A wonderful, honest compilation of personal experiences for those who may need companionship during their fight with...
The author presents a frank collection of daily readings to serve as a companion guide to 12-step recovery programs.
Recovery is a long process, and one that requires careful thought, introspection and self-forgiveness. The book contains a year’s worth of daily readings aimed at easing that process. Entries are divided into three sections: “Wisdom for Today,” “Meditations for the Heart” and “Petitions for a Higher Power.” For example, midway through his chronicle, the author says, “Probably one of the biggest changes I have experienced in recovery has been achieving serenity and peace of mind. When I was drinking,…I lived in a state of fear. I suffered in quiet depression.” S. goes on to explore the same thematic idea as it relates to his so-called Higher Power in the next two sections of the daily reflections. S., a certified alcohol and drug abuse counselor, remains open and exceptionally honest throughout his daily struggles with his twelve-step program, his evolving relationship to a higher power, and his personal relationships. Though the author states that the book may be used as a resource to assist in a better understanding of a twelve-step program, readers won’t find a step-by-step guide here. Rather, S. takes his reader on his own emotional journey and reveals the tenets and effects of the program as they affected him. S. tells his reader upfront that if his words sound spiritual it’s because they are, and that he urges all to “keep an open mind” to find their own “Great Contractor.” Indeed, the focus of his own journey is very much centered in spirituality and a relationship with God. Still, even those not interested in a higher power may find this a worthy guide for battling addiction. The collection may also be useful for those supporting a loved one.
A wonderful, honest compilation of personal experiences for those who may need companionship during their fight with addiction.Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2009
ISBN: 978-1438923857
Page Count: 404
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: Aug. 7, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The lessons to draw are obvious: Smoke more dope, eat less meat. Like-minded readers will dig it.
The chef, rapper, and TV host serves up a blustery memoir with lashings of self-help.
“I’ve always had a sick confidence,” writes Bronson, ne Ariyan Arslani. The confidence, he adds, comes from numerous sources: being a New Yorker, and more specifically a New Yorker from Queens; being “short and fucking husky” and still game for a standoff on the basketball court; having strength, stamina, and seemingly no fear. All these things serve him well in the rough-and-tumble youth he describes, all stickball and steroids. Yet another confidence-builder: In the big city, you’ve got to sink or swim. “No one is just accepted—you have to fucking show that you’re able to roll,” he writes. In a narrative steeped in language that would make Lenny Bruce blush, Bronson recounts his sentimental education, schooled by immigrant Italian and Albanian family members and the mean streets, building habits good and bad. The virtue of those habits will depend on your take on modern mores. Bronson writes, for example, of “getting my dick pierced” down in the West Village, then grabbing a pizza and smoking weed. “I always smoke weed freely, always have and always will,” he writes. “I’ll just light a blunt anywhere.” Though he’s gone through the classic experiences of the latter-day stoner, flunking out and getting arrested numerous times, Bronson is a hard charger who’s not afraid to face nearly any challenge—especially, given his physique and genes, the necessity of losing weight: “If you’re husky, you’re always dieting in your mind,” he writes. Though vulgar and boastful, Bronson serves up a model that has plenty of good points, including his growing interest in nature, creativity, and the desire to “leave a legacy for everybody.”
The lessons to draw are obvious: Smoke more dope, eat less meat. Like-minded readers will dig it.Pub Date: April 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4478-5
Page Count: 184
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
These are not hard and fast rules, but Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business.
A helpful guide to working effectively with people from other cultures.
“The sad truth is that the vast majority of managers who conduct business internationally have little understanding about how culture is impacting their work,” writes Meyer, a professor at INSEAD, an international business school. Yet they face a wider array of work styles than ever before in dealing with clients, suppliers and colleagues from around the world. When is it best to speak or stay quiet? What is the role of the leader in the room? When working with foreign business people, failing to take cultural differences into account can lead to frustration, misunderstanding or worse. Based on research and her experiences teaching cross-cultural behaviors to executive students, the author examines a handful of key areas. Among others, they include communicating (Anglo-Saxons are explicit; Asians communicate implicitly, requiring listeners to read between the lines), developing a sense of trust (Brazilians do it over long lunches), and decision-making (Germans rely on consensus, Americans on one decider). In each area, the author provides a “culture map scale” that positions behaviors in more than 20 countries along a continuum, allowing readers to anticipate the preferences of individuals from a particular country: Do they like direct or indirect negative feedback? Are they rigid or flexible regarding deadlines? Do they favor verbal or written commitments? And so on. Meyer discusses managers who have faced perplexing situations, such as knowledgeable team members who fail to speak up in meetings or Indians who offer a puzzling half-shake, half-nod of the head. Cultural differences—not personality quirks—are the motivating factors behind many behavioral styles. Depending on our cultures, we understand the world in a particular way, find certain arguments persuasive or lacking merit, and consider some ways of making decisions or measuring time natural and others quite strange.
These are not hard and fast rules, but Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business.Pub Date: May 27, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61039-250-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2014
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