Score: 95+/100 (9.5+ out of 10)
The perfect children's book is hard to find, but we may have found something close to perfection in Baby Dragon's Big Sneeze by Sheryl Bass! The book combines bright, beautiful, colorful artwork with cute, compelling characters and a story line that many of us can empathize with. We've all had difficulty holding in a big sneeze in a social situation or in a public place. It can be very uncomfortable and embarrassing. It's even worse when you're a fire-breathing dragon like Baby Dragon, the main protagonist of the book. Poor Baby Dragon has a very bad cold, and he finds it impossible to stop sneezing! Unfortunately, every time he sneezes, he also breathes fire and causes destruction and mayhem. This makes the villagers angry and vengeful for a time until a courageous little girl named Mirabelle recognizes that Baby Dragon doesn't want to hurt anyone after all, he just has a bad cold! Something we really loved about this book is that it's very age appropriate, kind, and peaceful throughout. Even when Baby Dragon is breathing fire, it isn't portrayed as a horrific act of violence. And even when the villagers blame Baby Dragon for the destruction, they don't come after him with weapons or threats. Instead, this book maintains a positive, loving, caring, peaceful tone throughout. It teaches children about the power of understanding and about putting ourselves in other peoples' shoes. It is determined that all Baby Dragon really needed was some love, friendship, and time to get over his illness. We absolutely adored the scene in which the townsfolk sewed a yellow sweater to help keep Baby Dragon warm and to help him to feel better. Another lesson your children can take away from this book is developing good habits while you're sick so as to not make others sick. Namely, this book teaches the young reader to catch their sneeze/cough in their “wing” (or elbow) so that they can't easily spread their germs to other people, thus spreading illness. This book also usually a very tight and fun little rhyme scheme that your children will love reading. Once again, the star of this book is really the illustrator, Ramesh Ram. The illustrations are terrific and high quality, having an almost three-dimensional appearance. The human characters are so well-detailed, each being distinct and semi-realistic in their appearance without falling into the uncanny valley. These illustrations almost resemble something from those old children's Bibles that were widely in circulation. We do wish that Baby Dragon's head were a little longer and more reptilian (rather than human) and that Mirabelle had as much detail as the other human characters like the villagers. For example, Mirabelle's features compared to other characters appear flat. Perhaps she could've used some freckles or something? Anyway, we could imagine that children who are sick or getting over an illness might really empathize with this book and fall in love with it. It's incredible across the board! Check it out on Amazon!
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Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)
Very rarely will a book grip us and make us want to cry like Welcome Home, Pearl did. Welcome Home, Pearl is a powerful, deep, and emotional children's book about a little boy named Jacob whose newborn baby sister, Pearl, was born premature, severely disabled, and with a very low probability of survival. Leave it to Tuula Pere, our most prolific children's author, to dive into something as deep, dark, and depressing as a child dealing with the illness and potential loss of a sibling/loved one. Pere has long been known to have the audacity and courageous to tackle issues like this in a children's book. We can't express enough how hard this book hit us on an emotional level. Some of us have dealt with situations like this, either in NICU, the ICU, or hospice care. What we especially loved about this book is that, despite how sad the subject matter is, Jacob is so positive, optimistic, and hopeful about everything. He shines a light on the good that can come out of this otherwise terrible situation. He's grateful and thankful to finally be able to be a big brother and to be able to help and sing to Pearl. He's also an example of a fantastic son who supports his emotionally-distressed parents through this ordeal. Catty Flores, one of our award-winning artists, returns as the illustrator for this book and series. We may have been a little critical of Catty's art in the past, but the art quality really isn't an issue with this book. It's beautiful for what it is and accomplishes exactly what it needed to accomplish. For example, Flores captured the fact that Pearl shared the same hair color as Jacob, even helping her hair color to stand out amid the wires and life support tubes surrounding Pearl. If you or your child are coping with a sick or terminally ill loved one, or have recently lost a loved one, this book will touch you deeply. Check it out on Amazon! Score: 90/100 (9.0 out of 10)
Travels and Tribulations by Tyrel Nelson is a heartwarming travel book/memoir chronicling the author's Habitat for Humanity journey to various Central & South American countries like Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico. It is an eye-opening journey filled with insights, twists, turns, and experiences galore! The book also chronicles the author's life experiences with his parents, both of whom have passed. These personal stories about his late mother and father are some of the highlights of the entire book. They're actually very touching and heartbreaking. Tyrel's mother, in particular, really gripped our hearts. She reminds us of our mothers. She's a diabetic and Filipino. Due to her diabetes, she is thin as a rail and tiny. The author does a good job at portraying her diminutive size and frailty. There's a moment when she just touches him on the arm, and she's so small and weak by that point that he barely detects it. There's another touching story about the time when his mother nursed a stray baby squirrel to full health until it bit her and it had to be released into the wild. Little by little, you get the idea that Tyrel's mother instilled a strong sense of compassion in him, the same compassion he shows people on his Habitat for Humanity journey. The author makes no surprise of the fact that his parents have passed away as it's mentioned pretty early on in the book. We're comfortable mentioning that one of the most powerful moments of the book is when she's too sick to speak yet murmurs three things, and we can imply what they are. The author's father (“Pop”) is also an inspiring figure. He taught the author that “the best way to change the world is through people, not projects.” In other words, his father encouraged him to get out, make friends, and build relationships with people, something which he does on his travels. There are several other things we loved about this book. For instance, there's a terrific contrast in cultures. One of the best moments is when one of the Mexican women, Tanya, asks Tyrel what Americans think about death. Tyrel replies that Americans are afraid of it. Tanya replies by saying that in Mexican culture, “We have fun in life and death” and see it as part of the life cycle. The other thing we loved about this book are the captioned photographs that show what the author described, saw, and experienced on their journey. They clearly learned a lot, met a lot of great people, and did a lot of exciting things. Check this out on Amazon if you love reading travel books! Score: 92/100 (9.2 out of 10)
Colorful Creatures is a fun, delightful, and adorable animal coloring book by Dr. Joe Richichi—a REAL LIFE exotic animals veterinarian! If your kids love reptiles like snakes, lizards, and turtles, this is the coloring book for them! Perhaps the thing we loved the most about this book is that it's not just a coloring book, it's actually highly informative and educational! Every coloring page is accompanied by educational information about the individual animal. Did you know that bearded dragons are omnivorous like humans? Did you know that they eat more meat when they're younger and more vegetables when they're older? Did you know that blue tongue stinks give birth to live young instead of laying eggs like other reptiles? Did you know that crested geckos can't regenerate their tails like other gecko species can? Did you know that there are over 100 species of dart frogs? Did you know that leopard geckos store a lot of their fat in their tails so that they can trick predators into eating their tails instead of their heads? Did you know that axolotls undergo metamorphosis like frogs and butterflies do? Did you know that some chameleons give live birth while others lay eggs? We learned SO MUCH from this book! That's not to mention that coloring these animals is a lot fun, especially since many of them tend to be colorful in nature—often radically so! We will briefly mention that, due to the closeness of the lines in this coloring book, you will need a color pencil as opposed to a thick marker or crayon to color these. This also means that this is probably more appropriate for kids 4 years or older (or adults). Regarding adults, the category of stress therapy coloring books has definitely gained steam and popularity over the years. Sometimes, coloring some cute, colorful animals can be relaxing. If this book has any real weakness, it's the writing. We found quite a few errors in this book. That kept it from being a 9.3. “Colorful” is misspelled as “coloful” on page 19. On that same page, “arguable” is used instead of “arguably.” “Theyre” is used instead of “their” on page 7. There is a very odd sentence on page 11 that reads “Corn snakes reach upwards of 6 feet long but rarely bigger than around than a golf ball” followed by “be of as many as 30 eggs.” This book clearly could've used a proofreader. With that said, no one buys a coloring book to read it. This is, overall, an excellent coloring book! Check it out on Amazon! Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)
You Cannot Get a Racehorse Out of a Mule by the Culpeppers is an eye-opening, compelling, and witty book of motherly wisdom. You know what they say? Mother knows best. While that may not be true 100% of the time, as the authors acknowledge, it is true that mothers tend to have a sixth sense and a deeper understanding of situations involving their children. Your mother was very likely your first love—the first person you heard, saw, attached to, and bonded with. Mothers tend to know things that their children don't. Yes, that means they sometimes know us better than we know ourselves. Also, as our elders, mothers almost always exceed us in experience, knowledge, and wisdom. One thing that mothers are particularly keen at is identifying the threats and opportunities in our life—the dangerous people/the ball and chains and the good people who can help us and push us forward. This is how we chose to interpret the title/saying “you cannot get a racehorse out of a mule.” While the book is about much more than this piece of wisdom, it is speckled throughout and seems to be one of the book's most ubiquitous concepts. Throughout the book, we're introduced to different people who enter the lives of the narrator: racehorses and mules. Although the authors may have interpreted this differently, we chose to interpret this as meaning that there are people who are a good fit for us and our lives (racehorses) and those who are a bad fit (mules). Mules include people who are drug addicts, alcoholics, abusive people, exploitative people, people who use us for sex or money, liars, negligent people, and possessive people. Yes, this usually deals mostly with romantic partners, but it could also apply to other relationships in life. The book provides examples of all of these types of mules above, sometimes including triggering content (so be warned). One of the key reoccurring figures in the book is Reginald, one of the author's former partners, who tried (rather terribly) to hide a drug addiction. Slowly but surely, Reginald went from seeming like a “catch” to being a mule and leach. Of course, it's almost always the mamas and grandmas who see trouble coming a mile away. It's up to us to heed their warnings and admonishments or not. This book is most comparable to Meditations for Modern Man by Michael Cook. In fact, these two wisdom books are tremendous contrasts and compliments for one another, with Cook's work being more focused on men and masculinity while the Culpeppers' book is more focused on women and femininity. There's something we can learn and ways we can benefit from both masculinity and femininity, somewhat of a Daoist idea. Speaking of religion, this book does cover several religious topics, primarily in avoiding predatory mule-like religions, sects, and cults like the plague. There are times when this book is quite blunt and even a bit saucy. For example, there are numerous quotes and sections about vaginas and female sexuality. According to this book “sex is a woman's superpower.” This is what the book calls the “power of pussy.” In one of the book's most memorable quotes, we are presented with this: “Ladies, understand the power of pussy. Men have gone to war to have it. There have been great men who have given up their liberties to get a “whiff.” The punnany is one of the most powerful weapons that women have.” The authors also warn of the problems caused by “too many pussies in the kitchen.” This is essentially a warning about having too many competing egos (particularly females) competing for one's mind and choices. “Two's company but threes a crowd.” You don't need a mother, grandmother, and three past mother-in-laws telling you what to do and how to do it. That only leads to trouble. We can attest to that. This is a candidate for Best Quote: “Just learn whatever lesson trouble was trying to teach you.” And Shelley Whiting is a candidate for Hottest Character. This is a really interesting and fascinating read. You may learn a lot! Check it out on Amazon! 92/100 (9.2 out of 10)
Dear Michael is yet another LGBTQA+ gem. Stylistically—in terms of presentation, storytelling, comedy, and humor—it is very similar to Bacon Grief by Joel Shoemaker. It also doubles as a multicultural book, exploring the narrator's adventures (and misadventures) in the Philippines and Hawaii. Dear Michael by Adam Lieber is a memoir following Adam through the chaotic whirlwind that is his life as a perpetual fish out of water, albeit a clever and intelligent one. Both his ethnicity and status as a homosexual make him a minority almost everywhere he goes, and it often feels that he never quite fits in with his environment. Interestingly, we get almost a foreshadowing or allusion to this as Adam describes his first experience in deep sea diving, witnessing a whale shark and almost drowning on the way to go see it. In doing so, he also breaks the rules of deep sea diving and has to be rescued from the brink of oblivion. In a sense, this is poetic as Adam is constantly at risk of breaking the rules or conventions of the people and cultures surrounding him. One of the best, most thrilling, and fascinating stories is when Adam describes being wrongfully arrested and detained by a corrupt Filipino police department after an unscrupulous complaint is hurled at him and his ice cream business, framing him for a wrong he didn't commit. As if the drowning story wasn't enough of a nail-biter, this jail story had us on the edge! It seemed like Adam had deluded himself into thinking he could escape or that his lawyer could get him out. We thought this was going to be an episode of Prison Break! It also gives you the fearful, panicked perspective of someone who is detained in a foreign country. Could you imagine?! That's terrifying! The book goes on, almost in reverse chronological order, to explore Adam's adventures and misadventures, particularly in coming to grips with his homosexuality. Indeed, Adam has a number of homosexual experiences. He also has some interesting (non-sexual) experiences in grade school. One thing that stands out about him is his sense of humor. In one of the funniest scenes in the book, Adam presents a creep with an even more creepy story about a farmer who loved his favorite sheep a bit too much, then tries to get the sheep's kid into school. It's surreal and believable despite its absurdity! And this puts the creep off. Another funny moment is when a male stripper who accidentally visits his room, performs half his routine, only to find that he's in the wrong room. Those are some of the highlights. With all that said, the book largely centers on the narrator's relationship with another author—ironically—the titular Michael. Although Adam's relationship with Michael is largely parasocial for most of the book, it's nonetheless very powerful because it's through Michael and his book that Adam realizes the most about himself. In a sense, it's Michael's words that inspire Adam not only to come out of the closet but also to become a writer/author himself. And here were are reading a book by Adam. It all comes full circle. And, yes, Adam's relationship with Michael (and other men) does go beyond parasocial and into the physical/intimate/sexual. Those scenes are far and in between, especially for an LGBTQA+ book, but they are here, so be warned. It gets intense sometimes. Check it out on Amazon! Score: 96/100 (9.6 out of 10)
Halloween Horror: True ER Terror by Adam Ankrum will certainly go down as one of the most entertaining, captivating, and shocking of all the non-fiction books this season! It is absolutely un-put-downable! So what makes this book such a page-turner? Well, it comes at you from the perspective of a medical doctor who has seen it all: missing limbs, eyes dangling out of peoples' heads, murder (and attempted murder), cancer that has overgrown an entire organ, super premature babies who are barely viable if at all, the severely mentally ill, people who are so deep into liver failure that both their eyes and skin have turned yellow, and more! There were so many memorable, unforgettable cases in this book that we couldn't help but share our favorites amongst each other like they were yesterday's office gossip or NFL scores from the weekend. This is probably the most we've ever talked about a book. It really started some conversations! The medical stories in this book range from absurd to hilarious to shocking to vomit-inducing to mindboggling to tragic to heartbreaking (which is a level beyond tragic). This is the most range we've ever seen or experienced in a book! There were times when we were in tears. There were times when we were cracking up laughing. There were times we need to keep down what we'd just eaten because the tale was so sick. Speaking of funny, one of our favorite reoccurring things in this book are the snake tales. No, it's not because we love snakes; quite the opposite: we HATE snakes. But they gave us some of the funniest moments in this book such as when the doctor exclaims at his patient that they've just been bitten by a poisonous snake and need to take it seriously. There's another incident in which we learn that the doctor (narrator) has a snake at home named Drago who was purchased at the behest of the doctor's wife (as a pet for their children). Well, guess what? The darn snake gets loose while the doctor is at work and on his shift, and his family gets stuck at night with a snake wandering their home! The doctor has really bad bedside manner at times, but it is funny to read when he breaks (which is totally understandable given what he's confronted with). One example is when he passionately confronts a soon-to-be-widowed husband about his power of attorney and keeping his wife alive when there is clearly no hope of her recovery. We can see both sides of this debate, and it really engaged us. One issue that keeps coming up is: who takes responsibility for the results (negative or positive) of a case? The doctor is always torn between calling the time of death or deferring to someone else, often times a specialist in the patient's illness or condition. It's shocking to most of us that, despite the fact that “doctor” or “MD” carry so much weight, doctors are human and fallible like the rest of us. They don't know everything, and they can't do everything. We were surprised how many times this incredible, knowledgeable doctor found himself lost, confused, bewildered, and having to get help or advice from someone else. The premature baby situation is probably the best example as the doctor clearly did not know what to do about a NICU situation like that. We were also surprised at how involved the doctor was at stopping or helping to investigate violent crimes or even murder/attempted murder. There are at least two such examples of this. One is the case in which an Asian man comes into the ER having been stabbed multiple times with a kitchen knife after being caught having an affair. The craziness doesn't stop there when the police bring in the assailant who has apparently chopped off his own fingers in a psychotic rage! Another such case involves elderly abuse when a suspicious “handyman” brings in an elderly patient, claiming that she is a Jehovah's Witness and therefore cannot have a blood transfusion. The doctor is quick to notice how sketchy this all is and actually does some investigating of his own, believing that the handyman might actually be trying to get the woman killed to possess her property. The stories that haunted us the most were the ones about the self-mutilation, amputations, and the loss of eyes and even a penis. People are NUTS! And you can literally feel the discomfort of the doctor and the rest of the medical staff when confronted with these people, especially those suffering from severe schizophrenia. Imagine having to be in close contact with people who have just chopped off their own penises, chopped off their own fingers, or ripped out their own eyes and are now proudly showing them to you! Yeah, this book pretty much has it all! Score: 96/100 (9.6 out of 10)
Not My War by Valerie Anne Hudson is a masterfully-crafted, truly suspenseful Holocaust/World War II novel that will have you at the edge of your seat by the end of it! This novel follows a multilingual, witty protagonist named Louise (more commonly just called “Lulu”) who serves as a lookout and informant for the French Resistance during German occupation in the middle of World War II. While the other members of the French Resistance, like Judith, are concerned with simply causing as much destruction and havoc among the Germans as possible (via arson), Lulu knows that the way to truly disrupt their operations is via intelligence. As she eventually concludes: “I might not have weapons, but I certainly have my wits.” The crux of this novel is the very awkward attraction and romance between Lulu and a handsome German captain named Hans Hartman, the nephew of the general in charge of the occupation of the region. Hans may be handsome and a charming gentleman to Lulu at times, but he is complicit in the vile, cruel, murderous, and genocidal acts of the Nazis. While he is relatively kind to Lulu, he actively hunts and captures Jews, Gypsies, and others whom the Nazi ideology deems “undesirable.” He even roughly grabs and strikes a fleeing Jewish woman in front of Lulu, an incident which haunts her. Lulu finds herself in between a rock and a hard place, working as an counter-intelligence agent for Captain Hans, whom she loves. However, she also has her loyalties to the resistance who view Hans and the Germans as monsters. This book does a great job at presenting the characters in an understandable and even sympathetic way, even the Nazis at times. The book reminds us that Hans and others like him were indoctrinated and essentially brainwashed by a poisonous ideology to act and think a certain way: a vicious, ugly, and disgusting way. Hans's bigotry and hatred are slowly unveiled to us, and it is absolutely terrifying to read how toxic and twisted his thoughts had become since before the war. He has essentially become a monster. This is an example of how insidious the Nazi ideology and influence was. Even some of the French collaborators are shown to be under its spell. There are so many awkward yet fascinating moments such as when Lulu denies being Jewish and a French national in order to avoid being persecuted, essentially alongside Jewish and French nationals. There's another moment when a French soldier is ordered to guard the people being taken to concentration camps, and one of the older French women shouts at him that she's French just like him. It just hits you in the soul and breaks your heart to read sections like that. There's a couple in here, Aaron and Miriam, who—despite having so little screen time—pull on your heartstrings as they try to endure what could be their last moments of freedom and life together. Lulu's scheming and plans, while seeming crazy at times, are sometimes so bold, ambitious, and courageous that you can't help but cheer from her. Lulu grows from being a very passive character who does the bare minimum to stop the Germans to becoming a full-fledged anti-Nazi resistance member who fully realizes that she may die as a result of it. She begins to realize that this conflict is not just about her or her life, it's about everyone and everything she has ever known and cared about. This might be the most suspenseful novel of the year! Yes, even considering the unavoidable challenge that it's a historical novel and that many of the outcomes are known, we still couldn't help but bite our nails and sweat whenever the main protagonist was on the verge of being caught by the Nazis and the French police/collaborators. Captain Hans and General Hartman are fascinating and terrifying villains who only grow in their creepiness and scariness the more that you and the protagonist get to know them. Now, this book has a very slow first-half that might lull you into a false sense of security. However, it really picks up by the end. Check this out on Amazon! Score: 93+/100 (9.3+ out of 10)
Voices of Diversity is another excellent example of multicultural literature by Vanessa Caraveo! Caraveo was the author of Valiance, an OCA grand-prize winner and one of the best fiction books we've ever read. Valiance is a tough act to follow, but Voices of Diversity does so admirably and valiantly, taking some of the same concepts and applying them to poetry as opposed to prose. Voices of Diversity is beautiful, deep, and involving. One of the best things about this book is the consistent and effective use of polyphony, providing multiple voices and perspectives. What's incredible about all of this is that, despite it reading more like a collection of poems written by different, diverse contributors, this book is actually written by Caraveo herself. That's a talent and a skill! In literature, you always want to be able to distinguish the author's voice and intent from the characters and their stories. Although many of these characters are not named, their narrative voices are distinct from one another, so you can always tell them apart. The other thing that's welcomed is that the author does this without resorting to stereotypes such as using slang or broken English. Everything is handled very respectfully. The poem titled “The Stranger Next Door” is the perfect poem to start off this book as it touches on some key issues including how our differences and the fear of the unknown incite irrational discomfort and tension. This poem features two voices: 1. That of the new neighbor, Jane, who lives as an “alien” and a foreigner in a strange new neighborhood 2. That of the unnamed narrator who is apprehensive and cautious about Jane while also being curious about her. This poem really hits home that friendships and bonds can form when we set our differences aside and acknowledge what we have in common as human beings rather than what sets us apart. We later revisit friendship in the poems “I Found a Friend” and “Just Me.” In “Just Me,” both the narrator and the unnamed boy are apparently immigrants, although one insists on wearing boots while the other finds it unique (although a bit odd). It's quite an interesting dynamic, and it's extra cute when the narrator decides to put aside what makes them different and instead focus on the fact that both their parents are from out of the country. “I Know” is another poem that stood out to us as it effectively employed repetition and anaphora, the continued use of a word or phrase for beat and effect. This poem also seems to imply that the human heart knows right from wrong and that human beings—deep down inside—know that they are one race and one kind. That's a very powerful message to send out into a splintered and fractured world divided by race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, religion, political lines, and ideology. Another poem that takes the concept of anaphora but uses it differently is “Make a Move” which uses the phrases “make a move now” almost like a chorus. Similarly, the poem “Choices” uses the competing lines “You decided to...” and “I decided to...” in a very dynamic way to emphasize contrast. Similarly, “The Voice of Acceptance” repeats the phrase “Hold my hands” for rhythm and emphasis. “Seasons and Times” reminded us a lot of “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds and Pete Seeger, itself inspired by the book of Ecclesiastes. “A Melody in My Heart,” “A Call from a Thousand Miles,” “Let There Be No Divide,” and “Esmeralda” employ a clever technique of shifting different verses to opposite sides of the page, further accommodating polyphony and differences in thinking. “Esmeralda” in particular seems to emphasize that being different can be beautiful, unique, and exotic. “A Much Awaited Change” is a very interestingly-structured poem that punches home several ideas, perhaps the most important of which is that human beings share the same rain, the same water, and the same sunlight, yet they insist on segregating and separating. There's also a strong implication near the end of this poem that education and continued learning can cull ignorance and bring people together. Unity is a concept that rings throughout this book, particularly in “A Cloth of Many Colors” which views humanity as different parts of the same fabric. We found the poem “A Call from a Thousand Miles” to be particularly emotional and touching considering that some of us are American immigrants who were separated from our families with the hope and dream of a better life. It's one of the most difficult and scary things one can experience. “Beauty in Its Best Form” was definitely the poem that stood out the most to us and that we remembered even after several rereadings. No, it's not necessarily the best poem in the book, but it seems to be the one that shares the most diverse and varying perspectives on things like race, religion, language, and nationality. This poem takes at least four unnamed characters with very diverse backgrounds that seem completely contrary to one another. However, again, the book emphasizes embracing differences and, in effect, helping the country to grow and prosper. This pairs well with “The Beauty in Our Differences” which also employs quatrains, one of the poet's favorite types of stanzas also seen in “Home Away From Home, “Broken Protocol,” and several others. “Where I Belong” might be the most special and unique of all the poems in this book as it's cleverly formatted in the shape of a star, all the while discussing the starry night sky we all share on Earth. The later parts of the book celebrate many of the great heroes of diversity including Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Justice Sotomayor, Martin Luther King Jr., Sally Ride, Gandhi, and many others who stepped outside the norm to do the right thing, blaze a new trail, and/or to break a glass ceiling. This poetry book is powerful and beautiful. You can check it out on Amazon! Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)
The Power of Wholeness is an excellent self-help book by Dr. Verlaine Crawford. It combines strategies akin to self-affirmation, self-actualization, positive thinking, and mindfulness. There are also other interesting strategies presented in her like pursuing “wholeness” by satisfying the four cornerstones of your being, looking at the big picture or gaining a new perspective on things that seem negative, trusting and becoming in tune with you intuition, and the “infusion integration process.” This might be considered the “Queen of Self-Help Books” in the same way that the “Stress Book” by Dr. Terrence Foster was the “King.” Ironically, we had just read a similar self-help book titled “Teens' Guide to Making Friends” by Kev Chilton which tackled some of the same issues, ideas, and conflicts, but targeted to young people and teens. These two books differ in other ways. For example, Chilton had taken the perspective of not being pressured by peers into fitting into a mold, ignoring negativity and criticism and being yourself. While Crawford still takes the perspective that you should love yourself and be your own unique being, she takes the perspective that negativity, criticism, and peer pressure actually have their place. Now, before you get turned way by this perspective, she has a point. Constructive criticism exists, after all, and so does tough love. Sometimes we need someone to tell us bluntly that we're screwing up so that we can improve. Crawford actually takes the fascinating perspective that what we perceive as negativity, criticism, judgment, and even bullying by others might actually be an outward reflection of our own internal thoughts and conflicts. Maybe there is a part of us that feels we've failed in one way or another. Maybe there is a part of us that feels insecure about something. Rather than dismissing and ignoring these things, Crawford encourages us to be mindful of them and to use them as fuel (and information) to improve ourselves. Maybe it's not about being “right” or “wrong” but from learning from the perspectives and experiences of others (yes, even negative people) to better our own ideas and beliefs. The author reminds us to constantly ask the question: “What is this doing for me?” or “What are you doing for me?” Is this idea, belief, argument, or person helping us or hurting us? Is it teaching us something or is it holding us back? This book presents the concept of the “four cornerstones” of our whole being: health, wealth, love, and self-expression. At the center of these four cornerstones is intuition. The author takes the perspective that intuition overlaps with all of the cornerstones, influencing multiple aspects of our lives, and that becoming in tune with it can help us to improve in every aspect. Intuition is an almost supernatural or psychic force that warns us when something seems off or dangerous. Don't ignore it, become one with it. Health is at the top of the cornerstones because without it, we have nothing. We are encouraged to take care of our bodies and minds with good food, exercise, adequate sleep, etc. We are encouraged not to view wealth as “evil” or “corrupting” but to see it as a necessity and a potential source of good, such as being able to care for one's loved ones or afford food and shelter. Love includes self-love because this book, like Chilton's, takes the perspective that we can only love people who first love themselves. Self-expression is probably the most interesting because the author views creativity as a natural human trait that needs to be exercised and practiced. People are made to make things. People are made to put a message out into the world and to enrich the world. Perhaps the most complex concept in this book is what's called the “infusion integration process.” In layman's terms, we interpreted this to be becoming in tune with your multiple voices, selves, and personalities which include multiple different ideas, beliefs, and perspectives. Rather than shutting one of them up, we can listen to their perspective and negotiate with them. This reminded us a lot of You Will Never Be Normal by Catherine Klatzker in which the author discussed the multiple different selves they wrestled with: an aggressive self, a doubting self, a naive self, etc. In The Power of Wholeness, the author takes the perspective that these selves exist for a reason. They exist to help and protect us along with our intuition. They often have good points and guide us along a better path. The author also seems to take the perspective that a lot of illnesses and bad things in life are actually caused by a kind of negative thinking or self-fulfilling. Even something like cancer, the author argues, can be the result of one coping with trauma in a negative way or wanting to die. While we may not necessarily agree with this perspective, it is interesting, and phenomena like the placebo effect does seem to support this idea to an extent. You can check this out on Amazon! |
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