Quarterly Book Reviews #2

I was supposed to post these around Midsummer, but I was saving some of the books for my summer break, having decided there was no better place to read them than on an empty beach, in the early morning hours.


GENDER STUDIES/PSYCHOLOGY
Iron John: A Book About Men by Robert Bly (Da Capo Press 2004)

Probably the foundational book of the so-called mythopoetic (or expressive) men's movement. First printed in 1990, it stirred something of a controversy among feminists, masculists and all the other -ists. Using Brother Grimm's ancient fairy tale Iron John, award-winning author Robert Bly analyses eight stages of male growth and writes about the need for mentorship and the restoration of male initiation rites in contemporary culture.

NEW AGE/WICCA & PAGANISM
Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham (Llewellyn 2005)

With so many books on Wicca being published every year, it is more and more difficult to find a good practical introduction. Cunnigham's book, sold in about half-million copies, is readily recommended by most Wiccans, and for a good reason. As far as Wicca 101 books are concerned, this one is a must.

HEALTH
The Immune Advantage: How to Boost Your Immune System - The Single Most Important Thing You Can Do for Your Health by Ellen Mazo with Dr Keith Berndtson (Rodale 2002)
With this book I think I have finally found the perfect one-stop resource for disease prevention. Written with a holistic approach, it deals with everything from antigenic determinants (whatever that is) to the power of prayer. There's loads of practical advice, quizzes, tests... All the good stuff.

NEW AGE
The Book of Secrets by Deepak Chopra (2004)
Typical Chopra, for the thousandth time. How to unlock the secret dimensions of your life, etc etc. I don't think I am going to read any of his books ever again (says a person subscribed to Chopra's e-newsletter).

SACRED SCRIPTURE
Upanishads (Wordsworth Classics 2000)
Have you ever read something you couldn't quite understand (or even begin to), and yet you were utterly entranced by it, feeling the beauty resonating somewhere deep within?