Book Review: Creative Interventions with Traumatized Children

Title: Creative Interventions with Traumatized Children
Author: Cathy A. Malchiodi
Publisher: The Guilford Press (New York)
Audience: Therapists, Counsellors, Psychotherapists, Social Workers
Subject: Creative therapeutic interventions when working with traumatized children.
Summary: Malchiodi did not write the book, instead she worked with 15 contributors to compile this book. After establishing the theory, the book is broken into three sections: Interventions with Individuals, Interventions with Families and Groups; lastly, Intervention as Prevention. For me this isn't a book that I recommened to read cover to cover. It is more of a book that you pick up and find the chapter that fits your current needs. It helps to think outside of the box for interventions. I own the first edition, but there is a second edition.
Score: 8/10 - This is a must own for clinicians working with traumatized children.
Amazon: $43.62

Book Review: What's The Big Deal About Pornography? A guide for the internet generation

Title: What's The Big Deal About Pornography? A guide for the internet generation
Author: Jill C. Manning, PhD
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Audience: Teenagers, Young Adults, Parents of Teens and Young Adults
Subject: Pornogaphy use
Summary: Manning defines what pornography is and than it's impact on the brain, and than the inlfuence on intimate relationships. The highlight (for me) is the comparison to a Friends episode where two main male characters have their perceptions changed on how a pizza delivery woman should interact with them after watching pornography. There are tools and recommendations for parents on how to talk to their teens about pornography and how to safe gaurd against it.
Score: 9/10
Amazon: $12.87 on Kindle

Book Review: Stand For The Family

Title: Stand For The Family
Author: Sharon Slater
Publisher: Inglestone (Gilbert)
Audience: Advocates for traditional family
Subject: The role and purpose for supporting traditional families
Summary: This is a conservative organizations, Family Watch International (who Slater is the president of), flagship book as they supply evidence and stories for supporting the traditional family while arguing against dismantling it. The book covers a range of highly political and sensitive topics such as motherhood, parental rights, life, gender, and marriage through a right-wing lense.
Score: 6/10
Amazon: $9.99 on Kindle

Book Review: Violence Against Women: Vulnerable populations

Title: Violence Against Women: Vulnerable populations
Author: Douglas A. Brownridge, PhD
Publisher: Routledge (New York)
Audience: Front-line workers, Social workers, Researchers/Academics in Social Sciences
Subject: Women at risk of violence
Summary: Brownridge is a family violence expert and he outlines, through research, women that are most at risk for violence: cohabitation, post-seperation, step-families, aboriginal, immigrant, disabilties and renting. While he acknowledges that not all women in these situations may be abused, they are at higher risk; and adds that any woman could be the victim of abuse. There is a lot of information and graphs condensed on each page.
Score: 7/10 - highly recommended if working with vulnerable women. (I am biased because Brownridge was one of my professors at the University of Manitoba)
Amazon: $40.62 on Kindle

Book Review: For All Eternity: Practical tools for strengthening your marriage

Title: For All Eternity: Practical tools for strengthening your marriage
Author: John L. Lund
Publisher: Covenant Communications (American Fork)
Audience: Dating or Married Latter-Day Saints, Mormons
Subject: Tips on improving your marriage on a daily basis
Summary: In a marriage guide book tailored to the Latter-Day Saints, Lund shares the differences found in a marriage and recommends ways to create common ground. In particular his book circles around his defintion of Love Languages that we seek acceptance, affection and appreciation through either physical touch, verbally or visually (different from the 5 Love Languages). He is practical in how to learn your love language and style, while then being able to communicate that language and other languages to a spouse.
Score: 7/10
Amazon: $2.58 on Kindle

Book Review: Dating Game Secrets For Marrying A Good Man

Title: Dating Game Secrets For Marrying A Good Man
Author: Alisa Goodwin Snell, LMFT
Publisher: Bonnevile Books (Springville)
Audience: Women and Men dating, Counsellors, Therapists
Subject: Dating tips for recorgnizing an abusive or manipulative personality
Summary: Goodwin-Snell goes through the dangers and risks of dating, but also discusses ways of being confident and successful while dating. The goal is being able to wade through the emotions and hormones of dating and look at a potential partner logically: risky behaviour, manipulative thought patterns, abusive traits, emotionally immature, etc. While tailored for a female audience, it is a fit for men too. I frequently use the appendixes to open discussen about taking responsibility and being emotionally mature.
Score: 9/10 - Very helpful, hands on and applicable.
Amazon: $7.50 on Kindle

Book Review: The Art of Happiness: A handbook for living

Title: The Art of Happiness: A handbook for living
Authors: The Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, MD.
Publisher: Riverhead Books (New York)
Audience: Anyone looking at increasing or understanding Happiness
Subject: Happiness in daily life
Summary: Cutler shares his experiences and insights he gathered from the Dalai Lama. So while the book was not penned by the Dalai Lama, it is his insights and guidance into the purpose of life, intimacy, compassion, suffering, and so on, that Cutler shares. While I believe in reading a book through, I often recommend Chapters 8-14 depending on what the struggle is: suffering, pain, anger, anxiety or self-esteem.
Score: 8/10
Amazon: $20.99 on Kindle

Book Review: Between Husband & Wife: Gospel perspective on marital intimacy

Title: Between Husband & Wife: Gospel perspective on marital intimacy
Authors: Stephen E. Lamb, MD; Douglas E. Brinley
Publisher: Covenant Communications (American Fork)
Audience: Married or dating Latter-Day Saints, Mormons; Counsellors, Therapists
Subject: Marital intimacy in Latter-Day Saints
Summary: Dealing with intimacy amongst the Latter-Day Saint population is always difficult, as it is not a topic that is discussed openly and typically left to couples themselves to figure out. Lamb and Brinley take on the task of discussing the honeymoon phase, sexual intimacy, sexual dysfunction, and the mechanics of human sexuality; all with a doctrinal and scriptual backing. Concluding with 20 questions that they are frequently asked.
Score: 6/10 - A good read for the engaged and newly wed couple to open up the discussion of sex (which may have been a taboo subject for years)

Amazon: $4.12 on Kindle

Book Review: Weakness Is Not Sin: The liberating distiction that awakens our strength

Title: Weakness Is Not Sin: The liberating distiction that awakens our strength
Author: Wendy Ulrich, PhD
Publisher: Deseret Book (Salt Lake City)
Audience: Latter-Day Saints, Mormons, Christians, Psychotherapists, Counsellors, Therapists.
Subject: Distinguishing the role of shame and sin.
Summary: I appreciated the way that Ulrich tackled shame, by helping to identify it and the ways that shame can be replaced with humility and godly sorrow. Ulrich shares insights and provoking thoughts that help challenge our beliefs about weakness and sin, in a comfortable non-shame-based way.
Score: 8/10 - highly recommended for the LDS population.

Amazon: $12.39 on Kindle

Book Review: Touching His Robe: Reaching past the shame and anger of abuse

Title: Touching His Robe: Reaching past the shame and anger of abuse

Author: Leslie G. Nelson

Publisher: West Lotus Press (Covington)

Audience: Survivors of sexual abuse, helpers in trauma, Christian based, LDS (Mormon)

Subject: Healing from past trauma

Summary: The author shares her personal sojourn and insights as she overcame her anger and shame from her past sexual abuse. She shares many insights from the bible and other religious leaders as she not only healed emotionally and mentally, but spiritually as well (An area of healing that is often overlooked). If reading for your own healing, this should be done so with professional support. It is also one woman's journey, and is not applicable to everyone's healing path. The hope is that at least one of the life's lessons will be applicable and help the reader on their healing journey.

Score: 7/10 - recommend for spiritual (Christian) healing from trauma.

Amazon: $4.47 Kindle

Book Review: Persistent Poverty: voices from the margins

Title: Persistent Poverty: Voices from the margins

Authors: Jamie Swift, Brice Balmer & Mira Dineed

Publisher: Between the Lines (Toronto)

Audience: Social sector, policy makers, front-line workers, Canadians

Subject: Poverty, low socioeconomic status

Summary: The book gives a voice to several people working in the field and those living a life a poverty. It's a call for action to help increase support for affordable homes, foodbanks, and the mentally ill. It's also a realization that many of us are one accident away, one lay-off away, from living in poverty. The downside to the book is that it is based in Ontario, so while the information is useful, it may not be applicable to other Provinces and Territories in Canada, or other Countries.

Score: 6/10 - Pick it up if you work in this field.

Amazon: $9.99 on Kindle