Book with a View April 2007

BOOK WITH A VIEW is a regular feature of Writers in the Sky (WITS) Newsletter published by Yvonne Perry and Write On Creative Writing Services.

This month Reader Views is featuring two books dealing with substance abuse – alcohol. Each author shares his own personal story and how recovery took place.

An Uncommon Drunk: Revelations of a High-Functioning Alcoholic
Jeff Herten, MD
iUniverse (2006)
ISBN 059537994X
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (11/06)

The author, Dr. Jeff Herten, writes “An Uncommon Drunk” from two main perspectives. The first is based upon his own experience as a functioning alcoholic. The second is based upon his experience and knowledge as a medical doctor. The amount of medical information that he provides about the damage that alcohol causes to our bodies is incredible. I have a Master of Science degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and I learned more in this book about the physiologically damaging effects of alcohol than I did during my entire program. The alcohol industry does a lot to make alcohol appear benign, but really it is a dangerous poison for our bodies.

Complete review and live interview with author...

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My Swim with the Sharks
Richard Taylor
PublishAmerica (2005)
ISBN 1413782698
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (12/06)

“My Swim with the Sharks” is a story about a personal battle with a drug and alcohol addiction. Addiction is an insidious disease; it destroys people’s health, families and breaks down our society. Richard knew this, yet he found himself unable to stop drinking or doing drugs. In spite of everything that he was experiencing, Richard knew it was wrong, he knew it was destroying him and his friends, and he battled hard to overcome it.

Complete review and live interview with author...

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Waking Spirit: Prose & Poems the Spirit Sings
by Shirley Cheng; foreword by New York Times bestselling author, Cynthia Brian
ISBN: 9780615136806 paperback; 9780615138930 hardback
To be released in May 2007.
Pre-order autographed copies from: http://www.shirleycheng.com

Kirkus Discoveries wrote:
An inspirational miscellany from one of the braver souls on the planet. The author of a number of works in genres ranging from memoir to short fiction to poetry, this motivational speaker is seldom at a loss for words to celebrate life and promote her indefatigable character. Here, Cheng collects a menagerie of lyrics, haiku, short personal essays and even briefer aphoristic words to live by--all on the theme of leaping over seemingly insurmountable hurdles, a subject with which this author is well-acquainted. Though plagued from infancy with near-fatal juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and then blindness as a teenager, Cheng continues to tackle on the page all life has to offer, enlisting but her two index fingers, the aid of a screen-reader program that reads back what she's composed and her indomitable will.

Cheng's prose statements detail a few of her tribulations, offering philosophical insights on suffering, though never with a hint of self-pity; her poems, particularly the vivid haiku, turn more to objects of the natural world that delight her. For those ready to be eased of their burdens, Cheng provides a lift.

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Dance with Your Heart! Inspirational and Fantasy Books and Poems
by Shirley Cheng

Be empowered, inspired, and motivated through the inspirational writings, radio interviews, and life story of miracle survivor Shirley Cheng, a blind and physically disabled motivational speaker, poet, author and contributing author of twelve books by age twenty-three. Despite her multiple physical disabilities, she's living the life she loves and she empowers others to do the same. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, Inspiration from a Blind, to receive words of inspiration, news and updates on her books.

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Cagney & Lacey and Me, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blond
by Barney Rosenzweig

This week, Fox announced the long-awaited release of the Cagney & Lacey DVD set to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the popular TV show. The show's producer, Barney Rosenzweig, is also releasing his book on the trials and tribulations of getting this show on the air.

When Cagney & Lacey first aired on CBS, nothing like it had ever been seen before. Not only did the groundbreaking series feature two smart, capable women cops (this in The Love Boat era), it also tackled such taboo subjects as date rape, breast cancer, and a woman's right to choose. It was their gritty, honest take on real-life situations that gave the women's movement a jump start that forever changed the face of television drama.

It's been twenty five years since the breakthrough television series was first broadcast on CBS, and all the fighting and passion that went into creatingand keepingthe award-winning series alive will soon be revealed in Cagney & LaceyŠ and MeAn Inside Hollywood Story or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blond, written by the show's executive producer, Barney Rosenzweig.

(In case you're wondering about the "love the blond" part - - Rosenzweig later married Sharon Gless, who played Christine Cagney).

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Alan Siegel on Branding and Clear Communication
by Louis J. Solvinsky

Over the past three decades, Alan Siegel has become one of the best known figures in the branding business and a champion of clear communications. He has achieved the stature of both pillar of the establishment and provocative iconoclast, while building a leading brand consultancy, Siegel & Gale.

Siegel's influence extends to advising organizations such as Xerox, American Express, The Girl Scouts, and The National Basketball Association. This biography tells the story of a man who became a success and leader in an area of human endeavor that neither he nor his friends expected.

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Rich by Choice
by Erland Peterson

Successful money and wealth management. Rich By Choice gives you, with stories, facts and figures, the investment advice you need to build your investments and retirement income successfully.

Rich by Choice is the only book you will ever need to build your riches and manage your wealth. This is the process; these are the steps to make you rich. The choice is yours.

• MAKE YOUR CHOICES
• Investing money safely, for profit
• Insurance, benefits and protection
• Tax advice and planning
• The facts and figures you need
• Financial planners' strategies that work
• Real people's stories of success
• Stop saving, start investing; that's wealth management
• Wealth comes from ownership

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Ricochet
by p.m. Terrell

The night before Sheila Carpenter begins her career as an FBI Agent a bomb is detonated sending Sheilas best friend to the hospital in a fight for her life. Then Sheila discovers clues her mother left in the days before her parents deaths leading Sheila to believe their deaths were not accidental.

Now Sheila is on the trail of her mother’s killers while the bombers are closing in on Sheila. She’s swept into the dark underbelly of illegal immigration, identity theft, and terrorism. And now she's on a collision course with terrorists intent on sending the United States into chaos. And for Sheila, now it’s personal.

Ricochet has been nominated for the 2007 IPPY Awards!