- Blink ∗ ∗ ∗
by Malcolm Gladwell
It took me a while to write this review because, while the book was interesting and helpful in my work, it wasn't really exciting enough to propel me to the keyboard to share it. Blink is one of those books that tries to pick apart how we think, label it and help us make sense of it. After a lifetime of loving this process I've grown a bit cynical and tend to try to poke holes in these theories rather than embrace them. Still, I'm glad this book was loaned to me and I found little to poke holes in as Malcolm Gladwell does a great job of second guessing everything he discusses and plays his own devil's advocate quite well.
The topic of the book is those snap judgments we make; why are they right and why they go wrong. In my business, where so much depends on intuition and instinct, this was a topic that drew me in. From the moment I choose a client I've learned that a decision from my gut is usually more correct than one from my head. And trying to move with the rhythms of the day rarely involves logic, but a sort of feel for how the day goes. Gladwell dissects this process and lets us peek inside all kinds of research, interviews and conclusions about it, letting us draw our own conclusions in the end. One little tidbit I found especially fascinating was that reliable research shows that facial expression alone is enough to create marked changes in the autonomic nervous system. This means a gloomy expression can actually make your whole body feel ill and a happy expression can help heal your body. Studies have shown for years our laughter really is good medicine, but this book tells us even just moving the muscles on your face without any emotion of joy or humor can still produce healthful results, and vice versa. Intrigued? Read more of the book!
- Body Rolling ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
by Yamuna Zake and Stephanie Golden
I was introduced to the concept of body rolling by my favorite masseuse who uses the theories behind it in her practice and teaches classes on how to use the balls. Not only have I never had a better massage, but this practice of body rolling allows me to keep up the work at home. The idea of using a ball to roll out your muscles is not new nor is it the exclusive property of Yamuna Zake; my doctor endorses it wholeheartedly as he says osteopaths have been using the idea for a long time. But this book and its companion break down the concept into usable chunks, so that you can feel confident fumbling about with it in the privacy of your own home. The book also stresses the dangers and I recommend that you take the time to read it before just jumping on and rolling away. There are parts of your body that you need to take extra caution with. I was also happy to learn that Yamuna Zake has a line of balls for sale that have the strength needed for body rolling; don't try it on your child's toy balls or on a soccer ball! Besides my trusty rolling ball I have the "foot walkers" and they are a little miracle all in themselves. The only down side to body rolling is that the book doesn't actually do the work for you; there's still the whole issue of making time and having the self-discipline to get down on the floor and do it. But at least this is one more option to add variety and fun to keeping in shape.
- Creating a Home for Body, Soul and Spirit
by Bernadette Raichle
The subtitle of this book is A New Approach to Childcare but to those of us who operate daycare homes it seems like validation of the same old way we've been doing it for decades. Still reading this one so get back with me later...probably after Christmas.
- Going Against the Grain ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
by Melissa Diane Smith
I would be able to write a more complete review of this book but I've already loaned it out to someone who I hope is taking it to heart, and you know if I've loaned a book as a recommendation then I really feel that it's got something important to say. There are many books that talk about grains and gluten intolerance but this book is the best I've found so far. Grains are more of a problem in our diet than the government food pyramid and the television commercials would have us believe. Though the kernels of grass are full of nutrients and undoubtedly a beneficial food, I'm sure humans were never meant to eat them as a staple in our diet. If we were they wouldn't be so small, so tough, so scarce in the wild and go rancid so easily. This book explores in a very user friendly form all the issues that too much grain in our gut can cause. In fact, it's so full of little quizzes and tests and basic information that for those who are more well-read on the topic it can seem a little tedious at times; thus only four stars. However, it gets the point across and offers a way to live in a world full of pastey foods by providing recipes along with all the new knowledge you'll gain about that base of the pyramid that could be the cause of many of your health problems. Hmmmmm, wonder who benefits from us staying sick?
- The Grasinski Girls ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
by Mary Patrice Erdmans
It's hard to write an objective review of this book when it touched my heart in so many places. I truly expected it to be a dry, textbook description of my Mom's cousins and their lot in life. Instead I was led by the hand through farmland I loved as a child and the neighboring cities. My cousin Mary explained to me in images, conversations and historical references how these women were so different and so alike; from and with each other and me. Being part of the extended family, I remembered my own stories about these Grasinski Girls as I read, and felt my heart ache for family members mentioned, my Grandparents among them, whose personalities shaped me so deftly.
But I would be remiss if I let you believe this book is a sentimental portrait of these women in Mary's life. Far from it, this is a stirring examination of their unique position in history and geography. We are confronted with the realities of being a woman, a Catholic, working class and Polish in a time and place where all of those features put you at a disadvantage. I find the easy, matter-of-fact spirituality of these women at once familiar and comforting in these times where religion seems more a political badge than a way of life. Another compelling thread of this book was that of feminism and the richness of how it is expressed in these women and their generation. The idea of staying home to care for children is discussed as a luxury as well as a burden and I think every reader will ruminate on the lots of all mothers, then and now, and the idea of "liberation" from the home as they enjoy the stories of the Grasinskis.
- The Heartmath Solution ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
by Doc Childre and Howard Martin
I have always loved self-help books, as I am one of those bullheaded people who hate to seek assistance from anyone else and firmly believe I can learn how to do almost anything from a book. Ever since I was old enough to read I've preferred the practical, instructive book over fiction. So I know whereof I speak when I say that this is one of the most valuable self-help books out there.
I first learned about The Institute of Heartmath from a conference in Washington D.C. where Joseph Chilton Pearce was the keynote speaker. His insight into how our brains and hearts are vitally connected struck a rich chord with me, so when he emphatically endorsed Heartmath and the work they do there, I had to check it out for myself. The website has a lot of free material, encouraging tools, and information about work with schools, hospitals and businesses, all with the intent of creating more peace in our own hearts. And though I found lots of products there to buy you don't need any more than the instruction in this book to practice the helpful, healing techniques.
The Heartmath Solution is the basic manual that gives you practical, easy to employ tools to be able to think and live intelligently from your heart, rather than allowing lack of emotional management to cause dysfunctional chaos. For me the style of writing is a bit too simplistic and anecdotal. I like to just hurry up and get to the nuts and bolts of things but I realize for some people this type of over explanation is necessary to convince them that what they're reading is worthwhile. I was already convinced, so I found myself flipping impatiently over some pages that might have been helpful, thinking this book could have been written with half the ink. I wasn't disappointed though as my flipping brought me to step-by-step instructions for simple methods to tap into and work with the intelligence of heart. For people who practice meditation, these techniques will seem familiar, but with a little more structure aimed at producing specific results. There's nothing woo-woo or weird about this stuff, just breathing, focusing, cutting through the baggage and listening. The techniques have no-nonsense, descriptive names like Freeze-Frame, Cut-Through and Lock-In. So, you may ask, has it changed my life? Just like yoga, deceptively simple exercises are often surprisingly hard to fit into the well-worn grooves on our path. But I'm trying, and when I've been successful the results, yes, inspire me to keep it up and make this a way of life.
- Scientology: A New Slant on Life
by L. Ron Hubbard
I have a few friends who love Scientology and they are some of the kindest, nicest people I know, so when one of them gave us this book I was grateful for the peek into their belief system. Unfortunately, after reading it I don't feel like I've been given a very good peek and I wouldn't recommend it for someone who's trying to figure out Scientology. This little book is a collection of short chapters, each one reading like a brief essay. It gave me a feel for how Hubbard views the world and more than anything gave me the impression that Scientology has some of the same pillars that other philosophies have.
From my understanding, Scientology holds to these beliefs: As in Buddhism and Anthroposophy, Hubbard encourages people not to believe anything they hear at face value but to test everything for themselves and make up their own minds. Hubbard does not believe in evolution, just as many fundamental, deity-based religions.
Just as in Christianity and most other great world religions, love thy neighbor no matter how he treats you is fundamental to Scientology. And as in some religions like Christian Science and Latter Day Saints, there is a healthy mistrust among Scientologists of the medical community and modern medicine, especially psychiatry and the drugs that they use to control the mind. I gathered from reading just this small book that in this practice a sharp, clear mind is a precious treasure to be cultivated and guarded.
Also, just like quite a few other religions, philosophies and exclusive clubs, Hubbard gives me the impression that Scientology has a fast track to success in life and that's kind of where he, and the rest of them, lose me. I'm pretty much a "many paths can lead to the same goal" gal so I'm sure that Scientology is a viable path to the people who find an affinity for it but I'm also sure that there are an infinite number of viable paths to success, thus, no stars for L.R..
- The Sneaky Chef ∗ ∗
by Missy Chase Lapine
I will admit right away that I have not tried any of the recipes in this book so, when I do if they are wonderful and delicious, there will be more stars added to my rating. Right now Missy only gets two because she wrote a tediously long introduction explaining that the whole reason she had to resort to turning everything into puree and hiding it in foods that resemble the small list of stuff her kids would actually eat was because she completely pandered to their whining and complaining and her husband was absolutely no support at all. I was so disgusted by the time I was finally done with her saga that I almost ditched the book right then and there. But I forged on and became intrigued. (Also she does have a pretty nifty looking website that is worth checking out.) Her whole method of making food healthier is to cook and liquify lots of good stuff and then hide it according to color in dishes that will actually get into her family. I am 'old school' when it comes to feeding kids. A starving child will eat dirt and your child will not starve themselves. If their choice is to eat what's put in front of them or go hungry I promise that they won't go hungry for long and I really believe that the first step in creating a horribly spoiled child often happens at the dinner table. But if you don't think like I do and you are constantly trying to please your child's picky palate, then I have heard from parents like you that this book is very valuable as far as getting a little variety down the gullet of your prima dona, because it is true that nothing is 'health food' if they don't eat it. I would caution you, however, that every step of processing that you put a food through causes it to lose some nutrients and enzymes, so don't think that your green puree is as nourishing as those fruits and vegetables would be if your child learned to eat them fresh from the garden.
- Soldier Boy ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
by Timothy James Bazzett
I love reading Tim's books not only because I recognize many of the characters in them but because his humble, conversational style of writing makes me feel like we're just sitting around the living room spinning stories of our past. This book is the second of his autobiographical series that started out to be memoirs for his children but have surprised him by being entertaining and heartwarming to a wider audience. While his first book, Reed City Boy, was about his childhood in sort of a News from Lake Woebegone kind of way, this sequel encompasses the years that follow when he decided to escape the drudgery of college and join the army. Since my experience with the armed forces is practically nil, I was genuinely surprised at how many of my preconceived notions were debunked.
Tim was in the ASA, Army Security Agency, stationed in Turkey and Germany and describes the experience in frank and sometimes shocking images. His work was mostly classified and he's prohibited from talking or writing about it, so what's left to discuss is the real life part of his experience; the friends, the girls, the surroundings and the emotions. I suspect that many of those are timeless which is why this book is fun for those who have been there, or are there now, as well as the curious, like me. Nice work Tim!
- Spiritual Insights ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
by Rudolf Steiner, compiled by Helmut von Kügelgen
WECAN is publishing a wonderful Little Series: small booklets of cherry-picked excerpts from Anthroposophic writings, mostly Rudolf Steiner's works. This is the first that I've read and it seems like a good place to start as it has a bare bones explanation of the basic six excercises, meditations for the days of the week, the monthly virtues and quite a few more of the Anthroposophical classics. This is really nice size for the desk or the nightstand and invaluable as a quick reference, daily inspiration, or review. What a gem of a little book!
|