Dare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside

Author: Gloria Burgess
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Genre: Personal Growth / Spirituality
ISBN: 978-0470241837
Pages: 256
Price: $16.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Have you ever thought about the life you’re living, and what kind of impact you’re having on the people around you? You may know you want to leave a positive legacy, but don’t know exactly how to make the changes you need. Dare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside can offer some suggestions to guide you.

Dr. Gloria J. Burgess has determined that there are Seven Sacred Promises of legacy living. These are: gratitude, faith, love, vision, integrity, creative action, and legacy.

Through the examples of others who have followed her guidance, Burgess shows the reader how these women aligned their lives with their soul purpose. As they learned to wear their souls on the outside, they connected with their living legacy and are now contributing to the greater good in society.

Exercises are provided in this helpful book, and the reader is encouraged to keep a notebook to explore feelings and record the answers that are uncovered. Although it’s tempting to expect easy solutions, the process of creating your living legacy isn’t always a straightforward process, and it may take years. But the journey will be well worth the rewards.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

A Life Worth Living

Author: William F. Giruzzi
Publisher: Two Harbors Press
Genre: Self-help
ISBN: 978-1935097303
Pages: 130
Price: $12.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

How did our current lifestyle evolve? Was it a conscious decision, or did everything simply happen? Is this system working for you, or do you wish things were different?

In A Life Worth Living, Bill Giruzzi questions the basic assumption of life, that “it’s just the way it is.” Instead, we’re shown how our collective thinking has evolved, and our current paradigm was formed. Once we can clearly see what artificially created limits are blocking us, we can decide what to do about them.

Our thoughts have the power to change our lives, as the Law of Attraction states. Although the law is never mentioned by name, this book follows the wisdom of thinking about and determining to reach your goal, and then taking steps to move in the direction of what you most want.

If you’ve never given any thought to why you’re living the life you now lead, A Life Worth Living will open your eyes. And if you want motivation to make changes, this book will provide a gentle push. But if you’re looking for a step-by-step method of making those changes, you won’t find it here. That’s something you’ll have to determine for yourself.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

The Secret to Life Transformation

Author: Julie Chrystyn
Publisher: Dove Books
Genre: Self-help
ISBN: 978-1-59777-581-6
Pages: 252
Price: $25.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

You may be living a good life, but feel that something is still missing. You’re not as successful as you believe you can be, and you need to make some changes.  But how? Who will guide you?

Julie Chrystyn is the hidden voice behind several famous autobiographies. As she listened to those people share their stories, she developed the desire to share some of the words of wisdom she picked up. In The Secret to Life Transformation she compiles these for us, along with thoughts from some other successful people.

This books alternates chapters between her own thoughts and those of twelve brilliant and talented people. These include Justice Clarence Thomas, David Foster, John Paul DeJoria, Robert Evans, Jacqueline Jakes, Dr. Patch Adams, Judge Sol Wachtler, Paula White, Jose Eber, Dr. Steven M. Hoefflin, Paul Anka, and Bernie Brillstein. Each presents their own story, sharing their own ideas on how they became successful.

Topics like independent thinking and using your thoughts wisely, love, forgiveness, wisdom, vision, and hope are interspersed between these mini-autobiographies.

If you’re looking for an inspiring read that will help set you on the path towards your own success, you’ll find that in The Secret to Life Transformation.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

The Power of Soul

Author: Dr. Zhi Gang Sha
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1-4165-8910-4
Pages: 352
Price: $26.00

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

In 2003, Dr. Zhi Gang Sha began offering Divine Soul Downloads to humanity through the direct instruction of the Divine. In The Power of Soul, he continues his Soul Power Series of books, and provides new insights into how we can use this soul power in our lives.

Dr. Sha has included eleven new Divine Soul Downloads in this book. If we read his words and follow the instructions as written, we will receive these new divine souls for ourselves. Knowing we might doubt his words, he answers, “If you want to know if the pear is sweet, taste it.” Only by experiencing it for ourselves will we know the truth.

Heal the soul first, and all else will heal. Sickness will be prevented, the mind and body will be rejuvenated, and relationships, finances and business will be transformed.

Dr. Sha’s message is a positive one. He encourages us to receive his Divine Soul Downloads, chant powerful words, and sing uplifting soul songs to promote transformation and healing in our lives. But skeptical folks who rely solely on conventional healing may find his teachings to be too “new age” for their tastes.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Truth Heals

Author: Deborah King
Publisher: Hay House
Genre: Self-help / Psychology
ISBN: 978-1-4019-2301-3
Pages: 216
Price: $22.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Most people don’t want to look very closely at their painful pasts. But they probably don’t realize those memories are still hurting them physically. In Truth Heals, author Deborah King explores how these experiences affect our energy centers and shows us how we can reverse their effects.

Focusing on each chakra (energy center), King shares some of her own childhood traumas and those of her clients. She explains how these might affect a person’s health and emotional state today. Then she provides some thoughts on letting go in order to heal.

The reader doesn’t need to be familiar with chakras in order to benefit from this book. King explains what they are, along with the kinds of illnesses that manifest in each. She encourages those being treated for a specific illness to continue to work with their medical practitioners, while also integrating some emotional work to help the body let go of disease.

Practical, helpful and uplifting, Truth Heals is a reminder that we are all that we put into our bodies – including our thoughts. Since we can change our thinking, we can also help reverse disease in our bodies. Anyone who wants to improve their health will find this book helpful in making positive changes.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Size 2 For Life

Author: Ashley Marriott & Marc L. Paulsen, MD
Publisher: Stance Publications
Genre: Diet/Fitness
ISBN: 978-0-9821047-4-3
Pages: 211
Price: $21.99

Buy it at Amazon

As a culture that’s become obsessed with weight management, we continue to seek out new and improved methods of shedding unwanted pounds. Size 2 For Life offers a diet and exercise plan which is designed to bring women back to their “frame-adjusted size 2″ figures.

At the introduction to this book, the authors address unhealthy weight loss methods and a dangerous increase in anorexic and bulimic behaviors. Yet this very title is one that leaves me feeling uncomfortable. Most women would probably be a very healthy size 6 or 8. Size 2 feels like an unattainable and dangerous goal to me.

The 21-day eating plan also disturbs me. It is made up of mostly steamed vegetables, egg whites, chicken and turkey. There is almost no fat and very few carbs. We may be a culture who eats too many of these foods, but healthy fats and carbs are a necessity in our diets. The program also assumes the reader can understand the authors’ lingo. One item on the plan is a “protein smoothie.” This item is not explained beforehand, so the reader would have no idea what would go into one.

The main focus of the exercise program is aerobic movement and muscle toning. Since there is considerable toning of the legs in dance or other aerobic activities, the authors recommend only upper body toning. Some exercises are provided, but they suggest following the circuit at your local gym. While this may be simple, it assumes that the circuit has been properly designed for a total upper body workout.

Once the size 2 figure has been achieved, a maintenance diet and exercise program is recommended. Several chain restaurant foods are analyzed for the best choices to make when dining out.

Overall, I was not impressed with this book. I felt the diet could have been explained in terms of allowable foods that one could pick and choose from, rather than a specific plan one had to follow each day. The diet is bland, and shows no imagination in creating tasty and healthy meals that won’t feel like deprivation eating. Weighing in twice every day as recommended would create unnecessary emotional stress when body fluctuations show weight shifts. The strongest feature of this book is the recommended exercise, which is a basic strength training and aerobic program.

If you’re looking for a sensible weight-loss and exercise program, I’d suggest Body For Life, which I feel is still probably the best book on the market.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Tears of Fears Behind Closed Doors

Author: Lyn-Dee Eldridge
Publisher: MasterMind Publishing, LLC
Genre: Self-improvement
ISBN: 978-0-9720941-0-8
Pages: 128
Price: $14.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Many women exist in silent desperation in an abusive household. As a survivor of an abusive childhood and marriage, Lyn-Dee Eldridge (or Woobie, as she calls herself) wants to show other women that it’s not only possible to escape from the abuse, but also to go on to live a happy and joyous life.

In Tears of Fears Behind Closed Doors, Woobie tells her story, beginning in childhood when the abuse began. Focusing on the universal aspects of abuse, she doesn’t reveal every aspect of her own experience. Instead she shares the parts that many readers would identify with, including some of the things she did to handle her own situation.

Positive self-talk and personal development are key, according to Woobie. Only by learning to love and respect herself can a woman get up the courage to end the cycle of abuse.

Included along with her inspirational story and helpful advice are numerous resources for women who still find themselves in abusive situations. Legal help, daily exercises, hot-line numbers, and addresses for women’s advocates are provided in the appendix. And the author is available as a speaker to share her story with women’s groups.

Woobie’s message is written in a conversational style, which lends itself to the occasional typo and a bit of rambling. But overall, she shares positive information and a spirit of hope. Tears of Fears Behind Closed Doors would be a great inspiration for a woman who finds herself in an abusive situation.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Choosing to Be

Author: Kat Tansey
Publisher: iUniverse Star
Genre: Visionary & Metaphysical
ISBN: 978-1-935278-13-9
Pages: 148
Price: $19.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

I have lived with several Zen Masters — all of them cats. ~ Eckhart Tolle

During a rough spell in her life, author Kat Tansey picks up a copy of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Her cat, Poohbear, a Zen Master himself, offers to show her the way to her Buddha nature if she is willing to learn from him. But first she needs a kitten to observe, which leads to Catzenbear joining the family.

As the author works on her practice, Poohbear shares his wisdom with her. An expert at sitting, he offers his thoughts on why Tansey struggles at times. When she clings, he suggests she let go. And when she starts to feel successful, he reminds her that she still has a long way to go. Always gentle and loving, he pushes her to go farther along than she believes possible.

Choosing to Be was classified as fiction because of the author’s conversations with Poohbear. But this was simply the style she used to get her ideas across in a friendly and easily accessible manner.

If you’ve ever thought you’d like to get in touch with your own Buddha nature, this enjoyable and enlightening book will start you on your journey. And if you can, find a cat who’s willing to join you.

Update: Choosing to Be has been included in Wisdom Notes, featured picks by Colin Lewis. It joins such classics as The Prophet, The Science of Getting Rich, and Tuesdays With Morrie.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Simply Irresistible

Author: Ellen T. White
Publisher: Running Press
Genre: Nonfiction
ISBN: 978-0-7624-2673-7
Pages: 264
Price: $14.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

I heard about a book written particularly for women entitled Simply Irresistible. After reading a short synopsis and the author’s take, I found the book to be, well, simply irresistible.

I’m of the male persuasion, but I read it even though the book was written specifically for women. But one that promised to help you “unleash your inner siren and mesmerize men?” Sure. I’m all for learning about “sirendom” especially “with help from the most famous and infamous women in history.” The opportunity to learn about female/male relationships by reading case histories of some of the most intriguing and seductive women of our time is alluring indeed. And the book does not disappoint.

Ellen T. White, writing in a lively and invigorating style, divided the book into two sections: Finding Your Inner Siren and Personalizing Your Appeal. In the first part, the reader discovers White’s explanation of what it truly takes to be a siren. She also reveals that women generally fall into five categories or archetypes she labels: the goddess, companion, sex kitten, competitor, and mother. Each category features a representing albeit appropriate study of a woman of well-known stature.

The second part features tips and suggestions on how to hone the skills necessary to develop the desired archetypical role. Here too the reader will find examples of such players as Mae West, Nicole Kidman, Jacqueline Kennedy, and even Queen Elizabeth I. Their lives offer a myriad of ideas and unique personal character traits to help cultivate and improve your siren ways.

I admit to knowing less than nothing about these female archetypes until now. But I hope women will believe me when I say this book may present the opportunity to become the siren they always aspired to be. If not, they will have received one heck of history lesson on some pretty interesting women, and perhaps a little insight into their own personalities as well.

Reviewer: Gene Berger

The Power Model System

Author: Kay Bennett Ph.D
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
Genre: Self-improvement
ISBN: 142514825-5
Pages: 256
Price: $22.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Are there certain negative behaviors you do over and over again, but no matter how hard you try, you simply can’t seem to change them? If you’ve read and worked with other self-help books, but couldn’t make lasting improvements, Kay Bennett Ph.D believes her system can help you.

The Power Model System teaches that only you are the expert on you, and by delving into your past with the help of a personal Higher Power, you’ll be able to find your own response patterns. This system is a series of worksheets and deep questions that help guide you to the knowledge you seek in solving your problems.

You won’t be able to read through this book in one sitting. If you take the time to delve into these questions, it may take months to complete the program. The author has recorded many instances of people successfully working this system at her workshops, and this may be the approach you decide to take.

The exercises in this book build on each other, and when you finish, you’ll have a personal blueprint model of your life that will guide you in making positive future decisions.

Reviewer: Alice Berger