Insecure at Last: Losing It in Our Security-Obsessed World

Book Description

“Why has all this focus on security made me feel so much more insecure? Nothing is secure. And this is the good news. But only if you are not seeking security as the point of your life.”–Eve Ensler

When her stage play The Vagina Monologues became a runaway hit and an international sensation, Eve Ensler emerged as a powerful voice and champion for women everywhere. Now the brilliant playwright gives us her first major work written exclusively for the printed page. Insecure at Last is a timely and urgent look at our security-obsessed world, the drastic measures taken to keep us safe, and how we can truly experience freedom by letting go of the deceptive notion of vigilant “protection.”

Ensler draws on personal experiences and candid interviews with burka-clad women in Afghanistan; female prisoners in upstate New York; survivors at the Superdome after Katrina; and anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan–sharing unforgettable snapshots that chronicle a post-9/11 existence in which hyped obsession for safety and security has undermined our humanity. The us-versus-them mentality, Ensler explains, has closed our minds and hardened our compassionate hearts.

Provocative, illuminating, inspiring, and boldly envisioned, Insecure at Last challenges us to reconsider what it means to be free, to discover that our strength is not born out of that which protects us. Ensler offers us the opportunity to reevaluate our everyday lives, expose our vulnerability, and, in doing so, experience true freedom and fulfillment.

Customer Reviews:

Powerful book.......2007-07-08

The book is wonderfully well-written and, for me, a page turner. Eve Ensler's journey of self-discovery and forgiveness is the backdrop for her work of helping women, and especially abuse against women. At times I had to put the book down to absorb the power of what was written.[[ASIN: Insecure at Last: Losing It in Our Security-Obsessed World]]

Everyone should read this book!.......2007-02-19

Based on a true story this is a phenomenal book and educates the reader on the injustices of our world. Eve's descriptions of her experiences make one want to go and contribute to those way less fortunate than ourselves. It is definitely a worthwhile read.

Well written.......2007-01-16

I shared this book with 3 others. We all liked the book very much - but we all saw things in the book differently. So - it was a fast read (could not stop ourselves)and provided us with much to discuss.

An absolute must.......2007-01-03

If you saw "The Vagina Monologues" or if you didn't, you will absolutely love this book by Eve Ensler. She tells stories of women across all economic and geographical boundaries with humor, graciousness and compassion. Sit down to it, sister and read, read, read!

Audacious ..... and idiotic.......2006-12-12

This book is a sad and doctrinaire excuse for analysis. Ms E. blithely equates a reasonable concern for security with a paranoid, life-denying obsession without missing a beat, and in doing so sets up a transparent straw man. It is a dishonest argument, even a dangerous one. It is a caricature of a thoughtful exploration of the issue. Ms E speaks often of the value of the ability to think originally and understand all sides of an argument. Aside from giving lip service to these laudable attributes, she shows absolutely no interest or capacity to do so. Her energetic (and of course, undocumented) litany of the crimes of modern America do little to persuade the attentive reader of their correctness or (not that it seems to matter to her), their relevance.
The issue of the security is a complex and vital one on many levels. Ms E's diatribe makes no contribution to the discussion. Actually, more than any book in memory, the cover sums it up perfectly.

Average customer rating:

Ted does it again
A little dark but with a good message.
One of Dekker's best
Mediocre suspense writing
Again and Again

Obsessed
Ted Dekker
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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White (Circle Trilogy)

ASIN: 1595543112

Book Description

A deadly tale of ultimate obsession.

Stephen Friedman is making a good living in good times. He's just an ordinary guy. Or so he thinks. But one day an extraordinary piece of information tells him differently. It's a clue from the grave of a Holocaust survivor. A clue that makes him heir to an incredible fortune...a clue that only he and one other man can possibly understand. That man is Roth Braun, a serial killer who has been waiting for Stephen for thirty years. Roth was stopped once before. This time nothing will get in his way.

Known worldwide for page-turning, adrenaline-laced thrillers, Dekker raises the stakes in this story of passion, revenge, and an all-consuming obsession for the ultimate treasure.

Customer Reviews:

Ted does it again.......2007-07-23

This book is an awesome read, Ted Dekker keeps you in suspense till the very end letting out just enough clues during the book to keep you reading and wanting more.

A little dark but with a good message. .......2007-06-08

Don't read it late at night. :)

One of Dekker's best.......2007-05-13

I like Ted Dekker's novels a lot, and have read several of them. This one is my favorite so far, and probably would make my top 5 novels list. The way he weaves 2 completely separate yet related stories together into 1 fabulously engrossing tale has to be pretty close to genius.

I got to the end of the story and suddenly realized I was reading a re-telling of a biblical parable. The spiritual themes are subtle within this suspense page-turner, but rich in value if you dare to contemplate them.

If someone asked me to recommend just one Ted Dekker novel, this would be the one I would recommend.

Mediocre suspense writing.......2007-03-23

A few weeks ago, I happened to pick up a couple books by Ted Dekker, mainly because the plot summaries made them look interesting. The first of these books, Three (or more properly, Thr3e), was a disappointment, but Dekker did at least show some ability with his plotting, so I decided to give my other book of his a chance. Sadly, while Obsessed is slightly better than Three, it is still a weak effort.

The hero in Obsessed is Stephen Friedman, a realtor in 1973 Los Angeles. Friedman - a secular Jew - is living a fast and fun life which is about to be turned upside down when he finds out his mother, who he never knew, had died. Among the items she bequeathed to a Holocaust Museum was a Stone of David, one of five rocks that legend says David used to slay Goliath. With the other four, the set could be worth a hundred million dollars.

The history of the stones goes back to a Polish concentration camp run by Gerhard Braun in 1944. Braun is not only a Nazi, he is also a serial killer, a trait his son Roth has picked up as well. In 1973, Roth comes to Los Angeles in search of the Stones and crosses paths with Friedman, who has learned a lot about his mother's history and of a girl named Esther who he seems destined to know. Like the movie Laura, Friedman falls in love with a picture, in this case, that of Esther's mother Ruth (who he assumes Esther resembles), which will soon obsess him.

This novel has a lot of problems, principally because Dekker is not a very good writer. For one thing, he is sloppy: at one point he discusses Friedman worrying about streetlights at 7:30 on a summer evening, a time which would still be quite light out. More significantly, Friedman is mentioned as being 31 years old, yet the story makes it clear he was born in 1944, making him only 28 at the beginning of the novel. Plot points are left completely unclear, such as the fate of Friedman's friend, Sylvia.

Beyond the sloppiness, Dekker has more fundamental writing problems. Despite the bulk of the story taking place in 1973, the reader rarely gets the sense of the time; sure, there are references to eight-track players and there are a couple stereotypical hippies, but for the most part, this could take place in 2007 with almost no noticeable effect. And Friedman himself is a really weak character: he's not very bright and he usually is reacting to situations instead of acting on them (actually, that's just as well, because when he tries to take action, he usually proceeds rather cluelessly).

I suppose that this can be categorized as Christian fiction (that seems to be the genre Dekker is associated with). This has less to do with thematic material (however, religion does have something of a role in this story) than with the fact that the violence is strictly PG-13 and the romance (and language) is G-rated. I've always had a wariness about this genre, not because of the subject matter, but because I feel that Christian fiction publishers don't focus as much on quality (although I'm sure some gems slip through) because they cynically assume they have an audience that is not as discriminating as long as the story is labeled "Christian" (the science fiction/fantasy field suffers a lot from this as well). Unfortunately, Obsessed has done nothing to make me think any better of the genre. If you like suspense fiction, read Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Jon Land or David Morell or a few dozen others, but avoid Dekker.

Again and Again.......2007-03-07

Ted Dekker refuses to let you down. Good thing too! Obsessed is another edge of your seat read. Even though there is a whole lot of rage and obsession throughout this book, the ending result is very uplifting. Great characters and a fantastic storyline of hope, love, and never giving up. Another Ted Dekker classic!

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Obsessed by Art
Francesca Cernia Slovin
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1425739164

Book Description

Aby Warburg (1896-1929) was the scion of M. M. Warburg & CO the German Jewish banking empire. At thirteen, he made a pact with the youngest brother, by which he granted his birthright in exchange for the promise that the sibling would purchase for him every book he would desire. It is thus that the famous Warburg Library was born. During a long trip in Italy, as a young man, Warburg falls in love with Italian Renaissance and starts to accumulate all related texts. Once back home, in Hamburg, he further develops the nucleus of the library with volumes concerning unique and original disciplines, from Magic to Astrology, from Alchemy to Primitive Civilizations. Placed in a newly built, perfectly round library Warburg organizes the order of the volumes following his theory of "migration of symbols". Thanks to this visionary and revolutionary approach, the History of Art acquires a new dimension and a new tool of interpretation, through what would ultimately be called Iconology. With the explosion of the First World War, Warburg's mental equilibrium collapses and he is hospitalized in a Swiss psychiatric institution where he will remain for more than ten years. It is from here, that the fascinating narrative of Francesca Cernia Slovin starts, looking back at Aby's life in a compelling reconstruction as a flash back. The second part of the book continues when Warburg's disciple, Fritz Saxl, takes his place as director of what had become the famous Warburg Institute. After Aby's death, with the rise of Hitler, the Nazis threaten to burn down the library. On the night of December 12, 1933, with the help of a few assistants, Saxl with an heroic effort transported the entire library of over a hundred thousand volumes onto two small steamships and flees to London. Thanks to these few brave men and the hospitality of Lord Courtauld, today the Warburg Institute is a holy place of pilgrimage for every Art historian. With more than three hundred thousand titles and two hundred thousand periodicals the library contains forty percent of items missing at the British Library.

Paper Tiger: An Obsessed Golfer's Quest to Play with the Pros

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If you like golf you will love this book...if you don't you will also
delusional golfer
Paper Tiger
A Golfer's Manifesto - Divine!
Golf and Fun

Paper Tiger: An Obsessed Golfer's Quest to Play with the Pros
Tom Coyne
Manufacturer: Gotham
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Golf | Sports | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: B000N3T410

Book Description

The riotously funny story of one weekend golfer who lived the dream—devoting a full year to nothing but the quixotic quest to qualify at the PGA Q-School

A lifelong golfer and former caddy, Tom Coyne could drive the ball 300 yards but always struggled against stiff competition; he had often wondered whether the pros won because they were more innately talented or just because they were more obsessed. On the cusp of turning thirty, overweight, and saddled with a 14 handicap, Coyne embarked on a yearlong quest to do everything he could to lift his game—and find out if he could make it through the PGA Tour Qualifying School.

Paper Tiger takes you on a rollicking ride into the beer-gutted underbelly of semipro golf, into a world of crash diets, punishing workout regimens, high-flying sports shrinks, cutting-edge club technology, and obscure tournaments. With his girlfriend as caddy, Coyne traverses from Miami to Chicago to Toronto to see how he stacks up against the competition. Ultimately he takes his game to a new level—or at least a new continent—on the links of Australian Q-School, where amidst forty-mile-an-hour winds he must choose between the love of a fickle game and the love of the long-suffering woman who has stood by him throughout all the shanks, hooks, yips, and chili dips.

Brimming with humor and insight about the world's most beautiful and maddening game, Paper Tiger will delight golfers and the sane people who love them. BACKCOVER: Praise for Paper Tiger:

“For anyone who's ever suffered the delusion they have enough game to go up against the professional killers who play golf for a living, here's the cold, hard, hilarious truth.”
—MARK FROST, AUTHOR OF THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED AND THE GRAND SLAM

"Tom Coyne is a standout among the next generation of talented young golf writers. His personal quest to make it in the brave new world of tournament golf with the help of Dr. Jim Suttie (one of golf's great unheralded teachers) is refreshingly candid and heartbreakingly funny—a brilliant new take on the secret ambition of millions. The unexpected payoff makes the pain of his journey all the more special, this memoir of golf obsession nigh unforgettable.”
—JAMES DODSON, AUTHOR OF FINAL ROUNDS, THE DEWSWEEPERS, AND BEN HOGAN: AN AMERICAN LIFE

“In the tradition of George Plimpton, Tom Coyne takes us through the tiers and tears of competitive golf, with all the laughs and gaffes that accompany it. But he's no dilettante—Coyne commits, strives, and gets damn good. He emerges from the journey as one of our best golf writers. Astute and funny, Paper Tiger casts a critical eye at the golfer's Grail. This book is a double fist pump.”
—BRIAN DOYLE-MURRAY, CO-CREATOR OF “CADDYSHACK”

“Paper Tiger races along with humor, suspense, and behind-the-scenes stories that will grab any golfer's heart.”
—BUD SHRAKE, COAUTHOR OF HARVEY PENICK'S LITTLE RED BOOK

Customer Reviews:

If you like golf you will love this book...if you don't you will also.......2007-09-08

Tom Coyne has a wonderful book here. I ended up laughing more times then I can count reading it. He has such a smooth style about his writing that it will wrap you up and make you want to keep reading. Reading this book you will laugh, be shocked, and amazed at what is going on. I highly recommend this book to any golfers out there or any one who has dared to follow their dreams.

delusional golfer.......2007-07-04

this guys claims to have a plus handicap but shoots plus 40 in every tourney

Paper Tiger.......2007-06-09

Nicely written and an interesting story. It accurately describes how difficult it is to get to the PGA Tour and how GOOD the players truly are. If Tiger Woods had a handicap, his would be a +9. He would give a scratch player a stroke on every other hole.......

A Golfer's Manifesto - Divine!.......2007-04-18

I don't begin to pretend to know the first thing about golf, but Tom Coyne's book is a delight to read. If you have any golfers in your life, this is a must read! It is a delightful account of the trials and tribulations of pursuing a dream, going for a goal - and universally relatable.

Tom's tone is unique - light hearted in the face of adversity and struggle. The novel details everything from weight and handicaps, to relationships with family and friends. As he lives in Philadelphia now, any Philly golf lovers will be able to relate as he details his training and preparation, and it's always nice to know the place that an author is speaking of.

I can't wait until his next book comes out - "A Course Called Ireland" which is in progress now.

Golf and Fun.......2007-04-12

Golf junkies will love this quest for Q-school and the hilarity the author finds in day-to-day situations. You'll find a new respect for professional golfers.

"I'm, Like, SO Fat!": Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices about Eating and Exercise in a Weight-Obsessed World

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"I'm, Like, SO Fat!": Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices about Eating and Exercise in a Weight-Obsessed World
Dianne Neumark-Sztainer
Manufacturer: The Guilford Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 1572309806

Book Description

Hit the gym for a workout--but sit for hours at your computer. Supersize your value meals--but downsize your waistline. Today's media-saturated teenagers are bombarded with mixed messages that distort their self-image and lead many to overeat and others to starve themselves. When "I feel fat" becomes a teen's common refrain, how can worried parents respond constructively? With "I'm, Like, SO Fat!" Dr. Dianne Neumark-Sztainer shows parents how to strike the difficult balance between bolstering self-esteem and offering constructive advice. Drawing on her landmark study, Project EAT (Eating Among Teens), and her experience as a mother of four, Neumark-Sztainer offers a wealth of science-based, practical ideas for instilling healthy eating and exercise habits, educating teens about nutrition and portion size, and talking about body image. Here is a rock-solid foundation that parents everywhere can build on to help their teens stay fit, eat well, and feel good about their looks in a world where too-perfect bodies are used to sell everything from cosmetic surgery to fast food.

Consuming Passions: A Food-Obsessed Life

Average customer rating:

It's all about the recipes!
My Most-Used Cookbook
Feast for the Famished Southern or otherwise
talented novelist delivers delectable, engaging memoir
This could be my Southern family

Consuming Passions: A Food-Obsessed Life
Michael Lee West
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060984422
Release Date: 2000-04-04

Amazon.com

Born in Louisiana and at home in Tennessee, author Michael Lee West makes any old body feel downright welcome at her kitchen table. The coffee's hot, the iced tea is sweet, the cake's a little dry, and the conversation shows no sign of abating, even as the last page is turned and the cover is closed on Consuming Passions: A Food-Obsessed Life. The subject is variously food, family, and Mama, wherein Mama is as much a state of mind as an embodied soul. This is about the South, honey, some of which is of the New South stripe, and some of the Old.

In an easy, talkative style, author West spins tales, shares recipes, and hands out advice. In a chapter titled "Funeral Food," she includes recipes for Lemon Chess Pie and Lemon Squares. Among her rules for funeral food, she notes that dishes must be easy to transport as well as appealing to the bereaved. Some foods are simply inappropriate. "I myself have never seen appetizers at a funeral," West writes. "This is not the time to bring Better Than Sex Cake or Death by Chocolate. And it's never a good idea to use uncooked eggs in funeral food."

Consuming Passions is about home cooking, about church-basement food, about growing up in the shadow of Mama's kitchen and learning to cook away from home. West is ever willing to try something new, to fail, to try again, and to defend to her last breath the virtues of her favorite mayonnaise. West has the spirit of a close friend who'll share all her secrets, including her best recipes, some of which her various family members (we meet them all) failed to take to their graves. Sit down, pull up a chair, and get ready to listen. --Schuyler Ingle

Book Description

Consuming Passions is Michael Lee West's delightfully quirky memoir of an adventurous life centered around food and family—the story of how she went from non-cook to gourmet of words and victuals by watching a multitude of relatives squabble, prepare sumptuous repasts, and carry on honored traditions. Laced with delicious secret recipes passed from generation to generation, West's irresistible chronicle recalls good times and wild times—mothers swinging from chandeliers, elderly aunts brewing up love potions, a South American nymphomaniac stirring up trouble at a Louisiana barbeque joint, and the spooky hauntings of a cabbage-eating ghost—all in the pursuit of good dining. Thoroughly entertaining, alive with West's distinctive humor and sharp, irrepressible insight, here are incomparable American kitchen tales as warm and tasty as freshly baked bread.

Customer Reviews:

It's all about the recipes!.......2007-02-06

There's the greatest chocolate cake recipe in the book that I've ever tried, and the spice cake recipe is melt in your mouth wonderful!

My Most-Used Cookbook.......2005-03-26

This book is super, it's full of great stories about wonderful food. I've got a ton of cookbooks and this is the one I use the most. My favorite recipes are the Sweet Potato Souffle, Mashed Potato salad and Egg Salad redipes. I get compliments every time I serve these dishes to people.

I love the stories that accompany these recipes, it's like a lovely piece of history I savor as I eat the yummy food I cooked!

PS I'm a vegetarian and still find this to be a great resource for yummy food. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys good food and sentimental, funny stories.

Feast for the Famished Southern or otherwise.......2003-09-09

Fair warning! If you are on a diet or trying to lose weight, this book is lethal. My stars, what a feast of food memoirs complete with rich and tempting recipes! And how I would love some of that coconut cake that emerges from an eight day recipe.

Obviously, West knows her family characters and attaches them to their noted eccentricities and manna. And what colorful, yea memorable, folks these are! Everyone should have a family like hers, with Aunt Tempe, Aunt Dell, Uncle Bun, a marvelous Mama and grandparents and cousins and family gatherings around food that will make you want to go to the kitchen to execute one of the cooking delights featured in the tales.

I was especially fascinated by the pineapple upside down cake cooked in a cast iron skillet, and macaroni and cheese like I never imagined it.

It also thrilled me to learn that West was a slow-to-learn cook herself, yet the obvious love she has for her family and their food eventually became a part of her own mature life.

I think this book would be a fabulous gift to anyone from the South, or anyone who wishes they were. And recipe book fans are definite candidates for receipt of this tome.

Here is a read with laughs and lessons, and it certainly is a keeper for me. Bon appetit, sugar! Meet me in the kitchen!

talented novelist delivers delectable, engaging memoir.......2003-06-10

The author of three marvelous books about eccentric and defiant Southern women, Michael Lee West has concocted a winning recipe of down-home cooking and family history in a charming memoir/cookbook, "Consuming Passions." At peace with her love of food and proud of her women-centered family, West promotes food as the sustenance of all that is worthwhile in life. Her anecdotal style sparkles and her recipes are not only provocative, but understandable, even for amateur Yankee cooks and other such timid kitchen souls.

The members of West's family take larger-than-life shape in this memoir, and the author is unabashedly proud, both of their iconoclastic character and their abilities in the kitchen. West does provide a modest warning: her "Southern tales are like intricate recipes -- part myth, part truth, and part lies." Her mother's insistence on an okra-free gumbo results in her swinging from a chandelier in protest. Her aunt Dell's oversized appetite takes form in her collection of hairless cats, antiques and skewed instructions on food preparation. Even her husband's attempt to raise bees falters when he mistakenly wears dark-colored socks. In the midst of the author's affectionate observations of family eccentricities is her unflagging commitment to a joyous life. Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of the numerous invitations to create in the kitchen is her acceptance of imperfection and failure. West never stops trying, never stops of her sense of adventure, never ceases loving food and family.

When not enmeshed in rhapsodizing about food, West knows how to create food-based metaphor. Disdaining gossip as a "main course," she suggests that it "was more like an enticing appetizer, or a rich, sinful dessert." Partaking of gossip simply can't be helped, "even though you knew you'd be sorry later." Her family's obsession with food even has serious consequences. When a coroner concluded that several men had died in their sleep of heart attacks, her "aunts knew better -- it was death by butter."

At its best, "Consuming Passions" reads quickly; its bite-sized chapters contain both humor and instruction. At its worst, Ms. West's prose tends to have a purple cast, much like the sugared violets she recommends to cause sleep and dissolve anger. Readers who admire Michael Lee West's fictional characters will enjoy her real-life versions; cooks who seek to broaden their repertoire will not be disappointed. She invites you to dig in to the liberating, sensual and powerful influence of food, best shared with people you love.

This could be my Southern family.......2002-12-10

This book was so "homey" to me, I felt like it could be my family. Family traditions are so food centered, and especially for the females, we have our secrets and specialties we like to pass on, or not. My mother once asked me, "Do you think they go all out like we do?" After reading, West's book, I know we Southerners share more similarities than differences.

Children and Teens Afraid to Eat: Helping Youth in Today's Weight-Obsessed World (Berg, Francie M. Afraid to Eat Series.)

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How to break free of weight obsession
Children & Teens Afraid to Eat, Helping Youth in Today's Wei
A cultural commentary with practical advice

Children and Teens Afraid to Eat: Helping Youth in Today's Weight-Obsessed World (Berg, Francie M. Afraid to Eat Series.)
Frances M. Berg
Manufacturer: Healthy Weight Publishing Network
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0918532558

Amazon.com

Afraid to Eat, by nutritionist Frances M. Berg, an internationally known authority on weight and eating, challenges America's obsession with weight and documents the terrible harm done by the quest for thinness. Afraid to Eat presents a convincing and terrifying message: diets don't work; in fact, they are killing children. The statistics are terrifying, riveting, angering. One in five teenagers is overweight. By age 11, most girls are no longer eating normally and many have potentially fatal eating disorders. Two-thirds of teenage girls in the U.S. have abnormal eating behavior, and half are severely undernourished. More and more teens are smoking for weight control. And the majority of children and adolescents have become afraid to eat.

Berg examines four major problems: eating disorders, dysfunctional eating, size prejudice, and being overweight. She discusses the forces that have contributed to these problems, and provides workable approaches to helping children learn to eat normally and attain the Canadian "Vitality" model of wellness: eating well, living actively, and reducing stress.

Book Description

Documenting the overwhelming physical and mental effects of the pressure to be thin, this book examines the way weight obsession destroys America’s youth. It describes four major weight and eating problems—eating disorders, dysfunctional eating, size prejudice, and being overweight—and shows healthy ways to change. A valuable resource for parents, teachers, and health professionals, it explains new ways to nurture children and prevent weight problems.

Customer Reviews:

How to break free of weight obsession.......2001-03-13

Two important guides to weight and eating are presented in these excellent surveys by Frances Berg. Children And Teens Afraid To Eat (0-918532-55-8, ...) examines six major eating and weight problems, from undernutrition of teens to eating disorders and obesity, blending statistics with a survey of underlying social causes and the actions which need to be taken to help teens. Women Afraid To Eat (62-0, ....) documents the physical and psychological harm done by social images which focus on the detriments of eating. From fad diets to weight prejudices, this tells women how to break free of weight obsession.

Children & Teens Afraid to Eat, Helping Youth in Today's Wei.......2001-01-15

Without a doubt, this book should be reading material for all parents before their first child is born.

We want to think our youth are active and healthy. During my years of teaching, I have been more and more disturbed at inactivity of our children, disruption of normal eating, and the amount of fat and sugar calories served in school lunch rooms.

The food the children who carry their lunch bring from home can be nourishing, but parents might be surprised if they watch their children eat. A child's lunch sack might have a good turkey sandwich with greens, two large cookies, a bar of candy, and a soft drink. The child almost always has the candy ond/or cookies at recess. When lunchtime comes, he often throws that good sandwich in the trash with the apple. The food he brought from home has now become two cookies, candy, and a soft drink.

During recess too many children are inactive. Day after day, we watched the same ones stand around talking all recess while they eat their candy or cookies. After observing this for a few years, we scheduled a quarter-mile run twice a week and a full mile on Friday for P. E. Also, three times a week we have exercises appropriate to the age groups. You'd be surprised how many look forward to all the activity once they get used to it. We think it also stimulates brain activity in the classroom.

On the other hand, there are the healthy, active children who might have a cookie at recess, then play hard. They eat their sandwich and apple at lunch and the cookies and are eaten or saved for after school. In these children's lunch boxes there is porbably no candy. What's happening here? Berg says studies show that parents that don't "bug" their children about eating, produce children who don't have hang-ups about eating.

Berg writes that research shows that family attitudes can play a big part in the future eating patterns of their children. When a healthy baby's hunger is satisfied, it will then stop drinking. Parents who "urge him to finish the bottle, disguise cereal with applesauce to get it down" and thus feel frustrated for fear the baby isn't eating enough, is teaching the infant that it's important to eat more than his body needs. All parents should read carefully and think about what Berg has to say.

A parent who "hesitates to let a chubby toddler have seconds, makes a preschooler stay at the table until she finishes her peas, insists that the child eat `two bites of each food,' or lectures a school-age child to get him to drink his milk...is overmanaging, and it teaches children to ignore their natural signals of hunger and satiety."

By allowing a child to listen and heed these natural signals, Berg tells us that this is an important way to begin the youngster on a lifetime of healthy eating patterns.

Americans serve too large portions. A friend of mine returned from a long vacation in England and remarked that she didn't see an overweight English person all the time she was there. I said I was surprised, I always thought Britons were gluttons. She said she did, too, but she didn't see any.

Berg tells why. "A Healthy Weight Journal subscriber in London sent me an article titled: `Portions all out of Proportion' that decried `America's elephantine cuisine.' The writer compares national foods: hot dogs (350 calories in the U.S. versus 150 calories in Britain), cookies (493 vs. 65), ice cream cone (625 vs.160), muffin (705 vs. 158), and a meal of steak and fries (2,060 vs. 730). Until recently, our very large muffins were called "jumbo muffins," the article notes, now they are simply `muffins.' " Apparently, we are the ones who have become the nation of gluttons.

Berg says that even some our food that is considered healthy, non-junk food is astoundingly high in calories. And the more a child above the age of 3 is served, the more he eats. Big portions promote over-eating. Berg says studies show that our school-age children are getting heavier every year. Younger and younger children are becoming anorexic to stay slim, an astounding number alternately diet and binge. These patterns used to be found among those high school age and older, now they appear among elementary children.

Berg says problems such as eating disorders, dysfunctional eating, undernutrition of teenage girls trying to be thin, hazardous weight loss, and size prejudice all are increasing. Surprisingly, all that can be prevented. The author, Francie Berg, when asked why she wrote this book, says she grows more and more concerned about the appalling research on children and youth eating problems. The true facts were there, but no one was telling those who need to know: our parents and teachers.

Now that she's telling us-we need to listen.

Berg's research is well done. Anyone who doubts what she writes, can read the studies for themselves as her sources are well documented.

Jeanie T.

A cultural commentary with practical advice.......2000-04-06

To be overweight is to fail" . It sums up our society's attitude towards eating and body size today. This is a quote from 'AFRAID TO EAT: Children and Teens in Weight Crisis' by Frances M. Berg. While the book is a cultural commentary, it is also filled with practical advice on ways to prevent eating disorders, obesity, and dysfunctional eating.

The first step to help, is to help understand the roots of the problem. This book does that. It points out the many ways in which we are not nurturing our children, particularly our girls. We are a society that has become fatter and fatter, yet simultaneously bombards our kids with the message that they need to achieve a body size and shape that is biologically unsustainable for the majority of them. This may be the seed for eating disorders. How high levels of obesity and disordered eating and starving teens can coexist is explained. AFRAID TO EAT explores the many forces at play....cultural expectations, media, the role of family and athletics, peer pressure, and more. It explores the issue of size rejudice and lifestyle choices, both of which lead to eating disorders and obesity.

The second half of the book focuses on how to prevent eating disorders, how to make changes to promote normal eating where it doesn't exist, and how to intervene with childhood obesity. There are guidelines for healthy food choices, designs for new health approaches for families, how to include schools in prevention programs, and finally a call to action that challenges us to make changes in attitude (e.g. a greater appreciation for healthy lifestyles versus being thin), lifestyle (e.g. active living, improving phys ed programs in school), prevention (e.g. by promoting healthy attitudes and lifestyles and developing special prevention programs for schools and communities), health care (e.g. reduce size prejudice in health care, focus on improving health, not on ineffective weight loss) and knowledge ( e.g. improved communication to consumers, better education in medical school).

There is useful information in this book not only for a parent, but also for teachers and health care workers. Perhaps after reading it you can share it with your school nurse or phys ed teacher. I am sure you will find its approach not only informative but practical and useful. The word 'vitality' is used a lot in this book as it helps us focus eating away from dieting and size/shape obsession towards eating that promotes a healthy and 'vital' lifestyle.

I work as a professional nutritionist and see firsthand the consequences of the fear of eating. This book takes a big stab at addressing the revolutionary changes that need to be made in our personal and societal approaches towards eating. I recommend it to any who want to join in that revolution, or simply wish to help their own kids enjoy nutritious, guilt free eating for life.

Obsessed (Zebra Romantic Suspense)
Average customer rating:

DIE DIE MUST READ

I have some problems with this story

From Back Cover

Dark subject matter handled with talent

Somewhat dark, but characters are too two-dimensional, and do stupid things

Obsessed (Zebra Romantic Suspense)
Susan Andersen
Manufacturer: Zebra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Andersen, Susan | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0821768220

Customer Reviews:

DIE DIE MUST READ.......2007-03-06

Obsession is entertaining & endearing. This book is a must read as it'll make you laugh & it'll make you feel all warm & mushy inside as it is ever so romantic too.

I have some problems with this story.......2006-10-12

Overall, I did enjoy this book but I have to say that I have some problems with certain things. First of all, it was at least 25 pages too long, it could have been shorter and the points still would have been made just fine. An epilogue doesn't need to be over 5 pages either.
I guess by about page 300 I got tired of the stupid arguements between the two main characters, they just got ridiculous.
My biggest problem with the book was how things were in the last few chapters between the rapist and the main characters. The wording and language was disturbing and although men like this are vile it wasn't necessary in my opinion to repeat the same things over again, your point was made just fine without them.
I had the biggest problem with how things were with the two main characters of Ivy and Vincent in the last few pages, they were disturbing and inappropriate for someone who had just suffered so greatly at the hands of a sick man. I think it could have been done more delicately than it was. These are just my opinions and I liked the story and characters but it was just too much at certain points and I would really like to know what the word "it'd" is a contraction for because that was in the story and it sounds so wrong.

From Back Cover.......2006-06-13

A Madman's Game...

For him, the thrill lies in the hunt. In striking only when the moon is full. In his victims' agony as he leaves them with the perfect calling card: a broken heart carved into their chests...

...Could End With Her Life

After months on the trail of the twisted Seattle serial rapist, Detective Vincent D'Ambruzzi is closing in on his quarry--no thanks to the uncooperative Ivy Pennington, M.D. Soon, D'Ambruzzi discovers that he isn't the only one infuriated--and captivated--by the beautiful ER physician. Hidden in the shadows, looming closer with every phase of the moon, is the stranger he seeks--and he's bent on making Ivy his next victim...

Dark subject matter handled with talent.......2006-04-21

Dr. Ivy Pennington is a Seattle surgeon who after a strange intro to her new hot headed neighbor Vincent D'Ambruzzi, discovers he is the cop in charge of a series of brutal rapes. One of the victims becomes her patient, and while treating the patient and standing up to a very pushy Vincent, unwittingly becomes the obsession of the rapist.

As Ivy and Vincent become better acquainted, an attraction between the two grows, much to the dismay of the rapist, for he wants Ivy for himself. Vincent has his own demons - his ex-wife was unfaithful - even managed to add some of his colleagues to the notches on her bedpost. So you could say that he is hesitant to enter into a relationship. A subplot involving two of Ivy's cousins borders on incest.

Those used to Andersen's lighthearted romance novels will be surprised by the dark and serious tone of some of her earlier work, "Obsessed" being probably the darkest of them all. Recommend picking this one up and giving it a try.

Somewhat dark, but characters are too two-dimensional, and do stupid things.......2005-12-15

Susan Andersen's "Obsessed" is about a cop bent on finding a rapist who carves a broken heart onto his victims, and the spitfire ER doctor who is caught in the middle. While Ivy Pennington and Vincent D'Ambosino fight and then fall in love, the rapist becomes more and more fixated on Ivy, and will stop at nothing to be close to her. Vincent finds out, and tries to portect Ivy, but both do incredible stupid things, and it leads to a climax where the rapist and Ivy are alone in her apartment. The characters are flawed, but too much time is spent on their flaws, and Andersen seems afraid to reveal the rapist full pathology as we never learn who he has an eternal grudge against.

The Nature of Boats: Insights and Esoterica for the Nautically Obsessed

Average customer rating:

Hide this from your spouse!
Really Funny
Are you nautically obsessed?
Wealth of Practical Knowledge
Fun Reading for Boat Nuts

The Nature of Boats: Insights and Esoterica for the Nautically Obsessed
Dave Gerr
Manufacturer: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Boating | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 007024233X

Book Description

Boat noodling. Boat lovers suffer universally from this benign affliction. In its mildest form, boat noodling is nothing more than wondering why that sloop in the next slip is faster than yours. In a more significant manifestation it could mean serious daydreaming--drifting off for extended periods, sketching design ideas on the back of an envelope. Chances are, if you've picked up this book just to see what's in it, you're beyond help.

Naval architect Dave Gerr offers the perfect antidote, a browser's reference to understanding how boats tick: all you've ever wanted to know about boats--power and sail, racer and cruiser; dinghy and motoryacht.

In the clear, friendly, nontechnical style that has made his column for Offshore magazine so enduring and popular, Gerr explains everything from how thick a hull should be to why one sailboat tips less than another, from choosing an engine to designing a rig for your trawler yacht, from building a dinghy to simple rules of thumb for dozens of design quandaries.

Gerr writes for the boat noodler in all of us--those seriously interested in learning and dreaming about all types of watercraft. There is no better way to become a better sailor, equipped to handle any contingency. And there's no better place to start than right here.

Customer Reviews:

Hide this from your spouse!.......2007-10-11

If my wife read this book, she would divorce me instantly, as she would understand why a Nautically Obsessed person will never change, and will get worse as time goes by.....

Honestly, this book made me realize there are others like me that can't stop thinking about boats and the ocean! It feeds the fire burning in your soul and loads you up with all kinds of facts, concepts, and the author's experience to send you off to the drawing board, the boat show, or maybe West Marine. Great writing and a flow of information that will make you not want to let it down until you've committed to memory. While you're at it, get "Elements of Boat Strength" also. Highly recommended!

Really Funny.......2007-09-23

Great book for all the same reasons listed by all the other reviews. However I have one to add. At a party, try reading the section titles out loud in a somewhat suggestive tone. It will astound you how almost every single section title can be read literally or perverted. Whether or not the author meant this to be the case he accomplished it quite well as there are many- many sections.

Are you nautically obsessed?.......2002-11-04

Subtitled Insights and Esoterica for the Nautically Obsessed, this book is a direct hit on its intended audience. Read it once through quickly, then enjoy it over and over again like a favorite song, and you will learn an amazing amount about every sort of boat an individual is likely to own or dream about. Gerr covers design and construction, sails and motors, and boats from homemade paddleboat to liveaboard oceangoing cruiser either motor and/or sail, and everything in between. He covers more about boats than you could imagine he would, and writes wonderfully.
It is difficult to say in a few words how useful, or how enjoyable, this book is. I love it.

Wealth of Practical Knowledge.......2002-02-19

Love the book. It is full of "Rules of Thumb" that can save tons of time when trying to design a boat or solve a problem. The techniques shown are great for practical application. The author has an uncanny ability to teach complex subjects in a down to earth easy to understand manner. Highly recommended for boatman, yacht designers, marine engineers and naval architects.

Fun Reading for Boat Nuts.......2002-01-31

While not as technical (unfortunately) as the author's The Elements of Boat Strength it does contain a wealth of information for the curious. The book is a collection of magazine articles but Mr. Gerr must have done a lot of editing-they flow together nicely. Quite readable.

Finding Freedom in a Sex-Obsessed World (The Bondage Breaker® Series)

Average customer rating:

Seeking sexual purity

Finding Freedom in a Sex-Obsessed World (The Bondage Breaker® Series)
Neil T. Anderson
Manufacturer: Harvest House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sex | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0736912983

Book Description

For too many believers, God’s wonderful gift of sex has become a source of spiritual slavery rather than a liberating blessing. Neil Anderson points to the way out of confusion and shame by

exposing the guilt, anger, and fear involved in sexual struggles
showing how believing the truth breaks the lies of sexual–emotional bondage
giving practical steps to overcome spiritual entrapment with God’s Word

As Christians grasp what the Scriptures say about who they really are—God’s beloved children, new creations in His Son—they will again be able to enjoy and be protected by their Father’s marvelous design for their emotions and bodies.

Some material drawn from A Way of Escape.

Customer Reviews:

Seeking sexual purity.......2005-08-10

This book was helpful to me in that it taught the theory and helped me to understand why I was being tempted. This included spiritual attacks but also my own history and needs. It did help me find freedom from some specific temptations. However, it is best with another book that teaches the practical side and skills we need to develop. God does not do all the work :)

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