Depression Books

Comprised of a set of chapters in three or so rotations on such splendid characters as Hitler, Mussolini, Petain, Franco, Stalin, and even Hirohito and his generals. I could not stop reading this hefty volume and regret that it ended where it should have logically ended. The book bears comparison to the more breathless writings of Anthony Beevor and I heartily recommend it to specialists and to the general reader. Bravo!

Apparently I'm the only one disappointed by this book. I found it a mish-mash of political, social, diplomatic & economic history that flitted around the world without going into much depth in any country. Brendon is a bit like a gossip columist, writing brief tidbits & then moving on to the next item. Also, he mentions the major diplomatic events, Rhineland, Austria & Munich, only in passing. I had hoped there would be more emphasis on diplomacy & politics, as in "Munich" by Telford Taylor. I found the chapters on Spain & Italy most interesting, perhaps because I've read very little on the Spanish Civil War or Mussolini's dealings with the Vatican & the war in Ethiopia. The chapters on France are also good, but " Collapse of the Third Republic" by William Shirer is much better. The chapters on Britain are the worst. Brendon is biased against Churchill & doesn't do the man justice. I skipped the chapters on the U.S., Japan & Russia (except for the last chapter), so I can't comment on those.
Maybe this is good popular history, but I found it rather superficial. On the plus side, Brendon is a good writer.

I just completed this book and found it to be very well done portrayal of the 1930s. Brendon vividly captured both the individuals at the heart of the decade -- Roosevelt, Chamberlain, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini and a cast of others (including the shifting political leaders in France and Japan) -- but also brings to life the trends and experiences of the millions of anonymous "masses." Particularly compelling were the chapters on Stalin's 1937-38 purges and the chapters on Japan. While lengthy (692 pages) the book reads at a good pace and keeps one interested.

This is one of the best books I have ever read about that period or any other period of modern history. Brendon knows how to connect countries, people, events and even fleeting vignettes with the utmost mastery. You really get a global vision about those years and the spirit that animated them. Last but not least it must be mentioned the elegance of Brendon's pen. His ability to depict leaders or secondary characters with one stroke, one line, one adjective or two is amazing and always with a drop of sly humor.
In his best moments he remembers that other great history writer and wit, E. Gibbons.

Ah, the 1930s: "Japan annexed Manchuria and tried to conquer China, challenging Britain's position in the Far East. Italy seized Ethiopia & flexed its muscles in the Mediterranean, which, when Franco subjugated Spain, seemed in danger of becoming a fascist lake. Germany occupied fringe territitories, tearing up the Treaty of Locarno as well as the Peace of Versailles & upsetting the balance of power in Europe." "Statolatry," the worship of the state, lay at the heart of the matter. It wasn't the stock market crash of 1929 that doomed the decade, but (argues this author) governments' responses to it that engendered 'The Dark Valley' of the 1930s, particularly by the middle of the decade. The perceived panacea of state planning, instead of surmounting the turmoil engendered by 1920s stock market irrational exuberance, actually was akin to pouring salt on the wound. As "governments abandoned laissez-faire in favor of protectionism" "this encouraged 'have-not' states to create 'co-prosperity spheres' of their own, in defiance of the feeble League of Nations." In other words, "economic nationalism easily developed into political agression." Concomitant to this, propaganda was elevated to an art form. Said one participant: "And why do I insist on proclaiming that October was historically a revolution? because words have their own tremendous power." The words could easily be Lenin's, but are another coup leader's actually, uttered by Mussolini after his October 1922 seizure of power. The communists were no slouch herein, either, of course. The USSR had its show trials (after a 1934 state funeral for Stalin's potential rival, after Stalin had the later killed). And Hitler, all the while, was gearing up for war while denying it . But why did not "the truth will out" across Europe and across the sea? In Britain, blame the "moral paralysis" of the decade on Fleet Street's "habit of suppressing or 'playing down' unpalatable news." Witness how they hid the truth about Mrs Simpson's relationship with their king. "It helped to justify the newspapers' deceit about appeasement and the imminence of war," the author concludes. Meanwhile, the French were afflicted with a "Maginot mentality;" wallowing passively behind their wall, praying that it would protect them from Hitler; an affliction not at all helped by Neville Chamberlain's pacifism. (Neville was, after all, but one fine example of Theophile Gautier's maxim that one can pass through one's own age without seeing it.) And "America further destabilized the situation by refusing to pull its weight internationally." But it was Italy that takes center stage in this book. Or, rather, it was the West's failure to confront Italy that emboldened the forces rising round the world to push their luck. In particular, "The most fateful turning point in the period between the wars," (in historian B Liddell Hart's view, the author offers) was Britain (through the League of Nations) not calling Mussolini's bluff in 1935. "Damaged by its impotence over Manchuria, the League of Nations, as many had anticipated, was destroyed by its failure over Ethiopia." To boot, in 1937, not taking a stand against Mussolini because such could be "dangerous" (as Chamberlain argued) was akin to telling Hitler to sabre rattle to his evil heart's content. In Hitler's own view: "The brown shirt would probably not have existed without the black shirt" (Mussolini's original fascistic stormtroopers). PS: This book has 76 pages of notes which is indicative of the thoroughness of Piers Brendon in this weighty tome. (06Jul) Cheers!

I was really rooting for Ruby. I did appreciate how the author connected all the dots through the many layers of Ruby story. I think this is an excellent example of domestic abuse & mental illness and how it effects everyone in the family. I really felt bad for the characters which to me shows what an excellent job Leyung Ryan did.

This is truly one of my favorite novels! This magnificent work hit home for me, I grew up with a Chinese mother in the Midwest, and felt deeply connected to the same issues of absorbing Chinese and American cultures - and finding my own identity in the middle of it. I remember so many of the traditional values of being a Chinese woman, having to be a dutiful daughter, and always putting myself last, and "Love Made of Heart" goes deep into the heart of these ideas. Ruby's growth often reminds me of my own realizations and obstacles of overcoming the past.

I highly recommend this book, it truly appeals to anyone, whether you're Chinese, a woman, or just anyone facing those past histories we often try to leave behind. We all have a journey of life, which often leads to reconciling with the things that have made us who we truly are.

LeYung's Book is excellent. I read it in two sittings. Dinner could wait. I had to find out what would happen to Ruby Lin. LeYung Ryan uses her novel to advocate compassion for mental illness and to help survivors of family violence find their own voices. I could relate on many levels to her book. I am Caucasian, way older than Ruby Lin, my family was not violent nor experienced mental illnesses and yet, LeYung's writing is so evocative, so much from the heart. . . she reaches deep and succeeds with her genuine and authentic voice. As I think about this book I read a year ago, I realize I want to read it again. Yes, it's that good.

Ruby Lin's dilemma, though specific to the individual mother-daughter issues she faces of how to support and love her mother who is plagued with mental illness, is universal to all mothers and daughters. How does one break away without breaking the love between them?

I recommend this book to everyone and especially to women who could use a good role model in finding their own personal power to stand up to men who exploit them, abuse them, cast blame or guilt or withhold their love.

Ruby Lin, in her quest to become an American Girl, learns powerful advice and strategies from the black and white American movies she watches as a child. When she steps into her own power goosebumps race.

The moments of love and surrender, and pain and abuse cause laughter and tears.

Above all this book has great heart.

Love Made From Heart made me laugh, made me think, made me cry. Author Teresa Leyung Ryan takes the reader to a vulnerable place, where she uncovers the tear in a young girl's heart. From there, she shows how to grow from a tragic experience, how to become strong, how to heal. The reader not only comes away with a better understanding of the Chinese culture, the reader comes away with a better understanding of self, and of love. I highly recommend this book to anyone who comes from a dysfunctional family.

Michael Lesy's Wisconsin Death Trip, originally a doctoral thesis, is one of the most touching, poetic, beautiful, harrowing, moving and dislocating works I have read. Basically a compendium of found glass plate negative photos taken by the (himself knock-knees odd) Charles Vam Schaik in and around the rural community of Black River Falls WI, and leavened by snippets taken from the Badger State Banner newspaper and the Mendota State Record Book (an insane asylum), as well as a few personal reminisces, the book instead is a commentary and an indictment of a brutal time of economic dislocation, social upheaval, religious confusion and obsession, and personal decay in a farming community. It is an endless repitition of suicide, madness, arson, children dying of disease, and of a mostly sternly religious people living the grimmest of lives of back breaking work in the country. The photos by their sheer repetition and some of the games played with them by the author, pound out a tattoo of strain, people only barely suppressing their madness, and a society truly on the edge of collapse. Hardly the bucolic paradise so often evoked in our time.

The afterword by the author provides some backstory and statistics backing the point up, and illustrating in numbers and facts what the pictures and excerpts made clear by anecdote, and is also well written.

This was something of a cult book in the mid 70s, a most unusual way of looking at local history, lifting up the rock under which society had crawled. It is haunting, tragic, striking. You will never forgot it.

Buying a classic again. This is the U of New Mexico Press version. The earlier publisher had the picture of the baby in a coffin on the cover. That was better, but the contents are the same.

This is an interesting and slightly macabre book which is strangely beautiful. My son, who is Sam Witt, the poet, told me about it because he had been so moved by it that he wrote a poem associated with it in his soon to be published book, SUNFLOWER BROTHER. The old photos are stunning from the horses to the dead children. I am hoping to get the dvd soon.

"Wisconsin death trip"is an accurate documentation,not only of "agrarian white"culture at the end of the 19th century but,in many ways,the whole of white culture in america at that time..Contrary to popular belief,the"good"old days were not really so good..Yes,they may well have been less complex,but infant mortality was very high,illnesses which today are highly treatable being killers not only of children but of adults as well,daily life being,for most,a drudgery,with little to show for one's efforts...There were few saftey nets,no antibiotics,no pensions to speak of,no recourse against the harshness life,or against a system that,like today,favors the wealthy..
Insanity was not understood,and "treatment"such as it was,often did little to help the afflicted...Wisconsin did not have a monopoly on such things,anymore than,say,los angles has a monopoly on street gangs,or newark has a monopoly on ghetto housing...
The novelty is perhaps in the seeing of the photographs and the documents all together in one volume,so that one can peruse the sorrowful aspects of that period as it affected one particular area...

I read this book over 16 years ago. It left a lasting impression that will stay with me forever. It may not have the same affect on others but reading some of the reviews posted here, I know that it has on most. You can't really ask somebody "did this really happen?" becuase they either died then or in the 100 years that have past. We have no perspective on these people, places and times other than to read books like this. If any of these folks were alive today and heard someone say, "those were the good old days." They might be inclined to give the speaker a quick education. This book will do it for them. I have pictures just like this in a family archive. You wonder how anybody lived into middle or old age. Disease, starvation, hypothermia, and farm accidents all took their toll. Winters are hard enough in the south. Why did these people decide to stop the wagon in Wisconsin or if they lived thru their first winter there, why didn't they head south? I went to a Brewers baseball game at the end of May some 25 years ago and wore a down parka and was cold. You can still see houses in small towns outside of Milwaukee that look like the houses in this book and you can feel the desolation, pain and suffering looking out at you thru 100 year old panes of glass.

Try this fun guide to Mastering Your vibrational rate and aligning to your desires. I love Abe/Hicks, Neville Goddard etc but their teaching at times is more abstract and theory. That is needed but a practical guide mastering vibe, emotions, and feelings is the core of manifestation. This is that practical guide filled with fun exercises that actually work.
So turn off the TV, Turn off the negative friends, Turn off the computer.
Pick up this book and play the "Games" each day. See what shows up.
Along ABE/Hicks, Neville, this is the last book on Manifesting you'll need.

Denise Coates provides a magnificent tool kit for those who want to really and truly re-pattern the way they think and feel in their daily life. This is the most rapid and effective way to not only see your desires manifest quickly, but to go with the flow of life and be at peace from one moment to the next. I have seen amazing shifts and manifestations in my life since I started Denise's Feel It Real program. I am eternally grateful that her program and book came into my life!

The Secret and what it taught me has changed my life. Feel It Real is HOW it happens!!! Looking inside can be challenging and sometimes painful, but well worth the journey!!

"Feel It Real !" by Denise Coates is a MUST read book for all walks of life! To give myself kudos, I was her agent in Hollywood & even helped pick out her picture on her book! I do have an eye for talent. This lady has many talents for the world to discover, believe me! This book helped me put the law of attraction, in full force now for my new LLC, business: "Excel Entertainment" Excelling Women & Minorities in the Music & Ent. Industry.
Thank you Denise for your insight to making dreams come true! Victoria Torres @ myspace.com/victoriaexcelent

Feel it Real is a great book. Denise Coates is such a wonderful teacher and "lightworker." This book gives practical advise to keep you in the "good vibrations" to manifest your goals. If you can feel it, it can become real. The games are fun and practical.

At first the authors' sef-help suggestions seem almost too simple to be effective; akin to Nancy Reagan's, "just say no...". But as I continued reading I began to see their point with greater clarity, and finally had to agree with them: I am a person of value who is loved and can love others. Neither they nor I need to try to measure up to any unrealistic expectations in order to be acceptable and to enjoy life.
The book is based on the core teaching of the Bible: even though we are hopelessly messed up from day one, God loves us, forgives us, and gives us the ability to become what we are meant to be. Because of this, no matter how full of resentment, emptinesss and hate we are, we can change and enjoy inner peace, free of guilt and self-condemnation.
I was surprised at how, in some of the case studies, the authors seemed to minimize people's anguish, telling them what they were experiencing was, "...not so terrible...". But eventually it began to make sense. It's a matter of getting a better perspective; correcting the negative 'can't see the forest for the trees' view so many of us don't even realize we have.
I recommend this book to anyone who really does want to get past the "gotta play the bad hand life has dealt me" mentality. Too many people have overcome horrible circumstances; the rest of us need to know that we can as well. This book helps us see how.

This is an essential book for anyone who struggles with depression and they don't know why! I have learned so much from this book, and I recommend it to everyone.

The book is excellent. Im' reading it for the second time which I rarely ever do with books. The dissatifation I have is the 1st week I had it the book started to come apart. Books are not made as good as they use to.

This is a wonderful book written by Christian couselors. It teaches a person to re-train their thinking to overcome depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, etc. A lot of people, especially when very young, are given wrong messages about being a bad person or a failure, etc, and it carries through adulthood causing shyness, low self-esteem, etc. This book tells you that those wrong messages are lies and are not the truth. In lots of cases, we have more capacity than we think we do, and we deserve more credit than we give ourselves.

This is a really awesome book, using Christian backing.

After reading this book, I've since given away my copy and bought it twice. It's based on a simple concept: eliminate negative self talk by recognizing it, arguing with it, and replacing it with the truth. Anyone who has ever been discouraged, experienced doubt, or been angry at themselves will learn from this book.

In the Prologue, the authors state victorious war veterans have long vexed politicians noting that "Early in the Revolutionary war, the Continental Congress provided for both disabled veterans and the dependents of soldiers killed in battle" and that "The last surviving dependent of the Revolutionary war continued to receive benefits until 1911." The authors write "By1932, the amount paid to Civil War (Union) veterans and their survivors amounted to twice the cost of the war." After World War I, in 1924 Congress passed a law that granted the WWI veterans a bonus. However, payment of the bonus was constantly delayed. The end result was the WWI veterans formed a bonus army that marched to Washington D.C. in 1932 to lobby for the bonus. Historians have given only passing references to the bonus marches, however their significance was great and their influence continues to today.

The first half of the text gives an excellent account of the 1932 bonus march. They called themselves the Bonus Expeditionary Force (BEF), and they traveled in freight cars, state trucks, private autos, motorcycles and some even walked. They began arriving in June 1932, and upon arrival in Washington they were politically supported by the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars as well many members of Congress, principally Wright Patman. Fortunately, in 1932 the Washington Police Chief, Pelham Glassford, was a competent and fair chief who looked to the welfare of the bonus marchers. The BEF Commander-in-Chief was Walter Walters who was also competent, and was able to exercise control of the BEF that could have become a vicious mob. The major issue was by law the bonus couldn't be paid until 1945. However, by 1932 the nation was mired in the Great Depression, and many veterans desperately needed the bonus. However, the bonus exceeded the income of the government so both Presidents Hoover and Roosevelt vetoed early payment of the bonus.

The military erroneously thought the 1932 bonus veterans consisted of ex-criminals, radicals and non-servicemen and; were controlled by communists. However,Walter Waters bitterly opposed the communists. The BEF and splinter groups were encamped in Washington in vacant buildings plus 15,000 veterans and about 1,100 wives and children were camped in tents and shacks at Anacostia. Most interesting was the fact that at Anacostia and in the other camps, the color line didn't exist. The text contains several interesting personal stories. After the veterans made several attempts to secure payment of their bonus, Police Chief Glassford was told that beginning July 22 and completed by August 4, the bonus veterans had to be out of their camps; the Army now had control of the bonus armies. The army burned camp Anacostia and used tanks, bayonets and tear gas to expel the vets and their families from Washington. Two civilian casualties were attributed to Army eviction activities.

The text next covers two subsequent bonus marches on Washington in 1933 and 1934. In order to keep veterans from camping in Washington, the administration set up work camps for veterans in South Carolina and Florida. The hurricane that struck the Florida Keys on Labor Day 1935;was devastating and especially hard on the veterans in work camps on the Florida Keys. 259 veterans lost their lives. U.S. Government officials tried to cover-up the government's failure to take proper measurers to prevent lost of life maintaining it was due to "an act of God." Most interesting Ernest Hemmingway who lived on Key West wrote an excellent critique of the government's failure to take proper actions to evacuate the keys and avoid injuries and lost of life. The text provides an interesting account of this sad affair.

On January 27, 1936, Roosevelt's veto of a new bonus bill was overridden and the cash bonus finally became a reality. `The new bill differed from the earlier Patman bills in that this bill called for the issuing of bonds in $50 denominations.... that could be redeemed on June 15 or held at 3-percent interest to maturity in 1945."

With the United States entry into, World War II, Congress introduced legislation to provide benefits for the men and women in the military. By the end of 1943, 243 bills on veterans legislation were pending before Congress. Amazingly beginning on December 15, 1943, a special committee of the American Legion drafted a rough version of veteran's legislation laying the groundwork for what eventually became the GI Bill of Rights. The bill was signed by President Roosevelt on June 22, 1944 and provided six benefits: education and training; loan guaranty for a home, farm or business; unemployment pay of $29 a week for up to fifty-two weeks; job-finding assistance; top priority for building materials for VA hospitals; and military review of dishonorable discharges.

The text ends stating "Millions of Americans have since peacefully marched on Washington in support of various causes, their way paved by the veterans of 1932." This book is excellently researched, well written and hopefully will place the bonus march in its proper place in American history.

As a Vietnam combat vet I cannot be objective about this book. As I read it, I couldn't help comparing it to my own experiences of re-integrating into civilian life following my service. As I read The Bonus Army I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the sacrifices these men and their families made, not just in war, but in the aftermath.

Paul Dickson and Thomas B. Allen set out to chronicle an event, but wound up giving us a look at how politicians deal with the pesky problem of what to do with returning veterans. One of the most shocking aspects of The Bonus Army is how quickly the same men who cheered from the grandstands as these soldiers went off to war in 1918 now wanted them washed away and forgotten.

As an American war veteran I am grateful to Dickson and Allen for writing this book. It should be read by every returning Global War On Terror (GWOT) vet. Like freedom itself, when it comes to holding government to their promises after the trumpets fade, you only get what you are willing to fight for.

I knew little about the Bonus Army, other than Patton's role in breaking up their camp in Anacostia. Little, indeed. This book brings to life a rich period of U.S. history where the nation--or parts of the nation--came together in a period of economic desperation. There are a few villians, but far more unexpected heroes of high and low station determined to see fellow American treated with dignity and respect. This is truly a wonderful read that places the veterans in the Bonus Army in the same tradition as those who kept our republic alive at Valley Forge.

If you went to college or bought a house on the GI Bill you can thank the Bonus Army, a ragtag group of WW I vets who converged on Washington, DC in 1932 demanding payment of their dollar a day bonus promised to them after years of political wrangling. They were called communists, criminals and freeloaders by the president and members of congress during the worst years of the depression. President Hoover used US troops commanded by General Douglas MacArthur to drive them out of the city and the American voters were so outraged the incident helped carry FDR to the White House that fall. It would still be several years before the bonus was paid but the saga of the bonus army paved the way for the GI Bill of Rights and provided a model for every mass protest held in the capital since.
Dickson and Allen provide a stirring narrative with an all star cast that includes Herbert Hoover, George Patton, Douglas MacArthur, Andrew Mellon, Dwight Eisenhower and J Edgar Hoover.
The Bonus Army has faded from view over time and this worthy book brings an important era in or history back into focus.

Allen and Dickson have written a very compelling book on the history of the Bonus Army, veterans from World War I who converged on Washington in 1932 and subsequent years to demand their promised payment known as the "bonus". The authors give us a good background as to who some of these veterans were, what conditions were like in the country during the years of the First World War and the next two decades after that, who some of the major players were in the debates and issues concerning the Bonus Army and their time in the nation's capital, and lastly how our nation would treat veterans of future wars.

This book details some of the men who made up the bonus army and where they came from in their move towards the nation's capital, with special emphasis on Walter Waters and his group of men from Portland and their journey eastwards. In addition to these Bonus marchers we learn of Pelham Glassford, the Washington D.C. Police Chief who oversaw the gathering veterans, citizens and groups who gave aid to the veterans on their journey to Washington and while they stayed in the city, politicians like Representative Wright Patman who became a leading advocate for the veterans in the halls of Congress, and of course other political and military figures who would play crucial roles in the issues and events surrounding the Bonus Army.

We also learn of how America perceived these veterans as they marched towards Washington and during their stay there. One of the constant worries of some in power at the time, those in the Hoover Administration, the Congress, and the military was the threat of communism, i.e. the Red Scare. Some believed many of these veterans weren't real veterans, believing many had criminal backgrounds and held communist views who wanted nothing less than to incite violence in the nation's capitol or even overthrow the U.S. Government. These worries were vastly over exaggerated as there were very few communists in this group of veterans, and those that were had little or no influence. These were loyal Americans who had fallen on hard times and needed and deserved some help from their government.

The events of the end of July 1932 have garnered the most attention and left the most indelible impressions on the minds of those who have any knowledge of the Bonus Army. This was when the military was called out to disperse the veterans who had encamped in vacant city buildings as well as the larger concentration of veterans who had gathered at sites like Camp Marks on the Anacostia River.The use of force to disperse the Bonus marchers became a damaging symbol that left a stain on the Hoover Administration as well as the reputation of Gen. Douglas MacArthur who had led the effort to rid the city of these veterans. The authors of this book are fair in spreading blame and correcting some myths that had developed after these events, for example there were not upwards of 100 casualties in this event, which is detailed in one of the appendices at the end of the book.

Even FDR did not support the bonus payment, but his veto was overridden by both houses of Congress in 1936, thus the bonus became a reality. But the real accomplishment, as the authors mentioned, was the piece of legislation known as the GI Bill passed in 1944, helping veterans from the Second World War to secure the needed and well-deserved assistance from the federal government to help them fit back into civilian life. As the authors believe, the Bonus Army of 1932 and those that followed had led the way in securing even greater promises for future veterans who deserved and still deserve the thanks from a grateful nation. Allen and Dickson are to be commended for writing this compelling and important book on an often all too summarized period in American history.

My older brother gave me this book years ago, and being handed such a book made me angry. I interpretted the gift as him telling me I hadn't forgiven or was still ruled by the pains of my youth. I therefor did not read it until I was older and realized denying pain was not a helpful course for my life. In the meantime my younger brother had borrowed the book. He had returned it to me marked with his terrible habit of making notes and underlining in books that didn't even belong to him! Those underlined parts spoke of his own pains and his need for more indepth healing; they spoke of my own struggles too.

This book has been a reckoning of coming to terms with grief of losses in my youth, and also a quiet recognition that my siblings have carried the same pains -- each reaching for healing at different times of our lives, each with the help of this book.

There are so many "self help" books out there. This is a "let God" reach into your heart and soul and touch the parts of you that feel empty and untouchable.

I am a Pastoral Counselor and for years I have recommended all of my clients to read this book. It is well put together and quite simple for every level of reader to understand. I tell each client not to rush to read the book but to allow the book to "read you". In some cases where David Seamands examples may not be specifically speaking to an element of emotional damage for the reader, I advise the reader to substitute their particular issue. In December 2008 I am releasing my own book, Stop Tripping Over Your Past, and I am hopeful it will be as much of an excellent tool for those who read it as Healing for Damaged Emotions has been for countless readers.
Dr. Ramona Joseph
Charlotte, NC

I have read this book twice and given it to many friends and the responses are always the same. We need to understand the priciples is this book and apply them in our lives. None of us are exempt at some time or other in our lives from the issues discussed.

Great book to help you understand why you are the way you are.
Really helped me a lot.

As a pastor and spiritual director, I've been using this book as a regular give-away to believers when it becomes obvious that they are stuck - some old wound is yet hindering them from normal spiritual growth in Christ. Having ministered among Native People for several years, as well as those dealing with addictions (even as Christians), I found the truths and principles Dr. Seamands expounds on very beneficial in truly helping people heal from their past emotional wounds, and the memories of them, and then be able to progress in spiritual development. I believe our churches have many folks sitting in the pews, Sunday after Sunday, with serious pain from their past adversely affecting their present ability to relate freely to Christ, or to others in relationships. Until we understand this, and how Christ can work through us as "ministers" by his healing grace to nullify the effects of debilitating memories, we will continue to see believers spiritually 'stuck', stagnated in their growth.
Dr. Seamand's book HEALING OF MEMORIES (now titled, REDEEMING THE PAST: RECOVERING FROM MEMORIES THAT CAUSE OUR PAIN), builds on HEALING DAMAGED EMOTIONS by going, in detail, into the process of ministering healing to those with painful, debilitating memories. Every pastor who counsels should understand how to help believers in this way!

This book is a must read for all young families. It is an incredibly valuable resource of information and inspiration for traversing what can be a very difficult life transition. Realistic and applicable advice is combined with important data. A straigth-forward and informative read!

This is by far the best book on PPD. I have recommended it to moms, dads, grandmas, OB's, nurses, behavior health specialists, psychiatrists, psychologists, med students, you name it. This is the resource to have on PPD.

This book has been more helpful than I expected. =) It does not only provide helpful information, but incorporates exercises which can really help one process and think through feelings, experiences, and ideas. I feel like I'm getting myself back little by little as I work through it.

This book really helped me and reasurred me that what I was feeling was normal and that I would overcome it.

Even if you aren't interested in the clinical side of PPD, this book is a must have for every pregnant woman/new mom. The assessment at the back of the book is worth every penny. I have purchased one for every pregnant woman I know.

This is a comprehensive examination of gambling in America, so well written I put aside the thriller I was reading to pick this up each night. Well researched, balanced, and thorough, it should be read by everyone on both sides of the gambling issue.

I read this book this year (2006) and was staggered by its accuracy in describing the events of the last eight years in the gaming industry. It is far more insightful than most accounts written after the fact. O'Brien takes a historical perspective, inspired by a genuine appreciation for gamblers and gambling along with a rare cool-eyed and unsentimental realism about the casino business. Too many other authors, horrified by the crime and corruption associated with the business, forget that the urge to gamble is deep and ancient; the opposite camp too often uses romantic gambling fiction to distract from the undeniable rottenness that suffuses the legal and illegal industry.

O'Brien tells the stories of gamblers of various stripes, from hapless victim to celebrity successes, types who rarely coexist in the same book. Entrepreneurs are featured as well, weak crooks, clever crooks and genius visionaries. He cites in damning detail the negative effects of legal gambling on local economies, society and political institutions; but there is no suggestion of throwing out the baby with the bathwater, this book is the beginning of a blueprint for how to reform the industry, not outlaw it (or even less plausibly, to stop gambling).

If all of this makes the book sound like a dull policy text or dated account of once-current events, it's not. It's an entertaining read, and more relevant now than when it was written.

Mostly an interesting, well-written, and throroughly researched book. The anthopological and historical information about gambling in the US was very informative. The vignettes about individual gamblers were thought provoking. However, often the descriptions of gambling take awkward twists into very biased and unfounded criticisms. It reads that someone combined a readable historical and cultural treatment of gambling with a distorted rant about the horrible evils of gambling. Despite the confusion, there were many parts of the book that were well done.

Mr. O'Brien has written a thought-provoking book, the thesis of which is that casinos rely on a small percentage of problem gamblers for most of their profits. I was a little surprised that he didn't interview Frank Scoblete, the top gaming author in the world and my personal favorite because I would have liked to read Scoblete's opinions on O'Brien's thesis. But that is a minor quibble. The book is definitely worth reading. I tend to agree with O'Brien. Too many people are out of control when it comes to gambling.

I live near one of the big casino riverboats mentioned in O'Brien's book and I read this book out of curiosity more than anything. Prior to reading this, I had NO idea how much intense lobbying - as well as graft and corruption - were behind the gambling industry.

One tidbit I found especially disturbing is the story behind how gambling was legalized in my home state.

"Bad Bet" tells of a former Midwest governor who was in power when Argosy Gaming made it's big push to get gambling legalized in this state. (Argosy won) Now that we have riverboats all over our state, this former governor now *works* for Argosy Gaming.

Rapes and robberies went up 33% in Atlantic City, New Jersey after the casinos opened there.

"Bad Bet" it tells of the subtle and overt techniques casinos use to lure people in and entice them - to keep the money flowing. Even the layout of casinos is done with much forethought as to the best way to separate people from their money.

And O'Brien talks about how the gambling industry goes looking for communities in economic straights to set up shop. (which is exactly what happened in our city)

This is a powerful book. I think every local or civic leader that has a casino in their community or is even considering allowing casinos in, should pause and read this book. It'll open their sleepy eyes to some hard ugly truths.

Having lived in a community that invited the riverboats in, I see firsthand that O'Brien is telling the truth about what to expect when big gambling comes to town. It's a sad affair.

The Happiness Solution is a compilation of two or three paged anecdotal stories and life lessons. It's a wonderful book to sit down and read straight through, but is also a great source of quick inspiration when you just flip open the book to any given page. The book covers subjects from giving and gratitude to courage, faith, and optimism.

Well-timed for our slumping economy and the financial pressures facing many people today, The Happiness Solution serves as a reminder that we are responsible for creating our own sense of well-being and joy, despite what might be happening around us. Five Stars.

This book draws from simple everyday stories and the ancient and modern teachings of various cultures. Dr. Gettis' joy for life and for writing infuses each reading with a feeling of exuberance and enchantment.

Dr. Gettis, a full-time psychotherapist offers his readers golden nuggets in each of these entertaining, informative stories. The author's wit grabs you when he starts the first story, "Singing in the Rain," like this: "It was a dark and stormy night. Not really. I always joked that I would start a book with that sentence, so I did."
In "Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place," we meet Aron Ralston, an engineer, who went mountain climbing by himself in Utah, only to end up pinned between a boulder and a canyon wall. On his sixth day of entrapment, he evaluated his situation, and with the use of a dull knife, somehow found the courage to cut his own arm off to survive. He lived to tell the tale.
In "Do the Right Thing," the Dalai Lama suggests asking yourself the question, "Will it bring me happiness?" If you are pondering whether to have the affair, eat the cheesecake, go to the party, gamble, take the drug, exercise, watch television, or volunteer, asking yourself that question may help you to pause, reflect, and decide upon actions that help you to create happiness.
Gettis tells us, in "What, Me Worry?" how the noted author Carlos Castenada studied for years with a Yacqui Indian sorcerer who was the antithesis of a worrier. The sorcerer taught Carlos that as life passes by quickly, there is no time for worries and regrets, only time for decisions. He told Carlos to make a warrior's decision (decisive, with no waffling back and forth). "For happiness, be a warrior, not a worrier."
With these stories, parables, and quotes from extraordinary people, we are given new insights into the awesome capabilites of the human mind and spirit. This is a book to keep on your nightstand. Have it handy for inspiration in the morning, or for positive thoughts at the end of the day. For in today's troubled world, we need all the help we can get. A lovely book from a masterful storyteller. Highly recommended!

...so I could give this book (4) four thumbs up!

"At last, happiness' rubber meets the road! The Happiness Solution is a wonderful blend of the teachings of The Law of Attraction, Far East philosophy and Positive Psychology. I highly recommend this book to all and will be rereading it soon." - Donald A. Wilhelm, Author of This Time's a Charm; Lessons of a Four-Time Cancer Survivor

This book is great. It offers the right kind of advice. I enjoyed the book. It was precise to the point. I think everyone should read this book. I hope there is a sequel. I enjoyed the book. I hope everyone reads this book. They will find the right advice.