A personal and revealing (if slightly scattered) memoir from a trailblazing therapist.
The developer of somatic experiencing examines the series of events in his life that led to his understanding of trauma and healing.
Levine, a psychotherapist, declares the purpose of his memoir as twofold: to help others overcome their traumas and to finally be able to fully let go of his own. Throughout the narrative, the author explains how all of the significant moments of his life have led to his position as the “prophet” of somatic experiencing, a practice Levine describes as an “evolving healing method… named for the experience of the sensing, living body.” The practice is not, he states, an “exclusively formulaic or a codified protocol, but rather an unfolding organic process that involves basic principles and building blocks.” As such, it is difficult to teach and to study. Still, the author’s students have trained over 60,000 people to treat patients using the method. Levine connects the many traumatic aspects of his life, including physical and emotional abuse he experienced from his parents, to his discovery of precepts from Navajo and Buddhist traditions that he adapted to his work. (The book helpfully begins with a trigger warning, as Levine discusses personal trauma including sexual assault.) The writing is strongest in the connections the author makes between the physical and spiritual realms; Levine recalls a trip to Germany during which he experienced a vision of “red flowing down” on a certain street, only to find out later that it was the site of student revolutionaries’ executions during the Nazi regime. While the memoir’s narrative sections are strong, occasionally the transitions between ideas are less so, as when the author jumps from the story about Germany to an account of confronting his own racial biases. While the various segments are compelling and insightful, the connections between them could have been made clearer.
A personal and revealing (if slightly scattered) memoir from a trailblazing therapist.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9798888500767
Page Count: 200
Publisher: Park Street Press
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Has heart but lacks craft and efficiency.
In Ferguson’s debut novel based on a true story, a driven businesswoman takes extreme and innovative measures to combat prejudice and propel her career.
Though qualified and proactive as a real estate manager, Rhoda, an African-American, finds herself frequently shut out of high-level positions due to racism even in 21st-century Manhattan. In one instance, she’s hired during a phone interview only to be told once she arrives at the Upper East Side office that the broker position has been filled. Yet when she returns disguised with a blond wig and lightened skin, calling herself GeeGee, she’s hired on the spot. In a similar fashion, Rhoda ignites her struggling hair extension side-business. Following advice from a peer that she will need to have a white “face” of the company, Rhoda calls on GeeGee. Eventually, with the support of the NAACP, she testifies and wins a victory affirming that companies are forbidden to ask for race identification when hiring and they may not look outside of skill and experience to fill a position. The conceit of this novelized “true story” is intriguing, although which parts are based in fact and which in fiction is unclear. The dialogue-heavy prose doesn’t have much fluidity, often due to preceding dialogue tags in which a sentence ending with a comma introduces a paragraphlong quote. There’s a similar problem in the novel’s exposition, particularly due to the use of passive voice, which slows scenes down. Toward the end, Rhoda falls in love with a white man who initially knows her only as GeeGee. Once that episode is resolved, Ferguson describes the wedding night with the sensual expertise of a seasoned erotica pulp writer. For the preceding pages, though, another edit could help shape the spirited tale.
Has heart but lacks craft and efficiency.Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2013
ISBN: 978-1481744447
Page Count: 240
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: Jan. 7, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An engaging, rousing study of Christian manhood with a few knotty digressions.
A debut guide offers a portrait of the nature—and obligations—of modern Christian masculinity.
Clubb takes as the springboard for his book a modern meaning of the word “Jack,” as a synonym for an all-around likable and trustworthy man, compassionate, caring, and completely dependable. He extends this general term into the realm of modern Christianity. “I see it,” he writes, “as an apt moniker for a spiritually healthy and emotionally intelligent man.” Throughout the work, the author directly tackles the challenges and pitfalls of contemporary Christianity as it’s experienced by men. “Real men give God control of their private, inner, and public spiritual lives by making prayer, personal Bible study, and fellowship priorities in their lives,” he writes. “And a real man isn’t afraid of connecting with other men for mutual support and accountability.” Unfortunately, Clubb decides to briefly outline what he refers to as reasons to trust the Bible, all of which are questionable. He claims the Bible provides “extensive detailed prophecies relating to the rise and fall of individuals and empires … with incredible accuracy”; Noah’s Ark was found on Mount Ararat; and the Bible was “written by eyewitnesses.” Fortunately, these digressions are limited. The bulk of the book is devoted to the author’s captivating meditations and advice to his (presumably exclusively male) readers about how the duties of their gender are reflected in the Bible. The author is an animated and very readable guide to everything from the story of King David to the Epistles of St. Paul. He skillfully intersperses these explorations with vivid stories from his own walk of faith.
An engaging, rousing study of Christian manhood with a few knotty digressions.Pub Date: Dec. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-973680-39-0
Page Count: 230
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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