Author Archive

Review: Eat, Pray, Love

April 5, 2008 at 4:27 pm · Filed under Novel book reviews ·Tagged , ,

Title: Eat, Pray, Love

Author: Elizabeth Gilbert

Summary

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Gilbert (The Last American Man) grafts the structure of romantic fiction upon the inquiries of reporting in this sprawling yet methodical travelogue of soul-searching and self-discovery. Plagued with despair after a nasty divorce, the author, in her early 30s, divides a year equally among three dissimilar countries, exploring her competing urges for earthly delights and divine transcendence. First, pleasure: savoring Italy’s buffet of delights–the world’s best pizza, free-flowing wine and dashing conversation partners–Gilbert consumes la dolce vita as spiritual succor. “I came to Italy pinched and thin,” she writes, but soon fills out in waist and soul. Then, prayer and ascetic rigor: seeking communion with the divine at a sacred ashram in India, Gilbert emulates the ways of yogis in grueling hours of meditation, struggling to still her churning mind. Finally, a balancing act in Bali, where Gilbert tries for equipoise “betwixt and between” realms, studies with a merry medicine man and plunges into a charged love affair. Sustaining a chatty, conspiratorial tone, Gilbert fully engages readers in the year’s cultural and emotional tapestry–conveying rapture with infectious brio, recalling anguish with touching candor–as she details her exotic tableau with history, anecdote and impression.

Positive Elements

Gilbert is particularly gifted in writing her descriptive narratives. Her description of the gourmet, geography and people of Italy peaked my interest as a potential place to visit. This part of the book will have you craving Italian food. In addition to her narratives, Ms. Gilbert also provides with readers with lots of factual and historical information about the places she visits.

Sexual Content

There is a sex scene in the end of the book between Ms. Gilbert and her “friend.” Its not particularly graphic though.

Violent Content

None

Profanity

A few words but not enough that I found it too offensive.

Drug Content

None

Conclusion

I had heard so many good things about this book. It had been on my reading list of a few months based on the positive reccomendations of others. However, I have never been more disappointed with a book than I was with Eat, Pray, Love. I disliked this book for so many reasons. Ms. Gilbert’s attitude toward life is much like the atttitude of the world today. She comes across as self-absorbed, narcisstic and childish in her pursuit of so called “enlightenment.” It is worthwhile to note that she recieved an advance on this book before the trip. So I wonder how much of the experiences and drama in the book were created and contrived by Ms. Gilbert for a better read. There were many statements and stories that Christians will find offensive. In the beginning of the book Ms. Gilbert states “Let me explain why I use the word God, when I could easily use the words Jehovah, Allah, Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu or Zeus. Alternatively I could call God “that”. …………..God is the name that feels the most warm to me, so thats what I use (page 13). As Christians we know God is not any of those others. The God she references to in the rest of the book is not our Heavenly Father, although her so-called meditations and prayers would have you think otherwise.

In the second part of the book, Ms.Gilbert travels to India to study in an ashram under the teachings of a famous Indian guru. An ashram is a compound of like-minded people coming together to study and meditate. It is similar to a retreat. During one meditative session Gilbert describes it (p. 199) as ” being pulled through a wormhole of the Absolute , and in a rush I suddenly understood the working of the universe. I entered the void ……. The void was God , which means I was inside God.” Gilbert also quotes and Indian book that says ” People follow different paths, straight or crooked according to their temperment, depending on which one they consider best or most appropriate and all reach YOU (God).” This cherry picking of religion is advocated through out the book. We as Christians know that Jesus has said ” I am the way, the truth and the life. No one gets to the father but through me.” John 14:6. I have found that most of the world is always on the search for something beyond ourselves. People are willing to look everywhere but to God to fill that empty void. I am willing to bet the Ms. Gilbert’s new found happiness is temporary and that without knowledge of the on true God she will always have an empty void.

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The Best Breast Milk

March 24, 2008 at 6:38 am · Filed under Breastfeeding, Green, Health, Nutrition ·Tagged , , ,

I came across an interesting article in a current women’s magazine. According to a study in the British Journal of Nutrition, moms who ate more organic meat and dairy had higher levels of a fatty acid called CLA. CLA has been shown to boost immune systems in newborns and decrease the risk for eczema. You can read more about it here.

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Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy

February 19, 2008 at 9:27 pm · Filed under Health, Pregnancy ·Tagged , , ,

It truly is amazing how uniquely God made a woman’s body. During my first pregnancy I was in constant awe at how my body was able to grow and nurture another human being. My first pregnancy was pretty textbook. I had the occasional bout of morning sickness and I gained the appropriate amount of weight, but I also had considerable hip and lower back pain. During pregnancy the body releases a hormone, Relaxin. Relaxin has the job of helping loosen the ligaments in the hip and pelvis area as to make room for the birth of a baby. I could literally feel this change in my body as I lie awake late into the night. The majority of the weight I gained was in my belly and this also caused me considerable lower back pain. I was encouraged by my regular OB to take Tylenol and even Tylenol PM at night. That idea did not appeal to me as I knew it may not be the best thing for my baby. I came across an article in a parenting magazine that discussed the benefits of chiropractic care for pregnant women. It looked like the best alternative to medicine.

I discovered along the way that chriopractic care does more than relieve the painful nuances of pregnancy. Here are some of the benefits:

  1. Chiropractic care reduces the nausea and sometimes vomiting.
  2. Can help prevent back labor.
  3. Offers a very specific method for helping turn breech babies.
  4. Can align the spine and pelvis to make room for the baby and therefore a shorter and less traumatic labor and delivery for mom and baby.
  5. Chiropractic care can also ease post-partum recovery as well. My first labor was 12 hours and I pushed for 40 minutes. My second labor was about 4 hours and I pushed one time! I sincerely believe that my visits to the chiropractor played a huge part in those relatively easy deliveries.

So how does the chiropractor do it? From a layman’s point of view it seems pretty simple. During pregnancy the changes in a woman’s body causes the pelvis to become misaligned. This reduces the amount of room the baby has during delivery. Its pretty common these days to hear of birth stories where forceps or vacuums had to be used because the baby was stuck.Even more commonplace are the number of caserean sections being performed. A chiropractor reduces stress on the spine by performing an adjustment. The patient lays on their stomach. For pregnant women the chiropractor will have a table where the center collapses or a specially designed maternity pillow that encases your stomach while laying down. The doctor then applies a light pressure to the spine to help restore normal alignment and motion. Its painless and there is usually immediate relief.

When searching for a chiropractor make sure that the person has been trained in caring for pregnant women and and has experience in this area. For more information on this topic you can go to http://www.amerchiro.org/content_css.cfm?CID=85

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Review: Pillars of the Earth

January 29, 2008 at 3:19 pm · Filed under Novel book reviews

Title: Pillars of the Earth
Author: Ken Follet

Summary

In a time of civil war, famine and religious strife, there rises a magnificent Cathedral in Kingsbridge. Against this backdrop, lives entwine: Tom, the master builder, Aliena, the noblewoman, Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge, Jack, the artist in stone and Ellen, the woman from the forest who casts a curse. At once, this is a sensuous and enduring love story and an epic that shines with the fierce spirit of a passionate age. (Taken from here)

Positive Elements

The story line is compelling. The author is so vivid with the details reading this book makes you feel like you are part of the 12th century. You empathize with the characters and their plights. It is a classic good vs evil saga. This book has elements in the story that would appear to variety of readers; a love story, war, medieveal history. It is a long book, 900 pages, it moves very fast. It almost like watching a good movie.

Sexual Content

There was more sexual content in this book than I imagined there would be. Early on in the book there is a rape scene between two of the central characters of the story that sets the stage for the entire storyline. There are also several vivid descriptions of sexual encounters between the characters. Some, I believe a little to gratitous and not necessary to the overall story.

Violent Content

The setting of this novel is 12 century England otherwise known as the Dark Ages. A term you will understand much more after reading this book. This time in history was known for its savage wars, unmatched cruelty and desperate means of survival. There are many paticularly violent scenes. The book open with the hanging of a thief. This sets stage for more savage acts including rape, murder and torture. I was a little disturbed by the amount of violence in the book. Some of the violence was central to the storyline in helping the reader understand the conditions of 12 century lifestyle. I often skipped over detailed descriptions of fighting and the war as I thought it was unecessary to the plot of the novel.

Profanity Content

I do remember several instances of profanity. It would seem to appear in random points through the book. Much of the profanity is related to the degradation of women.

Drug Content

None that I recall.

Conclusion

This book covers two generations and their quest to survive one of the most brutal periods of history. I would give caution to those readers who are sensitive to violence, as Follet spares no details in their description. The plot of this novel revolves around the building of magnificent cathedral. However, I would not call this a religious or Christian book by any means. The priests and the bishops portrayed in the book are the most ruthless and corrupt characters of the entire book. The novel certainly doesn’t provide a reader with a very positive view of the early times of the church. I thought that the story was well written and the characters are well developed. This book is well over 900 pages. So it will take some time to finish this book.

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