this is an entry for my participation in the 2008 blogathon, a 24-hour marathon of blogging. please support the cause and donate – however much, however little – to the canadian mental health association (vancouver/burnaby branch). to donate, email me or use this URL: www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=d2252. you should be able to get there by clicking the link; if not, just copy and paste the link into your browser. it will take you to the appropriate location at canada helps.
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books seem to be very much the theme of this blogathon.
i’m sitting here at this table surrounded by books. i probably won’t quote from all of them. but they’re all very dear to me. here’s a (very partial and random!) list of my favourite non-fiction books:
- full contact magick, by kerr cuhulain (one of my favourite pagan books, written by a vancouver policeman)
- creative visualization, by shakti gawain (THE classic in visualization)
- the places that scare you, by pema chodron (a wonderful buddhist nun)
- the lazy man’s guide to enlightenment, by thaddeus golas (an old, old classic about meditation. you can read it online)
- ten zen seconds, by eric maisel (not really about zen but still, a great book of “twelve incantations for purpose, power and calm”)
- raise your right hand against fear, extend the other in compassion, by sheldon kopp (one of my favourite psychologist. “compassion is joined with common sense”)
- peoplemaking, by virginia satir (another of my psychologist heroes. one of the best books ever about communication and relationships)
- how can i help, by ram dass (if you’re in the helping profession, this book is an absolute must. very down to earth)
- the best within, by neil boyd (about male aggression)
- escape from babel, by scott miller, barry duncan and mark hubble (my brief therapy bible)
- cave of tigers, by john daido loori (a series of zen teachings by a north american buddhist who also happens to be a fabulous artist)
- an introduction to language, by viktoria fromkin and robert rodman (a linguistics text book)
- gaining, by aimee liu (“the truth about life after eating disorders” – not only very informative but also very, very well written)
- dark nights of the soul, by thomas moore (“thomas moore asks us to acknowledge the dark moon within us all”)
- creativity: flow and the psychology of discovery and invention, by mihaly csikszentmihalyi (one of the foremost researchers on creativity)
I am going to look some of these up, they sound wonderful.
#9 – I had Neil Boyd for a prof my first semester at SFU, professing about the decriminalization of marijuana was quite the introduction to university life!
Let me guess what #16 is…
Glenda Watson Hyatt’s last blog post..Passing Judgments: Harmful if They Pass Right On Through?
please, glenda! guess!
Yes, Virginia Satir was a genius–but she was not a psychologist, she was a social worker (See Virginia Satir: Her Life and Circle of Influence:, edited by Melvin Suhd et al, Palo Alto, Calif: Science and Behavior Books, 2000
hello barbara – well, yes, you’re absolutely right. however, she is generally seen more as a psychologist than as a social worker. i guess there is the professional designation “psychologist” (which she didn’t have) and then there is the common conception of what a psychologist does (and she fits the bill perfectly).
however, i will be more careful next time when i refer to virginia satir’s background. thanks!