Burr Books

I have specialized in providing professional education and therapy to divorced, courting, and re/wedded couples since 1981. I am (a) 66, (b) a stepgrandson, stepson, and ex-stepfather and stepbrother, (c) an invited Board member of the Stepfamily Association of America, (d) a contributing editor to 'Your Stepfamily Online,' and (e) the author of six personal-growth and family-relations books.

I recommend this book to readers who want to increase their surface awareness of the typical personal impacts of parental divorce in a Christian context. I do not recommend the book for readers who want to reduce the wounds from the low-nurturance childhood that usually precedes legal or psychological parental divorce.

Like most authors focusing on divorce-prevention, recovery, and (re)marriage, Jen Abbas seems unaware of the effects of four vital factors:

1) the origin and impacts of six psychological wounds from childhood (vs. divorce). Most divorced parents and children appear to be significantly wounded - and don't (want to) know it;

2) the origin and impacts of blocked grief in adults and kids, and how to spot and reduce it;

3) typical adults' unawareness of, and/or indifference to, (a) normal personality formation, composition, and function; (b) keys to high-nurturance families and relationships, (c) effective communication skills, and (d) healthy 3-level grief.

In my clinical experience, these factors will combine to ptrrevent most people from following heartfelt advice such as Abbas offers her readers. For example, "learn how to trust" is a legitimate suggestion - and most children of divorce will be unable to *do* that, unless they work at harmonizing the combative, reactive parts of their personality.

For more perspective, these these articles:

http://sfhelp.org/01/innerfam1.htm

http://sfhelp.org/01/gwc-intro.htm

http://sfhelp.org/Rx/recovery1.htm and...

http://sfhelp.org/08/divorce.htm

"Think about it. If you glue two pieces of wood together and then pull them apart, it is impossible to make a clean break. As children, we were the glue that bonded our parents together. When they divorced, they may have thought they made a clean break, but we are the splintered remains of their parting."

Remember the line from a popular Tom Cruise movie, "You had me at hello"? Well Jen Abbas grabbed my attention on the first page with her direct, yet friendly style. She makes no apologies for her topic, the pain it may cause to take a deep look inward, or her Biblical frame of reference.

The quote above is the framework for her thoughts. Whether your experience is one of an amicable parting or one that was very tumultuous, as children we were affected. Now, as adults, how do we process the pain, understand how it has shaped us, collect the "splintered remains" and move forward as healthy, whole people? This is the journey Jen Abbas takes us on.

Writing from her own experience and that of hundreds of other adult children of divorce, Miss Abbas presents concrete areas of dysfunction that can manifest in us as adult children of divorce. But, she doesn't leave us there. Each chapter exposes a new piece of baggage with its "effect" and the "hope" of moving forward without it. The chapters present testimonies of the ways the unhealthy piece of luggage has affected others, the components that make up the general dysfunction, and ultimately the hope we find in realizing that as adults, we can choose how we move forward.

Many books dealing with emotional trials present the issues, illustrate the struggles, offer polite advise, and still leave us feeling somehow immobilized. At the end of each chapter Jen Abbas offers practical tools to help us get unstuck and move forward -- word, reflect, challenge, read.

Word: this is a Bible verse that addresses the struggle outlined in the chapter and that gives hope and Godly counsel.

Reflect: these are a series of questions that, if taken seriously, are tools to help you dig deeper into your own situation and understand your own tendencies.

Challenge: this is an action you can take to promote your forward momentum.

Read: this is a list of other resources dealing with the chapter's topic.

If you've prayed, forgiven and tried to forget and move on but you still feel lonely in a crowd, unsure of yourself, unable to make long-term commitments, Abbas brings the good news that these are probably not character flaws but manifestations of coping behaviors learned through the trauma of your parents divorce/s, and once you understand their origin, you can begin to overcome and move on.

Even if your parents never divorced this book offers keen insights to the dynamics every family experiences and the effects those dynamics can have on each of us as adults.

Anyone who has parents can benefit from the wisdom Jen Abbas presents in this great book. I highly recommend it. (Review as it appeared in the Spring 2007 edition of Christian Family magazine.)

A poem, written when the author was 18, starts the book by describing her parents' divorce as resembling an earthquake, rumbling with rage, anger and guilt that have been festering for a long time.

This powerful poem tells you Generation Ex will be a painful ride toward much-needed healing for adult children of divorce.

The author said: When it came to love and my own adult relationships, what I wanted so desperately (love) was what I feared the most. I didn't want to repeat what my parents did.

Abbas wrote the book not to revisit "the divorce," but to give other adult children of divorce permission to admit it hurt and to give us hope so we can choose to begin to heal that hurt.

Written from the Christian perspective, the author tells the lesson God has whispered to her was that she was no longer the victim of her parents' past. She is God's precious child with a future full of promise in her relationships. And so are you! We don't always know why our God allows us to experience pain, but we can be confident that He has a plan.

This message is about deep pain that led to her healing--and by following in her guided footsteps, your healing can begin too. Some of her chapters are: Make Peace; Redefine Our Family Relationships; Find Home for Ourselves; Seek Wholeness; Learn to Trust; Anticipate Our Triggers; Create Our Own Marriage Model; and Choose to Love. The book has four appendixes of "things to do."

Armchair Interviews says: If you have felt any hurt from a parents' divorce, this book is for you. It is a gift waiting for you to open and explore, learn from and work toward healing. Her advice, resources and message are invaluable.

Jen just spoke at my church this morning. I have not read the book yet, though and intend on doing so shortly. Jen spoke about how she dealt with the pain and how her it is important for parents to understand that divorce is not a closed subject. It effects children for years and decades to come. She touched on the subject about how important it is for those children to see healthy marriage models as their own view may be broken and distorted. Jen was a wonderful speaker and her growth as a christian showed as she spoke about her parents divorce at the age of 6 and her parents remarriages. Definently recomended

I found that the most powerful parts of this book are about the author's life, including the poem about divorce Jen Abbas wrote at age 18, a letter from her father when she was six, and her heart-breaking memories of her parents' divorce and her mother's and stepdad's breakup. I read this book as a divorced parent--rather than as a child of divorce--and was touched by the author's emotional honesty. I didn't agree with some of the author's all-encompassing generalizations about how children of divorce have trouble forming relationships. However, I think this is an important book for divorced parents as well as children of divorce. Not only does Abbas provide children of divorce with a positive message about the need to move beyond past hurts and embrace the possibility of a happy future. She gives divorced parents great advice about how to treat their children: Don't lean on them emotionally, don't bad-mouth the "other" parent and don't insist your kids spend every vacation visiting all their "houses." Thanks to the author for her bravery and honesty!

This book by the daughter of President Harry Truman offers a wonderfully insightful and fun-filled look at life inside the most famous home in the United States. Margaret Truman's membership in that exclusive club of former residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has given her the opportunity to extensively research the private historical documents and records pertaining to the White House, as well as unique access to others who have shared those living quarters over the years.

Ms. Truman has a very engaging writing style that is entertaining, humorous and informative. The book is arranged topically into such sections as political history, social customs and events, the importance of the behind-the-scenes employees, the architecture and various pets who have inhabited the White House, just to name a few. Her discussions with many of the Presidents and members of their families, beginning in her memories of her own occupancy and extending through to the current administration, make these stories particularly interesting and full.

She takes a fairly non-partisan and no-holds-barred look at the Presidency of many of these men, and gives a very frank assessment of how some of the issues in their lives and relationships impacted their terms of office. But, throughout the book, the White House itself remains the central character, and Margaret Truman's love for the building and its rich history comes through clearly on each page.

PLEASE NOTE: I am reviewing the HARDBACK version of Mrs. Truman's book. The first time I ordered this book, I got the paperback version, which is an abridged and edited children's edition with very few photos. The hardback version is much more complete and has a lot of pictures!

For people who have an interest in the White House, I would highly recommend this book.

I listened to the Audio CD version of this book.

In terms of strong historical value, there is not a lot to this book. It really is pretty fluffy in its tone and approach. Margaret Truman is a credible source however and she does make it very entertaining to listen to.

The organization is interesting. The language is conversational. You'll come away with better knowledge of the White House, its residence and our Nations History.

Former First Daughter Margaret Truman offers the reader an entertaining, anecdotal account of life at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Her focus is on the White House as a home, though its role as a seat of power is not neglected. As a result, you can expect to learn more here about the first wives, children, doormen, Secret Service agents, maids, gardeners, cooks and others who have lived and labored behind these famous walls..although the presidents themselves aren't entirely overlooked.

The exterior the White House presents to the world has changed little in two centuries...but the interior has been undergoing an almost constant process of destruction and renewal. We learn about the 1814 torching of the president's house by invading British troops; the addition of greenhouses, which gave way to the west wing at the beginning of the 20th century; almost constant sprees of redecoration and reconfiguring of the public and family rooms, all of which culminated in the complete reconstruction of the White House during the Truman years.

There are chapters about the rambunctious children, the unusual pets, the glamorous weddings, riotous inaugural balls and other historic events that have enlivened this historic mansion. You will get a sense of the behind-the-scenes preparation that goes into welcoming a visiting head of state or similar dignitary. There are two sections of illustrations, one in color, that further help the reader share in Truman's wonder and appreciation of this historic house.--William C. Hall

While Margaret Truman isn't on the same level as Ken Burns, Shelby Foote or other historians her books are a fun read. Who better to tell you about the White House than someone whose parents spent seven years in residence (although due to renovations it was not technically seven years - they spent some time at the Blair House).

She crafts a nice balance between telling you little known stories about the former first families while sprinkling in her opinions; much like a chef would throw a dash of spice into a recipe. One of the most pleasant surprises is that she is bi-partisan in her narrative. If she is wry in her observations about some of the first families, it is based more on her observations of character rather than party loyalty. She speaks glowingly of some of the Republican inhabitants - most notably the Coolidges.

I definitely recommend this book for those who love historical trivia. Plus much of the reading material (White House pets for example)can be shared with kids for those times that you'd like bedtime reading to be a little more stimulating than "Captain Underpants" or "The Day my Butt went Psycho"

Margaret Truman is, of course, the daughter of President Harry Truman and his wife Bess. She is the most prolific writing child of any American Chief Executiv. Margaret Truman has written several mysteries and histories about life in Washington which are written in a popular style easy to understand and enjoy.
As Ms. Truman opens the door to our White House she lets us discover the fascinating men and women who have lived at 1600
Pennyslvania Avenue. She discusses such various topics as:

1. White House Weddings.
2. Relations between the Presidents and the Media
3. The Children of Presidents who have lived in the White House
4. White House Presidential Pets
5. The kooks and crazies who have tried (and in some cases been successful) in assasinating our chief executive.
6. She describes the growth of the White House from its first occupancy by John and Abigal Adams in 1800. The history of the White House building, grounds, gardens and additions are discussed.
7. How the routine of a White House day changed with every administration-when they awoke to what they liked for dinner!
Ms. Truman has written in a charmingly simple style which is nevertheless based on her well done historical research. This is a book anyone regardless of age or party affiliation could enjoy.
I recommend it highly!

This book is a combination travelogue and revolutionary thriller that, in important ways, is inadequate at both.

The geopolitical terrain of Central Asia is very different from what Paul Nazaroff saw when he fled Lenin's secret police almost a hundred years ago. Even some of the geographical terrain is different -- he describes Pishpek as tiny and run-down; today it is Bishkek, the capital of modern Kygyzstan, with a population of 900,000.

And the revolutionary thriller aspect of the book leaves out many of the details I would love to have seen. Nazaroff organized a major anti-Bolshevik uprising, but we don't know how or where or when: only that it failed, and forced the author to flee for his life.

But take the book for what it is, and not what it isn't. We have a unique, eye-witness account of Soviet abuses in Central Asia after the turn of the century. We have a picture of lands that even today remain largely unknown. We have a proto-ethnography of interesting groups of people (chiefly the Sarts and the Kyrgyz) and the world in which they lived. And we have them through the eyes of a man who loved nature, freedom, and the excellence of the human spirit (whether Russian, Turkoman or otherwise), and who was not afraid to decry the abuses and failings of the communists.

It is the story of a White Russian who was worked against the Bolshevik's during the Russian revolution. It provides chilling insight into the reign of terror but also fascinating information on life in Central Asia during the 1920's. Highly recommended

This book, first published seventy years ago, is a harrowing account of the author's escape from the Soviet Cheka shortly after the Russian Revolution. He was the leader of a group of rebels in Turkestan, and as such was a much sought after prize for the Bolsheviks, who wanted to eliminate him and all other opponents of their regime. The story is told in such a low-key way, however, that often it becomes a mere travelogue rather than a tale of action. For all of that, the underlying terror comes through, and the danger and hardship which the author faced appears very real to the reader. In addition to the main story, this book is also full of geography, geology, zoology, botany and history. The author was certainly a well-rounded individual, in addition to being very, very brave. We don't see many heroes such as this man in our times, and it's rewarding to read that such people were more than wiling to risk everything to combat tyranny.

Paul Nazaroff was a Russian geologist, naturalist and sportsman living in Tashkent at the time of the Bolshevik revolution. He was arrested, gaoled and interrogated by the Cheka on suspicion of being involved in the counter-revolutionary movement in Russian Turkestan. Naturally he denied being a participant, although enough hints appear in this autobiographical work (covering 1918 to 1920) to make it plain that he was a ringleader.

Nazaroff managed to avoid the firing squad until Tashkent was liberated by the Whites. This liberation was short lived as the Soviet forces soon prevailed in a bloody counter-attack ending in mass executions. Nazaroff was forced into hiding amongst the native population - he spoke the local languages and had many contacts. The continuing search for him by the Bolsheviks forced him to move across Turkestan using forged papers and the aid of friends, all the time being in danger of being recognised. Nor did his troubles end upon crossing the Soviet border into China.

His account not only covers his struggle to survive, but also highlights the destructive and bestial behaviour of the revolutionaries towards people and property, noting how the resources of this rich province were being squandered as uneducated brutes were placed in positions of authority with no check on their powers. But this is only part of the tale as the geology and natural history encountered en route are related in great detail, perhaps too much for some readers, while the lives of the native peoples, the Sarts and the Kirghiz, are illustrated by one of the few Europeans to have spent months living amongst them as an outsider in a family home.

Little of political history will be found (other than an eyewitness account of the Bolsheviks in action and popular response) as the author was careful not to divulge confidences that even in 1932 had the potential to incite reprisals. What is presented is a panorama of a region that would remain closed to the outside world for seventy years as well as the courage and perseverance of the author. A brief epilogue by Peter Hopkirk details Nazaroff's later life.

I thoroughly enjoyed Nazaroff's tales of being on the run from the Bolsheviks. He was a man of obvious intellectual talent and his many academic interests put him in contact with a wide variety of people that helped him on his long, difficult journey fleeing from the communists. There were times I couldn't put down his gripping stories of nearly getting caught or how he was even sealed up in an earthen wall to hide.

One thing other reviews mentioned, but that isn't mentioned at all on the back cover of the book is how much time Nazaroff spends detailing geological features of the areas he's travelling through and about the natural history of these areas. Some of it is interesting, but at times, it just becomes very tedious and I found it quite boring. When he's talking about how this stuff could reshape the economic future of areas, I found that interesting, but when he's simply describing finding mineral seams in rocks, I couldn't have cared less.

Overall, a very interesting read, but there are a few boring spots one has to plow through.

I have been hearing about Kabbalah for about a year now, because of the "Madonna Factor", but this is the first time I took the step to find out what it is about. It offers an introduction to the spirituality it encompasses. I learned so much about myself just by reading it. There are personal stories of how letting G-d into your life can make a change, that you can develop your soul and become a stronger, healthier person. Thank you Dr. Kramer for bringing this to a larger audience.

Ten secrets for mind/body healing from Kabbalah mysticism are revealed in this blend of ancient wisdom and modern psychology. Hidden Faces of the Soul uses the Kabbalah teachings to probe compassion, dominion, faith and other 'hidden faces' of the soul, and makes for an excellent guide for any probing personal spiritual goals.

Using the symbolism of Kabalah, Dr. Kramer leads the reader through a system of self-analysis that should be worth it's weight in therapy fees! His simplified terminology and explanation of the Tree Of Life bring an easy-to-understand message of the power of love to anyone willing to risk seeking the inner light.

Without preliminaries, the author delves right into political pandering using names of the country's first leaders as if the reader is aware of how the bigwigs lived and loved behind doors. He calls Daciel Clark 'the merchant prince of New Orleans.' He says that Governor Claiborne and Mr. & Mrs. Ed Livingston of New Orleans were real people, with Livingston serving as Secretary of State under President Andrew Jackson.

This is the story of the alleged Burr Conspiracy against Thomas Jefferson. Aaron Burr, with his elegance and graceful manners, was a political power in New York City. Jefferson had been governor of Virginia. They were opponents and, when Burr was stripped of power by his defeat, he challenged Alexander Hamilton to a duel.

Burr had conspired to steal the Louisiana Purchase. General James Wilkinson operated from New Orleans to St. Louis, Washington to New York, and had convinced Burr that they could succeed in this dasdardly act. He'd been a general in the U. S. Army at the same time he was Spanish Agent #13 for twenty years. At the last minute, Wilkinson lost his nerve and left Burr to fend for himself.

James Madison ends up the hero who is able to hold the nation together. This writer's opinion is that they united to destroy poor Burr in order to advance Madison's political career. Madison and Daniel Clark sent a letter to Wilkinson which prompted the treason.

David Nevin writes historical novels, but he is trictly a novelist, not a historian. He uses other' research for his factual information. He is a journalist who wrote a book, 1812, which was praised highly by James Michener, John Jakes, Stephen Coonts, among others. in EAGLE'S CRY, he used James Madison, Napoleon Bonaparte, Meriwether Lewis, Andrew & Rachel Jackson, and Dolley Madison. Thomas Fleming wrote about Niven's inimitable personal style.

I really liked this novel. It was well written and It's about the conspiracy theory of Aaron Burr against Jefferson. It was a little long but well worth the reading time. A must for history buffs. It also mentions about Adams, James, and Dolley Madison, the Louisiana Purchase as well as the trial and other historical figures. I would rate it 4.5 stars.

This is the second novel by David Nevin that I have read (But won't be the last). The more I read it the more I realized that politics has changed very little in the last two hundred years. I have been a student of American History for twenty five years, and still learned much from this novel. The author writes in such a way that you can almost imagine yourself being there to witness history as it is being made. And since it is a novel its not at all dry or boring to read, yet is based on historical facts with minimal "literary licence".

This is one of the best books ever written for gerontologists interested in the big questions and theoretical ideas advancing the field.

Extremely boring to read...it is a sleeper. I only have the book for a class and it is a good thing to read for people with insomnia!

The book was great. However, I needed to take it to my daughter who was flying out to Madrid on Thursday. I paid LOTS extra for one day shipping. I ordered on Monday. It said "If ordered before 2pm, guaranteed to receive it by Tuesday". I ordered it at 11 am but it didn't come until Wed. afternoon. Glad I had the extra day! I won't trust the one day shipping again.

One can observe the conditions of austrian Anschluss with Germany based on party politics, military take overs and repressive institutions. "Hitler's Austria" reveals the values and emotions that regular Austrians felt in having there nation become the first victim or collaborator. In these these eight years of German annexation feeling were elated at arrival and wavered toward the end. It is during this time that Austria's struggle to become an independent state as well as national mentality develops separate from the regulations imposed by a truely repressive, foreign regime. Austrians despite overt collaboration with Nazis are ultimately free from major guilt. Burkey effectively portrays a continual amniguity or even paradox in Austria reconciling to its guilt as a participant in the atrocities of Anschluss, World War II, and the Holocaust. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in modern Central European history.

I've used this book as a basic guide to building and enhancing several fully-rigged plastic model ships, and it is excellent. Besides having outstanding closeup photographs of built-up ships, basic modeling techniques are illustrated in step-by-step fashion, culminating in a complete chapter covering the construction of a 1/96 scale model of the USS President (modified from the USS Constitution). I especially found useful the special tips on hull strengthening and rigging, which are quite different with plastic models

This is a valuable and frequently used guide on my model ship workbench. Written with the novice plastic model shipbuilder in mind, Wilkins de-mystifies the process of building a kit containing hundreds of parts, with complex instructions for sails and rigging. The pictures clearly show that with patience and the tips contained in this book, one can build a museum-quality sailing ship model comparable with scratch-built wooden ones. His technique for weathering a ship's copper bottom is excellent; I used it to realistically weather Revell's 1/96 "USS United States". The section on building the "USS President" (sister ship to the "USS Constitution" is a good systematic approach to modifiying and completing a complex model kit. The illustrations are excellent. I hope to make it up to the museum in Wisconsin to see Wilkins' collection of model ships.

Nothing special here. It did have it's moments, but overall it was an average to dull read. I only paid 5 bucks for this book, so at that price it was a good value. Pay any more and your certainly wasting your money.

During the 1930s, Freddie Bloch is forced to leave his home in search for his alcoholic father. During his travels he becomes a hobo, riding trains, living in much the same way we imagine the homeless do in the 1990s. Bloch's companions make the best of their poor circumstances by convincing themselves that they live undercover, and are "kings in disguise." The story resolves in a way that both allows Freddie to grow and realistically accesses the great depression. This is a graphic novel as opposed to a prose novel, but the illustative quality(direct, understated, black and white drawings) add to the novel's power rather than diminishing its overall effect. This is accomplished in great part because Vance's dialogue sounds novelistic rather than like a movie or what one often associates with comic book writing. Kings in Disguise is Tom Joad in picture

The best thing about this new line of books from Matchbox and the Pleasant Company is that the vehicle featured in the story is included with the book. We have four of the eight and intend to get the other four. This story features a tow truck that rescues a car after it skids on the ice and gets "crunched". My son loves "reading" the books and using the vehicle to act out the stories.

The best feature of this new line of books by Matchbox and the Pleasant Company is that each book comes with the vehicle that the story is about. We have four and this is my son's favorite because it comes with a light green Volkswagon Beetle (his favorite type of car). My son enjoys "reading" the book to himself and acting out the story. We intend to get the other four in the series.