The down-to-earth practical advice. The willingness to admit that some people are just assholes, and we have to learThe things I loved about this book:
The down-to-earth practical advice. The willingness to admit that some people are just assholes, and we have to learn to live with them. The FANTASTIC chart about different therapy options.
Things I didn't like so well:
When I got this from the library, I thought it was more of a "philosophy of life" sort of self-help book. It's really not, though; the main over-arching idea is that you can't solve all the world's problems and neither can therapy, which is great. The book itself isn't really a good one to read from cover-to-cover, though, because it becomes a bit repetitive. If the general vibe of the book appeals, I'd recommend keeping it around as a reality check for life's little problems.
So, it's not a super engaging read. What really knocked a star off for me, though, was that there's some fairly not-awesome glibness that pops up occasionally. The sidebar on "dating a Borderline" rubbed me the wrong way because of the way it reduces a person with Borderline Personality Disorder to their illness, and because I felt it encouraged armchair diagnosis. All of the behaviors discussed could have just as easily slid nicely into the chapter on dealing with assholes, without stigmatizing a diagnosis that's already incredibly stigmatized. I also thought the commentary on what causes people to become abusive could have been skipped, for similar reasons.
Still, overall this was a nice antidote to self-help books that make it seem as though you are capable of solving all the problems, and if you can't, it must be your fault....more
This was a quick, engaging, and thought-provoking read. The early chapters, about how psychopathy is diagnosed and about the ways it appears in criminThis was a quick, engaging, and thought-provoking read. The early chapters, about how psychopathy is diagnosed and about the ways it appears in criminals and others are very interesting, but a bit old hat if you've read The Sociopath Next Door or similar. Where I thought it got really interesting is in Ronson's reflections on how he uses the "psychopath test" and in the ways such tools can be exploited or misapplied by journalists, armchair profilers, doctors, and others. At times I wished the book was a little less breezy, but it's more Ronson's style to bring up serious issues and make you go "hmmm," then follow it up with a joke or a pithy observation to keep the pages turning....more
This is a superb children's book that handles the concepts of PTSD and of service dogs exceptionally well. The language used is age-appropriate, but dThis is a superb children's book that handles the concepts of PTSD and of service dogs exceptionally well. The language used is age-appropriate, but doesn't talk down to kids at all; by using the perspective of Luis's service dog, the story describes the physical and psychological effects of war in a matter-of-fact and grounded way. The photos are beautiful and vibrant as well. There is just so much to love about this book. Definitely a worthy addition to any library or classroom collection....more
This is volume one of the awesome memoir of a young man growing up in France in the 1960s and 70s. David's older brother, Jean-Christophe, suffers froThis is volume one of the awesome memoir of a young man growing up in France in the 1960s and 70s. David's older brother, Jean-Christophe, suffers from intractable epilepsy, sometimes suffering multiple seizures per day. When all medical science can offer is doping Jean-Christophe into catatonia or risky surgery that could lead to blindness or worse, David's parents start to seek answers in alternative medicine and spiritualism.
The artwork and storytelling is truly impressive. David's complex black and white drawings range freely over the page, slotting into new configurations, and the story itself ranges widely in time as well.
I am really looking forward to reading the second half of this memoir....more
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