Jacqueline D. Stanley

Bottom line upon completion - depending on what you want out of it, it can be a five-star read or a fail.

Almost 1/2way through, lots of titles are looking interesting, so I'm coming here to find more about them... oh, no, turns out they're either 'spiritual' (not overtly Christian but still) or otherwise irrelevant to me, or obscure.

So far the strategies she offers don't really work for me, either, but I imagine that's because I'm not really in need of any specific healing right now. Maybe since I'm such an avid reader I'm keeping on top of all my issues proactively? Y'know, like taking a baby aspirin daily for heart health, kinda thing? :)

But it seems like it would be a great book for those who are actually struggling with life challenges. I like how, in the beginning, Stanley points out that the book isn't written for those who should be seeing a doctor for mental illness. For example, (paraphrasing) if you have trouble getting out of bed you might be a slug, or you might be clinically depressed. Check with a doctor. If you're a slug, come back to this book.

There's a lot of detail in the strategies she outlines. This is a book one should own, or at least read at the time one needs to hear its message. Reading it for 'just-in-case' like I'm doing isn't the best way to appreciate it. But it's very clearly laid out, and fairly short, and written in a friendly, conversational, but professional, tone.

I like that the summary of the strategy for reading memoirs and fiction, when trying to learn ideas to help one with one's own life issues, can be summarized in four steps: Identification, Projection, Catharsis, and Insight & Integration.

I like that her sample reading plans are more specifically supportive of 'reading to heal' than the listopias on goodreads - and that they have enough entries that most readers (even those not spiritual, as she is) will be able to find enough books on them to help. I like that she tried to find books in a variety of 'genres' - Fiction, Memoir & Bio, Poetry, Self-Help, and General Non-Fiction, for each sample plan.

I like that she also addresses groups, that is, focused book clubs, as well as individuals, with her recommendations.

And I have to disagree with the reviewer who implies she just pulled titles to create these lists. She says she's an avid reader and has been successfully recommending books to friends for decades, and a careful read of the text supports that claim.

I think I'll have to hang on to this book for a while, even though I avoid doing so. I'll be using it to help me meet my responsibilities in my goodreads groups. At the same time, I'll heed her warning not to fall into the Messiah trap! :)… (meer)