Book Description
Friends broaden our children’s horizons, share their joys and secrets, and accompany them on their journeys into ever wider worlds. But friends can also gossip and betray, tease and exclude. Children can cause untold suffering, not only for their peers but for parents as well. In this wise and insightful book, psychologist Michael Thompson, Ph.D., and children’s book author Catherine O’Neill Grace, illuminate the crucial and often hidden role that friendship plays in the lives of children from birth through adolescence.
Drawing on fascinating new research as well as their own extensive experience in schools, Thompson and Grace demonstrate that children’s friendships begin early–in infancy–and run exceptionally deep in intensity and loyalty. As children grow, their friendships become more complex and layered but also more emotionally fraught, marked by both extraordinary intimacy and bewildering cruelty. As parents, we watch, and often live through vicariously, the tumult that our children experience as they encounter the “cool” crowd, shifting alliances, bullies, and disloyal best friends.
Best Friends, Worst Enemies brings to life the drama of childhood relationships, guiding parents to a deeper understanding of the motives and meanings of social behavior. Here you will find penetrating discussions of the difference between friendship and popularity, how boys and girls deal in unique ways with intimacy and commitment, whether all kids need a best friend, why cliques form and what you can do about them.
Filled with anecdotes that ring amazingly true to life, Best Friends, Worst Enemies probes the magic and the heartbreak that all children experience with their friends. Parents, teachers, counselors–indeed anyone who cares about children–will find this an eye-opening and wonderfully affirming book.
From the Hardcover edition.
Download Description
From the bestselling coauthor of Raising Cain comes a pathbreaking new book about the intricacies of children's friendships.
Customer Reviews:
Worst Enemies/ Best Friends Beacon Street Girls.......2004-09-15
Hi,My name is Taylor. I read Beacon Street Girls. It was a really great book. You never knew what to expect next. It was so interesting I could hardly put it down. It is a good book for any age girl. I felt like I was one of the Beacon Street Girls. I could see myself there. It is a perfect book for every girl. It has all the personalities of every girl, so anyone can relate to it. The book kept me guessing throughout the entire story. Even when I put it down I kept wondering what was going to happen next. I would highly recommend this book to any girl of any age. I know you will enjoy this and be glad you read it. I hope you will be as excited as I to read the next book and tell your friends.
Not as interesting as I'd hoped.......2002-09-17
I guess I was expecting something more in-depth and less instructional. I am sure this is a fine book for a parent who isn't clued into how some kids are popular and some kids have no friends at all, but I was looking for a more psychological perspective.
I did find the short sections about infants and toddlers very interesting. I think there should have been less emphasis on popularity and what it means to children. The section about people acting a certain way because of a group mentality rather than personal morals captured my attention.
This book is important........2002-05-03
Alice Miller (author of The Drama of the Gifted Child and Breaking Down the Walls of Silence) has long emphasized that if we are serious about solving society's problems, we must focus on how we treat children --- as individual families and as a cultural. This book is an excellent contribution toward that end.
From thought-provoking observations to practical suggestions about solutions, Best Friends, Worst Enemies is an effective education about social problems that begin in childhood, but do not end in childhood. One point the authors make that interests me greatly is that when one child is being bullied by others, the majority of children witnessing the abuse will either do nothing to intervene or they will join in with the bullying. If you think that is not a reflection of the society in which we live, think again.
As a psychotherapist and author (Embracing Fear, HarperSanFrancisco) who emphasizes personal responsibility and facing fears head on, I hope that more than just parents and educators will read this book. I think there is something here for us all to think about --- no, to do something about.
Children's social lives.......2002-03-13
Outatanding book! It has valuable information for adults concerning what our kids social lives are like and how to help them when there is a problem. Children can be so cruel. The book sheds light on a world we as adults don't really understand. This book is well written and easy to read. I highly recommend it!
Shows how parents can understand and help children socially.......2002-02-19
After watching a feature documentary on the power of social relationships to shape a child's life into adulthood, I was already interested in learning more. This book filled the bill, especially the sections which revealed how children use power (and even bullying) to both include some children and exclude others. I think most of us remember the playground bullies but what this book did was show how parents can help to change bullying behavior, give their children skills to handle bullies and lessen the damaging effects of their behavior.
This book focuses on far more than bullies and those who purchase it will find it filled with rich insights into the social world of children and how they view their friendships and connections with other children.
Book Description
Things are a little complicated for the Beacon Street Girls right now...Charlotte's dream is to be a writer. But she doesn't seem to care that The Abigail Adams Junior High opened its newspaper, The Sentinel, to seventh-grade writers. Why? Because she's got a heartbreaking secret and it involves moving...again!
And just when Charlotte really needs her friends, they've got major problems of their own. Maeve has a really great idea for a community service project, "Blanket Brookline with Love." But try as she might, she can't seem to get it off the ground. And the new girl, Isabel Martinez, is creating major tension. Avery and Katani don't like her, but Maeve and Charlotte do. What will this do to the Beacon Street Girls' friendship? Will it ever be the same?
Customer Reviews:
Postive reading for girls- a Mom's point of view.......2007-06-09
I bought this book for my 12 year old daughter. I feel it is a wonderfully written book series for "tween girls." It is very positive- sometimes a bit too positive for real life at times. If reading books like these make girls think about how they treat each other and be kinder to one another, then I say it's a good thing! I am reading the books after my daughter finishes with them. And enjoying chatting with her about the different issues contained in the stories.
At times the story can be a little hokey/unrealistic. The girl's homeroom teacher assigns the students tables to sit at lunch, and has a tablecloth on each table. Charlotte has a klutzy moment and notices her zipper is down. She unknowingly zips the table cloth in her pants, making a huge mess and angering the other girls at the table. The girls start off not liking each other and are told a sleepover might help them to work it out. At the sleepover the girls become best friends. I have never had any of these things happen to me in real life, but it makes for a good story. And brings the girls together. In the stories, aside from the hokiness, the girls have real life problems- lying to their parents, being the new girl, overextending themselves, weight issues, being bullied, parents separating, having an ill parent, etc. I feel the author wraps it all up in a positive but not perfect story book way.
I liked that the girls all represent something different. They are of different ethnic backgrounds, have different issues & problems as well as different personalities & talents. The girls compliment each other very well. The BSG
(Beacon Street Girls) try to protect their friendships and are very supportive of each other. In the books, there are girls who are nasty. The BSG, aren't fond of those girls but are never mean or cruel in return. Hopefully, this will encourage the girls who read them to be kinder to people/ friends than they had been. I can't wait to read the next book!
I LOVE BEACON STREET GIRLS!!!!!!.......2006-09-30
My mom just brought me these BSG books and they are the best. Everyone should read them. I only read two of them so far but we are going to buy the rest soon. If you are a girl and you like to read you HAVE TO get these books TODAY!!!!!
I LOve THIS BOOK.......2006-03-12
This book was my #2 favorite book ever. Next to the Sisterhood Of the Traveling Pants! You are a very inspiring author and I have decided to write a book simalar to this one. My BROTHER even liked this book! Once again you are a very inspiring author & thank you for writing this series of books.
I LOVE IT.......2006-03-10
I started reading this book and I couldn't put it down. I thought that it was so great and true to life. I love the Beacon Street Girls books and I would really suggest reading them.
Booorrrring!.......2005-11-21
my mom got me this book cause she read about it in a newspaper or something. i think it has a stupid title. i read that loads of girls suppposedly loved it so i tried it anyway. but i think its grown ups who like this book cause its not like real girls. this book is like a tv movie for girls ( not even cable) but written by a guidance counsellor or a shrink not a real writer writing from their heart or their life. its like the book is good for you but not good. i think girls could write better themselves. its 2 babyish and 2 adult. btw the books got one of everything like a menu at an appleby's or denny's: one asian girl, one african american girl, one red head, one blond, one shy one, one "drama queen," got it? 2 many girls.I like babysitters club better or harry potter. And one has a father moving to oxford in england to teach, like the best college in the world. how many dad's do that? and her mom is dead, and another girl's mom is sick and another girl's mom and dad are breaking up but she can save them. the writing is ok and i kind of like a couple of the girls but i would not read this again or read another one or buy a cd or anything.
Book Description
Charlotte Ramsey is the new girl again. After causing the biggest cafeteria blunder in history, Charlotte's assigned lunch partners-the very stylish Katani, irrepressible Avery, and super-friendly Maeve-can't wait to dump her.
Can it get any worse? Absolutely! Nobody is talking, and Katani wants out of the group. What a mess! Can the girls become true friends or will they remain worst enemies forever?
Customer Reviews:
cool book reveiw by silverfeather.......2007-07-30
this book was pretty good but the others in the series are better. i really recomend the series!
mom's review.......2007-01-16
I am a mom of an avid reader, aged 9. I am always concerned that, because she can read well, she will choose books that may be challenging in length and context but may be too advanced for her socially and emotionally. I just finished this, book 1 of the series, and am happy to say that this looks like a series I can get behind 100%. The series revolves around the friendship and loyalty of a group of diverse middle school girls who create a club in an attic. In book 1, the author tackles the subjects that kids at this age deal with (diverse backgrounds and interests, snobs, crushes, learning diabilities - one girl has a laptop not because she's a rich snob but because she has a learning disability)in a language they understand...hip slang, cyberspeak, etc. The values of loyalty, honesty, civic duty and friendship are paramount in this story. Moms and Dads, fret not. Only positive messages found in this book. I look forward to my daughter reading these and getting hooked on a series based on strong girls and their friendship.
A Delightfully Funny Read! .......2007-01-04
This is the first installment in the Beacon Street Girls series. And, by far my favorite book of them all. Probably because this story is being told from the views of the original four BSGs (Beacon Street Girls). It's a fun read for girls my age (11). But you have to admit, the whole "As soon as they meet, they despise each other and in the end are friends" thing gets really old and overrated. I understand the reason they didn't like each other was first impressions, but still, "Never assume", that's my motto. It may surprise people but Annie Bryant, is not just one person writing these funny but somewhat serious books, but a whole team writing together. And from reading these books I realized that I have a bit of all the BSG in me. I love creativity like Isabel, I can imitate voices like Maeve, I love writing and reading like Charlotte, I love animals like Avery, and I love fashion like Katani. I really enjoy the message of being yourself. So really, there's something for everyone in these delightful books. The summary of the book is basically Charlotte is new and she doesn't hit it off very well with the other girls when they should be trying to be working together as they are working on an assignment. It's a very funny read and I definitely reccomend it!
Fantastic Find!.......2006-08-05
I bought this book for my niece hoping that she would discover the wonders of reading if she had material that pertained to her life. Not only did she love the book, but she seems to have an insatiable desire for the series! Nothing makes me happier than to hear her bubbling about how Katani resembles her best friend at school! She has truly found herself in these books. I reccommend this book for anyone who wants to incite a passion for reading in a little girl!
Worst Enemies/Best Friends (Beacon Street Girl Book #1).......2006-08-04
Worst Enemies/Best Friends is a book that starts with a girl named Charlotte who just moved to Beacon street. (She lived in Paris before)! She has to of course start at a new school. It is the first day of school when she figures out that everyone in her class is told that they have setting arangments! everyone at her tabe hates eachother and are Worst Enimies! One day their teacher gave them an assingment to wite a letter to her if they have any rule they would like to cange. One girl at Charolttes table asked if they could have a sleep over and then beable to sit where ever they want! The teacher said yes! after the sleep over the were best friends and became the Becon Street girls or BSG as they said!
Customer Reviews:
Great service.......2007-09-18
Thank you for providing such great service. You followed through on your end of the deal perfectly.
The Best of Enemies to Start With...But is Doesn't End that Way........2007-07-31
This book has been out of print for some time, but thankfully the University of North Carolina Press has resurrected it. Duke University's incoming Freshman class has been assigned to read this book as their compulsory summer reading assignment. The Class of 2011 will then discuss this book during Freshman Orientation Week. The selection of this book as the summer reading assignment is timely with the upheavals in Durham and at Duke during the so called "Duke Lacrosse Scandal."
It is interesting to note that Durham held on to Jim Crow laws and was very slow to integrate public schools compared with some high profile Southern cities. When forced to comply with court-ordered integration, the school district took the unusual step of pairing a long-time black activist and a ranking member of the Ku Klux Klan to lead a committee whose purpose it was to deal with the issues surrounding integration. It seems like this would be a disaster, but surprisingly it was far from it.
I should note that this is not some dry recitation of the past. The story reads much more like a novel. I couldn't put in down and found myself quite moved by the story.
This is a truly poignant book that demonstrates how much we have in common with people of other races, creeds or colors and how, by finding common ground, we can move ahead in our society. There are lessons here for us in the new millennium.
For those interested in an excellent book dealing with similar issues, I recommend Blood Done Sign My Name: A True Story
fascinating.......1999-07-20
An extraordinary book, not for its writing or ideas, but for the *very idea of it!* How could this have happened, and how could the book tell the story like this??? As a feminist I'm challenging the assumptions of white males who think they are in touch with African Americans, or with feminism. As a white Woman, I feel for the experiences of Black Women, and am sickened by the way white males mostly just don't get it. This is such a strange book you will be blinking hard for sometime afterward.
A well-written, scrupuosly researched important book........1998-11-14
As someone who works for parity in this society, I look for materials that show clearly that poor white people have more in common with blacks and other ethnic/racial peoples than they do with the power structure that oppresses us all. This book clearly and beautifully illustrates that point.
It has always mystified me that more poor "white" men, in particularly, fail to see this. Every young white man who blames blacks for his inability to get a decent job, the meagerness of his life, or whatever, should read this book. Every petty racist should read the story of C.P. Ellis and Ann Atwater and learn something about the real problems, not the cheap shot racist answers that many of us come to too readily in this society.
I've purchased five copies for myself and friends. A great book to give that relative, co-worker or acquaintance who persists in making racist comments and blaming blacks for the problems in this society.
Customer Reviews:
Precursor to Confessions of an Economic Hitman.......2006-07-05
Precursor to Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins- but more info and from the point of view of a terrific reporter and Peace Corps person...how the IMF & them really work (fer only about 3 rich people)- depressing & eye opening
One clear sign of how barbaric the US has become.......2002-02-07
Is that this is out-of-print and I am the first reviewer of it.
Written by a Libertarian stalwart, the late Wall Street Journal reporter Jonathan Kwitny, it contains detailed history of US foreign commitments, especially in the early 1980s.
That even from a laissez-faire perspective American foreign policy is both misguided and criminal did not sit well with our corporatist media.
If you read and memorize the history in this book you will automatically gain 25 IQ points in any discussion of world events. Astound your friends, who will nickname you "commie," "creepy" and "that person who thinks too much."
Book Description
Book publicist Amy Sherman tripped over it when she caught her fianceacute; horizontally attached to her best friend, the impossibly tall, inexcusably blonde, and insufferably gorgeous Tara Messer, who added insult to injury by marrying the cad right out from under her.After four years of therapy, Amy's finally back on track-until she has to publicize the hottest new book of the season by "the next Martha Stewart." Nightmares do come true. It's the dreaded Tara who's the author, and why shouldn't she write a bestseller about perfection? She's the perfect woman enjoying the perfect life with the perfect man. Who'd ever guess she's living the perfect lie?When Amy tries to save face by roping a handsome mystery writer into posing as her fianceacute;, her little white lie leads to yet another romantic triangle. She just might find true love this time-if she lets herself-but first she and Tara must settle old scores and team up against the man who played them both....
Customer Reviews:
A fun beach read.......2007-09-02
This is an enjoyable book. It's not your typical "chick-lit" -- the heroine is actually smart and likeable. While a little predictable, the story moved along quickly with warmth and humor.
It's not Dante -- but, quite honestly, that can be a good thing.
Another light, fun read.......2007-06-05
I like Jane Heller's conversational way of writing and yes, the plots tend to be seethrough, but when you just want a light LOL read, this is it!
Others I like: Whitney Gaskell, Beth Kendrick, Alesia Holliday, Janet Evanovich & Emily Giffin
Enemies for life...........2007-01-01
BEST ENEMIES by Jane Heller
December 31, 2006
Amazon Rating: 4/5 stars
I always enjoy Jane Heller's books, and this was no exception. BEST ENEMIES is narrated by two women, who started out as best friends growing up but became enemies when one of them was found with the other's fiancé in bed.
Amy Sherman was about to get married when she came home to the apartment she shared with her fiancé and found him horizontal and naked with her best friend Tara Messer. Tara was supposed to be her maid of honor, but that act of betrayal ended the friendship. Tara promptly married the scumbag, Stuart, and Amy didn't lay eyes on the two of them again until years later, when she bumps into Tara on the streets of Manhattan.
Amy is now working for a successful publishing company, and Tara has just sold her book to the company Amy happens to be working for. However, Amy doesn't know it yet. Instead, Amy goes on and on about her upcoming wedding plans to a man whose identity she cannot reveal, hoping to rub it in that she's happy despite the trauma she suffered because of Tara and Stuart. Unfortunately, when Amy does find out what Tara has been up to lately, she's not sure what to do. Amy has told a big lie that will come back to haunt her. Amy is told that she will be working closely with Tara to get the book published on time - in 6 months. 6 months was also the time frame Amy gave Tara regarding her upcoming wedding to the mystery man. What is she going to do?
On the spur of the moment, during a heated conversation about Tara's favorite novelist Tony Stiles, a man that Amy loathes with a passion, she's not sure why she does it, but she blurts out to Tara that Tony is indeed her secret boyfriend and soon-to-be husband. Of course Tara is fit to be tied, and invites them to dinner. In order for this to work, Amy has to convince Tony to go out with her. It isn't easy, but she is surprised at how fast she is able to get Tony to change his opinion about her, and vice versa. Amy finds out through his publicist his interests and hobbies and she uses the information to woo him. And it works.
Amy is now ready to get her revenge on Tara and Stuart by showing that she has indeed moved on and has landed a very eligible bachelor. And while she's busy doing that, she also finds that she's attracted to Tony, and she sees a different side to his personality that she likes. Tony also seems to be falling for Amy, which surprises him as well, and soon the two no longer have to pretend to be a couple...
What I found interesting about BEST ENEMIES is that we get to hear the other side of the story. Tara narrates a huge chunk of the novel, giving the reader a slightly different version of what happened from the beginning. Tara comes across as a very shallow person through the eyes of Amy, and even through the eyes of Tara, she still seems rather one dimensional, but the more I read her story, the more I liked her as well. BEST ENEMIES was fun, a romance/chick lit story that I enjoyed a lot. Jane Heller has to be one of my favorite authors in this genre. She never fails to entertain.
A Cross between best friends and bitter enemys.......2006-12-14
Amy and Tara used to be best friends when they were younger. That changed when Amy found Tera sleeping with Amy's fience before the wedding. They had not seen each other for several years, until they run into each other on the street. Amy is in publishing and Tara just wrote a book, so the two are forced to get along with each other for the sake of the book.
Amy had told Tara that she was engaged (even though she really wasn't) so when Tera invites Amy to her house to discuss the book Amy invites Tony Stiles, another author she has published (and whom she can't stand) to pretend that he is her fience. Amy, Tony, Tara, and Tara's husband Stuart (Amy's former fience) get together over the next several months, with both Amy and Tara grining and bareing it. That is until Stuart disapears. At that point Amy and Tera with the help of Tony unlock the mystery of Stuarts disapearents as well as what he had been up to in the past. While doing this Amy and Tara come to terms and become friends-Tara ultimitly being Maide of Honor when Amy and Tony get married
Entertaining !!.......2006-05-22
This is an entertaining read which has great dialogue and good twists in the tale to keep you enthralled. The ending is somewhat unbelieveable, however it makes for a great read on the beach relaxing.
Amy and Tara are opposites in personality - Amy being intelligent and reserved and Tara being beautiful and very outgoing - yet spent their childhood as inseparable best friends; that is until Amy finds Tara in bed with her fiance, Stuart, two weeks before the wedding; and even more horribly Tara and Stuart end up marrying only reinforcing their betrayal.
Four years later Amy is only just really getting over this gutting experience when she runs into her bane, Tara, in the street. Things start to spiral into an ugly mess for each of them because as fate would have it they both have to work professionally together where Amy has to arrange publicity of Tara's new book at the publishing company Amy works for. Both go to great lengths to deceive each other while also misunderstanding each other where ever possible.
With the inclusion of a fake engagement, crooked business practices, maintaining personal images, romance and a couple of riled up conmen this concocts a good story.
Product Description
BOOKS INCLUDED: WORST ENEMIES/BEST FRIENDS, BAD NEWS/GOOD NEWS, LETTERS FROM THE HEART, OUT OF BOUNDS, PROMISES, PROMISES, LAKE RESCUE, FREAKED OUT, LUCKY CHARM, FASHION FRENZY!!!
Customer Reviews:
The Hell with U.S. Citizens and Trust Only Those Can Pay and Can Do Business.......2007-02-20
Those who read Anthony Sutton's WALL AND THE BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION should read THE BEST ENEMY MONEY CAN BUY in tandam. The latter book simply follows events during and especially after World War II and the Cold War. Sutton has amassed a collection of anecdotes and comments which, if so sad and deadly, would be funny.
Part of THE BEST ENEMY MONEY CAN BUY deals with government officials either defelcting or ending investigations of U.S. business executives who did business and made lucrative deals with "The Evil Empire." Many U.S. presidents preached about the purity of their anti-Communism while at the same time arranging for business leaders to make huge sums of money doing business with both the Soviets and Chinese Communists.
Some of the projects that U.S. and Western European businessmen included innocent sounding projects such as the Kharkov Tractor Factory which was built in 1932. This became a military production factory. Another example of U.S. government and business executives occured just before the Soviets Afghanistan in 1980. The Soviets purchased huge grain supplies knowing that window dressing would preclude further grain sales.
Sutton also cites the Kama Truck Factory which was computerized by Texas Instruments, power by General Electric, and financed by U.S. bankers. All of this done via the U.S. taxpayers. One must raise the question of who pays for tall this.
For all of his tough talk about the wicked Communists, Pres. Reagan continued the late Pres. Nixon's policy of money and technology transfers to the Chinese Communists. One amusing aspect of the Cold War was the fact that U.S. authroities went any and all dissenters who complained about the status-quo. The political response to any complaints or problems in the U.S. was due to "The Gremlins in the Kremlin." Yet, the same businessmen, Congressmen, self appointed professional anti-Communists, etc. were the same ones who voted for or arranged so much finance and technology to both the Soviets and Chinese. The official anti-Communists did more to prolong Big Communism than any U.S. dissenter or U.S. self avowed Communist.
What is interesting is the official political do gooders condemned U.S. labor leaders as being Communist. Yet, these same labor leaders who virtually the only ones who raised protest against the harsh working and living conditions of Soviet workers which Sutton makes clear on page 208. The hypocrisy is so apparent.
Those who say the a picture is worth a thousand words would appreciate this book. The political cartoons reveal a lot about the lack of loyalty on part of "conservative" business leaders who have been in the vanguard of domestic anti-Communism.
Anthony Sutton is clear that U.S. technology and financial transfers to Big Communism was responsible for the deaths of U.S. Servicemen in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. U.S. citizens should be outraged that their government and official leaders were responsible for all this.
Mr. Luce, the well known journalist, was asked about U.S. Communists. He Luce responded that American blue collar workers were Democrats. The American middle classes were Republicans. The plutocratic wealthy were Communists. Sutton's book makes this assessment clear.
More Treason.......2006-11-22
Sutton proves conclusively that the United States financed the economic and military development of the Soviet Union. Without this aid, financed by U.S. taxpayers, there would be no significant Soviet military threat, for there would be no Soviet economy to support the Soviet military machine, let alone sophisticated military equipment. The book reads almost like a legal brief from the prosecution.
Book Description
Both science and spirituality see the enemy as a teacher — one who holds information critical to resolving common struggles. But learning from one’s enemies, especially in these polarized times, can be a profoundly difficult task. Worst Enemy, Best Teacher integrates spiritual, cultural, and scientific methods to transform adversarial relationships into powerful learning experiences. Here mediator and corporate trainer Deidre Combs expands on the revolutionary philosophy introduced in her first bookThe Way of Conflict. She suggests a cross-cultural elemental typing system — earth, air, fire, water — to identify and learn how best to approach the person or problem that plagues us most — whether it’s a neighbor, a brother-in-law, a new boss, or the factory’s fiercest competitor. The book shows how to apply the wisdom gained from studying the opponent to any challenge, whether within one’s self, with friends or family, or between companies or nations, and offers ingenious tips and techniques for learning from the enemy and converting conflict into resolution.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful.......2007-05-13
So far Im on page 152 and I must say this book has brought me to higher levels of consciousness.
m hall.......2005-11-15
Deidre Combs keeps up in her determination to have us all learning from our enemies rather than discounting them and avoiding them. Say good-bye to being "right" and hello to the new more empowered you. You want to be like those people you admire - the ones who never seem to get upset and never get discouraged, despite serious opposition...then read this book!. It makes a powerful case with story, example, diagram, chart, illustration, quotation and science, in less than 200 pages! Your enemies are waiting to be transformed into your teachers.
Timely Info.......2005-11-15
Combs provides a unique view on four types of opponents that can drive us crazy. In this easy-to-read instruction manual, I was able to identify which type my son's baseball coach was (who I could have easily throttled during Little League season), and what approaches I could have used during our head-butting. With this information I could finally let the conflict go.
I loved the timeless tales that begin each chapter. With them I can weave Combs' approach in as I talk to my own kids about dealing with difficult people.
This is my favorite Christmas gift to all those people in my life complaining about their own "worst enemies."
Change Your Perspective.......2005-11-15
Oprah Winfrey is quoted as saying: "Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don't fight them. Just find a different way to stand." In "Worst Enemy, Best Teacher" Combs takes a similar tack, demonstrating that with proper perspective, our enemies are actually an excellent means of self discovery and improvement. With this book, Combs helps us discover and develop that perspective. The book is full of great quotes, exercises, illustrations, and resources for further learning.
Excellent Help for Working with Difficult People.......2005-11-14
In this book you will find concrete exercises and devises that will help you figure out what is is about certain people that drives you crazy, and what that means about who you are and how you function. In going through these exercises, your whole perspective changes toward yourself and toward the difficult person in your life. You can start to see the value that conflict with a difficult person can bring. Difficult people can be wonderful mirrors into your life, exposing blind spots that you might not normally see.
My most difficult person/best teacher, is someone in my immediate family, and this book has helped me to identify why he pushes my buttons, and how I can work with that knowledge to help me stay present and really learn something from the conflict. It has been very helpful in many of my most difficult relationships.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with difficult people in their life (which I'm guessing is everyone!)
Average customer rating:
- Talk About Fire-Starting Suspense
- MINISERIES ON PAPER
- Should have been shorter
- This new author is great,a successor to Helen McGinnes
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Best Of Enemies
Taylor Smith
Manufacturer: Mira
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Customer Reviews:
Talk About Fire-Starting Suspense.......2003-05-08
The Best of Enemies takes place in a small Massachusets town just outside of Boston. When A building gets blown up, all of the authoritative figures (Police, FBI, Secret Service...)point their fingers at a young Palestinian who had arrived at the building for a job interview and then leaves with his girl friend. Because she peels out of the parking lot like the hounds of hell on her wheels, she and the Palestinian are the immediate and most likely suspects. People find out that what they want to believe and what really happened are two completely different things.
The story then turns to the girl's teacher who is grieving for Peter VanAken, the man she met and fell in love with ten years ago in Beruit. One night, he shows up out of the blue, actually working on the case, and the relationship does, as expected, continue. Leya, the teacher, however knows of one person who will not be glad to know that her former lover is back and that is her father, Carter Nash.
When he finds out, that the 'evil man' who seduced his little girl is back in town, he is, to say the least, teed off. As the plot of the book unfolds, we find out that the hatred between Leya's father and her lover is mutual. Both men worked for the CIA and Carter sent Peter on an assiginment to check out some 'Suspicious activity', only to later find out that the entire thing was a setup by Carter Nash. However, they find a way to put their differences behind them in a keep you on the edge of your seat climax, where they find out that not all Palestinians are the terrorists.
MINISERIES ON PAPER.......2003-02-23
This is one of those books that USA or Lifetime would snarf up for a mini-series, and it has all the ingredients: a mysterious bombing that shocks by killing off a pregnant receptionist and a crusty old guard; international intrigue and espionage during the Beirut crisis; a thirty year old lovely English professor who once had five wonderful days with a mysterious stranger in Beirut; her crusty old father with all of his secrets; a college student who is the suspect along with her Palestinian boyfriend in the aforementioned bombing; ambitious and inadequate FBI men; a dedicated and tough but kindly FBI leader; a handsome young man scorned by the aforementioned girl; his lovely Mom who owns a restaurant and seems to be having a thing with the crusty old father also aforementioned. These people whirl though several close-calls, calamities, second guesses, second chances, and some rather suspenseful scenes. All in all, it's a good read for when you don't really want to be overburdened with complexity and intricacies. Smith is to be credited, however, for a good read, a little long in the tooth, but with a good, satisfying climax.
RECOMMENDED.
Should have been shorter.......2002-04-12
This book dragged on and on. There was too much detail about the FBI and not enough on the main characters. I have to admit the ending was good, but I had to skip through a lot of the pages because they were so boring. I got this book for free from the best of the best reader's club, so I didn't waste any money on it. I don't recommend it if you have to pay for it.
This new author is great,a successor to Helen McGinnes.......1997-04-20
Leya Nash enjoys living the sedate life of a New England professor at
Mount Abbey College after being raised by her CIA agent father. However,
that tranquil life suddenly changes when one of her students, eighteen year
old Holly Stroud, daughter of an ambassador, is the chief suspect of the
FBI in a bombing case. Adding to her seeming guilt, Holly has disappeared.
..... Leya thinks the teen is innocent and decides to prove that is the case.
She reluctantly teams up with FBI agent Peter van Aken, a man she knew when
her father was stationed in Beirut. Peter, who thinks everyone is guilty,
struggles with the media and his own brass who want a fast arrest. He also
skirmishes with his own growing feelings towards his partner. However,
Leya has to decide can she trust a man whom her father had some doubts
about with her heart and a teenager's life?
........ With her third Mira book, Taylor Smith proves, once again, that she is
at the top of contemporary suspense. THE BEST OF ENEMIES is a tense
thriller that showcases a strong female protagonist forced out of her
mundane but contented existence to combat terrifying forces that threaten
her heart and her life. Only someone with a talent as great as Ms. Smith
could turn a two day investigation into one of the year's top thrillers.
.........Harriet Klausner
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