Take a photo of a barcode or cover
705 reviews by:
tamaraepps
How to Be Sick: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide for the Chronically Ill and Their Caregivers
Toni Bernhard, Sylvia Boorstein
This review is cross-posted at a href="http://captivatedbybooks.wordpress.com/2014/06/28/review-how-to-be-sick-by-toni-bernhard/">Captivated by Books
In How to be Sick Toni Bernhard tells of how she used her Buddhist faith and understanding to accept living with a chronic disability.
I had been looking forward to reading this book for a very long time (despite having it on my shelf for months before I got to it) as I really enjoy Bernhard’s column at Psychology Today in which she gives advice to those with chronic disabilities, and their carers, revolving around Buddhism. I was expecting more of the same with How to be Sick, only more in-depth. Unfortunately I instead found that most of the book was, in my opinion, fluff (ie. extra words that weren’t necessary just to make the chapters longer).
The book starts with Bernhard’s personal journey with becoming ill on a holiday in Paris, and never recovering. She then goes on to explain a few fundamentals of Buddhism and examples of how she uses them.
However, I felt that it was simply repetition of saying ‘so I started to think like that and it helped’, which isn’t actually very useful to the reader. I was really looking for actionable steps, due to it being described as ‘a Buddhist-inspired guide for the chronically ill and their caregivers’, and for me the book just didn’t deliver.
I did find some of the explanations of Buddhist ideas helpful, but I feel that I would just as easily be able to learn these online or using books dedicated to Buddhism. As so many of Bernhard’s examples simply explain what her mental and emotional state would be like without using Buddhism, I didn’t find many of them useful or explanatory.
Despite not finding the majority of the book up to my expectations, the final chapters did explain the difficulties people with chronic disabilities face, that most people may not be aware of, as well as giving suggestions on how to deal with specific problems (although, most of those suggestions involve nothing more than some positive statements to say to yourself).
Overall I was very disappointed with How to be Sick, and I personally didn’t find it worth my time, money or energy. However, for those with chronic disabilities and their carers, I still recommend reading Toni Bernhard’s column online if you are looking for a burst of inspiration, acceptance, and understanding.
In How to be Sick Toni Bernhard tells of how she used her Buddhist faith and understanding to accept living with a chronic disability.
I had been looking forward to reading this book for a very long time (despite having it on my shelf for months before I got to it) as I really enjoy Bernhard’s column at Psychology Today in which she gives advice to those with chronic disabilities, and their carers, revolving around Buddhism. I was expecting more of the same with How to be Sick, only more in-depth. Unfortunately I instead found that most of the book was, in my opinion, fluff (ie. extra words that weren’t necessary just to make the chapters longer).
The book starts with Bernhard’s personal journey with becoming ill on a holiday in Paris, and never recovering. She then goes on to explain a few fundamentals of Buddhism and examples of how she uses them.
However, I felt that it was simply repetition of saying ‘so I started to think like that and it helped’, which isn’t actually very useful to the reader. I was really looking for actionable steps, due to it being described as ‘a Buddhist-inspired guide for the chronically ill and their caregivers’, and for me the book just didn’t deliver.
I did find some of the explanations of Buddhist ideas helpful, but I feel that I would just as easily be able to learn these online or using books dedicated to Buddhism. As so many of Bernhard’s examples simply explain what her mental and emotional state would be like without using Buddhism, I didn’t find many of them useful or explanatory.
Despite not finding the majority of the book up to my expectations, the final chapters did explain the difficulties people with chronic disabilities face, that most people may not be aware of, as well as giving suggestions on how to deal with specific problems (although, most of those suggestions involve nothing more than some positive statements to say to yourself).
Overall I was very disappointed with How to be Sick, and I personally didn’t find it worth my time, money or energy. However, for those with chronic disabilities and their carers, I still recommend reading Toni Bernhard’s column online if you are looking for a burst of inspiration, acceptance, and understanding.
Also posted on my book blog Captivated By Books
Lately I have been working a lot harder on trying to improve my health (and lose weight); for me that means reading a lot of ‘health’ books to find out what works best for me.
The Body Book is aimed at women and covers all areas of health including exercise, food and motivation. Instead of focusing on one specific diet, Cameron Diaz gives the information needed to understand why eating certain foods and doing certain exercise makes such a difference to our health.
Reading parts of this book was like going back to school. Diaz basically gives a biology lesson on how the body works – most of it I already knew but it was nice to have a reminder as it’s been a while since I learnt it. Through diagrams and charts we are not only taught the parts of the body, but why it is important to keep it healthy and how to do so. Throughout the book there are also plenty of easy to access charts which make all the information extremely clear.
One thing I loved about The Body Book was the enthusiasm with which Diaz talks about getting healthy. Despite the awful attempts at sassiness (sorry, but occasionally throwing out a ‘sister’ or ‘ladies’ only makes me cringe), I found the book extremely motivating as it got me excited about becoming healthier, especially through exercise, which is something I really appreciated. Even after finishing the book I am still feeling motivated at living a healthier lifestyle which is exactly what you want from a book like this.
The Body Book is primarily aimed at women and includes a chapter about menstruation and taking care of our lady-bits. However, for the most part I feel this book would be just as effective for men, though they will likely need to adjust some of the numbers to fit their physique.
I wasn’t expecting this to be particularly well written (though at least Diaz makes it clear she had help rather than disguising the fact that it is ghost written), but was pleasantly surprised. While it’s not incredible literature, it serves its purpose in providing a lot of information in an easy to understand format. I’m not particularly good at remember what I have read in non-fiction books, but as this book focuses more on the intent to become healthier, as well as giving specific advice, I feel much more confident in how to make choices on what I eat, etc.
I would recommend The Body Book to anyone starting to explore living a healthier life as it provides all the basic information you need to make healthier choices. It is not a dieting book, nor is it a step-by-step how-to, but rather shows how, and more importantly why, to make healthier decisions in day-to-day life.
Lately I have been working a lot harder on trying to improve my health (and lose weight); for me that means reading a lot of ‘health’ books to find out what works best for me.
The Body Book is aimed at women and covers all areas of health including exercise, food and motivation. Instead of focusing on one specific diet, Cameron Diaz gives the information needed to understand why eating certain foods and doing certain exercise makes such a difference to our health.
Reading parts of this book was like going back to school. Diaz basically gives a biology lesson on how the body works – most of it I already knew but it was nice to have a reminder as it’s been a while since I learnt it. Through diagrams and charts we are not only taught the parts of the body, but why it is important to keep it healthy and how to do so. Throughout the book there are also plenty of easy to access charts which make all the information extremely clear.
One thing I loved about The Body Book was the enthusiasm with which Diaz talks about getting healthy. Despite the awful attempts at sassiness (sorry, but occasionally throwing out a ‘sister’ or ‘ladies’ only makes me cringe), I found the book extremely motivating as it got me excited about becoming healthier, especially through exercise, which is something I really appreciated. Even after finishing the book I am still feeling motivated at living a healthier lifestyle which is exactly what you want from a book like this.
The Body Book is primarily aimed at women and includes a chapter about menstruation and taking care of our lady-bits. However, for the most part I feel this book would be just as effective for men, though they will likely need to adjust some of the numbers to fit their physique.
I wasn’t expecting this to be particularly well written (though at least Diaz makes it clear she had help rather than disguising the fact that it is ghost written), but was pleasantly surprised. While it’s not incredible literature, it serves its purpose in providing a lot of information in an easy to understand format. I’m not particularly good at remember what I have read in non-fiction books, but as this book focuses more on the intent to become healthier, as well as giving specific advice, I feel much more confident in how to make choices on what I eat, etc.
I would recommend The Body Book to anyone starting to explore living a healthier life as it provides all the basic information you need to make healthier choices. It is not a dieting book, nor is it a step-by-step how-to, but rather shows how, and more importantly why, to make healthier decisions in day-to-day life.
