The Real Deal: A Spiritual Guide for Black Teen Girls

Book Description

Navigating life can be a challenge for any teenager, but some issues and struggles are unique to African American teens. This book offers some real life guidance that many African American teen girls need. Billie Montgomery Cook addresses a wide range of topics—including body image, self-esteem, sexuality, friendship—that are of particular importance to teens.

All of the subject matter is framed within the context of a young woman's developing Christian faith. Using a trendy language and style that will appeal directly to young African American girls, the author offers comfort, counsel, advice, and hope. Each chapter concludes with a short, faith-affirming prayer from the author to her readers as well as space for readers to write a prayer of their own. This book is based on the author's communication with her own teenage daughter.

Customer Reviews:

The Real Deal.......2007-08-26

This book provided real life scenarios that I used to teach teenaged girls. It is an excellent matter-of-fact reference tool. Thanks!

Good, "darlin"...........2007-05-08

My daughter (14) said that she liked the book, with the exception that the author's use of "darlin'" was overused. As a parent, I appreciated the focus and sentiment behind the book's concept.

Keeping it Real.......2006-11-26

Keeping it Real
Billie Montgomery Cook, a drama ministry coordinator at Third Baptist Church in Portsmouth Virginia, writes a concise book, The Real Deal A Spiritual Guide for Black Teen Girls, that can help teen girls get through this transitional period.

Starting with the premise that the body is a temple, Cook divides the book into three parts: Part One is good temple design. Part Two is temple construction. Construction Challenges is Part Three. A final part is finishing touches for your temple. In each section, she writes short chapters on the subjects that aid in the designing and building of the temple. For example, in the temple design section, self-esteem, truth, gratitude, faith, hope and love set the foundation. In the temple construction part, friendship, knowledge, spiritual discipline, prayer and work builds the temple. Part three, the construction challenges include such subjects as ingratitude, revenge, negativity, insecurity, sex, fear and lack of confidence.

Cook begins each chapter as though she is writing a letter to a daughter. Each letter is written in an informal and conversational style and language that teens can easily read and understand. Each letter presents the world's views and lifestyles. Cook counters this lifestyle by showing how God wants His people to live. Cook provides just enough information on both sides for the teen to think before she acts. At the end of each letter is a prayer, questions and a space for the teen to write or say her own prayer.

I find this book very interesting because some of those issues she wrote to teen girls could very well apply to the 21+ age group, too. Her straight-forward writing keeps your attention, and, her biblical references will get you reading the Bible. She says her chapters only touch the surface. She is correct. She could say much more. However, touching the surface works for teen girls who need short, simple and real information. For those teens who want to read more, she suggests some additional resources. A bibliography at the end of the book would have been helpful. Bible stories that address the issues presented would be useful, too. Without the bibliography and the biblical stories, the book is still a good read and it is certainly a good guide for teens girls. I would certainly recommend this book as a resource for a teen girl bible study group. With the mass of print and electronic media portraying girls as anything but Godly and virtuous, Cook's book establishes a different and higher standard of living.

Karen Lemmons
APOOO BookClub

Let Your Spirit Soar.......2004-10-10

THE REAL DEAL: A SPIRITUAL GUIDE FOR BLACK TEEN GIRLS by Billie Montgomery Cook is a book that advises teen girls how to overcome any and every obstacle that comes their way. In a society where how you look determines who you are, it is essential for impressionable black teen girls to know that their appearance should not validate who they are. Important topics covered consist of: body image, self-respect, sex and friendship which allows girls to see how a young Christian woman should handle these situations. Girls learn how to indulge in self-love, self-respect and self-worth. Each chapter is told in a way that's easy for teens to understand and at the end of each chapter is a prayer, a section which asks questions that require the reader to do a little soul-searching and a section for the reader to write their own prayer.

An essential part to every household with a teen girl, THE REAL DEAL enables teens to dig deep inside their spiritual selves to find answers to life's most common problems. What I enjoyed most about this book is that although it was written with teen girls in mind, it can also be used by adult women who suffer esteem issues or who aren't sure how to overcome various hurdles that come their way. Reading this book enabled me to do a little soul-searching and because of it I am stronger in my faith.

Reviewed by Eraina B. Tinnin
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

You must read this!.......2004-07-13

This book is simply an essential tool in guiding you or your teen to a stronger level of self-respect, self-love, and a true relationship with Christ. I highly recommend it as a tool to engage in dialogue at home as well as at church or school. It easily bridges the gap between any age group, and proves that parents can, indeed, understand!

Guide To Effective Coaching: Principles and Practices with PowerWeb: Health & Human Performance

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Guide To Effective Coaching: Principles and Practices with PowerWeb: Health & Human Performance
Billie J Jones , L. Janet Wells , Rachael E Peters , and Dewayne J Johnson
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0072506040

Book Description

This text focuses on the tasks, responsiblities, and problems both personal and professional that a coach must address in order to perform his or her job. It is based on practical experience and grounded in sound theory about performance, management and relationships. It is designed for use in pre-service and in-service programs.

Heal With Amino Acids and Nutrients: Survive Stress, Pain, Anxiety, Depression Without Drugs, What to Use and When

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Heal With Amino Acids and Nutrients: Survive Stress, Pain, Anxiety, Depression Without Drugs, What to Use and When
Billie Jay Sahley , and Katherine M. Birkner
Manufacturer: Pain & Stress Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nutrition | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1889391204

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Heal with Amino Acids and Nutrients
PhD, CNC Billie J. Sahley
Manufacturer: Pain & Stress Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nutrition | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1889391026

Product Description

Most recent edition of Heal with Amino Acids! Amino Acids are the medicines of the 21st century. Your brain and body cannot function without amino acids. Heal with Amino Acids: -- Updated and Expanded to 244 pages -- Drugs DO NOT make Neurotransmitters! Amino Acids Do!Learn the natural power of amino acids to: Control the anxiety "stop switch." Enhance brain function, memory, and concentration. Function as a muscle relaxant, and pain reliever. Stop cravings for alcohol, sugar, and carbohydrates. Create neurotransmitters for brain communication. Stop hyperactive, ADD, and aggressive behavior. Enhance sexual pleasure. Create needed serotonin for smooth brain function.

Please Take Me Home Before Dark: One Family's Journey With Alzheimer's Disease

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Effective Caring
Practical, Heartwarming Help for Families and Caregivers of Alzheimer's Patients
Tools for Alzheimer's Caregivers
A MUST read for everyone, with or without Alzheimer patients
Please Take Me Home Before Dark

Please Take Me Home Before Dark: One Family's Journey With Alzheimer's Disease
Billie J. Pate , and Mary Pate Yarnell
Manufacturer: Hillsboro Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Eldercare | Aging Parents | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Family Health | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Nervous System | Disorders & Diseases | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Alzheimer's Disease | Disorders & Diseases | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Parenting Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 1577363892

Book Description

Please Take Me Home Before Dark provides inspiration, information, and support to family members and caring professionals of Alzheimer's patients (and other forms of dementia). Using a writing style that is warm, yet instructive; serious, though sometimes humorous; and highly personal, yet medically reliable, the authors share their mother's progression through Alzheimer's to benefit others facing the same situation. Although intensely personal, the book also magnifies meanings and provides practical help. Each chapter includes a sensitive, poetic introduction; an empathetic and informative description of the Alzheimer's process; poignant personal illustrations; and at-a-glance sections to help readers map the patient's journey and provide loving care with hope and confidence.

Customer Reviews:

Effective Caring.......2007-03-08

Two sisters, lovingly and effectively caring for their mother, have provided a vast storehouse of guidelines in 82 pages. From the resources to the "Caregiving Caplets" the changes they saw in their mother are invaluable for others with Alzheimer's. This is a hour by hour account, full of honesty, searching, and committment... a major contribution to the field.

Practical, Heartwarming Help for Families and Caregivers of Alzheimer's Patients.......2007-02-05

"What do I do now?" is often the painful question posed by families and caregivers faced with the evidence of a decline in the mental, emotional and physcial capacity of a loved one. The deeply inspiring telling of the story of this family will help others find ways to answer that question. It is beautifully written with a sensitive understanding of a mother slowing losing herself to a dreaded disease. The Caregiving Caplets provide easily understood suggestions for coping with the disease while attempting to maintain the dignity of the loved one. I highly recommend this practical and heartwarming book!

Tools for Alzheimer's Caregivers.......2007-02-01

Three tools in the book prepare Alzheimer's caregivers for their own difficult journey. (1) The poetry demonstrates a prepared family's plan to adapt to specific patient changes. (2) The comprehensive lists of expected patient changes and (3) the matching lists of needed caregiver adaptations guide families in developing their own response plan. I have been close to three families while they made the long Alzheimer's journey. I recall how they were surprised when they encountered the patient changes described in this book. I also recall their frustrations in dealing with those changes. Knowing beforehand what to expect prepares caregivers to plan their own responses rather than reacting out of raw feelings. I bought a copy to give to a family beginning the journey.

A MUST read for everyone, with or without Alzheimer patients.......2007-01-22

Many folks don't have an understanding of how to preserve the dignity of their loved one in this condition. The many suggestions in this book provide that understanding. The poetry in each chapter makes such a sensitive, caring response to the Alzheimer's patient. The book is full of depth, insight, and understanding - said in simple and practical ways!

Please Take Me Home Before Dark.......2007-01-22

An outstanding true story of a loving family whose mother suffered with
Alzheimer's disease. Daughters tell of many difficult situations as well as tender moments they shared with their mother. Caregiving Caplets give practical hints that will help others as they relate to someone with this disease. I immediately ordered five copies to share with family members and friends who are coping with victims of Alzheimer's. MLH

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Not exactly a biography
Powerful!
Not brilliant - good research, badly put together
Rehash
A Good Book...

With Billie
Julia Blackburn
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Entertainers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0375406107
Release Date: 2005-04-19

Book Description

From Julia Blackburn, an author whose ability to conjure lives from other times and places is so vivid that one suspects she sees ghosts, here is a portrait of a woman whose voice continues to haunt anyone who hears it.

Billie Holiday’s life is inseparable from an account of her troubles, her addictions, her arrests, and the scandals that would repeatedly put her name in the tabloid headlines of the 1940s and 1950s. Those who knew her learned never to be surprised by what she might do. Her moods and faces were so various that she could seem to be a different woman from one moment to the next. Volatile, unpredictable, Billie Holiday remained, even to her friends, an elusive and perplexing figure.

In With Billie, we hear the voices of those people–piano players and dancers, pimps and junkies, lovers and narcs, producers and critics, each recalling intimate stories of the Billie they knew. What emerges is a portrait of a complex, contradictory, enthralling woman, a woman who knew what really mattered to her. Reading With Billie, one is convinced that she has only just left the room but will return shortly.

Customer Reviews:

Not exactly a biography.......2007-08-15

I usually enjoy reading biographies, but this was more of a string of "interviews" with people who partied with Billie and were by and large apparentley (or even admittedly) drunk and/or high when they gave the interviews. The stories they told often conflicted with stories they told before and I started getting the feeling that this was nothing more than fanciful ramblings of drunken nostalgia from most of the authors "sources". Very little of the material was directly about Billie...it was mostly stories told of that period of time and whatever the interviewer was doing around then. Mostly they simply "brushed up against" Billie either personally or professinally.

As far as Billie herself goes, I found almost no redeaming qualities in her based on the material in the book. If you believe what is presented here she was nothing more than a foul-mouthed bisexual hooker with a major drug and alcohol problem who happend to capture a little limelight for her singing between turning tricks and partying hard. I love Billie's music, and this is the only book I've read about her so I'm left a little bewiledered and find myself trying to decide what to believe. Yes, her upbringing s*cked, but a lot of people claw their way out of a bad upbringing and live lives that aren't defined by prostitution and heroin.

This book is more about the underground culture of Harlem in the 30's than it is about Billie. It is a rambling presentation of memories that are suspect at best, and offers very little insight to the woman whom it is supposed to be about.

Powerful!.......2007-04-09

An amalgam of interviews of people who knew Billie Holliday, each giving his or her version of Billie's life. Not easy reading sometimes -- maybe the information in the footnotes could have been incorporated in the text more smoothly -- but the thoughts and feelings of all these people, taken together, form a portrait of Billie that is immediate and vibrant, full of joy and grief, but at the same time that keeps you aware that you can never know the source of the magic of great artistry.

Not brilliant - good research, badly put together.......2006-07-11

Julia Blackburn's biography of Billie Holiday is disappointing. She makes poor use of what appears to be excellent research by Linda Kuehl. Some of the interview material is fascinating, but it is poorly cobbled together.

It's small wonder that this book gets intolerant and hateful reviews like that of Desiree Troy (though I suspect this particular reviewer is very young and inexperienced, given their extremely naive perspective). You get very little sense from reading this book of why Billie Holiday's music is still important to people nearly fifty years after her death, and seventy years after her prime.

You cannot evaluate Billie Holiday just from reading this book, and in fact you probably shouldn't read it at all.

Rehash.......2006-05-01

This is a rehash of interviews that were used much better by Stuart Nicholson. How Julia Blackburn can take credit for writing a book is beyond me.
As for Billie Holiday I love her work and her lifestyle was for the times the story of many black women that will forever go untold.
Prostitution was rampant during the great depression and any reader who wants to moralize best do so on a empty stomich. As for billes ghost wrtitten biography if you read it properly then read stuart nicholsons work u will see many truths that beforehand were thought of as lies. This book disappointed me greatly and I've read evry damn book they have written about her. Thank god I read it 4 free at the libary. Its not bad but it isn't good either

A Good Book..........2006-03-04

That deserves a good review. A couple reviews posted on here focus on Billie Holliday and her lifestyle, it puzzles me why they would even read the book, if you hated the woman so much -- nevertheless, they insisted on sharing their opinion of the person, not the book --so a lot of negative comments that aren't deserved get heaped onto the book --

First off, I don't know if you can fully appreciate this book unless you've listened to Billie Holliday extensively and have a cursory knowledge of what happened to her...

Just picking up this book and plodding through it -- I think will leave you frustrated -- if you don't know which years, were her best recording years and when life started to go horribly wrong for her then you lose many details that are given away in the book -- if you haven't listened to several different recordings of the same song, you won't understand what makes this woman so talented, because by all accounts most people would find her voice unique -- but not classified under the definition of a spectacular voice -- so the fact that she never sung the same song the same way, twice and that her phrasing and timing is one of a jazz instrumentalist, not a singer... you'll end up wondering why Blackburn wasted her time on an alcoholic drug addicted and abused woman.

In the end, the book will paint a faded picture of a woman -- her fears -- unrealized dreams -- and her music will fill in the rest. If you've ever listened to out takes of Holliday talking between takes -- you would suspect she was a pretty rough woman -- I found this book shed some light on her compassionate side... the fact that if you were her friend, she would give you the shirt off her back.

Through interviews, layers of assurance are slowly built up -- and what is left is not a laundry list of facts -- because many of the people interviewed were old -- or junkies -- or drunks -- so sometimes things are hazy... but they still convey the spirit of the woman -- they know she was a good person, that was caught in an endless cycle of booze, drugs and abuse, she just couldn't rise above it --

I think the most fascinating thing about this book, why it ranks so highly in my opinion -- is the discovery that this giant of her industry feared the same thing that the people that live in everyday America do -- and her desires and dreams were not far from the person that goes to a cubicle everyday --in the end, and what makes her life seem somewhat tragic -- she realized too late that all that matters are the people we love and those that love us back.

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Better health with amino acids

Healing With Amino Acids
Billie J. Sahley , and Katherine M. Birkner
Manufacturer: Pain & Stress Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1889391107

Customer Reviews:

Better health with amino acids.......2006-01-20

This book tells you all about amino acids, the building blocks of protein in the brain and body. Amino acids create neurotransmitters that control every thought, every mood, and every behavior. You will learn why you have amino acid deficiencies and what amino acids you should use for stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue, anger. Find out how to feed the brain and body. Learn to take better care of yourself and replace toxic drugs.

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Like if she was talking in your ear, just for you!
Memoirs of Hollywood's Golden Past

With a Feather on My Nose
Billie Burke
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 141917083X

Customer Reviews:

Like if she was talking in your ear, just for you!.......2000-08-27

Here is a little book that says a lot! Maybe you would think that this charming & witty lady, with the fluted voice and a 1000 words/minute, married to one of the most important showman of the century would be rather vain? Or you look at the book and think, "Well, that is a short one!". Prepare yourself, this book is a real pleasure to read!!!!! She says a lot with humor, philosophy and a firm appraisal of the past and doesn't lose lots of book space with false pretense, orrid gossip and infinite lists of shows she did (for that, see Sophie Tucker's "Some of These Days"). BUT, if you are searching for an Hollywood autobio, you might be a little sad: Ms Burke prefers the career that gave her the most reward, the stage and a very good description of her life with that man she loved very much, Florenz Ziegfeld. And please read carefully not to miss the 2 lines on her most remembered role, Glinda in "Wizard of Oz"!!!! If you can put your hand on that book, it is worth it!

Memoirs of Hollywood's Golden Past.......2000-03-31

You probably know Billie Burke from her memorable role in the 1939 classic, "The Wizard of Oz" with Judy Garland. She was Glinda, the Good Witch of the North! "With a Feather on My Nose" is Burke's autobiography, detailing her illustrious career as an actress. She played in such memorable roles as the wife in "The Man Who Came to Dinner" (1941), Mrs. Topper in three "Topper" films (1937-41), the original "Father of the Bride" (1950), John Ford's acclaimed Segeant Rutledge (1960), and many more long forgotten gems. But her book also recalls dating J.M. Barrie and Somerset Maugham, as well as being one of Broadway's first leading ladies long before she made movies. She was born in 1884 and grew up in London, where her father Billy Burke was an internationally famous clown. The toast of Broadway, she married the great impresario Florenz Ziegfeld in 1914. She began to settle into early retirement in the 1920's, but returned to acting after the Wall Street Crash wiped out Ziegfeld's fortune. The book also mentions she was nominated for an Oscar in 1938 for "Merrily We Live." She certainly did, living a life full of excitement, glamour, and prestige sorrily lacking in today's starlets. Burke died in 1970, and this book has been hard to find outside of antique bookstores. It is rich in Hollywood history, told from a first-hand and non-regretting participant. She is buried in Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.

Industry Risk Communication ManualImproving Dialogue with Communities

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Industry Risk Communication ManualImproving Dialogue with Communities
Billie Jo Hance
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0873712749

Book Description

This practical manual is written in a clear, concise manner and addresses many unanswered questions about communication and the community. The book is special in that it focuses on the "hows" rather than the "whys." It reveals how to be a better communicator, how to explain technical information in lay terms, and how to find ways to reach out to the community. Industry Risk Communication Manual provides you ready access to current thinking and practice on environmental risk communication. This manual will allow you to think through risk communication problems and plan risk communication strategies. It also will provide you with examples and instant experience from over 30 experts who have found themselves in similar situations. Developed by one of the leading programs on risk communication, this book provides easy-to-follow guidelines, checklists, and examples for plant managers, public information specialists, technical staff, executives, and managers who need to deal with the public regarding how their company's business relates to environmental risk issues.

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With A Feather On My Nose
Billie Burke with Cameron Shipp
Manufacturer: Appleton-Century-Crofts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JYZ7EG

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