While much has been made of  the roller coaster relationships that she had within her family with her father, her grandmother a famed “heroic figure” in her native country of Puerto Rico, her mother who committed suicide and her brother the drug addict; and, i can appreciate her emotional bondage within those relationships; it escapes me how she could then, choose to place a relationship with the man of her choice…a much older man…over the lives of the children that she helped to create.

Irene admitted that her desire to be a mother “allowed her” to forget to take her birth control pills…knowing that she would have some time alone with her secret knowledge of the child that grew within.  She did this knowing all along, that she would chose abortion because her man demanded it of her; to remain in the relationship with him-this in the ‘name” of his never-ending pursuit of the illusion he called “freedom”-meaning no children.  Part of this sad tales equation is that, in the beginning of their relationship, Irene was a mere 15 years old.  She was sent over here, from her own country, to attend college.  The professor would probably be brought up on charges today; for having a sexual relationship with a minor, if their relationship were to begin anew under those conditions.

The object of her desire wanted no children.  He demanded no child be born of him; she knew this.  Why didn’t he seek a physical, permanent solution to his own fertility, if it was so very important, to him to remain childless?  I suspect it had more to do with his need to control the women in his relationships.  He allegedly told Irene that his previous wives and relationships couldn’t be strong in their commitment to “freedom” and they chose to move into motherhood with partners other than him.  What this says about him and his requirements of a relationship is sad.

Sadder still, to me, is a woman who can carry 15 lives and abort them all.  Most of those 15 pregnancies were with the man her obsession.  There were other babies who had different fathers.  She can not place her reasons for aborting strictly on the relationship with the freedom seeking professor, in my opinion.  I do have to say that, Ms. Vilar went on to give birth to two living children, with a new husband.   I can’t imagine the emotional journey those children will experience, as they enter into adulthood and an age of understanding.  What kind of emotional damage will they have when they ponder why they got to live and their siblings did not? 

She talked about her mental breakdown, about her going hungry…she talked about her suffering friendships.  What she didn’t address is how she forgave herself; if in fact, she has been able to do so.  How has she handled the emotion of seeing other children who would have been the approximate ages of her unborn children?  She did address looking down at her infant in the crib and agonizing over having to die and leave her child one day.   But even in that observation, the concern is more for herself rather than any child that she gave life to.   I find this very troubling.  I hope that somehow she has allowed herself to learn how to “place the importance of the life, the emotion and the spiritual needs of the child” before her own.

While I would have more compassion for a woman who wrote this book as a means of therapy; for coming to understand herself and her choices and resolving how to live with those choices; i did not find that kind of completion in this book.  I borrowed this book from my local library because I would have had a hard time paying for a book that was born out of the prematurely ended lives upon which this book was written.  It would have felt like i was condoning the author for having written this book, about the deaths of her babies; by paying her money for living it and for writing about it.   I would have felt guilt by association.  Instead, I feel as if I was the lone visitor at the memorial for their lives, and it is just sad to me.

This book was copyrighted in 2009 and published by: http://www.otherpress.com.

All military troops face challenges in war circumstances; but the precept behind this book is the particular challenges that face the women soldiers who are far outnumbered in ratio to their male counterparts. There are issues for these women in the performance of their duties due to issues with race, gender, personal space issues, health issues, respect of their fellow troops, sexual assault and sexual harassment issues.   The isolation that the female soldier experiences in dealing with these issues is compounded due to the fact that there has not been a large number of women in each troop.   In some cases, resentment is rampant and a lack of organized leadership seems to prevail, causing ongoing harm between the enlisted men and women, as well as their leadership.

The fact of the matter is that this war in Iraq is like no other that this nation has ever fought. Women are not “allowed” to fight on the front lines…and yet, because of the nature of this new kind of war fought in ways previously unknown to military personel; women are serving on the front lines under the guise of support services.

Post tramatic stress disorder affects both men and women and the rate of homelessness that seems to shadow our service people after their time is served is a disgrace. Services are not readily available without a fight. There is much between the covers of this book that will shock you, sicken you and terrify any parent or loved one who knows that their loved one has signed up to serve what used to be an honored job of service in the armed forces. It is alleged in this book and in the media that our service men and women are used in a careless fashion by shots that have not been proven to be safe health-wise.   During the time that many of these women served, our troops did not even have adequate protective equipment due to mismanagement at a high level…much of which has been addressed in the media.

Getting follow up care for the trauma that these women soldiers have experience is almost non-existent. It is a shame that our military women (and men) are not being properly trained, cared for nor are they being taught appropriate boundaries between the sexes. It is an outrage that suffering in silence is encouraged over addressing these issues to create a healthier and safer military force.

This book was written by Helen Benedict and it was copyrighted in 2009. The publisher is Beacon Press and this is their website:  www.beacon.org .

I have to tell you that I loved this book. It is full of practical tips, sisterly advice, common worries and concerns, moments of healthy rebellion, examples of loving caregivers who give great ideas for support…and lots of encouragement. I think that this book would bring great comfort to a breast cancer survivor and or their loved ones. It would make a great gift from one heart to another. The book is full of very personal stories and it touches the reader. I think that this book is a wonderful tool for the breast cancer patient who is feeling isolated and alone. There is comfort and knowledge to be found between the covers of this book.

The version of the book that I read was copyrighted in 2001 but has since been updated. The book was published by Wheeler Publishing, Inc. You can learn more about the newer version of the book and how to get it here: http://www.barbaradelinsky.com/delinsky-uplift-details.htm. Thank you Barbara Delinsky for giving us a way to empower those that we love and want to support!

         Michael’s focus is amazing with regards to setting swimming goals and attaining them.  In the book Michael talks about the support systems that help him to keep that focus.  His relationship with family members is strong.  His relationship with his coach Bob Bowman is a wonderful blend of push, shove and encouragement.  It is a good combination.

            I would recommend this book for anyone trying to achieve a goal in life.  It stresses the sacrifice and the rewards.  Some personal challenges are also discussed on being a role model for others…Michael made mistakes in his personal choices and they are addressed as well as the consequences following those choices.  The book was published in 2008 and was co-written by Sports Illustrated staff writer, Brian Cazeneuve.  It was published by, Sports Publishing, LLC.  The book is available on:  http://www.amazon.com/ .  

          Part of understanding the how and why of the success of the Barbie doll that we have come to know and love as part of American history is grasping the extra-ordinary strength and persistence of the woman who came up with the concept of Barbie.  Ruth was a very complex woman.  She was all about following her instincts; even going against conventional wisdom in the world of business when it suited her purposes.  She was wise enough to give the impression of her husband being the head of the business when in fact, he was a designer at heart…he really didn’t have the drive or the desire to be in control of the business aspects.  Ruth and Elliot her husband chose to grow their business from the ground up…the poured so much of themselves into it that their children came to resent certain aspects of the business.

        As the children grew under the shadow of the business and formed their own personalities and strengths & weaknesses…so did their mother Ruth.  She grew up as the youngest of 10 children born to Polish Jewish immigrants.  She was actually raised by an older sister and her husband…they became her surrogate parents and Ruth’s business role models.

          Ruth was direct, some say ruthless in how she dealt with others; and yet, she was mother- henish about some of her employees.  She was both fiercely loved and disliked by many.  Ruth had a deep love for her husband.  She says that she hated being a stay at home mother, that she was no good at it.  She did appear to be born to be a businesswoman in a time when that just was not common.   She seemed to have a natural knack for understanding how to fill a gap in the toy market and make it profitable. 

         There were many challenges in her life.  She was not raised by her birth parents, she fought to marry the man she loved, she fought against traditional male and female roles in business; not by being a militant woman, but strictly by being who she was …an entrenpeneur.  She battled breast cancer, the legal system and a disease that took the life of her son…AIDS.  Ruth Handler was an interesting woman, she became a pioneer in the field of women’s prosthetics after having breast cancer surgery; this was to be one of her biggest contributions to the world was her desire to design something to give women back control of their appearance after having a breast removed. 

         This book was printed in 2009, by Collins Business; this is their website:  http://www.harpercollins.com.  The book was written by Robin Gerber.  The author’s website is:  http://www.ROBINGERBER.COM

         The two lead characters, Kerry Murphy and Silver , have both lost loved ones to fire.  They harness their irregular skills of using their ability to sense and navigate the human mind.  They work with all of the appropriate organizations during the investigation; but, ultimately, they are on their own when traditional methods fail to provide them with the apprehension of the antagonist, Trask.

         When Trask, is equally obsessed with both of them the story becomes a bit of cat and mouse.  Scattered throughout the book are innocent bystanders who are affected during the attempt to search out and apprehend Trask…will their search be successful in time to save more people from destruction?  You will have to read it to find out!

        Firestorm was copyrighted in 2004 by Johansen Publishing.  This edition was a first large print edition; www.randomlargeprint.com .

        For young girls considering entering the world of competition this is inspirational.  For those of us who just enjoy watching them skate it is a fun book to read.  The book talks about the skills needed to skate on ice.  It talks about posture and balance as well as the muscles needed to do this sport.  It also encourages young girls to get out and skate for the pure fun of it if they aren’t interested in competing.

         There are illustrations showing proper foot positions and posture.  Some of the skating moves are shown in photos as well.  Even for the fashion mavens the outfits are fun to see.  There are random facts to read just for fun.  Such as in 800 BC people actually tied animal bones to their feet to cross bodies of water.  Who knew?  The book also gives definations to some of the terms we hear when we watch figure skating on television.  The book is worth checking out.

        The book was written by Heather E. Schwartz with Mary -Elizabether Wightman, U.S. Figure Skating Judge.  It was published by Capstone Press, www.capstonepress.com. It was copyrighted in 2007.