The Way Back: Inside the Mind of a Multiple Personality Disorder / Donna Mae Rose - Book Review

Urging her readers to believe that they, too, can overcome, Donna Mae Rose shows how she regathered her Wholeness, after experiencing a lifetime of deep trauma that shattered the core of her being.

 

Opening with a counseling session between herself and Dr Boyd, the author, a psychiatric technician, tells us of the close and caring relationship that she had with her mother all her life, the great fear that she had of her violent-tempered, mentally and physically abusive father, and the generally loving relationships that she had with her six siblings from an early age.

Her father used to take out his frustrations from his job, in which he felt trapped due to the Depression, on his small children and insecure, frightened wife. Donna’s graphic account of her father’s sexual abuse and rape, that Donna felt scarred her psychologically for life, is realistically portrayed.

The Way Back: Inside the Mind of a Multiple Personality Disorder (Outskirts Press; ISBN-10: 1-4327-0605-5; ISBN-13: 978-1-4327-0605-0) amounts to a verbatim account of Donna’s counseling sessions with Dr. Boyd. Told in direct speech, the sessions flow naturally and are easy to follow. Donna’s ostensible reason for her counseling sessions with Dr. Boyd was her marital problems with her husband, Bill. However, she later reveals that she had had a nervous breakdown eighteen years before, since when she had spent much time as an outpatient of a mental hospital, having been diagnosed as a schizophrenic. 

She describes how her loss of train of thought halfway through her second session with Dr. Boyd, and her awareness of an apparent six-month memory loss, leads Dr. Boyd to inform her that he believes that she has multiple personality disorder.  He concludes that such trance-like episodes are moments of self-hypnosis, which help her to calm down.

By externalizing her innermost anxieties and fears in the form of black bugs and red ants, Donna was able to cope with and adapt to her situation while she was growing up. Donna’s interpretation of the image of the spider, which first appeared on the ceiling of the room while she was being raped, as her eight different personalities is core to an understanding of this text.

 

Gradually, while undergoing therapy, her other personalities emerge: self-confident and caring Joyce Jordan, the only personality given a last name; promiscuous, enraged Wanda; courageous Carol, who provides a means by which she can protect her innocence; suicidal Mary; childlike Edith Rose, who is capable of expressing attachment; vivacious, outgoing Susie; sanctimonious Beth; Laura, protector of the place where all the other personalities stayed until Donna Mae started to receive counseling from Dr. Boyd; Mildred, who protects Donna when she enters consciousness; spiritually supportive Edgar, who protects Donna from the suicidal tendencies of Mary; and John, who was created to keep Edgar company. Through her acknowledgement and growing understanding of her different personalities, Donna Mae is able to reconcile herself to their existence and to integrate them gradually into her core personality.

This autobiographical account is of particular relevance to anyone who has had to endure childhood trauma and abuse, as well as to anyone who has been diagnosed as schizophrenic or who works with those suffering from dissociate hysteria. Her appreciative portrayal of Dr. Boyd as a compassionate listener might reassure a reader who feels intimidated by the possibility of consulting a psychiatrist that the best in this field are highly accessible and supportive. The Way Back: Inside the Mind of a Multiple Personality Disorder is a tribute to his healing skills.

Brave: A Memoir of Overcoming Shyness / Helen Rivas-Rose - Book Review

Battling to overcome the emotionally devastating challenge of shyness all her life, author Helen Rivas-Rose, in her memoir Brave: A Memoir of Overcoming Shyness (Periwinkle Publishing; ISBN: 978-0-9827433-0-0) shows how lack of love and understanding in her childhood left her with invisible, yet socially damning, scars that she has only been able to overcome after years of counseling and therapy. Few who have not experienced the paralyzing fear of having to cope with social situations without the necessary skills to do so could possibly in the past have easily related to such situations prior to the publication of Brave. However, in this groundbreaking memoir Rivas-Rose shows at first-hand what such an experience is like.

As Rivas-Rose writes in her prologue to Brave, “For decades, this trait [shyness] skewed my decisions about every single significant choice I made—about my work, where I lived, whom I married and even how I raised my children. That demoralizing force cheated me of what could have been a more mature, productive and happy life. If only I’d sought professional help earlier!”

Brave shows how it doesn’t matter whether you cross continents (Rivas-Rose spent years abroad in Spain and Portugal), are able to develop a whole range of skills of which most people are proud (Rivas-Rose’s knowledge of the Spanish language, for example, is phenomenal), are in loving relationships with those around you (the author’s involvement with her partner and children became marked by caring over the years), and are a qualified professional (Rivas-Rose was a qualified educator), unless you have come to terms with yourself and your being in this world, you can be so socially limited by shyness that, without appropriate counseling and guidance and a willingness to work exceptionally hard on overcoming your own limitations, you will not be able to level the barriers that you have erected around yourself, so that you can fulfill your true role in this world. That the author has been able to do so is largely due to her ultimate realization that she was able to take on the onerous task of maturing at a later stage than most, overcoming the scars left by numerous encounters with others that ended unhappily due to her inability to trust herself sufficiently to express her real needs and desires. 

Brave is recommended for anyone who has ever considered undergoing Jungian analysis for socially debilitating illness, as it is through such a means that Rivas-Rose was able to learn how to apply compassion-focused therapy to her own life, in such a way that she was able to learn how to become kind and gentle to herself as no one else, not even her parents, had ever before been. The author currently leads a fulfilling and fruitful life partly in her Kennebunk, Maine home and partly in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where her linguistic skills come in handy not only in enabling her to speak the native language, but also in her writing career. Her ability to express herself creatively in both singing and writing have allowed her to flourish during the second half of her life in ways in which she never imagined as a shy child, teenager and young adult. If you, or a family member or friend, are afflicted by shyness, be kind to yourself or your meaningful other, and acquire a copy of Brave—it might be the bravest step that you take all year!  

I am Equus: Understanding the Horse's Potential through Everyday Encounters / Duaa Anwar - Book Review

Duaa Anwar has attributed the writing of I am Equus: Understanding the Horse's Potential through Everyday Encounters (Outskirts Press; ISBN: 978-1-4327-5149-4) to the inspiration that she has received from her horse, Gerry. Basing the text on assigning attributes usually thought of as human to horses, Anwar insists that every one of her ideas is based on fact and is supported by real-life encounters. Regarding the horse’s ability to trust in us as a blessing both for us and for them from God, she holds that horses that have been maltreated by people in the past have great difficulty trusting anyone, and that hard-earned trust should never be tampered with. Anwar states, “Trust is the foundation. Establish that and you have established a solid bond with your horse.”

Chock a block full of personal anecdotes and insights into how to get the best out of one’s horse, I am Equus proffers valuable advice on caring for horses. The tone is heartwarming and down to earth. Anwar’s being a horse whisperer does not detract from the value of this work one jot, but only serves to make her far more aware of the potential of the horse—which is an awareness that she shares wholeheartedly with the reader. Her hands on knowledge of horses makes her eminently capable of comparing the advice offered, and the example provided, by others with her own experiences with horses. She clearly and unhesitatingly states where she differs from their opinions regarding the treatment of horses. Her guidelines are instructive and blended with a great deal of solid, down to earth advice.

 

Duaa Anwar, an Egyptian raised in the United Arab Emirates, was born with a love for horses. In addition to advocating classical riding and natural horsemanship through her website www.ArtofRiding.com, she has had many of her articles on horses published across the net, as well as in a range of equestrian publications. From her online experience, she has gleaned a list of website addresses of equine rescue and charity organizations, with which she concludes I am Equus.

Anwar’s writing is extremely fluent and readable, so that I am Equus should appeal to any horse lover, no matter his or her age. Her use of direct speech adds to the liveliness of her writing. Although the work is not illustrated and lacks an index, I am Equus would make a valuable contribution to any animal lover’s library. 

The Mirror Maze: A Norwegian Man's True Story of Five Years in Mexican Prisons During the 1980s / Tom Brungar and Lisa Nicole Walker - Book Review

What is it that makes tales of drug addiction and prison incarceration so fascinating to the average reader? Perhaps it is the fact that none of us wishes to go down that path, and we are plain curious about those who do. Or perhaps it is that we are inspired by a profound sense of compassion to learn more about those who have decided to dwell on the shadier side of life. Whichever motive it is, The Mirror Maze: A Norwegian Man's True Story of Five Years in Mexican Prisons During the 1980s, by Tom Brungar and Lisa Nicole Walker (CreateSpace; ISBN: 1450584578), should satisfy both desires.

“I am sitting in a peaceful room telling you an intimate story, one I humbly try to explain accurately. Perhaps you know how difficult it is to tell a story through the pen. My drama from that point lasted six years. Now it is over and if this does not lead to anything but personal therapy, the effort is well spent energy. Also, I have an intense hope that you will understand, and feel a need to transmit this message. I am imagining you in front of me right

now. We are friends. You have the time to listen and I the time to talk. We will stop the world for a while and live these images, as we go along.” Thus starts the core story of The Mirror Maze, which is the true story of Tom Brungar’s downward spiral into alcohol and drug addiction to ultimately becoming involved with a drug cartel. Once apprehended, in order to survive his incarceration, Brungar used his guitar playing and storytelling ability to enable him to endure dehumanizing conditions and prison torture, until his release six years later.

The account is multi-faceted, intertwining accounts of personal transformation, philosophical and spiritual revelations, against a background of sociopolitical issues. The mirror in the title signifies that in which Brungar considered himself, and the maze in the title signifies that through which he had to travel in order to arrive at the exit from his self-induced nightmare. Since cocaine is often served on a mirror, the significance of using such a symbol will, no doubt, not be lost. Ultimately, the transformation attained by Brungar comes in the form of his realization that “[d]uring an experience like this there is only one who can help you, and that is God.”

Although the style of e The Mirror Maze is not as smooth-flowing as one might like it to be, the memoir is well worth reading, and should prove interesting reading for anyone who is interested in the lessons to be learned from drug addiction and the perils of an overly hectic and self-indulgent lifestyle. 

For You, Czarinas of My Soul (Poems, Dramas and Fairytales) / Alexander Pushkin; Translated by Oskar Frankfurt - Book Review

In his relatively brief introduction to the writings of Alexander Pushkin, entitled For You, Czarinas of My Soul (Poems, Dramas and Fairytales); Translation Press; ISBN 978-0-615-34694-6), Oskar Frankfurt states that “the goal of the present translation is to reproduce the simplicity and the music of Pushkin’s poetry and to retain the images, the meaning and the beauty of the original verse”. Frankfurt leaves it up to the reader to see whether he or she has, indeed, managed to do so. I found it a pity, though, that Frankfurt left so much else up to the reader as well. Though he introduces Pushkin’s novel in verse form, “Eugene Onegin”, and provides some stray insights into the other pieces included in this volume, those readers who have not previously been exposed to Pushkin’s work, or to descriptions of the milieu within which he wrote, might find difficulty in appreciating the true beauty of Pushkin’s work (but then, some might also argue, a translation always remains a translation, and can never fully convey the full intensity of the writer’s own utterances in any case).

Rather than including all his commentary within the confines of a seven-page introduction, Frankfurt might also have done better to introduce each piece separately, or at least to have distinguished the poems, dramas and fairy tales clearly from one another. What I would recommend to any reader is that, unless you already know quite a bit about Pushkin’s life and times, you first read up a little, and then read this translation. Only then are you likely to be able to appreciate the merits of this work.

And merits there are, starting with the front cover, which portrays Natalia Goncharova, the wife of Alexander Pushkin, by Karl Briullov (1831). An enchanting portrait, enough to make one hunger for more details about her, but, alas, you will not find them in this volume. Frankfurt has clearly gone to great effort to transform Pushkin’s work into contemporary diction and meter, but it would have been so enlightening to hear how he set about choosing which of Pushkin’s work he wished to include in this volume. What was his motivation for embarking on such a translation? How did he come to have such a sound grasp of the Russian language that he felt sufficiently empowered to be able to translate the work of someone who is hailed in Russia as her greatest poet? What distinguishes the different genres of Pushkin’s work from that of other writers? What accounts for Pushkin’s preeminence in Russian literary history? The questions abound, but the answers are few.

The diction used in the translation itself is thoroughly contemporary and is easy to understand, so that Frankfurt has attained what he originally set out to do. However, the author would be well advised to expand on, and to contextualize, the next edition of his translation, so that the work becomes accessible to a much wider readership than that to which it is currently available.

Turkey for History Travellers / Bob Fowke - Book Review

Bob Fowke’s latest ebook in his series of travel guides come historical overviews and introductions to countries that are all well travelled by himself, Guide to Turkey for History Travellers (YouCaxton Publishers; ASIN: B008KNMTT4), is as entertaining and informative as his other guides to Spain, France and Greece continue to be. As with his previous works in this field, his urbane wit and lively cast of mind have one gasping at the unusual one moment to laughing out loud the next, so, whatever you do, do not expect this to be a quiet ride.

Fowke’s background, as both an award-winning author and an extremely popular illustrator, has placed him in a position to travel internationally, allowing him to develop close firsthand knowledge of the countries that he explores across both time and space. His lack of pretentiousness and essential modesty, as well as his versatility as a master of both the word and the visual media, are core to his writing. His consistent striving to make what some others might find esoteric or unnecessarily convoluted accessible and tempting draw his audience in.

There is an essential air of trustworthiness about Fowke’s writing―we know that we are not about to be taken in by his glamorisation of the unsavory, and that what he omits for sake of brevity is not as key and core to our coming to the understanding of the lands and cultures that he explores as are the facts that he does include. Selective as his guides might be, we definitely do not feel cheated of any of the rich tapestry that go to make up the composite picture of those that he describes. Rather, he tempts us to want to find out more, and in no way jades our palate for more extensive texts than his.

However, his guides have a definite role to play in opening up the Mediterranean lands that he so joyfully explores. And always he is aware of how best to contextualize what he has to say. In Guide to Turkey for History Travellers, Fowke takes us from a time when “rebel princes and deposed emperors were first blinded and then imprisoned as a humane alternative to death, many centuries ago before the Turks arrived” right up to the 1980s, when “[p]olitical parties were dissolved and there were mass arrests of extremists and supposed extremists.” While no one can say that Turkish history has been smooth sailing, the way in which Fowke introduces the subject is mellifluously and masterfully related by Fowke. One revels in the simplicity of his sentence structure and the consummate ease with which he can recount a tale well worth telling.

The saliency and relevance of all that Fowke has to say opens up foreign vistas before our eyes, so that, even if we never step far beyond our own front door, we can appreciate the opening up of distant shores that he offers us. In addition, the numerous line drawings and maps aid the reader in understanding where and how historical events of note took place. Whether you are (or intend to) travel to Turkey, or whether you are keen on an historical exploration of the country and its rich culture, you should find that Fowke satisfies your need for information even beyond the straightforward narrative text. For the former, he provides numerous contextualised guide tips interspersed amidst the main thrust of his text, and for the latter he not only includes a number of anecdotes in the form of travellers’ tales, but he also rounds off the work with timelines of the Byzantine emperors, the Seljuk Sultans of Anatolia, the Ottoman Sultans and important dates, stetching from Çatal Höyük in c. 8500-7500 to when Turkey became a republic in 1923.

A rich and intriguing work, as well as being delightfully witty and humane,Guide to Turkey for History Travellers is definitely well worth obtaining, no matter your intended destination in life.

Dangerous Ambition, Rebecca West and Dorothy Thompson: New Women in Search of Love and Power / Susan Hertog - Book Review

In her unassuming introduction to this biography of two noted women writers who were both born in the late Victorian era, Susan Hertog expresses the temerity that she felt in assuming to dare attempt to portray the similarities and differences between two outstanding women of their day who both felt compelled to confront the pressing issues of the societies in which they lived, the famed American journalist and radio broadcaster Dorothy Thompson both in America and as the first female head of a news bureau permanently stationed in Berlin and the strongly anti-fascist and profoundly humanitarian (ultimately Dame) Rebecca West in the UK and also on the European continent.

Biography, Hertog acknowledges, “is a fascinating game that requires intense and far-ranging research from a myriad of vantage points, the discerning of patterns, and the synthesizing of the chaos of experience into a comprehensible, meaningful, and entertaining narrative that captures the essence of an individual.” That she does a remarkably fine job of it is, no doubt at least in part, due to her ability to flesh out the lives of the two women, making them accessible to the average reader in their roles as friends, lovers and wives, in addition to that of being great intellectual pioneers and insightful societal analysts of the first half of the twentieth century.

As Hertog states, “[t]o understand these women and their men in the context of the social and political forces that determined the thrust and contour of their lives, and to draw lessons relevant to our lives and times, is the end toward which I have written this book.” Hertog’s firm academic grounding in an M. F. A. from Columbia University, as well as her previous authorship of the biography Anne Morrow Lindbergh: Her Life have both put her in good stead for writing such an ambitious and thoroughly well-researched book as this, to which she appends over 430 endnotes and 10 densely packed pages of selected bibliography. Dangerous Ambition, Rebecca West and Dorothy Thompson: New Women in Search of Love and Power (Random House Publishing Books; ISBN: 978-0-345-45986-2) is, in addition, illustrated with numerous black-and-white photographs that provide empathetic insight into the lives of both Thompson and West.

Hertog’s affinity for her subject has enabled her to condense six years of research into a work that does her subject proud, and in which she is able, from the perspective of a woman who takes great care in her own writing to attain accuracy and meaningful insight, to provide an in-depth analysis of these two great intellectuals. The liveliness of Hertog’s spirited writing can clearly be seen in her vivid use of imagery throughout the text, which is enhanced by the authors’ own metaphoric bent. Witness, for example, her retelling of how Thompson once revealed to a friend that, prior to meeting and marrying the expatriate writer Joseph Bard, “she had lived the solitary life of a wildcat, ready to pounce on the next big story, scavenge a revolution, and feed on the carcasses of people and events.”

This lively account of two women, who, despite being separated by geographical distance, were so much alike in their undaunted spirit and in their conscientious probing of human rights issues, should find a ready audience among all who are interested in, and concerned with, both contemporary and historical women’s issues. 

[My thanks go to renowned online publisher, Norm Goldman, for his inclusion of this review on his http://www.BookPleasures.com website.]