Personal Books

I listen to Hayhouse radio all the time and I kept hearing Trust your Vibes over and over. Finally, I bought it to see what it is all about. I have been working on self-help happiness, peace, & joy for years. I love Wayne Dyer, but this book truly took me where I needed to go. I drowned out my instincts for years, I would sleep with my TV on (to spongebob, can you believe it) so I didn't have to worry, hear my thoughts, and deal with my anxiety. The more I ignored my thoughts and my instincts the more miserable I became. I started to get really jealous over nothing. So I was desperate. So I bought this book and I also bought the Trust Your Vibes Oracle Cards. Well needless to say - this book saved my happiness and my husband loves my new attitude, I stopped drowning out that voice in the back of my head that was telling me the right path to take. I stopped listening to my lying EGO who was always afraid to make a decision, I think this is what I have been searching for --the last piece of the puzzle to move on and enjoy life. I wasted so much time. Also,everyone I work with wants me to pull them a card everyday. I don't even care what people think of me anymore, I even talk about my intuition and intent all the time. The craziest things have been happening and people are flowing into my life. Check out the Green Fire in the book - it will help you start a new begining.

This book and oracle cards have been a blessing for me. I can't get enough of it.

Sonia does a wonderful job of guiding us back to trusting our instincts and living a fuller life as a result. She helps us weed out the static of everyday living. I first read this book four years ago and have since gone back and re-read it at times when I felt I needed to get quiet and "re-center". Reading a day at a time makes it very manageable and gives me time to think about the message. I think this book could be very beneficial to people in any walk of life. Even in the business setting. It's an easy, interesting read and I highly recommend it!

Sonia Choquette holds out the promise of a place where you are free. Where the spirit within you can emerge and you can actually be happy in this troubled world. But you have to follow your 6th sense, live by your intuition and your spirit, not by your ego and your 5 senses, as the ego causes pain--anger, jealousy, resentment, but the spirit is loving, forgiving and healing. Using examples from her clients, Sonia illustrates how people who trusted their vibes were able to free themselves from unhappy and confining situations, enjoy life and experience peace.
Writing with clarity and honesty, this down to earth pychic also has a great sense of humor, and never allows you to take yourself too seriously.
Instead of worrying and fretting over every little thing, which your ego and your reason urge you to do, she advises you to be lighthearted, spontaneous, and to go with the flow. By living in the spirit, doing what you want to do, and not what others would have you do, your life can turn around and you can become the person you were meant to be.

this is a really good book for anybody - not only for those who want to find their intuition. Ms. Choquette very nicely sums up how to percieve the world. So, control freaks of the world read this book and see what you are missing. :)

I fell upon Sonia's works and ordered this and another of her books together. I loved them both and will now read whatever else she has written. She is very down to earth, easy to read and gives practical, do-able tasks for anyone wanting to fine tune their six sense. For those of us who have lived with "premonitions" or good "instincts" it was nice to have someone help us feel more comfortable with our inner voice.

Best book I've read on "why bad things happen". I really appreciated the fact that Mr. Bridges used scripture to back up what he had to say, and not his "feelings" or "experiences". Also, unlike most writers on this subject, he didn't try to explain God. Guess what? If we could EXPLAIN Him, He'd be one of US! The author doesn't minimize God, but challenges us to really rest in WHO HE IS.

This book teaches (probably better than any other)that God is in tune and does care and is involved behind the scenes in YOUR life. It is a great book if you doubt God's care or observance during the hard times that life can deal. It provides many scriptures to support that God can be trusted and we can find security in trusting God - regardless of our circumstances.

It is an insightful book that penetrates to the core of the issue in regards to human suffering and God's sovereignty. Biblically sound, thorough, well-written -- it is a must read for every Christian who is serious about deepening one's faith, especially in the midst of adversity and pain.

This book teaches believers how to traverse of the of the greatest hurdles in any Christian's life--trusting God in the midst of suffering and adversity.

Bridges shows how a loving God works for our good. God controls circumstances, people, nature, and all of the other things that affect our lives. That does not mean that we are not responsible to pray and work for what we believe to be the correct course of events in our lives; it simply means that if our initial plan is in some way thwarted, we should submit to God in full knowledge that what He has brought about is ultimately for our good, as difficult as it may seem for us to believe that when we are in the midst of adversity.

This is a great study on the sovereignty of God--you don't necessarily have to be in the midst of any great trial to get a lot out of this book. The book is written in a warm, assuring style, and reads as though it was written by a wise uncle doing his best to give you guidance and comfort.

This book is wonderful and is essential reading for anyone, not only those going through hard times, but also those with questions as to how to let go of our anxieties and worries. Everything Bridges says he back up with the Bible, and he does not skip around the difficult questions, but addresses them. This book was exactly what I hoped for and will be re-read many times I am sure.

This is a great book for anyone to read. Very practical and easy to understand for any age group or financial income. Everyone should read this book!

To be clear, I am not a friend or relative of the author, nor am I associated with his publishing house or anything. I am giving this a five-star review because it deserves it.

The author is great at disseminating the identities that people take on regarding finance- such as the Scrooge, the Traveler, etc. He makes it abundantly clear why we think and feel the way we do about money. He encourages us to go into our earliest memories regarding money(if they're anything like mine, that's not so pleasent). I was really impressed with this book. I just finished reading "Conscious Finance", and this was far better. It ezplores the belief systems behind our actions, and then tells us how to actually change those beliefs.

Finally, a financial advisor with the courage to tell us that financial magazines are nuts for telling us to switch around our portfolios every time there's a full moon! I always intuitively knew this, but I was grateful to have back-up from an expert.

This is not a get-rich-quick book. Hardly. I'd say it was refreshingly conservative and reaffirming- the author doesn't demand that you never take on student debt, assume that everybody reading his book must already make $100,000+ a year, or tell you that paying your kid's college tuition payment is your no. 1 priority in life. No. He speaks to those that don't make a fortune, don't have a degree in finance, and don't always have their s*** together. Finally! I can read a book on finance and not feel guilty!

That said, he makes great points about saving and consumer debt- nothing really new, but without a bunch of complicated, left-brained, holier-than-thou nonsense. I felt encouraged after reading his book. That is a new one for me. For anyone who reads Money magazine or the like and feels like a failure because they don't have $10,000 to invest in some new stock or mutual fund every month, may I respectfully suggest reading this book. It will be an eye-opener.

Is it me or are all these "reviews" obviously endorsements from the author's large network of friends and contacts? I can't find a single "review" in the 25+ here that gives even a single sentence of detail about the book -- not one! These are all generic "terrific finance book for everyone - 5 stars!" Plus, nearly all these reviews were posted within the first 6 days of the release and each gave 5 stars. Not plausible.

I don't blame the author for asking friends to put reviews up, but then have them actually read the book and put together a real REVIEW, not a vacuous endorsement. This is especially important since there is no "See Inside" capability with this book. I depend on Amazon reviews when making decisions on products I'm buying here. I don't appreciate an obvious attempt to subvert the process.

This is one book that I'll keep on my shelf and re-read, and refer to as reference. The author's 35 years of experience really shows in his analysis on financial personality types and risk tolerance. He had me pegged! Based on a short self-test, he predicted the kind of spender and investor I am with accuracy. The book does go into pretty good detail for the beginning investor; it can make your brain hurt. But, that's what's great about it- the amount of information packed into this short book makes it well worth buying and keeping on hand.
The reason I only gave 4 stars: I disagree with him about not paying your mortgage off as quickly as possible. He uses calculations to show that by getting tax breaks for mortgage interest, you'll come out ahead if you invest the extra money instead. There's one thing he, and other authors who advocate this, have never addressed- the Standard Deduction. If you have unusually high deductions such as medical bills that puts your itemized deductions above the standard, then his system make sense. But, if all of your deductions, including the mortgage interest, comes beneath the standard deduction the government gives to everyone, then you would take the standard. So, you wouldn't be getting any additional deduction for the interest than you would without it. This makes it highly impractical to pay three times the value of your mortagage, if you have the extra money to pay it off more quickly.
No, I'm not a financial expert; I'm actually a complete novice when it comes to investing. But I have worked as a tax preparer, and in my own returns, I've always taken the standard deduction, since I didn't have enough itemized to top it. So, for me his recommendation makes no sense at all. You would have to evaluate your own deductions, and if you itemize, your tax savings, to make an informed choice as to whether you'd be better off investing the money, instead of making additional payments on your house. But, I think it's irresponsible for him to make a blanket statement that no one should try to pay off their house early.
That's the only thing I found wrong with the book. Other than that it taught me alot, and is well worth the read.

I have to agree with Lapis' assertion that most of the reviews appear to be fraudulent. Click on "see my other reviews" and most of them have only one review...for this book. I'm sure most amazon.com users don't post only one review. It's difficult enough to not carried away reviewing books and other consumer goods. It is extremely suspicious and I agree with Lapis that I often make purchasing decisions based on user reviews.

This book serves as a constant inspiration to me in my own meditation practice; I have read it countless times. As a psychotherapist whose modality involves working with my clients in a state of mindfulness (www.wisemenopause.com), I also recommend this book as a clear, concise introduction to meditation.

I have an edition of this book that I picked up about 15 years ago. I keep returning to this book year after year and have never tired of it. It has survived many purges of my spiritual library over the years. This book is sweet, easy to understand, and helpful. It defines a meditation practice that is easy to apply to one's daily activities. It is helping me relate more gently to the world and my life and is helpful in learning to awaken to the spaciousness and freedom that are ever present.

Fabulous book. Chapters are different talks given during a retreat. Insightful, down-to-earth as usual for her writing.

This is one of my favorite books by Pema Chodron. It not only does a very good job of describing the essence of Buddhism, but it goes beyond that in making Tibetan Buddhism more understandable and relevant to a Western audience without deveating from the tradition. In short, it contains the heart of the teachings of the Vajrayana. A nice complimentary book if you are interested in going deeper into Tibetan Buddhism is Fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism. These books compliment each other and the latter puts all of the Buddhist traditions in historical context. Huston Smith's essay in The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions or Buddhism: A Concise Introduction. You get more bang for your buck with the former Huston Smith book, however.

The fundamental teaching of the Buddha involves the following realizations: 1) Life is suffering; 2) The cause of suffering is selfish desire; 3) To get rid of selfish desire, follow the eightfold path. The essence of the eightfold path is a moral life grounded in a strong loving-kindness practice (A Mahayana emphasis, but true of all schools). This book provides precisely that -- a path of loving-kindness that any person could follow and apply to their life. When asked what religion the Dalai was, he once said... "my religion is loving-kindess." While the Dalai Lama didn't officially endorse the book that I know of, certainly it is written in keeping with this spirit.

This book covers a LOT of ground in short volume of about 108 pages. It looks at the existential situation of not being able to escape our life and the human condition which is characterized by suffering. The Buddha said as his last words, "be a lamp unto yourselves." I believe the intent here was that no super mommy or daddy in the sky is going to come down and save you from the human condition. You must look deeply to see the truth and this will liberate you from samsara or the cycle of suffering. In this book, Pema Chodron describes the Buddha's teachings and more importantly practices to help you to arrive at a place of loving-kindness and equanimity.

What I most like about this book is that she keeps things simple. She also describes Tonglen practice and other forms of meditation and habits of thought that cultivate a mind that is not locked in conditioned thinking. Krishnamurti once said, "seeing the truth deeply is what liberates, not your efforts to be free." A corallary to this might be... yes... but what limits how deeply you can see is your depth of compassion for others, but primarily for yourself. This book is a manual about how to cultivate a loving-kindness that allows you to penetrate the insufficiency of living for things like money, sex, power and status. It is a good read for anyone.

If you are interested in a somewhat different Western perspective or something to contrast these writings with then try A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life. This book by Jack Kornfield emphasizes an earlier Buddhist tradition namely the Theravada (Way of the Elders). Mahayana Buddhism was an outgrowth of these teachings and Tibetan Buddism (Vajrayana) a further extension and elaboration. Jack Kornfield is a Western psychologist who spent a number of years in Thailand as a Buddhist monk and his perspective is accessible, entertaining, practical and complimentary to this book. If you are looking for a more integrative read that relates to Western Psychology directly try Toward a Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path of Personal and Spiritual Transformation. This is a more difficult read, but extremely worthwhile. There are other recommendations on my listmania lists of this is your area of interest.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good book, but there are just a couple of things about it that make it not quite as good as I was hoping. First, her interpretation of the Four Noble Truths is problematic in my eyes. Basically she take Tibetan teachings on egolessness (which are great teachings in their own right) and superimposes them on the Four Noble Truths. Her interpretation does not ring true for me - she states that the 2nd Noble Truth is "resisting life causes suffering" and that the 3rd Noble Truth is learning to let go of our "selves"/ego. These are valuable teachings but do not represent the more usual (and probably academically correct, as well as more powerful, in my opinion) translations that I have read: that (very summarily put) the 2nd Noble Truth is that that craving/desire/grasping causes suffering and the 3rd Noble Truth is that ceasing to crave/desire/grasp results in the cessation of suffering. Her interpretation is not wrong, but it is a bit of a Chinese whispered version of the Four Noble Truths and I would have liked her book better had she not re-interpreted them like this. Secondly, she writes "from above" a little. I feel that she comes across like a lovely, cosy, caring and wise Aunty. For me this made her teachings have less impact. I preferred Tara Brach's "Radical Acceptance" (which deals with a similar subject - accepting life as it is) to "The Wisdom of No Escape": Brach's writing is a bit more raw and personal and she writes like one sister to another sister (or brother)).

Dr Plasker shows you, in a very easy to read format, how to live a long, healthy, active lifestyle. This is about looking at the different parts of your life and taking active steps to balance, strengthen, and use those different parts to create a fun life that will keep you healthy, physically, financially, and emotionally for 100 years and beyond. Read the book and have a great life!

I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Plasker at the 1st annual DCS Jam and the book is a must for anyone who wants to be in on the 100 year lifestyle. This is also a great read for your patients!

Dr Erik Plasker's Book is a great read for anyone looking to take stock of their life. The main message revolves around the fact that many of us will live to be 100 and beyond, so we may as well start preparing for this increased longevity that not many of us have planned for.
"What changes would you make today, if you knew you would live to be 100?"
Health, finances, relationships, career, social, and more are looked at in this book.
What will we do with this advanced warning our ancestors didn't get?

This book is life changing! Realizing that we have all this time to accomplish things in life is an awesome feeling. I loved the comparison of cris care vs. self care. If people realized this and started practicing this we would have a healthier nation. I have personally given out over a hundred copies of this book and everyone for Christmas will be getting a copy!

I've given this book to more than 100 people. They are changing their lives from stopping smoking and loosing weight, to starting exercise. The people that take the message of the 100 year lifestyle to heart are playing harder and living a higher quality of life. Thank you Dr. Plasker for allowing me the privilege of helping so many people through your wonderful book.

Baby Tales: A Pregnancy Companion By Maurice Woodson is an impressive and welcome selection of inspiring, endearing, thought provoking tales of pregnancy and childbirth. The stories range from a single paragraph to a few pages in length. Sometimes they are gentle and heartwarming, sometimes they convey experiences of tragedy, but overall they give the reader a profound message of hope and showcase the importance of bringing new life into the world. Highly recommended for expectant parents, Baby Tales is very easy to pick up and very hard to put down!

I found this book to be very uplifting, as well as
entertaining. I enjoyed the different stories and experiences. unlike most tech books, this book doesnt preach...It describes and portrays pregnancy as it really is. I applaud M.S. Woodson for getting it right.

This book definitely keeps it real! It's not one of those pregnancy books that are so filled with medical [jargon] that you don't know if you're coming or going after you read it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is pregnant, thinking about getting pregnant, knows someone who's pregnant and anyone who can say the word pregnant.

I almost didn't buy this book because of some of the reviews. I agree, I thought the book was kind of expensive for what it was so I bought another book instead...then I came across this book in a store. I skimmed through it and really enjoyed what I saw. I bought it and was glad that I did. Babytales: A Pregnancy Companion is a great book and worth the five stars it recieved. My friends and I enjoy reading it together during our lunch break. I must have read it three or four times. If you are pregnant and want to know what it is like to experience pregnancy first hand, Then you will enjoy this book. I'm a nurse in a maternity ward and me and four other nurses are all
pregnant at the same time and the one book that we all enjoy is this one. It is definately worth the price.

This was a great book. I found it difficult to put down. Any parent or parent to be will love this book

Ted Lawson's first-person tale of America's first blow back at the Empire of Japan is a "must read" for anyone interested in military history. The first book published on the Doolittle Raid, Lawson's narrative describes the genesis, preparation, and execution of the raid, and should be followed with a reading of Doolittle's autobiography, in which Doolittle describes his mission as well as his despair after bailing out of his B-25. Little did either of them suspect that a raid intended to boost American morale would have strategic consequences, and that Japan would divert badly needed resources to home defense that otherwise would have gone to the front lines.

Well told story of the Doolittle raid told by one of the pilots on the raid. The story is about the pre-raid, the raid itself, and the aftermath, which tells about the injuries sustained by Capt. Lawson and his crew and the help they received from missionaires and the Chinese in escaping capture by the Japanese. He also relates the stories of some of the other crews on the raid.

This is a tense account of the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in the spring of 1942. World War II pilot Ted Lawson describes the pre-raid preparation, taking off from the aircraft carrier Hornet, attacking Tokyo, and crash landing his B-25 bomber in Japanese-occupied China. As many know, the B-25's took off farther out to sea than planned after the Hornet was spotted while approaching Japan. With too little fuel to reach the safety of Chinese lines, the crews bailed out or crash land in Japanese-occupied China. The surviving airmen then tried to avoid Japanese army patrols and find help from friendly Chinese. Most flyers did so despite the language barrier and survived. But Lawson was injured in the crash-landing, and when infection set in his leg was amputated in a field hospital. Lawson survived, returned to the USA, and wrote this book in a matter of days in 1943. The story is often gripping but loses a bit of steam later on - thus just four stars.

I read this book as a youngster for its thrill value without fully realizing that war is mostly tragedy rather than adventure. The book became a 1944 film starring Van Johnson, Robert Walker and Robert Mitchum. As for Lawson, he returned with his wife to California where he eventually ran a machine shop and he lived until 1992.

It a first person account of the Doolittle raid over Tokyo in 1942, written by one of the B-25 pilots from the raid. It covers his story from flight school all the way through his eventual return to the United States. Its an amazing story, especially the crews crash in China and the 5 month ordeal of evading the Japanese. It is a great book for younger readers with its fast pace and informaly written style.

I first read this book so many years ago that I can't remember, but I think it was about when I was in the eighth grade, say about 1955. I remember the book, and I remember the Van Johnson movie. The scene where the Chinese peasant brings Van Johnson the pair of slippers only to see that he has lost one leg stays with me even now. ==This is a classic book. It was written by one of the pilots on the Doolittle raid over Japan. In fact it was the character played by Van Johnson, Lt. Ted W. Lawson, that wrote this book.

This book, these men as much as any other that I can think of illustrates exactly what Tom Brokaw had in mind when he referred to them as the 'greatest generation.' Especially so when you talk to one of them and they invariably tell you they were not a hero. Heros were the ones who didn't come back. Heros were the other guys. I was just doing my job. Heros they were all.

Read this book. Read it again if you read it years ago. Give a copy to that youngster in your family or church that you think will appreciate it.

This book is fantastic. I am severely sensitive to MSG and needed help in knowing what was safe to eat. This book really helped me understand the dozens of names MSG is hidden under and most importantly helped me figure out what I could safely eat. After getting this book and following the recipe suggestions- I have felt so much better. I've owned this book for three years and refer to it weekly. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for direction on how to eliminate msg from their diet.

Some of my favorite recipes have come from this book!

This book is fantastic! I have been following Debbie's Sample Diet on her website for the past month and no more migraines. I am giving this book to my allergist - maybe he will research how msg affects people in so many ways. Also, giving to friend with son diagnosed as Attention/Behavior problems - I believe it may help tremendously. Also, giving to friend with abdomen bloating, pain, etc. Why isn't this information known by doctors and made easily available to the public?? Thanks so much Debbie!!

This book was worth the price to me, because it is the first time I have read that citric acid can have the same effect that MSG has on a person. Years ago I was forced to find out what was causing me to have the headaches from hell. When I discovered that it was MSG, I avoided it like the poison it is. However, from time to time I would still have one of these dreaded episodes. When I couldn't trace any intake of MSG, I looked for another culprit. I finally realized the problem was citric acid. I have told a number of doctors this only to have some varied reactions. A couple of them have just outright laughed in my face. "No one can be allergic to citric acid", they say. And both of these men were alternative doctors who claimed to be very aware of how important diet is in our lives. However, I knew it was a culprit. Deborah goes into great detail about the list of things that can cause the problems for MSG sensitive individuals.

She has some great sounding recipes in the book. However, she is obviously not sensitive to sugar. Her recipes are heavy with sugar, but I understand that is not her problem, and I will just have to make allowances for that and adjust the recipes for me. I am very glad that I found this book. I am heartsick at what our country is doing to us by letting our food supply be filled with these toxins and protecting the food industry for the sake of the almighty dollar. My husband says I am like the Canary in the mine. Through my problems we have learned a lot and are trying eat right. Hopefully, my family will not have to suffer with some of the horrible brain related diseases that a lot of families are going through by eliminating these awful additives from our diet. If you suspect that you or one of your family members have a problem with MSG, I would recommend that you get this book.

This book has been needed for a long time. Kudos to the author for all her research and well written book. The recipes for all the sauces etc, that are not safe to buy ready made, are a gift from heaven to our family and to everyone who EATS!! MSG has invaded almost all manufactured food products and under so many guises, that to be safe you must make everything you ingest yourself. I am totally migraine free after 35 years. And I know how to shop for canned Tuna and dozens of other items you would never have known contained MSG. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!! My grandchildren will be so much healthier, brain safe and smarter, because their Gramma has this wonder of a book! We are a medical family that is actively trying to prevent damaging elements being in the food supply and fed to the children(and adults)of the world, who assume that it is safe and under some watchful government eye. I plan on recommending this book to everyone I know.

This is a great cookbook. If you are or suspect that you are sensitive to MSG (glutamate) then following the recommendations in this book will help you feel better.

This is an excellent resource for those who already volunteer or want to and don't know exactly where to start. Even if you don't volunteer with any of these 202 examples, you'll certainly be inspired to find your niche to help others. The contact information about each group is very helpful. John's last chapter, 20-point Front-End Alignment" was an added bonus of inspiration.

I'm a retired manager from one of the major automakers. The business community has changed greatly over the past 35 years and has become more socially conscious. A Global Force of one provides practical and feasible ideas to implement projects with meaningful results.The bigger the company the harder it is to implement company wide programs this books shows how individual plants and offices can make a difference. Easy to read and well organized it can be read and re-read almost anywhere. I recommend this book to all management trainee's and middle managers.

I teach a social problems course at a large urban community college where practicality is of the essence in designing a course syllabus. This text introduces students to practical, exciting ideas for combatting the social problems of our communities and is a touchstone for a generation of young people entering society with a desire to do something worthwhile with their lives. I highly recommend this book for teachers, parents, and those interested in persoanl growth.

I would like to thank the author for writing a book to inspire people and create a more caring world.

I think my most telling response to this book is that while it is supposed to get you excited about getting involved...I read it, put it on the shelf, and don't feel any more empowered than I did before I read it (which says just as much about me as it does about the book). While I agree with the intent of most of the highlighted programs, I don't feel ready to start a community program so I would just move on to the next page. Nothing really jumped out and made me say "Wow, that sounds amazing. YES! I want to support that program!".

Some similar books that I enjoyed more are: (1) How to Make the World A Better Place and (2) The Better World Handbook which discussed how you can integrate your values and actions on a daily basis and make a difference in many areas of your life (e.g. money, shopping, community, food, politics) instead of just through volunteering or helping to set up a new community, business, or school program (like most of Global Force of One did). If you want to read a book to inspire you and combat your cynicism I would also recommend Soul of A Citizen. After reading it I immediately went and volunteered in my community.

These books are more accessible to the amount of effort you are willing to put in and did a better job of meeting me where I am and encouraging me to taking positive personal steps to improve the world and live a more fulfilling life.

Good luck improving the world and living a life worth living!

John Boal's BE A GLOBAL FORCE OF ONE is one of the best resources I have ever found for community service learning projects. As a teacher of CSL, it's important to know what other projects are going on and how to modify them to fit your own school, agency, or club's needs. This should be used as a regular textbook in any formal CSL program on either the middle or high school level--it is in my program!

There was not one moment during this book that I wasn't totally captivated. The author puts a human face on the struggle of those in Iraq who lived under Saddam Hussein. And throughout, you are constantly reminded that she was among the "fortunate" by comparison. I found it to be an excellent education in the history of the country and the evolution of it in recent decades as well. I read this book on a recent camping trip in New England when I should have been mesmerized by my surroundings. Instead, I found I could not put this book down.

Short and sweet.. This is an awesome book. You see so many sides of Suddam. His dark side certainly made him a candidate for his execution!

it took a while to get here, but it was in good condition when it did.

Zainab Salbi's life seems idyllic, but even as a child she senses the tension felt by her wealthy parents as they entertain and are entertained by Saddam. Salbi's story shows two sides of Saddam: the cruel and abusive despot and the genial manipulator. In spite of the web Saddam spins around her family, Salbi experiences adolescent rebellion, ignorant of the danger her parents see threatening her, just as it threatened her mother and eventually ruins her parents' marriage. Salbi's story is a fascinating portrayal of a family living in luxury under tyranny and the dangers faced whether the choice is to endure or to escape.

Wow! This book knocked me out. I could NOT put it down. It really helped me understand some of the conflict within Iraq, but more importantly, the author and tone of this book is just very human, real, and accessible. As a youngster, and for all of her formative years, Saddam Hussein is in the background as a family "friend". Though her parents resisted his friendship, they found it more and more dangerous not to be his friend. It's like living with the devil! However, the author eventually gets out of Iraq and away from Saddam Hussien, due to an arranged marriage. I won't say how that goes as I don't want to ruin the ending.

I do feel that this is one of the absolute BEST memoires I ever read and it was written with a lof of grace and humility. For me, it was an important book, and I highly recommend you read it. I think it will become a classic memoire.