Average customer rating:
- When You Think You Are Crazy
- What's The Fuss All About?
- CHILLING AND DIFFERENT TYPE OF HORROR STORY
- HOw Could a Person NOT Find This Story Terrifying???
- Interesting premise, lousy writing
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Come Closer: A Novel
Sara Gran
Manufacturer: Soho Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 United States
| Horror
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
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General
| Horror
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
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Contemporary
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Psychological & Suspense
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ASIN: 1569473285 |
Book Description
She Will Never Be Lonely Again . . .
Amanda is happily married to Ed, works as an architect, and likes her life. But disturbances begin to upset her. Odd noises haunt their apartment. She suffers occasional blackouts, yet there is no medical explanation. She and her husband have petty squabbles; Ed seems less than lovable.
The image of a beautiful woman out of her past invades Amanda’s dreams. Instead of a book she had ordered by mail, she receives Demon Possession, Past and Present. Soon after, Amanda accidentally burns her husband with a cigarette. Something seemed to take her over. She begins to study the book on possession.
Does everything that has happened have a rational explanation? Are the coincidences that have occurred just that? Or has she been possessed by a female demon known to students of the Kabbalah as Naamah?
Customer Reviews:
When You Think You Are Crazy.......2007-09-08
Amanda is a young woman and her world starts to decay one day when she sees someone on the street who looks like her imaginary childhood friend. This is the start as small things get noticed and Amanda finds herself reacting in unusual ways to various situations. As things get worse, Amanda is told by a psychic that she is possessed by a demon. She is offered a cure but does not follow through as she does not really believe it.
Eventually Amanda starts to think that things are not right and begins to accept the demon possession idea as reality. Now she goes to more experts trying to cure herself. How far she has to go and how successful she will be are things you will have to read to find out.
This is a short and gentle horror story. The eeriness slowly builds over time. One wonders if Amanda is going crazy or if there really is a demon. This is closer to a classic ghost story than to most modern horror which is full of blood and violence. The book is very short and makes for a very quick read. If you like creepy psychological horror that you might like this one. Check it out.
What's The Fuss All About?.......2007-09-06
Come Closer is a short novel that is supposed to be about a normal wife who is suddenly possessed by an evil force. Is she possessed? Is she going mad? Or has she just discovered her mad streak? Who cares...
I read this book right after reading the incredible A Good and Happy Child. Both books have similar themes and undertones, but Come Closer never achieves the suspense and brilliance of Child. Come Closer is too short for its own good. As our heroine, Amanda, falls deeper and deeper into madness, you care less and less about her shortcomings.
I wish this one would have been fleshed out more. The characters are paper thin and nearly caricatures of the type they represent. And instead of being short and to the point the book, about 160 pages long, feels long and tedious. It's just event upon event that, once all put together, never amounts to much. One day Amanda is a happy wife. The next she burns her husband with a cigarette. The next, she thinks her shrink is after her. The next, she tries to drown someone. The next she might or might not have committed murder. And then, she gets fully possessed and starts acting, well, a little crazy. And although the finale is supposed to be gruesome and shocking, you see it coming from 10 miles away.
Is it wrong of me to prefer the possessed Amanda than the 'normal' one? She was a lot more fun and wasn't as boring as the Amanda found in the first half of this book. Come Closer feels like the outline for a much better book. We got short version, that where is the real novel, the real story, the real thing? Unfortunately, it wasn't found here.
CHILLING AND DIFFERENT TYPE OF HORROR STORY.......2007-05-10
Being a big fan of horror in general, I was happy to find a new author to scare me. Sara Gran is a good writer. While this book about a woman who is possessed, it didn't really scare me. However, it did make for good reading.
Meet Amanda, a happily married career woman. Suddenly, not-so-good things start to happen to her -- horrible dreams, a mysteriouis tapping in her home, blackouts, just to name a few. What it all boils down to is that Amanda is possessed by an evil demon.
We all know about the book/movie The Exorcist and I truly do believe in demonic possession -- I mean, WHY NOT? Strange things do happen in this world. However, I couldn't help thinking is this poor Amanda possessed or slowly going insane? Who would ever know the difference? Only Amanda and the demon would know!
The book takes you on a good-guessing ride, has many shocking and surprising little episodes that really were not expected. The book is short and reads well and fast. It kept my interest, although at the end it seemed that you just KNEW what was going to happen. Don't want to give the ending away -- but you could see it coming and I kept wondering why it hadn't happened sooner.
If you like horror novels, this is one to read. It is good, different, and very interesting.
Thank you!
Pam
HOw Could a Person NOT Find This Story Terrifying???.......2007-05-09
A seemingly normal person who slowly stops being herself. She does nothing to bring this on and then loses time and herself. Animals who liked her start to growl, she drops a fork under the table at a restaurant , bends to pick it up and is confronted with the grinning face of her dinner companion with their head upside down!
It is subtle, more THE CHANGELING scary than NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Expecting more SENSATIONAL fright may be the reason some reviewers didn't care for it. It is being made into a movie , I knew it would be! I can't wait!
Interesting premise, lousy writing.......2007-04-30
When I read two horrible cliches in the first 2 pages of this book, I almost gave up on it. ("My head spun" and "I felt like I was in a bad dream.") Lazy, lazy. The prose is clunky and boring, more like a "Reader's Digest" article than anything. The only thing that kept me reading was the question of whether this woman was truly possessed or just psychotic. I give it two stars because the story stayed with me after I read it, and it raises interesting questions about the nature of insanity.
Book Description
When vampire hunter Eden Faveau mistakes Laurent, a renegade vampire of Tribe Manticore, for her new partner, he's not about to correct her. He's stolen a laptop full of sensitive files from the Tribe leader, Justinian, and needs help cracking the encryption. At first he wants sexy and intelligent Eden only for her computer wizardry -- but soon he wants her for much, much more.
Working by night and growing closer every day, Laurent and Eden struggle with the passion that threatens to overwhelm them. But when Justinian captures Eden, and Laurent proves his loyalty to his Tribe in the most shocking of ways, Eden vows to kill Laurent for his deception. Can he find a way to prove his love for her before a full-on war breaks out between vampires and humans?
Download Description
"When vampire hunter Eden Faveau mistakes Laurent, a renegade vampire of Tribe Manticore, for her new partner, he's not about to correct her. He's stolen a laptop full of sensitive files from the Tribe leader, Justinian, and needs help cracking the encryption. At first he wants sexy and intelligent Eden only for her computer wizardry -- but soon he wants her for much, much more. Working by night and growing closer every day, Laurent and Eden struggle with the passion that threatens to overwhelm them. But when Justinian captures Eden, and Laurent proves his loyalty to his Tribe in the most shocking of ways, Eden vows to kill Laurent for his deception. Can he find a way to prove his love for her before a full-on war breaks out between vampires and humans?
Customer Reviews:
light vampire romance.......2007-08-18
Eden Faveau is a slayer from a long line of slayers. Laurent is a vampire from the worst and nastiest clan/tribe of vampires. They meet by mistake and develop a really interesting relationship.
For me, distinguishing between the many clans and tribes of vampires was a little confusing at first but got cleared toward the end of the book.
The vampire/paranormal world was mostly cliches in this book, but the repartee between the main characters was gripping and sexy and kept me turning the pages. The lead characters were lovable and interesting - not very deep, but fun and totally readable. The villains were not too much work to deal with, so that left a lot of room for the romance to develop.
I am more of a romance fan than a vampire fad - so this book was great for me. Don't expect edge-of-your-seat suspense or ground-breaking developments. Just a reasonably good romance with building sexual tension, good characters, and a satisfying conclusion.
Worth reading!
Erotic? YES. Scary? NO. Shallow characters? pretty much........2006-09-30
I'm in favor reading a good, sexy vampire story. I mean, that's what being a vampire is suppose to be about, right? Vamps are suppose to be irresistable, hypnotic, strong (both mentally & physically) and wise beyond all means. The heroine is suppose to come from a long generation of vampire hunters & we're suppose to believe that she's strong-willed, etc. She falls in lust (oops - love) for this vampire imposter with limited hesitation. I understand the breakdown of her defenses builds the connection between the two characters and is kind of expected in romance novels. Being that it's a romance novel with a vampire twist I didn't mind all the sappy lines referencing to recent movies and comic books and I didn't mind how the characters proved to be weak instead of stubborn (the heroine) & evil (the hero/vampire/traitor/villan). I liked the plot of the story but I just couldn't help giggling at some of the metaphors the author used in the heat of the lust/romance.
Honestly, reading this book seemed as if I started in the middle of a series of books from the author. I'm aware she's written a mass of books but there are so many different vampire "clans" and she vaguely explains how each clan plays a role (refering to how evil one clan is from another).
Lots of steamy scenes though. : ) VERY CUTE guy model on the cover - kind of makes you forgive the female character for giving in to her lust if this was really how the guy looked. **Did anyone notice the female model on the cover has long hair but the character in the book is suppose to have very short hair?**
Entertaining.......2006-08-14
I liked this one better than "Hunger" and "Thirst." It certainly wasn't the best or most indepth of the genre, but it was good for filling up a few hours when something heavy would not do.
Eden and Laurent are a likable couple. The basic premise of the story appeared to be "blood tells."
What Darkness???.......2006-05-08
I fully agree with one other reviewer: cardboard characters all the way around. Not much substance to any of the guys in the book either (well, maybe Joe the werewolf had the most characterization). Too bad. I love good vampire novels but this is the last book for me from this author.
Continues the "I Hunger for You" series...........2006-04-26
I wish I would have realized that before I sold the first 3 books. I prefer to keep my series together so if I get confused I can go back and check some things in previous books. BUT other than that, I really enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed that the poor guy/vampire who didn't feel he belonged anywhere and was shunned by all, found a place & a people to call home -- just love those happy endings!
Book Description
Orko has found a powerful magic crystal, and Eternia's most evil denizens will stop at nothing to get it. In their most desperate mission yet, He-Man, Man-at-Arms, and Orko face off against Evil-lyn, Trapjaw, Tri-Klops, and the master of evil, Skeletor! If they lose this battle, evil will dominate the world!
Product Description
DARKNESS SHINING WILD is an investigation of sanity, suffering, identity, death, and the far frontiers of spirituality, all constellated around the story of an extremely harrowing near-death experience. The hellish journey following that experience provides a jumping-off point for deep-diving reflections on topics ranging from the anatomy of dread to the relationship between madness and spirituality. The odyssey to the heart of hell and beyond that centers DARKNESS SHINING WILD provides not a consoling cartography of the transpersonal, but rather a reality-unlocking tour of the everwild Mystery of Being, in which revelation supplants explanation. DARKNESS SHINING WILD is especially suited for those who, having left the shores of the status quo, are discovering that the waters they are crossing have no obligation to remain benign or comfortable. It may also inspire those who, despite having done considerable psychospiritual work, nonetheless find themselves "sinking" into darkness. DARKNESS SHINING WILD is dedicated to those whose longing to be truly free is stronger than their longing to be distracted from their suffering.
Customer Reviews:
You Need The Right Frame Of Mind.......2007-08-09
It's a great read. Understand where the author is coming from. It has its place, knowing how profoundly one can sink into despair and also fly so high. Not for the fainthearted however.
Darkness means it's time for nighty-night........2007-06-30
This book absolutely put me to sleep. I love the writing of Masters, so rythmic and poetic. But I just couldn't stay awake to read this clump of angst. (In fact, I passed the book on to my young little neighbor, who loves drugs.) This is not bed-time reading. This is the kind of book to be read in rehab, before bath-time. O yea! This book is a about a bad drug experience, did I mention that? For Masters it resulted in a major - ? What? I didn't get that far, because I think people who use drugs recreationally are asking for it. Begging for it. I don't condone the use of drugs recreationally, spiritually, shamanistically. I think it's outright stupid. (Even Jim Morrison got bored with it. Read about Jim's life.) These days, it's a given that inducing a substance, however it is administered, is a huge risk and just plain ignorant. But people take drugs all the time, right? I think we have to be smarter than the drugs we use, even when they are legal and doled-out by doctors. Masters didn't regain mastery of his body for several years, it seems... Drugs are known to cause brain-damage. If you identify with what I'm describing, you might get some use out of this book. Read up on neurology. Find out more about the brain. I found this book irritating and disappointing. Let me put it another way: get real. Be honest. Work at finding integrity in your being. And then you won't have to worry about creating your own hell. (Because hell only happens when people lie.) Pick up some books by H.H. Dali Lama and learn the correct approach to meditating your way to sanity. Sincerely!
Average customer rating:
- The Magnakai Climax!
- Of all in this series, 'Masters' is most memorable
- Absolute Success-Indubitable Masterpiece
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The Masters of Darkness (Lone Wolf, No 12)
Joe Dever
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0425117189 |
Customer Reviews:
The Magnakai Climax!.......2001-06-04
This, being book 12 of the Lone Wolf series, and the final chapter in the plights of Lone Wolf in the discipline of the Magnakai, pits Lone Wolf once again against the Archlord of Darkness, one Lord Gnaag, supreme ruler of the Masters of Darkness. Lone Wolf returns from the Dazhiarn, an alternate world, only to find his enemies, the nemesis of the Sommlending, about to storm his very homeland! He must journey to infernal city of Heldgedad, the very stronghold and capital of the evil oppressors! Here chronicles one of the very best adventures Lone Wolf embarks upon, and you can bet it is one of the very best of the series, which curtails approximately 32 books long-and well worth reading every one!
Of all in this series, 'Masters' is most memorable.......2000-08-08
Lone Wolf Series fans will be delighted with #12 Masters of Darkness, as it supplies a much needed sense of closure to the "Magnakai" chapter in the series (noting that the series continues with at least 10 other books last I heard). I've followed the series from the start (Flight from the Dark)up to Legacy of Vashna and in my opinion, Masters of Darkness is the book I remember most vividly. Within it is the adventure in which Lone Wolf actually stops messing around and confronts all the major Darklords in a battle worthy of legend (even in terms of this series, it is a wonderful climax plot-wise). Highly recommendable, fun, and a must-have by fans for fans.
Absolute Success-Indubitable Masterpiece.......1997-04-11
It is hard to single out a Lone Wolf book in quality-they all share but one thing: their amazing breathtaking superbness. But one in particular does indeed rank superior to some of its predecessors and followers: The Masters of Darkness.The thrilling conclusion to the Magnakai and Kai adventures, The Masters of Darkness transports the reader from ship to beast to places that lurk in the nightmares of Lone Wolf. The reader must fight the terrors of the Kaltersee, the new city of Argazad, and finally, smuggle himself to the Black City and make a stand for the future of the entire world of Magnamund. Along the way the reader encounters, in incredible prose, the darkest and most infamous creatures in the Lone Wolf series: the Masters of Darkness. If you have read Lone Wolf books but not the Masters of Darkness, you haven't read Lone Wolf
Product Description
another great read from susan sizemore!intensely sensual,a mysterious world of opposing clans,some sharp humor and you have one the best novels sizemore has written!
Customer Reviews:
Super Reader.......2007-08-26
A mystery that hooks you right from the start. A worried man has an unexpected visitor, a newspaper columnist with a pseudonym, The White Owl. The worried man is a Judge in hiding.
He had been threated by a murdered named Double Z, when he wouldn't do what he wanted, and went on the run instead.
The journalist tracked him down, and calls his newspaper with a breaking story, the newsman on the other end hears shots!
Time for a new Wise Owl.
A lot of work for the Shadow's agents in this one, so much so he recruits another, Rutledge Mann.
Some very nervy work by Cliff and Harry lead The Shadow to stop Double Z's Chinese henchman, Loy Rook.
With the estimable Joe Cardona's help, The Shadow manages to set up a confrontation with the man he knows is Double Z.
Customer Reviews:
best of the trilogy.......2004-02-11
The questions and characters revealed in the first two books of this trilogy further explored in this third entry. A good deal of the book is about fighting and finding allies. Like much of "Vampire: the Masquerade" it is also about using others to get ahead and the effects of doing that on the mind, the emotions and the soul. This time both the effects on Kindred and ghouls are explored. I have a fondness for ghouls and have several players playing these servants in my annual summer tabletop game. Dedopulos does a good job of looking at the newness and horror of newbie Kindred and ghouls both though I wish someone would write more about ghouls in general. I was very pleased to finish this third book. Maybe I'll have good on Theo show up this summer when our rpg group restarts up Vampire.
Pleasantly surprised and very impressed.......2004-01-16
I had always been put off by RPG fiction - usually because the writing was often less than good. But a friend handed me Slave Ring I was really impressed by the way it was written - it had a different feel to it. I then read The Overseer in a day - I really couldn't put it down - it delved more deeply into the story telling and really fleshed out the characters making them more vivid. So I was looking forward to getting my hands on The Puppet-Masters, and I certainly wasn't disappointed. I knew that it was going to be an important book with everything that's happening in the game world, and I thought it successfully tied up a few loose-ends while leaving a few open for later books. It also continued to bring the characters to life and again I couldn't put it down. I am really looking forward to reading more by this writer!
The Final Nights are upon us ..........2003-12-21
This final book to the Brujah (Slave) Trilogy is a good read. I may be wrong, but it's also a nice precursor to the Time of Judgement novel that will bring a close to the World of Darkness (Gehenna). Sorry, if this is a spoiler for some - but I doubt it is ;)
Elements that are hinted at in the previous 2 books are fleshed out and revealed in this one, while others are left unanswered. We meet some notable characters from WoD lore, as well as experience some interesting plot developments that will keep the reader engaged from start to finish.
The Final Nights are upon us ...
Average customer rating:
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Dancer's Rise
Jo Clayton
Manufacturer: DAW Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000J2PUW2 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Dance Magazine, published by Thomson Gale on May 1, 2007. The length of the article is 825 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Abby Silva: the Parsons Company dancer soars with intensity and confidence.(On the Rise)
Author: Joy Goodwin
Publication:
Dance Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 81
Issue: 5
Page: 72(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Dance Magazine, published by Thomson Gale on December 1, 2005. The length of the article is 752 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Adiarys Almeida: this Cincinati Ballet soloist, without a word of English, defected from Cuba to take control of her career.(On the Rise)
Author: Jackie Demaline
Publication:
Dance Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 79
Issue: 12
Page: 106(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Dance Magazine, published by Thomson Gale on February 1, 2006. The length of the article is 684 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Alexandra Rivero: this hip hop virtuoso is booking herself solid in MTV videos, commercials, and high profile tours.(On the Rise)(Biography)
Author: Elizabeth Khuri
Publication:
Dance Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 80
Issue: 2
Page: 134(2)
Article Type: Biography
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Dance Magazine, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2006. The length of the article is 852 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Carolyn Judson: lyrical yet cherubic, this 21-year-old is leaping into leads at Texas Ballet Theatre.(On the Rise)(Biography)
Author: Dana Gavin Frank
Publication:
Dance Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 80
Issue: 3
Page: 90(2)
Article Type: Biography
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Dance Magazine, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2007. The length of the article is 833 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Christine Shevchenko: regal yet strong, the ABT Studio Company member has captivated critics and audiences.(On the Rise)(American Ballet Theatre )
Author: Joseph Carman
Publication:
Dance Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 81
Issue: 7
Page: 74(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Dance Magazine, published by Thomson Gale on October 1, 2005. The length of the article is 851 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: The Delgado sisters: darlings of the Miami City Ballet School, Jeanette and Patricia are now taking the spotlight in the company.(On the Rise)(Jeanette Delgado and Patricia Delgado)
Author: Joseph Carman
Publication:
Dance Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 79
Issue: 10
Page: 92(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Dance Magazine, published by Thomson Gale on August 1, 2006. The length of the article is 805 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Irina Kolesnikova: this Russian ballerina rose to the top against all odds at a company few in the U.S. have heard of.(On the Rise)
Author: Nina Alovert
Publication:
Dance Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 80
Issue: 8
Page: 73(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Dance Magazine, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2007. The length of the article is 700 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Jason Janas: soaring with his taps through Tapestry Dance.(On the Rise)(Tapestry Dance Company )(Biography)
Author: Clare Croft
Publication:
Dance Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 81
Issue: 1
Page: 222(2)
Article Type: Biography
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Make Stress Your Ally in the Pursuit of Happiness and Personal Fulfillment
There's no escaping stress. It appears on our doorstep uninvited in the shattering forms of death, divorce, or job loss. Stress even comes in the pleasant experiences of promotion, marriage, or a long-held wish fulfilled. So why do some people come out of a crisis feeling better than ever, and others never seem to bounce back?
With a new chapter on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the latest research on "nerve cell plasticity," this completely revised edition of Resilience takes the anxiety out of hard times. Drawing on more than thirty years of case studies from his own psychiatric practice, Dr. Flach reveals the remarkable antidote to the destructive qualities of stress-physical, mental, and emotional resilience.
You will discover:
* How to develop the 14 traits that will make you more resilient
* Why "falling apart" is often the smartest step to take on the road to resilience
* When the five-step plan for creative problem solving can help
* What essential steps you can take to strengthen your body's resilience
* How to redefine your problem and restructure your pain to create a life you can handle, a life you can learn from and enjoy!
Customer Reviews:
Very good book........2005-05-17
This is a very encouraging book once you get past the use of the word "resilience," which, at first might seem to imply that the individual lacks "resilience" in the general use of the term. This is not how Flach uses it.
Flach does not "blame" the parents. He points out, that if you did happen to have bad experiences in your past, you do need to recognize and deal with them. He firmly puts the ability to do this, with help if need be, with the reader. The ultimate lesson - it is not only natural, it is a vital part of life to experience problems, hurts, trials, depression, etc. and to move on. Every time we move on, our resilience grows stronger and makes us a more whole and stronger person. If we don't deal with our current or past problems and hurts, we do not grow and our resilience does not grow leading us to possibly greater trouble in the future.
All people go through moments of crisis that they must pass. And Flach wants everyone to know that they not only can make it through, but triumph and grow to a better tomorrow.
I think this book should be read after reading "The Secret Strength of Depression" EXPECIALLY if a person has to deal with depression in themselves or another (which they do, even if they don't realize it Flach points out :) ). Flach first addresses "resilience" here and I think it sets the tone. ALSO, Flach gives a very different and USEFULL interpretation of depression. Depression is NOT very intense negative emotions. It is NOT a very intense low mood. It is not emotions or mood. By separating issues that confuse healing, Flach encourages the individual that they can get better.
Flach is a religious man and it shows in some of his writing in these books (he has other, overtly religious, writings) but it is not overbearing - this is a man who had to council both religious (sometimes dangerously so, as Flach gives a case study of a young man destroyed by guilt) and non-religious individuals.
Like Flach's other book, "The Secret Strength of Depression," the fundamental idea comes across early and the reader can finish the book quite quickly as the flow makes it easy to skip what does not apply to you in particular.
Avoid this book.......2004-11-03
This is a depressing book for people trying to find resilience within themselves. Dr. Flach blames parenting, childrood, peer groups and "the unconscious" - all of which one cannot change. He seems to believe in psychotherapy not self-help, which is disappointing. What a downer.
The Antidote for Surviving Catastrophe.......2003-11-11
+++++
Based on his over thirty years of experience as a psychiatrist, Frederic Flach reveals the antidote for the destructive effects of stress and change -- resilience. And the good news is that Flach assures us is that the "most encouraging observation I've made over these years is that resilience is a strength most of us can develop through thought and practice."
What is resilience? Flach tells us that it is "the strengths we require to master cycles of disruption [emotional upset caused by stressful events such as a family death, divorce, or job loss] and reintegration [putting the pieces of our life back together] throughout our lives." This book offers simple and practical advice on HOW to perfect those strengths that we all have within us.
In this book, some of the things you will discover are as follows:
(1) Over a dozen traits that will make you more resilient
(2) Why giving into stress and "falling apart" may be the best step to take on the road to resilience
(3) Why the use of prescription drugs may not be the best choice in removing the psychological pain caused by stress
(4) Why creative problem solving is a major part of resilience
(5) The factors in our environment needed to facilitate resilience.
A remarkable quality of this book is that it is easy to read and thus easy to learn from. There is no confusing technical psychobabble. The most interesting aspect of this book is that Flach uses some of his actual patient studies to illustrate his practical advice. Also, there is a large reference section if the reader wants to learn more.
In conclusion, this book will change the way you think about stress FOREVER.
+++++
Excellent information on resilience.......2002-01-06
Frederic Flach, M.D., graduated from Cornell University Medical College where he currently serves as Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry. He is an attending psychiatrist at the Payne Whitney Clinic of New York Hospital and of St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center. He has written numerous books on resilience and the survivor personality, with a particular emphasis on the management of stress throughout one's life.
This 234-page book is clearly written and well laid out, with a table of contents, index and bibliography. Dr. Flach starts the book with an introduction explaining the concept of resilience, which he defines as the "psychological and biological strengths required to successfully master change." In the modern, fragmented, urban world that 95% of us in the U.S. live in today, no topic could be more significant. Dr. Flach has spent years studying how people cope with major catastrophes and terrible hardships, as well as potentially dangerous major turning points in their lives. He has discovered that there are common personality traits of people who are resilient/survivors, including:
--creativity
--a high ability to tolerate pain, emotional and physical
--self-insight
--self-respect
--self-esteem and the ability to restore it when it is diminished or temporarily lost
--a capacity for learning
--the ability to make and keep friends
--the ability to cooperate and inter-depend on others without being dependent
--a vital, evolving perspective on interpreting the events in one's life and giving them meaning
--a willingness to utilize crisis and suffering as an opportunity to heal old wounds, discover new ways to approach life and make themselves over
--a body able to deal with the physical strains of the stress response
--a willingness to "appropriately collapse" in the face of a significant amount of stress and change (take time to experience the extent of the problem on all levels)
--an ability to contain within reasonable limits the amount of disruption in their lives due to the stress and change
--a desire to directly and practically attempt to reassemble the pieces of their lives after collapsing and containing the disruption
--a support network out in the world and a willingness to seek help when they need it, from friends, family or mental health or medical professionals
I find Dr. Flach's theoretical framework fascinating, informative and very useful, to wit: that it is a fact of life in nature that the physical world we are all part of is made up of endless cycles of disruption and reintegration. As human beings with physical bodies, living in the physical world, no matter how brilliantly and creatively we have managed to seemingly defy and work against the natural reality, it remains, always, within and around us. Thus we continually face crisis (the end of a cycle in our life, which demands that we change in response to a newly entering, different reality), and stress (the response of the body to any demand made upon it).
Dr. Flach provides an clear, easily understandable, compelling discussion of both these issues. I found his remarks on stress an excellent expansion on the huge body of literature on this topic written over the past 30-40 years. And I found extremely profound and useful the way he ties stress and disruption-reintegration together by explaining, very clearly, the concept of homeostasis. This, he states, is the innate drive within all living creatures, including humans, to maintain themselves in states of coherence, that is, to return to the status quo after being disturbed. This self-preserving, adaptive capacity is in all of us, and it is essential that we use it, rather than fighting against it, to maintain physical and mental health.
If you were to read only one book on the subject of resilience, this would be a very good choice. It is easy to read, and it makes a logical, concise, clear argument that is consistent throughout. Dr. Flach draws practical, meaningful conclusions, based on his professional experience with thousands of patients and his own professional research, and offers simple, understandable, practical suggestions for ways to survive and grow in the face of the inevitable stress and change we all face constantly.
A unique, powerful approach to mastering personal change!.......1997-06-30
The New England Journal of Medicine: "Part practical, part inspirational...Written with clarity...contains short, readable examples for all aspects of life...useful to lay persons in times of crises."...Stanley Krippner, Ph.D., Saybrook Institute: "Well written and vital. Flach presents ways of coping with stress, recovering from disruption and creating a process by which one can not only survive catastrophe but can escape with flexibility, faith, and the will to endure."
Books:
- Death at Bishop's Keep (Robin Paige Victorian Mysteries, No. 1)
- Death on the Installment Plan
- Design Principles and Problems
- Devil in a Blue Dress (Easy Rawlins Mysteries)
- Elizabeth Costello
- Endless Chain (Shenandoah Album)
- Eucalyptus: A Novel
- Exact Revenge
- Falcon Saga (Arabesque)
- First Rider's Call (Green Rider, Book 2)
Books Index
Books Home
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- The Lightning Thief
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- The Everlasting Stream: A True Story of Rabbits, Guns, Friends, and Family
- Philip the bold: The formation of the Burgundian state
- Dinero, negocios y personalidades.
