Health Books

I have read two of her books now and neither of them were at all disapointing. She revels her whole self in this book and I find it amazing that she was able to get through all of what happen to her. It was intresting to see how her work with the young boy brought up her old baggage and she was able to make it through that. Very good book and hard to put down.

Annie's realization that "healing is always two-sided" seems to capture the heart and soul of the therapeutic relationship. Her artfully written narrative shows how "what has been wounded in a relationship must be, after all, healed in a relationship."

Her healing therapeutic relationships--both as a therapist and as a client--help Annie begin to move beyond the damage of her past traumatic relationships. Annie convincingly demonstrates the therapist's own sense of vulnerability has the potential to bring either tragic harm or human healing to the client. She beautifully summarizes this realization with her advice to therapists: "If it is possible to remain open to our fears and make reparations for our mistakes, our vulnerability can be used in the service of healing."

At its best it reminded me strongly of I Never Promised You A Rose Garden, in that it shows the healing relationship between an excellent therapist and a disturbed female patient. This book had the added benefit of having the patient/author also be a therapist, and while being healed herself doing a marvelous job of participating in the healing of a young boy whose problems are remarkably similar to her own.

The book was beautifully written, very open and revealing, and gentle in its nature. I also was grateful to hear the author write of her experiences with a TERRIBLE therapist, who, for self-protection, violated therapeutic boundaries left and right and essentially drove the author mad.

A few criticisms:
1) I found annoying the authorýs rambling free associations when she was psychotic. Itýs like, she seemed to be trying to be literary and give the reader an idea of what was going through her mind, but I think she could have come up with a more coherent, descriptive and readable way of doing it than spouting out word-noise. It reminded me of the Keseyýs dull ramblings about the ýfogý and the ýmachineý in Cuckooýs Nest. I tended to skim/skip over these parts.

2) I canýt help but wonder what really motivates a person like Annie Rogers to bare her soul to an audience. Granted, she wrote a wonderful and interesting book that contributes to the writing on psychotherapy, but I still think itýs suspect, like to some degree she sold herself out. I find a real beauty and self-respect in anonymity, especially for a psychotherapist, so when someone voluntarily gives it up, I canýt help but question why. (Grandiosity? Career enhancement? Shaming her bad therapist? Getting her good therapist to love her more ý and to live up to his prophesy?ýor perhaps just ýlook, mommy, see how great I am!ý)

3) I also find it suspect that her ýgreatý final therapist pushed her so hardýyet so subtlyýto become a writer. What was in it for him to mold her as such?

Harvard child psychologist and severe child abuse survivor Annie Rogers suffered psychiatric hospitalizations once or twice a year from puberty until her late twenties -- when, after a six year insidiously inept and crazymaking "therapy," an attempt to stab and shoot that therapist and one last hospitalization for another word salad psychosis (and no more insurance), her exceptional and no doubt desperate sister and friends found the gifted and pro bono analyst Dr. Blumenfeld. If this exceptional memoir hasn't become a classic must read in psychology with many reviews by both patients and therapists by now, there are unfortunate reasons. One is that Annie's politically correct adolescence shows in her disdain for the "medical models and diagnoses" Dr. Blumenfeld himself could afford to abandon only because he knew them and the blind therapists who live by them so well -- and thus could authentically reach and stabilize the talented and brilliant, borderline and psychotic personality and doctoral intern Annie. "You have a kind of giftedness, Annie, that probably has always been inseparable from your suffering, and we don't know very much about that yet." What we need now is a wonderful book from the exceptional and sainted Dr. Blumenfeld and more from the healed and gifted writer Dr. Rogers on the two sided magic of play therapy with children. You must meet Annie's beloved "oppositional" 5 year old patient Ben and ponder the 7 foot angel "Theosporus" who protected and accompanied Annie from age 6 to Dr. Blumenfeld's office at 27. A Shining Affliction raises more questions than it answers -- it might have been twice as long, and it's hard to tell if important details were deliberately or unconsciously left out. As it is, it's a daring memoir by a once psychotic Harvard child psychologist that should be a controversial must read classic in both child and adult psychotherapy.

I began this book because I am a student of Annie's. I could not put it down, feeling like I myself was becoming somehow involved with her relationship with Ben (the 5 year old boy with brown hair and bangs). I felt like I was getting inside both Annie and Ben while watching the beautiful way in which they interacted. I could not be in the room with this book without wanting to read on into the relationship that evolves. The personal aspect of the patient-therapist relationship becomes the center focus as does Annie's life outside of these interactions with Ben. The reflection, time, energy, and exposure that is demonstrated by the author in this book was by far the best I have ever seen. This has become my favorite book, one that I will never live without, and also one that will remind me of what I want to do with my life and how to do it.

In a world in which "parable" has been reduced to trite and trivial, Blumberg has achieved the remarkable-- a powerful story that teaches a great lesson on what happens when work overwhelms life. Blumberg is a talented writer who also keeps the pace moving and characters believable. I have recommended this book to many! It also mirrors my belief in the power of choice as seen in two of my books: Work for a Living & Still Be Free to Live and Gifts from the Mountain:Simple Truths for Life's COmplexitites.

Bottom line: read it!

This book is a quick read with very simple message. While we are all busy working hard at our jobs, or trying to find one -- often we forget to reflect on our lives and people around us. In our search of money, comfort and race for a success, we forget about our families, genuine friends and life issues that are truly important. The book will be a gentle reminder to all readers to stop, reflect and re-assess life priorities. We will be reminded that we all have to realize that life is about serving others around us, just stopping for a minute and enjoying the simple moments in life, dedicating our energy to people and causes that make our life more rich and fulfilling. In another word, money and success is not everything. There are higher responsibilities in life and we have to take charge of making sure they happen, because no one else will.

I can only put this book down long enough to write this review. I left corporate 2 years ago to follow my purpose. It's the best thing I've ever done. I know that the overall outcome of the work I do is benefiting the planet. However, even I still forget to look around and take in what's important. I picked this book up in the airport... I had 3 other books in my bag, I didn't need another one. But this one leapt out at me and I'm sure a little angel had something to do with it.

I on the other hand, couldn't put this down and had to finish it in one reading. I'm glad I took time out of my busy life to do that! A great reminder that life is way too short, and a super script on creating the tools to get to the heart of your life. You'll know how to go about finding your passion, which can be easier said than done in our information overloaded world. A must read for the smarter, harder, fast trackers.

While an easy read, it is not a book to be read in one night. This thought provoking and life altering experience through the eyes of a high strung, bottom line driven personality will resonate with all individuals seeking a better way.

Choose which is most important to you. If is is God and your faith first, family second, job third, you may well be on your way to a truly successful lifestyle. Consider the alternative of an empty, greedy, bottom line way of life. How many true friends do you find there? How many "friends" will be there in your greatest time of need?

These and many other moral and ethical questions can be answered if you take the time to search yourself. Read slowly and deliberately.

You may just find the person you lost so many years ago.

What I luv about this book is that it tells you what to expect from traditional medicine and what you can do for yourself through herbal and homeopathy. Very thorough and easy to find information in the index.

Great book with lots of choices on how proactive you want to be with your health. Good information to read before going to the doctors, or making alternative lifestyle choices for your well being. Doesn't push one method over another, just the facts. Great reference book for any home.

This book is a wonderful guide to maintaining good health. It embraces Western Medicine, Chinese Medicine, Natural Remedies, and Nutrition.

This book is great. It gives you a variety of solutions to your health issues that fits you individually. It helps you make informative decisions regarding your health. I originally bought Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child. I was happy to find the same version for adults. Great Buy - Helps you determine if your condition merits your own personal care or a physicians.

I got this book and the one for our kids, my husband woke up with a stye in his eye a couple of days after receiving this book. He wanted to run to the Dr., I asked him to wait and followed the instructions the book provided, i like how it gave us many different ways to treat it. I used the homeopathic way and in a day and a half it was gone, it went from this horrible red, bloodshot eye to normal!!Amamzing, my mainstrean husband was very impressed. I really enjoy this book it gives me the power to heal our aliments in a healthy way and I save on the co-pays at the dr. office:)

Hello avid readers of true stories. I appreciated The State Boy's Rebellion, as I too was a victim of the mental health system when I was 8 years old. I remained institutionalized for 10 years; even though authorities were informed I was not retarded. Like the kids in The State Boys Rebellion, I was deprived of my civil liberties, denied an education, and horribly abused. If you want to read a remarkable story of the human spirit to survive horrific odds, read my true story. You'll be glad you did.
Charles A. Carroll, Author, Victim/Victim's Advocate
HARD CANDY: Nobody Ever Flies Over the Cuckoo's Nest

A must read for anybody. I am currently employed at one of the said institutions in MA and heard of this book through a co-worker. I have worked here for over 20 years, long after they stopped admitting people. The residents that currently reside there get the best of care available and the staffing ratios way outnumber the amount of clients residing here. I am in no way condoning what happened to Freddie and all the other state children, I just wonder how some of the residents would have turned out if not institutionalized. My supervisor and I have roamed through the old dormitories and found a wealth of info and pictures. Some of the pics show young children about Freddies admission age that looked scared to death, it brought tears to my eyes to think of what these poor kids went through and reading Freddie's story helped me better understand just exactly why these children were admitted. When I started working here, over 1,000 residents lived here, now we have under 300 and the remaining people really do benefit from the care they receive. I just could not comprehend why some of the residents were there 20 years ago, now I know. My family has welcomed in a former resident in the shared living program and it has been benificial to both him and my family. After reading the "State Boys Rebellion", my only regret is that I never got to meet Freddie Boyce. In my eyes, he and all the other state children are true heroes for surviving the great injustice done to them. In closing, I have to truly say that I have been humbled.

Michael D'Antonio has provided us with a very interesting book that he has subtitled "The Inspiring True Story of American Eugenics and the Men Who Overcame It". There is no doubt that he cares tremendously for his subject, but this is not a comprehensive history of the Eugenics movement or even of the the State Boys Rebellion at the Fernald School for the Feebleminded.

From a journalistic perspective, this is a tremendous piece of writing & investigation. Evaluating the events primarily through the eyes of Fred Boyce, the author skillfully weaves in the stories of fellow inmates at the Fernald school and the events leading up to the rebellion. Unfortunately, the key point that I see as the "rebellion" only gets about 4 pages of treatment, with regular references to the people involved in the riot throughout the rest of the book. Boyce's life is traced up through the time when the book was written, and is a compelling story.

From a historical standpoint, although there is no clear thesis, the book obviously was written to educate the reader about the Fernald school and a few key residents that were able to make great strides in their lives and lead a relatively "normal" life after being released from the institution. The most interesting argument the author presents is that some of the medical experiments conducted within the confines of the Fernald school were reflective of Cold War America, where government aims included furthering science in an effort to find a way to defeat the Communists.

Overall, this is a very interesting book and an easy read. The story is enthralling, and keeps the reader entertained throughout. If the reader is looking for a comprehensive story of the American Eugenic movement, this is not the book; I believe there are probably better scholarly works out there that address eugenics in America. I would recommend this as a book to start one's understanding of eugenics and how this one school in the Boston area plays into the bigger picture.

I never gave the imposing Fernald School campus much thought, even though the house I shared with my friends was literally across the street from the large brick buildings. It was not until I researched the effects of radiation on soldiers during the Cold War that I learned Fernald's dirty secrets. I immediately bought this book, and it filled me with rage and despair. D'Antonio's style is not preachy, nor does he editorialize. He allows the recollections of those who were there to speak for him. Wherever he can, he uses several sources to shade each event, from conversations with the boys, to the memories of the staff members, to the cold, un-enlightening medical records from the school. As others have said, the story ends not in misery but in triumph. It is a cautionary tale about society's complacency and willingness to let the horrors of our past remain behind the locked doors of our crumbling institutions.

The State Boys Rebellion tells the story of the Fernald State School in Massachusetts. Michael D'Antonio does a great job of telling the story through the eyes of Freddie Boyce, a child that grew up in Fernald. The story is quite chilling, specially to those of us who did not live through that time period. It is disgraceful that we, the United States actually started Eugenics, although I was taught in school that Nazi Germany was the creator. This book should remind us that as a society, we sometimes leave out the bad stuff our forefathers did, even if they meant no harm. I would highly reccomend this book to anyone, but it will touch the heart of anyone with a child who is considered "special".

Do you to want to -maybe- get strong as a side effect of bodybuilding, or do you want to -get- strong? This is the program for getting strong. Genetic pre-dispositon, sport-specific skill training, & dietary manipulation will deterine whether you are a football lineman or Mr America, but this is the program either way, at least for now,(thus the 'Starting' part of the title).

This book contains great information, is motivational and---with a dry wit that clearly comes from much experience---very funny in places. The style is direct, practical, and easy to read. There is stuff in here that is pretty technical, but also very useful, like the extended analysis of deadlift form, and there is also a lot of philosophy. You'll find yourself reading this stuff and then wanting to head to the gym to try it out.

With this book, plus Starting Strength, you'll be prepared mentally and physically to use strength training just to be strong, to help in whatever sport you do and to make your life better.

Finally, this book has some utterly hilarious comments about cyclists and strength training. As a road biker, I agree that the cycling community as a whole just doesn't get why strength training matters. However, after starting to lift at age 52 (and never touched a barbell before) I definitely get it. The cycling improvements are obvious and it works -exactly- as described in this book: You can ride harder, longer because you're working at a lower percentage of your total strength.

You also have less fatigue on the bike because every muscle in your body has been strengthened so that holding a cycling position is easier. Training time is greatly reduced because 30 minutes of lifting is FAR more effective than 30 minutes of cycling. You still have to build base miles, but the requirement is greatly reduced, leading to a more efficient training schedule.

an interesting read. great tips on lifting as well as some prudent observations on people who lift. also a superb motivator. its one you'll probably read twice. i'll buy anything mr rippetoe writes at this point.

A really good book. I have to say the book is too advanced for me at my level, but I am still learning a LOT. And the best part is, this book is actually fun to read! I actually find myself really enjoying his style and sense of humor. If you're looking to be educated and entertained - a true rarity - you should really get this book.

Note that it does focus a lot on squats, deadlifts, and building muscle, and tends to "look down" on long distance running. I consider it a valuable perspective in today's environment which is so focused on cardio, distance running, pilates, etc. This is just good old fashioned brawn-based muscle building. I also really like that it focuses on hard work - things that are hard are good for you, and we do tend to avoid things that are hard.

Really - a must have for anyone serious about building muscle or even just getting into good shape.

I've just finished Strong Enough? and I have to say that I found it to be an incredibly informative and entertaining read. I am a practicing Chiropractor and have been involved in serious weight training for over 10 years. I have a background in exercise physiology with a BS degree in Kinesiology and a coaching endorsement from my undergrad university. My personal philosophies of health include a combination of Chiropractic care with regular weight training exercise. I honestly feel that a great many of today's health care problems could be prevented by this combination. I will be recommending to my patients who are engaging in athletic endeavors and weight training in general to read this book, along with Rippetoe's other works, Starting Strength and Practical Programming.

Coach Rippetoe is able to provide a wealth of information that is both advanced enough for the academic as well as being clear and concise enough for the general public. He does a fantastic job of conveying the importance of weight training, and doing so properly. Along with this, he's got quite the sense of humor. More times than I can count I found myself laughing along with a passage as I was reading.

Strong Enough? is a rare find in this world of popular "fitness" magazines and bodybuilding rags that preach the same tired (and largely ineffective) routines time and time again. I find myself reading along and thinking to myself, "I've told people this same information so many times! Why don't they get it?" It's refreshing to find someone willing to set the topic of weight training straight for a change. Instead of misleading the general public with ineffective routines alongside pictures of chemically enhanced models/"athletes" and an equal amount of advertising copy, Coach Rippetoe puts the information out there in clear terms. But this book doesn't include a canned workout that readers can just pluck out of the pages and implement into their gym time. This book offers a unique commentary on the past and present state of strength training. Offering his personal thoughts over a long and successful career as a strength coach, Rippetoe gives readers something new to think about. This is true for novice, intermediate, advanced and elite lifters alike. In the rare chance that there is nothing in this book that is new to the reader, at the very least it is a useful reminder of some very important concepts. And that alone is worth the price of the book.

Adding in some wit and humerous commentary to the generous dose of common sense makes this a fun, quick and easy read. I think that anyone who trains with weights should have a copy of this book on their shelf or in their gym bag. I know that I will be recommending it to my patients, and anyone else who is involved in weight training.

Thanks for writing your books, Rip.

This is simply the best book on how men grieve that is out there!
If it were possible to give this book 20 stars, I would rate it at 20 stars.

Whether you're a man that's finding it hard to work through your grief, or if you're a female that's at a loss as to how to help the man you love as he grieves, this is THE book.

9 years ago, my brother in law was murdered by his own son. I watched my husband grieve for his brother with huge amounts of worry, thinking that he was stuffing his grief and anger, and simply not dealing with the whole issue. This book helped me to see that men grieve so differently at times than women do. So much so that after reading this book, I was much more at ease with how my husband, and my three boys were dealing with this huge, pain filled loss.

I cannot express how much this book not only helped my husband and boys to work through the grieving process, but how much it helped me to understand and recognize the differences in how men and women grieve.
After reading this book, I found that much of my fear and anxiety over whether or not my husband was actually dealing with his brother's death had disappeared.

I cannot express how much this book not only helped my husband and boys to work through the grieving process, but how much it helped me to understand and recognize the differences in how men and women grieve.
After reading this book, I found that much of my fear and anxiety over whether or not my husband was actually dealing with his brother's death had disappeared.

I actually came to write this review because I needed to see if this book might be available here on Amazon, after hearing that my nephew is still having trouble with grief over the death of his father by his brother's hand. That shows how much of an impression this book made on me almost a decade ago.

This book is beyond invaluable to everyone out there that has suffered a loss. The best praise I can give this book is, "Buy it! You will not be disappointed!"

Recommend this book to any man who has recently experienced the death of a loved one...and to anyone who knows a man going through this. This discusses how men grieve (different then womyn)and what works for men. It provides a window to understanding the process for a man.

A must read and I recommend having him speak to your group. "Tested in reality results" that are aligned with my own experience of working with men over 10 years.

Martin Brossman

Thomas R. Golden's "Swallowed by a Snake" is by far one of the best books on grief that I have ever read. And because the book is primarily geared towards those with a masculine style of grieving (activity and future-oriented), as a man, I could immediately identify with what Golden had to say.

This book is very readable and could be helpful to anyone (man or woman) who has more of a masculine orientation to their grieving style. It is not biased towards any particular religios pursuasion but at the same time, could be thought of as very spiritual. I recommend it as an addition to any church, synagogue, or mosque library collection.

As a reader, it was quite obvious to me that Golden "knew his stuff" when it came to the topic of masculine grief. His many years of experience in grief counseling and his own grieving process helped shape this very powerful, highly communicative, and empathetic book.

I recommend "Swallowed by a Snake: The Gift of the Masculine Side of Healing" especially to readers who have been recently bereaved (either through death or some other loss). But I also recommend it to those who are revisiting a loss that might have occurred years ago.

This is one of those books you probably will have trouble putting down.

I found out about this book from my pastor. He said it would help and it did. The book offers a map of grief. It shows what it is, the path it takes, what makes it worse or better and importantly what we do to get through it. I needed a map and I got it.

The best thing about this book was that it affirmed the actions that I have been taking after the death and showed me, as a man, how that was actually a way of healing. This book is a breath of fresh air compared to the more feminine you gotta "talk and cry" kinds of books. I had been getting pressure from my wife and others about not dealing with things. This book has helped me explain to them that I am indeed dealing with things but in my own way. This would be a great book for women to help them understand the men they love.

Don't be confused by all of the references to "This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title." The second edition on this page IS the same as the first edition PLUS an extra section. All of the comments on this page refer to both editions. I was confused about this and checked with the publisher before buying.

very good,worth reading,written by various people.....
enjoyable,gets you thinking,nice photographs too.
As you may or may not know African coyly hair is quite unique in vision, texture, behaviour and probably in chemical make up too. Coily haired women around the world, go to the most extremes in terms of spending.
(Spending time, spending pain and the spending price to have African coily hair styled)
A hairstyle that we believe looks good or will help us to become socially and economically advanced.
Or maybe for our own self-esteem and maybe to attract the charms of a love interest. Either way your hair is a reflection of the state of your consciousness, your internal beliefs and your relationship with the world.

This book is like having group therapy or interviewing other women,but it is not all black women's views.I am reviewng it because I think it is worth a read.

As you may or may not know African coily hair is quite unique in vision, texture, behaviour and probably in chemical make up too. Coily haired women around the world, go to the most extremes in terms of spending.
(Spending time, spending pain and the spending price to have African coily hair styled)
A hairstyle that we believe looks good or will help us to become socially and economically advanced.
Or maybe for our own self-esteem and maybe to attract the charms of a love interest.
Either way, psychologically and philosophically I believe that your hair is a reflection of the state of your consciousness, your internal beliefs and your relationship with the world.
What about exploring physics through african hair?
For example how much pressure, gravity and tension and tearing do we put our hair through by combing it?
let alone excessive harsh combing.
Mathematically speaking how many of you readers can tell me how many curls/coils per inch your hair has, and does it vary in coil and moisture?
Next question:When does the nature of the hair change and why?
(i know it does!)
It seems to me all these books on afro hair are good and I welcome it, but we still need to be more informed and they all seem to need better editing, just like Black American beauty magazines.I must campaign for better grammar and less air brushed photos!!!
It is as if we like to see ourselves falsely rather than the reality of what we are...
Black women need to demand more scientific reasoning from our books and be less competitive over black men which only fuels their egos and as a result probably creates more baby-mothers!!!
Sorry but I had to vent out my opinions.

I give this book four stars for the effort and time invested as a writer I know it takes time...
I maintain that it is still worth reading,more than any carcinogenic chemical so called hair treatment that you pay for.

Anyway what do I know I am a black african british woman!!!!
Most of you Americans think we in Britain have no trains or any kind of progressive development!!!
Anyway if I wrote my book answering my questions that I put to you how many of you would buy it?

This is a wonderful book for anyone who would like to explore the issues that Black women face vis a vis our hair from a variety of viewpoints; not just the "politicaly correct" ones.

The book was all that, very positive, and at times emotional (I'm thinking of the passage where a father is trying to figure out how to braid his daughter's hair since her mother is across the country. His trying, and eventually getting it right, turned into bonding sessions for them. It was beautiful.) Of course the book had my favorite culture critic, bell hooks, and as usual she gave me a new persepective: to look at the whole "perm" phenomena as initiation into womanhood. Just about any Black woman who was on the brink of adolescence and was dying to get a perm should relate to that. I did. That's what this book does, it helps Black women to see just how similar our trials have been with our hair; and it's not just a generational thing. Black women from 50 to 80 years ago had the same issues and thoughts Black teenagers have today. Everyone remembers hot combs and Goody pink rollers and Royal Crown grease. Looking back many women had feelings of remembered pain, and not just from the burns on the tips of their ears and on their scalps, but inside their hearts for our collective struggle with an unattainable beauty standard.
What I also admired about this book was that it touched on the subject of hair and erotic intimacy. There was a whole section devoted to hearing the responses of Black women and men when confronted with the bedroom question: Can I run my fingers through your hair? It showed a depraved relation to our hair. In order to get and keep that salon fresh look, sleek and shiny, it must not be touched (by you and most especially your lover). Hair does not bring pleasure in the sense of us luxuriating in how it feels. How can you when it's not even yours? Weave. A woman tells the story of a young man with whom she was getting intimate with, and he wanted to run his fingers through her seemingly long shiny tresses. The moment was interrupted when he felt the hard tracks on her scalp before she could effectively slap his touch away. "You have to train these men early," another woman admonishes, "not to touch the hair." A man married for over 20 years complains of his wife's hair roller pins always poking him when she's "going down on him." He also hates, but has gotten used to, her wearing a head scarf anytime they make love. It is described in the book as Black folks having perpetual menege trios, he, she, and the head scarf. Another man wakes up to his girlfriend's "100% Korean Hair" all over the bed and floor after an especially heated night; he later ends up paying $200 dollars to have it all put back in again. The women speak of not even wanting to touch their own hair, refering to it being "hard as a rock" from gels and hair sprays. It's all in the name of a certain look, the processed one. (It's this look that lured their mates in the first place right?) It's sad that Black women talk about orchestrating certain sex positions around not messing up their fresh 'do. "You don't even think about it after while." They compensate not allowing their men to touch their hair with confidence and boldness in their performance, "It's so good he won't even be thinking about touching my hair."

I love this book. It isn't just politics or just us behind closed doors. Every possible reference to what is done to our hair is mentioned, even going bald. A Muslim woman opened my eyes to how not showing her hair takes away from having to compete for attentions based on beauty standards of hair, by being above them. It reminds us that as women, we shouldn't let physical beauty define us, even though most times it does, and we let it. "Ms. Strand" tells her tale with humor, cultural criticism, African storytelling, and 'round tha way truthfulness, barring nothing from the conversation. Truly, Tenderheaded should not be passed over.

I expected to really enjoy this book, but was disappointed. Some of the stories/essays were very good, but some of them were poorly written and/or could have done with some serious editing. It might have been better if some of them had been omitted: the book would probably have been half as long, but the overall quality would have been significantly improved.

I was also disappointed by the way the book was laid out. It seemed jumbled and poorly conceived. Photos, illustrations and cartoons/comics were seemingly thrown in randomly, with little context or relation to the surrounding content. The graphic content of the book was good, but the layout just did not display it to full advantage.

The idea behind this book was a good one, but the execution could have been a little bit better.

This is a very unique book. I have to say I LOVED IT! My being a young black woman, all the stories hit close to home. This book gave a non-bias look at black women's hair, and black culture all around the world including here in America. It gave many view points, from men women, blacks and even whites. I recommed this book to anyone who is confused about their hair and themselves. Nappy is defiantly Happy!!!! Peace.

I`ve read this book and did the lessions and I feel this infinite feeling of "everything is possible, just let it happen!" Being the observer, being with my heart, connecting with all dimensions and let go.
My wish is to learn more of what Vianna Stibal has to give. She is a great gift to the world.
There is more to learn, more to'experience, more to trust the process and God.

warmly
Kerstin Warkentin/Germany

I have recently taken the course in Theta Healing and find this book very good to help with information regarding belief work. This is easy to do on yourself and is very enlightening to see via muscle testing a form of kinesiology. I found that even though mentally i believed i was good enough my body told me i held beliefs opposite to this which was why I was not moving forward. Also i carried beliefs from past lives which were affecting me in this life. I would recommend this to anyone seriously willing to look at and change their belief patterns. Excellant book and guide, worth a read for healers and people already working on their beliefs. People with no realisation in their beliefs will also find it interesting information.

Vianna is one of the most remarkable healers that I've ever met. I highly recommend her book and seminars to anyone interested in the healing arts.

I had previously purchased Vianna's book "Go Up & Seek God". I had difficulty with the technique because visualization doesn't come easy for me - I am more of a "feeler". Plus, the word "God" was a barrier for me. However, I loved the possibilities of the technique enough to purchase this book. In this book, she seems to have expanded her concept of the source of creation and healing which is very appealing to me. I also appreciated her emphasis on self-help. She doesn't seem to have any of that 'guru' mentality. To me, the most important feature of her growth and expanded vision is her use of muscle testing to discover weird beliefs that are stuck in your energy field! That alone was worth the price of the book. I even bought a copy for a friend. There are many other ideas she explores in a very 'non-creepy' way such as mysterious implants, spirits, indigo children, etc. This book and the book "The Parallel Universe of Self" will change how you view life and its possibilities.

This book contains a healing technique that is very effective. By using meditation one is able to connect with God and facilitate healing.
Good reading for those interested in healing work,and those new to healing and meditation.
Vianna Stibal did an excellent job in sharing her techniques and knowledge. I could not put the book down, once I started reading.
I highly recommend this book.

Thanks,

Franklyn Holder

This book was a God send. I found this book after discovering my son had a transcient motor tic. We were told to learn to live with the ticing unless we wanted to heavily medicate our son. This book opened our eyes and put us in contact with other parents facing similar issues through their website. At first I put him on a number of different supplements and I was able to get the tics to subside almost completely. Someone on the website suggested I test his strep titers because following a fever his tics increased. If it wasn't for this book we wouldn't have known to check our sons titers which came back extremely high. Come to find out he had developed strep and was never treated for it. Once we put him on anitbiotics his tics subsided quite a bit. We are in the process of testing him for metals because we think a hep B vaccination may have contributed to his current condition. There is a wealth of info in this book and even more on their website. Tics and Tourette cases have skyrocketed in current years along with autism, ADHD and seizure disorders. These disorders have increased with the increased schedule of vaccines. Our son had seizures following a hep b vaccine at birth and the more research we did the more we were convinced that the toxins in the vaccine caused him to be more suseptable to an avalanche of medical issues due to the fact that his immune system had been compromised. Now we are working on ridding his system of toxins and refuse any and all vaccinations. My newborn was not vaccinated at all and she is the healthiest baby we've ever seen. She has been to a number of physicians who have said she's the healthiest and most developmentally advanced baby they've seen in a long time. God bless the people who wrote this book.

This book is terrific. I cannot say enough good things about it. I highly recommend it!

Tics and Tourette's: Breakthrough Discoveries in Natural Treatments

As a concert-pianist, music therapist, author, and an individual living with Tourette Syndrome, I must "take my hat off" to Sheila Rogers for bringing together a cascade of knowledge by various doctors, pediatric neurologists,
authors and many other leading authorities. As there is no cure for Tourette Syndrome, parents, families and adults are desperately seeking out new innovations and ideas with the hope that somewhere a new approach/approaches will come to the forefront. This book offers exactly what so many have been looking for, thought provoking ideas without the side-effects of medication, approaches that
are natural and display underlying common sense!
Since reading the book, I have followed many of the innovative ideas and have found improvement in my own tics.
As a music therapist, which is also a natural, non side effect technique, I have incorporated the many findings in this book with my own student's!

BRAVO! SHEILA J. ROGERS!, what will you come up with next!

Author: Raymond Vacchino M.Mus.(MT) A.Mus. L.R.S.M. Licentiate (hon.)

This book is eye-opening and thought-provoking. Just consider the possibility of your child being tic-free or at least know you might have the chance of reducing the incidence of tics without medication. Get this book, and share it with others.

This was an informative book. There certainly is hope for those suffering from these disorders that doesn't necessarily have to involve dangerous drugs. I am a candidate for a doctorate as a Naturopath and will use this in my resource library. The question to always ask is what is my body/mind trying to tell me with regard to my symptoms. This book will guide you to look at the symptoms and ask those questions. It will also help you begin your journey by suggesting various avenues to explore. It leaves the reader with a sense of hope for successfully treating the root causes naturally. Treatment can be multi-faceted, often like putting together a puzzle. The end result makes it worth all the time and energy spent. Hope is something soarly lacking in most medical resources for these disorders, that makes this book all the more valuable.

I asked a friend if she wanted to know if she met her soulmate and she said she knew she had -- 15 years ago in another country so no she already knew the answer. Well when she ordered her own copy, testing the accuracy of the book she asked if she had met her soulmate and the answer was the person was in a foreign land! It blew her mind.

A great way of finding your answers, when your mind is too cloudy to think or to hear what your guides are trying to tell you. Simple, quick and easy to use. A fantastic book.

This book wasn't for me. The book is supposed to give you answers, but its not as easy as its said to be. The book works like this. You're given 100 questions to choose from, and the questions are written in such away that just about anything you could think to ask is indeed in there. Next you hold you hand over a wheel with a pictorial representation of each of the 13 witch's moons. Here's the tricky part. You're to hold the question in you mind and your finger is supposed to be attracted to one of the symbols at which point, following the clearly written instructions, you would go and look up the answer to your question. My problem with things such as these, are my fingers are never attracted anywhere. I've been studying and trying the craft for the past several years without success. However, if you're one of those people able to use these tools effectively, this book would probably be a spectacular find for you. Its other benefit is this, just like a ouiji board, it can be a very fun thing for people to do at a party or whatnot.

I bought this friend for my book and whenever we use it we get accurate results. It's very simple to use, all you have to do is hover your finger around a wheel of symbols and whichever one you are attracted to you look at the back of the book, find the page to turn to and read your answer. It seems a bit silly to have your finger point to an answer you need guidance on but it works. Although the questions that you can ask are a bit vague, the answers are not. I'd recommend this book for people who are not ready to divine with more complicated objects(ex: tarot, runes, iching) but for someone looking for simple straight forward answers.

This book is great. The answers are so wise and yet so gentle, working with the book is like getting the best psychic reading you've ever had. Last night I asked about a man who wants to come back into my life, "Is it a good idea to forgive him?" And the book answered, "Yes, perhaps, but this will not be the last time you have to be forgiving." I had a nagging feeling that was how this situation will play out, but I didn't want to admit it to myself. Now I will consider myself warned.

I do agree with one of the previous reviewers in that I had difficulty choosing an image at random using only my finger, but I solved this problem by using my pendulum with this book. I move the pendulum over the images until it starts circling, and eureka! There is the correct answer. You could also use dice, I suppose, since the book is big enough that the page with the images lies flat.

Highly recommended!