The Ultimate Gift (The Ultimate Series #1)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Read the book, watch the movie - both will inspire!
  • The Ultimate Gift DVD
  • A Timely Gift
  • Good , but not terrific
  • Great book!
The Ultimate Gift (The Ultimate Series #1)
Jim Stovall
Manufacturer: RiverOak Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
United StatesUnited States | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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  1. The Ultimate Gift The Ultimate Gift
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ASIN: 1589193571

Book Description

What would you do to inherit a million dollars? Would you be willing to change your life? Jason Stevens is about to find out in Jim Stovall's The Ultimate Gift. Red Stevens has died, and the older members of his family receive their millions with greedy anticipation. But a different fate awaits young Jason, whom Stevens, his great-uncle, believes may be the last vestige of hope in the family. "Although to date your life seems to be a sorry excuse for anything I would call promising, there does seem to be a spark of something in you that I hope we can fan into a flame. For that reason, I am not making you an instant millionaire." What Stevens does give Jason leads to The Ultimate Gift. Young and old will take this timeless tale to heart.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Read the book, watch the movie - both will inspire!.......2007-10-01

I received this book as a gift shortly after watching the movie by the same name - I was greatly impressed with the movie and anxious to read the book (since everyone knows that the book is always better than the movie). This book is no exception to that rule - an outstanding read and it was as easy to read as the movie was to watch. This is a novel, a work of fiction that drives home some real life points! The premise of the book is about what's really important in life - is it what we build with our hands or the money and worldly success we achieve, or is it something more than that, something that isn't tangible and can't be bought or sold for any amount of money? In his final will, a dying wealthy man tries to communicate from the grave the true meaning of life to a family member who up until this point hasn't got a clue!

I would think that this book could probably be read to children in upper elementary school and could be read by 7th or 8th graders on their own. The book should be read by parents first so that they can engage their children in conversation along the way. While the book isn't overtly Christian, you'll find that the lessons taught in this novel are very similar to the wisdom shared in the Book of Proverbs and throughout Scripture. Stovall isn't preaching, but he sure can drive a point home with this story; and these twelve "gifts" passed from one generation to the next are essential for each and every one of us to learn as well.

While some say that the movie isn't as good as the book, I say that they are a pretty good compliment of each other. The movie takes various liberties with the book to get this message on screen, but you won't be disappointed with either. The book is written to provoke thought and discussion and families should use them as tools to teach valuable life lessons to their children - Red Stevens would have wanted it that way!

1 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Gift DVD.......2007-09-27

The Ultimate Gift you sent me was a total disaster. I ordered the movie edition and you sent me a book and a promotional DVD. I did not receive the movie edition of the Ultimate Gift. Unfortunately I had ordered it to take on a bus trip that I was directing and I had not taken the time to watch what you sent me, thinking it was the movie edition. When I put it in the DVD player with everyone on the bus eager to watch the movie there was only the promotional disc. Needless to say I was embarrassed and not too happy. Fortunately along the way I was able to purchase the DVD that I thought I was buying from Amazon at a much higher price. I have ordered from Amazon before and have been very pleased but not this time.

5 out of 5 stars A Timely Gift.......2007-09-24

Several copies of The Ultimate Gift were placed on a table at my workplace. A handwritten note read, "Take one and pass it on." The title was intriguing and never one to pass up something free or an opportunity to read, I took one.

Having gained knowledge of most of these gifts through the ups and downs of life, I enjoyed the validations, while unfortunately identifying with Uncle Red's mistakes. I am grateful to the person who made it possible to have a copy of the book.

I titled this review 'a timely gift' because I received in time read it and mail it to my son as a gift for his 26th birthday. Like Uncle Red, wishing to provide, I robbed my children of many of the gifts. I am hoping the book will make a difference in my son's life as he is not a happy person even though he has many blessings. When and if I am in touch with my prodigal daughter, I will share The Ultimate Gift with her, also. It is my goal to share copies of The Ultimate Gift with many, many young persons.

2 out of 5 stars Good , but not terrific.......2007-09-19

The reviews I read promised an inspiring book. It was not to be. It was an interesting premise and story. But the lack of detailed story left me disappointed. Reading the story from the lawyer's view did not give us an opportunity to really travel the road to enlightenment. I felt I was reading the summary, not the story.

A movie of the book is coming out soon. I dare say, I see an immense opprtunity for the movie to outshine the book.

5 out of 5 stars Great book!.......2007-09-17

This is a great book and I would recommend buying used items from Amazon as I have always been satisified with my purchases and most of all, the money I save. This book has been made into a movie that is really great, but the book is always better.
What to Expect When You're Expecting, Third Edition
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • Don't get it!
  • What To Expext When You're Expecting
  • Great
  • Not worth it.
  • Too much fear.
What to Expect When You're Expecting, Third Edition
Heidi Murkoff , Arlene Eisenberg , and Sandee Hathaway
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Pregnancy & Childbirth | Women's Health | Personal Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Family HealthFamily Health | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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Product Features:
  • Everything a parent needs to know about the whole parenting lifestyle
  • Black and white illustrations
  • Information on working while pregnant
  • Attention is paid to pre-conception, alternative families, second pregnancies
  • Also teaches about HMOs, role of the father and overall lifestyle

ASIN: 0761121323

Product Description

The third edition of Americas bestseller, What to Expect When You're Expecting, is updated and is revised with better features for expecting families. The authors are very experienced including Heidi Murkoff, an established writer, and Sandee Hathaway, holder of B.S. in Nursing from Boston University and they have quite a bit to say about this book. Arlene Eisenberg also puts her two cents in. The What to Expect When You're Expecting books has more in-depth coverage of complementary and alternative birthing. Greater detail is also give to the way families handle everything from second pregnancies to HMOs. Workman Publishing Company publishes books that are insightful and informative.

Amazon.com

Eighteen years after it first hit the shelves and having sold more than 10 million copies, What to Expect When You're Expecting is still on nearly every mother-to-be's reading list. This completely revised and updated edition is packed with answers to hundreds of questions and worries expectant parents may have. The information is presented in a month-by-month format starting with planning a pregnancy and choosing a practitioner, and follows through to six weeks after delivery. Each chapter begins with an explanation of what to expect at a particular month's prenatal visit and a brief description of how mom and baby are growing and changing before getting to the heart of the matter: What You May Be Concerned About. Topics are presented as questions ranging from "Should I be taking vitamins?" to "What if I forget everything I learn in childbirth education class?" to "Will I be able to breastfeed?" The answers are generally reassuring and provide enough information to soothe a worried mom between prenatal visits. Despite the reassuring answers, however, the sheer volume of worries discussed may alarm an otherwise calm mom-to-be.

The book also features a complete nutrition plan (though many women may find it difficult to follow), a special chapter just for expectant dads, and extensive information about dealing with minor illnesses, chronic conditions, and pregnancy complications. What to Expect has guided countless women through their pregnancies and makes an informative addition to the mainstream pregnancy and childbirth bookshelf. --Jennifer Lindsay

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars Don't get it!.......2007-10-04

This book almost drove me out of my mind. When it is not preaching at you about all the things you should do (like eat more vegetables than you can fathom while vomiting non-stop and wanting to eat nothing but fried chicken and rice), it is offending your intelligence with little nuggets of "wisdom," like telling you that if you drank one margarita before you knew you were pregnant, it probably doesn't matter, but you should stop drinking now. It states the obvious over and over, and I found it just was not all that helpful. Still, I read it from cover to cover, and I vowed to set it on fire the minute I got home from the hospital. My mother beat me to it, tossing it before the baby came. She said it was making me crazy, and the nurses at the hospital said that it makes EVERYONE crazy. I think the best thing to do is to listen to your health-care provider. This book made me feel very bad. Plus, that whole "earth mother" lady on the cover just annoyed me every time I saw her.

5 out of 5 stars What To Expext When You're Expecting.......2007-10-02

I bought this for my daughter and she was thrilled! I heard on Dr. Phil's show that this is the new 'Bible' for pregnant women so I had to buy it. She is reading it as her pregnancy progresses. She says it goes into more detail on all subjects that other books she bought just mention lightly and go on to something else. She loves the depth of coverage on different aspects of pregnancy, what to expect, what is normal/abnormal. It's a GREAT book for the first time expecting mother.

5 out of 5 stars Great.......2007-10-01

I really like this journal. There so many different things going on, it is so nice to have somewhere organized to write everything down. I also hope to keep this as a memory book later on.

2 out of 5 stars Not worth it........2007-09-25

I read this book and found it mediocre at best. I don't even have any kids and I already knew everything in it. It covers basics that I consider to be common sense. I could have just talked with any mother (or a decent doctor) for half an hour to cover everything in the book, it's practically useless unless you are absolutely clueless and don't know anyone who has had a child that you can talk with.

3 out of 5 stars Too much fear........2007-09-25

As a book editor and mother of three I found this book far too alarming for mother and father alike. The first baby is the hardest, as all mothers know, and the range of advice and information is not only confusing, but also darn scary. Many of the helpful information, however, I believe will be useful for those who need more education on nutrition and supplements, shots, etc., though I think it would be more helpful to pair this book with Gangi's newest release, "Forget the Cures, Find the Cause, Book II, as it covers pre-pregnancy through high school in its information for parents. All-in-all, this book does help get parents off on the right foot and give them a partial guide that's understandable and easy to read(even if the diet seems hard.)Forget the Cures, Find the Cause: Book 2: The Circle
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Wow
  • Good, not great
  • A best seller? Really?
  • SPLENDID service
  • Real Page Turner
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khaled Hosseini
Manufacturer: Riverhead Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
LiteraryLiterary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1594489505
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Amazon.com

It's difficult to imagine a harder first act to follow than The Kite Runner: a debut novel by an unknown writer about a country many readers knew little about that has gone on to have over four million copies in print worldwide. But when preview copies of Khaled Hosseini's second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, started circulating at Amazon.com, readers reacted with a unanimous enthusiasm that few of us could remember seeing before. As special as The Kite Runner was, those readers said, A Thousand Splendid Suns is more so, bringing Hosseini's compassionate storytelling and his sense of personal and national tragedy to a tale of two women that is weighted equally with despair and grave hope.

We wanted to spread the word on the book as widely, and as soon, as we could. See below for an exclusive excerpt from A Thousand Splendid Suns and early reviews of the book from some of our top customer reviewers.--The Editors


An Exclusive Excerpt from A Thousand Splendid Suns

We have arranged with the publisher to make an exclusive excerpt of A Thousand Splendid Suns available on Amazon.com. Click here to read a scene from the novel. It's not the opening scene, but rather one from a crucial moment later in the book when Mariam, one of the novel's two main characters, steps into a new role.


Early Buzz from Amazon.com Top Reviewers

We queried our top 100 customer reviewers as of March 6, 2007, and asked them to read A Thousand Splendid Suns and share their thoughts. We've included these early reviews below in the order they were received. For the sake of space, we've only included a brief excerpt of each reviewer's response, but each review is available for reading in its entirety by clicking the "Read the review" link.

Joanna Daneman: "His style is deceptively simple and clear, the characters drawn deftly and swiftly, his themes elemental and huge. This is a brilliant writer and I look forward to more of his work." Read Joanna Daneman's review

Seth J. Frantzman: "Khaled Hosseini has done it again with 'A Thousand Splendid Sons', presenting a new, dashing and dark tale of two generations of women trapped in a loveless marriage, bracketed by great events." Read Seth J. Frantzman's review

Donald Mitchell: "Khaled Hosseini has succeeded in capturing many important historical and contemporary themes in a way that will make your heart ache again and again. Why will your reaction be so strong? It's because you'll identify closely with the suffering of almost all the characters, a reaction that's very rare to a modern novel." Read Donald Mitchell's review

Lawrance M. Bernabo: "All things considered, following up on a successful first novel is probably harder than coming up with the original effort and Hosseini could have rested on his laurels in the manner of Harper Lee, but as "A Thousand Splendid Suns" amply proves, this native of Kabul has more stories to tell about the land of Afghanistan." Read Lawrance M. Bernabo's review

Amanda Richards: "There are parts of this book that will have grown men surreptitiously blotting the tears that are on the verge of overflowing their ducts, and by the time you get to the middle, you won't be able to put it down. Hosseini's simple but richly descriptive prose makes for an engrossing read, and in my opinion, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is among the best I have ever read. This is definitely not one to be missed." Read Amanda Richards's review

N. Durham: "All that being said, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is a bit more enjoyable than Hosseini's previous "The Kite Runner", and once again he manages to give we readers another glimpse of a world that we know little about but frequently condemn and discard. However, if you were one of the many that for some reason absolutely loved "The Kite Runner", chances are that you'll love this as well." Read N. Durham's review

John Kwok: "Khaled Hosseini's "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is a genuine instant literary classic, and one destined to be remembered as one of 2007's best novels. It should be compared favorably to such legendary Russian novels like "War and Peace" and "Doctor Zhivago"." Read John Kwok's review

Thomas Duff: "Normally I'm more of an action-adventure type reader when it comes to novels and recreational reading. But I was given the chance to read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner), so I decided to try something out of my normal genre. I am *so* glad I did. This is a stunning and moving novel of life and love in Afghanistan over a 30 year period." Read Thomas Duff's review

Charles Ashbacher: "This book manages to simultaneously capture the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years and how women are treated in conservative Islamic societies.... In many ways it is a sad book, your heart goes out to these two women in their hopeless struggle to have a decent life with a brutal man in an unforgiving, intolerant society." Read Charles Ashbacher's review

W. Boudville: "Hosseini presents a piognant view into the recent tortured decades of the Afghan experience. From the 1970s, under a king, to the Soviet takeover, to the years of resistance. And then the rise and fall of the Taliban. An American reader will recognise many of the main political events. But to many Americans, Afghanistan and its peoples and religion remain an opaque and troubling mystery." Read W. Boudville's review

Mark Baker: "I tend to read plot heavy books, so this character study was a definite change of pace for me. I found the first half slow going at times, mainly because I knew where the story was going. Once I got into the second half, things really picked up. The ending was very bittersweet. I couldn't think of a better way to end it." Read Mark Baker's review

Grady Harp: "Hosseini takes us behind those walls for forty some years of Afghanistan's bloody history and while he does not spare us any of the descriptions of the terror that continues to besiege that country, he does offer us a story that speaks so tenderly about the fragile beauty of love and devotion and lasting impression people make on people." Read Grady Harp's review

Robert P. Beveridge: "When I was actively reading it, the pages kept turning, and more than once I found myself foregoing food or sleep temporarily to get in just one more chapter. When I had put it down, however, I felt no particular compulsion to pick it back up again. It's a good book, and a relatively well-written one, but it's not a great book. Enjoyable without leaving a lasting impression." Read Robert P. Beveridge's review

B. Marold: "While the events in Afghanistan and the wider world create a familiar framework for the stories of these two women, it is nothing more than a framework. The warp and weft of everyday life, and the interaction of the two women and their close relatives is the heartbeat of the story." Read B. Marold's review

Daniel Jolley: "Khaled Hosseini has written a majestic, sweeping, emotionally powerful story that provides the reader with a most telling window into Afghan society over the past thirty-odd years. It's also a moving story of friendship and sacrifice, giving Western readers a rare glimpse into the suffering and mistreatment of Afghan women that began long before the Taliban came to power." Read Daniel Jolley's review


Book Description

After 103 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and with four million copies of The Kite Runner shipped, Khaled Hosseini returns with a beautiful, riveting, and haunting novel that confirms his place as one of the most important literary writers today.

Propelled by the same superb instinct for storytelling that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once an incredible chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love.

Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them-in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul-they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival.

A stunning accomplishment, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a haunting, heartbreaking, compelling story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Wow.......2007-10-04

I decided to read this book because I read "The Kite Runner" which I liked a lot. I saw that Khaled Hosseini had written another book which was on the Bestseller's list so I got it. I loved it from the very first page to the last word. It was one of the best books I've ever read and was extremely powerful. Everybody needs to read this!

4 out of 5 stars Good, not great.......2007-10-04

I enjoyed this, just not as much as I thought I would. I prefer the author's first book.

If you're a die hard fan of the author it's worth checking out. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty good, just paled in comparison to the first.

also recommended: Cat's Cradle

2 out of 5 stars A best seller? Really?.......2007-10-03

Not sure why this is a best seller. I was a little disappointed with this book. I bought it after reading all the reviews but it was a sure let down. I gave fiction a try after a while...maybe thats why? The story however sad and close to truth is very common. I have read plenty of blogs and newspaper articles with similar story line. Why the special treatment for this book?

5 out of 5 stars SPLENDID service.......2007-10-03

This book came so much faster than I expected! and in perfect condition, as I ordered it new from Amazon, at ten dollars less than the walmart price, with free shipping. thank you.

5 out of 5 stars Real Page Turner.......2007-10-03

Exciting story about women in other cultures. Could hardly put it down. Love does triumph.
The Glass Castle: A Memoir
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • THANK YOU JEANETTE and your entire family for sharing your life!
  • Absolutely amazing!
  • The Glass Castle
  • Best book I have read in a long time!
  • Couldn't Put It Down
The Glass Castle: A Memoir
Jeannette Walls
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

AuthorsAuthors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Television PerformersTelevision Performers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
WomenWomen | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 074324754X

Amazon.com

Jeannette Walls's father always called her "Mountain Goat" and there's perhaps no more apt nickname for a girl who navigated a sheer and towering cliff of childhood both daily and stoically. In The Glass Castle, Walls chronicles her upbringing at the hands of eccentric, nomadic parents--Rose Mary, her frustrated-artist mother, and Rex, her brilliant, alcoholic father. To call the elder Walls's childrearing style laissez faire would be putting it mildly. As Rose Mary and Rex, motivated by whims and paranoia, uprooted their kids time and again, the youngsters (Walls, her brother and two sisters) were left largely to their own devices. But while Rex and Rose Mary firmly believed children learned best from their own mistakes, they themselves never seemed to do so, repeating the same disastrous patterns that eventually landed them on the streets. Walls describes in fascinating detail what it was to be a child in this family, from the embarrassing (wearing shoes held together with safety pins; using markers to color her skin in an effort to camouflage holes in her pants) to the horrific (being told, after a creepy uncle pleasured himself in close proximity, that sexual assault is a crime of perception; and being pimped by her father at a bar). Though Walls has well earned the right to complain, at no point does she play the victim. In fact, Walls' removed, nonjudgmental stance is initially startling, since many of the circumstances she describes could be categorized as abusive (and unquestioningly neglectful). But on the contrary, Walls respects her parents' knack for making hardships feel like adventures, and her love for them--despite their overwhelming self-absorption--resonates from cover to cover. --Brangien Davis

Book Description

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.

Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.

What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor.

TO INQUIRE ABOUT SCHEDULING JEANNETTE WALLS FOR SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS PLEASE CONTACT:

Keppler Speakers

Dustin L. Jones

Associate, College & University Division

703.516.4000 (P)

703.516.4819 (F)

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars THANK YOU JEANETTE and your entire family for sharing your life!.......2007-10-03

An excellent book so engrossing I could not put it down. I love to read, but this book has moved me and stayed with me longer than any other. This book shows that you can break the chains that bind when you are focused. I've been in recovery many years and I appreciate the work involved in writing, along with courage in sharing, such intimate details of a family history. I will be recommending this book for years to come. Thanks again.

5 out of 5 stars Absolutely amazing!.......2007-10-02

An amazing account of how one can overcome her/his circumstances instead of "blaming" the parents. A real page turner and so well written. I had put off reading this book for many months (thinking it would be too depressing to read) until a co-worker said, "It's really a good book."

4 out of 5 stars The Glass Castle.......2007-10-01

Moving story. Uncomfortable to think the young woman would deny the existence of Mother when seen on street until you hear her story. It's a story of child neglect mixed so strangely with child love. Parents- child like themselves.

5 out of 5 stars Best book I have read in a long time!.......2007-09-30

I am a bookworm. I read a lot of books. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls had me mesmirized from the beginning...The intro ...where she looks out of the window of a car and sees her mother rummaging through a dumpster was the hook. How children could grow up like she did seems amazing! She made me rethink the struggles(I thought)I had growing up...nothing like what she went through. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

5 out of 5 stars Couldn't Put It Down.......2007-09-30

Although the author's self-absorbed and psychologically damaged parents appear to have raised their children with almost complete disregard for their welfare, she never allows the reader to lose sight of their humanity. In doing so, she creates a mesmerizing portrait of remarkably complex characters - and becomes a sympathetic character herself. I highly recommend this book.
The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids Favorite Meals
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • FANTASTIC! BEST BUY FOR ALL PARENTS!!!
  • Just what we needed!
  • Book is wonderful at upping the fiber in kids food!! I love you Missy!!
  • it is pretty sneaky...
  • Ok concept, poor exectution!
The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids Favorite Meals
Missy Chase Lapine
Manufacturer: Running Press Book Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0762430753

Book Description

Parents will do almost anything to get their kids to eat healthier, but unfortunately, they've found that begging, pleading, threatening, and bribing don't work. With their patience wearing thin, parents will "give in" for the sake of family peace, and reach for "kiddie" favorites--often nutritionally inferior choices such as fried fish sticks, mac n' cheese, Pop-sicles, and cookies.

Missy Chase Lapine, former publisher of Eating Well magazine, faced the same challenges with her two young daughters, and she sought a solution. Now in The Sneaky Chef, Lapine presents over 75 recipes that ingeniously disguise the most important superfoods inside kids' favorite meals. With the addition of a few simple make-ahead purees or clever replacements, (some may surprise you!) parents can pack more fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants in their kids' foods. Examples of "Sneaky" recipes include:

-No Harm Chicken Parm
-Power Pizza
-Incognito Burritos
-Guerilla Grilled Cheese
-Brainy Brownies
-Health-by-Chocolate Cookies
-Quick fixes for Jell-O(R)

It's a book chock-full of strategies that will help any parent incorporate better health for the whole family.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC! BEST BUY FOR ALL PARENTS!!!.......2007-10-04

This book is fantastic for parents, grandparents and anyone who wants to improve the health of themselves or their loved ones! It can truly change lives and make meal-time a fun and delicious experience for the entire family. My family loves it and my friends are now also addicted as well. My only regret is not finding this book sooner! Great gift!

5 out of 5 stars Just what we needed!.......2007-09-30

I wanted to serve one meal to everyone in our family and quit playing short order chef. I never have wanted food to become a battleground for my kids. And, I wanted to incorporate more veggies and fiber in to all of our diets. This book has some fantastic ideas on how to alter my cooking to accomplish my goals.

I made macaroni and cheese last night and watched both my boys (2 and 3) devour sweet potatoes and carrots without a complaint. This stuff works. I cooked more carrots and sweet potatoes that I needed for the puree, and served some of the chunks on our plates. I enjoyed the cooked carrots, and my kids didn't throw the chunks of veggies off their plate onto the floor. One of them actually licked the carrot in curiousity. I'll continue to serve sneaky nutrition AND undisguised versions on the plate. Eventually, my kids will eat the undisguised versions.

What works for me is to plan on preparing ONE puree a day, preferably when it is quiet. I freeze the puree in ice cubes by the tablespoon, and then can add them as needed to recipes. I can rotate thru the purees and not feel overwhelmed. And if I skip a day or two, I have frozen reserves to fall back on. That also lets me make the purees using on-sale produce.

5 out of 5 stars Book is wonderful at upping the fiber in kids food!! I love you Missy!!.......2007-09-30

My son has a problem with constipation and I love this book. He got so constipated he missed school! Very picky eater, won't eat veggies. This is a god send. He loves the chocolate chip cookies (they have beans). So besides the vitamin issue, its really helpful for kids who need lots and lots of fibre. This is an awesome way to make high fibre foods. She has a flour blend with whole wheat. Some say this is not revolutionary, sure there are recipes out there with whole wheat pancakes but I *L*O*V*E* this because all the recipes are in one place. And the purees take a while but you can do it.

5 out of 5 stars it is pretty sneaky..........2007-09-29

The book has a lot of great ideas to get healthy foods into my son's diet. It makes me happy to think that he is getting the foods he likes and the nutrition he needs...

3 out of 5 stars Ok concept, poor exectution!.......2007-09-29

I have not made any of the recipes in the book and I am certainly NOT opposed to sneaking healthy things into foods, but I do have one HUGE problem with her "purees". The fact that she boils all of the nutrients out of the vegetables is pretty much defeating the purpose. Cooking spinach for 10 minutes takes most of the good stuff out and boiling carrots and sweet potatoes for 20 minutes--forget about it! I am not a nutritionist, but if this author is--shame on her!
Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • It took me 3 years to read this wonderful book
  • Great Book!
  • Audio version
  • Detachment
  • CO DEPENDENCE NO MORE
Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself
Melody Beattie
Manufacturer: Hazelden
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

CodependencyCodependency | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Substance AbuseSubstance Abuse | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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GeneralGeneral | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
CodependencyCodependency | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Family HealthFamily Health | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Internal MedicineInternal Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books | Cardiology | Critical Care | Endocrinology & Metabolism | Gastroenterology | General | Hematology | Hepatology | Infectious Disease | Nephrology | Neurology | Oncology | Pulmonary | Rheumatology | Urology
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ASIN: 0894864025

Book Description

Three years on the New York Times bestseller list, CODEPENDENT NO MORE first identified attitueds, feelings, and behaviors now recognized as hallmarks of codependency. Checklists, activities, and self-tests provide concrete tasks to help readers examine the nuances of codependency in their lives.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars It took me 3 years to read this wonderful book.......2007-09-12

The words in this book pierced my denial armor. It hurt me so badly to see myself on almost every page, that I could only read a few pages a month. It is the ONLY self-help book (well, besides "The Language of Letting Go") that I own. If you let it, it can help you change your inner self...that's how powerful it is.

5 out of 5 stars Great Book!.......2007-08-30

I bought this book and it basically describes me perfectly! I love this book and it has definitely helped me get over some of the issues I am/was facing.

5 out of 5 stars Audio version.......2007-08-23

Excellent audio CDs. I did not realize how co-dependent I was until I listened to them and they have helped me rethink so many of my actions or reactions. They have helped to bring peace to my life and help eliminate worries and control issues. I listen to them each time I have alone time in my vehicle.

5 out of 5 stars Detachment.......2007-07-31

I think every person co-dependent or not, alcoholic or not should read this book. It applies to our every day strugles in life. There no normal family.
Thanks, Jill

5 out of 5 stars CO DEPENDENCE NO MORE.......2007-07-05

This book is just great . It helps you to see what is going on in your life , that you may not want to see . It is a real eye opener . It will change you forever .
The Quilter's Homecoming: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel (Elm Creek Quilts Novels)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • She did it again!
  • The Quilter's Homecoming: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel
  • The Quilters Homecoming
  • The Quilter's Homecoming
  • Still a good read
The Quilter's Homecoming: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel (Elm Creek Quilts Novels)
Jennifer Chiaverini
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
HistoricalHistorical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0743260228

Book Description

A Roaring Twenties adventure unfolds in Jennifer Chiaverini's latest bestselling Elm Creek Quilts novel, another in "a series that neatly stitches together social drama and the art of quilting" (Library Journal).

Newly wed in a festive yet poignant ceremony at Elm Creek Manor, bride Elizabeth Nelson takes leave of her ancestral Pennsylvania home. Setting off with her husband, Henry, on the adventure of a lifetime, Elizabeth packs the couple's trunk with more than the wedding quilts she envisions them dreaming beneath every night of their married lives. They are landowners who hold the deed to Triumph Ranch, 120 acres of prime California soil located in the Arboles Valley, north of Los Angeles.

"Triumph Ranch," says Mae, a traveling companion whom Elizabeth has let in on the promise of the Nelsons' bright future. "That sounds like a sure thing." But in a cruel reversal of fortune, the Nelsons arrive to the news that they've been had, and they are left suddenly, irrevocably penniless.

They are hired as hands at the farm they thought they owned, and Henry struggles mightily with his pride. Yet clever, feisty Elizabeth -- drawing on her share of the Bergstrom women's inherent economy and resilience -- vows to defy fate through sheer force of will. As her life intertwines with Rosa Diaz Barclay, native to the Arboles Valley and a fellow quilter, their blossoming friendship sheds light on many secrets that have kept each of them and their families from their rightful homes.

In the cabin where Henry and Elizabeth are living on Triumph Ranch, Elizabeth discovers quilts belonging to Rosa's mother, and in their exquisite patterns recognizes a misplaced legacy of love, land, and family. But her newfound understanding of the burden of loss that Rosa shares with the mysterious Lars Jorgensen places her in mortal danger. Only by stitching the rift between the past and the future can the inhabitants of Triumph Ranch hope to live in peace alongside history.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars She did it again!.......2007-09-13

Ms Chiaverini did it again!! This newest book is just as wonderful as the past books in this series have been! When I started reading it, I was a bit disappointed that it was only set in the past, but once I got into to reading that went away quickly! This is a 'don't want to put it down' book, highly recommended.

5 out of 5 stars The Quilter's Homecoming: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel.......2007-08-28

Jennifer has done it again: another novel of one of my favorite quilt series and had me burning the midnight lamp to finish this well written story about some great characters. Can't wait for the next episode!

5 out of 5 stars The Quilters Homecoming.......2007-08-17

I read all ten of her books in the Elm Creek Quilters series and they were all wonderful. She follows "quilting" families back and forth as the country developed, the hardships they encountered, up to the present day. Occasionally the books jumped around a little from generation to generation, but I was able to catch up. Being a quilter myself, I was interested in her vast knowledge and explanations of quilting. This would be a wonderful series to give to a quilter as a gift.

4 out of 5 stars The Quilter's Homecoming.......2007-08-14

After reading all the other books in the "Elm Creek Quilters" series, and hearing so much about Elizabeth,it was great to read a book that told about her and Henry's adventurous beginnings in California. Jennifer Chiaverini's gift for spinning a tale peaked in this novel as she unfolded the events of Henry and Elizabeth's cross-country trip and the dreams they shared, along with the trials and disappointments. Things did not go as they had hoped and planned, but all things worked together for good.

3 out of 5 stars Still a good read.......2007-08-04

Would really rate it about 3.5 stars- I enjoyed it but it's not my favorite. I prefer the ones in the series that are more about the main core of characters. I have read the other books but didn't actually recall Elizabeth being mentioned. Still, the way Chiaverini weaves quilting throughout her stories is always clever and crafty- definitely worth reading.
The Year of Magical Thinking
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • The Year of Magical Thinking
  • Do not read this book for empathy or comfort
  • Hip Hip.....Hmmmm
  • A meditation on acceptance of loss
  • Many meanings, great depth
The Year of Magical Thinking
Joan Didion
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

AuthorsAuthors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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Didion, JoanDidion, Joan | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1400078431
Release Date: 2007-02-13

Book Description

From one of America’s iconic writers, a stunning book of electric honesty and passion. Joan Didion explores an intensely personal yet universal experience: a portrait of a marriage--and a life, in good times and bad--that will speak to anyone who has ever loved a husband or wife or child.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars The Year of Magical Thinking.......2007-10-01

A well-written book and a good sharing of personal emotions. Sometimes seemed like name-dropping at it's best (or worst) but I suppose if you know all the best people you mention them and their effect on your life.

2 out of 5 stars Do not read this book for empathy or comfort.......2007-09-27

After my mother died this summer, this book was recommended to me. I am not familiar with Joan Didion (and I won't be in my future readings), but this book was horrible. I feel sorry that her daughter suffered, but I didn't care to read about that. I wanted to read about how she felt about the sudden loss of her husband. I was told she was so "real" in her writing. Whoever edited this book liked things unfinished. Very disappointed at the waste of time and money spent on this book.

3 out of 5 stars Hip Hip.....Hmmmm.......2007-09-26

The Year of Magical Thinking was both magical and mundane. As I read Joan Didion's winning but somber prose and understood that this was her first book written without her deceased husband's help, I thought of a comment he made to her "Don't tell me ever again you can't write." (p. 166). Although a voracious reader I had not heard of either Joan or her husband, John Gregory Dunne, before this book. I'd like to read more of her work.

What impacted me was reading and for some reason remembering, for the umpteenth time, a failed relationship I'd had well over a decade before and how it marked me. Somehow, was it the book's theme or the prose of the author?, I realized that the trauma had later led me to a beautiful gift that I never would have had without the breakup. The Year of Magical Thinking freed me from something that had long hurt me. Was this my way Lexington Avenue crossing (p. 225)? Was this my leis left at St. John the Divine (p. 226)? The book helped me see what I'd been blind to for years. As well, chapter 16 was candid and impressive as it dealt with her successful husband's concern that he had "frittered away" his life. It seems that her reconstruction of his final days discovered a feared futility. Finally, in chapter 17 Didion expresses, after relating their life's events, activities and relationships, what she learned from and about grief.

Didion and Dunne, who were married for 40 years, inhabited a world I know little about. They reported from Democratic and Republican political conventions, were successful novelists and screen-play writers, lived in Malibu and New York, ate out as a way of life and would send the laundry out to be done. In their world they would decide on the buying and selling of a home by flying to Hawaii to think about it. Paris on a whim was easily accomplished. I was intrigued when she wrote of his time in Princeton and mentioned that he thought the Nassoons to be absurd (p. 144). Am I supposed to know who they were? Do I as the reader need to look that up? It seems from reading they lived on their terms and left little room for religion or a deep quest for meaning outside of their own lives. I find it sad that she could would so easily dismiss near death experiences and look for omens from falling bird poop, all the while not believing in He who watches the sparrows (p.227), a biblical reference for God. I don't pretend to know her religious/spiritual attitude, but The Year of Magical Thinking, a book on death and grief, does not spare one page for the subject.

There are other Death and Grief books I've read: A Grief Observed, A Severe Mercy, A View from a Hearse, etc. all of which present death via memoir. I am continually buoyed by C.S. Lewis' fictional The Last Battle, which concludes the Narnia series. As Aslan (who represents God) comes to judge all those in Narnia and bring about its demise, many go through the door into Aslan's country. From there it is "Further up and Further In" as friends are reunited and magic begins:

"There was a real railway accident," said Aslan softly. "Your father and mother and all of you are--as you used to call it in the Shadowlands--dead. The term is over: Holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning."

And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One and the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before. (The Last Battle, final page)

Didion's work, while it brought healing to me, could finally only take me to her study of geology for buoyant hope and left eternal darkness for her husband and for her daughter Quintana, who was ill throughout the book and died just months after John Gregory Dunne did.

And there was very little that was magical about that.



5 out of 5 stars A meditation on acceptance of loss.......2007-09-25

I have read many, many, many novels about death, but only this beautiful piece of nonfiction has come close to capturing the glancing, circular path we tread after a crucial person in our life dies... the way we tiptoe around and around, ignoring the central truth, which is that death is the end and no one is coming back. When we finally reach that truth, we really begin to grieve, and as Didion shares in the book, sometimes it takes a year.

For me, it's taken longer. I read this book on a family vacation less than two years after we lost my mother. I would dip into it, then look up at my family around me, wanting so much to read out loud to them. I especially wanted them to hear the part where she feels she has to save a pair of her husband's running shoes because he will need them when he comes back. That made so much sense to me. Maybe I just needed to tell my family that I wasn't the only one plagued by magical thinking, waiting for Mom to pop up and explain that she was back, now, I'm not sure.

But I kept my mouth closed, went back to the book, left them to play cards and plan which wineries to visit and walk their own circular paths towards acceptance of this unacceptable loss. I've passed the book on to every member of the family in the years since.

5 out of 5 stars Many meanings, great depth.......2007-09-17

The book itself was part of the grieving of this brave woman.

She does not flinch from reliving the pain or the agonizingly problematic issues surrounding it. Death, which her child at an early age already sensed as a presence and called the Broken Man, becomes actually the presence of utter absence, where a dividing line between one reality and another seems to have interposed itself like the cut of a knife through Time.

How does one describe the Void? And really, didn't she say it right at the beginning - that words were inadequate to the task she had set herself? Beyond the prose and the meaning that we think we have gleaned from it, we find other meanings, or hints of possible meanings - as if we were looking down into a pool where light seems to be lurking, where it plays with darkness in an unending choreography in multiple layers down into the depths ...

In a prismatic refraction of consciousness, Didion relives her thoughts and actions with an air of clinical detachment that merely intensifies the stark reality of her grieving. She describes her mental state - one of disorientation and distortion - unsparingly. Her subjective consciousness synthesizes past and present in an almost Joycean manner; but here, the past may come alive and leap out dangerously like a wild beast in a nightmare, and the present, like a deep quarry pit of black water, is filled with bottomless pain. In her first year, she manages to function only with great effort, and only by working hard to avoid "memory triggers" that would take her back, suck her into the vortex, as she calls it.

The book ventures far beyond her personal grief, in an allusive manner that can only be called poetic. Using the dry medical terminology of doctors and their reports almost as a foil, Didion brings us face to face with the imponderables. "Life changes in the instant." And after that instant, the minutiae of one's life are seen, in hindsight, to have had mysterious significance. Time itself, its eternal aspect, is a character in this book, as are all the ultimate metaphysical questions of life's meaning or lack thereof.

It is a book that will repay rereading. But it hurts, and it leaves many questions unanswered. It is not an easy book.

Undeniably, though, it is moving, and it is deep. Deep like the movements of the earth far below the surface, deep like the ocean that brings in the tide ... A work of love, of sorrow, of pain and very human yearning. The last paragraph says it all.
In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Up from the trenches
  • One of the best books I've ever read!
  • Interesting book
  • In An Instant
  • Excellent reminder to live every day
In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing
Lee Woodruff , and Bob Woodruff
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Television PerformersTelevision Performers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1400066670
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Book Description

In one of the most anticipated books of the year, Lee Woodruff, along with her husband, Bob Woodruff, share their never-before-told story of romance, resilience, and survival following the tragedy that transformed their lives and gripped a nation.

In January 2006, the Woodruffs seemed to have it all–a happy marriage and four beautiful children. Lee was a public relations executive and Bob had just been named co-anchor of ABC’s World News Tonight. Then, while Bob was embedded with the military in Iraq, an improvised explosive device went off near the tank he was riding in. He and his cameraman, Doug Vogt, were hit, and Bob suffered a traumatic brain injury that nearly killed him.

In an Instant is the frank and compelling account of how Bob and Lee’s lives came together, were blown apart, and then were miraculously put together again–and how they persevered, with grit but also with humor, through intense trauma and fear. Here are Lee’s heartfelt memories of their courtship, their travels as Bob left a law practice behind and pursued his news career and Lee her freelance business, the glorious births of her children and the challenges of motherhood.

Bob in turn recalls the moment he caught the journalism “bug” while covering Tiananmen Square for CBS News, his love of overseas assignments and his guilt about long separations from his family, and his pride at attaining the brass ring of television news–being chosen to fill the seat of the late Peter Jennings.

And, for the first time, the Woodruffs reveal the agonizing details of Bob’s terrible injuries and his remarkable recovery. We learn that Bob’s return home was not an end to the journey but the first step into a future they have learned not to fear but to be grateful for.

In an Instant is much more than the dual memoir of love and courage. It is an important, wise, and inspiring guide to coping with tragedy–and an extraordinary drama of marriage, family, war, and nation.

A percentage of the proceeds from this book will be donated to the Bob Woodruff Family Fund for Traumatic Brain Injury.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Up from the trenches.......2007-09-29

This is a story of remarkable courage and love. Medicine and therapy have come a long way, but the personal strength of one person doing the hard work, and another staying by their side, is (I believe) what brings people back to a life worth living after so tremendous a trajedy. Other books about brain trauma: The Shiloh Renewal and I'll Carry the Fork! Recovering a Life After Brain Injury

5 out of 5 stars One of the best books I've ever read!.......2007-09-26

What a wonderful & informative book. I really enjoyed all of the background information. It was a very touching love story. Having gone through 3 brain surgeries myself and my daughter's brain surgery also, gave me a fraction of knowledge on the recovering brain, but the book certainly gives an abundance of information. I've always thought Bob was absolutely fantastic, but I really enjoyed Lee's side of the story. Bravo and Good bless you both Bob & Lee!!!

3 out of 5 stars Interesting book.......2007-09-09

Interesting book - I read it because I was curious what had happened to Bob Woodruff after his injury, because the of the lack of information regarding his condition. It is interesting to me that insiders in the media can control what information gets out about them personally; however others are not so fortunate - their names, faces and not-so-flattering images are splashed across news screens every day.

The book was interesting, but I felt that Lee Woodruff ends up protraying herself as a selfish wife who is annoyed first at her husband's career and then annoyed at the inconvenience his injury caused their family. She describes herself several times as a "single parent" because Bob travelled so much. As a real-life single parent, this completely offended me. A single parent not only cares for their children alone, they also support them alone. A single parent is not a wife of a guy with a six-figure salary who happens to work a lot. If Lee had left these comments out, the book would have been much more palatable.

5 out of 5 stars In An Instant.......2007-08-23

This book was excellent. I thoughthly enjoyed it. My sister is not reading it.

4 out of 5 stars Excellent reminder to live every day.......2007-08-13

After reading this excellent book, I will be more aware to be thankful for each day with those we love. Our loved ones can be gone in an instant. Part of Bob is gone forever and gone for his children and wife-the idea that nothing bad will happen to me.

I will be interested in learning how Bob progresses in his healing. He is only beginning his recovery.

Unlike some other reviewers I think it is important to learn Bob's story and for him to tell us next the stories of those less famous. We are reminded of what war is really like and the agony of one man and his family.
Walking on Eggshells: Navigating the Delicate Relationship Between Adult Children and Parents
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • A must read for parents with grown children
  • So, I am not alone....
  • Disappointing
  • false relationships
  • solid
Walking on Eggshells: Navigating the Delicate Relationship Between Adult Children and Parents
Jane Isay
Manufacturer: Flying Dolphin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0767920848
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Amazon.com

Jane Isay, the editor who discovered Mary Pipher's Reviving Ophelia and commissioned Rachel Simmons' Odd Girl Out, has written an insightful, compelling book about "the delicate lifelong bond between grown kids and their parents." Isay traveled across the country and interviewed nearly 75 people (including dozens of parents and grown children), and Walking on Eggshells shares moving stories that will help parents and grown children build strong new adult relationships with one another. We asked Po Bronson, author of Why Do I Love These People?, to read Isay's book and give us his take. Read his review below. --Daphne Durham


Guest Reviewer: Po Bronson

Po Bronson is the author of the brilliant bestseller What Should I Do with My Life?, the powerful and poignant Why Do I Love These People?, a hilarious novel called The Bombadiers, and The Nudist on the Late Shift, a collection of "true stories" about Silicon Valley.

When we tell family stories, we so often focus on the beginning and the end. The beginning is the two decades of our childhood and adolescence, and it's been the favorite narrative arc ever since Freud. What happens in your childhood does not stay in your childhood--it haunts the rest of your life. In the last decade, we've suddenly heard more stories of the end--narratives constructed around a parent's death, and often the year spent caring for that parent on their deathbed.

Because these are the conventional narratives, they often distract our attention from the many decades in between. We barely even have a terminology for these years--and the terms we employ sound like oxymorons: "Adult Children," "Parents of Adults." There's an old saying: you can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family. In the beginning this is true--we're in the care of our parents, like it or not. And in the ending this is also true--they're in our care, like it or not. But in the long middle, this isn't so true. The middle is a period where both child and parent can keep their distance, if they prefer. And often do, harboring resentment. We too often accept that this is just the way it is. "She's never going to change" is a common, fatalist refrain.

In Walking on Eggshells, Jane Isay shines a much-needed light on these years. With a graceful respect for the families she investigates, she tells their stories--how they lost their love, and how they regained it. Isay covers the many ways families develop resentment, and the many techniques they employed to make peace. She shows that small changes in routine can go a long way to restoring goodwill. But it's not a self-help book; it's more of a literary contemplation, and we learn more by inspiration than by emulation.

Though this book addresses the parents directly, I suspect it will be passed back and forth, between generations, in many a family. --Po Bronson



Book Description

On giving advice:
They Don’t Want It.
They Don’t Hear It.
They Resent It.
Don’t Give It.


We raise our children to be independent and lead fulfilling lives, but when they finally do, staying close becomes more complicated than ever. And for every bewildered mother who wonders why her children don’t call, there is a frustrated son or daughter who just wants to be treated like a grownup. Now, renowned editor Jane Isay delivers the perfect gift to both parents and their adult children—real-life wisdom and advice on how to stay together without falling apart.

Using extensive interviews with people from ages twenty-five to seventy, Isay shows that we’re far from alone in our struggles to make this new, adult relationship work. She offers up groundbreaking insights and deeply moving stories that will inspire those in even the toughest situations. Isay’s warmth and wit shine through on every page as she charts an invaluable course through the confusing, and often painful, interactions parents and children can face. Walking on Eggshells is the much-needed road map that will keep you connected to the people you love most.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A must read for parents with grown children.......2007-09-30

I have insisted to several friends that as parents of adult children, they too, MUST buy the book. I even bought extra copies myself and gave to relatives. It's a "keeper" in my library.
Thank you, Jane Isay for the shared revelations.

5 out of 5 stars So, I am not alone...........2007-09-28

Just when I thought I was all alone in the "inapt Mother-in-law" category, I read the book with such relief!!! Alas, I have company!!!

2 out of 5 stars Disappointing.......2007-09-10

This book makes some good points but didn't go deep enough to help me. I found "When Parents Hurt: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don't Get Along" to be far more helpful because the author, Dr. Joshua Coleman, provides much more guidance for a range of situations and goes into much more depth for this very difficult problem.

3 out of 5 stars false relationships.......2007-09-10

I was expecting more from this book than I got. The basic premise stated over and over is: Don't give advice, and hold your tongue. This seems to foster false and fake relationships. Would you want someone to "pretend" they adore you, when thet really can't stand you? I think most people want relationships that are true and real. I was hoping for a book with more advice on how to deal with specific situations, not just "keep everything to yourself" I was dissapointed in the author.

4 out of 5 stars solid.......2007-09-09

easy, quick read. Nice ideas and points made in this book. It gives examples and things to think about. Well done.

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