Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types

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Does your spouse's need to alphabetically organize books on the shelves puzzle you? Do your boss's tsunami-like moods leave you exasperated? Do your child's constant questions make you batty? If you've ever wanted to change your mate, your coworkers, or a family member, then "Put down your chisel," advise David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates in this book of personality types. We are different for a reason, and that reason is probably more good than bad. Keirsey and Bates believe that not only is it impossible to truly change others (which they call embarking on a "Pygmalion project"), it's much more important to understand and affirm differences. Sounds easier than it is, you might say. Well, this book is a guide for putting an end to the Pygmalion projects in your life and starting on the path to acceptance.

For anyone acquainted with the ubiquitous Myers-Briggs personality test, Please Understand Me will be familiar territory--but gone over with a fine-toothed comb. And for the uninitiated, this book will be a quick introduction to personality typing the Myers-Briggs way--with a Jungian accent. After presenting a brief rundown of 20th-century psychology movements, Keirsey and Bates encourage you to take the 70-question "Keirsey Temperament Sorter," a sort of mini-Myers-Briggs test that places you in 1 of 16 personality types. Like the Myers-Briggs system, this test sorts your personality into groups of extraversion/introversion (E/I), sensation/intuition (S/N), thinking/feeling (T/F), and perceiving/judging (P/J). Unlike the Myers-Briggs system, Please Understand Me also presents four easy-to-remember temperament types--Dionysian (freedom first), Epimethean (wants to be useful), Promethean (desires power), and Apollonian (searches for self)--that underlie the 16 possible personalities identified by the test. The book then delves into a detailed analysis of each type, with sections on mates, children, and leaders. An appendix paints portraits of the 16 possible personality types.

Unless you're already a true personality-typing devotee, this book may seem a little esoteric, especially the somewhat "in" references to psychological theory that few laypeople will be likely to understand. But give it a chance and you may find that you'll begin to understand why you always know where to find Anna Karenina on the shelf (you have an ESTJ husband), why your boss is sarcastic one day and praises your achievements the next (she's an NF), and why knowing the reason that the sun comes up in the same place every day is important to your little one (he's Promethean). You may even find that once you accept quirks and ticks in others, they will understand you a little better, too. --Stefanie Durbin

Book Description

This book is excellent for understanding your own character and it is in new conditions. No marks or breaks on any of the pages.

Please Stop Laughing at Me: One Woman's Inspirational Story

Average customer rating:

Its a fast, somewhat useful read
I liked it while I was reading it, but I can see where some of the critics are coming from
The best book ever!
Jodee Blanco - Grow up
Absurdly annoying

Please Stop Laughing at Me: One Woman's Inspirational Story
Jodee Blanco
Manufacturer: Adams Media Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1580628362

Book Description

While other kids were daydreaming about dances, first kisses, and college, Jodee Blanco was just trying to figure out how to get from homeroom to study hall without being taunted or spit upon as she walked through the halls.

This powerful, unforgettable memoir chronicles how one child was shunned—and sometimes physically abused—by her classmates from elementary school through high school. It is an unflinching look at what it means to be the outcast, how even the most loving parents can get it all wrong, why schools are often unable to prevent disaster, and how bullying has been misunderstood and mishandled by the mental health community.

You will be shocked, moved, and ultimately inspired by this harrowing tale of survival against insurmountable odds. This vivid story will open your eyes to the harsh realities and long-term consequences of bullying—and how all of us can make a difference in the lives of teens today.

Customer Reviews:

Its a fast, somewhat useful read.......2007-09-27

This book is Jodee's personal story. The writing style suggests a ghost writer (sorry Jodee) or an intention decision to "write for teens". Maybe it was written with a movie in mind? Yes, there is a happy ending, where the heroine goes to NYU and has a great life. Ms Blanco is the agent for Dave Pelzer... so we have to expect melodrama here.

Some other reviewers have complained that the process of personal recovery from her abuse is omitted, as is advice on how parents and students can deal with bullying. I expect the person details of therapy and relationships while in college are too personal and painful to relate in a book like this. Who has not made a mistake in college that seems like a personal failing? College, when "we should know better" can be more painful than the high school situations mentioned here.

Advice on dealing with and preventing bullying can be found on her website, where 2 additional books are listed. "Its not just joking around" appears to provide practical advice to parents and students. If you are in the situation of needing this advice, I suggest three things: 1) get the child involved in activities outside of school 2) buy Ms Blanco's other book and 3) have an open minded discussion with the principal/teachers at the child's school.

I applaud what Ms. Blanco is doing, but her future is in working directly with people, not in writing inspirational memoirs.

If you want a very well executed, compelling description of victimization and recovery/reclamation, I suggest Lucky by Alice Sebold. The righting styles are very different, and those looking for more substance and less self-pity will find it with Sebold. Lucky: A Memoir

I liked it while I was reading it, but I can see where some of the critics are coming from.......2007-08-09

I can identify with Blanco somewhat, and that is why I enjoyed the book when I first read it. I was somewhat of an outcast in school, though not to the extent that Jodee was. No one ever abused me physically.

I think that one of Jodee's reasons for writing this book was to show other adolescent outcasts that they are not alone. I think that many of the critics are missing this point, and it is probably because they never experienced being shunned while they were in school. As a adult who was shunned and ridiculed in middle and high school (though moreso in middle school than in high school), I can say that when this stuff is happening to you at this point in your life, it really does feel like YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE. It can seem like everyone else has it together; everyone else is enjoying life; everyone else has friends and dates; and everyone else except you is living life to the fullest, while you are taunted and exiled. I really think that this is one of the positive messages that can be received from Jodee's book. It can show other outcasts that they are not alone, and that someone else has been where they are, and someone else knows what they are going through.

At this point, you probably think I see nothing wrong with Jodee's work. If this is the case, let me point out the fact that I only gave this book three stars. With that having been said, I will now say that I do feel that Jodee could have handled herself better in several situations, and that the degree of bullying she got probably was a result of her actions and what she said. This isn't to excuse anything that happened; instead, it is just to show another side of the coin, and that bully victims who read Jodee's work and listen to her speeches should not attempt to be entirely like her.

First, I will address a situation in which some friends invited Jodee to go out trick or treating with them. When they were out, her friends wanted to vandalize an elderly woman's yard. Jodee objected, telling her friends that their plans were "mean and nasty." Granted, what Jodee's friends wanted to do WAS mean and nasty, but Jodee didn't have to say this. That just have them a reason to pick on her. Instead, she could have just said something like, "No, I don't want to do that because I don't want to get caught." This is what I said when I was in these types of situations as a kid, and things worked much better for me. My classmates still thought I was scared to do anything bad, but they didn't brutalize me to the extent that Jodee was brutalized.

Next, I would like to talk about the part in which Jodee has some hysterics over having to dissect a pig in biology class. Regardless of whether or not this book is good for those interested in bullying issues, this situation could have definitely been handled better. If it bothered her as much as it did, she could have just quietly gone up to the teacher and explained that the smell and act made her squeamish. (I'm sure biology teachers are well aware that these things don't set well with some people). She still may not have gotten out of doing it, but her classmates would not have had a reason to target her, and the teacher probably would have respected her a little more. And I realize that not all teachers are like the ones I had in high school, but all of my teachers were quite reasonable when it came to dissections. Weather permitting, the classroom windows were always open on dissection days, and students were permitted to step outside periodically to get fresh air if they so needed.

Then there's the scenario involving the handicapped teacher who calls the special education classroom the "rubber room." First off, this teacher should not have said this. I'm not saying that this was an appropriate thing for an educator to say, because it definitely isn't. Most of the troubles resulting from this were brought on by Jodee herself. Her tearing into him right there in the classroom, and then putting her fellow classmate on the spot, pretty much caused all of the troubles that she experienced as a result of this. A more appropriate way of handling this would have been to go to the principal and discuss the matter. It would have been handled much more quietly and professionally if done that way.

Surely, a pattern can be seen here. Jodee is obviously a very dramatic person, and that usually does not go over very well out in the world. School-age bullies see it as a prime target for their malice. I am not trying to justify anything that happened to Jodee, but just trying to show that she was really not as innocent as she seemed to be making herself out to be. Whenever Jodee tried to take a stand, she almost always did it in the most public way possible. Her readers should take this as a lesson: In life, it is usually best to handle these types of situations as quietly and as discreetly as possible. Taking a stand in a very loud and deliberately noticeable manner is often seen as being arrogant and attention starved. Jodee apparently didn't learn this during her childhood.

In spite of my criticisms, I still stand by my earlier statements that this book is a good read for victims of school bullying just for the reassurance that someone else knows what they are going through and has been where they are. However, I would not recommend that they emulate Blanco's behavior entirely.

The best book ever!.......2007-07-14

I read this book, at a camp. It is the best book I have ever read. It is about the tragic story of a woman in her childhood, where she is rejected by everyone. It is the saddest book ever. She is not only rejected, but she is also seriously bullied.

Her first run-in with bullying is in the 5th grade, at a Catholic school. She sticks up for a deaf kid who is being teased, and she herself begins to be teased. Her problem only gets worse when she tells her mother that some other children were behaving very inappropriately at a birthday party, when she refuses to disect a fetal pig, and tells the principal that some other children shoveled snow into her mouth while she almost suffocated to death.

I read this book, because part of me fears, since I am much like Jodee in the book, that some of these things might happen to me.

I loved this book! I do not like the fact that in real life these things happened, but the story has an important message. I can not wait to read the sequel to this book, 'Please Stop Laughing at Us...'

Besides the story's message, it also is written very honestly and with excellent vocabulary.

The author reveals to the world some of her darkest secretsfrom her personal life, to help victims of bullies.

This story shows that even if you are bullied then you can still succeed.

Jodee Blanco - Grow up.......2007-06-04

This is the first book review I've ever written. I either like a book or I don't. This book truly "ticked me off." As someone who couldn't wait to graduate from high school, I was expecting to read a realistic account of what it's like to be a true outcast. I was hoping to learn something about what can be done to help all the kids out there who fear going to school every day. What I got from this book is that there are kids who truly do bring a lot of the torture on to themselves -- example Jodee Blanco. I in no way believe that condones bullying, but let's face it, kids can be cruel, especially to annoying, arrogant, hollier than Thou know-it-alls such as Jodee Blanco. Ms. Blanco makes herself out to be a saint among all sinners. Every other classmate throughout her school years were just not as good as Jodee. She was more mature, more intelligent, more caring (yeah right), blah blah blah. If kids would have tormented me the way Ms. Blanco claims they did to her, I certainly would not have decided to let everyone know I had a physical deformity by returning to gym class after being excused from it. It seems as though Ms. Blanco was just asking for it. Did "Angel" in some sick way actually enjoy the attention she was getting from her mother and "daddy?" I know firsthand just how mean and hateful teens can be; however, to be bullied to the extreme that Ms. Blanco claims, she had to be doing something to encourage these kids. There are parts of this book I just don't even believe. While I don't doubt that Ms. Blanco had a hellish childhood, she should realize that compared to a lot of kids, she was also quite spoiled -- vacationing in Greece, permitted to change schools if she so desired, swimming pool, company car. I'm guessing that a majority of kids who are bullied don't even have a decent home life or caring parents to go home to let alone all the niceties that Ms. Blanco had. This book cannot be anywhere close to what its truly like to be a victim of childhood/adolescent bullying. Ms. Blanco is so full of herself I feel as though she's still the troubled teen that she was 20 plus years ago. If Ms. Blanco was as big a braggart in school as she clearly is at present, then no wonder the kids couldn't stand her. Her idea of success is mingling with famous people who probably don't even recall her name once the interview and/or social event is over. To this day she still longs to be part of the so-called in crowd from her high school years. How sick is that -- grow up! I'm a firm believer in foregiveness, but I would never forget the horrific things these people had done to me. Why would anyone in their right mind desire to be a friend to the people who supposedly made the first 18 years of her life a living hell? Jodee Blanco is nothing more than an arrogant, self-centered name-dropper who still hopes to be friends with the head cheerleader and date the the good-looking football players. What a true loser. Does anyone else find it not surprising that Ms. Blanco doesn't mention that she is now in a loving relationship. To me - that would be success. My heart goes out to all the kids who are truly being bullied. I hope that they can find someone (other than this garbage-filled book) to reach out to for love and guidance to help them through their school years. ...and I hope that they realize that being a part of the "in crowd" isn't what they should be striving for. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Ms. Blanco would have used what she went through in school to start up an organization for troubled teens. ... or at least travel to schools to give speeches about this topic to hope to reach at least one child -- either to help a victim or to get through to a bully. Okay - and she's still carrying her Bonne Belle lip gloss. She desparately needs some help.

P.S. to Ms. Blanco - your favorite elf's name is Hermey (not Kirby).

Absurdly annoying.......2007-05-28

I have to agree wholeheartedly with one of the review writers who said while reading this she felt like bullying Jodee Blanco herself. She brought so many of her troubles onto herself through her tattling and incredibly annoying self-righteous, judgmental, superior-acting behavior. I bought this book hoping I could glean some insight into the current state of bullying and hostile behaviors in our schools and communities. I hoped there might be suggestions on how to spot troubled children and young adults that might be victims or perpetrators of bullying and cruelty and how to help. I got nothing of the sort; just a whiny, unbelievable, poorly written tale of one very self-absorbed,narcissistic, shallow girl. It is apparent reading her author's bio. not much has changed-she is still her own greatest fan. An annoying and unbelievable read. I have never reviewed a book online before but this book was so bad I felt compelled to write.

Someone I Loved Died (Please Help Me, God)

Average customer rating:

Finally- a book that is right from the Bible!!!
This book is the best one on the market to explain death.

Someone I Loved Died (Please Help Me, God)
Christine Harder Tangvald
Manufacturer: Chariot Victor Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1555134904

Book Description

Children in our culture experience loss in many ways, whether through a move, through divorce, or through the death of a friend or relative. Once a child grasps the concept of death, it becomes one of their greatest fears in life. Someone I Love Died provides a positive approach for children to deal with the death of a friend or loved one in a comforting, non-threatening way and points them to Jesus Christ, the ultimate source of comfort and security.

Includes a Faith Parenting Guide.
Provides helpful, personal activities.
Addresses questions a child may have and gives honest answers.

Christine Tangvald has 82 books to her credit with 2.5 million copies in print. Her book The Best Thing about Easter was a recent best-seller. She has worked with primary and preschool children for over twenty years and lives with her husband in Spokane, Washington.

Customer Reviews:

Finally- a book that is right from the Bible!!!.......2002-05-18

What a blessing it was for me and my children to find this book! It was simple, yet colorful and the images are easy on the eyes- pretty general so the book can be applied to the death of any friend or relative! I was pleased that it gives kids who read it (or have it read to them) the opportunity to actually draw pictures inside the book, and write things down- which makes it a good book especially for young children. My children will soon loose their Grandmother and this is a book that they can read together with mom or dad. The best thing about this book is that it's right on target with what the bible teaches. I praise God for nudging the author to write this much needed book!

This book is the best one on the market to explain death........1999-01-05

The book "Someone I Love Died" is from my point of view the best. As a Pastoral Minister who deals with over 2000 children each week, one of the things I do is expain death to children. This is a concept that for them is very hard to understand. Why does God take someone they love away? This book expains clearly, correctly, the concept of death and what happens when someone dies. This understanding is done through the use of clear, concise, easy to understand language. I recommend this book to anyone who works with children or to a parent who are the first and primary educators of their children. This book is based on Christian values.

Dios Mio, Hazme Viuda Por Favor / God, Please Make Me A Widow: El Desafio De Ser Tu Misma

Average customer rating:

BUENO

Dios Mio, Hazme Viuda Por Favor / God, Please Make Me A Widow: El Desafio De Ser Tu Misma
Josefina Vazquez Mota , and Josefina Vazquez Mota
Manufacturer: Panorama Pub. Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 968380845X

Customer Reviews:

BUENO.......2005-12-31

Para empezar, el titulo del libro no tiene nada que ver con el contenido. La escritora o la editorial lo escogieron para atraer la mirada de los lectores en las librerias.

Lo que la escritora quiere decir con el titulo Dios mio hazme viuda porfavor, es que quiere que Dios la haga viuda de todas las cosas malas que aquejan a las mujeres (tanto hoy como en el pasado); discriminación, falta de valoración y respecto, vanidad, amor propio, etc.

El libro pretende ayudar al lector (obviamente a va dirigido hacia las mujeres) a despojarse de los prejuicios y circulos viciosos de la sociedad en que viven.

En la introducción podemos leer estas citas:

-LIBRO V. REGLA 148: Durante su infancia, una mujer debe depender de su padre; durante su juventud, de su marido; si éste ha muerto, de sus hijos; si no tiene hijos y ha muerto su marido, entonces de los parientes próximos a su marido y, en su defecto, los de su padre; y si no tiene parientes paternos, del soberano. Una mujer nunca debe gobernarse a su antojo.

-ARISTOTELES: La mujer es, por naturaleza, inferior al hombre. Debe pues obedecer.

-SANTO TOMAS DE AQUINO, TEOLOGO CATOLICO ITALIANO DEL SIGLO XIII. Las mujeres son imperfectas por naturaleza, son varones mal concebidos.

Precisamente de esto es de lo que la mujer desea quedar viuda; por eso el titulo.

El contenido y la meta del libro son muy similares a los libros de Carlos C. Sanchez.

Bueno para leer por las noches antes de dormir o como libro inspiracional. No tengan grandes expectaciones, no es el libro del año pero si es bueno.

Where in the World Do I Belong?? Which country's culture fits your Myers Briggs personality type?

Average customer rating:

Big Disappointment
MBTI goes international

Where in the World Do I Belong?? Which country's culture fits your Myers Briggs personality type?
Brent Massey
Manufacturer: Jetlag Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0979039703

Book Description

Where in the World Do I Belong?? is for people who are looking to find themselves and other like-minded people. We are all different and there is no way one country fits everyone living in it. Many people who travel or live abroad are surprised to discover countries that fit them better than their own country. Discover if your personality type differs from your country's culture. The popularity of personality type theory is spreading throughout Europe, Asia and the rest of the world. Every year, millions of people take personality tests like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®). These people seek to understand themselves and others through the tool of personality type. Where in the World Do I Belong?? describes countries from around the world using personality type. Insightful quotes and personal experiences of people from around the globe make Where in the World Do I Belong?? come alive. Cartoons by TRIGG illuminate and humorously depict various personality types and people from other cultures. Where in the World Do I Belong?? includes personality type profiles of more than 115 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pacific Islands, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, Uganda, UK, USA, and more! Find out what country you are for traveling and living abroad. Where in the World Do I Belong?? is also a tool for intercultural studies, cross-cultural trainers and anyone doing international business. Where in the World Do I Belong?? is a revolution in the way we understand ourselves and where we fit in the world. Visit Brent Massey at http://WWW.BRENTMASSEY.COM or http://WWW.TYPEANDCULTURE.COM

Customer Reviews:

Big Disappointment.......2007-07-24

I was really looking forward to reading this book, but I was extremely disappointed, and it wasn't just because I was told there was no culture that matched my personality type!

The notion of understanding culture through personality type is a very interesting idea, but Massey's book doesn't do the idea justice. His attempts to explain the basics of personality types and the relationships among the four categories left me cross-eyed, even though I already have a basic understanding of what the different types are about. The book in general reads as a sort of jumble of observations, and it is hard to pull the different comments together. Sometimes there are seemingly contradictory comments within a few sentences of each other that are not reconciled. Massey says that his wife accuses him of never getting to the punch line, and this book is a good illustration of that problem.

The biggest problem I had with the book, however, is that when he does get to a punch line, it's hard to know where it came from. Nowhere does Massey describe methodically exactly how he compiled his data, what different kinds of data he uses, or how much of it is represented in his ratings of each of the different countries. He says that some (perhaps most?) of his research was done by e-mail correspondence with individual people in different countries. In one place he reports a handful of responses from individuals from Australia, leaving me to wonder if his conclusions about Australian culture are based on the self-reporting of just five people who sent him e-mails. And whether his other profiles are based solely on just a few self-reports and e-mails. He reports an overall figure of 400 correspondences for 115 countries, an average of fewer than four people per country. That doesn't seem like a very solid foundation for drawing rather sweeping conclusions.

MBTI goes international.......2007-04-25

A welcome addition to the MBTI canon, Brent Massey's well-researched book examines Myers-Briggs type by country and countries by their Myers-Briggs type. Particularly strong in areas where the author has personal experience (the USA, Japan, INFPs), this book will shed a considerable amount of light on why it is that you sometimes don't feel like you quite belong in your own country, yet why you have always felt such a connection with and fond regard for [insert name of country where you had your most memorable holiday]. The effect of reading all this research gathered together in one book is as if Massey has created a new language, enabling the reader to verbalise what had previously been limited to a disparate collection of internal impressions. It's like suddenly putting on a pair of glasses and seeing clearly at last when you didn't even realise you were shortsighted. If you're (also) INFP, interested in psychology/typology/MBTI, have friends or relatives from other countries, or have a wide selection of stamps in your passport, this book will appeal; I'd give it six stars if I could. Highly, highly recommended.

Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room: Heavenly Help for Earthly Moms

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Encouragement in an easy to read format!
Help from Heaven for Harried Moms
A REMINDER OF THE HIGH CALLING OF MOTHERHOOD
Thank you, Barbara!
Lord, Please Meet

Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room: Heavenly Help for Earthly Moms
Barbara Curtis
Manufacturer: Beacon Hill Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0834120976

Book Description

’Seeking God in the journey of motherhood is what Barbara Curtis is all about. You will be challenged and inspired by her story of redemption that carried her from her abandonment as a child to radical feminism to her current life as the Christian mother of 12.’ --Barbara Rainey , author and wife of Dennis Rainey, mother of six and grandmother of 5. Is your time with the Lord sometimes elbowed out by the demands of your family? Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room will help you find spiritual significance in the everyday world of a workaday mom. You will be unburdened, enlightened, and encouraged as you manage all the tasks that make motherhood such a high calling. God is bigger than any place you set aside to meet Him and as near as you invite Him to be.

Customer Reviews:

Encouragement in an easy to read format!.......2007-03-23

Barbara Curtis has enough kids (grown, and not yet grown) that she understands that for a mom to be able to read a book, she needs to be able to put it down at a moment's notice, and pick it right back up without being lost. She also understands how badly some of us need to know that we are not in this alone. This book is easy to read encouragement, and not one bit of judging or preaching!

Help from Heaven for Harried Moms.......2006-10-29

The subtitle for this book is "Heavenly Help for Earthly Moms." Let me start by saying that if you are a harried mom looking for some respite from your tasks, pick up this book. Barbara Curtis writes for real women, and takes you on a spiritual journey, teaching you about God and His grace along the way.

Without sounding preachy or overly sentimental, Curtis uses touches of humor to lighten the load, and soon you realize that you can meet God in the garden, the minivan, and yes - even in the laundry room. "...God is bigger than any place I set aside to meet Him and as near as I invite Him to be."

I highly recommend Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room.

A REMINDER OF THE HIGH CALLING OF MOTHERHOOD.......2006-03-07

This is a delightful book. It's the perfect length for busy moms, and oh-so-full of wonderful words of refreshment. The author finds deep, spiritual joy in the GREAT ADVENTURE of motherhood. She loves her family; she loves her life. And after reading it, you'll understand why - and you'll want what she has for yourself.

Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room is Barbara Curtis' life story - her long, drawn-out answer to the question she probably hears several times a day: "So, how do you DO it?" Barbara is the mother of 12 kids - 9 of her own and 3 adopted. What's more, she and her husband purposefully adopted three children with Down's Syndrome since one of their sons has this "little extra" chromosome. Need I say more about her qualifications to write a book?

In the first chapter, Barbara describes how her laundry room became the one place in her home where she could have a "Quiet Time," where she could pour out her heart to God as well as listen to the "still small Voice" of the Lord. She says:

"And so my laundry room became my prayer closet. For years it's been the place I meet the Lord each morning before my children awake, and at intervals throughout the day as I transfer clothes from baskets to washer, from washer to dryer, from dryer to baskets again ... I never have trouble finding God in my laundry room. He is always ready to receive my praise, my thanks, my prayers for family and friends, my joys and heartaches too."

Barbara's journey to motherhood has taken plenty of twists and turns - she didn't have a good role model growing up, as she was transferred between divorced parents and even in foster care at one time. She moved to California and went through a period of embracing the ideals of radical feminism. Then she discovered Christianity for the very first time while listening to James Dobson's gentle voice on her car radio, then through attending a Focus on the Family marriage retreat. From that point on, her life changed forever, and she's never looked back.

If you have a child who is a "challenge" or has special needs, this book is definitely for you. Barbara calls this "a little extra." She describes what it was like to be surprised on her delivery day when she found out her newborn son had Down's. While the nurses and doctors feared her reaction, instead she described the "joy and exhilaration" she felt at being chosen by God to raise such a special child who would always need her care. She shares how this "little extra" in some of our children motivates us to depend on God more.

She writes, "What a privilege to be so dependent, so connected to Him. And no doubt about it, it's the connectedness to God that's key in realizing that being a mommy is a completely worthy - and unique - calling."

--Heather Ivester, Mind & Media

Thank you, Barbara!.......2006-02-10

I think the subtitle says exactly what this book is about..."Heavenly Help for Earthly Moms". I have been so blessed and helped by this book. Barbara is so down-to-earth in her writing, and that is exactly the kind of help I was looking for. In this age when motherhood is looked down upon, Barbara reminds us what a high calling motherhood truly is. I so needed to hear that God doesn't care when or where I call out to Him, He just wants me to do it! And it can be while I'm folding laundry or putting dishes in the dishwasher or changing my toddler's diaper. Thank you, Barbara, for reminding me that God does have plans for me, that He is here to lift me and sustain me. Thank you for reminding me that this is an incredible adventure and that I can find the joy in it when I let go and let God. Thank you for this encouraging book. Thank you for sharing with us that we don't have to be perfect, because God accepts our imperfection. I highly recommend this book for any mom, it has been a big help to me.

Lord, Please Meet.......2006-01-17

When I finished the introduction and first chapter of Lord, Meet Me in the Laundry Room, I cried. Now, I'm not a regular crier, and even my advanced maternal state has me making "to do" lists, not wallowing in my hormone laden idiosyncrasies. Still, Barbara Curtis' book resonated with me as no other mothering manuscript before.

The language wasn't flowery; her thoughts were not new. Perhaps it is because she is a mother of twelve, and I could tell that every feeling and thought I'd ever nursed, she had already nursed before. Perhaps it was that I enjoyed reading more from a woman I had grown to know only online. Perhaps it was when she said this:

"This book is about spending some time together sorting through the things that get in the way of finding joy in motherhood. It's about getting real about the past and mistakes we've made, the limitations of our lifestyle as mothers, the competitive spirit that robs us of intimacy with other mothers, and the lack of affirmation that sometimes makes us want to cry.

"This is a book about seizing each day, squeezing every bit of joy from every peanut-butter-and-jelly-smeared moment, finding God in the hum of a washing machine or an unexpected bargain." (page 9)

From the title, you might infer that the book is a "how-to" meet God in your everyday life as a mom. But it's much more than that. Barbara (it seems more right to call her "Barbara" than the more formal "Curtis" when writing) begins her book by connecting with the reader. She doesn't do this by saying, "Hey, I've got all these kids. Whatever story you've got, I can top." Instead, Barbara weaves a story of her own misjudgments and creative mishaps with the old story of God's faithfulness.

"Then from the backseat I heard Zachary clear his throat and in his deadpan four-year-old Eeyore voice ask, "Mom, when are you going to get a job?"

"This is my job," I said, maybe just a little edgy.

But homeward bound, as the kids fell asleep one by one and I was left alone with my thoughts, I began to see the beauty of Zach's question: somehow-even though it could be hard work and even though I had my testy moments-my kids didn't think of motherhood as a job.

And I decided that was a good thing-because it's not really a job at all, but a calling..." (page 98)

Today's mothers are tired, due to nurturing the distractions that compete for our attention and affections. Reading this book was like a cup of cocoa on a cold day: Barbara's warm candor and not-so-perfect stories were a treat to me, a mother in the trenches. Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room is a story of deliverance, Barbara's own, as well as the one waiting for us younger mothers who have the willingness to learn some wisdom from those who've gone before.

Average customer rating:

Please help me!: Please love me!
Walter Trobisch
Manufacturer: Inter-Varsity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Average customer rating:

The character Suze Figueroa is not in this book
D'Amato's Chilling Thriller
What a page-turner!
A Real Barn Burner!
A chilling thriller

Help Me Please (Suze Figueroa)
Barbara D'Amato
Manufacturer: Forge Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Women Sleuths | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Police Procedurals | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0812590155

Book Description

An hour and a half after three-year-old Danielle Gaston is kid-napped from the Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, a new Web site pops up on the World Wide Web--featuring Danielle Gaston. She's isolated in a room with no food and only water to drink. This live-action Web page is available to all net users around the world and is soon rebroadcast on CNN and other television networks.Since Danielle is the only child of a popular country-and-western singer and a senator, her case is a high profile one--and likely to end in heartbreak. Unless Deputy Chief of Detectives Polly Kelly can crack the case before the child is harmed.

Customer Reviews:

The character Suze Figueroa is not in this book.......2007-05-29

This is an excellent police procedural novel. Although widely advertised as a Suze Figueroa novel, she does not appear in it. This one is a Deputy Chief of Detectives Polly Kelly novel which is set in the same locale. An extremely done race against time. A great read.

D'Amato's Chilling Thriller.......2001-08-13

As a mystery writer with my debut novel in its initial release, I was fascinated by Barbara D'Amato's HELP ME PLEASE. I love the way Ms. D'Amato effectively works the criminal use of the Internet into this police procedural. Danni Gaston, a young daughter of two celebrities--an entertainer and a politician--is abducted from a church. The snatched child appears on the Internet a matter of hours later, and the kidnappers demand the release of a web-terrorist. Police detective Polly Kelly is given the task of solving the crime and finding the child. Kelly finds herself pressured by a camera webcasting Danni's every move as well as the child's deteriorating condition. Ms. D'Amato has written a fine book with a realsitic setting, a highly contemporary plot, and realistically drawn characters. It is a fine read.

What a page-turner!.......1999-12-06

After reading a review of this book, I knew that once I picked it up, I wouldn't be able to put it back down until I'd finished it! It kept me up 'til 2 AM! What an exciting thriller. I'm usually pretty sqeamish when it comes to children in jeopardy plots, but D'Amato really pulls this one off. I heartily recommend both this book and D'Amato's KILLER.APP to people looking for a fast paced and fabulous reading experience, and to fans of meticulously researched police procedurals.

A Real Barn Burner!.......1999-12-05

This Book grabs you from the first page,a child is taken from a church in broad daylight .Just like the Chief detective , Polly Kelly, All you want is for that child to be found, as you watch her slowly getting weaker .. Which is the best way Cyber tech or good old fashioned police work? It is a challenge all of the Characters are up to! You won't be able to put this one down until the very last word is read !

A chilling thriller.......1999-09-17

Famous country-western singer Maggie Mckittredge and Senator Neal Gaston have tried to conceive a baby for years without any success. Their prayers are answered at a Northwestern University clinic where Danni is conceived. The infant is born healthy and her two parents begin an annual pilgrimage to the Holy Name Cathedral to thank God.

When Danni turns three, Maggie and Neal travel to the church for their pilgrimage. A priest stands at the door, ushering the worshipers into the building. Danni wanders down the aisle when an elderly person collapses. Maggie looks away for a moment, but when she returns to check on Danni, the little girl is missing. A search of the church reveals nothing except that the priest at the door did not belong to the congregation. Professionals kidnapped Danni, and the little girl appears on the Web site HELP ME PLEASE less than two hours later. The bare room contains no food or toilet. Chief of Detectives Polly Kelly heads the investigation with her only goal being to bring the child safely home. Time is ticking away as Danni seems to have only a few days of survival time left.

HELP ME PLEASE is a superbly executed police procedural that will leave a chill in the readers's soul as the motive for the abduction is uglier than the crime. Polly is a wonderful detective, but little Danni clearly owns the story line as readers can envision her plight and trauma. Though the technical aspects of the web seem incomprehensible at least to this reviewer, the story line moves rapidly to its climax. Barbara D'Amato has written another thriller that feels so genuine as to make the story line feel even chillier.

Book Description

Please Help Me With This Family is based on the premise that it is generally useful to expand the therapeutic system when it is not working. By calling in additional resources when therapy reaches an impasse, the therapist is giving two strong messages to "stuck" families-(1)the admission of the failure of the present system to grow beyond the impasse, and (2) a model of creativity in recruiting resources to improve chances of success. Often, the resources in the large system hold the keys to uncovering and correcting troublesome relationships and behaviors in the smaller system. Please Help Me With This Family is divided into four major sections, each illustrating unique approaches and methods for unlocking resources in family and therapeutic systems. The first section opens with a comprehensive review of the theoretical roots of family therapy consultation, followed by a discussion of the different faces of consultation around the world; a detailed case study of an anorectic family in which Maurizio Andolfisuccessfully provokes a therapeutic impasse; and to which Carl Whitaker provides fascinating insights into his role as a consultant. Section II discusses the variety of consultative resources available in the client system and how best to harness them. Chapters cover using the child as consultant; using family of origin and friends as resources; and the use of consultation in treating addictions. Using colleagues as consultants is the focus of the third section. Consultation has the advantage over cotherapy and supervision of requiring only a brief, cost?effective relationship. Chapters discuss how therapists can avoid replicating errors by working closely with the client's previous therapist: an eco?systemic approach with chronic pain sufferers that involves medical, family, and community systems in Israel; using consultation to evaluate therapy; the creative?preventive possibilities inherent in collegial consultation; how a family therapist and school system personnel can be mutually helpful with a conjointproblem; and a consultation that focuses on the position of the therapist rather than on the client system. Finally, Section IV addresses consultation as a valuable form of professional development. It explores the importance of timing when using a consultant; the effects on five therapists of live case demonstrations with Maurizio Andolfi as consultant; and consultation to correct gender prejudice. Contributors to this volume include Vincenzo F. DiNicola, Elizabeth Ridgely, Joseph Simons, David Keith, Jim Guinan, William Jones, Lars Brok, Joel Elizur, Sara B. Jutoran, Noga Rubinstein?Nabarro, Bob Wendt, Audrey Ellenwood, Peter Liggett, Marsha Purvis, Mary Hotvedt, and Marcella de Nichilo. Students and clinicians who wish to practice consulting as well as family therapists who want to learn creative approaches to handling the dilemmas that arise in therapy will find Please Help Me With This Family to be an incomparable resource.

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