was plenty of turmoil in the world, and the turmoil spilled over into personal relationships as well.

Lesley Thomas has a knack for being a very descriptive writer, and I really did feel like I was in northern Alaska while I was reading the novel. People who enjoy this book may also like Map of the Human Heart as it is another story that centers around Alaska.

Lesley Thomas has done what would seem to be the impossible -- taken us deep inside the Inupiat world, in the voice and mind of an extraordinary young woman with still more extraordinary powers. I know of no book like this. "Smilla's Sense of Snow" is a distant second. But two movies come to mind: "Fast Runner," and "Dersu Uzala." If you love either of these movies, you'll be stunned by the depth and scope of this novel and the unique and unmistakably true voice of its heroine. And if you've never seen them, read "Flight of the Goose" first!

That FLIGHT OF THE GOOSE is a first novel by Lesley Thomas is the first hurdle the reader must overcome, so rich in detail, research, and technical finesse are the over four hundred pages of this fascinating book. What does become obvious with even the first few pages is the fact that here is a writer who can address significant world environment issues while building love stories - between a remarkably real Inupiat girl and a Swedish scientist, between the world of the spirit and the realm of the universe, and between the mysteries of past traditions with those beings longing to preserve the enormous habitat that is transforming before our grieving eyes - stories that intermingle to create a total experience that simply refuses to end with the closing of the final cover.

Thomas opens her book with a Prologue and with words like the following the reader is assured the presence of an enriching encounter: 'Let me tell what happened, and don't ask at the end what the message is. Whatever is already in us at birth, we find again in stories. We see it in the face of the moon, in the face of our lover, in our own death, in the flight of the goose.' From this point she unravels the Norn's threadball of time relating the changes that are taking place in Alaska in 1971, mixing the daily arduous charges of living with distant echoes of world events that are reshaping the life of our main character (Gretchen/Kayuqtuq). Thomas builds a blindingly realistic love story between the native, orphaned, shamanistic Kayuqtuq with ornithologist, peace advocate Leif Trygvesen and in creating a fully rounded and metaphorically meaningful relationship Thomas resorts to sharing the story from the vantage of both of these unique souls. From this launching point we learn about Eskimo traits and foods and history and manner of survival in a culture that is being eroded by technologic 'civilization', a series of sidebar stories that Thomas always manages to remain centered and focused while expanding the scope of her immensely interesting and important story.

FLIGHT OF THE GOOSE is a novel so rich that deserves to be in the library of everyone who values fine storytelling while simultaneously respecting the threats and conditions of change that are only now being brought to our attention by the environmentalists. To manage to accomplish this service to mankind in as fine a book as this establishes Lesley Thomas as an important author. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 07

This is a great book and makes the real costs of our prescription drug epidemic understandable to everyone. It is a must read for all Americans. We must educate the public that the prescription drug epidemic is going to ruin generations of our people unless we take action. We can no longer tolerate drug companies pushing legal "heroin" to our people and turning the other head when it causes the devastation pointed out by Sheryl McGinnis.

Steve Hayes
Medical Director
Novus Medical Detox Center

I Am Your Disease is not written by professional writers, its not scripted, its real stories, of real children, young adults, sons, daughters, written by people who loved them.

I have seen my own friends struggle with addictions and I saw it nightly at the hospital ER I worked in before Connor was born. I think some people like to believe that drug addictions come from broken homes, bad childhoods, homeless broken people who have no reason to live. I only wish this was true as the problem would be SO much easier to fix if this was really the case.

Drug addictions many times are born in perfectly happy, perfectly healthy people, that for some reason get involved with something that they just cannot control. Professionals, high school students, mothers, fathers, many many times people who otherwise have perfectly normal.. perfectly happy lives. Who knows why... a moment of weakness, a genetic predisposition, depression, boredom, peer pressure, I could go over a thousand reasons why... but thats really not important. What is important is as we look at our beautiful happy healthy babies, don't be blind to the fact that every child at some point in their life is given the choice at least once... and in my case many many many times have drugs passed in front of me and I had to make the conscious and sometimes difficult choice to say no.

One point I want to make to everyone out there... When I say drug addictions I do not just mean (street drugs), heroin, cocaine, meth, but some of the worst addictions I saw come through the ER on a nightly basis were prescribed that includes Valium.

I Am Your Disease, is a worthy read for every mom, dad, grandmother, out there.. these kids deserve to have their stories shared.

Though this book is not a self help book or a book that covers the recovery process it is a great source of support through stories from families dealing with the loss of a loved one through a drug addiction or an inspiration for those of you dealing with a drug addiction as to why its so important to find help.

These stories, very sad and unfortunately so real, are about senseless death. The people described are the young victims of drug addiction so severe that it took their lives. Written by their surviving relatives, nearly always parents, the stories are real, raw and painful. They describe the struggles of how the parents supported their children, the anguish they felt as they watched the roller coaster of peaks, valleys, relapse, apparent recovery and finally death. Money, support, pushing them into treatment, all that could be expected of them was done, yet at best it kept their child alive a little longer.
My wife is a counselor who works with female addicts with children and so she understands how powerful the addictive beast can be. Sometimes, the best she can do is to manage the relapse well enough that it does not enter the "threat to life" category. When I explained the stories to her, she understood the problems fully.
The only way that the deaths of these young people can have any meaning is if they are used to persuade others to avoid contact with the monster of addiction. While they are not uplifting, they are important because they are real. When I was in my teens, my brother and I walked home from school with two girls who lived less than a block away. Two hours later, an ambulance was at their house and one of them, my brother's girlfriend, was dead of a drug overdose. Don't for one instant think that such a thing cannot happen to you, because it can. If you are a parent, read this book and learn what the price of a lack of vigilance can be.

Author Sheryl Letzgus McGinnis lost her son Scott to a drug overdose. She says she wrote this book as therapy for herself but also to warn others as to the dangers of addiction to drugs. This book is a compilation of many grieving parents who write the stories of their children's addictions. They come from all walks of life, social, and economic groups, but they have one thing in common--they have lost a child to addiction and subsequent death. They all tried to stop their child's downward spiral but none of them were successful. The book also contains poetry from grieving parents and an eye-opening look at a group of eighth graders' view of peer pressure. This is a sobering book which serves as a warning to any teenager or parent of a teenager. There is a list of support groups and there are some suggestions for heading off a serious addiction, but mostly the problem is presented in the stark reality of hopelessness. The only answer is not to start taking drugs in the first place and it is this point of view that the book is promoting.

As a Clinical Social Worker, I recommend this book be mandatory for any professional in the field. This book goes beyond a scientific understanding of substance abuse, beyond treatment methods and beyond clinical strategy. It explores substance abuse from the viewpoint of the mother or the family member who has lost a loved one. It reminds us that a life lost to substance abuse is a life victimized by an ugly and unrelenting disease. It reminds us that families left behind are victims themselves, as we see in the painful words of the book's many contributing writers. Our society so easily stereotypes "the addict", judges or places blame on the person for "choosing" that lifestyle. This book challenges us to break that stereotype, to see the beauty, the intellect, the passion and the energy that such individuals possess. It challenges us not to cast such individuals into the marginalized population but to do all we can to support them and help them find recovery when possible. Any loss is great, but there is no greater loss than that of a child. I commend the strength and honesty of the mothers and family members who have come together to write this book. May this book continue to act as a passionate and moving tribute to their children. May it also remind all professionals in the field of addiction to treat not "the addict", but the individual; to explore that person's capabilities and dreams, to find that person's sources of energy, creativity and strength, to use family support in treatment when possible. "I Am Your Disease: The Many Faces of Addiction" is a powerful and honest read, and a necessity for any professional in the field.

Sarah Thomas, LCSW