Fear was my gateway to becoming interested in stories. My nanny growing up, a Scottish expat named Jackie with a fox pelt of red hair and a manic...
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An interesting history of eating disorders. Perhaps they were not as prevalent in the past as they are currently, but eating disorders were still present. This book looks at both why people (primarily women) have had eating disorders over time as well as society's reactions to those who have eating disorders (and hypothesizing the role society may have played).
Dr. Johnston uses the age old method of story telling to talk about why women tend to get stuck in their preoccupations with food and/or body image. I found what she had to say was very relevant, though she is somewhat repetitive, particularly in the beginning chapters of the book. For me, the best part of the book was when she would use women's personal stories to illustrate her points. I really like that the book can be read as a whole, but that the chapters also stand on their own. Although the emphasis of this book is on disordered eating, I think the concepts in the book can be applied much more broadly.
I think this is a great book and I often recommend it to clients. Not many people could write about shame and make it easy to read, but Brene Brown does just that. I appreciated her own honesty in sharing personal stories of shame alongside her research. I think that takes a lot of courage and I find it to be empowering in my own life. I will certainly re-read this book several times and I'm sure that each time I will take something new from it.
This book is full of information, history, suspense, and murder. It is made even more intriguing knowing that it is solidly based on fact. The plot jumps back and forth between a story about the World Fair and a heart wrenching murder mystery. The World Fair is important contextual information under which the murders took place and the murderer got away with it, but the amazing level of detail depicted in this book should really have been its own book. Having the two stories running concurrently in this book took away some of the magic of each story. While I enjoyed the overall book, I think both stories would have been done more justice to be their own individual story.
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(12 of 26 readers found this comment helpful)
Aronson provides a good overview of the research on human behavior. Even though the book is an overview of research, it does not come across like a textbook. Instead, Aronson uses examples to make it understandable and easy to read. If you are interested in human behavior, this is a good read.
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(7 of 13 readers found this comment helpful)
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Customer Comments
Krystal has commented on (20) products.
Fasting Girls: The History of Anorexia Nervosa by Joan Jacob Brumberg
Krystal, August 15, 2012
An interesting history of eating disorders. Perhaps they were not as prevalent in the past as they are currently, but eating disorders were still present. This book looks at both why people (primarily women) have had eating disorders over time as well as society's reactions to those who have eating disorders (and hypothesizing the role society may have played).Eating in the Light of the Moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationships with Food Through Myths, Metaphors, and Storytelling by Anita Johnston
Krystal, August 15, 2012
Dr. Johnston uses the age old method of story telling to talk about why women tend to get stuck in their preoccupations with food and/or body image. I found what she had to say was very relevant, though she is somewhat repetitive, particularly in the beginning chapters of the book. For me, the best part of the book was when she would use women's personal stories to illustrate her points. I really like that the book can be read as a whole, but that the chapters also stand on their own. Although the emphasis of this book is on disordered eating, I think the concepts in the book can be applied much more broadly.I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't): Telling the Truth about Perfectionism, Inadequacy, and Power by Brene Brown
Krystal, August 13, 2012
I think this is a great book and I often recommend it to clients. Not many people could write about shame and make it easy to read, but Brene Brown does just that. I appreciated her own honesty in sharing personal stories of shame alongside her research. I think that takes a lot of courage and I find it to be empowering in my own life. I will certainly re-read this book several times and I'm sure that each time I will take something new from it.The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson
Krystal, May 13, 2008
This book is full of information, history, suspense, and murder. It is made even more intriguing knowing that it is solidly based on fact. The plot jumps back and forth between a story about the World Fair and a heart wrenching murder mystery. The World Fair is important contextual information under which the murders took place and the murderer got away with it, but the amazing level of detail depicted in this book should really have been its own book. Having the two stories running concurrently in this book took away some of the magic of each story. While I enjoyed the overall book, I think both stories would have been done more justice to be their own individual story.(12 of 26 readers found this comment helpful)
The Social Animal by Elliot Aronson
Krystal, June 28, 2007
Aronson provides a good overview of the research on human behavior. Even though the book is an overview of research, it does not come across like a textbook. Instead, Aronson uses examples to make it understandable and easy to read. If you are interested in human behavior, this is a good read.(7 of 13 readers found this comment helpful)
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