General Practice Books

"Ceremonies for Real Life" presents a positive and uplifting way to look at the milestones in our lives. It does a miraculous job of marrying practicality with poetry, without being too "New Age" or preachy. Fabius's smart, friendly and casual style makes it very user-friendly and an enjoyable read, even if you don't actually perform the ritual at hand. Taking a graceful approach to celebrations, the book could be useful for everyone from the novice who might be insecure about performing a ceremony to the person who could easily improvise and go with the flow. "Ceremonies" is truly an inspirational look at the sacred in our day-to-day lives and a great gift to share with friends and family.

I order Ceremonies for Real Life for a friend's birthday. We had such a terrific time that everyone at the ceremony went out and bought the book.

This is a great little book. Ms. Fabius' book offers one a script to draw from in the creation of ceremonies to celebrate various milestones in life with friends and families. You can return to it again and again for inspiration to prepare things to say to celebrate events throughout a life time. I have given her book to several of my friends in various locations around the world as a gift. I like to give gifts to people that will have lasting meaning and this book is one of those gifts.

Ceremonies for Real Life is one of those books that you end up carrying with you wherever you move to in life.

It helps you turn every day life events into spiritual occasions that are infused with personal meaning because you lead the ceremonies yourself. Through this book you realize that life is about an alignment with the universe and taking an active part in it. And somehow it not only makes things better, but it also makes you feel you play a role in your own destiny. I recommend it whole-heartedly.

Carine has captured the spirit of "taking responsibility" for one's life moments. Instead of simply surviving coming of age, divorce, loss of a loved one or becoming a woman. Carine shows the wonder and power the moment's posses. She maintains a sage's wisdom as she unfolds one unique ceremony after another to celebrate what most of take for granted. Great read!!! You will never look at your life the same again.

This is one of my favorite books on Spiritual growth and maturity from a Christian perspective. It is incredibly thorough, so don't plan on this being a light read.

I really appreciate the timely manner that I received my Book. It was for an upcoming class and I would recommend this book and any book by Kenneth Boa. If you are concerned about your image and how it is personified, read this.

This book is meant to be read and studied. It can be life-changing if you let it.

Excellent overview of different aspects of the Christian life and following close after God. Looks at different techniques of a hard pursuit of God.

Kenneth Boa defines 12 facets of the Christian life and deals with each one in a thoroughly practical, yet deeply theological way. He does seem to think that Christians can be demon-possessed, a view which I do not hold. In spite of that, I recommend the book to the seasoned Christan. Written in textbook style, it makes for extended Bible studies for mid-week gatherings, home studies, etc. There are a great number of resources from which he cites quotes, and the cost of the book is worth the resource list alone. I particularly enjoyed the facet about the Christian Disciplines. In a day of hyper-faith, wealth, prosperity, and health gospel, this book is a refreshing return to sanity. I wish I had it years ago.

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE DAILY BOOK FOR ENLIGHTENMENT AND AWARENESS...EVERYDAY I ASK FOR TODAY'S TWO MOST IMPORTANT LESSON'S TO LEARN, AS TO INCLUDE BOTH PAGES, AND MEDITATE, AND THEN OPEN THE BOOK AT RANDOM, AND FIND THAT WHAT HAS BEEN ON MY MIND, IS USUALLY REVEALED IN THE PAGES I OPEN TO...WHAT A GREAT REMINDER THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE HERE....AND THAT ALL THAT IS NECESSARY, IS TO BE OPEN, TO ASK FOR, AND RECEIVE GUIDANCE.

WOW what a book, I find each page is a personal message to me, helping me through the day, after reading a page, I feel ready for any challenges of the day. I write down the thought of the day and throughout the day, I take another glimpse and feel Blessed to be alive and surrounded by my angels. Buy this book it is money well spent and you will be inspired to achieve, set goals and soar towards your true potential, and feel the love generated by the angels surrounding you.
Love and light to all.

I really enjoy this book. Its provides great, positive daily meditations that are fun and uplifting. Its easy to read, and makes you feel more spiritually "in tune". Love it!

I use it everyday to start the day.
I firmly believe in the angelic realm and also Doreen Virtue.

I love this book for the inspiring messages. It is a wonderful way to start the day. Just open a page and read and it will put you in a positive frame of mind.

My order arrived timely in the condition promised. Very nice to do business with this seller.

It is amazing how one text can cover so much ground. This is truly a must have for all beginning therapists as well as a helpful checklist or guideline for the more experienced therapist. What I appreciate is the dual perspective of both what the client is potentially thinking, feeling, desiring, fearing, as well as what the therapist is experiencing during the interview or session. Chapters are very practical, relevant, and specific as types of training or theories are almost always followed by an example or actual case. It is helpful to have different theraputic styles included, allowing the reader to be more widely exposed. Just the many assessment tables, charts and lists, are worth having all under one cover!

v
Issues addressed in this volume include:
Client expectations for therapy
How to manage the initial interview
What information should be gathered at intake
JoEllen Patterson, et.al, offer readers of this volume a broad overview of foundational skills required in the practice of family therapy. Chapter by chapter the authors present treatment issues/concerns with proposed remedies for those difficulties. Beginning family therapists' questions are dealt with in a respectful and practically helpful manner by the writers. The content of this book is drawn from the authors' many years of instructing and supervising graduate level marriage and family therapy students in one of the premier COAMFTE programs in the U.S.

Family Therapists proceed in the practice of their profession through various developmental stages. Patterson and the other contributors attempt to provide the beginning family therapist with information needed at each of those levels in order to successfully move on to the next. In the authors' model there are three major developmental phases for family therapists:

Stage One: Learning Essential Skills

Stage Two: Learning to Conceptualize Cases

Stage three: The Therapist-as-Self


Who should attend therapy sessions?
How to join with clients
Establishing credibility
Defining goals for therapy
Building motivation
Administrative concerns
Establishing fees
Managing crisis situations (suicide, violence, abuse)
Assessing for substance abuse, biological factors, meaning, spirituality, social systems outside the family, and developmental issues
Developing a treatment focus/plan
Major theoretical models of therapy
Length of therapy
Use of questions
Normalizing, reframing, confronting, supporting, pacing
Working with adolescents and children
Working with couples
Dealing with infidelity, sexual difficulties, mental illness
Getting unstuck in therapy
How to utilize supervision and peer consultation
Handling "no shows", secrets, agency issues, countertransference, burnout
Terminations


This book provides the beginning family therapist with a comprehensive, practical resource for trouble-shooting at the predictable stages of therapist development. It is thoroughly systemic in its approach yet deals with the realities of of individual diagnosis, mental illness, and managed care. For family systems purists that compromise may be problematic. For someone who has taught in a graduate level family therapy program and supervised them for several generations I applaud the effort. This is a "real world" not an "ivory tower" tome. I also commend the authors on their use of relevant research data to support the interventions they propose. Emphasis on self-of-therapist furthermore is a strength of the book. It calls to mind some of Harry Aponte's material. I cannot think of a more comprehensive volume to put in the hands of graduate students in family therapy. I wish I had been given it when I launched my career. I wish I had written it. I will use it from this point forward.

JoEllen Patterson in her book has done an excellent job in giving good hands on approach for those practicing marriage and family therapy. This book has been a great help to me in a practical sense. I'm not a trained marriage and family therapist, and I know my limitations in this area. As a caregiver for a mission organization, the many insights I gained will enhance my ability to assess, understand, and develop avenues of referral to professional therapeutic caregivers such as marital and family therapists.

Essential Skills in Family Therapy is a guide of the process of therapy to be used by those learning how to do therapy. The book is also a good refresher for practicing therapists. Chapters cover topics from the beginning of therapy through termination and include special issues like working with children and adolescents.
Getting started
The developmental stages of new therapists are learning the essential skills, learning to conceptualize cases, and dealing with the therapist as self.
Before the initial interview
In the initial contact, therapists should listen and reflect what they hear and assess for crisis. This initial contact contains only basic relevant information and is not the time for interventions, advice, or suggestions. Therapists must know whether they have the knowledge and expertise to treat a problem or if they need to refer the client to someone else. The "business" of therapy, such as policies regarding making and canceling appointments and payment, should be discussed as quickly and efficiently as possible. When beginning therapy, it is helpful to know who made the initial contact and why, although the therapist should build rapport with all involved. A sample intake form is included, and the authors also discuss which family members should be involved in therapy.
Initial interview
The first task of the therapist is to join with the client. The credibility of therapy and/or the therapist may need to be discussed. Goals should be defined, and the therapist should begin to build motivation for change. Administrative issues like confidentiality, videotaping, observation, etc. should also be discussed.
Guidelines for conducting the assessment
The initial assessment is the time to explore the presenting problems, attempted solutions, and crisis and stressful life events. The therapist must constantly be aware of possible issues of harm to either self or others. Suicide, violence, abuse, substance abuse, biological factors, meaning systems, spirituality, family system, and social systems are all considered.
Developing treatment focus
The therapist must select the problem list, examine the history and treatment of problems, select a treatment modality, and determine the length and frequency of treatment. The treatment modality selected will be influenced by the therapist's orientation and experience, research, the financial constraints of the client, and the client's willingness and availability to follow the suggested treatment. Referrals may be considered. The therapist may wish to consult with the client's physician or request psychological testing.
Basic treatment skills
Therapy includes asking questions, normalizing, reframing, providing support, confronting, and pacing the therapy to meet the needs of the client. Handouts may be given to clients. In developing their expertise, beginning therapist should establish their understanding of the theoretical foundation of treatment skills; consider process and content, timing, and clients' anxiety levels; and create a family treatment plan.
Children and adolescents
Parents or primary caretakers should be involved in therapy and as cotherapists during the remainder of the week. In working with adolescents, the family need for maintaining structure must be balanced with the transformational needs of launching the adolescent.
Couples
Each spouse should get his/her turn to talk so that the therapist can understand the needs of both. This chapter deals with some of the common problems that couples present.
Mental illness of family member
Depression, anxiety, and alcoholism and drug abuse are discussed. When a family member is involved with drug or alcohol abuse, the first goal of therapy is to stop the abuse and then the reasons for the abuse can be examined.
Getting Unstuck
Resistance is a normal part of therapy. The familiar is comfortable. Therapy often involves both first and second order change. First order change is behavioral with the goal of acting in a new way. Second order change deals with behavioral, cognitive, affective, and relational realms and seeks to change the entire system. In dealing with cancellations and no shows, therapists need to review goals with the client and possible terminate or go to more infrequent appointments to address other goals.
Termination
Termination can be client initiated, therapist initiated, or mutual. Having clearly defined goals will tell therapists and clients when it is time to terminate therapy. Temporary relapses can be predicted by explaining that we often take two steps forward and one back.
Future effects of managed care
Managed care makes it more important for family therapists to maintain a relationship with family physicians. To meet managed care expectations, therapist need to articulate the problem, possible treatments, the chosen treatment, and expected outcomes.
This is an excellent resource for beginning therapists or those considering studying to become therapists. Therapists should be able to clarify their strengths and limits immediately, and this book can help them do that. The tables on such things as violence and abuse are helpful guides. Meaning systems are defined as cognitions, beliefs, memories, and emotions, which are often a part of culture and have implications for those of us who work cross-culturally. I appreciate the emphasis that the authors placed on developing the relationship between the therapist and the client. Therapists must know their role as they have full responsibility for therapy and for the relationship. As divorce has become so prevalent in the U.S., it is important for us to know that only about half of divorced couples develop cooperative coparenting. Couples need five positive interactions for every negative interaction. Families put energy and resources into being stuck, which is sometimes helpful to point out to them in the course of therapy. I appreciate the explanation of the goals of terminating, which are helping clients consolidate gains made in therapy, empowering clients, and being sensitive to loss issues, as I have not always thought through these goals when terminating therapy.

This book is amazing. It came out during my first pregnancy but I didn't have time to buy it or read it, and now that I'm pregnant again I decided to finally get it. The stories are so real and touching and beautiful. And they're very honest. They're not all "feel good" wishy washy stories, but rather real, honest accounts of pregnancy and motherhood and how these women manage whether they have 15 children or 1. I can't put it down but I don't want it to end either. If you're pregnant and Jewish you have to get this one!

This book gives a down-to-earth, intimate account of women's experiences during pregnancy, boldly bringing out the physical, emotional and religious challenges they face. The women interviewed don't separate themselves from Judaism but rather find a wide range of ways to integrate Judaism into their identities as women, professionals, wives, mothers and individuals. This book touched me and enriched my knowledge of Judaism's view of pregnancy. I'm so glad I read it!

When I became pregnant for the first time, I really wanted to read something that told me what I already felt in my heart - that pregnancy is the most amazing miracle ever and that hte weekly blow-by-blow account of what is happening at a physical level is not the true story of pregnancy.

When I read Chana Weisberg's book - I simply could not put it down ! All the stories of strength also helped me get through the morning sickness etc... and were an excellent reminder to think beyond the phyiscal and truly appreicate the miracle that was happening inside me.

I highly recommend this book without hesitation (particularly to all first time mothers-to-be).

When I was pregnant with my first baby, all I could think about or talk about was -- being pregnant. At times I felt bogged down by the sheer physicality of it all, and longed to make it a more spiritually uplifting experience. I also wished I had other obsessive-compregnant women to talk to, so we could all take turns inspiring and/or boring each other. Reading EXPECTING MIRACLES filled all these gaps in my pregnant life! It was all I wanted to read. Women from various walks of Jewish religious life are telling you all the intimate details of their experiences as pregnant ladies and then as mothers and as wives. They give all sorts of ideas, suggestions and encouragement to make it more spiritual. YOu think, I could do that. I want to try that. I couldn't put this book down. It is a MUST-HAVE alongside WHat to Expect When You're Expecting. Expecting Miracles is like the spiritual counterpart to that sometimes too-physical (and occasionally scary) pregnancy guidebook. Expecting Miracles revels in the joy, excitement, spiritual potential and blessing that being the carrier of life is all about.

This book truly resonated somewhere deep within me. It connects the reader spiritually with her larger family, that of all Jewish women. The womens' stories are so honest and real; I felt like I was having a conversation over coffee with some of my oldest friends into the night as I read and read and read... Despite the fact that some of the women have different backgrounds than my own, there was something in each woman's experience I could ALWAYS relate to. It was so confirming to see, in print, so much of what I had felt during the months of my pregnany, my birth experience, and my initiation into motherhood. I HIGHLY recommend this book!

At the heart of this book is a call to live a pure life before God. The author addresses the subject with a spirit of conviction, not condemnation. He emphasizes the need for God to do the work in a person. He contrasts that with self-effort which could result in pride.

Using the Canaanite woman from Matthew 15, a Gentile seeking a miracle from Jesus who had her faith tested, he says three elements are needed to receive from God in such a time of testing: faith, perseverance and humilty. He points out that although the woman seemed to initially be turned away she did not become offended and leave. She maintained a proper attitude, humbled herself and continued to ask.

Scataglini defines "religiosity" as an unclean spirit that "binds people with empty routines" (p. 173). He describes how God used him in a situation to break that spirit.

The need for persistence is illustrated in the beginning of the book as well when he describes opposition to acquiring facilities for a revival in Argentina. "We have to keep insisting; they said no, but the Lord said 'yes'" (p. 45).

He emphasizes that it is by seeking God that the pure mind is obtained and maintained as one spends time in God's presence. Diligent prayer gets results.

If this book does not change your walk with God and look at SIN and how God sees it, then I am not sure what else will. God does require COMPLETE holiness...Unfortunately, the Church has taught that Grace is enough to cover our continual, non-repentant sin. Huh??? No wonder Christianity is confusing and not fulfilling to so many. The life that God intended for each of us and the lives we actually LIVE are completely opposed to eachother. This will convict and change you...Thank you Sergio!

If you are hungry for a deeper walk with God you MUST read this book. The author describes in the first chapter a manifestation of the Holy Spirit that changed his life. He proceeds to exhort the reader to pursue this "FIRE" in their own lives and gives a wealth of material to help you get there.

The key is that we serve a holy God that requires for us to also be holy, but holiness is not a code of rules. Rather it's a pursuit of being like Him and with Him. As we dwell in His holy presence, we are made in His image.

Holiness is a process that takes work, time, and discipline. If holiness is your desire this book can help you achieve it.

This is BY FAR, one of the best messages given to the body of Christ!
A must for anyone who is tired of of the rollercoaster ride of chrisitanity --temptation..defeat..temptation...defeat
The Lord has given this wonderful servant the revelation to go from temptation to VICTORY....temptation to VICTORY!!
Sergio is a man of true brokenness and pure humility.
Out of his belly flows rivers and rivers!!!
this is not just a book
Trust me, i read A LOT of books!!!!
This is truly lifechanging

Words with POWER and GRACE!
He said He was coming back for a church "without spot or blemish."
Most christians don't belive that could happen.
God gave me the vision ....
And this is the core of the answer!
Prepare to have your eyes unveiled and your lives radically changed!

For those seeking the face of God this book will change your life. The fire is a cleansing like no other. Sergio will lead you into the presence of God and if you will die to yourself God will completely transform your life. My life has been forever changed, it is now totally 100% in the hands of God ! May your experience with the Father be as awesome or even stronger than mine. Remember, it's His Holiness we seek. Praise Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

Thomas Moore opens this narrative with his preface, reminding us to choose a spirituality being open to multiple possibilities rather than the worrying over the nuances of belief. (xi) Midway through his own Dantean journey, a burned-out professor and workaholic who's been neglecting his family, Slattery wants to recharge his soul and confront his own mortality. DPS "wanted to reimagine my life from the point of view of eternity," seeking to-- as Michael Novak phrases it-- act earnestly but without attachment to the results. (3)

DPS tires of the Church's "Main Street theology," longing rather for the back alleys and haunted corners of facing his mortality straightforwardly. Prayer, he reflects beginning at New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, is not petition but entering a presence. Not that God is there. If we knew he/she/it was, why then have faith? The possibility, not the inevitability, of what he seeks in the divine invites him towards silence. God may take him over, or he may not. Not sure of what he will find, but DPS opens himself to the chance- the readiness is all, I guess, to quote Hamlet!

DPS begins to peer into the dark silence where God may reside, beyond the logos, refusing the manifestation, before the word made flesh. This emptiness preceded the light, the flesh, the world, and us. DPS reflects on the love of poverty, and how this shows the "blessed are the poor in spirit" confronts his own memories of a life lived by his parents grudgingly, under an alcoholic father, a too-thrifty mother, a cowed family. Solitude is a "strong potion" best sipped slowly and rarely. Thoreau's relevant chapter in "Walden"- Of the "subtle powers" of heaven and earth: "We seek to perceive them and do not; we seek to hear them and do not. Identified with the substance of things, they cannot be separated from them." (41) Monks and nuns do not flee the world but face their own mortality and frailty within it; they choose to lessen distraction and limit temptation so as to confront their ultimate silence before God.

DPS writes movingly about the shy foxes and stillness of Big Sur, the bursting grapes and his father's torment as DPS wanders Napa Valley at the Carmelites, and at the Sonoma Zen Center takes on Zendo early morning and the oryoki "eating handout" rituals that are both compelling in what they resemble and awkward for their strangeness for one raised Irish Catholic. He learns to rake the rocks in circles so they enter into one another- the duty he's assigned slows him down, so what takes us fifteen minutes in our world is transformed. "The task was to imagine the process rather than rush to results." (35) I wonder how we would all live if we worked with such mindfulness, and how we'd sustain such wonder after repetition wears down novelty. Which is the whole point of order for a monk, to remain in one place, to do the same things, and not to escape the world but to face his own mortal frailty within it, without escape, distraction, or respite. Blackberries, a deer's severed leg, altitude sickness, cows separated from their calves, and Hohokam petroglyphs all inspire powerful insights.

The book admittedly, for me, did despite its appropriate brevity bog down at times. Most of his prayer-poems I found not to my aesthetic taste, although I recognize his quest. His grappling with his father's legacy encourages his own tender and blunt reflections, but these are often at the level of what one would write in a diary or tell a spiritual director; for more reticent me these confessions feel awkward on his distant page. I admittedly do not seek out inspirational writing when its shelved thus, so my preferences may not be those of this book's target audience. I found this by chance in a library cross-reference. While I learned much from it, there's too little detail about the felt, physical, concrete surroundings DPS stays in for roughly a week at at time for fifteen weeks in all. Minimal descriptions force you into his own mind and spirit instead. This direction left me too detached from experiencing enough of the actual travel he embarked upon during his sabbatical, but other readers may favor his journalistic intent. Fittingly, he admires Merton for the same level of intimacy attained in that monk's notebooks.

DPS learns more about solitude's disturbing and consoling qualities as he makes his way to other fascinating retreat centers and monasteries in the Northwest and then down the Rockies into the Southwest, where nothingness at Nada Hermitage confronts him and challenges him. Charity, patience, and wisdom emerge but there's no Pollyannish transformation or New Age bliss. For that, DPS merits acclaim, as this narrative is realistic. No dramatic, invented climactic moment ends his search. Gradually earned, the lessons he learned must be taken back into the world he "left"; I wonder how he fared afterwards? Terrifying, not comforting, to face this brutal rawness of spirit, as DPS learns well.

(Having visited myself a few of the places listed in the main text and the afterword, I agree that he chose fine retreats throughout the West. I only hope, nearly a decade after he wrote this, that the Catholic establishments can sustain themselves; the ones he lists that I know all have fewer, and more elderly, monks, friars, sisters, or nuns now than when he made his count. Error on p. 137: St Andrew's Priory in California is not a "Trappist Cistercian community" but a Benedictine one. Trappists live in California, but in the north of its Central Valley at Vina.)

This writer takes us on a unforgettable journey across many different places of worship. It's not the belief system he has that's important it's the purity of BELIEF for its own sake. The sheer joy of faith and joy of living this man has is written all across the pages of this work. Anyone who wishes to undertake a pilgrimage should read through this book. This man has a real talent and grace when writing about faith and life.

I read this book about a pilgrimage while I was on one of my own. I went to Spain and walked a sizeable part of the Via de la Plata - a route of the Camino de Santiago. I had previously walked another route nine months before.

This book chronicles a journey, via a beat up truck, to different retreat centers, monasteries and convents by the author. His feelings and emotions are erudite, he wears them on his sleeve, and this is one of the first rules of memoir writing: be willing to bare all. And Slattery does this as he confronts his deceased father, his fears, his past and present.

At times he longs to give up and return to the comfortable minutia of everyday life, a test common to pilgrims. One can see as the pages turn the metamorphosis that he goes through. This is a book, above all, about contemplation, retrospection, determination and hope. He has been living his life partly dead, but through grace finds ressurection. He is not dogmatic, though he is a devout Catholic. He is not preachy, but humble. He is many times poetic, many times candid.

I would be surprised if, no matter your religion or spiritual views, you do not find yourself at the end of this book with almost as many bookmarks as there are pages.

Before I go to sleep at night I read Grace in the Desert. I travel to the monasteries between the lines on the pages. Through the palpable silence, I feel the sacred space creep into my own bones. I too, am healed by the journey.

I am deeply grateful to Dennis Slattery for his profound psychological insights, for his nomadic spirit, and for the poet who so eloquently lives in his soul.

As a mother and a psychologist my pilgrimages are not accomplished on extended retreats or treks, but in the folds and unexpected flows of a busy day. Like many, I turn to spiritual literature of many ilk to aid me in interrupting my preoccupations and orienting me to meditation and prayer. What joy this summer when I found myself riding the wake of Dennis Slattery's Grace in the Desert:Awakening to the Gifts of Monastic Life, a lyrical story of his months spent at different spiritual retreat places. Far from any monastery myself, his intimate prose and sustained narrative reflections allowed me to slow down. They oriented me to the soulful pilgrimage that is available to all of us at any moment if we are ready to forego numbing routine, habitual rapidity, empty diversion, and consumeristic addictions. By placing his feet on the path of the pilgrim and his pen to paper, Slattery shares his gift of pilgrimage: a solo journey becomes food for the community. Leading the way, he invites us in his wake to the realms of spirit and soul for which we thirst.

Authored by the popular team of Myrna and Harvey Frommer, this a wonderful collection of anecdotal history. It covers momentous events and intimate moments spanning decades of Jewish-American thinking from every sector of the country. Its richness is doled out in small, poignant bites of personal history frequently focusing on a fading European past and compromises and dilemmas with a gentile world. There is heartbreak but also a grand humor.

"Childhood memories of Jewish men and women of all ages from across the country. They describe their urban and suburban experiences and discuss long-held traditions and religious rituals. Presents a kaleidoscopic view of twentieth-century life from immigrant and minority perspectives."

"IF YOU SOMEHOW MISSED THIS BOOK WHEN HARCOURT BRACE FIRST PUBLISHED IT IN 1995, HERE'S ANOTHER CHANCE. IF YOU GREW UP JEWISH IN AMERICA, IT WILL ENLIGHTEN YOU AND MAKE YOU REMEMBER. IT'S A WARM, WONDERFUL MEMORY BOOK OF LIFE AS IT USED TO BE -- ALL OVER AMERICA -- IN A MUCH LESS COMPLICATED TIME. . . BITTERSWEET IN PLACES, IT IS A DELIGHT."

The book provides a fascinating look at Jewish life. We learn about families, school activities, religious life, and anything else the people felt like discussing. All areas of the country are represented as well as all aspects of Judaism. Hundreds of personal photos add much to to the histories. A good glossary explains the various Yiddish terms used throughout."

===Growing up Jewish IN AMERICA

THIS IS a fine book for goyim. Being gentile, as far as I know, I can say that.

One never knows exactly what one's roots might include. As Leon Toubin comments on a Texas community in this entertaining oral history, "We were probably all Jewish once, but we're Lutheran now." The complexities of American life make this book fun and often pure poetry. Some vital turning points come to life in a just few sentences. Zipporah Marans, whose father was an Orthodox rabbi in Raleigh, N.C., during World War II, recalls G.I.s "would have three days' leave before being shipped overseas. Their girlfriends would come down, and my father would marry them in our living room. My mother, sister, a soldier friend and I would each hold a corner of the chuppa, the wedding canopy."

St. Louis Jews - really, all Jews west of the Appalachians - might feel a bit slighted in this study. David Bisno talks about the divide between Jews of German and Russian descent in St. Louis, but he doesn't offer many details. Ansaie Sokoloff recalls his family leaving St. Louis for Cheyenne, Wyo. Other communities in the chapter about the Midwest and West include Detroit, Duluth, Omaha, Pittsburgh and San Fernando. It reminded me of a gas station attendant in New Jersey who noticed my Missouri plates and said, "I have a cousin who went to school in South Dakota." New York and environs get the bulk of attention here. That's fine, but what I find particularly fascinating are more detailed accounts of unique or remote communities and families struggling to maintain traditions.

The Frommers' book has many moments, too, where one senses the effort necessary to maintain tradition and faith in our time. Though no characters develop in this text, one hears many fragments of fascinating memories, which together present an insightful portrait of vibrant communities and individuals.

Superb, Mara! You have said everything that needs to be said in 3 words or less. It couldn't be more perfect!

"Person who knows little says much.
Person who knows much says little." Unknown

This is a delightful book that carries so much wisdom. At the end of every day, I pick one aspiration as my inspirational message during meditation. It helps me to focus on an issue or attribute I want to work on in my life, and it has been a source of deep inner peace and resolution. I like the author's approach to inner healing: with simple stated aspirations all you need to do is use its profound wisdom to change the way you do life. I appreciate this book and the author for bringing so much wisdom into as few words as possible. I like to be able to think and act for myself: to be my own healer and catalyst for change. The author has said it all in as few words as possible. Really nice!

As I think back at all of the money I have spent on workshops, self-improvement books, and retreats; I finally have found something that I can use! The last thing I wanted was to be preached to, and to filter through so much information to find meaning. This book looks simple; but it isn't. Being a teacher, I know the importance of speaking and writing in a way that anyone can understand. Not only does this book speak for anyone, it also doesn't make you feel intimidated. This book was written by a wise teacher to help others find the wise teacher within themselves. The author's concept is revolutionary in a time where everyone is looking for a 'quick-fix' in a world where more is better. More is only more, and this book is truly "An Idea Whose Time Has Come."

Reading this book is like living a little bit of Zen in everyday living. I love the simplicity of message, and the profoundness of intention. This book makes me think - I mean really think. Don't be fooled by the simply stated aspirations - they carry a whollop! The aspirations have caused my 'spirit to aspire' to greater heights of simple speech, simple action, and simple living. I liked what another reviewer said about this book being like a recipe book - it has become my 'receipe book for living'; and I take it everywhere with me. Thank you so much for bringing some common sense ideas in such a not so common sense world.

I received this book as a gift from a dear friend who had been trying to tell me (for years!) that I needed to pace myself or else suffer the consequences of burn out. I hardly ever find time to sit down and read, but when I opened up this book I found it to be so easy and light. The child, writer, and artist started to come out in me when I started to read each of the affirmations. I am using the book as my artist's palette, journal, and diary all-in-one and am enjoying the journey of finding myself and what truly makes me happy in a pace that works for me. For a book with such simply stated aspirations, I must say it says it all in 3 words or less.

"In God We Trust" is an epic that is a MUST READ for anyone no matter the age! It puts life and God's work into perspective. The is a book that everyone should have on their bookshelf and hand to anyone they know who is struggling with or interested in finding the way to both financial and spiritual freedom! Great Job, Jon!

John has given us what I consider a "must have" for your personal development collection. My team (and other teams) use this book on personal development "team calls" and has become one of the "standards" of personal development that we use. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in personal development of any kind.

A Wonderful story! This book brought out a lot of emotion in me, and touched me deep down inside. A delightful way to introduce us to some wonderful, truthful, Biblical and insightful teachings, that can make a huge difference in our lives...if we'll just apply them.

This short book holds the secrets to true success and wealth. It's got so many gems of information that I know that I will be re-reading it over and over again. It is a must read for those wishing to follow God's will for their lives and be blessed.

Jon's short book is a thought provoking book packed with poweful insights. Each character is so well developed that you'll "experience" that person as you read their story. In God We Trust is filled with widsom that applies to every area of life and inspires the reader to put the principles into practice. A true gem.