Reading Group Guide

Dry - A Memoir

5 stars (Not So Dry After All) - Perhaps the most astonishing thing about this powerful memoir is its essential kindness and good feeling for humankind, an attitude sustained through a series of dizzying life experiences which could have soured the Dalai Lama. Burroughs' cheerily ironic point of view encompasses his terrifying childhood,his surreal career in advertising, and, most powerfully, his experiences in rehab. While on this journey with him, you experience his growth through a process of discovery, as layer upon layer of denial is peeled back and his true history and true self are revealed to him and to us. The dryness of the wit lies entirely in his refusal to feel sorry for himself; and the final phase of his recovery begins when he is at last willing to open that hardest of all human doors, love. Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down, and read entranced on the bus, at the lunch counter, and through one very dull concert. It will certainly offer you several of the more entertaining hours of your life. 4 stars (Excellently written) - Mr. Burroughs has done an excellent job in communicating his experiences of alcoholism and the struggle of rehab and the 12 step programs. He has been able to share the reality of his experiences and at the same time show a great deal of humor and sophisticated irony. A very good book and one that I will read again. 4 stars (Very Good) - I started this book yesterday and read about 3/4 of it in one sitting. It's an interesting read - and the subject matter is a little less uncomfortable than "Running with Scissors". I can't help but compare this to "A Million Little Pieces", which also deals with someone going to rehab. I feel that James Frey's book was more upsetting but geniune. There were times that I had to put the book down because it was so graphic and heart rending. Anyway, "Dry" is a good read, and if you liked "Running with Scissors" or books in the vein a la David Sedaris, read it. ...
Picador :: Reading Group Guide :: Biography & Autobiography & General :: United States :: Personal Memoirs :: Novelists :: American :: New York (State) :: New York :: Literary :: :: Dry - A Memoir

Mother-Daughter Wisdom - Creating a Legacy of Physical and Emotional Health

5 stars (Mother-Daughter Wisdom) - I just got my book and have started reading it. Its great. I had seen Christiane Northrup on tv and she is great. She makes you think...."why didn't I think of that-its so simple" 1 stars (Cliches, platitudes and old chestnuts) - As mother of two teenagers, I had high hopes for this book, but I almost gagged on the number of trite sayings this author can cram into a paragraph. You will find "great" insights like: mothers are very important in an infant's life, two year olds are announcing their independence, and it's important to keep channels of communication open with your daughter even when things aren't going smoothly. And I paid how much money to learn THAT?? If you have had your eyes and ears open for any length of time, you will find nothing new in this book. It is all hype and marketing with no substance. And wisdom? That's the biggest hype of all. Save your money and just go talk to your daughter. 5 stars (Wow! Awesome Book! Mothers of Daughters: Get This Book!) - First off, this book makes a great gift to anyone you know who has a daughter regardless of age. It makes a great baby shower gift, also. I just want to start by saying, I first saw this book and I skimmed through it, but didn't buy it. I was very skeptical. I am a well read individual and I was thinking: "I don't need another lame self help book by some would be expert that sits on my shelf that I never read. My daughter's five: there is a bunch of birth, pregnancy stuff in the book. I am past those stages and don't need a book that covers stuff I don't need." However, I ended up going back and getting the book. I am SO glad I did. Now I am here to say: this book is amazing. Reading the book made me want to read all of her books. I took so many notes and have already started using some of what she wrote. For those of you who consider yourself Moms who care about being good Moms, this book is a great compass for how to raise your daughters well. It ...
Bantam :: Reading Group Guide :: Social Science & Women's Studies :: Women's Studies - General :: Women :: Sociology :: Social Science :: Parenting - Motherhood :: Mothers an :: Mother-Daughter Wisdom - Creating a Legacy of Physical and Emotional Health

An Unquiet Mind - A Memoir of Moods and Madness Vintage

5 stars (Brilliant, Insightful.) - For this reader, the most insightful message in the book was the view of behavior (and mental illness) as lying on a continuum. Many of us do not fit the "norm" on the bell curve, yet we continue to thrive and produce in spite of or because of our differences. 5 stars (An Amazing Book) - Having a bipolar disorder is not easy for either the person that has it, or people that are close to that person Kay Jamison took a chance and wrote about her own disorder, without knowing the consequences of what might happen to her job. She did it so others might understand and appreciate what it is like to deal with. I am a professional woman, and considered successful by those who know me. However, it is always a battle, even with medication, to deal with. I have never known what "normal" felt like. I read her book and finally found a kindred spirit, even though I have never had the opportunity to meet her. I have given this book to my husband, my parents and friends. It has helped them, as well as me. I highly recommend it. 5 stars (An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness) - This is a moving account of the author's experience with bipolar disease (or as she prefers, manic-depressive illness). Though Jamison has co-written "the" textbook on the subject, this book is written for lay people, and in that regard is very readable -- no technical jargon -- and full of information that helps one understand the condition. ...
Vintage :: Reading Group Guide :: Psychology & Psychiatry & General :: Women college teachers :: Women :: United States :: Specific Groups - General :: Manic-depressive psyc :: An Unquiet Mind - A Memoir of Moods and Madness (Vintage)

Mere Christianity

1 stars (didn't recieve that product/ credit card was billed) - i never received that book even though my cc was charged. it might have been sent in august but i wonder if they are still printing the book for me?? and walking it to maryland. i do not recommedn this source and had i known this would happen i never would have used amazon.com 1 stars (Flimsy arguments tell Christians what they want to hear.) - I'd read on a website about an atheist who'd converted to Christianity after reading this book, and C.S. Lewis tells readers that he was once an atheist himself. Since I'd love to believe that some Big Grand-Daddy in the Sky is going to make atrocities like George W.'s presidency all right in the end, I gave it a shot. I really did go into it with an open mind, but I was sorely disappointed. In essence, C.S. Lewis's argument is that since humans know right from wrong, we must be getting that notion from somewhere; hence, there must be a god who gives it to us. He dismisses the idea that right and wrong could be hardwired into the human brain by millions of years of evolution by saying the following: You cannot claim that the sense of right and wrong is instinctive because (a) we can have competing instincts, and (b) we often choose to morally follow the weaker of the competing instincts. He gives the example of the instinct to save a drowning man and claims that most people would experience two instincts in that situation--to wit, one to save the man and one to not put oneself in danger--and that the moral man would choose to act on the weaker of the instincts in order to save the man. According to C.S. Lewis, the decision-making that allows us to govern between instincts to choose the moral or immoral course of action comes from god. In a matter of a few minutes, C.S. Lewis dismisses--erroneously, I believe--the idea that morality is a complex biological process whereby the mind sorts through various drives, with the executive decision-making process ...
HarperSanFrancisco :: Reading Group Guide :: Religion & Christian Literature :: Religion & Christian Life :: CHRISTIAN LIVING PRACTICAL LIFE PERSONAL GROWTH :: Theology :: Doctrinal :: :: Mere Christianity

The Alchemist- A Fable About Following Your Dream

4 stars (pleasant) - im personally drawn to portugese authors. in both the works of jose saramago and paulo i sense a very strong current: both of these men have a gift for capturing the essential human spirit in prose. to me, the alchemist was a dance; seamless blending of wordplay and personality, reaching for a portrait of the beauty of human experience. the story is fair and lighthearted, a saunter; however there is something quite magical about it. one could say it comes with paulo's integration of mysticism and arab cultures. there are many scenes where the reader, with the help of paulo, can deceive the senses into letting go as to transcend the present and play amongst the ethereal literary setting. all this works together to make reading this book a pleasantly positive and enjoyable experience. when low scores are given i do not understand what one could possibly be seeking other than a nice story. in terms of storytelling, this one is exceptional, and it would be something else if all approached this one with intent and respect. it deserves at least that. 2 stars (occasional insights in a shallow text) - Occasionally in The Alchemist there are moments that made me dog-ear the page, words and turns of phrase that I thought captured an important sentiment about life and the pursuit of dreams. But these rare moments are embedded in a foggy text, a text that has the appearance of wisdom but is actually quite shallow and vague. In Santiago's various discussions with the people and things he encounters, from the Englishman to the desert wind, there is a superficial feel of deep ideas being discussed when most of the time there is little substance to the ideas, little development and thought put into them. Profound words like "omen" and "heart" are tossed about without any effortful exploration of their meanings. These thoughts, these words, are dealt with too easily and superficially. Rather than stir me and engage me in deep thought, the book act...
HarperSanFrancisco :: Reading Group Guide :: Fiction & Literary :: Visionary & Metaphysical :: Literary :: Fiction - General :: Fiction :: Fables :: Paulo Coelho :: :: The Alchemist- A Fable About Following Your Dream

The Innovator-s Dilemma HarperBusiness Essentials

5 stars (A Must-Read!) - Professor Clayton M. Christensen's excellent book is a classic of strategy literature. The innovator's dilemma is that doing the right things can lead to failure. Sometimes it is wrong to listen to customers, invest in the highest return opportunities and do all of the things that made a successful company succeed. Clearly written, amply documented, provocative and challenging, this book is indispensable for anyone in business. If it has a shortcoming, it is that it focuses more on the dilemma than on resolving it and it does not offer specific remedial prescriptions. However, Christensen has authored or co-authored two other books that attempt to remedy that deficiency. We heartily recommend this book, which remains the leader of the three. It has the potential to change the way managers think about business - any business. 5 stars (Entrepreneurs - read this & gain the upper hand) - In this revolutionary bestseller, Harvard professor Clayton M. Christensen says outstanding companies can do everything right and still lose their market leadership, or worse, disappear completely. And he not only proves what he says; he tells others how to avoid a similar fate. To be a successful entrepreneur you must be able to capitalize on change. "The Innovator's Dilemma" is all about dealing with change, from the incumbent's point of view. How valuable do you think it would be to understand how your larger competitors think? That's exactly what this book talks about. Most large, established firms are inherently weak in one area - they cling to the status quo with a vengeance. While talk of innovation is commonplace, it is the attacker (entrepreneurs) who holds a definitive advantage. Without legacy systems and overbearing bureaucracy it is the entrepreneur who has the upper hand. "The Innovator's Dilemma" consists of two major parts: Part One: Why Great Companies Fail Part Two: Managing Disruptive Change This is one of the most insightful books on bus...
Collins :: Reading Group Guide :: Business & Economics & Economics & General :: Success in business :: Management - General :: Industrial management :: Entrepreneurship :: E :: The Innovator-s Dilemma (HarperBusiness Essentials)

Traveling Mercies - Some Thoughts on Faith

4 stars (Let Anne tell her story) - God rescued Anne from a horrible situation. And the thing that broke the ice, so to speak, was something that most church-goers like myself hardly think of as a missionary outreach: the simple act of singing songs of praise to God when we are gathered together. At that point in her life, Anne wasn't much interested in hearing preaching, but the music, and then the love, drew her in. God, in his sovereign will, chose to use a Christian congregation far outside of my "box" to reach Anne. And as the story goes on, we see that Anne also has her God in a pre-conceived box. But I, from my conservative point of view, have to be merciful, remembering what God has brought Anne, and me, out of. Every Christian is in recovery, from all the crap of our past whatever it was. And with God's help, we are growing, learning to love those who don't think like we do, and slowly realizing that God is beyond any of our human boxes: totally awesome, pure, wise, loving, forgiving, patient.... Anne Lamott, I, every Christian, are "traveling" on that road to greater faith, and we are in constant need of God's "mercies." 5 stars (A real conversion experience, in all its messiness) - Salvation and baptism are for people stained with sin, people who have been walking too long on the wrong path. It's amazing that Christians, who know this about salvation, fail so regularly at depicting what a conversion experience is like. Lamott tells a lot of stories and shares a host of ruminations in this book, but her account of her conversion experience is the highlight and is more than worth the price of the book. 5 stars (We're Only Human) - Anne Lamott style of writing and style of life make this collection of essays a delight to read. She's honest, humble, humorous and spiritual-all wrapped up in a nice package. Every person reading this book will identify with the life challenges, questions about faith and quirky happenings that Anne speaks about. She ...
Anchor :: Reading Group Guide :: Religion & General :: Women novelists :: American :: Women :: United States :: Religious :: Religion :: Mothers and sons :: Literary :: Christian b :: Traveling Mercies - Some Thoughts on Faith

The Red Tent

3 stars (Just okay for me) - I liked the idea of expanding on Dina's story. However, the content was sometimes a little to personal, at times gross, for me. I was also taken aback when I saw how much Diamante deviates from the actual text. This is not just an expansion of the story, but sometimes was outright false. A good story if not taken literally. 5 stars (Under a Wonderful Tent) - In terms of plot and charcter development, this book was wonderful. Based on charcters of the bible, the story explores the lives of the women in the bible which we never really got to know. Diamant has created a wonderful story about the women of biblical times, our fore-mothers Rebecca, Sarah, Rachel, and Leah, from Dinah's point of view. However, it is not any way offense to men. You need not be familiar with the bible to enjoy this book. If you are, you'll certainly recognize stories and characters from the old testament. Another work of fiction I might suggest that explores women and their stake in the Christian faith is John Mackowicz's The Last Martyr. With a similar theme, it portrays women in a positive light. 5 stars (A Terrrific Read) - This book is a story of Dinah, a character from the old testament that we know little about. It is the story of her life and her family in biblical times. There were things I didn't know about really, like the multiple wives and marrying close relatives. But it was in some ways very romantic, and sometimes heartbreaking. Dinah was a very strong woman. Also, I learned alot about what it was like for women when men were in charge of everything. But women were still a mystery to men, and what went on in the red tent was only for women to know. I really liked this book, it was hard for me to put it down once I started. ...
Picador :: Reading Group Guide :: Fiction & Religious :: Women in the Bible :: O T :: History of Biblical events :: Historical - General :: Genesis :: Fiction :: Dinah :: Bible :: :: The Red Tent

Seabiscuit- An American Legend

4 stars (Seabiscuit: An American Legend) - Seabiscuit, by Luara Hillenbrand, is an absorbing tale of a horse racing legend. The vivid descriptions in the book makes the reader feel like you lived in the 1930's. The book ressurects the drama of horse racing. Hillenbrand has a way with words, in this novel, the reader feels like the jockey participating in the race. The book wasn't just centered around the horse. Those who owned and took care of Seabiscuit were just as interesting as the horse. Personally, I would give this novel two thumbs way up. 5 stars (Horse Sense) - A horse is a horse, of course. Unless that horse is something more. Much more. Like Hope. Winning. Success. Beating the Odds. A Second Chance. Being an American. Striking it Rich. Coming from Behind. The underdog that finishes on Top. Seabiscuit. In his time, he was as great a representative, and in many ways a better spokesman, for the eminence of American rugged individualism and perseverance, than some of his less communicative superhero contemporaries such as Lucky Lindy, John D, Joey D, Stan the Man and the Brown Bomber. Surely a great American icon deserves an equally great biographer. But a big name author would not be in keeping with the spirit of our story. Seabiscuit was a nobody. His greatness was built on adversity, his own and that of his teammates, Pollard, Smith and Howard. So too, it is with Hillenbrand. Before she discovered this remarkable quartet, she too was a sickly, defeated nobody, suffering from severe depression. We may never know for sure what personal demons she needed to exorcise by writing this book. But, her achievement speaks for itself. Thanks to this most unlikely Boswell, it can now be said that Seabiscuit is not only a great horse but also a great biography, an accolade that can not be made for even the grandest of historical subjects from Columbus to Lincoln to Ali. 5 stars (A Wonderful Read) - This is the first book that I was able to read after the mo...
Ballantine Books :: Reading Group Guide :: History & United States & 20th Century :: United States - 20th Century :: United States :: Sports & Recreation :: Sports :: Seabiscuit (Rac :: Seabiscuit- An American Legend