THE RAY OF HOPE

Name: THE RAY OF HOPE
Author: Ray St. John
ISBN: 978-0578070322

A TEENAGER'S FIGHT AGAINST OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER

by Ray St. John ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2011

bookshelf

Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

GET IT

A pertinent question-and-answer guide to obsessive-compulsive disorder for teenagers by a teenager.

High school senior St. John showed signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder as early as age 5, when he suffered a brief bout of uncontrollable hand-washing, and his OCD worsened and became predominantly sexual once he reached puberty. After describing his symptoms and their disabling impact on his life, the author divides the rest of the book into 34 brief chapters, each of which asks and answers a question about OCD of interest to any teenager afflicted. St. John addresses whether sufferers will pass on OCD to their kids, if medication can help with the problem and how teens can move on after being diagnosed. The tone throughout is conversational, as one teen speaking to other teens, and the author admits that teenagers are likely to read only the Q&A chapters of interest to them, rather than reading the book cover to cover. Due to the nature of his OCD, several of the chapters contain sexually explicit material, but the overall effect is one of frankness and vulnerability rather than prurience. Instead of sugarcoating the exposure-and-response prevention therapy that the author undertook with the help of his mother—a pediatrician who also manifests signs of OCD—St. John makes crystal clear the difficulty of the treatment: “It is hard work, and you will hate it. You will want to quit and go back to your OCD even though it keeps you down.” However, the book offers a measure of hope for other teenagers with OCD: “I know that with time, patience, and perseverance you will take back your life from OCD,” St. John says in his concluding chapter. “I did.” For teenagers with OCD and their loved ones, this one-of-a-kind book provides useful answers and heartfelt encouragement.

Pub Date: March 25, 2011

ISBN: 978-0578070322

Page Count: 170

Publisher: Vermilion

Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2011

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

bookshelf

NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

bookshelf

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

bookshelf

TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

bookshelf

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.