WELL-WATERED (From Tepid Tears to Raining Grace) Book Review

The bond between a mother and her child is a powerful one. This relationship can potentially affect the course of both their lives and those of the people around them. Writer Emlynn Francis combines stories of her childhood and advice on moving on from grief in her new book, WELL-WATERED (From Tepid Tears to Raining Grace).

Using examples from her own life, Francis talks about the power of loss and the hold it can have on our psyche. This grief can be especially difficult when it comes to our parents. A good parent does more than complete the lowest level listed in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. They support us, they love us and encourage us to grow into fully functioning adults. When they are gone, the emotional and psychological hole that they represented in life is one that will never be filled.

The problem I have with this book is that I found her advice to be empty, hollow, and uninspiring. This book should have been the figurative light under the ass to push her readers to move beyond their grief and whatever else is holding them back. But I felt nothing. Which is a shame because this book could have been so much more than it is.

Do I recommend it? No.

The original review can be read here.

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Unworthy Book Review

On the surface, many of us may seem to have it all. A thriving career, loving family, healthy children, supportive spouse or romantic partner, etc.  But underneath all of that, many of us have a secret darkness. This darkness call us names. Tell us that we are stupid, ugly, unworthy, unloved, etc. It keeps us from living our lives to the fullest and fulfilling our dreams.

Anneli Rufus’s non fiction book, Unworthy: How to Stop Hating Yourself is not the average self help book on low self esteem. Unlike many self help books on the subject that from from psychiatrists and doctors that come off as snooty and know it all, this book comes from one of us. Ms. Rufus writes in great detail the reasons for her lack of self esteem. She interviews a variety of people and borrows snippets of press interviews from some well known celebrities who suffered in secret from internal self hatred.

I enjoyed this book. Ms. Rufus writes from a place of understanding. She is one of us, looking in the mirror and see what is wrong with her instead of what is right with her. What I enjoyed about the book was the honest telling of her own fight with low self esteem. She encourages her readers to fight the negative thoughts and anxiety that are so pervasive and persuasive in our lives.

This fight is not easy, but it is worth it.

I recommend this book.