Readings

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Word Magic

We tend to think of magic as moments in time and as individual occurrences. Can magic happen for groups of people on an enduring basis? Lee Cockerell believes it can. In his book Creating Magic,  he reflects on the success of Disney World. He describes how the core values of honesty, integrity, respect, courage, balance and diversity contribute to magic in our lives and in the lives of others.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/29183/creating-magic-by-lee-cockerell/

Doing Life: Reflections of Men and Women Serving Life Sentences

Doing Life: Reflections of Men and Women Serving Life Sentences by Howard Zehr.

 

Long-time advocate of social justice, Zehr suggests that we “tend not to see victims or offenders as real people. We seldom understand crime as it is actually experienced; as a violation of real people by real people.”

The author combines photographs and interviews to answer the questions, “What does it mean, for those experiencing it, to be locked up for life, with little or no possibility of ever returning to society?”

I’m not crazy, I just lost my glasses: Portraits and Oral Histories of people who have been in and out of mental institutions

I’m not crazy, I just lost my glasses: Portraits and Oral Histories of people who have been in and out of mental institutions

Lonny Shavelson (1986), published by De Novo Press, CA. This book humanizes the experience of “madness” and related treatment, not in abstract jargon but in commonplace language of the wounded. 

We experience these people with faces and voices of their own, with stories to tell. It is worth asking your library if they can access a copy for you.

Contemplative Photography: Seeing with wonder, respect, and humility

Contemplative Photography: Seeing with wonder, respect, and humility. by Howard Zehr (2005). Published by Good Books, PA.

With this book, Zehr makes a gift to anyone who would like to connect photography to seeing and thinking more deeply. In each chapter he offers a Purpose, a Problem, and an Activity with a camera in order to “practice mindfulness.” The author suggests that the value of experiences will be increased if you journal during or after the exercises.

Images and Echoes: Exploring your life with photography and writing

Images and Echoes: Exploring your life with photography and writing edited by Dr. R. Jevne.

This beautifully illustrated hardcopy book captures the explorations of seventeen women who reveal their stories through writing and images. Join them as they delve into the worlds we commonly call family, work, learning, healing, relationships, and spirituality. Explore with them, your inner and outer life as they take you from place to place; and from chaos to stability. 

Creative Guide to Exploring Your Life: Self-Reflection Using Photography, Art, and Writing

Creative Guide to Exploring Your Life: Self-Reflection Using Photography, Art, and Writing by Graham Gordon Ramsay and Holly Barlow Sweet.

This creative guide to exploring and understanding who you are, what you value, and what you wish to achieve brims with imaginative exercises and examples that use the power of photography, art, and writing as tools for self-discovery. It provides clear and accessible guidance on how to explore different parts of your identity. Exercises are accompanied by searching questions for self-reflection, and are complemented by examples of each exercise to provoke ideas and inspiration. Featuring additional guidance for teachers, counselors, and other professionals running the exercises in group settings, this book offers a dynamic and enjoyable way for you to explore different aspects of your life.

Don’t Say Yes when you want to say No

Don’t say Yes when you want to say No: Making life right when it feels all wrong by Herbert Fensterheim.

This best- selling classic takes a somewhat different slant. It focuses on contexts in which you may want to be more assertive – social situations, marriage, sexual relations, family, and work setting. It provides many case examples and exercises.

When I say no, I feel guilty

When I say no, I feel guilty by Manual J. Smith

I particularly appreciate the author’s attention to “assertive rights” and specific skills that help accompany the expression of those basic rights. This best-seller is a first step to being able to say “no” without guilt. Whether you need to say “no” to your kids, your boss or your mother-in-law, this is an excellent guide.

Five things we cannot change: And the happiness we find by embracing them

Five things we cannot change: And the happiness we find by embracing them by David Richo.

A seasoned therapist, the author offers the perspective that there are certain facts that we cannot change – the unavoidable “givens” of human existence: everything changes and ends; things do not always go according to plan; life is not always fair; pain is part of life, and people are not loving and loyal all the time.

By letting go of our resistance to these givens, life gets lighter. Richo blends western psychology with Eastern spirituality and provides practical exercises.

Think Again: The power of knowing what you don’t know

Think again: The power of knowing what you don’t know by Adam Grant is an encouraging read.

Be ready to learn to question your opinions about people and ideas. Well known Brene Brown in her review of Think again  says, “Adam Grant weaves together research and storytelling to help us build the intellectual and emotional muscle we need … to change.”

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