Book Review: Don't Say Stress

The 14 Day Stress Cure: A New Approach for Dealing with Stress that Can Change Your Life by Mort Orman, MD (Breakthru Publishing, 1991, ISBN 0-942540-06-9)

This book was written by: Morton C. Orman, M.D., an internist who has completed a two-year post-doctoral training program in Contextual Therapy.

What is in this book: Stress management from a biolinguistic perspective. This book talks about stress stemming from "a false understanding of ourselves as human beings, which arises from inaccurate mind-body theories that are no longer accepted by twentieth century thinkers"(p.36). That is because "according to Biolinguistics, human beings do not consist of "a mind and a body,"" and "the basic error of all mind-body thoeries is that they assume a separate "mental" domain inside human beings which doesn't really exist" (p.38). Dr. Orman's book is timely because "while a growing number of scholars, scientists, psychotherapists, and other health professionals have recently embraced this biolinguistic perspective, most stress experts today are completely unaware of its existence" (p.xvii).

What is not in this book: A detailed explanation of biolinguistics, since "an in-depth discussion of biolinguistics is beyond the scope of this book"(p.39). Furthermore, "even though this book is titled The 14 Day Stress Cure, it is not a "quick-fix" remedy for the problem of human stress" (p.xix).

Would you recommend this book to Daniel Day-Lewis, Dennis Day, Doris Day, Frances Day, Francis Day, Graham Day, Hap Day, Howie Day, Laraine Day, Robin Day, Ryan Day, Sandra Day O'Connor, Stockwell Day, and William R. Day? Even if we could warp the very fabric of space and time to bring all 14 of them together in one place, I don't think that they'd be interested in collectively developing their own cure for stress as a counterproposal.

Would you recommend this book to the attorney general of the United States? Yes. It is essential that we stay current with the latest stress-management techniques, so that our stress positions are able to counter them. Otherwise, the terrorists have won.

What was interesting about this book? People who suffer from stress are likely to feel trapped in an endless cycle of torment despite their best stress-management efforts. After all, "Challenging your internal conversations is similar to playing the Space Invaders video game. [...] No matter how many times you destroy these relentless invaders, they keep reappearing"(p.107). Dr. Orman has successfully re-framed the conflict with stress in a way that will soothe the fears of these individuals while using terms that are easy for them to understand. "This book is about winning against stress"(p.v). Also, "when you know how to use the coping method outlined in this book, you not only "win" by getting rid of your stress, but you also "win" by improving your mastery and competence in life as well"(p.xv). Furthermore, "every time you choose this road you become a double winner in your fight against stress"(p.256). So if you can't use the coping method outlined in this book, then you are clearly a loser.

Book Review: Stop Drinking Water

Water Can Undermine Your Health! by Norman W. Walker, Doctor of Science (1974, Norwalk Press, ISBN 8-89019-037-2)

This book was written by: Dr. Norman Walker, Doctor of Science, whose healthy lifestyle has kept him alive to the ages of 113, 118 , 120, and even 130, despite claims to the contrary made by some site that's a big fan of invasive popups. Alleged "evidence" of his death at age 99, citing the U.S. Social Security Death Index and a grave marker, is inconclusive at best.

What is in this book: Things you didn't know about the fluids you put in your mouth, like "what EVIL lurks in a keg of BEER" (p.33) and "the deadly CHLORINE" (p.59). Dr. Walker couches his sound, scientific advice in clear, no-nonsense terms, like his warning that "Sea Water is not, under any circumstances, intended to be used for drinking purposes," (p.41) although you can use it for drinking purposes "in fractional amounts, at the rate of 4 to 8 drops of ocean water to the glass or pint of whatever beverage you plan to drink" (p.41).

What is not in this book: An incitement to cannibalism. While Dr. Walker states that "Malnutrition results from feeding the body food which has been heated or processed to such a degree that the life of the atoms and molecules composing such food is extinct,"(p.vii) and that "dead atoms and dead molecules cannot rejuvenate nor regenerate the cells in the body,"(p.vii) he does not advocate tearing into the living flesh of your enemies. Instead, he suggests eating "live" vegetables, like some kind of sissy.

Would you recommend this book to Jenna Jameson? No. Ms. Jameson does not seem to be overly concerned with the issue of purity.

Would you recommend this book to Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper? No. While I am profoundly convinced that Dr. Walker and General Ripper speak the same language, Dr. Walker advocates the drinking of neither rainwater nor grain alcohol.

What was interesting about this book? Dr. Walker is also the inventor of the Norwalk Juicer. His publisher has written a eulogy for him that has been published in series of 7 posts on the Norwalk Juicing Community Forum.

Book Review: Nothing Happened

The Big Bang Never Happened by Eric J. Lerner (Vintage Books, 1992, ISBN 0-679-74049-X)

This book was written by: Eric J. Lerner, who holds a BA in physics from Columbia University. He is also an avid wikipedia editor, although he is no longer allowed to make changes to his own biography.

What is in this book: Similes, metaphors, and other comparative devices used to associate the present day with the fall of the Roman empire, the dark ages just before the Renaissance, and even Germany's Weimar republic (read: Hitler). This is because "there can be no doubt that the development and advance of global society has halted, that the current dominant society, capitalist society, has reached its ultimate limits," (p.413) held back by the repressive tyranny of the Big Bang Theory. We may take heart, though, because "quietly, without much fanfare, a new revolution is beginning which is likely to overthrow many of the dominant ideas of today's science" (p3). These sentiments are as true today as they were when originally written in 1991.
While Mr. Lerner has “personally contributed to the development of plasma cosmology, this book is overwhelmingly about the work and ideas of others” (p.vii). His book describes the infinitely old universe theory "to explain these new ideas to the general reader, one who is interested in the crucial issues of science but who has no special training in the subject" (p.5).

What is not in this book: Large Italian men in tailored suits and too much cologne who tell you that "You didn't see any Big Bang, capisce?," but it should be noted that Mr. Lerner's offices are in New Jersey.

Would you recommend this book to Dr. Bunsen Honeydew? I can tell you that Dr. Honeydew is much more interested in string theory.

Would you recommend this book to Vice President Dick Cheney? Actually, I'd recommend that the author study Cheney to learn more about using coercion, intimidation, threats, and "disappearances" to convince people that specific events never happened, because all of those methods are more effective than publishing a book.

What was interesting about this book? Edward L. Wright has taken exception to the theories advanced in this book, and published what he perceived to be a list of errors. Mr. Lerner's response escalated the matter into the kind of full-scale catfight showing all the heated passions and colorful language one would expect of two people passive-aggressively posting open letters and never directly addressing one another.

Book Review: Creating (Non-Fatal) Attraction(s)

Creation through Attraction: A Six Step Process to Manifestation Using The Power Of Your Feelings. by Lea Pharoah, D.C. (Lea Pharoah, 1996, ISBN 0-9586538-0-1)

This book was written by: Lea Pharoah, a twice-divorced chiropractor who wrote the manuscript in "an intense period of four weeks" (p.66)

What is in this book: Lea's six-step process for manifesting changes in your life. While it is accompanied by personal stories for inspiriation, it is "not a book to be read as a novel" (p.70). The personal stories are also not to be considered as filler to pad out the length of the work. One can consider the frequent section breaks and large amounts of white space on each page as filler to pad out the length of the book.

What is not in this book: A dismissal of subjects considered as beneath one's concern; nothing is too small to justify being fixed by affirmations and attractions. For example, one can use the following affirmation to attract better carpets:
"I am thrilled with my ability to attract warm floor coverings into my home, for the good of all concerned." (p.60)

Would you recommend this book to fans of Hannah Montana? No, any competent OB/GYN will tell you that high school students already know too much about how mutual attraction can lead to creation. Also, the last thing we need is creepy old perverts finding more successful ways to attract underage girls into their secret torture pens.

Would you recommend this book to man with a stainless steel hook for a hand? This book won't help him grow another hand, if that's what you're asking. However, it does stand a chance of convincing him that losing his hand was something that was supposed to happen to him, and that he just needs to realize that he is better off without it so that good things start happening to him again.

What was interesting about this book? It originally ended on page 91, announcing that the author "had finally achieved the relationship of my dreams, this referring to my second husband, Stevan" (p.92). However, in the eighteen months after the original completion of the manuscript, an additional four pages were written and inserted into the book, numbered 92 through 95. In them the author states that while that dream relationship has ended in divorce, it was because her parents had given her an unhappy childhood, but she has chosen to "move out of the state of being a victim to our circumstances into a new state of control and re-creation of our present and our future"(p.94-95).

Book Review: Malfunction-Free Wardrobes

Wear Your Own Skin! Attitude 'n' Humor from Edd Gibbs Rose by Edd Gibbs Rose (Wisdom Culture Creations, 2003, ISBN 0-9745414-0-0).

This book was written by: Edd Gibbs Rose, who describes his adventures living in and around the greater Salt Lake city area with a "family of eight" (p.11), including "six pivotal, dynamic animal characters based directly on the lives of real domestic pets. [...] All of these fine animals were (or are) so vibrant and talented that even basic descriptions [...] pack poignancy and edge" (p.8). To some extent, this book describes his work towards the "complete integration of his non traditional family into the larger society surrounding them and him" (p.10). Mr. Rose also states that he has not counted himself in the "tiny readership" interested in the works of Aleister Crowley "for close to two decades" (p.91).

What is in this book: Social commentary and observations interwoven with narrative stories, including 52 pages about how animals can help us after September 11. This may seem impractical at first, as cats have difficulty manning anti-aircraft guns, dogs are reluctant to shoot down passenger jets full of civilians, and trained monkeys are terrible at running security screenings, even if they have been handling baggage in our airports for years. However, Mr. Rose feels that "animals, wildlife and domestic, are uniquely qualified to help us open our hearts"(p.9).

What is not in this book: The stern hand of an overbearing editor. While editorial changes are presumed to have been made, the tangents, segues, and offshoots of Edd's wisdom and societal observations have survived intact.

Would you recommend this book to Bob Barker? I see no reason not to, provided that I had a chance to hide my mink bathrobe first.

Would you recommend this book to Larry Flynt? Yes. If he was comfortable wearing his own skin, he might stop obsessively publishing photographs of the skins of others.

What was interesting about this book?
Mr. Rose has squandered an opportunity to speak out against serial killers who kill and wear the skins of their victims. He does use the opportunity to talk about values, since "after September 11th,[...] "wearing one's own skin" now meant "getting real" abut just what real values really are in a freedom-loving country and modern world ultimately validated only by its popular and literate culture(s) and traditions" (p.7). He also stresses the importance of personal improvement, because "When a person builds a foundation in their life for sustained fulfillment based on the fulfillment of important aspirations and personal improvements, happiness will be a likely bi-product [sic]"(p.185).

Book Review: Magic—It's Not Just for Women Anymore

Intuition Magic: Understanding Your Psychic Nature by Linda Keen (Hampton Roads Publishing, 1998, ISBN: 1-57174-112-7)

This book was written by: Linda Keen, who is the founder of the School of Intuitive Development in the Netherlands ("Mens en Intuïtie) who was living in a "household of Irish musicians"(p.24) when she encountered the teachers who would help her "unlock the magical inner power that enables us to sense, enjoy, and learn from the immaterial but infinitely fantastic part of our universe"(p.13).
While Ms. Keen writes that she has "risked... ridicule by discussing my communication with spiritual beings on national radio and television,"(p.13) it should be clarified that spiritual beings are not communicating with her through her appliances, but that she is going to these media outlets to discuss communications that she has experienced in more traditional venues.

What is in this book: Ms. Keen has written this book "as a road map to assist the inward-venturing seeker within this immaterial world of intuition and spirituality"(p.13). Previously, she had been frustrated in her own spiritual quest when she researched Eastern spiritual texts and realized that "as soon as this information had been written down, intellectualized, and translated into Western concepts, it had lost most of its power to teach" (p.15).
The first half of the book follows Linda's journey through school, as she learns how to summon a child "to jump somewhere into your body, wherever it feels the most appropriate," (p.49), and uses "a rose symbol" to "stay clear and safe by serving as a psychic buffer,"(p. 51) dealing with her alcoholic boyfriend at home. The second part is an "intuition magic workshop," where Linda offers practical instructions for those interested in learning, like her steps to rid onself of fears by envisioning them as a series of pictures alongside a rose. "Place one picture at a time inside the rose and allow the whole thing to explode." (p.106)

What is not in this book: Excessive femininity. The word "intuition" and the blossoming rose on the cover may not evoke images of masculinity, but readers will soon be manifesting pink forgiveness clouds (p.116), embracing their spirit guides after inviting them to appear via "large, exquisite rainbow" staircases (p.161), and learning to "finish by bending over" (p.158).

Would you recommend this book to Tom Jones? There's already magic in the way Tom lights my way and satisfies my soul.

Would you recommend this book to Gandalf the Gray, or possibly Gandalf the White? Gandalf is a fictional character.

What was interesting about this book? "Each time the vibration of your spirit is raised through a learning process, the physical body must follow suit and make accommodations for the important inner changes. When you experience an intense period of growth, you may come down with a cold or some other minor illness." (p.123) You can deal with these illnesses by asking them to appear to you in the form of an animal, and speaking with it about the reasons why it has chosen to manifest. "The animal can also give you very practical advice about the physical aspects of treatment, including your need to see a doctor, naturopath, or spiritual healer (p.124).