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Book Reviews The following reviews feature books by eWomenPublishingNetwork member authors. See all our authors' books on our online bookstore at http://www.ewomenpublishingnetwork.com/bookstore/bookstore.phtml. Vera Goodman Vera is a retired teacher and administrator who writes books for parents and teachers on literacy and learning issues. She is a professional speaker who captivates a wide variety of audiences with presentations that are energetic, entertaining and life-changing. You are guaranteed not to look at literacy in the same way again when you have listened to Vera. Her energy, wisdom and experience make her a welcome guest on radio and television talk shows. She is also the author of Simply Read!:
Simply Write! is a breathtaking book. I was impressed by its speak-from-the-heart tone and enlightening out-of-the-box content more than by its hilarious cover and compact size. According to author Goodman, writing must come from the heart, which is a highly learnable skill at all ages. Unlike other books about writing that focus on grammatical and mechanical issues, this book encourages free-writing and listening to the heart of the writer in order to succeed as one. One definitely doesn't need to have impeccable grammar just to write, unless one is aiming for the Pulitzer or aspiring to become an editor. After all, writing is an important life skill affecting how one sees the world, not a mere trade skill, which explains why everybody should have a decent dose of it. Divided into three sections –personal, family and home and school—the readers are welcomed to choose reading whichever section pertains to them first. Children are, encouraged to write as early as possible because writing is more than jotting down words on to a piece of paper. It is about discovering and celebrating their own histories with world history as the backdrop. This book is recommended to all readers who care about their future generations, their families and their personal growth. Don't we all?
Kathleen Hall eWomenNetwork Member: Atlanta, Georgia Chapter ISBN: 0-9745427-2-5 As one of the nation's leading authorities on stress management and work-life balance, Dr. Kathleen Hall is founder of The Stress Institute and a Fellow of the American Institute of Stress. Dr. Hall left her life as a financial advisor with a Wall Street firm, and made a radical choice to redefine her success. As an author, speaker, stress-management and wellness expert, Dr. Kathleen Hall teaches individuals and corporations how to Live an Intentional Life of purpose, health and balance.
Alter Your Life is not your regular self-help inspirational book. It is practical, engaging and powerfully life-changing. Unlike other self-help books that focus on the goals you'd like to create for your life, Dr. Hall provides a different angle on enjoying everyday activities, which are the key to a lifetime of joy and happiness. Divided into 24 chapters, this book talks about ways to give meaning to the simplest and often overlooked activities, such as walking, shopping, gardening, listening to music, taking a bath, watching the evening news and, even, washing dishes. The author's easy-to-read conversational tone is an added plus. Written by a former Wall Street stockbroker who lived joylessly for years, the soul of this book shines throughout the pages, making the reading a breeze. The author has walked the walk and talked the talk, indeed. She encourages readers to choose joy and the enlightened path in their hectic lives.
ISBN: 1-881849-03-2 Kim is on a mission to help people tell and preserve their unique and valuable stories. She is the published writer of fiction and poetry and her newest book is Making History: How to Remember, Record, Interpret and Share the Events of Your Life. She has written, edited and/or illustrated over twenty books for individuals, families and businesses as a skilled interviewer and designer. She holds degrees in History from the University of Washington and has spent years in historical research. She also teaches classes to help people to find their authentic voices, realize their inner wisdom, and discover their place in history. Review of Making History: Everyone has a story to tell and Making History is for anyone who wants to tell it. As a professional storyteller who teaches writing and history, author Kim Pearson is the right person to show you how to tell your story in an engaging and historically-correct way. Divided into three parts, this book focuses first on the reasons writing your personal history is an inspiring endeavor, second, on how to discover your place in history and third, on how to create powerful vignettes effortlessly. To aid the reader, Pearson generously includes important milestones in economics, politics, social fabric, wars, technology, science, arts, entertainments, crime and trivia to be used as a backdrop to the reader's own story. While most books about writing memoirs or personal histories pivot around internal dialogues to unveil "inner stories," Making History shows how this can be done by looking both inwardly and outwardly. Any writer, both seasoned and amateur, will find this book extremely valuable –much more than a simple how-to book. As a reference, this book is good as a comprehensive and concise history book about how events around us have shaped our society (and ourselves). Making History makes us all feel connected to the human story, regardless of how small our part might be.
Elinor Stutz eWomenNetwork Member: San Mateo Chapter Elinor was a stay-at-home Mom for 15 years after obtaining a B.A. in anthropology at UCLA, and traveling through much for the world. Contemplating a career to help put children through college, her husband said "You have the personality of a sales person!" Hearing the opportunity in his words, she became the top producer by her fourth month selling copiers door to door, followed by successes in a number of other sales positions... Her book, Smooth Selling, has just been self-published, but has been picked up by Sourcebooks, to be republished Fall 2006.
Smooth Selling is a strong book for individuals considering a career in sales or who are new entrepreneurs. Written from the heart, this book is more than an intellectual work. It is a testament of how a novice salesperson grew into an accomplished coach and trainer in this highly competitive field. Author Elinor Stutz was a homemaker for 15 years, before she jumped with both feet into the world of sales and marketing. During the 13 years of her career as a corporate salesperson, she consistently exceeded 180% of her quota simply by being unique. In this valuable book, she shows the readers how she got it done. In simple and down-to-earth ways, Elinor will show you how to build lasting relationships that would turn into sales automatically. Written with passion and genuine love for the profession, author Stutz's authentic qualities shine through the pages. I'm pretty sure that most readers will be entertained, enlightened and inspired by this book, and amazed by the willpower of the author. She is an authentic role model.
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Review of Simply Write!:
Kim Pearson