January/February 2003 Conscious Media
Book Reviews

Wisdom Bowls-Overcoming Fears and Coming Home to Your Authentic Self
by Meredith Young-Sowers, Stillpoint Publishing, 2002

Do you ever have days when everyone gets the joke but you? Or try as you might, you just can’t figure out some little piece to make everything fall into place? That is how I felt with the book Wisdom Bowls. I understood the sentiments and the intent (I think); I just never truly could get behind the whole metaphor.

As you might guess from the title, Meredith Young-Sowers uses the metaphor of a bowl for seven different aspects of spirituality. Through exercises and vignettes, she urges people to picture and do healing work on their bowls of wisdom, vision, joy, love, power, intimacy and abundance.

I did find the essays thought provoking, particularly the section on vision. Her exercises on healing the "broken" or "weaker" parts of yourself seemed appropriate and pertinent, even though I struggled with the idea of a bowl.

As Meredith pointed out at one point in the book (and this is also true for life itself), what is most important is focusing on the pieces of anything that speak to you, rather than the pieces that don’t work. I closed this book feeling richer, with new ideas to ponder about emotional healing and connection despite my earlier difficulties with the form its message took. Perhaps, to use the metaphor, I learned that even though my bowl of understanding was somewhat thin or chipped, it still held some water to nourish my thirst.

---Alaina Zipp


Why Your Life Sucks and What You Can Do About It
by Alan H Cohen (Jodere Group Publishing, $14.00)

The self-help book business in the US makes big money. Unfortunately, big money brings a flurry of products to the market: the good, the weird, and the plain ridiculous. Luckily, I would place this book in the pretty good category. The author, obviously skilled in writing self-help books, came up with a title that grabs everyone’s attention, whether or not the book is actually read. The humor found in the title is also present throughout the book. Alan Cohen makes fun of people and all their foibles, including himself.

The book is well laid out for intermittent reading. There are ten reasons given for why "your life might suck" (conveniently highlighted on a side panel on the outside page for easy accessibility). Each chapter gives examples of the reason and the ways to change these patterns. The reasons range from Giving Away Your Power to Forgetting To Enjoy the Ride. Pretty simply written, despite some complex topics, it was easy for me to fantasize about spin-off groups like "Why your work/marriage, etc. (fill in the blank) might suck." Alan Cohen strongly advocates getting oneself out of the victim role and identifying, then changing, life patterns that promote depression, lethargy and chronic dissatisfaction.

My issues with the book are relatively minor ones: this book has its fair share of clichés and at moments can ooze into the "Pollyanna syndrome" of "putting a happy face on everything." Overall, though, it’s an easily read book that most people would find some value in.

---Alaina Zipp


What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer: How Hormone Balance Can Help Save Your Life
by John R. Lee, M.D., Virginia Hopkins and David Zava, Ph.D.

This book follows Dr. John Lee’s bestseller, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Menopause. Since 1950, breast cancer incidence has risen by 60 percent—and each year over 40,000 American women die from it. Conventional treatment protocols are simply not working and—worse—they may even be harmful. But women do have prevention and treatment choices their doctors may not be telling them about. John R. Lee, M.D., and David Zava, Ph.D., explain these options and offer potentially lifesaving strategies to lower risk and help stop this devastating disease.

Dr. Lee has led the way in using natural progesterone therapy for pre- and post-menopausal women. Dr. Lee and breast cancer researcher Dr. David Zava have developed a hormone balance program that is potentially lifesaving. The book includes such topics as:

· The problem with conventional ERT and HRT: how synthetic hormones may trigger cancer

· The long-term risks of birth control pills

· The breast cancer drugs currently used that may be doing as much harm as good—and why doctors use them anyway

· The unsettling truth about mammograms and radiation therapy

· The protective benefits of using natural hormones to create balance

· The potential dangers in our homes, our water, and food.

The program recommends the use of natural progesterone cream, and shows women how they can help prevent breast cancer and help eliminate a recurrence if they have already had the disease. Based on cutting-edge research, this progressive approach to hormone balance is both eye-opening and empowering.

---Miriam Knight


Writing Alone, Writing Together: A Guide for Writers and Writing Groups
By Judy Reeves (New world library, 2002, $15.95)

Writing Alone, Writing Together by Judy Reeves, is a writing book that actually does something different. Don’t get me wrong, I love "how-to" writing books, but except for new writing prompts and reinforcement that you, too, can be a writer, there isn’t often an awful lot of unique information.

Writing Alone, Writing Together breaks new ground. Judy busts some of the old rules, like "you have to write everyday" or "you must go to writing group every week forever." Even better, she gives you detailed information about many different types of writing groups, including outlines for each one and the reasons why each is valuable. To me, it is like the difference between someone saying "today you write a novel" and "today you write a novel and the first step is…."

Judy also has set up an easy to read and attractive book, with neatly organized chapters. On the page edges, in careful key, are descriptions of some typical group participants (and how to best handle them!) along with inspirational quotes.

As you can tell, I enjoyed reading this book. My only problem was that part way through the book I had the urge to close it and get started writing again (to me, a sure sign of a well written book on writing). However, it is even more of a tribute to the book that the contents were worth my continuing to read it.

---Alaina Zipp


The Letter Box: A Story of Enduring Love
by Mark and Diane Button (Beyond Words Publishing, $16.95)

When Diane Button’s first child Carly was born, Diane wrote her a heartfelt letter, confiding her feelings and hopes for her daughter. She wrote "To open when your first child is born" on the envelope and mailed it home to Carly. Since then, Diane and her husband Mark have written and postmarked many more letters for their children to read at milestones in their lives. Even after their parents’ deaths, the children will continue to open these loving messages.

The letter box is a simple concept; only a small part of The Letter Box describes how to make one. The suggestions for prompts and materials for letters fit into a short section at the back of the book.

The rest of this slim, pretty volume is in journal form, the story of Mark’s and Diane’s courtship after Mark’s first wife, Ronnie, suffered an aneurysm that took her life and those of her unborn triplets. Her death, say the Buttons, taught them that life is precious and fleeting. It made them see the importance of a lasting legacy of love.

The Letter Box is easy to read, full of endearing moments. We alternate between Mark’s and Diane’s thoughts, watching him grow to love his friend, watching her wonder how she can ever step into the space left by the idealized "perfect wife" that Ronnie has become in memory. Unfortunately, we’re never allowed to delve into the grittiness of difficult emotions; the authors stick to the safe level of "he was very sad" or "it was a challenge," as though aware of the rest of the family reading over their shoulders.

Nevertheless, The Letter Box is a genuine love story. It’s sent to readers with a hope that more love letters of all kinds will grow and flourish in our families.

---Holly Hein


Coyote
by Allen Steele (Ace Books, $23.95)

Coyote is a two future story about the first starship to leave Earth. In an ingenious ruse to escape a dystopian, balkanized America, the rebels hijack the starship to form a true democracy on an alien planet. Coyote is the name of a moon above their new home, a planet orbiting a star in the constellation Ursa Major.

The colonists wake from deep freeze while approaching the planet to find that someone woke up long ago and used up a lot of supplies before dying of old age (it is a 236 year trip). This increases the challenges as they land, even as winter approaches, and they set about settling a new world. Steele creates some complex characters and paints a good picture about the developing of community. The story based on generally sound and up-to-date science. Steele has done some pretty good research for the novel and includes a resource list for anyone who would like to do some further reading.

The cover blurb says " …Hal Clement style world building and A.E. van Vogt style action-adventure," and sure enough, portions of it are evocative of both their styles, but Steele writes in his own strong voice, with characterization and plot that neither really mastered.

In the end, the good guys win, but what they win is the freedom to keep outrunning and outsmarting a force superior both in numbers and technology. This is a fine tale with a satisfying ending that still holds out the possibility of further adventures—a whole world of possibilities.

---Stephen Coquet