Book Description
A provocative novel about an African tribal woman’s battle with madness after the trauma of a childhood genital mutilation.
Customer Reviews:
A Harrowing Journey.......2007-03-22
Possessing the Secret of Joy is a difficult book to read, but worth it if you want to be more informed about the horrors that afflict women in many parts of the world, including our own country. The central character, Tashi/Evelyn (she has an American and an African name) underwent female circumcision as an adult because she wanted to belong to her African tribe and be elligible to marry. The horrors resulting from that decision affect the rest of her life--both physically by making it almost impossible to birth her only child and emotionally as is marked by her bouts of insanity.
The story is told through several people's perspective including Tashi's husband, her best friend, her son, her husband's lover (Lisette) and their son. The contrast between Tashi, who's sexuality is erased through her culture's insistence on female mutilation, and Lisette, who's sexuality is celebrated and barely containable, is marked. The fact that Tashi's mutilation affects everyone in her life is significant and powerful. While trying to overcome something she doesn't understand, she is able to affect those around her through her suffering and attempts to make something of her life.
Walker was amazing to take on such a difficult topic...I don't know how she managed to write the pain Tashi must have felt without becoming seriously depressed herself. It was a difficult book to read, I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to write. My only complaint about the book is that at times, the narrative voice slips into a historical/preachy voice that doesn't sound like any of the narrators and made me want to skip forward even though the content of that section was important.
Deep & Meaningful & Poignant.......2006-12-20
This is the second time I have journied through the pages of this riveting book, picking up new nuances and concepts along the way. This book is one of my all time favourites because it hits an emotional chord and attachment to the charcaters and their inherant obstacles develops through each page to well after the book is finished and one is left musing the strangeness of certain customs and how mutilation can become culturally acceptable until individuals questions it. "Resistance is the secret of Joy..." in this case is an apt finale to the book.
The whole concept of genital mutilation is abhorrant to me and I have been active in the past over male infant circumcision, so it is a subject that moves me. Walker has the ability to address the psychological impact of female circumcision from many angles - not just Tashi's husband, lover, their children, family and even Carl Jung. (I love how Alice Walker, in her "Thanks" states she "gives" Jung Tashi... and yes, what a complex and intriguing character she is!
Walker makes copious use of dreams and symbols throughout the book, engaging the reader to think through her ideas to try and work out exactly where she is leading. Mental illness, or rather, the psychological impact female genital mutilation has is deeply examined, not just the effects on Tashi but those around her. Tashi chooses to go through the initiation as an adult to become accepted by her Olinka tribespeople, as her association with the white missionaries has caused a distrust of her she seeks to regain. The consequences of this are riveting.
I highly recommend this book for the inherant statement made about an issue through which me might better understand the current political & cultural climate in the Middle East, extreme as that sounds. The subjugation of women is not something of the past, and one CAN wonder at it's impact today on how these countries face the world when mutilating their young girls is par for the course. Highly
What a Powerfully Important Story.......2006-07-14
I learned of this book from another novelist's work, Kola Boof, and was moved to check out why "Boof" (who is vaginally circumcised) is so enamoured of Walker's work and especially holds this book in so much esteem.
I had no idea that there would be so many other facets to the story that have nothing to do with the main subject of female genital mutilation or that Walker could reveal so much about African society, culture and the lives and suffering of African women.
I am an African woman, so this work is monumental to me. I was quite moved and I recommend this to anyone who cares about the lives of women and especially the suffering of African women and girls.
A Painful, Elegant and Uplifing Read.......2004-07-24
I don't think a more gifted writer exists. This book exemplifies Alice Walker's incredible ability to shed light on horrific practices in the context of beautiful and captivating stories. I'm sure that this book has played a major role in building our broader public awareness of and growing international sanctions against this common human rights abuse.
Complex and Textured.......2004-07-08
Alice Walker states that the secret of joy is "RESISTANCE", which sums up the book nicely. But there is more to this single word. Resistance to what? Resistance to injustice, in this case specifically the injustice of genital mutilation...but Walker clearly means for this resistance to include other forms of injustice. Such as, you ask? Racism, sexism, bigotry in any form.
Walker's books, including this one, convey the psychological damage of perpetual abuse of a person throughout not only their own life but the life of their ancestors. Therefore, racism and sexism heap psychological damage on their victims for enerations--not to mention the clear sociological problems that germinate from them.
Why does "resistance" bring joy? First, if the injustice is eventually defeated it will bring a new found freedom and autonomy. If nothing else, resistance provides the resister with a moral victory over his or her opponents, which in the end, brings our ill-fated protagonist joy.
The more specific sexual aspect of the book is also embraced by this concept. Resistance to the injustice of genital mutilation, on both the individual and collective level, brings sexual pleasure to the individual and to generations of individuals yet to come. So sexual pleasure also is part of the "secret of joy", only in this case it is a specific instance of what "resistance" can eventually accomplish.
Average customer rating:
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Possessing the Secret of Joy
Alice Walker
Manufacturer: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| African American
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000HXZZ64 |
Product Description
The acclaimed author of The Color Purple presents a provocative story of a young tribal African woman who lives most of her adult life in America. Tashi submits toher people's custom of genital mutilation. Severely traumatized by the experience, she spends the rest of her life battling madness, trying to regain the ability to recognize her own reality.
Product Description
three mmpb books. 3 Titles By Alice Walker : Meridian The Temple of My Familiar Possessing the Secret of Joy.
Product Description
5 Titles By Walker - The Color Purple - Meridian - The Temple of My Familiar - Possessing the Secret of Joy - By the Light of My Father's Smile
Average customer rating:
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En Posesion Del Secreto De LA Alegria/Possessing the Secret of Joy
Alice Walker
Manufacturer: Distribooks Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| African American
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Spanish
| Foreign Language Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Spanish
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Afro Americano
| Estados Unidos
| Literatura Mundial
| Literatura y ficción
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
No-Ficción
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
| Automotriz
| Ciencias Sociales
| Crimen y Criminales
| Educación
| Estudios de la Mujer
| Feriados
| Filosofía
| Gobierno
| Hechos Verídicos
| Planeamiento Urbano y Desarrollo
| Política
| Sucesos de Actualidad
| Transportación
ASIN: 8401492149 |
Average customer rating:
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Possessing The Secret Of Joy
Alice Walker
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| African American
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Walker, Alice
| African American
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Walker, Alice
| ( W )
| Authors, A-Z
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
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Blood Sport
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Do They Hear You When You Cry
ASIN: 0099224119 |
Average customer rating:
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Possessing the Secret of Joy
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Authors, A-Z
| Books & Reading
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| British
| Classics
| Drama
| Erotica
| Essays
| Foreign Language Fiction
| General
| Genre Fiction
| History & Criticism
| Large Print
| Letters & Correspondence
| Poetry
| Short Stories
| United States
| Women's Fiction
| World Literature
ASIN: 0671791001 |
Average customer rating:
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Possessing the Secret of Joy
Alice Walker
Manufacturer: HARCOURT BRACE & CO@
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| African American
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000UCBGU6 |
Book Description
"EMERSON AGAIN DELIVERS THE GOODS, dishing out humor, suspense, and heart-pounding action in heaping portions."
--Booklist
Marian Wright is an amateur sleuth in the employ of two attractive young women eager to catch up with their no-account ex-lovers. But when Marian's investigation ends abruptly and ferociously, Seattle private eye Thomas Black has a new case on his hands.
Picking up the pieces of Marian Wright's search for her clients' rogue boyfriends, Thomas encounters a network of people--from ex-cons and prostitutes to other private investigators--all webbed together by a chilling common thread. It's a discovery that speaks volumes about the zealousness of Marian's manhunt, and even suggests a monstrous reason for her sudden death. Yet equally monstrous is an unknown, baseball bat-wielding assailant who seems hell-bent on making sure Thomas Black's investigation stays closed. . . .
"Emerson adds another smoothly written book to his popular series."
--The Seattle Times
"GRITTY."
--Publishers Weekly
Customer Reviews:
An excellent entry in one of the best series going!.......1996-06-21
So you like a good mystery, but McGees long gone and Spensersounds more like a bad cliche with every passing title. Take a look at Thomas Black - Seattle's number one detective. In this, the third installment in a trilogy beginning with Yellow Dog Party and The Portland Laugher, our intrepid hero is attempting to deal with the loss of the love of his life - Kathy Birchfield. It seems Thomas killed her fiance and that put a damper on Thomas and Kathy's relationship. Imagine that. A mutual client sets up a meeting - between Thomas and Kathy unbeknownst to them and the story is off and running. Thomas is thrown into an investigation that leads him on several dangerous twists and turns as he encounters assorted unsavory characters. Emerson's gift for dialogue reminds the mystery buff of the best of Robert Parker in the early Spenser stories. The characters are well developed, and the tale zips along to an unexpected conclusion. If you haven't read any of Emerson's Thomas Black books, this may not be the best place to start. The dynamic between Thomas and Kathy has been cultivated slowly over the series. Yellow Dog Party makes more sense as a staarting point for new Black fans, but The Vanishing Smile is an excellent addition to the series. It appears Emerson has found a publisher who appreciates him and recognizes his talent. He has even been all the way to Texas for book signings, and was well received. Black is a true man of his time, and Emerson's social commentary right on. Political correctness is not Thomas's strong suit, much to the delight of the reader.
Product Description
8 Titles By Earl W. Emerson Thomas Black Series : The Rainy City Poverty Bay Nervous Laughter Fat Tuesday Deviant Behavior Yellow Dog Party The Vanishing Smile The Million-Dollar Tattoo. eight mmpb books.
Book Description
In the land of Calambria, things are not always as they seem, though the naked truth is no less marvelous than the myths that clothe it. Come join the winged muses of Ilyaria as they carve from the clouds this tale of interwoven journeys of discovery set amidst the backdrop of a millennial struggle between mischievous imps and solemn wizards, a struggle which shapes the destinies of giants and gods, nymphs and monsters, heroes and messiahs, kings and conquerors, rebels and rogues, and one extraordinary young woman through whom their many paths converge.
Average customer rating:
- Weight Loss
- It really is THE GUIDE TO WEIGHT LOSS
- Great Resource for Understanding Weight/Metabolism/Diet, etc
- A GOLD MINE!!!
- Interesting, but questionable
|
Weight Loss : An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide
Burton Goldberg , and
Editors of Alternative Medicine
Manufacturer: Alternativemedicine.com Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Exercise & Fitness
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Alternative Medicine
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Allied Health Professions
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Alternative & Holistic
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Alternative Medicine
| Medical
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide (2nd Edition)
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Alternative Medicine Guide to Women's Health 2 (Women's Health)
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Alternative Medicine Guide to Heart Disease (Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide)
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Alternative Medicine Guide to Women's Health 1 (Women's Health Series (Tiburon, Calif.), 1.)
-
Allergy Free: An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide
Accessories:
-
Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)
-
Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor
-
RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device
ASIN: 188729919X |
Book Description
25 leading physicians reveal the keys to permanent weight loss-nutrition, enzymes, supplements, colon cleansing, liver detoxification, overcoming psychological obstacles, and more.
Customer Reviews:
Weight Loss.......2003-01-11
Burton Goldberg emphasizes that his newest book, Weight Loss: 17 Smart Ways to Permanently Shed Unwanted Pounds, is not just another diet book. It's about improving your health by learning to eat in a balanced way. Well-known in the field of alternative medicine, Goldberg says that "unlike the countless fad diets, alternative medicine recognizes that one size does not fit all." Each person is different, with different biochemistry, and has gained weight for different reasons.
Goldberg starts with a general discussion of diets and why they don't work for most people. He describes some of the serious health problems associated with being overweight, and explains what causes weight gain in general terms.
He then gets into specific information about those causes. He discusses things like what is eaten and how often you eat, the role of exercise, psychology (eating as a response to stress or boredom, etc.), and chemical imbalances, such as those caused by an underactive thyroid, hormones, allergies, yeast infections, and parasites.
Goldberg explains how to customize a diet to fit your needs, including basic information on the components of food, like fats and carbohydrates, the role of nutritional supplements, and alternative medicine therapies for correcting chemical imbalances. He also includes information on detoxification.
The format of the book allows readers to easily turn to the pages that apply to their particular situations. Medical words and special terminology are clarified in "Quick Definition" boxes in the margins. Whenever a test or procedure is suggested, contact information in included in a box on that page.
Goldberg says his book "is less about dieting and more about regaining a state of health--good health is the key to weight loss." For all those who believe they have tried everything, but haven't been able to maintain a healthy weight, Weight Loss is a "guide to finding a personal plan that you can live with."
It really is THE GUIDE TO WEIGHT LOSS.......2002-12-12
This book is amazing. There are so many things that can cause you to gain weight or have a problem losing weight. They cover such things as: thyroid disorders, enzyme deficiencies, hormonal imbalances and nutritional deficiencies.
If you have a thyroid problem, this book is one of the best at explaining how your thyroid works, which supplements to take and why. Many people take too much iodine and actually suppress their thyroid function. There are many herbs that actually will support your thyroid and stimulate hormone release naturally.
The chapter on food allergies was enlightening. Many Americans are allergic to wheat and corn and bloat up when they eat them. Wheat is actually a very addictive substance, it affects the serotonin levels in your brain in the same way some drugs do.
Great Resource for Understanding Weight/Metabolism/Diet, etc.......2001-07-22
I've struggled most of my adult life with the same 30 pounds that I never quite seemed to lose until reading this book. This book gave me the tools to understand my weight problem at a level beyond counting calories or following the latest fad diet.
This book contains a wealth of information about how the body functions; contributing factors to weight loss/gain; an overview of all the popular weight loss programs; and valuable resources if you want to follow-up any of the ideas or programs.
I highly recommend this book.
A GOLD MINE!!!.......2001-06-23
EVERYONE should be forced to read this book concerning their health, regardless of their weight. It's about your health, and how what you don't know CAN hurt you. People need to know if their livers, kidneys, or colons are filled with toxins and are virtually breaking down their body systems day by day, for years, causing everything from cancer to depression and anxiety. This book is FULL of information, from MANY TOP ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE DOCTORS, all giving their opinions and experiences. I found it fascinating....and inspiring!
Interesting, but questionable.......2001-05-14
There are some interesting ideas in this book, but it is far too difficult to figure out which recommendations are safe and will work as promised. The book includes methods to diagnose (questionable) medical conditions that lead to weight gain along with advice on ways to deal with the condition. The diagnosis often requires ordering self-administered medical tests through various mail-order companies or having a test done by a doctor. I haven't tried, but I think my doctor would resist if I requested stool analysis for parasites, iridology (study of the iris of the eye), or electrodermal screening. I am concerned that someone might try to self-diagnose whether the cause of his/her weight problem is a yeast infection, toxic liver, toxic colon, or toxic lymph with normal or questionable medical tests, and then spend a fortune to fix it with potentially harmful supplements or regiments. For example, one program to detoxify the liver includes drinking "as much apple juice or cider as possible" for five days while following your usual diet, and then drinking 2 teaspoons Epson salt in water and 1/2 cup of olive oil (960 calories!) on day six and another 2 teaspoons Epson salt on day seven. It does not say to check with a doctor first and there are no warnings about hypertension.
Some of the suggestions are interesting and may even work, but many of them seem questionable and downright dangerous. The trouble is knowing which ones are worth trying, which ones are harmful, and which ones are a waste of money. Initially, I was intrigued because this book included information and advice beyond the standard "eat less and exercise more," but I become very concerned about the reliability of any of the information when so much of it was wacky.
Book Description
Dr. Ellen Kamhi outlines a complete weight-loss and weight-management program that features detoxification, eating a whole-foods diet, choosing the right fats, kicking food addictions, and getting and staying motivated. In the face of fad diets, this authoritative and commonsense guide helps each dieter create a healthier lifestyle and a slimmer figure in the process.
Books:
- Retreat, Hell! (Corps)
- Sanibel Flats (A Doc Ford Novel)
- Seven Soldiers of Victory: Vol. 1
- Sex Wars: A Novel of the Turbulent Post-Civil War Period
- Shakespeare's Counselor (The Fifth Lily Bard Mystery)
- Sins and Needles (Needlecraft Mysteries)
- Slim and None
- Something Dangerous
- Stardust of Yesterday (Haunting Hearts Series)
- Stephen Coonts' Deep Black: Payback (Deep Black)
Books Index
Books Home
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- MY FATHER'S SECRET WAR: A MEMOIR
- Foot Soldiers: Stories from the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk
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- Busting Loose From the Money Game: Mind-Blowing Strategies for Changing the Rules of a Game You Can'
- Geophysical Inverse Theory and Regularization Problems
- Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds
- Biology: A Self-Teaching Guide, 2nd edition
- A Biography of Florida Union Organizer Frank E'Dalgo
- Oh Canada, My Canada. Impressions of an Alien Son
The Temple of My Familiar
In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens: Womanist Prose
Meridian
Now Is the Time to Open Your Heart: A Novel (Walker, Alice)
By the Light of My Father's Smile: A Novel
