Category Archives: Books

Measuring Education

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Kathy

I tutor once a week in a GED program in the Kinsman neighborhood of Cleveland, where my church used to be. I’ve been touched, the last two weeks, by my interactions with students. Touched, infuriated, sobered, and enlightened. Last week, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Teaching | 3 Comments

The Stress Response

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Kathy

Various therapies preach that “feelings aren’t facts.” This is a useful admonishment inside or outside of therapy. Though our feelings are real, and therefore factual in a sense, the aphorism suggests that our perceptions may depart from objective reality. We … Continue reading →

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In Memoriam

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Kathy

I was rereading Bobbie Ann Mason’s lovely 1988 novel Spence + Lila today when I heard that my mother-in-law, Grace Ewing, had died this morning. I read this passage soon after the news. Sixty-six-year-old Spence is surveying his Kentucky farm. … Continue reading →

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Best Practices

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Kathy

  David Finch The Journal of Best Practices by David Finch purports to offer marriage advice to people with Asperger syndrome. Finch discovered he had the disorder when his beleagered wife administered an online personality test, on which he scored … Continue reading →

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Surprising Myself

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Kathy

I had no idea I would enjoy and even admire Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua. I had no intention of even reading it until a couple of friends, Robin and Bill, vouched for it on Facebook. Glad … Continue reading →

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Crazy Mommies, Once Again

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Kathy

Darrell Hammond, formerly of “Saturday Night Live” (where he perfected his smarmy Bill Clinton impression), has been promoting his memoir on lots of media outlets. God, If You’re Not Up There, I’m F*ed  recounts his story of depression and drug … Continue reading →

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Crazy Mommies

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Kathy

Merrill Markoe is an Emmy-winning TV writer, novelist, and humorist. I allude to one of her old essays all the time, in which she mused that all of pop culture is now oriented toward thirteen-year-old boys, or their mental equivalent. As in car … Continue reading →

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Finding Comfort in “Moneyball”

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Kathy

After seeing Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, I read Michael Lewis’s 2003 book on which it was based. I’m not a huge baseball fan, but enjoy baseball above other sports. I followed the Indians during the fair-weather ’90’s and in childhood … Continue reading →

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Object Permanence?

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Kathy

I was thinking about the disdain we sometimes express toward objects. “Those are just things,” people might say about their belongings. “I care more about people.” Christianity promulgates this attitude, unless it’s pushing affluence and abundance, a la certain TV evangelists. … Continue reading →

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Nutty Name, Crazy Ideas

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Kathy

A long time ago, I watched an Oprah episode I never forgot. At the time, I thought the guest and his theories were wacky – so farfetched as not to be believed. I’ve always had trouble remembering the guest’s unusual … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, BPD-Related | 1 Comment