UPDATE: This book has now been made into a wonderful HBO mini-series by the same name. If you aren't a reader and more of a watcher, I highly recommend the DVD.
Ever since reading David McCullough's artfully written historical narrative John Adams, my husband and I have a new hero. John Adams was pretty much a mystery to us prior to reading McCullough's book. We knew his name, we knew he was considered a "founding father" of the United States of America, and we knew he had served as president of this country at one time. There was so much we didn't know.
McCullough is a master at bringing history to life, and he pulled out all the stops in writing this book. He inserted historical letters, accounts, and sketches smoothly and effortlessly to form an important historical work that reads like an historical novel.
We procured our paperback copy of John Adams from Costco on the recommendation of a dear friend. We dove in, reading it together as we often do. I read aloud, while my husband did various activities conducive to my reading aloud.
We fell in love with John Adams; this stalwart forefather of integrity, grit, determination, and a passion for the ideals that the United States should hold dear. The personal sacrifices that he made throughout his life to bring about the freedoms that U.S. citizens enjoy today are astounding.
We also fell in love with his amazing wife, Abigail Adams. Through letters between the two, McCullough uncovers the undying love that the two had for one another. Throughout John Adams' career, his wife was his confidante and advisor providing politically relevant and intelligent insight. She also wrote to some of John Adams contemporaries (i.e., Thomas Jefferson) and had influence in their lives as well.
We wept at the end of the book when John Adams' and Thomas Jefferson's deaths are chronicled, occurring only hours apart on the important date of July 4th. Although often misunderstood, the relationship between the two was strong in the end. In fact, some of John Adams last words on his deathbed spoken after Jefferson passed away far from Adams home were, "Thomas Jefferson survives." Adams passed away later that day.
We highly recommend this book as an addition to one's personal library. It is full of important references, quotes, and ideals that need to be rekindled in our country and throughout the world.
David McCullough's "John Adams"
Reading What My Grampy Read
We like to read books together. I read aloud while my husband cooks, drives the car, or winds down at night. We've read many books together this way.
The book we are currently reading is very special for many reasons. My mother found it in her things, read it, and let us borrow it saying that we absolutely HAD to read it.
She told us that it was the book that her father (my Grampy) would read to her and her sisters aloud. She said that he would laugh and laugh, and they wouldn't understand what was so funny. But they loved the experience of having him read to them.
Now I have the very book that he read out of in my hands, and I'm reading it aloud to my husband. That fact, in and of itself is very special and has a beauty that is hard to describe or fathom completely.
But there is more to why this book is special. The book is an autobiographical account of Ralph Moody (the author) and his family when they moved from New England to Colorado in 1906 when he was only 8 years old. The places he tells about are the places I lived in when I was between the ages of 6 and 10 years old and then again when I was a freshman and sophomore in high school. So his way of looking at the world is very much the way mine was at the same age. He mentions places that I know firsthand: places that are part of my childhood memories. He talks about feelings and experiences I can completely relate to.
For these special reasons, the book has brought about such choice emotions, memories, and stirrings deep within me. And as I read aloud, I often stop and share those with my husband. We have shed tears as we've read the book together.
Just yesterday as we drove home from my husband's parents' home, I read the following passage aloud. It is Ralph's father talking to him as they milk the cows and giving his son some important advice in a way that only a parent can. It touched my very inner core, and I am still digesting the concepts it discusses. It is such a powerful example of the beauty of simplicity and so much more. I am sharing it here in the hope that someone else will find value in it as well.
"Son, I had hoped you wouldn't run into anything like this till you were
older, but maybe it's just as well. There are only two kinds of men in
this world: Honest men and dishonest men. There are black men and
white men and yellow men and red men, but nothing counts except whether they're
honest men or dishonest men.
"Some men work almost entirely with their brains; some almost entirely with
their hands; though most of us have to use both. But we all fall into one
of the two classes--honest and dishonest.
"Any man who says that the world owes him a living is dishonest. The
same God that made you and me made this earth. And He planned it so that
it would yield every single thing that the people on it need. But He was
careful to plan it so that it would only yield up its welath in exchange for the
labor of man. Any man who tries to share in that wealth without
contributing the work of his brain or his hands is dishonest.
"Son, this is a long sermon for a boy of your age, but I want so much for
to be an honest man that I had to explain it to you." (p 177)
Ralph then goes on to write:
"I wish I knew how Father was able to say things so as to make you remember
every word of it. If I could remember everything the way I remember the
things Father told me, maybe I could be as smart a man as he was." (p 177)
[Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody (Chicago USA, copyright 1950 by Ralph Moody)]
We Are Our Mothers' Daughters by Cokie Roberts
"We are connected throughout time and regardless of place. We are our mothers' daughters."
I became familiar with Cokie Roberts and her work through National Public Radio (NPR). She's a serious, no-nonsense news correspondent that is solid in her reporting. However, after reading her book We Are Our Mothers' Daughters I realized that there are different facets to this dynamic and talented woman--facets that I could learn from and thoroughly enjoy.
Cokie Roberts writes this book in a somewhat autobiographical and reflective style. She lets her walls down and shares some very personal sides of herself with the reader. Each chapter is a capsule of knowledge, wisdom and commentary that can stand on its own. Put together, these thoughtful essays make a concise and compact book easy to read on a plane trip, during an extended weekend, or chapters at a time interwoven into one's hectic life.
Cokie Roberts' writing is often poignant and touches deep within the reader's heart. However, amidst the intimate portraits she sketches with her words, she artfully laces in historical facts that enrich rather than detract from the heartfelt poignancy of her discussions on women, how and why they tick, and the intricate and beautiful ties women have with each other in familial relationships.
This is a wonderful choice for a Mother's Day gift from a daughter to a mother or vice versa. It is also a special gift to be given from sister to sister, or from a niece to her favorite aunt. Or you can do like I did. Simply buy it for yourself!
If you are a woman, Cokie Roberts' writing will empower and touch you as it did me, making you grateful for your womanhood and your unique connection with all women simply because you share the same gender. If you are a man, her writings will help you appreciate more deeply the women in your own life and how unique their contribution to the world truly is beyond their contribution to your own personal life.
The Answers My Physician Couldn't Give Me
Pros: Sound medical advice, easy to use reference
Cons: Size of the book may seem intimidating at first
Women's bodies and health issues are different than men's, and Dr. Christiane Northrup recognizes and addresses those issues in this well written medical reference--a must for all women's reference libraries.
Initially, one may be intimidated by the size of the volume (900+ pages soft cover), however, Dr. Northup's format for the book makes quick reference easy. The reader can zero in on the specific area of concern and then meander through other areas of the book later.
My own personal experience with Dr. Northup's sound medical counsel has been phenomenal. My own health history has been plagued with hormonal issues that I found ways to tackle through Dr. Northrup's book. It provided the "recipe" for complete wellness through her recommended mix of vitamins, minerals, nutrition, and lifestyle changes. Each year brings new changes (as it does for every woman) and I always find myself going back to Dr. Northrup's reference to re-evaluate my battle plan.
I highly recommend this book to women of all ages.
Cheaper Than a Ticket to Tuscany
Cons: You'll want to go to Italy
As an art historian, Italy and its culture has always intrigued me. I've dreamed of going there and basking in what makes Italy "Italian". However, like many, my husband and I have other things that beckon for our cash-on-hand (you know--food, electricity, a place to live--silly stuff like that). We keep dreaming though--don't ever give up on the dream. "Someday we'll have the money," we say, with wide-eyed optimism.
A few years ago, a fellow dreamer introduced me to the writings of Frances Mayes by lending me Mayes' travel narrative/ memoirs/ cookbook/ "eat- your-heart-out-because-I-live-in-my-own-Tuscan-villa-in-Italy-every-summer" book. My fellow dreamer raved and ranted over this book--said it was impossible to describe what reading it does to you. So trusting said fellow dreamer, I read the book. He was right. Oh was he right!
At the time she wrote the book, Frances Mayes was a professor of creative writing at a San Francisco State University. She and her husband (also a professor) traveled every summer to Europe and found themselves spending a great deal of time in Italy. They finally decided it was just best for them to buy their own Italian villa "fixer-upper" and stay there every summer (makes sense to me--I mean, if you're there ANYWAY).
From the onset of this "project", Frances Mayes kept memoirs in a journal. Later, with 20/20 hindsight vision, she rewrote those memoirs, included travel narratives of their weekend jaunts through Italy and her favorite Tuscan recipes to weave a fabulous tapestry of a book.
She is honest about the disasters of renovating an old (I mean OLD) Italian villa in a land where the Italian language is not her forte. My favorite part is when they hire a Polish renovation crew that can't speak any English and only broken Italian.
Mayes also speaks of how she learns to love the land, the olive trees, the rose bushes, and the village. She takes the reader with her on her own journey of discovering a rich and beautiful culture.
Is it worth adding to one's personal library? Yes, most definitely! It is very different than the film of the same name, so just because you've seen the flick doesn't mean you don't need to buy this book and read it.
So we may never get to Italy. But when we need a fix, we pick up Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes and read a chapter (or two), or we just salivate over a recipe she has included. Like the saying goes, "it's the next best thing to being there", and it sure is cheaper than a ticket from SFO to Italy.
A Book That Can Change Your Life
Change Your Brain, Change Your Life:
The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness
by Daniel G. Amen , M.D.
Pros: Solid research-backed answers and lifestyle change suggestions
Cons: If one suffers from inattentiveness or hyperactivity have a loved one read it.
The Bottom Line: Everyone needs to read this book and become enlightened as to why our brains work the way they do.
I'm sure you've seen the TV ads for Adult ADD put out by Lilly pharmaceuticals. It shows a woman in a conference room trying to concentrate on the speaker's droning about business statistics, but her mind keeps jumping to pictures of everything else but the business at hand. Her mind processes are compared to the actions of a hyper remote control junkie switching channels so fast that one only gets a couple of seconds of a sound bite on each channel. The advertisement advises those viewers that feel like this woman to go to their website and take a quick online screening test to see if they could potentially have Adult ADD.
I’ve got a better suggestion… buy Dr. Daniel G. Amen’s book Change Your Brain, Change Your Life!
Dr. Amen is truly a modern medical pioneer in the study of the human brain and how it functions. In his book, he tells of his poignant reasons for pursuing his particular specialty and how, through the use of modern imaging technology, he has been able to document in a pictorial and visual way the inner workings of a brain that is struggling with chemical imbalance, hormonal imbalance, the influence of drugs, and (most importantly) the once illusive and somewhat ethereal condition of attention deficit disorder (which actually includes 6 very different types of the disorder).
Dr. Amen’s book is written for the layman and not for the medical journals so it is easy to read, digest, and implement into one’s life. He offers the “why’s” for individuals struggling with issues like the inability to focus, organize, or maintain order in life; those who struggle with depression, panic, and anxiety; those who have issues with anger and overly violent tendencies; and he covers a myriad of other issues as well.
He follows up the “why’s” with helpful real-life suggestions for truly influencing how your brain operates (for instance did you know that listening to music or singing to yourself can actually help some brain disorders?).
Here's a sampling of Dr. Amen's "Brain Prescriptions" as listed in his book:
"To Quell Anxiety and Panic: Use simple breath techniques to
immediately calm inner turmoil "To Fight Depression: Learn how to kill ANTs
(automatic negative thoughts)
"To Curb Anger: Follow the Amen anti-anger diet and learn the
nutrients that calm rage
"To Conquer Impulsiveness and Learn to Focus: Develop total
focus with the 'One-Page Miracle' "To Stop Obsessive Worrying: Follow the 'get
unstuck' writing exercises and learn other problem-solving
exercises"
Dr. Amen's exercises for changing your life are not “new age” or “self-help-seminar-like” but are based on solid medical research of cause and effect. He also explains the benefits of pharmaceutical therapy as well for each condition and discusses why it is sometimes the appropriate route to take in addition to making lifestyle changes.
In a day and age where we are bombarded with news stories of supposed “epidemics” of AD/HD and depression diagnoses in our nation’s children and the supposed “over-medicating” of our youth, this book gives solid answers instead of journalistic sensationalism. It can offer valuable and solid information for any parent that is seeking answers beyond what the pediatrician can give them.
In a time when we have many voices telling us that conditions such as PMS, depression, panic, anxiety, and inattentiveness are being overblown by pharmaceutical companies in order to make a profit, Dr. Amen’s powerful and tangible research evidence validates that these conditions are real and are very treatable.
This book is a fascinating look into the mysterious inner workings of the grey matter in our skulls. It is enlightening, down-to-earth, reality-based, and most of all a true answer to the prayers of those who have struggled with brain issues and have had to go without answers until now. I am one of them. So is my brother. So is my sister. And so is my mother. We finally found hope and normalcy thanks to this medical pioneer and so can you. For more information visit Dr. Amen’s website at http://www.brainplace.com/
