Mental Health Books

The author is an expert on self-defeating personality disorder, and makes a good case for bundling varied symptoms such as fear, anxiety, self-absorbtion, low self-esteem, and depression under this diagnosis. She devotes each chapter to a different aspect of this disorder (its linguistic expression, its causation, its appearance in literature and film, its effect on interpersonal and work relationships). She explains why SDPD is an elective, maladaptive behavior, and how having chosen it, one can reject it. A couple of the chapters, such as the one on self-defense and the one on the psychology of the victimizer, seemed to stray a little far afield, but overall it was a tautly presented argument. The chapters on the linguistic defenses and interpersonal relations of an SDPD sufferer were particularly fascinating.

Throughout the book, Dr. Shainess offers concrete examples and advice. Unlike many self-help authors, she is not glib and offers no panacea. The book is well researched with a lengthy bibliography and does not talk down to the reader. The author is realistic about the seriousness and pervasiveness of the problem, and the necessity of long hard work if it is to be overcome. Despite its prevalence in women, the author has also treated male SDPD patients, and several of her examples draw on these experiences. I would recommend this book to anyone who struggles with issues of self-esteem and assertiveness.

NATALIE SHAINESS IS A PROMINENT PSYCHIATRIST IN MANHATTAN.
SHE HAS WRITTEN THIS ASTOUNDING BOOK BASED ON HER REMARKABLE
KNOWLEDGE OF WOMEN, SELF-ESTEEM, AND HOW TO BREAK PATTERNS OF MASOCHISTIC REACTIONS. I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK HIGHLY. IT IS A LIFE CHANGING BOOK, WELL WRITTEN, EASILY UNDERSTOOD, AND QUITE CHALLENGING TO ANY PERSON INTERESTED IN SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS.

READ IT IN THE 1990S, AND AM READING IT AGAIN. TREMENDOUS BOOK.

READ THIS BOOK IN THE 1990S. A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE WRITTEN BY A HIGHLY RESPECTED MANHATTAN PSYCHIATRIST WHO IS ALSO A GREAT WRITER. RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TOTALLY FOR ALL FEMALES WHO HAVE BEEN SOCIALIZED OR CONDITIONED TO GO ALONG TO GET ALONG. THIS BOOK IS OUTSTANDING. DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS ONE. I AM A CRISIS INTERVENTION WORKER AND HAVE RECOMMENDED THIS BOOK TO MANY.
THOUGH THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR WOMEN ONLY, IT MOST DEFINITELY SEEMS THAT WOMEN BENEFIT ENORMOUSLY FROM THIS BOOK.

DO HOPE YOU GIVE IT A READ. YOU MAY WANT TO TELL YOUR DEAREST FRIENDS AFTER YOU READ IT. IT'S SO ENLIGHTENING AND SO EMPOWERING. GOOD LUCK!

As a professional counselor I have recommended this book to many of my clients since it first appeared. They have consistently told me that Sweet Suffering has clearly and effectively described the patterns of communication and interaction with others that set us up to become unwitting victims in relationships. Also included is a powerful section called "Digging Out" which gives the tools needed to overcome these self-sabotaging habits. I wish this book would be reprinted.It's truly a classic! In my personal top ten!!!

If there ever was a book that needs to be reprinted it is Sweet Suffering. I read constantly and I cannot remember when a book had such an impact on me as this one. Dr. Shainess is honest and forthright about how we all(I believe men and women) invite insult and attack by being submissive as a way of warding off harm. In fact, as Dr. Shainess points out, this submissive posture is the very behavior that can prompt people to 'kick us while we are down'. I have often wondered why a person who is so nice to one person maybe nasty to another (we all do this on some level). Dr. Shainess helps the reader to understand how we are the true 'common denominators' in our lives and that we must look at what we are doing to invite such responses from others. THIS IS NOT VICTIM BLAMING!! Dr. Shainess gives concrete examples of behaviors that promote unpleasant responses from others, and she also gives you the tools to understand them and deal with them. This book is good enough to study and if there ever was a book that should be manditory teaching for our young people it would be this one! If anyone has a spare copy they would like to sell, I know of 12 people who are interested in purchasing one!

Anybody who's read a lot about or even worked with afflicted clients and thought they have a good understanding of what it'd be like to have Schizophrenia will find this book a real eye opener! It's a MUST READ for all families, friends, workers and Doctors alike. It's written in a very easy to read and understandable format, as unemotional as could be possible in such circumstances. I personally think it is the best book on Schizophrenia that's available within a non-clinical context. I give it the highest of recommendations.

The disgraceful lack of help that Anne Deveson and her son, Jonathon, recieved in the early-to-mid-eighties when Jonathon was seriously mentally ill with schizophrenia is a sad indictment on the psychiatrists and a system that was - and still is in a lot of ways, I believe - totally impotent.
Anne and her son's terrible experiences happened in Australia, but, here in the UK, every so often, we have seriously mentally ill people attacking and killing innocent by-standers.
It must also be strongly emphasized that these violent individuals are just a SMALL minority, and that the VAST MAJORITY of people with these afflictions are NOT dangerous at all, and, if I may give you an even better perspective: murders committed by so-called "normal" people, if you like, in England and Wales, number about 300 a year, while murders committed by people with mental illness number about 40 a year. Yet, due to biased reporting and the stigma surrounding mental illness, newspaper journalists do NOT state these facts in context and thereby give the impression that everyone with schizophrenia is a potential knife-wielding maniac, probably because the headline KNIFE MANIAC sells papers. I don't know!
Having said that, for people who are seriously mentally ill like Jonathon was - he thought his mother was evil and was out to get him, yet was not treated for his illness because he didn't want to be - to be Sectioned under the Mental Health ACT, here in the UK, mentally ill people must be a danger to themselves or others, OR THEIR CONDITION BE DETRIMENTAIL TO THEIR HEALTH.
I have read that many psychiatrists and social workers ignore the last part of this act, and this would appear to be why we have seriously mentally ill people - people who seem to be unaware of their illness - living (and dying) on our streets.
This is gross neglect, in my opinion, also due to the fact that the Mental Health Trusts in the UK are so under-funded.
The mentally ill have nowhere to go that provides them with the support they need after leaving hospital - a lot of the time before they are well enough - to make way for someone who is even iller than they are.
Moral is also at rock bottom among the mental health workers due to this under-funding and cutbacks.
Most of these seriously mentally ill people could be saved from their sufferings and even death - and from occasionally causing harm to others - if they WERE treated and the mental health professionals had the resources to do their jobs properly.
To this schizophrenia sufferer, this chronic under-funding that prevents the mental health professionals from doing their jobs properly, and the newspaper journalists who sensationalise these terrible tragedies, is a complete and utter disgrace.

New edition published 1998 by Penguin

There are two books that should be ordered together, this one, "Tell Me I'm Here" One Family's experience of Schizophrenia, by Anne Deveson and "I am Not Sick I Don't Need Help" by Dr. Xavier Amador. "Tell me... is a story from a mother's perspctive of doing everything possible for a young adult, and her relationship with her son who had a duel diagnosis of both Schizophrenia and drug addiction. This mother did just about everything to bring her son to recovery. "Tell me...: is told with a good writing style and down under mater of fact blatancy. It is easy to follow the events of this woman's life and how the illness affected not only her son but the whole family that loves a person who has schizophrenia. "I am not Sick I Don't need Help" is the clinical method, which might bring a schizophrenic loved one into medicine compliance. The two together can be a powerful ally to both protecting not only the ill person but the caregiver as well. The two books together can give shocked loved ones of an ill person a fighting chance at surviving "the crisis event", and the initial treatment phase which is very emotional for all and exausting. According to one psychiatrist 99.99% of recovery in schizophrenia is medicine compliance. These books do not support stigma and fear, the first two hurdles when the loved one is diagnosed.

This book is one of the most heart wrenching stories that I have ever read. The author takes you into the world of schizophrenia. You feel the emotions and the heartache that she felt while seeing her son slip in and out of madness. It is the only book that has ever made me cry while reading it. It is the only book that I have been moved to share with people.I encourage anyone who has the chance to buy it, and don't forget your handkerchief, you'll need it.

In this book, the mental health clinician learns about common medical problems and the psychological impacts that they may have on patients. We additionally learn how, too often, mental health and medical conditions are treated separately- with little to no communication between treating providers. Dr Kolbasovsky points out how important it is to communicate with the medical provider to ensure that our patients are being cared for on a total systems basis. I highly recommend this book!

i wasn't expecting to be impressed by this book, but with each page turned, i became increasingly impressed by both the knowledge and the ease conveyed by the book. Most books of this type are filled with jargon, but surprisingly, this book highlighted essential issues in a way both clinicians and practicioners could understnad. the author has a masterful command of the english language, and more importantly, he has a masterful command of what it means to be a clinician in todays world of psychdynamic psychology. obviously, he has years of experience in both the practice of psychology and the practice of writing books about psychological practice. kudos......
sincerely,
dr. sharon sutter

This book is extensively researched yet easy to read and use. This is a valuable addition to any clinician's library. I particularly liked the descriptions of medical conditions without heavy jargon and the discussions of how each medical condition can impact mental health symptoms.

Finally, a book that provides useful information for mental health clinicians. Chronic medical conditions are becoming more and more commonplace especially among psychiatric population who also tend to receive poor medical care. This book shows mental health clinicians how to apply their expertise in behavior to help clients make the necessary lifestyle changes to manage medical conditions like diabetes, asthma, and cardiac conditions and how to address the associated mental health issues. No longer can mental health clincians ignore physical health.

Any clinician interested in the mind body connection or the interactions between medical and mental health should read this book. Well researched yet highly readable, this book is filled with practical tips and useful information. I highly recommend this book to anyone providing care to anyone with a mental health condition.

Anyone providing mental health treatment should read this book. The book provides background on medical conditions seen in every caseload. The book is filled with practical tips on working with clients with psychiatric and medical conditions. Mental health clinicians can and should help clients make behavioral changes that improve both physical and mental health. This book describes how to integrate this approach into your everyday practice. The book is very well organized making it easy to look up information and it provides plenty of case examples. This is the best and most practical book on clinical practice I have read. This is the type of information all clinicians need yet are almost never provide with during their graduate training. I highly recommend it to seasoned clinicians and students alike.

Well-written, easy to read and very human. This is a vital read for anyone who suffered from depression before pregnancy (even if you were "cured"); as well as women who are looking for a post-partum resource that deals with how she actually *feels*, as opposed to an extended tome on diaper changing, breast pads and burping, which are ten-a-penny.

Also, a great read for dads-to-be and new dads, who are wondering who took their wife and replaced her with this sad lady?

Instead of buying another book on the merits of "wearing" your baby or the horrors of disposable diapers, which you flip through in your "mommy" pajamas (with flaps) whilst hiding in the closet, crying, at 3am, (been there); get this book and start getting well.

i wish this was required reading for all doctors, especially ob, pediatrics, and family practice. and then they could give a copy to every mother and potential mother, and fathers. it covers a lot of valuable information not found anywhere else in a very readable and understandable form.
it really emphasizes an understanding viewpoint that could help us all-we do not have to try to live up to what we think are others expectations of us. a lot of wisdom here.

This book should be required reading for all expectant mothers! I so wish that I had been able to read it before the birth of my first baby, but now that my 2nd is eight months old, I find that it is EXACTLY what I needed to know. I've struggled with PPD issues after both of my babies, and this book has been the GREATEST help!

There are so many books out there about what you may feel physically during pregnancy and postpartum. I believe this is the first that helps pregnant women gauge what's common emotionally. As a therapist who works with pregnant and postpartum women, I am thrilled to see this book! I have already recommended it to several clients who are having a rough time emotionally.

Dr. Puryear has written a concise guide to the spectrum of mood changes that are common for pregnant women to have, starting with the very beginning of pregnancy. I know this book will be very reassuring for many families, and I am grateful to be able to offer it as a resources to my clients.

This book is eloquently written and so honest - thank you, Dr. Puryear! Also, thank you for encouraging us moms to realize that being a "good enough" mother is an achievable, reasonable, rational, and realistic goal. This notion offers women the freedom to be themselves and the fulfillment that comes from loving others from a place of authenticity.

Dr. Puryear is well-known in Houston as a psychiatrist in private practice and a faculty member at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Puryear served as an expert witness in both of Andrea Yates' trials here in Houston and is a powerful advocate for women and the need to recognize and appropriately treat and manage women's mental health issues.

This book is for every woman who will, who is and who has experienced pregnancy and/or motherhood. It's focus is on the "normal" fluctuations in emotion and mood that many women experience during and after pregnancy and differentiating such changes from mood disorders (depression, anxiety, psychosis) that need professional treatment.

Dr. Puryear weaves in some her personal experiences of motherhood and acknowledges the fact that for too long we women and society at large have put unnecessary and undue pressure upon women to be "perfect" in so many ways - including motherhood. The author encourages us women to shift our focus to a new goal - to striving to do the best we can with what we know and what we have daily to best serve ourselves, our families, and society at large. She gives us permission to be "good enough" mothers and to be honest, vulnerable, strong and forgiving of ourselves.

Thank you, Dr. Puryear, for sharing yourself, your stories, your expertise, and stories of others that are easy to understand and relate to as women and mothers.

This book mainly talk about the music's origin and also some of good effect by playing it
This book also contain two magnificent CD's that you must have that, ask seller if you don't get that

I was so excited when I opened the book up and found 2 free CDs in the back. What a pleasant surprise :)
Greet Book!

A well done research to prove that we are all affected by vibrations every moment in our lives. Water being the most abundant substance on earth forms different crystals when subjected to different vibrations. Hence, the music compilations ( 2 CDs) accompanying this book provides the healing tool for those who listen with their ears while enjoying the dance of the crystals (photographs in the book) with their eyes. A well invested book!

be apple to hear the music corresponding the water cristal is a beautiful experience for meditation, and coming again in harmony or resonance with your self.

This book is wonderful, beyond belief. Such a great blessing!
Raises our consciousness level and shows us how to build a better
future. Thank you, Dr. Emoto for caring and sharing.

Sent it to my son in jail and he said that it was the best book he received and really did help him overcome adversity.

I like the plenty of lively stories in the book. They are well written and inspirational. However, as a Christian who believes that the greatest help always come from God, I am obliged to raise my doubt on the effectiveness of it because it answers only part of the question of "Why me?" and encourages primarily those who are willing to and can stand up quickly on their own feet. A good book, I must say, but I would like to recommend also "Where is God when it hurts? by Philip Yancey and "Why Me?: Straight Talk About Suffering by Lawrence Wilson" to those in need.

Maxine Schnall has written such a sensitive, meaningful book. You can tell it comes from the heart and she gives such detailed ways of coping. You can tell the stories are true and they are good examples of the skills she is helping us to develop. So many people could benefit by reading "What doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger"

Well, you've heard the phrase so many times before, but now a gifted writer has made the reader understand why this title rings true. I consider myself a spiritual person, but often when chaos appears in your life, all the principles that you once thought you grasped, go out the window. In the past year, I have been unemployed and gone through tumultuous personal relationships. After reading this book, I felt empowered! The writer was able to put everything in prospective like no other "self-help" book, or form of spirituality has EVER done for me. It all made sense. I have recommended this book to several friends who have also gone through rough times in this past year. They, too, have found this book to be a useful tool in their healing process. Every beautifully crafted chapter provides a source of COMFORT and WISDOM for anyone facing the challenges that life brings. Sure life is difficult, but after reading Ms.Schnall's brilliant work, I feel better equipped to deal with my own life. And for that, this book has indeed been a BLESSING!

I've been raving about this book everywhere I go. It's become one of my all-time favorite reads so far. Silly me. I thought I wouldn't need it because I'm not experiencing any trauma now. But I was SO wrong!

Any time is a great time to read about people who have pulled through a terrible situation, or chosen to be creative in their problem solving, even when it seems like everything is lost forever. Maxine Schnall has written one of the most inspirational books I've ever read (and I read a lot!).

Two things really struck me about What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger. First, the way Maxine writes. She got my attention from the Introduction! I felt as if she came to my house, sat at my kitchen table, and told me things only a compassionate wise woman would be able to say. She's frank. She's got moxie. She knows intimately what the people in her book felt because of her own experience with her daughter's brain injury. (I cried when I read Maxine's telling of her own personal experience and I'm no softie.)

The second thing that got through to my Soul from this book has to do with the saying "God doesn't give you more than you handle". I've always HATED that line and resisted it. In fact, if you ask me, it's a downright lie. But the way Maxine put it in her book really made sense. She points out that we can handle anything because we're sent a lot of help! The blessings are everywhere and she shows you how to recognize them.

I think this book is a gift to people that came straight from her heart. I highly recommend reading it and giving to all of your friends.

I am half way through this book and can already say that it is a great resource.
If you are starting down this road with a family member or friend get this book as soon as possible. It may take a few bumps out of the road for you.

Any who care for Alzheimer sufferers or those with other dementias know the challenges involved: eighty percent of people with dementia live at home, and family members often find themselves challenged by unfamiliar demands and new routines. When Your Loved One Has Dementia: A Simple Guide For Caregivers reviews all kinds of challenges, from safety in handling and caring for sufferers and communication challenges to understanding levels of impairment, daily life, and more. An excellent starting point for those with questions.

Even though this book may seem simple at first glance, it is loaded with advice that any caregiver can use. It covers the necessary basics that any caregiver must know about such as:communication, safety, and meaningful activities you can do together.
by Susan Berg author of Adorable Photographs of Our Baby: Meaningful, Mind Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones, and Involved Professionals

When caring for a loved one with dementia at home, there is little time for reading; this book was a quick read offering good insights to basic care.

Good resources were also offered.

Any who care for Alzheimer sufferers or those with other dementias know the challenges involved: eighty percent of people with dementia live at home, and family members often find themselves challenged by unfamiliar demands and new routines. When Your Loved One Has Dementia: A Simple Guide For Caregivers reviews all kinds of challenges, from safety in handling and caring for sufferers and communication challenges to understanding levels of impairment, daily life, and more. An excellent starting point for those with questions.

This book provides a unique account of the Viet Nam war seen through the eyes of psychiatrist. Doug Bey's account of treatment in the battlefields and the sidelines was compelling; I read it cover to cover and ignored all other demands until done.

I was captured by this journey of war that unfolds in stories both large and small with the insightful commentary that comes from the original experiences, tempered by long years in the field of psychiatry.

While this memoir is rooted in the Viet Nam experience it has implications for the current men and women in the armed forces and should be required reading for those involved in the treatment of mental illness and the trauma of war.

However, the heart of the story remains one man's voice telling us the stories of war with all it's characters, events, and personal change. It's a gem of a book.

We all know, or knew, someone in Nam. An easily readable, enlightening chronicle of the time with touches of humor. I highly recommend this book.

Great narration of life in a support unit in Vietnam, the problems faced when returning home and the lasting effect on the lives of those who served. Very much enjoyed and appreciated.

War memoirs rarely show up on my reading list. Therefore, my enthusiasm about this book is not based on widely comparative reading in this area, but rather on the merits of this book itself. I really enjoyed reading this book, viewing familiar material from a completely different perspective than I would ever have had from my own experience, and it is a darn good read as well. Bey was a young psychiatrist in his early 30s when his induction notice arrived. His time of military service included a tour of duty in Vietnam at the height of the war, 1969-1970, reflections on which form the heart of this book. Bey was one of a small group of psychiatrists assigned to combat divisions (Wizard 6 was his radio handle). Each of these divisions had one psychiatrist, one social work officer, and several social work and psychology techs. These teams of mental health specialists found themselves in the strange position of helping others adjust to an environment that was itself plainly bizarre. Bey relates these initial impressions in a masterful chapter, "Stepping Through the Looking Glass," drawing the comparison to the Lewis Carroll classic. As just one example among many of the young doctor learning the rules by which this strange world was governed, Bey relates a time early in his tour in which he was requested by a military court to evaluate a prisoner charged with criminal offenses. Bey dutifully wrote a lengthy evaluation, stating in as many ways as he knew how that this prisoner suffered from a personality disorder, not a mental illness, and was therefore likely to repeatedly criminally offend. Surprised that the court let the man off, Bey found out that the court had not read his evaluation at all, but surmised from the heft of it that this man had genuine psychiatric problems. However, they were so miffed at having to let this criminal offender off the hook that they really threw the book at the poor guy following in the docket!
There are many very interesting features of this memoir. Bey deals very forthrightly with issues of racial, class and cultural differences in relation both to military justice and to psychiatric and mental health issues. He approaches these issues with a clear, personal point of view, but is refreshingly aware of the strengths and limitations of his own perspectives. He also recognized the peculiar position he and his fellow medics were in as relatively high-ranking officers who had no long-range military career goals. Their indifference to military protocol was sometimes comical, sometimes rebellious, sometimes useful in getting things accomplished outside of channels, but it was also always a position of privilege.
One of the things that surprised me in this memoir was the almost complete absence of any discussion of politics. Although Bey does suggest that he was politically very conservative (just to the right of Genghis Khan, he says...) and generally supported the war effort (albeit, with grave doubts about the way the war was being conducted) candid discussion of war politics simply does not come up, either in the direct talk among the officers or in Bey's own interpretive narrative. The nearest to it is one episode in which, at the behest of a black fellow officer with whom he was very close, Bey attended a meeting of black enlisted men and relates the speeches presented there, which focused on their anger and resentment at fighting for the freedom of Vietnamese while having freedoms denied to them in the USA. This episode is related, however, not in the context of discussion of the war itself, but of racial tensions within the military. The main sense one gets here is that, aside from brief episodes of extreme action, the war was experienced by the soldiers themselves as grindingly boring. I suppose this strikes me so strongly exactly because, as I remember those years, heated discussions about the war seemingly consumed us stateside, and this brings home again the chasm of difference in perspective between those who actively participated in the war and those, like me, who did not.

"Velcome Captain. You are the new Vizard-Ya?" "Ya. I mean, yes sir." "Vell, I must tell you dat I don't know if I believe in psychiatry." "That's okay, sir; I'm not sure I belive in colonels." This interchange took place in 1969 when Doug Bey M.D. aarrived at the base camp of the 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One) in Di An, Vietnam, to begin a one year tour of duty. His reponses to the U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel with the German accent are vintage Doug Bey. They show his quick wit and his way with words, his irreverence and his college-wrestler toughness.
I write with familiarity because Doug and I took psychiatric residences togther at the Menninger School of Psychiatry in Topeka, Kansas. We were goth in the Berry Plan, in which the Army allowed us to complete our training but then expected us to go on active duty for two years. Doug and I both ended up in Vietnam. I was hospital based at the 67th Evaucation Hospital in Qui Nhon.
Being assigned to a division meant that Doug had a Jeep and the freedom of movement to get a good pulse of the whole unit. His radio call sign was Wizard 6. He and his talented techs took care of all kinds of emotional problems but found the so-called combat fatigue of previous wars less prevalent in Vietnam. Instead were acting up personality disorders, racial issues, communications problems between officers and the often quite young soldiers, alcohol and drug problems, and anti-establishment attitudes reflective of the anti-warm movement in the U.S.
In Topeka Doug had studied the psychology of organizations under Dr. Harry Levinson. Doug applied the techniques of organizational case study to the 1st Infantry Division. His goal was to find stress points, such as abusive officers or nonsensical regulartions, and to try to deal with such problems before they became major. This emphasis prevades the book and provids exceptional insights of a unit at war.
Doug also writes of his own coping devices in an unpopular war far from home. He tried to forget about home, immersed himself in his work, developed relationships with his colleagues, observed and kept notes, isolated negative feelings and stayed away from war politics.He also admits that he overused alcohol to self-medicate. He reports one frightening experience when he was to intoxicated at the time of a Red Alert that he mistook a friend for the enemy and pointed and pulled the trigger on his .45. What saved a tragedy was that he forgot to remove the safety. Throughout the book he is unsparing in presenting his own failings, which makes his story ring true.
He writes of how his Vietnam experiences affect him even to this day. He has a lifetime of things to ponder, such as the obviously battle-hardened infantryman who barged into Doug's office and announced that he wanted the doctor to know that he was gay and who then ran off; or the grieving crowd around a Vietnamese boy who lay next to his mangled bicycle, the victim of a US military truck that didn't stop.
Doug also compares and contrasts Vietnam with Iraq. His disquieting conclusion is that the two conflicts are becoming more and more similar.
This book has value not only for the people with military interests but also for mental health workers. The descriptions of the smells and noises of the country and of the people and their sad plight rang so true to me. I found myself nodding my head in agreement as I read. Doug really got it the way it was. My biggest disappointment is that I didn't write this book. But I'm glad somebody did.

Ed Colbach M.D.

As a mother of an 18 month old and a middle school teacher, I find myself in what Isaacs calls "overdrive" much of the time. I have often received the suggestion that I should "slow down" but without many practical suggestions of exactly how I can do this. I have gotten ideas from Isaacs about what to do today...and what I might strive for when I am ready to make bigger changes. I also really appreciate how she recognizes that the reason so many of us are in overdrive is because we have lots of things feel drawn to do, participate in, etc. and that making changes means letting go of some things that may seem very important to you. I have given this book to three of my friends since I think it is has such an important message.

Isaacs thoughtful, empowering, thorough overview on how to feel more balanced is a jewel. I rarely read a book cover to cover, this one, I did! I love how she addresses core issues we all face as we move through our 20s,30s, 40s and beyond. Her gentle guidance illuminates so many areas many of us are still "in the dark" about when it comes to enhancing emotional and physical well-being. Just reading her book made me feel like I was on my path to a more healthy, slower existence. Loved this book!

This is an excellent book full of surprising information that gives an overview on the current life situation of women in our society. The author has a wonderful way with words and writes beautifully so it's easy reading. Construcive ideas and practical suggestions are given to help anyone reduce their stress levels and care more lovingly for themselves. The author shares her own journey to finding balance in today's confusing array of alternative approaches to health. I enjoyed reading this book very much and highly recommend it.

I recently graduated college and started my career. With all of the adjustments and "so much to do, with so little time" i often forget to take a moment for myself. This book was so helpful in finding ways to do just that. I am so thankful that I found this book now, at the beginning of a potential life in overdrive, so that I can be aware and practice her techniques in order to stay out of overdrive in the future. Thanks, Nora, for writing such a wonderful book. I'll definitely be giving this book to the women in my life this Christmas!

With lots of personal stories that help you get to know Nora Isaacs, the author of Women in Overdrive, this book is an easy read that's packed full of understanding for the plight of our stressed-out lives in modern-day society. Not only does Isaacs remind us of the day-to-day circumstances that lead to the state she calls "overdrive", she helps us appreciate what is going on in our bodies biologically and gives us helpful suggestions to calm the crazy cycle. What I liked best is that she talks about the simple things you can do every day, not just the big things that seem overwhelming and impossible to start. If you want to read a thoughtful, entertaining and well-written book about how to make your life better, I recommend you pick up a copy like I did; the book has definitely made a difference in my life and I plan to get it for lots of women in my life who would appreciate it, too.

Worry Wart Wes, is definitely stressed. Tolya L. Thompson deals with the realities of today's children in bright, bold, and successful colors. The color draws the children in and keeps them wanting more. If you are looking for pastel baby blues in soothing colors in a book, then this book is not for you. The pictures are wonderful and almost realistic. Have you ever seen an appealing wart? Well you won't see it in this book either. The rhyme is designed to develop phonemic awareness, and it works. The children walk around repeating phrases in the book; which ultimately helps them retain and recognize words in the future. If your child doesn't sit through this story write the author and get some tips on how to utilize the book. The children are entertained until the end of the story, and always ask you to "READ IT AGAIN!"

In Worry Wart Wes, Ms. Thompson is able to capture the mind and imagination of young children, particularly when they are faced with everyday stress. She brings this to life with her words and rhymes and with the colorful and imaginative illustrations. The smartie series is a fun and creative means of helping children deal with physical and mental changes in their life

I highly reccomend Tolya Thompson's books Loud Lips Lucy & Worry Wart Wes. Her unique rythmes are complimented by colorful & fun illustrations. The books are extremely entertaining as well as eductational. The smartie at the end of the book explaines the medical problem that her character has. This promotes health & awareness from a young age. I have never before read a childrens book which incorporates such important topics.

The second book in the "Smarties Series" from Savor Publishing House, Worry Wart Wes is the story of a stressed out young boy. Told in singsong rhyme by Tolya L. Thompson, and brought to life with vibrant color illustrations by Juan R. Perez, Worry Wart Wes shows how a young boy named Wes learns to counter rising pressures with simple relaxation techniques - taking a deep breath and then blowing out the awful thoughts and stressors inside. A "smartie" note for both kids and parents at the end of Worry Wart Wes offers wisdom about the negative effects of too much stress in children.

Worry Wart Wes (and Loud Mouth Lucy) are wonderful books. I saw them at a friends house and I immediately asked where I could get a copy for myself. I can't wait until my 2 year old is a litte bit older and can appreciate it. Right now he just loves looking at the beautiful, vibrant pictures. Tolya's books will DEFINITELY be a part of my child's library.