Ford Books

This marvelous collection of 5 star short stories will grab any reader's interest. Each tale resonates with a flavor of place and era and also introduces a rich array of characters.

I recommend Ms. Ford's superb book for all discerning book lovers.

Amy Sterinbach

In these keenly observed stories, Elaine Ford depicts the travails and lives of all of us. Her prose is rich, enabling her characters to come to life, even at times of despair. I recommend these stories, as I do her novels for their originality and keen understanding of the human condition. The sense of place--whether it be the UK, Annapolis, New York, Maine, Somerville, or Greece--is remarkable.

Elaine Ford's "The American Wife" rings her signal changes on experience. Whether a first- or third- person speaker, the narrator in these stories is never noisy, nor ostentatious. In some cases, as in "The Scow," the story of a woman emptying her parents' modest cluttered house after both have died, the voice is depressed and a reader yearns to be relieved of this sad situation and the sad obligations that sooner or later claim most of us. We are as surprised as the narrator is, however, when she discovers that both of her parents may have chosen suicide as a quiet way out; a way, in fact, that will sound noisily in the narrator's consciousness for the rest of her life.

In other stories, a voice which begins by seeming somehow too attenuated, too oppressed by situation, becomes more interesting by means of the speaker's refusal, precisely, to "get better," to straighten up, to soldier on. In the stunning "Changeling"(a story that any mother who has faced life with an infant will relate to easily) the isolation of the wife of an academic in Greece seems as first, as it does to her busy, stimulated husband exaggerated. Sandy, his wife, is intelligent and utterly compromised (she does not speak Greek, she is left with no resources except her own two legs, which can and do get her out of the house, but beyond this she has nothing). Who is to say, really -- who, that is, but the reader -- if her baby has been taken from its carriage, as she avers, and another one left in its place, or whether the pressures of loneliness, solitude, and the essential misapprehension that spell the failure of a marriage have affected her mind to the extent of paranoia?

This story is rooted in earlier decades as are several in the book. We readers know that Sandy's situation -- stay home, mind baby, have no other relations at all -- is farfetched for an educated woman of today in a world of internet, instantly available translation and automatic (if superficial) "friends"; but what still holds true is that the parenting of infants is an utterly demanding enterprise and to do it in alone, with no support of spouse or friend, is at best an oddly outer-space experience in which the parent-alone floats and floats, longing for any kind of ballast.

In Elaine Ford's novels -- "The Playhouse" and "Ivory Bright" among my favorites -- she has dealt with what Frank O'Connor called submerged populations, the essential denizens, for him, of the short story. But Ford managed in her novels to broaden the landscapes of those populations and still to reveal their utter peculiarities. In the stories in "The American Wife" she has gone back to the even smaller grid: a wife-mother abroad, married to the wrong man, lives in two of the tales; in another a speaker returned home to visit a cousin dying, finds that she dislikes the sufferer just as much as she did decades earlier when, healthy, the cousin had stolen her boyfriend; the icy visit recorded in "Levitation," involves a mother and daughter who both (the young woman about 20, perhaps, the mother in her early fifties) assert their rights to feelings and resentments about a marriage gone bad, neither of them yielding even an inch.

One reads Ford for her terse prose and her singular ability to sneak up on one. In the small incidents, looks, and gestures she records are our lives. The young woman in "Levitation," for example, reaches high above her head to practice -- with utter concentration, and immediately after the very painful visit with her mother -- lifting herself off the floor by intention alone. This seems ridiculous and yet reinforces the power the daughter has asserted to make her own life. In "Reaping Tares," one of the funny stories in a collection more grave than not, another young woman, an attorney, finds a very specific way, right under her professional nose, to boot away a rival for her husband's attention.

Ford doesn't shrink from describing the smallness of lives. However we may rue that smallness in reality, it is always a distinct pleasure to recognize it in fiction. In "The American Wife" we find ourselves mirrored. We are, as it turns out, not alone.

Elaine Ford is a gifted writer. Her characters come alive; her descriptions of places and events bring smiles and sighs of recognition. Her stories are satisfying.

I hope there are more short stories in Ford's future. I liked these so much I read them twice.

Life is stranger than fiction, which is why so many authors try to create plots that are probable and characters who are recognizable. Not so Elaine Ford, whose stories are as unpredictable as New England weather and whose characters are as quirky as we all might be if we stopped worrying about what other people might think. No two of her stories are alike; no characters are cliched. In "Cousins," the narrator explains: "In her old age, Edie's mother has largely dispensed with politeness, in what Edie thinks of as a conservation-of-energy move. Or possibly, because of her mother's poor eyestight, the dismayed expressions of others no longer register. She's free to do as she pleases." That description could stand for how Ford handles characters - they are free to do as they please. Likewise with the shape of the stories. As an elderly professor counsels: "Cara Cecilia, . . . In making poems, as in living, non c'e trucco. There is no trick, no secret, no shorcut. You must find your way yourself. That is what your friend had to learn, as we all must."
If you're looking for more than just a good read, try this book.

I had the idea it would blissful to ride to work with Toby Stephens reading stories to me. I was right. These are charming and sometimes hair-raising tales told with all the variety he can bring to his voice to mesmerize and enthrall. I have heard other books on tape where the reader falters at the woman's lines or sounds too much the same to distinguish between characters. Toby can go from growl to light-as-air with the greatest of ease. These stories have far too much violence for the smallest of children but, otherwise, offer a delicious trip to fantasy land courtesy of a master storyteller.

The product came quickly. It was exactly as advetised and met expectations. Thank You.

This book is awesome! I read it 3 years ago and I borrowed it again from my aunt and I'm reading it now. If anyone knows where I can get a copy of the Reader's Digest version please post. Thanks!

I bought this for my two sons, ages 7 & 9. We put it in at the beginning of a 2.5 hour trip and it kept our entire family very entertained. The trip flew by.

This is not a bad compilation of the classic 'Arabian Nights' tales, but be aware that it has been greatly abridged for children's eyes. This has been accomplished several ways: Some of the most raunchy stories have been left out entirely, others have been heavily edited. Somewhat irritating and baffling, however, is that several of the stories haven't been edited so much as left with huge gaps and sometimes without any kind of ending. When I read these stories as I child, I was fascinated but deeply confused at the lack of resolution in several of the stories. Having read the "adult" Arabian Nights tales since then, that confusion has been cleared up.

This is not a bad adaptation for children, but I would have preferred a more carefully edited version, rather than one with somewhat sloppy cuts that left me, even as a child, aware that something was missing.

One of the biggest mistakes that business owners make in preparing business plans is producing a "canned" finished product that diminishes their credibility. This book will go a long way to help you sidestep this pitfall. The text gives you a context for your plan; that is, it discusses what the end user is looking for. It is general enough to cover most agendas and specific enough to provide practical advice. Even though this book was published nearly 15 years ago it is not dated by changes in technology. It sticks to the time-honored basics. I have reviewed many texts and templates in my consulting practice, and this is the best guide that I've seen.

This is a great book. Simple to the point advice about developing a business plan.

This book says it all very concisely, no fluff. I've written three business plans with it. Read a chapter in the book, write a chapter of the plan. The examples are very good. I just hit $1MM in sales on my third try - I give this book a lot of credit for helping me get organized.

I think this book does of a great job of succintly outlining the dos and donts of business plan writing. I also think that the example plan is most instructional. The only thing it could do better is to put in a sample business plan that is based on a services model, rather than a products model. It also could touch on the Internet as a special information resource.

This book explains the business plan in sufficient detail to let you understand what is needed to create a business plan. If you're not proficient already in writing business plans, you'll need a Ernst & Young consultant to have any use of the book. Of course, then you'll probably get the book for free ater having paid their fees. In short, nice to read but absolutely not the first bookon the subject to recommend to anyone.

By thinking of Rainmakers as separate from the organization, the firm severely limits its potential and actual benefits from the rainmaker's efforts. This book is valuable for training potential rainmakers, but probably more useful in helping the firm to understand what the rainmaker is doing, why and how they can help. By focusing the energy of the firm on rainmaking, a much more powerful force will be generated to serve existing clients and encourage new business. This book provides a good basis for creating this new synergy for the firm.

I am the author of the book Futures For Small Speculators and Single Stock Futures For Small Speculators as well as the president of Liverpoolgroup.com.

Our focus is in the futures, commodities, and option business. We trade oil, cattle, gold, currency etc. And each one of our employees is an "independent" contractor. The problem with that is the fact that often times this very independent entrepreneurial group has a hard time working together to develop client relationships.

Everyone is competing against everyone else. There is little to no synergy or teamwork.

This book showed me MANY examples of how to guide and direct the individuals of the group to be more cooperative with one another and how to help them make more money. I was astonished that I was doing somethings right, but the things that I was doing right were being negated by the actions I was doing wrong. Over and over again Mr.Harding says that rainmakers get in their own way when it comes to training other potential rainmakers and he is right! If I had not read this book I would have lost some valuable members of my team due defection.

This is a great book and was a joy to read. One reading is not enough. This book must be read three to four times with a highlighter and a notepad- so you can write down the numerous ideas that will occur to you as you read the book. Then keep this book as a reference that you can go back to time and time again.

I am a consultant in a company which does not have an organised rainmaker system (yet). As such, much of what I read in this book was new to me and I have discussed its contents with my boss. I think that this book will help us to improve our business. It is full of insightful ideas.

I used this book in the planning of a training program for business development activities at the engineering/surveying firm, Psomas and Associates. We needed a training program for every level of staff from principals to marketing support staff. This book was amazing! It made the job sooooooo much easier! The information in this book was nothing short of inspiring and the success we are having in the program is testimony to the quality of the ideas and programs described in the book. I recommend it very, very highly!

Of all the books available on business development in the professions, this is the best of the best. Concise, practical yet never simplistic, Ford Harding hits the strategic issues of business development, then ties the issues to solid implementable actions. As an advisor to CPA and law firms, I consider this book to be the "course textbook" for learning the subject matter quickly. Professionals don't have time for volumes of thick how-to manuals. Give it to them straight and quickly. This book does that. Every page unlocks another important concept in business development. When finished the reader not only knows the subject, but knows what to do next. Instead of throwing the book in a cabinet, it should be kept in a handy place, and as the professional becomes more experienced, it can take him/her to the next level of understanding, and to the highest reaches of successful rainmaking. A must read for any professional who wants to grow their practice.

The book is nicely illustrated and the book quality is good. However, it is too advanced for children. It is over-rated I suspect due to the voices of the celebrities that are on the CD. Many pages are actually quite depressing and negative. I like more upbeat books even if there is a moral to be taught.

The format of this book and the others like them give a young reader a very enjoyable experience. The adult side helps to embellish the story but the children's side lets a new reader be part of the story not just a listener. Our first grader takes great pride in his part of the book and seems to have better comprehension. These are a great find.

I had been given 2 of these books from a friend and I decided to see if there were anymore. My son loves this book. He's now working on reading the adult side. It's a great idea to have a page each, 1 for the adult and 1 for the child. We have several of these books now and I see my son sitting down and reading them on his own.

I read this book to my little sister, she is 9 and thought it was the funnist book she had ever heared of. She really liked the part were the emporer.... well I won't give the ending away. But, I hope you enjoy it.

Generally, I do not care for audio books; many of the readers speak in a dull voice that rapidly drives me either away from the story or to sleep. However, there are a few exceptions; this is one.

Understand, that this is not the normal audio book; this edtion has a large cast of actors who collaborated to produce this item as a fund raiser for Starbright.

The result is an ensemble piece that is witty and charming. Part of the fun for me, was guessing who was reading before looking at the cast list included in the box.

Other folks feel that this isn't for children; I don't know as I don't have children, but I found that my "inner child" was highly entertained for 40 minutes with this tape.

If you are a fan of one or more of the actors in this edition or like puns (there are many here!), then you will probably like the Starbright edtion of the Emporer's New Clothes.

Despite its award winning status, the title of this anthology led me to believe it was either young adult oriented or in the vein of the recent plethora of updated fairy tale collections. I was very pleased to find I was wrong.

Jeffrey Ford is a highly intelligent, clever wordsmith that more closely resembles Bradbury and Wolfe than the Datlow/Windling crowd. Like his unstable scholar's work in "The Weight of Words", Ford's writings are greater than the sum of their parts.

In particular, I'd like to praise the novella, "Botch Town." As soon as I was a few paragraphs into it, I recognized the familiar territory of the "remember the year when..." stories by Bradbury, King, et al, that I enjoy so much. The autobiographical tone was convincing, and the characters were universal and believable. My friends and I had our own version of Mr. Blah Blah, and our own Halloween hijinx were remarkably similar to those described within. (I also appreciated the subtle nod to Spike Jones fans.)

Among my other favorites are the darkly humorous "Boatman's Holiday" and the surreal tour-de-force, "Giant Land."

If you're looking for a collection of substantial, sophisticated yet accessible, stick-to-your-ribs short fiction, then pick up The Empire of Ice Cream.

I give it 3 stars because - maybe - the rest of the stories are better. It's possible that I'll never find out.. Is this a book for children? If it is, I should give it 4 stars...

I'd seen a dramatic reading of "The Annals of Eelin-Ok" (one of the stories in this collection), an experience that has stuck with me much longer than most dramatic productions... Mr. Ford does not profess to be a playwright (yet), but he writes with SO much immediacy, whatever is happening in his stories is so important to his characters, that you get sucked into the stories very quickly - what is important to those characters now becomes important to you, too. I'm currently enjoying very much his earlier THE FANTASY WRITER'S ASSISTANT collection of stories, and look forward to re-visiting "The Annals of Eelin-Ok" in this volume, as well as discovering the accompanying tales. To be transported into his stories is a very gratifying experience. Who'd have thought that a dramatic reading about the sprites/spirits that inhabit sandcastles between low and high tides could become a epic tale, full of romance, action, and contemplation on life itself? And all the while having you on the edge of your seat? I've seen a lot of theatre, and wish more of it was an engaging to experience as the work of this non-playwright.

Jeffrey Ford has made quite an impression in the last few years, with several fine novels including the World Fantasy Award winning The Physiognomy, The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque, and The Girl in the Glass. But my favorite Ford works have been short fiction -- and it so happens that my personal favorites appear in this new collection, his second.

The title story, indeed, is one of my favorite stories by anyone from the last few years. My interest was immediately engaged by the Wallace Stevens reference, though Ford, in his introduction, disclaims any intention of alluding to Stevens' great poem. The story is about a man with synesthaesia. He becomes an accomplished piano player and composer, even as he perceives the notes he plays or composes as sights or smells or tastes. Somehow coffee ice cream causes a special hallucination: a young woman. As he grows older, he finds that pure coffee allows real contact with this woman, and he learns that she, too, is an artist and a synesthaesiac. The story climaxes as he tries to complete a major musical composition -- coming to a predictable but still quite satisfying and moving conclusion.

Another brilliant piece is "The Weight of Words." This suggests that the placement and appearance of words can affect their meaning in such mundane ways as subliminal advertising, or such more profound ways as causing death, love, or the appreciation of beauty. It's told by a man who has lost his wife and hopes to regain her by the use of weighted word -- instead he gains something quite different.

There is one new story in the book, a very long novella (nearly novel length): "Botch Town". This is a pitch perfect and rather sad evocation of childhood in a lower middle class New Jersey suburb. The title refers to a model town that the narrator's brother constructs in his basement -- somehow their sister, who is in some way brilliant but not very comprehensible, seems to use this town to reflect real happenings in their own town, including the whereabouts of a mysterious visitor who may be connected with the disappearance of a neighborhood boy.

There are many other jewels here. "The Annals of Eelin-Ok" is a tender, bittersweet, story of a Twilmish, a creature that colonizes a sand castle and lives only until the castle is washed away. "The Beautiful Gelreesh" is quite different in mood, a sardonic piece about a doglike creature with a rather extreme means of curing depression.

"A Night at the Tropics" concerns a cursed chess set and the bully who stumbles into possession of it. The story is framed in a very Kiplingesque manner: the narrator, named Ford, tells of his return to his childhood house, and a visit to a bar his father frequented, "The Tropics." It is there that he again encounters the bully, and hears the tale of the chess set. And, much as Kipling so often and so brilliantly managed, the frame ends up blending with and enhancing the central story. (And, to my relief after Ford's denial of the Stevens reference in "The Empire of Ice Cream," his introduction here explicitly acknowledges Kipling's influence.)

I won't mention the other stories, but I'll say that they are a varied and intriguing lot. The book itself is a lovely physical object, as we expect from Golden Gryphon. And Ford's introductions are fairly brief but very interesting, definitely significant value added. This is surely one of the best story collections of the year.

Jeffrey Ford is AMAZING. There are not many authors I could describe as such, but he is one. Buy his book; this man is an undiscovered gem. His literary fantasy is gorgeous in the way he tells it and the stories themselves. As much as I devoured this anthology, I was also really disheartened when I turned the last page.

To make myself feel better, I've been giving everyone I know copies of the book or encouraging him or her to try Mr. Ford. Let me do the same for you; you won't regret it (something I do not say lightly).

This book provides an indepth look at all aspects of falconry. The section on preparing to recieve a bird was very helpful and detailed. I have never read a book which has provided such a detailed description of all common birds used in the sport. I recommend that everyone who is beginning in this sport, or is considering taking it up should read this book. The only problem about this book is that it talks too much about the law in England, which is not relevant to us in North America.

This is a great book for anyone interested in falconry! EmmaFord describes everything in detail and she guided me through myapprenticeship with ease. However, it also contains sound advice for the experienced falconer.

She discusses the most common hawks used in the sport and guides one through the manning and training of the three main groups: Shortwings, Broadwings and Longwings. At the end of the part dealing with the training of the group, she explains hunting with them in detail.

There is a complete chapter on equipment and will help the apprentice to choose the right equipment, with the hawk's safety in mind .

For those unfamiliar with falconry terms, there is a nice glossary explaining them in detail.

I would advise anyone interested in hunting with birds of prey to get this great book by one of the leaders in the field! END

As a somewhat informed novice, I found this book very interesting and informative. It has good descriptions of the birds used in falconry as well as thorough beginning training techniques. However, the buyer should know this book was written for falconry in the UK. Topics such as governing laws, terrain terms and types of quarry are often "foreign" to ours in the U.S.

I found "Falconry: Art and Practice" very interesting and fascinating. The author included personal details, sometimes humorous, describing the beauty of the art, not just the instructions and facts, helpful as they were. The book was also easy and enjoyable to read.

This book was great!! It had so much information I had to read it 3 times to get it all. It has so much info like how to make your own equipment,how to train your bird, tells all the equipment you need to have, and so much more.

The book is very good except that most of the book is from a UK point of view. The book has some good adresses in the back for all of your falconry needs. If you are a novice a seasoned falconer,or just someone interested in Birds of Prey you should get this book.

I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK. IT WAS GREAT TO READ ABOUT WHITEY'S OPINIONS, REASONS, EXPERIENCES, AND SOME GREAT BASEBALL STORIES. I AM A BIG FAN OF WHITEY'S AND HAVE BEEN SINCE THE 60'S. GLAD TO HEAR FROM HIM IN THIS ONE OF A KIND BOOK. WHITEY IS VERY HONEST, OPEN, AND HAS GREAT INSIGHT IN RANKING THE BEST TEAM IN BASEBALL POSOTION BY POSITION. A MUST READ FOR ALL FANS AND ESPECIALLY YANKEE FANS. THANKS WHITEY, FOR A GREAT READ AND A LOT OF ENTERTAINMENT. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Whitey Ford's new book,with former Yankee beat writer Phil Pepe,is a winner.Picking the top 5 players at each position might seem easy,until you sit and think about the long line of great players the Yankees have fielded.Not that theres a lot of controversy,but a couple of Ford's picks might surprise you.Its an enjoyable rehash for older fans with mostly familiar anecdotes.It's also an education for younger fans who might not be familiar with past Yankee greats.And the cover photo is indeed a Yankee cap,worn by them in the early 20's,although I feel that the navy blue cap with the white interlocking NY would have been a better choice.

Reading Whitey Ford's "Few and Chosen" is like listening to him....soft-spoken with a twinkle in his eye. This is a book you can pick up and put down and not miss much. The stories are usually short (sometimes too short) and the anecdotes are just about what you'd expect to hear from "The Chairman of the Board".

I appreciate Whitey Ford's honesty with regard to players who preceded him. He doesn't comment on them much because he didn't see them play. Still, he gives what impressions he has. After reading Tim McCarver's disappointing and overworked "Perfect Season" several years ago, "Few and Chosen" is like a breath of fresh air.

There are a few new facts (new to me, anyway) that come out in his book, like the small numbers of home runs hit by players before Babe Ruth. Things of this nature help to make baseball more interesting to many of us.

Whitey Ford pitched the first baseball game I ever saw in 1963. I'm glad he's still around to pass on his observations to us.

I don't proclaim to be a great Yankee fan but a great baseball fan. This book has something for everyone. Besides ranking the greatest Yankees, I agree with most disagree with some, Whitey just provides some stories about players that are riveting. Most you have never heard or read anywhere else. That is what is exciting to me. These stories really bring alive a time and place that baseball was and is trying to get back to. You are brought back in time to a place in America when baseball was all important. Now you can at least experience the fun of reading about it and being there for a while.

I recently read the book written by Whitey Ford, entitled Few and Chosen, published by Triumph Books. I found the book to be extremely enjoyable and very well-written. Whitney Ford offers personal and insightful analyses of the five best players at each position, and the contributions made by the players. The book provides a very creative review of the accomplishments and the character of the great players who played for the New York Yankees. I enjoyed reading the book very much. I commend Triumph Books for publishing such a creative and enjoyable book, and I highly recommend the book and the work of Whitey Ford.

Gave this to my husband for his birthday after seeing the artist etc. on a TV show. He was thrilled, the pictures were really sharp and clear and it made for very interesting reading. Just loved it.

I purchased this book for my husband as a gift. He wanted it to put on our coffee table. The cover of the book has a crease down the middle of it. After what I paid for this book, is there anyway I can exchange it for one that does not have a crease down the middle.

Thank you.

Lisa Mitchell

The paintings are incredibly beautiful and text is informative. Great
coffee table book for a sports fisherman and lover of art.

bought for a christmas gift...and was perfect. shipping, packaging, price!

thanks

Once and awhile a book comes along that touches your senses and raises your emotions, FISH is just such a book. Flick Ford's beautiful watercolors of the 77 fish species are the best since S.F.Denton did his over 100 years ago. These complimented by the moving and lighthearted text of Dean Travis Clarke as well as Peter Kaminsky's introduction make this book sure to be a timeless classic. It's the type of book the reader can pick up at any time and turning to any page leave ourselves to go to that place inside that brings us all the peace we experience streamside, casting into a rolling surf, or trolling a pattern offshore. FISH is a perfect book, and anyone who even remotely loves the sport of angling or appreciates these amazing creatures should have a copy in their library and one wrapped as a gift for that special angling friend.

This book does provide some useful tools, but I thought it was often overly simplistic. The most helpful section - which does not apply to me - was the section on dealing with anger and your children. I would recommend the book for that section to parents having this problem.

I highly recommend the book "Getting Over getting Mad", by Judy Ford. It explained the importance of anger in our lives and how it "is an indispensable emotion, which when used productively allows us to develop ourselves and our relationships. Its only "when anger covers up pain and fear", that it "clogs our energy, dilutes our joy, and keeps us off track, going in circles, making no headway. Instead of helping us, anger becomes self-defeating." The book has ideas for managing anger in a positive way and using it to tranform our lives.

"From losing our tempers easily to feeling a slow burn to hiding how irritated we really feel, all of us experience anger as a troubling emotion." In Getting Over Getting Mad: Positive Ways to Manage Anger in Your Most Important Relationships," Judy Ford, M.S.W., explains why we feel anger and what to do about it.

A psychotherapist, consultant, and best-selling author, Ford has worked for over thirty years with children and families in a wide variety of settings. This is her eighth book.

She presents her information in four major sections: dealing with anger at personal setbacks, at significant others, at children, and at colleagues. Underlying everything is the concept that we all feel anger at one time or another. It's how that anger is expressed, not the anger itself, that can create problems. Ford says that "while I know that we all have reasons to be angry, I can't think of one good reason to stay mad for very long." She distinguishes between "distorted anger, which tears families apart, and healthy anger, which keeps relationships thriving."

Ford emphasizes using anger to help in personal growth and offers myriad suggestions on how to make anger work for us. She includes examples of how real people have learned to manage their anger. The key is to recognize and deal with the anger as soon as it develops, before it grows into a major disturbance. And contrary to what many people have been taught, repressing anger doesn't solve anything.

Ford's suggestions and tips are practical and simple. Most involve learning to recognize exactly what you're feeling, and then delving into what created that feeling. After that, the underlying cause of the anger can be resolved. Often, just recognizing what's happening frees us from negative reactions.

She says that "sarcasm, manipulation, passive-aggressive acts, physical illness, depression, rebellion, and violence all result from the ability to express anger and resolve disputes." If any of these symptoms are a part of your life, then Getting Over Getting Mad will provide the information and tools you need to turn your anger from destructive emotion to healthy growth.

As a counsellor and teacher who has studied human behaviour, one of the topics covered in my program is stress management; stress and anger often go hand-in- hand. Anger can be an emotion used to protect one from the challenges and obstacles in life he or she prefers not to deal with. Uncontrolled anger can be negative and damaging to ourselves and others, often steming from an action causing fear or hurt.

Judy Ford has written an excellent book on how to deal with negative emotion in a constructive manner. Left unleashed, or supressed, anger can cause a lifetime of pain and suffering for the recipient, particularly so when the recipient is a child. Anger can also contribute to a vast array of emotional and physical problems for the individual who cannot manage his or her own anger is a positive way.

"Getting Over Getting Mad" is like any other self-help book; in order for the message contained to produce results, the reader must be fully committed to improving and making long-term changes. Recognizing and accepting that one has an anger management problem is the first step, making a serious commitment to dealing with the problem is the next. Ford writes in a straight-forward, no-nonsense manner. The book provides excellent resource material and is well worth reading.

P>A new book, GETTING OVER GETTING MAD, covers four areas of life in which anger is often a problem: our relationships with ourselves, our partners, our kids and those we work with.

Anger is often a problem for ourselves. Few of us like ourselves after we've blown up. Yet, we are responsible for our anger. We can't blame it on someone else. Even if someone else acts foolish, that is no excuse for us becoming angry and blowing up. By learning how to handle anger within ourselves, we can deal with both ourselves, and others, much better.

Anger is often a destructive force in marriages and relationships. It may result in the death of loving feelings, or in abuse. We need to understand how to respond to this anger, both ours, and theirs, in safe and caring ways.

Anger can be destructive in parenting. Inappropriate anger is harmful and abusive to children. Explosive anger may hurt children physically, and may drive them away from us emotionally.

Finally, anger can affect us at work. It can turn jobs into hell. It can also destroy friendships and relationships.

"Getting Over Getting Mad" is the best book on anger I have read in years. It is written in the style of the Chicken Soup books, about a page per topic. I can't cover this book fairly in one column. So, for the next four weeks, I will share a few of the ideas, which are so excellently covered in this book.

Recognizing and understanding anger in the presence of yourself, is the only way to be in charge of anger, instead of having anger in charge of you. Getting Over Getting Mad, by Judy Ford has some excellent direction on this task, presented in a series of short, and very readable one to two page articles. Here is my understanding of a few of her ideas.

1.Uncover the hurt behind your anger. Anger is a shield hiding things, that you don't want to deal with. But if you face this fear, which is one of the emotions that hides under anger, you will find the courage to deal with what you really don't want to deal with. Dealing with these hurts and anxieties is the first step in understanding how to handle anger.

2.Frown Freely. You can express disappointment and unhappiness without losing control of anger. But if you don't deal with those things, they will eventually build up and catch up with you. There is no rule that says that you have to be or pretend to be happy all the time.

3. Let yourself be human and imperfect. Nobody else in the world is perfect, so why do you have to be?

4. See anger as a blessing. Anger can be useful and helpful is you recognize it and handle it appropriately. Using anger constructively helps clear the air and improve your relationships with others.

5. Get to know the little devil within. Once you accept you don't have to be perfect, then you can recognize the little devil in us all, that wants to settle a score with someone we think did us wrong. If you can learn not to take your little devil too seriously, or even laugh at it, you can be in charge of you, instead of that little devil controlling your life.

6. Walk the high road. Before you respond to some aggravation, ask yourself "What's going on here? What can I learn? What can I do positively to deal with it?" Once you purposely look for a positive way to respond, your mind is distracted from automatically acting in a negative way.

7. Take grudges to the dump. When you write something down, on and feelings outside of you for a moment. Then they are easier to see and deal with. Remember, the more often you clean out a garbage can, the less it starts to stink and bother you, and others.

8. Beat a drum, play a piano, dance. Ford suggests finding something safe to take out your physical energy on. Pounding a drum is a safe way to express anger to yourself. If you don't have a drum, an empty box, or a plastic wastebasket, placed upside down, becomes a good way to express your energy. Drum with a regular beat. You and your body will get in tune with that rhythm, and you will find yourself relaxing. Some years ago, while at a men's gathering, the leader had me lie on my back on a couple of mattresses and pound my hands into them. I felt foolish at first, but after 5 - 10 minutes of expressing physical energy, I found myself relaxed, both physically and emotionally.

9. Shout outside, scream in the shower. This idea is based on the question, "If a tree falls in a forest with nobody around, is there any noise?" We all need places to make noises and express emotions, in situations where we will not hurt or upset other people. It may seem funny. But, it's a safe way to discharge energy that you need to get rid of. You can't hurt a tree by shouting at it, and it doesn't shout back.

Anger is often a problem for ourselves. Few of us like ourselves after we've blown up. Yet, we are responsible for our anger. We can't blame it on someone else. Even if someone else acts foolish, that is no excuse for us becoming angry and blowing up. By learning how to handle anger within ourselves, we can deal with both ourselves, and others, much better.

Anger is often a destructive force in marriages and relationships. It may result in the death of loving feelings, or in abuse. We need to understand how to respond to this anger, both ours, and theirs, in safe and caring ways.

Anger can be destructive in parenting. Inappropriate anger is harmful and abusive to children. Explosive anger may hurt children physically, and may drive them away from us emotionally.

Finally, anger can affect us at work. It can turn jobs into hell. It can also destroy friendships and relationships.

"Getting Over Getting Mad" is the best book on anger I have read in years. It is written in the style of the Chicken Soup books, about a page per topic.

These are just a few of the 28 ideas Ford shares on dealing with anger, in one section of her book, called "In the Presence of Yourself." In the next three weeks, I'll share some of her ideas on doing the same with anger towards sweethearts, children and colleagues

Parents are both teachers and models for their children. We teach by how well we listen and explain, at a level appropriate to their development. We teach by how well we direct their choices in their formative years. We teach by our own role models. If we don't handle anger appropriately ourselves, they may follow our behaviour rather than our teachings.The section, "In The Presence of Children" in Judy Ford's book, "Getting Over Getting Mad" has many positive ideas for parents about children's anger, in short, readable one to two page articles.

When children are angry, you must first get their attention by recognizing and acknowledging their anger. You have to be what Ford calls "A Feeling Detective". Young children don'