Anne Books

I have used this book in teaching a graduate course in trauma. Most students found it to be an invaluable resource. The clinical examples provide readers with critical information for consideration. It highlights in a highly readable fashion the complexities, pain and vast rewards of working with trauma survivors.

If you are working with survivors, this is a "must have" part of your library. TRAUMA AND THE THERAPIST not only has a clear and compelling theoretical basis, but it is uniquely helpful in clarifying both the universal and idiosyncratic nature of our reactions to survivor clients. I read it at a time of major crisis for myself in my work [and in my workplace] and it helped me understand what was going on in a way that was immediately useful, helped end my confusion and personal agony, and aided me in finding my way back to the joy of practice with this challenging population.

As a physician with a psychology background, working with many abused women in a general practice setting, I found the experience, wisdom, and insight presented in this book to be extremely practical and useful. It is an in depth discussion of the deeper issues of therapy and recovery related to sexually abused people. I found the early theoretical-base explanation somewhat unuseful. But the discussions with regard to transference and counter-transference were wonderful. It is marvelous to read such a well thought out collection of experience. This book is slow reading for me, given the time needed to process what is being said, but it could be read over and over again to glean deeper meaning. The focus on spirituality is somewhat shallow in my opinion. They explain it to be one of their focuses, but they never expound on it to deeply. Regardless, this book is a must read if you work with abused people. Our clients will all be better served in their recovery's if we can all better master the sensitivities and concepts presented in this book.

This is a wonderfully touching book, I could barely stand to put down. It is the finest book I have ever read on the therautic process of treating trauma victims and the effects of trauma experienced by the therapist. The depth of information regarding transference and countertransference and the exploration of what a therapist truely goes thru is simply to powerful to put into words. I have never read a book which deals with this subject from the therapists viewpoint, while not completely ignoring the client side either. But make no mistake, this is a book for understanding what therapists experience and for any therapist, graduate student, psychology instructor or interested lay person, this book is simply superb. My hats off to the authors who have truly done their profession a valuable service by making this information available - I found this book, hard and emotional to read and I am not a therapist, although I hope to be someday. I have a far greater understanding of the love and strength of character needed to specialize in treating victims of abuse so horrific, the authors made a point of deliberately leaving out extremely disturbing details of the story relayed in their book. Had they now chosen to do this, I venture to say very few people could tolerate the impact of these horrors. Even so, enough was left in to be seriously affected by the book. Should be required reading for every graduate program in the country. Heart Renching, Enlightening, Fascinating, and Painful...simply a marvelously written book - the authors should be very proud!

The book cover may fool you into thinking that this story is probably only for kids in 3rd or 4th grade. This is not true. I read it one day out of complete bordem, and by the end of it, I was laughing till tears pratically came out of my eyes!! Not only does Anne Fine does an amazing job as the narrator for Ralph, she will keep you laughing page after page. With Uncle Tristam's "educational" short stories for poor Albert to Great-granny's way of training kids. Which, by the way; is not exactly pleasant.

Anne Fine uses humor to show us that even on the merriest of all holidays, disaster can happen right in our very own house. This is a book that I enjoyed TREMENDOUSLY and hope that others will too after reading my review.

I loved this book! It's not just for kids, but for any family plagued by obnoxious relatives during the holidays. If you've ever had to sit through a performance by a snotty brat in front of her adoring parents you will identify. Likewise if you've ever slaved over a meal, only to have your guests spew out their dietary restrictions and/or peculiarities at your table. Read it and put it on your next year's Christmas list.

This plot was interesting and entertaining. However, the incredible humor Fine creates in her characters and their situations makes this book one of the great ones. Ralph is retelling the adventures of his Christmas from the prison of his room. He was sent there after his cutesy cousin, devil cousin, evil great grandmother, dilusional great aunt, vengeful uncle, and uncountable other obnoxious relatives get into a huge fight. His poor parents are trying to survive the holiday, feelings are hurt all over the place, and Ralph is just trying to stay out of the whole thing. Seems like a lot of characters, but they're all developed well enough that you don't get them mixed up. I'm using this as my next read aloud for my class. My middle school students will love the witty writing of Anne Fine.

Ralph doesn't get along with his family. In fact, no one does ...

Meet Ralph in this dreadfully funny novel. Ralph is a normal kid. But every Christmas, Ralph is thrown into the torture of spending it with his family. Even though spending Christmas with your family may not sound that bad to you, it is to Ralph. You see, no one in Ralph's family gets along. From his unbelievably negative Great-Granny, Natasha (who says things like, "If I had my own teeth, I'd bite you"), to his perfect princess cousin, Titania (who puts on "cute acts" by singing songs of fairies and wearing frilly pink dresses), and finally to the terrible twins, Sylvester and Sylvia (who trash the house in every possible way), Ralph is bound to tell the worst Christmas story ever.

This funny book has become one of my favorite humor novels. I enjoyed reading the lines the characters said, and I also enjoyed the great number of problems that came up without a solution. The thing I like most is that the plot really draws you into the story. As I was reading, I got more and more involved with what the characters were thinking. Most of the time I felt like I was standing right next to the character who was talking. This book is great for readers who are looking for something nasty and funny.

It should amaze anyone who reads this that a person currently alive is capable of such magic. Everything broken and beautiful about everyone around you is right here. It makes me think that English is still usable to new effect, and that books are worthwhile, have any power at all. Get this while it's still available. Wood's next book will be big.

Anyone interested in the future of fiction should snag one of these limited edition books. Wood is clearly on top of her game. The stories radiate sadness and beauty. They haunt and seduce like the best, strangest, most beguiling fictions.

The most humbling and supreme set of short stories I have come across this century. Two if By Sea is a collection of human wounds, human comedies and the absurd all in one. Wood's got a lot to offer this world. I can't wait for the next book to come out.

Dark, Deep, Funny and Sad, this writer has a future ahead of her. These stories are haunting. Everyone should read this book at least once.

I loved reading through Bead's evolution, coming to terms with herself, her past, her future. Ann-Marie Oomen has opened my eyes to a new way of structuring poems and using a strong central character to drive a book all the way home. Buy this book and talk about it and share it. It will push something over in your brain, let you see things a little differently, and stay with you a long time.

What Anne-Marie Oomen has done with this collection of poems is unearth a woman not commonly seen in poetry. Her journey is geographical, but more interestingly, emotional. The "uncoded woman" does a great deal to create an earthy, heartfelt character, warts and all, one worthy of a new "code" if it was possible to ever classify the type of woman who is different but recognizable. It was like reading a novel in verse--and a very good one.

"Uncoded Woman" is a compilation of rather impressive and highly recommended verse by poet, playwright and essayist Anne-Marie Oomen (Founding Editor of the 'Dunes Review' and Chair of the Creative Writing Department at Interlochen Arts Academy). All of the individual poems (each of which is headed by semaphore letters) combine to tell the story of a woman named Bead and her search for a safe harbor which involves ship's pennants and how they are used to communicate - and miscommunicate. 'UC - Is a Pilot Available in This Place?': Only one birch here not yet gone/to blight, dirty sleeve shines/its tattered column even in/this spring racked with fog.//Not yet riddled with punk, it holds/up a night sky that's too close,/holds up blind stars who see who I am,/not who I could be. I follow its rules://Hide in the dark./Stand alone./Move when the wind does./Don't talk.

Though I love all types of good poetry, this book is special. More thematically narrative and philosophical than your average mainstream pretty-poems, Oomen's work is gritty, honest, storytelling, startling, and beautiful in its images. I couldn't stop reading, then couldn't wait to get it to another poetry reader, to share the gold.

When you were a little girl, did you ever dream of traveling to a place you read about in a book? Anne Richardson Williams did exactly that. When she was sixteen, she read A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. She was grieving her father's suicide at the time and books were her refuge. She wrote in her diary that one day she would like to visit Alice Springs, Australia, the town where the novel takes place.

Twenty-six years later, in 1989, she found her old journal and contemplated her girlish dream, as yet unrealized. By then, Williams had been an artist and a successful businesswoman. After her divorce, she began to explore her spirituality and to meditate. One day she saw a calendar picture of Ayers Rock in the Australian desert and discovered "the closest town of any size, across two hundred miles of desert, is Alice Springs." This is just the first of many serendipitous and mysterious events that bring Williams on her journey. While reading Steven McFadden's Ancient Voices Current Affairs: The Legend of the Rainbow Warriors, she sees a photography of Lorraine Mafi-Williams, an Aboriginal elder, and believes she looks like her; she feels her a sister, even with the same last name, and decides to meet the woman. And that's where the book takes us down a path quite different from the typical woman's "journey."
Everything that leads this author to Lorraine is "unconventional." A fortune teller predicts she will cross a lot of water, meet a woman and everything in her life will change. In meditation, she "sees" Lorraine. In a book on Aboriginal mythology, she finds a clue to where Lorraine lives. A class she was to teach is cancelled; she receives an inheritance around the same time, and uses it to travel to Alice Springs.
Like many a female "seeker," friends and family are aghast at her daring. "You're going by yourself?"
"Have I lost my mind?" Williams questions herself.
Finally, in January 1997, she arrives in Adelaide, where a beautiful rainbow greets her. But on her second day there, her friend falls asleep at the wheel and the car flips. Miraculously no one is hurt. "I left behind ... any illusions that this will be a normal vacation," Williams writes. "...I am ready to follow my nose across Australia."
For anyone who is curious about Australia, this easy-to-read travel journal will be a treat. The author paints with her words a fascinating country, one most will never see. Her vision is interwoven with metaphysical beliefs and tales of ancient people, and she is more open than most to the "coincidences" of life. Animals, dreams, people, images all have meaning and messages that apply to her quest.
Alice Springs turns out to be a curious juxtaposition of two worlds: the Aboriginal community of Mparntwe, a sacred gathering place and "The Alice," a modern town "with a thriving bar scene...and a handful of tourist attractions." The two do not blend, says Williams. "Mounded desert sites ...butt up against grocery store parking lots...The sacred groves of Red River Gums, which manage to look peaceful and sun-dappled, are completely hemmed in by a pair of roads and a constant stream of traffic."
The book is written in journal form with dated entries for chapter headings. After she meets Lorraine, the woman takes her to sacred places. In this part of the book, the stories are told from Lorraine's point of view, adding an interesting contrast. Lorraine's section is filled with fascinating stories of spirit guides and descriptions of peaceful scenery and at the end, I was surprised to find their time together spanned only a week.
The author includes a bibliography and glossary of terms for those who want to investigate further this intriguing place and "unconventional means" of following one's spiritual path.
(Previously published at www.storycircle.org.)

UNCONVENTIONAL MEANS by Anne Richardson Williams is memorable and moving. With deceptive simplicity, the author describes her journey alone to Australia in search of comfort and meaning. She downplays the courage such a journey requires and focuses instead on the land and an aboriginal woman who seems to come in answer to her dreams and to form unexpected connections between different continents and civilizations. The book is an honest, carefully crafted account of an adventure both physical and spiritual, personal and universal.

Anne Richardson Williams crafts a beautiful memoir and invites the reader to accompany her as she embarks upon an extraordinary journey that takes her both to Australia and her own inner knowing. In her quest to meet Lorraine Mafia-Williams, an Aboriginal Elder with whom she's never met yet feels a deep connection, Anne Williams relies on her heart and her inner wisdom as a guiding compass and is rewarded with finding not only the Australian woman she seeks and the stories she carries, but also with a fuller sense of coming home to herself. A wonderful and inspiring story!

Unconventional Means - The Dream Down Under, is one of those books that stays with you for days after you've read it. It is a hauntingly beautiful story of a woman, the author, who literally allows her dreams - real dreams, not the "I have a dream" kind, to lead her on a self-healing journey that is unforgettable.

I don't usually read this type of book, but Unconventional Means came highly recommended, so I started reading it. I was immediately pulled into this story and couldn't put it down. But more than that, it stayed with me for days, and I still think about it as I go through my day, sometimes.

I recommend this book to everyone. Unconventional Means proves again that truth really is sometimes stranger than fiction.

Scotty's book is a moving account of a lifetime of service as a military family. Broken into easy chapters (with titles military wives will identify with: "Social Errors," "Pets," "Moves and Two Babies," "Apartment 305"), UNDAUNTED will ring true to anyone who has been there done that, as McElroy has. The family photos are a nice added touch.

Sarah Smiley

This book reads like a novel. It was a great way to discover what life was like during this not so distant past. Ever wonder if a previous generation had the same feelings you do? This is a window into how much we are alike even if the culture is different. It is also great historical insight. Anyone who wants to peek into the wonderful life Scotty had will find it a real, positive, inspiring treat!

My favorite insight to the past is Cultural History, that which gives one a real sense of what life was like "back then". My grandmother was a Navy wife and my mom went to eight different schools in as many years. Although we have plenty of our own family stories to share, Scotty's book really helps paint a picture of my grandmother's world and put things into perspective. I highly recommend this book, for young and old.

Scotty McElroy has a prodigious memory ... and freely admits that, when memory fails her, she might just "embellish a bit"! But all women who have been married (or still are married) to Naval Officers, especially those who graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy, will forever treasure the time they spent as "Navy Wives" and will find this book a quick and easy read that will be enjoyable and reminiscent of that part of their life. Those who were Navy Wives in the '40's, '50's and '60's will probably find it the most enjoyable. If their husbands are now retired and not subject to the pressures of the business world, they too will enjoy Scotty's style and detailed descriptions of what it was like to be a Navy Wife.

George D. Prestwich, USNA '44. Nickname: "P-wich". Location: Cherry Hill, NJ

This book was amazing in content, the author is a genius, one of those books I could read and read and never tire of!!!!

Anne Morrow Lindberghs' The Unicorn and other poems is simply beautiful; a refreshing contrast to other, more modern poets whose readers are left to ponder the signifigance of a piece. Such is not the case with The Unicorn. Near every poem is clear enough not to need explaining or deep interpretation, yet retains a subtle element of elegant simplicity. (My comments pertain most specificly pieces such as to The Man and the Child or Elegy under the Stars, but could pertain to any number more.) In a phrase: subtly awesome.

The STONE touches the pain that exists in my
soul as I look for the answers for the death
my mother recently and the nature of our rela-
tionship. Things were not good between us
and now the feelings I have are like the
Stone she describes, in words that touch me
that I could not discover for myself.

I write today to order three more copies of The Unicorn. You see, I keep giving my dog-eared, margin-scribbled copies away to friends who I hope will be as inspired and comforted by Lindbergh's words as I am.

When my spirit is troubled, I do not need to muddle around in some author's clever obscurities. I need A.M.L. who has "been there" to talk with me in her honest, beautifully fluid way.

If I could "do lunch" with any woman in history, it would be Anne Morrow Lindbergh. She would be herself and I could be me. But "two citadels stand fast."

Anne Leighton provides a useful and rare glimps into how media professionals approach the challenge of publicity for their clients and projects. Presented in a friendly and conversational manner, this book makes the case that artists, singers, actors, painters and poets are ultimately, and chiefly, in the business of comforting people. In an industry where most of the how-to books focus entirely upon career goals and money-making techniques, this work approaches the entire process from the point of view of providing love and support TO the audience.

Anne Leighton is an "idea person" who has worked successfully with many high profile clients in the music industry; in this book she shares liberally-in her typically unguarded fashion-a virtual smorgasboard of information and ideas.

Providing a fresh perspective to the task of publicizing works of art, this book stands as solid proof of the proposition that, when artists focus FIRST upon the physical and emotional needs of the audience, magic happens.

There are many practical suggestions and hints for beginners and professionals alike...Example: Anne's lengthy checklist of items needed for the planning of a charity event is worth the price of admission alone! A GREAT read....

This book is great for anyone starting out in the business who wants to get to know the basic ins and outs on how to work the media. From writing a basic press release to coming up with ideas to make your case to media outlets of various sizes it help's you help yourself get heard.

"The ultimate goal for your message," according to author Anne Leighton, "is to let people feel better." She provides practical suggestions for people with no experience to professionals in the entertainment industry on how each of us can make others feel a little better. If you want to make others feel a little better, this is a book for you. It will give you ideas, cause you to pause to reflect, and motivation to do stuff you may never have even thought about doing.

Joel Heffner

I can't think of someone more qualified than Anne to come up with such an insightful, heartfelt book which looks closely at the media, art and how they can be used for the better.

"Sexton might have inspired generations of women writers, but, placed beside some of the masters of our time, her work pales quickly"


Given that Sexton's poems -- smart, enthralling art --often capture the mystery of woman, this manly degradation of the poet concerns me. The word "master" itself reeks of exclusive masculinity (her male "master," Lowell, and other presumably male poets of our time), and deals with Sexton as if she taught the lot of stay at home mommies how to pick up the pen. She deserves more praise than that, as this collection will attest to.

it is mesmerizing to listen to anne read her own written words in her husky, throaty, dusky, smoke filled, hauntingly beautiful, voice!

I assume if you're looking at this item that you'll already be somewhat familiar with Sexton's work, so I'll comment only on the recording itself, in an objective (and objectifying!) sense. Anne Sexton, if I may say so, has an incredible voice. It's deep and throaty, as if she's had a few drinks and continues to chain-smoke as she reads (which is entirely possible). Among my favorite poems to hear Anne read is "Some Foreign Letters," in which she achieves an intensely acerbic tone, spitting out the words to her subject. I've seen a different recording, in which she reads that same poem, and she pronounces it tenderly, with an obvious affection for the woman she's talking to. Hearing these differences, the way that one poet seems to change her mind about her own work, is fascinating.

Anne Sexton's voice is gorgeous, and her poetry makes so much sense when read by the woman herself. Buy this recording.

Reading Anne Sexton's poetry is amazing by itself, so imagine what it would be like to hear them read out loud by miss Sexton herself. A great experience for a true poetry lover.

I began reading this wonderful book the day I brought it home and was so excited by it that I finished it the very next day. I love it, and in so many dimensions. I think it is wonderfully evocative of Darwin's close attention to the wide range of natural phenomenon which he encountered and his willingness to put it all together in such an innovative way - but only when nature thrust itself into his vision (thus, the ingenious use of clues from Rosie, Darwin's imaginary beetle friend). In my passion for all things Galapagos (I have been there more than once), I read the Voyage of the Beagle a couple of years ago, and this book reminded me vividly of some of the most fascinating and memorable parts of his voyage. I also love the book because I have an interest in writing for children, and appreciate how this rich and scientifically sound text makes the concepts of evolution so very approachable and inviting to this audience.

I think there is a paucity of books for children related to the Galapagos and Darwin and, given the increasing number of tourists with children going to the islands, I think this book should be recommended reading for families headed for Ecuador.

We received this book around Thanksgiving and cannot stop reading it! My son's interest in science has only increased since reading this book and we both adore the illustrations. I hope for more young adult literature from this author!

Traveling the globe with Charles Darwin and his beetle companion Rosie, the reader joins them in an adventure that evokes wonder and curiosity. The friendly narrative and vibrant illustrations guide us along a rich educational experience. As we become detectives and join Darwin in his search for clues we also learn about geography, the animal world, history, and finally the theory of natural selection. This refreshing book is a must for all young people and adults curious about the mysteries of life!

This is an engaging story of the incredible voyage of Charles Darwin that is both adventure story and a fresh look at the world around us. At first blush it is a humorous account of a wise beetle leading the enthusiastic Darwin from discovery to discovery, describing key encounters in his 5-year voyage. But it also leads the reader to consider one of the great scientific theories of our time - how things come to be through natural selection. The clever use of Rosie keeps the pace light and accessible to many age levels without sacrificing intellectual integrity. Lawrence's lush illustrations are beautiful and Weaver's affectionate presentation of Darwin reveal the human side of Charles with a rich factual background. A very engaging read!