Way Books

A la recherche du temps perdu, by Marcel Proust is not really a novel, by any stretch of the imagination, for it violates the precepts of novel writing- plot, characterization, etc., to an even greater degree than Herman Melville's Moby-Dick does, and it is not considered an autobiography, because it twists facts, and uses fictive techniques for its nonfiction. In that sense it predates Truman Capote's In Cold Blood by half a century in the claim to creating a new genre of writing. It might best be called a fictive memoir. Its only clear novelistic technique is the specificity of dialogue, although that is so specific as to almost totally abnegate the claims that it's a memoir of any sort. The literal translation of the book is In Search Of Lost Time, which Proust preferred, for its duplicity of meaning- as both searching for time that has passed and time as literally lost, but the book has come to be called by the Shakespearean title Remembrance Of Things Past in English, due to the first translations by C.K. Scott Moncrieff, not long after the book was published, and the later amendations by Terence Kilmartin in the 1970s. I read the three volume, seven book boxed gray paperback version first published by Vintage Books in 1981. The first volume contains Swann's Way and Within A Budding Grove, the second The Guermantes Way and Cities Of The Plain, and the third The Captive, The Fugitive, and Time Regained (translated by Andreas Mayor). Of the many misconceptions about the book, including the contretemps over its being a novel or memoir (it's really more of a memoir), and the correct title for the work, I feel the most compelling is whether or not the entire thing is a single work or seven distinct books in a series. I think it's manifestly a single work, like Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, for like that book, divided into five `books', Remembrance Of Things Past really is a single narrative. And while the books of Les Miserables can all stand reasonably alone, none of the books in Proust's work can, save, of course, for the first, Swann's Way. Thus, I will refer to the whole work as the work, from hereon in.

That all said, Proust's work is to literature what the sitcom Seinfeld was to television- a piece of art that glorifies nothing, in the sense that the whole work really is a document of thirty-three hundred plus pages of high society 19th Century French gossip. It is well-written, at its best, but ultimately barren in a philosophic and intellectual sense. Nothing really occurs in all the pages. This is mostly why, due to its lack of any real plot, the book cannot truly be called a novel- even if one were to grant it a hundred percent in the fictive department....As a poet who understands the fundaments of great writing, and the absolute need for concision far more often than not, I have a distinct advantage over many other critics, for I can see and diagnose Proust's failures for what they are, and make no excuses for them, such as: his conversations are far too detailed to be real memories, but in being so detailed they drag fatally with their Victorian dilettantism and render an irreality to the work that works against the idea that it is the `ultimate in realism'. In a sense, Proust is no prose Whitman, whose poetry was both excessive yet concisely excessive, in that Proust's excesses are not what really define his best writing. Despite the length of many of his best passages, when he is at his very best Proust is detailed and concise. This is why it takes several hundred pages before the work starts to really drone on a reader- itself quite the achievement. If you doubt Proust's ability to be concise, just reread some of the best selections from the work that I quote above, and the lack of flab is manifest. This fact, however, makes the rest of the flabby work so much more obviously in need of editing, and why the work as a whole sinks in a reader's estimation as time passes away from reading it. The flabby parts of Marcel's (or Proust's) memory close in on the reader's memory and drown out the concise, well-written parts.

If only Proust used his best techniques on the deepest and most unique moments in the book, and let the rest fall away, Remembrance Of Things Past would have been immeasurably improved. As it is it is merely almost immeasurable.

Proust's philosphical epic creates an aesthetic of time lost, of emotion's catalytic role in spiritual memory, of the fetish that is sexual jealousy, of the silliness of snobbery, and of the consoling beauty to be found from close observation to art and to life. And it is a seemingly infinite chain of self-referential patterns which spell out those themes. In brief, it's a perfect literary fractal.

These books are a MUST read, but you totally overestimate my reading ability. Reading 6 "books" in a month is an accomplishment in itself; reading ONE Proust in a month, letting it settle and sit and read nothing else would deserve gold medal in my opinion.

For everyone who loves literature reading Proust and benefiting from his art is as important as breathing.

rkr

Seven books, six volumes, 4300 pages--makes "war and peace" look like a short story. That's marcel proust's "in search of lost time". It is an excellent read and is highly recommended to the lover of quality literature.

Simply put, it is the story of the protagonist and how he became an author. although some feel its sense of time makes it a difficult book to read, that is not my perception. It starts somewhere near the end and then comes back to the beginning where it proceeds in a generally chronological order. It is therefore a fairly easy book to read but for the sometimes very long sentences and paragraphs. There is much more observation than conversation. It is an extremely insightful book that makes you look philosophically at almost all aspects of your life. It doesn't preach; it makes you think.

the novel covers a myriad of topics: maternal love, heterosexual love, homosexuality, time, memory, jealousy, social class, old age, death and many others. It does so beautifully, insightfully and humorously. To call the writing poetic is really to sell it short. These books have some of the most beautifully written segments that I have ever read. The best is the author's recollection of his waiting for his mother to come up and kiss him good night. ("swann's way", page 15). If you are ever in a book store, pick up the modern library version of the book and just read that paragraph. I guarantee that you will buy the book and bring it home.

I also particularly like the modern library 6 volume collection. What makes it so good are the references at the end of each volume and particular the references that cover all the volumes that are in the last book, "time regained". This section lets you look back at all the characters and themes that you have encountered in the book and go directly to the pages where they are referenced. With a story this long, this reference material is essential.

Don't think you have to read each book one after the other. They were written years apart, with the end written before many of the later books. I read 2-3 books between each of the volumes and had no difficulty picking up where I had left off.

I would also suggest that you read up on the dreyfus case as it plays a central role in the social interactions that take place in the story.

This is a great book that every lover of good literature should read.

I finished Proust's magnum opus a couple of years ago. I read Swann's Way, then got about a quarter of the way through Within a Budding Grove, before stopping and taking a year's hiatus. When I returned to it I read straight through the remaining 6 volumes. Proust became for me, not so much a duty, or even a quest, but an addiction. There is really not much to add other than the fact that these books affected me more than any other books I have read. Once you are drawn in there is no escape. What one encounters within are some of the most fascinating and frustrating people one can imagine, and the most profound ideas and greatest insights on human nature ever recorded.

There are a number of themes explored here..memory, fidelity, love, obsession, jealousy, homosexuality, and the nature of art. It has been designated as semi autobiographical, but maybe it is the greatest autobiography ever written, since it portrays in detail, the truest possible representation of the author's heart, mind, and soul. It is perhaps, the most important and influential literary work of the 20th century.

Patterson's style is the style of a journalist (which he is): very bon ton. Besides, the information in this book is of high value, as it is one of the very few sources for information of a period of Gurdjieff's work in Paris.

On his birthday in January 1936, G. I. Gurdjieff, a Greek-Armenian teacher living in Paris and a man of the most traditional views about men and women, consented to teach a group of fiercely independent western women to prepare them for a difficult spiritual path. Although he had previously stopped all teaching and had for the past few years been devoting himself to his writing, he saw something unusual and very special in these women. He told them that they must form themselves into a group where they could work together for mutual support, "roped" together for safety, as if they were climbing a dangerous mountain, "each one thinking of the others, all helping one another."

They had heard of him from people who had been to the Prieure where, during the twenties, Gurdjieff's Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man had attracted some of the brightest lights in the literary world. They were writers, editors, musicians, and women in the business world: highly cultivated, avant-garde personalities, intelligent and sensitive, living in Paris and rejecting the traditional paths for woman. Psychologically, they were fragile, yet tough; some had formed lesbian attachments - all were determined to learn and develop themselves through his teaching. They came from a group taught by one of his earlier students, Jane Heap, but now she was leaving Paris and these women were determined to study with Gurdjieff himself.

By 1935, the Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man was a failed experiment and Gurdjieff was putting all his energy into finishing his series of writings called, All and Everything. Given his traditional view of what he called the "third sex", why did he consent and what was it he saw that made him want to adjust his course?

From the papers of four of these women, now archived in various university libraries, William Patrick Patterson has written an absorbing history of this unusual women-only group of spiritual seekers and their teacher. We see another side of Gurdjieff, close up, he seems softer and more compassionate, yet in his demands on his students, perhaps, even more rigorous. The group includes Kathryn Hulme, author of The Nun's Story, and Undiscovered Country; Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap co-editors of the Little Review, early publishers of James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, and T. S. Eliot; and Georgette LeBlanc, diva and actress.

For those interested in women's spirituality, it properly credits and documents the pioneering efforts of these accomplished women. And for the seeker following Gurdjieff's ideas, it is an invaluable text addressing, for the first time, this most enigmatic chapter Gurdjieff's life. Once again William Patrick Patterson has brought forth an excellent volume that adds to our understanding of Gurdjieff and the Fourth Way.

The ladies of The Rope were in no way average people. They lived large lives. They were intelligent and talented. Patterson begins by describing their lives and you can't help but be impressed and caught up in the glamour and excitement. But when they meet Gurdjieff things are moved to a whole different level. They (and the reader) begin to see things from a different perspective. As Gurdjieff says of one of the women, "In life she perhaps have something good. But not for our work...She has only automatic mind...she quite not have real mind mentation."

Patterson take us all the way from the time the women met and began working with Gurdjieff, through Gurdjieff's passing and finally to the their old age and death. The letters written when they are old and physically feeble are very moving. You see the real experience and emotion of old age. The book lets us see the women's struggles and how they worked. As one of the women said, "Our 'rich' personalities had been an obstacle to understanding...We who had been born outside the dull, the routine... --what had we been all our lives? Almost nothing at all."

I found these women's stories very disturbing. I have many questions as to what transformations were actually realized by them. For some of them it seems that it may have just been on a psychological level. Why did Margaret Anderson, at the end of her life, say "I know it [the story of my life] at first hand, but so incompletely that it has little meaning."?

There is much to think about here. As Patterson says in the Epilogue, "What we may make of this is for each one of us to ponder and work with."

In Ladies of the Rope, William Patrick Patterson brings together the story of Gurdjieff and the women's only group of students he formed in Paris. The telling of this story sheds light on the formation of some of the seeds of influence that Gurdjieff had planted in the West. The group contained some brilliant and influential people mostly involved in the literary world.

Once again, William Patrick Patterson brings together a story which helps the reader understand the teaching that Gurdjieff brought to us.

The fundamental question of this book is, "Why did Gurdjieff create the Rope?" Because the Rope was made up of mostly lesbian women I wondered how or if it fit within spiritual tradition. After the first reading I did not have an idea why Gurdjieff did it. But later, in re-reading, the idea came, that maybe Gurdjieff was conducting an experiment to see if the third sex had the possibility to transform themselves or to get to the point where transformation was possible. So perhaps, this was a test of the Teaching, so to speak.
"Ladies of the Rope" also explores areas of the Teaching that are rarely mentioned elsewhere--the inner animal and the toasts to the Idiots, to name a few. This book also evokes the feminine, the idea and experience of relationship, and has a depth of understanding revealing subtleties that widen the reader's perspective. As most books of the Work are more masculine, this book is a jewel for those interested in this intimate perspective.

Since most everyone should be familiar with the basic premise of the novel by the time this review is read, I'll point out a few worthy considerations. Mapp and Lucia, the fourth volume in the Lucia series by the inimitable E.F. Benson, is simultaneously fantastic and sublime. Benson's brilliance is his ability to translate significant, though sometimes easily missed observations onto the page using the most exquisite and economical description possible. He manages to take some of the silliest social aspects of human behavior, renders it important, and turns it into a first-rate triumph. The reader walks away from Benson completely satisfied and certainly hungry for more.

I'm sure the fourth installment can be read on its own, but I consider the first three in the series (Queen Lucia, Lucia in London : A Novel and Miss Mapp) indispensable in getting the most out of Mapp and Lucia. While all three are delectable entertainments (think social reality TV done to its fullest potential), this one departs its counterparts in a rather bizarre turn of events in the plot. Despite its absurd hilarity, it was logical and it worked, almost too perfectly.

Many thanks go to the originator (In Honor Bound) of this fabulous fondness for Lucia in our family. I am now officially and unashamedly a Luciaphile (would it be too much to admit that I've picked up a thing or two from her? Or would Benson be proud?), and I have no problems getting others on this habit. Just make sure you pair this series with your favorite treat--time with Lucia is worthy of indulgence.

Oover the last fifteen years I have been meaning to read certain authors. H.E. Bates, Anthony Trollope, P.G. Wodehouse, E.F. Benson and the like.

Last week I succumbed to a nasty bout of influenza and E.F. Benson. I had grabbed the slender volume of "Mapp & Lucia" from the library shelf and it had rested in my bookcase for almost a week. Not wanting to dull my brain with endless hours of television, I cracked open "Mapp & Lucia".

Ten pages into the book and I was hooked. Lucia, her period of mourning almost over is looking to regain her iron control on her hometown. First action, regain her star role as Queen Elizabeth in the village fete.

As I read Lucia's plots and plans, a strange thought hit me. Lucia is the creature Hyacinth Bucket (the main character of the BBC's Keeping Up Appearances) secretly dreams of being. Having taken over the fete from her dazed and confused friend, Lucia goes onto greater pastures, the hometown of Miss Elizabeth Mapp, reigning social goddesss.

Miss Elizabeth Mapp (known as Mapp) plots with her friends to rent out their respective homes a profit. Lucia and her best friend (a gentleman who brings to mind a cross between KUA's Richard and AYBS Mr Humphries) move and slowly begin to take over the town. Mapp is not pleased and a genteel war of one-upsmanship begins between the two ladies.

Drawings are rejected from the art exhibit, parties given, ownership of produce and fruit desputed with the poor town in the middle. Matters come to a head on Boxing Day (December 26) when Mapp decides to steal a longed for recipe that Lucia refuses to give to her.

Lucia stumbles on her rival in the kitchen and both women are swept out to sea on Lucia's kitchen table (yes, Lucia's kitchen table, this is a not a mis-type). The town mourns the two ladies as lost and the Great War of Mapp-Lucia as over.

Okay, enough said. You'll have to succumb to the collective charms of the ladies Mapp and Lucia yourself and find out all the bits I've left out. Now, I'm off hunt down and read the rest of E.F. Benson's wonderful books.

"Mapp & Lucia" is like reading Trollope's "Barchester Towers" with the gloves off. The teacup may be small, but the battles rumble like thunder on the bay. Lucia is incredible. She combines absolute self-absorption with ironclad charming resolve to succeed in her every endeavor. She really is wasted being queen of Society in a small English village when fulfilling the duties of Lord High Admiral would not cause her so much as a tiny frown.

Lucia is a newly minted widow in this hilarious outing. Her fires have been banked, and she is anxious to get back in the swing and show her mettle. She rents a house for the summer from the formidable Miss Elizabeth Mapp of Tilling. Miss Mapp is clearly the leader of society in Tilling and revels in her role. Lucia eyes the situation, and the lines are drawn in the most charming but resolute way possible Lucia is the richer of the two and possibly more clever, but Miss Mapp has some powerful advantages of her own. She has pride of place, a town full of quaking allies, and indomnable perseverance. When these two square off, the fun begins and doesn't let up.

This is a delightful read, a mood lifter of the first magnitude. "Mapp & Lucia" is my introduction to Lucia, and I cannot wait to further my acquaintance with this fascinating lady.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

E F Benson's characters are just sublimely and achingly funny, it seems with Mapp and Lucia he was aiming to scrutinise and satarise the nosensical heirarchy and rivalry of bored and over privelaged upper middle class folk.
This aspect of the British Class system was one he knew well and which was breathing it's last in the times in which Mapp and Lucia live, witness the somewaht irritating coldness with which the Ladies treat their Maids, Drivers and Shop staff.
Lucia is the dominant character, lithe, fashionable and razor sharp while Mapp is clumsy, mumsy and opts for bulldog tactics.
The two appear in many novels, Lucia more often and one cannot help wonder if she was based on a Lady whom Benson was ever so slightly in love with, but here they meet for the first time, as Lucia moves to "Tilling" for the summer in Mapps rented out home "Mallards". The array of colurful charcters they surround themselves with and draw into their delighfully bitchy and cunning war agaisnt each other, are of equal delight, of particualr note are Quaint Irene and Georgie. Perhaps seen as little more than bohemian in their day but doubtless these characters would now be seen as obviously Lesbain and Gay; with the former being in love with Lucia. A daring inclusion in Benson's time but subtle and beautifully inclusive one.
Fans of these deliciously naughty pair should see the 1986 TV series which is available on DVD. Geraldine McKewan (of current Miss Marple fame)is petite, pretty, acid and simply perfect as Lucia while Prunella Scales (Cybil of Fawlty Towers) brings Miss Mapp to dusty, dowdy and bullish life! Excellent stuff!
The series was filmed in Rye in Sussex, home town of Benson, it used many locations close to his home (Lamb House), such as the lovley houses of Watchbell Street (My favourite being No 11 which was used as Godiva's house) and "Twistevens" shop on Mermaid Street, actually a Tea Room in reality.
WELL WORTH A VISIT! Literature fans may also wish to know that Lamb House was once home to American novelist, Henry James before Benson's time. One can also visit Benson's Grave in the town. Benson was Lord Mayor of Rye for a while and the river "Tilling"-ton flows through the town.

Read these books and discover the truth. It's all there -- the vanity, greed, passion, jealousy, and exultation. Don't let the objects of all these towering emotions fool you (lobster recipes, psychic bridge, red currant fool, babytalk Italian, dead budgies, suspect gurus, the Moonlight Sonata), it is the stuff of life!

I particularly enjoyed the chapter" The Introvert's Networking Advantage". This chapter distinguishes this book from other networking books. Andrea tells you how to work out a practical networking plan without changing yourselves.

One of the best networking books on the market!
This book confirms the fact that when it comes for networking, relationships, social behaviour etc, women are better than men, as studies indicate, and this great book written by the "Queen of Networking" fully prove this.

Not only is this book worth a million dollars to businesses, we use it to coach and interview candidates who come to us seeking jobs in the arts and culture industry. People need to be proactive about their careers, and Neirenberg's networking strategies will become second nature and add to career success. We featured it in our Art Career Newsletter to raving reviews. Geri Thomas, President, artstaffing.com

What is the best way to grow your business, further your name recognition and meet new people all at the same time? Learn to effectively and efficiently network. Many people see networking as a burden but Nierenberg flips the script giving you motivation to get your networking on. MILLION DOLLAR NETWORKING is packed full of useful advice, time saving tips, along with all the how to's and what for's. Even though this book is stocked in the business section, it should be read by people looking for employment, business owners, and everyday people wanting more out of life.

MILLION DOLLAR NETWORKING is a follow-up to Nierenberg's "Nonstop Networking" but can easily be used as a stand alone and provides new information. The easy to read format, clever stories, and use-it-now ideas will increase your networking skills making you more marketable. Reading this book has provided keys to increasing my networking circle and I'm sure it will do the same for you.

Reviewed by:
Deltareviewer
Reviewing for Real Page Turners

We are not taught how to network in college, or perhaps anywhere else in our natural path of life. Well, this book teaches you all you wanted to know and much more. Even as a student and an introvert by nature, I have made contacts and developed meaningful friendships and professional relationships by using the tools from this book. Get this book, you will thank yourself!

This book has been very helpful. My 17 month old daughter is not a picky eater, but she gets moody with her food. One day she'd eat a plateful of green beans and grilled chicken, but a few days later she'd refuse to eat any of it, and throws them on the floor. I was running out of ideas for meals for her, because it seemed like she likes her meals to be different constantly. That was the reason I got this book. So far, she loves all the recipes that I've tried, and the recipes are super simple, healthy, quick, and easy.

Toddler Café is a very nice cookbook. If you are trying to get your kids interested in healthier menu items. My daughter (3) doesn't have a problem not eating healthy. I found the items to not be made in a timely fashion. I consider myself to be a learning chef and I have many ingredients on hand. If I was going to make these meals I would have to make sure that I pick recipes before I go to the grocery store. There are not many substitues for the type of things you need. If you don't have a problem doing those things then definately buy this book. Otherwise try something else.

My daughter is 16 months and not a bad eater but she seems to eat the same things over and over. I made the rice balls with beets and she loved them, as did I! I have also made the pumpkin ravioli and the pea pancakes. A word of advice, DON'T change the recipes. The author knows what she is doing. I tried to make the ravioli with baby food because I could not find frozen pumpkin and it was a disaster. I did however start to experiment with my own "toddler cafe" ideas. Some worked and some did not. I made potatoes pancakes in a mini muffin tin (so I did not have to fry them) and it worked GREAT! I can't wait until my daughter is a little older so she can make these fabulous recipes with me. Keep on cooking!

I discovered Toddler Cafe through a post on 101 [...] and ordered it right away. I have a 13 month old and am trying to introduce her to a variety of foods, flavors and textures. So far, we've tried chickadee chick pea cakes and rainbow rice balls. Give the girl plain old carrots on a plate and they end up rejected on the floor, but mix them up with lots of other goodies in chickpea cakes and they get eaten with great enthusiasm. Oh yes and 'dad' thought the rainbow rice was pretty yummy too! The book is full of lots of creative and interesting stuff and I'm looking forward to trying lots of things!

As a former early childhood educator, I was a little dismayed about the trend to sneak healthy foods into children's meals. In my years of working with young children, I found that their palates are much more sophisticated than we know.

By preparing a limited menu and keeping them out of the process, parents unwittingly create picky eaters who'll explode at anything but chicken fingers, cereal, and peanut butter sandwiches. If you cook yummy healthy meals, they will eat them! Of course, some foods might take a few tries and incarnations, but isn't that how you learned to love avocados, brussel sprouts, fish, and other formerly yucky stuff?

I love that Jennifer Carden has such respect for the littlest budding gourmets. I really enjoyed flipping through the inventive and inspired recipes in this book. Can't wait to try them out with my favorite tiny chefs!

There are a plethora of translations of Chinese classics out there, but please know that many of these "translations" are just "re-imaginings" of the original, i.e. the authors usually do not know Classical Chinese (let alone modern Chinese!).

Merton is one such "translater". This is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as one is aware that this does not strictly reflect the original text (although it may resemble it). What we have here is a picking over of existing translations of the Chuang-tzu and a recombination of them. This is often done with some artistic licence.

Merton is better than most in that he is somewhat sensitive to the original material. Things get vastly worse with translations of the Daodejing (for example, Ursula le Guins monstrous butchering). If you want a more accurate account of the Chuang-tzu then I recommend A.C. Grahams' expert translation which is a relatively successful facsimile of the Chinese original (given the difficulty of rendering Chinese into English anyway).

I am a recently retired teacher who for thirty-five years have begun every class (Theology, Sexuality, Physics, Chemistry, Math and in summers Arts and Crafts to kids 4-12 years old) with a sounding of small brass cymbals (Tibetan), a minute of silent breathing followed by a short reading from the Tao Te Ching, Emily Dickinson, a portion of the Sermon on the Mount, or the Way of Chuang Tzu by Thomas Merton.
I meet former students now pushing into their fifties who baldly admit that those moments have stayed with them all these years and they have included meditation as one of the most important activities in their lives.
Thomas Merton's Introductory Notes say it far better than I ever could and should be read .
I can only wholeheartedly recommend that you buy this book and keep it at your desk or bedside for a quick straightening out of your mind concerning what is really important in life.

If you have an interest in learning the deeper meanings of Tao then this is a book you must add to your collection. A seldom translated philosophy of poetic renderings are clearly detailed in the transliterations of Thomas Merton...the spirit of Tao is clearly revealed.

Like a fine wine, this collection is best consumed slowly. As it is clearly stated in the foreward, this is not a faithful reproduction of Chuang Tzu but a collection of personal and spiritual interpretations of his work. Readers that expected otherwise might consider reading the description of the book before purchasing it. It would seem embarassing to write a negative review of a product that goes in complete contradiction of the product's clear description and intentions.

Thomas Merton was a Trappist Monk who took a particular interest in Buddhism and Asian spirituality. Because Merton tragically died at a young age, we will never see a final product of this work. In "The Way of Chuang Tzu", Merton selects writings of Chuang Tzu which reflect a Christian mentality. Obviously, Chuang Tzu was not a Christian. However, this does not disqualify his writings to a Christian audience in any way. If the reader can go into this book with an open mind, he/she is likely to enjoy it. Those who are closed minded to this type of work which may seemingly blur the line between faiths according to their view may be outraged. I would strongly encourage open-mindedness.

This is a very good translation made by Tomas Merton of Chuang Tzu's works. This also gives a little bit of the view of Tomas Merton due to his Note to the Reader section and his specific selection of some of Chuang Tzu's writings to put in this book. This book has many good proverbs and stories written by Chuang Tzu which can be very enlightening and sometimes humorous. Chuang Tzu is one of the greats of Taoism but of course Lao Tzu takes the top position. If you are interested in the learning about the roots of Taoism you should check out this book and some about Lao Tzu also.

I love everything about this book--from the quotations sprinkled through each chapter to the upbeat message delivered by each chapter! Aunt Laya covers every possible issue and doesn't avoid the tough ones. This is a "Book of Wisdom" packed full of common sense and delivered with love. If I could give my tween and teen grandkids only one book, this would be the one! Highly Recommended!

my 16 year old niece swiped it and hasn't given it back and isn't about to. I would fight her for it , but it seems to be helping her with her troubles. What I did read was like talking to a good friend.

'YOU DON'T HAVE TO LEARN EVERYTHING THE HARD WAY: WHAT I WISH SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME'
by Aunt Laya Saul

I love to read - & also learn from - books on life skills, especially those that have come from the 'University of Hard Knocks'.

This particular book is one great example, & I must say that it certainly lives up to its secondary title, "What I Wish Someone Had Told Me".

Although it is intended for young adults, the book is definitely relevant to anyone who wants to make his or her life a grand project.

I would even say that this book is a distilled version of Napoleon Hill's 'Law of Success', since it covers a very broad spectrum of proven success principles, from A (accountability, action, assertiveness, etc.) all the way to Z (zestful living [take time to enjoy; connecting with loved ones], zen [be quiet, just listen], etc.).

What I like most about the book as a reader/reviewer is the author's deliberate prefacing of key sections or passages of each chapter of the book with pointed questions for introspection.

From the way I see it, especially for a young adult venturing into a fast-paced, rapidly-changing turbulent world, this intended pause as envisaged by the author certainly serves as a strategic reminder of one's constant need to probe, reflect & ponder before making the next move.

Also, the author's writing style is succinct, with warmth & candour, especially when she touches on sensitive topics like BGR (boy-girl relationship), sex, alcohol/drug abuse & even suicide.

From the standpoint of reader friendliness, the book is spiced with many inspiring stories ['The Butterfly Story' is great!] & interesting anecdotes [I like "Be Nice"], as well as jam-packed with wise & witty quotations [e.g. "Anyone who thinks they can't make a difference hasn't been alone in a room with a mosquito"] to drive home the author's overall message that life is what you make of it.

In other words, life is a life-long do-it-yourself project.

Also, success is a function of 'The One Per Cent Adjustment', to paraphrase the author.

This book will readily serve as your appropriate field guide. As the author puts it, "this book is about mapping some of the terrain of life & showing you a few hot spots."

Her choice of 'Attitude' as the beginning segment, 'Gaining Attitude' towards the end, plus A Final Word with 'The World is Your Oyster', is refreshingly apt for a book on life skills.

I always hold the view that attitude is the #1 success attribute for anyone who wants to survive & thrive in the 21st century.

Overall, I have really enjoyed perusing this wonderful book, & I reckon this is partly fueled by the author's oft use of short staccato bursts of sentence crafting, which makes reading a breeze.

For companion reading, I would recommend Sean Covey's '7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens' & 'The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make: A Guide for Teens'.

After just finishing an extremely rough sophomore year, i desperately wanted someone to talk to and get advice from. I never expected that that "someone" would turn out to be a book, but it was.

"You Don't Have To Learn Everything the Hard Way" by Aunt Laya Saul is an inspirational and realistic book that truly touched my heart. It was like a heart to heart talk with the aunt i never had, but always wanted. It gave me hope for life and helped me realize that i will get out of my little "slump", i just have to believe that. I may not be able to stop hardships from occurring, but Aunt Laya helped me see that i can change my attitude and way of dealing with them, when they do occur. Even on the darkest days, there is always light, and now i see it too.

Aunt Laya talks very realistically and shares many stories that have a huge impact. I will carry those stories with me for the rest of my life and i will pass them on to others. This book should be read by everyone. Young or Old. Guy or Girl. Everyone. It is a book that sticks with you for the rest of your life. I am 15 years old and i am very glad that i read this book. My future looks a lot brighter because of it. If you have not read it, read it. If you have read it, read it again! ~*KJ*~

This book was written primarily for young people. I am a middle aged parent of children aged 9 - 26 and a grandparent of 2. Aunt Laya speaks to all readers, young and old. She speaks with wisdom and respect and from a place of understanding. Reading this book was more than a place to receive advice and information. The reading itself was something experiential for me. It covers so much necessary stuff - stuff not too many think about until it's too late. I highly recommend this book for teens, their parents and even their grandparents. I believe it should be required reading for school counselors. It is excellent material for workshops. Adults can gain a lot by taking note of Aunt Laya's approach when addressing young people. After all, we want more than to talk AT our kids. Aunt Laya does a wonderful job at being the voice that gets heard.

I loved this book! Kooky Anne Davis had me in stitches as she struggles to deal with an insidious lawsuit, a mother that seems to hate her, and off-the-wall new agers. When she aligns herself with channeler Fran Baker, it looks like everything will turn out alright--but that wouldn't be much fun would it? Anne, along with adorable surfer-dude Wolfe, go head-to-head with worldly and other worldly forces, get scratched and bruised along the way, but come out all the better for it. Can't wait for the next adventure!

This book was such a fun read. Even if you are not involved in metaphysics there is much to be enjoyed here. More than once I laughed until I cried. I found the characters very believable and the situations (for those of us involved in metaphysics) to be realistic. Although this book is fun, there are also object lessons not unlike those we have all experienced in our own lives. I really like Anne. She is a delightful character who has embarked on an adventure beyond her wildest imaginings and whose life will never be the same again. To relate to her and her situations was very easy. Go with the flow, follow intuition and know that all the right people will be in the right place at the right time, even if it doesn't seem like it at first. For those who are interested in reading a lighthearted metaphysical journey I strongly recommend this book.

I was really drawn in by this book. I loved Anne's adventure and the nuts she meets and gets involved with. Dr. Reubin and his drumming circles was a hoot! It was fun to follow Anne on her journey trying to figure out what happened at Midhaven, while she does her best to improve her spiritual foundation. But, she's like a lot of us, putting all her faith in what sounds and looks good only to find out that she's been duped. I loved the Sedona trip and Wolfe's airhead philosophy. All in all a good time!

Wow, what a fun book! I really enjoyed Anne's antics as she feverishly tries to figure out how to handle a devastating lawsuit that she suspects has something to do with her scheming mother. As she searches for answers with her new cohorts in the new age community, she finds comfort under the wing of channeler Fran Baker. Fran seems to be the answer to all of Anne's problems....
I really liked Anne's relationship with surfer hunk Wolfe and the bizarre Dr. Reubin. Through it all, Anne rises to her challenges.

This book left me wanting more. Anne is such a screwball and the people she gets involved with are so looney that you have to sit back and enjoy the ride. First rate entertainment!

What a fun book, I laughed throughout this book as I could relate to so many of Anne's personal experiences. Her journey as a naive young girl into the realm of the New Age Movement brought back many memories of my own trek through this world. Anne explores magic, tarot, channeling, drumming, spirit guides, animal guides, drugs, conspiracy theories, spiritual gurus, sacred sites and just about anything you can imagine "new age". I found myself laughing numerous times as I remembered my own spiritual dramas. I recommend this book for everyone searching for understanding within the New Age community.

This book is a must-read for a solid network marketing education. Mike Stokes

Easy to read. Author is real and knows what he is about. Full to the brim with tips and knowledge

berna_derek@yahoo.com

John Kalench's book is now the corner stone provided for all UK Nikken Independent Distributors. He himself saw how good being a Nikken Distributor was and this, in over 20yrs of training many MLM distributors was the only Company that attracted him. He joined in 1994.

It is a great shame that he died in May 2000, however, with great books like this being available his memory will live on.

I've read mine 3 times and keep it close to hand as an easy source of reference. Sort out your life - this book will show you how.

Enjoy your order. Derek Ford

Perth, WA

John Kalench was one of the best MLM Trainers in the Industry! I've read this book more than 5 times throughout the last 3 years, and I must say most of the content is still relevant for today's sophisticated networkers.

However the only reason I gave it 4 stars is because it has NOT included any Blow-By-Blow Exposé of the techniques real life Master Networkers would use to change the beliefs and behavior of their prospects.

I met John Kalench before he died of cancer. What a 'down to earth' successful man! His goal was to have one million friends in his lifetime and I'm sure he did just that...I was one. I was inspired by his book and encouraged to dream again and help others acheive their dreams. There's so much to learn from John and this book. He is very motivational and has lived his concepts. This book would benefit any self-employed, direct sales person or just the person who wants to learn how to dream big dreams again and inspire others! I even has his autograph in my own book:)

I normally consider myself a non-reader, but I was at a point in my life that things were changing very quickly and I need to know about the journey I was on. When I began the book, I asked myself "How will I know when I am reading about myself?" It happened in chapter five when my eyes welled up. I knew then as it described who I used to be and validated to me that my journey was on the path of maturity. I read two thirds of the book on the first day, a major event for a non-reader. The book captured me and enlightened me.

This is one of five books ever written that everyone in the universe needs to read; This book tackles the question of what it means to be a mature adult, no "ifs ands or buts". In this book, Beecher and Beecher answer the question that every adult has asked himself, "What is wrong with ____ (fill in the blank with someone you can't stand)?!", and the question that every adult should ask himself, "What kind of person do I need to be and how do I get there?". This book was required reading in one of my undergraduate psychology classes and I recommend it to anyone who wants to become a better person--really. I also recommend it to therapists doing insight-oriented group or individual therapy (either as a whole or taken in chapters).
Overall, the book is filled with memorable witty-isms (the potentate who carpeted his entire kingdom because he couldn't stand walking on rough ground--why not just wear shoes on your own feet?) that you will find yourself recounting long after you have read the last page.

Well, the answer depends on who you are and what you're bringing to the reading of this book.

Having gone to Oberlin College in the late 80's (the heyday of "political correctness" and ground zero for that movement, in fact) I am well-acquainted with "liberal" views on life, society and personal responsibility. Lots of noble notions, not much pragmatism or self-evaluation. If you're a die-hard student of the P.C. movement, this book will offend you, even freak you out. Kryptonite! Why? Because it reminds you that YOU are primarily (nay, entirely) responsible for your sense of happiness and direction in life. Which you'd think would be self-evident enough, but somehow isn't to people who are used to blaming others for their woes instead of examining their own premises first. Check your premises!

Political Correctness plays strip poker with this book and loses, ends up buck naked, an emperor with no clothes. BSAF is a superb antidote to P.C. because in a matter of a few short chapters, it very effectively strips away common illusions about what makes us miserable in life and who's responsible for this phenomenon, based on its roots (no finger-pointing allowed anymore). It's a challenging read! But if you're ready to move beyond demanding that others help you realize your best self, and ready to start demanding that growth of YOURSELF, you'll find this book is pure gold, a very effective tool for shifting your consciousness towards enhanced self-reliance.

I don't say that lightly, because I've read dozens of "self-help" books, been in therapy, even been prescribed anti-depressants. I wish I'd found this book first! It's a page-turner, a quick read, but very potent. It really truly did change my life. I read it again six months later and it had improved with age. If you suffer from bona fide clinical depression (for example) or some other truly severe challenge, keep your therapist around. If however you are among what the profession calls "the worried well," then wrap up your sessions, get off the Zoloft (or Prozac or whatever) and READ THIS BOOK. With a cheap paperback version in print, you have nothing to lose.

FYI...
1) The current edition graciously omits the somewhat noxious and outdated chapter on homosexuality that existed in the original version. Otherwise, though, the book has aged remarkably well. In fact, you could almost believe it was written in the mid-Nineties in response to P.C. rather than in the Sixties as it was. It still packs a wise, timeless punch.
2) The book is based heavily on Adlerian psychology, which is very much about the individual and self-reliance.
3) It's not a detailed "how-to" book (which is why I'm giving it 4 stars rather than 5)-- it's big on ideas, but a little short on practical solutions for self-improvement, and might leave you wondering "Now what?" In that case, you may find that books like "Feeling Good" by Burns or "Awaken The Giant Within" by Robbins (no, really) offer you more pragmatic advice.

Kryptonite or gold? It's up to you now.

Well Well. The greatest book for those that can't find good feedback; and those hopelessly lost in self-help mantras and the like. Before you give me a story, realize that I see it as such. I hate stories! I can't care! Understand that you are trying to get a free ride; avoid paying your share (our national pastime?) and blaming others. You Lose! Read this book and see the ugly truth!

I first read this book 30 years ago. I am still reading it! Its' words cut like a two edge sword through all self delusion. It helps to bring the reader back to a realistic, "doable in the now" approach to life. I don't think I've ever read another book that was such a bitter pill for my ego and yet the positive effects on my life are still occuring. I knew Willard and he embodied the principles he wrote about. He somehow transmitted peace and serenity to whomever was in his presence. I still to this day use him as a standard from which to judge myself. Because words without the embodiment of their meaning are worthless. I not only highly recommend the book I recommend reading it as many times as necessary to find that place inside you that Willard describes in the introduction of the book as the eye of the hurricane where the sun is shining and the birds are singing!