D-A Books

This is the other side of ths Force of the American Cinema. I hope that one day people will see that movies in USA are much, much more than Hollywood. This is the real stream.

Lázaro Soilva

Terceira, Azores
Portugal

I originally got this back in 1975 when in college, and it became my film Bible for many years, until somehow it got lost. Over the years I had seen a smaller reprint (late 80s) and even an original hardcover for about $50. This is a 2005 reprint, with a new introduction by Scott Macdonald and a brief new essay and photo of Vogel himself. Vogel says he feels no need to change anything, and his text is still powerful and intelligent, but while very nice to have again, and definitely an excellent book on transgressive cinema, it really could use an update. Many (many!) of the films covered were recent at the time of publication. Someone really should continue to list and write about films from the last thirty years that continue in the inspiration of this work. Still, highly recommended -- though it is truly strange to see how many of these films I have managed to see, eventually. Even the Otto Muehl films I've had opportunity to watch in a theater with a (madly rushing for the exits) audience. So if you need a real kick in the head about what the cinema can do, you owe it to yourself to pick this up.

I had the privilege of being Amos Vogel's student back in the early 1980s, and was therefore fortunate to see a number of the 'unobtainable' films mentioned in this book. Vogel is an encyclopedia of film knowledge, and the often pithy accounts of various 'subversive' films -- including some you might not guess would warrant the label -- are both entertaining and intelligent. The image selection is great though, as others (including Vogel) have noted, a still frame stands for a film in an inadequate but nevertheless allusive way.

This book by Amos Vogel is a reference like no other. He explains why these films need to be seen. The photographs are a treasure themself and the book is abound with them. I have refered to this book constantly through the past 30 years. I'ts great to see it is back in print. My film library of over 1000 art, surrealist, avant guard cinema was largely do to Mr. Vogel's knowledge and explanation of film. I'm only sorry that it has not been updated to show the 1970's to 2006. A must have for sure, get the book while they last.

I've had this book half of my life and am still working on seeing all of the films. That said some of the films reviewed in it have dated badly (even Jean Luc Godard has dismissed his Maoist films which never show today). In addition, some of the countercultural (aka hippie) terminology such as "consciousness 3" will leave modern readers scratching their heads. That said it is an essential discussion of films that break film conventions, whether it be through the language of film, political subversion (suddenly relevant again) or sexual politics. The one positive note is that at the end of the book the author states in bold, "But the real question remains: how to reach the masses 'out there' with five heavy cans of 35 mm film and nowhere to show them". The answer is that through video and especially dvd films mentioned in this book that were impossible to find are suddenly resurfacing and being re-evaluated. Though some films are best shelved (I pity anyone who watches all 8 hours of Andy Warhol's "Empire" just to say that they saw it), others especially from world cinema such as the Iranian film "The Cow" and the Senegal made film "The Money Order (Mandabi)" show film makers who now have recieved acclaim. Though some reviewers wanted an update of this book I think that it was written and speaks for a certain point in time, before the co-option of underground films into indie films, when foreign films were still ahead of the times, before garbage like Jackass broke almost all visual taboos while actually taking film a giant leap backward and before the vcr, when hunting down experimental films showing in theaters or libraries was a religion onto itself.

Thank you Dr. Holmes and Dr. Lester for this exciting, informative and historical book. I was raised in the South (LA) and experienced many of the conditions described in Fire in My Soul. Remembering my blessings on this journey, I give thanks for all of my past experiences. My parents attempted to sheild me from many of the conditions of the south and in turn I was shielded from much of the history of the Civil Rights Movement of the 60's except for limited TV coverage. Fire in My Soul serves as a personal history lesson for me and is one that I will read more than once. Reading about the personal experiences and the 'inner' workings of the local, state and federal agencies that Dr. Holmes was/is a part of reminded me of many personal experiences in the private sector. Reading Fire in My Soul remeinded me that the absence of compassion for another person is not isolated to any specific location or sector of the nation. Reading the story of one who continues to live her passion for justice offers the encouragement to do what I can where I am for justice.

Joan Steinau Lester and Eleanor Holmes Norton met as college classmates at Antioch College in 1958. They became friends and marched together in civil rights marches in New England. Now forty-five years later, Ms. Steinau Lester, now a journalist/writer reunites with Congresswoman Holmes Norton in writing her biography in Fire In My Soul.

Congresswoman Holmes Norton's great grandfather, Richard John Holmes, escaped from Virginia into Washington D.C. to become a free man and elude his former owner. He eventually became one of the few black firemen in the nation's capital and persevered to become a sergeant in the department. He felt a black man was worthy of equal opportunity and it is no surprise she inherited some of her great grandfather's fire for justice. With a legacy such as this, having descended from a strong, middle-class background, it is little wonder that she pursued a career in law that would one day put her in the limelight.

Already involved in civil rights activities, the Congresswoman, while a Yale Law School student, went to Mississippi in June 1963 to join the voter registration drive as a SNCC member. Twenty-four hours later Medgar Evers was dead, victim of an assassination and Holmes Norton had to make quick decisions concerning other members who were being falsely arrested. After law school, she obtained a clerkship with Judge A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., the first black district court judge, in Philadelphia. She then met her future husband, Edward Norton, also an attorney, a man who was secure enough to not be threatened by her status or activities.

Holmes Norton's status did indeed rise as she ventured further into her profession as an attorney, became more involved with civil and human rights, and eventually going into politics. Her life was not always smooth. Her daughter, Katherine, was born with Down's Syndrome; however, she resisted health specialists advice to institutionalize her when she got older. She was very devoted to her.

This reviewer had the opportunity of seeing the Congresswomen twice this year. She is as formidable a presence in person as she is in the media. Her stature commands respect and her sense of belief in pursuing and preserving the rights of human life comes across instantaneously. She is a cheerleader for the people of Washington D.C., who she represents with candor and is respected by them as she respects them. This was a well-written biography of a powerful woman.

Dera Williams
APOOO BookClub

This fascinating biography is not only a pager turner, it also an insightful discourse on how to be an agent of change. This book is a MUST READ for anyone who is grappling with issues of how to change policy, whether as an "insider", "outsider", or hybrid. It is also an inspirational story of an terrific woman. I couldn't put it down.

I don't usually read political biographies, but this one gave me the hope I was searching for in the face of the depressing political realities of today. It's inspiring to read about a fiercely intelligent woman who follows her inner moral compass while compromising when necessary to get things done. I wish everyone serving in Congress had to read this book. Every voter should as well!

In Fire in My Soul, Dr. Lester accomplishes a rare feat for a biographer. While she avoids the trap of painting too pretty or too perfect a picture of her subject, including a number of descriptions that are less than flattering, she is at the same time able to clearly allow her respect and admiration for this remarkable woman to come through.
The effect is that we see a real life heroine, warts and all, and we find her all the more admirable for this.
This is an important book, and I look forward to Dr. Lester's next effort.

now my kid is afraid of bird eggs for fear an alligator will hatch. Bad idea when we have a bird building a nest on our front porch. would have been better to be one of the flamingos

It's a great book to read to toddlers. My brother and I loved "Are You My Mother" and the "Dog" books when we were little so I thought I'd give this book to my niece. I showed it to my brother before I wrapped it, and we both laughed at the story. Two 30+ year old men laughing at a children's book. That's good comedy! PD Eastman showed such personality and story in the illustrations, they add depth to the simple words. And the premise is cute.

this was a fun book for my child to read, and I recommend it highly. The animation is fun, and makes the reading come easier for the child.

This book has a very cute story line.
My daughter was especially intrigued by this book because we often talk about birds and have even watched a few build their nests outside.
It also has a good story about what birds eat....to help children envision what birds feed to their young.
Very well written and great for beginner readers.

Boy, is this ever cute! when a little boy puts an alligator egg in the Birds' nest, they take care of it as if it was their own. They sit on it until it hatches then when he does, they feed it constantly! It's funny watching an alligator eating all that "bird food" and still grows huge. The end is particularly nice. They decide it's time for "Junior" to learn to fly but instead, he learns to swim. Sure is a cute story - especially on caring for others. Highly recommend!

Why should a conscious act of evil be forgiven? A person chose to commit an evil act on the victim of their own free will. It was a decision, an act of conscious evil.
To forgive someone for that is somewhat ridiculous. Its a bit like getting punched in the face and then immediately saying 'I forgive you.' What good does it serve? That doesnt mean you wallow in hatred or self-loathing.
But I find the notion that somehow the victim to 'forgive' themselves, has to 'forgive' the person who consciouslly committed an evil act on a defenseless child is repulsive. In some way it seems to remove the consciousness and willfullness from the crime.
I think a better word is acceptance. Acceptance in the victim that him/her was abused, that they were betrayed, that it was wrong, that evil does indeed exist in this world, and acceptance of the hardships this trauma put into their life.
In this way the abused can see the abuser as just a form of evil that existed in the past and put it behind them. Frankly why does the abuser deserve another thought from the abused?

Lois Einhorn's book is nothing short of heroic. She has spoken for many children, particularly girls. The little girls who were small and helpless, who had to remain silent to survive. She has made it clear, at least to me, that none of us are alone in our journey to become whole.

This is a book for anyone who has reason to believe or suspect they have been abused. This is a book written from the heart of a child, not a Therapist, removing the techical terminology. If the memories are repressed, this book will bring them out of the dark and into conciousness, at least in glimpses. It is at this point, though not easy, the memories will start to heal. We cannot heal if we do not see what is in need of healing.

Lois Einhorn is an angel, a brave and selfless angel.

The format for this book is what makes it so helpful. Lois offers no solutions, no formulas, no "pat" answers, no "shoulds". Instead, she allows the guest contributors to pose responses (not answers) to her questions about forgiveness, shame, blame, guilt, and about self-forgiveness. I found it to be very therapeutic to read through it, one brief chapter at a time, and then to take "time out" after each one to reflect a little on my own situation and decide how the ideas of various contributors meshed, or conflicted with my own. I found my own thoughts and feelings changing, shifting, emerging, and transforming as I reflected on the ideas being presented.

I liked that the book allowed for a wide range of conflicting points of view - which made me even more aware of how forgiveness needs to be an individual choice and an individual process - if it is pursued at all. There is no question that this is one of the most important healing resources available to people who are carrying wounds and burdens that need to be addressed. I am about to begin re-reading it now (one short chapter a day is the way that works best for me - to allow the necessary self-reflection time. I would highly recommend it for anyone who serves to help other people to let go of wounded energies, and to those who carry the unresolved trauma inside of themselves. It is an important piece of work and a brilliant alternative to all the useless "how-to" manuals that are a waste of time when dealing with issues of complicated trauma and abuse.

Dr. Einhorn's personal story is not an easy read. Her personal story of victimization is worse than anything I can imagine, and the fact that she has the bravery and courage to share her pain and her triumphant recovery with the world, through this book, is a testiment to the strength of the Spirit of Good-Will that lives deeper than the most evil demons that lurk within us all. I feel blessed to have run across this book and I am sure that it has moved me forward in huge steps in terms of my understanding of what it means to forgive, let go, and move on. Thank you, Lois Einhorn. God Bless you. Your willingness to illuminate the personal process, if not the pathway to healing makes you not just a wise communicator, but a respected leader in my books.

Reviewed by LuAnn Morgan for RebeccasReads (6/08)

When Lois Einhorn was a child, she endured unspeakable abuse. She was beaten, tortured and sexually assaulted by the two people who were entrusted to nurture and care for her - her parents. In writing this book, Ms. Einhorn asked a variety of people from all walks of life to read her story and contemplate the answer to the question, "Would you forgive?" The answers she received ran through an entire gamut of alternatives. Some said yes, others said no. Yet, it was the ones who refused to answer or who shared their feelings and left the answer up to her (and the reader) that make up the most crucial responses. These are the opinions that seem to bring the readers closer to the heart of the issue as it forces them to think about what they themselves would do in a similar situation.

The book begins with a brief history of what Einhorn (and her sister) went through as children. The heart-rending tale of the horrors these two little girls lived with day in and day out will make the reader take pause and thank God for the parents he or she had.
Could anything be worse than a child forced to crawl around on all fours for an entire day, while being beaten and gorged with wires and electrocuted? Could anything be worse than being tortured and forced to torture your own sister and kill animals?
The answer, unfortunately, is yes. What is truly worse is to live with the after-effects of growing up in those conditions and then, having to suffer the guilt of taking part in the psychotic schemes of two obviously disturbed adults.

That's what Einhorn had to come to terms with and it's the reason behind the book.
The responders include journalists, authors, doctors, trauma experts, psychologists, actors, activists, researchers, educators, politicians, religious leaders and more. They also include men who for one reason or another are serving time in prison for their own crimes against society.

The answers will, at times, make the reader angry, especially when they question Einhorn's feelings. The fact that she survived and went on to make enormous strides in her life is nothing short of miraculous. She has every reason to be commended for her contributions as an adult to the world we all face daily.

Truly, this book ranks at the top of those contributions. It is a book that will provide solace to those who have faced similar violence and to those who haven't. They are the ones who need to come to an acceptance and understanding about the suffering many children have to endure. They are also the ones who can step forward and try to put a stop to that same suffering.

I found "Forgiveness and Child Abuse" nothing short of phenomenal. It's a wonderfully candid and thoughtful book that takes the reader on a voyage of discovery into a world few are privy to. This book will stay on my shelf until I meet someone who needs it for their own healing. At that point, I will pass it on.

I found an article on Lois Einhorn's book in the newsletter of A Course in Miracles, and instantly knew I must have it. When I read the book, I could not take my eyes from the pages. I recognized in Lois a kindred soul, and recognized also the self-contempt and selfhatred we as torture-victims have etched into our soul.
As most abuse-survivors know, it is so difficult to let go of this self-hatred: it comes from being programmed to believe that what happened, happened because we deserved it, because we were inherent GUILTY. It's lodged in our cells. Daniel Quinn, one of the 53 people who gave their view on forgiving the unforgivable, writes: "The torture devised by your parents for you and your sister was specially designed to destroy your humanity by forcing you to become torturers yourselves."
And: "The scar they wanted you to bear forever was a guilt that must seem unforgivable no matter how clearly it's shown to be understood."
By writing this now, I still feel the tremendous gratitude I felt by reading Quinn's words - recognizing the truth in them - as well as the other 52 writers' contribution. For anyone having been abused, knows that it all comes down to forgiving, and we surely need all the help we can get on HOW to forgive. The book lifted me up and allowed me to see my own shining humanity: it was not destroyed. It allowed me to look deeply into my torturers' soul; and find it there too; hidden behind a guilt so deep that they needed to put it on someone outside themselves to survive.
And I felt a huge joy spread inside: as an adult, I could have chosen to do the same with my child - and I did not.
So where there was selfhatred and agonizing selfcontempt and disgust before, is joy now. We can survive, when we remember who we truly are - and this book has helped me to remember.

Best book on CM (based most on symplectic formulation). Extremely clear if one has enough patience to follow exactly the author's way and to work out the proposed stimulating problems. Contains an original way of introducing differential forms, integration of differential forms and homology/De Rahm's thm.: you fully get in the subject in few pages ! The first part does not make use of symplectic formalism but is also quite original and stimulating. The level is last yr. undergr. 1st yr. graduate. Very useful if used with E. ott (Chaos in Dynamical Systems) for studying nonlinear dynamics.

Extremely stimulating, uses Galileo to motivate Newton's laws instead of postulating them. Treatment of Bertrand's theorem is beautiful, but contains one error (took me 2 years before I realized where..). However, I know of only one physicist who successully worked out all the missing steps and taught from this book. I know mathematicians who have cursed it. I used/use it for inspiration. The treatment of Liouville's integrability theorem, I found too abstract, found the old version in Whittaker's Analytical Dynamics to be clearer (Arnol'd might laugh sarcastically at this claim!)--for an interesting variation, but more from the standpoint of continuous groups, see the treatment in ch. 16 of my Classical Mechanics (Cambridge, 1997). In my text I do not restrict the discussion of integrability/nonintegrability to Hamiltonian systems but include driven dissipative systems as well. Another strength of Arnol'd: his discussion of caustics, useful for the study of galaxy formation (as I later learned while doing work in cosmology). Also, I learned from Arnol'd that Poisson brackets are not restricted to canonical systems (see also my ch. 15). I guess that every researcher in nonlinear dynamics should study Arnol'd's books, he's the 'alte Hasse' in the field.

This book is an excellent introduction to the world of classical physics for NON-PHYSICISTS. While some physicists will no doubt find it accessible, there is considerable reduction of physical concepts in order to get to the heart of the ideas underlying the formalism. Also, the material goes beyond what most physicists (non-theoreticians) will find practical.

He focuses largely on a geometric presentation, in the language of differential geometry, symplectic geometry, differential forms, Riemannian manifolds and includes a large amount of algebraic necessities. This is not a cookbook for learning how to solve classical mechanics, nor is it a math book per se, but it is a wonderful collection of introductions to a vast amount of useful mathematical formalism that permeates the physical literature. I would strongly recommend it to someone needing a thorough supplementary mechanics text, one that relies on very little physical insight and focuses on the geometric and algebraic structures underlying them.

The chapters are very well self-contained for the most part so you can skip to topics you find more appealing without feeling lost. Also, his presentation style is very clever, in case you're a fan of quick thinking and novel presentations (who isn't?).

The prerequisites are familiarity with somewhat advanced calculus and "mathematical maturity". Basic knowledge of group theory would also make it an easier read.

The book is full of little enjoyable details (jewels). Arnold is one of the few mathematicians which approaches problems with a very geometric point of view. In his interview with S.H. Lui he mentions how algebraic picture has dominated the research in mathematics and how he has tried to counter that. One can see the trace of his ingenuity all over this book. What some may call as handwaving in math circles is indeed called as physical (or geometric) intuition in physics community and is being actively encouraged.

The chapters on oscillations (chap. 5) and perturbation theory (chap. 10) are very instructive. For example, parametric resonance is discussed concisely in chapter 5 which you won't be able to find it anywhere else. where can you learn about "Arnold's tongues" better than in Arnold's book?

There are so many appendices at the end of the book. They are often very specialized and I don't recommend you to read them on your first read.

In conclusion, I recommend this book to any physics graduate student. In fact, I hope one day it will be used as a text book for courses in classical mechanics.

I have to admit that I haven't thoroughly read through this text. But judging from the first 10 pages, there is a lot of mathematical handwaving. In contrast, foundations of mechanics (hereafter FOM) is far superior in that it provides all the necessary background beyond calculus and linear algebra to the reader, and is logically consistent so far in my reading. I want to mention that there are certainly complete and excellent texts out there on functional analysis, differential geometry, and topology, but many texts include way more stuff than you would want to know. In particular, it is my humble opinion that once you get to a certain point of knowledgeability of a subject like algebraic topology, you have enough of a taste for it that to learn more of the subject would only help if you were to go into research. Therefore a book like FOM provides a concise and practical treatment of those various advanced mathematics topics.

Tania Grossinger is one hell of a writer.

She makes "the Catskills" come alive for New Yorkers too young to have experienced its lifestyle first-hand; this is especially true for those of us who had our curiosity whetted by long-repeated family stories of "the mountains."

Both of these phrases refer to a small mountain range within driving distance of New York City. From their heyday in the 1930s to the 1960s, these mountains were the home of dozens of hotels ranging from tiny to huge. As the decades rolled on, each hotel added swimming pools and tennis courts and live entertainment. The Catskills was the place where the children's dining room, the social director and the singles weekend were invented.

What the area was most famous for, however, was the food. Each hotel served in massive, unlimited quantities. The menu information shared in the book, by modern standards, is shocking in its excess.

None of those hotels was more important than Grossinger's.

In GROWING UP AT GROSSINGER'S, Tania Grossinger describes what it was like to grow up as a hotel brat: To do one's homework in a cocktail lounge, to watch the romantic interludes of the guests with titillation and a surprising degree of sophistication, to have to be nice to the guests regardless of any other reality.

Since Grossinger's also was the hotel which started the trend for performances by famous entertainers, Tania routinely met the big names of the times. Jackie Robinson was her morale booster and she watched the ill-fated courtship of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds from up close.

There is a certain pathos to this report, since Tania was, quite literally, the poor relation of the Grossinger family. The owners saw to it that her mother -- the widow of a Grossinger cousin -- and she were sheltered and fed but, other than that, they spared them little thought or kindness.

The 2008 copyright reflects a re-issue of a title from the 1970s. This makes for a bit of confusion, since there are apparently current references to places (including the hotel) no longer there and people long dead. The hotels all have disappeared, victims of the ease of jet travel coupled with a certain amount of boredom on the part of the guests with the same old vacation, time after time.

GROWING UP AT GROSSINGER'S is a fascinating and touching memoir.

A Wonderful Read!! It has you feeling like you are personally taking a trip to Grossinger's, the famous Catskill Resort during the 1940's and 1950's. Tania invites you into her 'behind the scenes life' about growing up in the midst of famous celebrities and finding her own identity. Couldn't put the book down!

If you don't know Tania Grossinger personally, as has been my extreme good fortune, reading "Growing Up at Grossinger's" is the next best thing! The story of her young years, her mother, her family, the celebrities in and out of the hotel and her life--it's all one hugely entertaining, fascinating parade of personalities and characters. Tania's incredibly astute insights about people were of great interest to me as you see her grow from a vulnerable young girl to a sophisticated woman. Tania has a million stories to tell and the ones in "Growing Up at Grossinger's" will leave you with a wonderful, warm feeling that you've actually "met" an extraordinary person
who has lived a most fascinating life and shares it so well with all of us. Thank you, Tania!

From her smart rhetoric to her personal story, Tania Grossinger is clearly a force to be reckoned with -- and she proves it chapter after chapter in this quick-read of an autobiography. The book also serves as a nostalgic memory peg for anyone who spent their summers vacationing at the Catskills' most celebrated resort during the 1950s & '60s, and a fun history lesson (packed with insider celebrity scuttlebutt) for anyone who didn't. Kudos to Ms. Grossinger for her candor and skill. I loved it and have been talking it up to everyone I know!

I have been a high school English teacher for thirty years, and am always interested and arguing with students about books they like and why. We have often talked about a good story, and the "art" of telling it well. Tania's book reveals to us that she has both. Not only has she delivered an authentic,witty, touching, coming-of-age memoir, but she has crafted it with the gift of a writer with a capital W.
Everyone does indeed have a story, but unfortunately, many have the mistaken idea that anyone can put words onto a page and be an author. I beg to differ; it is clear to me that not everyone can tell their tale in a reader-friendly, carefully articulated and intelligent way that keeps the reader unwilling to put it down. Tania has done just that.
I spent every summer of my childhood in Grossingers and, therefore, wanted to read Tania's book. Through her memoire, she has not only opened the floodgates of a hundred forgotten people and places, she has given herself to the reader as only an artist can.

Bob Nozik knows happiness! It isn't that he was born happy; he found happiness after many years, starting off by doing the wrong things, then through a journey of study and self-discovery. In Happy 4 Life, he offers a short cut by condensing it all into his twelve keys to happiness. Master these, and you will be happy for life.

Bob Nozik does a wonderful job of explaining happiness; providing real-life things we can do to further our own journey towards lifelong happiness. In countering the arguments of the sceptic Glumbunny at every turn, he adds an extra dimension for a balanced, easy to read manual and checklist for happiness.

One thing I really liked about "Happy 4 Life" is the amount of detail given to the effect that happiness is likely to have on you and those around you. It is strange, but true that not everyone will like you being happy!

Here's my "Bottom Line" - This is a wonderful book!
Bob Nozik, MD has written a great book to give us the valuable understanding on how to create a happy life. I highly recommend
this book! Of course we each have to take the time to read it and then decide on how to change.

Happy 4 Life: Here's How To Do It is a straightforward and recommended self-help guide by Bob Nozik (Professor Emeritus, University of California Medical Center, San Francisco) offers psychological secrets for pursuing and achieving lifelong happiness. From the importance of self-esteem, appreciation and gratitude; to balancing responsibility with a non-judgmental view; to the detours and pitfalls to watch over as one works to improve the quality of one's mood and life, Happy 4 Life is useful, accessible, and offers concepts that are easy for the nonspecialist general reader to put into the practice in the course of their everyday living.

Nozik's little how-to-be-happy book is a field manual for pilgrims on a quest for the grail of happiness. Happy himself, Nozik has organized his accumulated wisdoms into a step by step map for how to get to the Emerald City. For a literary Strawman we have Glumbunny, who over the course of the book misunderstands every principle of happiness, but Glumbunny and glum readers are slowly helped onto a more positive path to happiness by means of patient explanation, assigned homework and various mental exercises. All this in a succinct package of new age insights and popular, self-help psychology. The book is an easy read, as hopeful as a John Denver song, non-judgmental of human foibles, and packed with practical tips. Recommended for the glum, especially those who derive benefit from self-help exercises.

We have the Twelve Commandments, Twelve Step Programs, and now the Twelve Steps to Happiness, Bob Nozik's very practical and systematic guide to living happily. As one has a cooking book of recipes for creating culinary feasts, Bob serves up a series of life feasts providing all the ingredients necessary for life to be a feast of happiness. As a physician, his academic background is quite evident. He sets up a dialogue throughout the book between himself, the teacher, and `glumbunny', the student. He deals with `glumbunny's skepticism about living each step of the happy life, i.e., conscious awareness, self-like/love, self-esteem, appreciation, acceptance. These steps have practical anecdotes included with excellent quotes. Each step has its own very intriguing and unexpected approach. His exercises and practicums are very worthwhile.
However, beware this is not an academician's tome. It is meant for someone looking for a `how to' approach. I would recommend it to coaches, psychotherapists, those who are pursuing and are curious about self-development.

This book is not just for people who have anxiety or panic disorder. It encompasses healthy living for the mind, body and spirit. I recommend this book for anyone attempting to live a peaceful, healthy existence.

these books (by Edmund J Bourne) don't miss a thing. I was never diagnosed with anxiety disorder, my md hadn't heard about those disorders, and he'd run out of tests to do, and ideas. So,sometime later, when I read this book, everything fell into place, and I could then know what i needed to get(a qualified behaviourist) which i did. I'm still agoraphobic, but won't be for much longer. It's just when your md doesn't know- it wastes alot of time. These books go past informing and cover everything you need to make a recovery.

Although the title of my review may sound a little cliche and gaudy it is actually not far from the truth. Having read the excellent Anxiety and Phobia Workbooks and gaining immense insight from them, I was eager to read one more book from Edmund Bourne. This book is an excellent read/resource for a number of reasons. Bourne, himself has suffered from anxiety for over 30 years and in the first part of the book he shares his struggles with the reader which gives us a sense of connection with him. Healing Fear does have some similarities to his previous books but it has evolved and expanded. Bourne now believes that there are far more circumstances when medication may be appropriate and even necessary. Also, there is a section on herbs which are relatively new to western civilization in the treatmentment of anxiety. Something else that is different about this book is the second section which has some definite ties to spirituality. Developing Your Observing Self is one of the most powerful and meaningful chapters that I have ever read in any book. Additionally, the numerous forms of relaxation are discussed as well as finding meaning in life. There are undoubtable ties between these subjects and lasting recovery from anxiety. True recovery ofter requires a shift in the way we look at things and the pace at which we live our lives. Incorporating a certain amount of relaxation and thought calming in our everyday lives is in many cases very necessary to our complete and full recovery from anxiety. In the last chapter there is a list of things to do everyday to avoid an accumulation of stress and there is a complete appendix to the book filled with suggested readings that are inspiring. Healing Fear does just what the title says it does and you will not be disappointed with your purchase.

Chapter 1 -- The Author's Own Story
Chapter 2 -- Restoring Lost Connections (family, community, nature, self, God)
Chapter 3 -- Simplifying Your Life (reducing stress, doing what you want for a living, reducing exposure to television, increasing exposure to nature, delegating, learning to say "No")
Chapter 4 -- Caring for Your Body (relaxation, abdominal breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, pacing and downtime, exercise programs, overcoming excuses for not exercising, energy balance)

Chapter 5 -- Caring for Your Body (improving your nutrition, minimizing caffeine, reducing sugar, identifying allergic foods, reducing saturated fats, eating whole and unprocessed foods, organic foods, vegetables, fiber, daily fluid intake, protein-to-carbohydrate ratio, vitamins, amino acids, tryptophan, GABA, DLPA, herbs, glandulars, hormones, detoxification, fasting)
Chapter 6 -- Tools that Work: Help for Overcoming Panic and Phobias (The truth about panic attacks: [1] Panic attacks are unpleasant but not dangerous [2] A panic attack cannot cause heart failure or cardiac arrest [3] A panic attack will not cause you to stop breathing or suffocate [4] A panic attack cannot cause you to faint [5] A panic attack cannot cause you to lose your balance [6] You won't fall when you feel "weak in the knees" during a panic attack [7] You cannot "go crazy" during a panic attack [8] A panic attack cannot cause you to "lose control of yourself" [9] Don't fight panic. Coping strategies for managing panic: [1] Use the anxiety scale [2] Abdominal breathing [3] Coping statements [4] Other diversion techniques [5] Revising catastrophic thoughts that contribute to panic. Examples of how to change self-talk: [1] Fear of driving on a freeway [2] Fear of flying [3] Fear of contracting a serious illness. How to face what you fear: [1] Taking manageable steps [2] Relying upon a support person [3] Coping strategies [4] Avoid flooding [5] Practicing exposure to phobia 3 to 5 times each week [6] Maintaining the right attitude)
Chapter 7 -- Medication (Serotonin, tryptophan, St. John's wart, exercise, exposure to light. Types: SSRIs, benzodiazepines, cyclic antidepressants, MAO inhibitor antidepressants, beta-blockers, buspar. Should I take medication? For how long? When should I discontinue it?)
Chapter 8 -- Addressing Personality Issues (Fear of abandonment or isolation, fear of rejection or embarrassment, fear of losing control, fear of death or injury, fear of confinement)

Chapter 9 -- Developing Your Observing Self (Meditation)
Chapter 10 -- Finding Your Unique Purpose
Chapter 11 -- Enlarging Your View of Life (How spirituality can help overcome anxiety, your concept of God, deepening your relationship with God, viewing adversity and difficulties from a spiritual perspective)
Chapter 12 -- Letting Go (relaxation, humor, patience, creativity, doing for others, overcoming perfectionism, relying upon others, tolerating uncertainty, faith)
Chapter 13 -- Affirming Your Recovery
Chapter 14 -- Learning to Love (forgiveness, compassion, generosity, kindness)
Chapter 15 -- Conclusion: Acquiring Courage (Ten ways to heal fear daily)

Dr. Bourne has an excellent track record for providing real help for real people, and this book is no exception. I always love it when a self-help author is willing to put his own story out there, and Dr. Bourne does so in a way that helps readers know that they are not alone with whatever degree or variety of anxiety that haunts them.

As a psychotherapist and author who also teaches about overcoming fear's control in our lives, I have tremendous respect for Dr. Bourne's well-thought out, thorough approach to the subject. He is not a "one technique fits all" kind of author, but instead offers a very complete catalog of options from which to choose.

Last, but not least, Healing Fear has something many self-help books don't have: humility. Dr. Bourne understands that cognitive/behavioral techniques are very powerful in the face of fear and anxieties, but he includes respectful and intelligent information about the value of medication and of spiritual practice. This is a book to which I never hesitate to refer a client, friend or family member.

-Thom Rutledge, Author of Embracing Fear (HarperSanFancisco)

This book is a must read for parents that have a child with selective mutism. My doctor recommended it because he learned a lot from reading this book. I am thrilled to finally have a diagnosis for my son and someone to help both him and I dealing with this. This book is excellent for explaining selective mutism and how to help someone with it.

I consider selective mutism as an extreme form of anxiety disorder, much like the authors of this book and several of the reviewers.
However, there are reasons why children with selective mutism are sometimes "misdiagnosed" with autism spectrum disorder. Frequently, in my experience, the two overlap, especially in children with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's Syndrome. I also say this from experience: I am diagnosed Asperger's as an adult, but could not speak fluently until I was 8 due to word-finding difficulties associated with autism. There was no diagnosis of high-functioning autism when I was a child, so they called me "elective mutism with autistic features". (Selective mutism used to be called elective mutism.) I had a great deal of anxiety in situations where I was expected to speak to others for years afterward, and frequently would not speak with anyone other than my parents and teachers.
I must say, though, that the authors did not include the techniques I have found that work best with children with either or both selective mutism and high-functioning autism disorders, including asperger's, who have anxiety about speaking.
Some respond very well to the use of masks. I try to have it be a mask that the child has made, with my assistance, and gradually modify the mask to look more like the child, or modify the base material from paper to nylon around a base.
Another good therapy tool is a sock puppet. Gradually make it look more like the child, such as by adding hair, eyes the same color as the childs', etc. Gradually try to fade the use of these as the child's anxiety decreases.
Best of luck.

This is the first book I would buy after receiving a Selective Mutism diagnosis. It's well written and organized in a logical step-by-step fashion. Well worth the money.

I also highly recommend Maggie Johnson's "The Selective Mutism Resource Manual". It's pricey by comparison, but worth the cost.

As a mother of a child with selective mutism, I can tell how helpful this book can be. Practical and comprehensive, it helps you rate your child's level of selective mutism and gives hints on how to work your way up the ladder of a child's social relationships. Feels good to see the progress. If your child is well described by the first chapter, then get a copy of this book for the teachers.

We have a 4 year old who did not speak at all in preschool for the first several months. We were very worried about her. Her teacher initially misunderstood her behavior, thinking she was just being uncooperative. I initially consulted the website, [...], and shared the information from it with her teacher. Together we implemented several strategies recommended on the website, including a teacher home visit, and realized some positive, albeit limited, results. I then found this book, and again shared it with her teacher. We had a very clear understanding of SM as a result, and implemented some additional strategies suggested in the book (like another teacher home visit, building on the friendships she had outside of school, being cognizant of classroom seating, etc.). To all of our amazement she is a little chatterbox at school now (same school year)!!! I am incredulous that implementing the simple suggestions on the website and in the book had such dramatic results, and highly recommend the book for parents and teachers of children with this problem. THANK YOU to the authors!!!

Enjoyed reading this book as it presents another perspective on treatment. I, too, espouse the theory of "practice based evidence" as opposed to "evidence based practice". I am a therapist in a community based program, and it is hard to do any innovative treatment, but this book as given me hope and incentive. I, too, believe "the answers lies within (the client)". I think medication is over-prescribed, and clients need to learn tools to access their own God-given strengths.

This is a great book, in perfect condition and mailed very well - good
packaging, arrived in time. Great seller, thanks!

I was searching for a book that would help me begin the process of assessing and measuring client outcomes in my counseling practice. It is a very useful book with very practical tools. Thank you!!

This book is not about learning a therapeutic technique, its about using simple tools in therapy (regardless of theoretical orientation) to help measure outcome - something MFTs need to know in order to provide good service to clients. I am a grad student and this has been some of the most valuable information I have learned thus far.

After being a counselor for over thirty years it is refreshing to see a scholarly book by authors who understand what is important in change, growth and healing. For far too long therapists and medicine have taken credit for the work done by the clients.

This book outlines important research and common sense reasons why we need to really listen to the client and his family to learn how to support what he is doing to be healthy. Anyone interested in helping people change can benefit from this newest volume from the people who get what counseling is all about.