MIND/BODY/SPIRIT: The Martial Arts and Oriental Medicine

If the attitude of Ribner and Chin (below) toward the Oriental martial arts can be described as appreciative, Laiken's vergers on the promotional--and the last third of her book is little more than an endorsement of acupuncutre, herbal healing, and other aspects of Oriental medicine. Vainly, Laiken attempts to relate these practices to Western beliefs and to establish ""scientific bases,"" but she seems to give up at last, ending with a testimonial to ginseng root which purportedly enabled an ancient kung-fu master to beat off two hungry lions. Laiken's chapters on kung fu, karate, judo, and tat chi contain long first-person accounts of how the practices have changed young lives for the better; otherwise these sections overlap with Ribner and Chin, though Laiken (despite her disapproval of media sensationalizing) leans toward the more colorful, not necessarily more enlightening, stories and quotes. Also, while beginning her book with the concepts of chi, the empty mind, and yin and yang seems reasonable, Laiken's explanations are too superficial to illuminate what follows.