i found the book, beginning to heal to be a definite winner....especially when a friend of mine asked for more information about child sexual abuse....and i knew that the larger book...the courage to heal...would be extremely overwhelming.....

it gave my friend enough information to realize that she had been doing all the right things for me....believing...listening....supporting...and the section for friends/family, etc....helped her out too...to know when to take time for herself...and how to do it without jepordizing our friendship.....i recommend this book to anyone who wants to know just a little about child sexual abuse.....but isn't prepared to read a huge book....*though courage to heal is a faboulus book...just can be intimdidating unless you are ready to confront it....*

This title is small but packs alot of support and positive words toward the abuse victim. Chapter topics include HEALING IS POSSIBLE, THE DECISION TO HEAL, UNDERSTANDING THAT IT WASN"T YOUR FAULT, THE CHILD WITHIN and more. All written with an under tone of support. There are also several stories of abuse told from the surviving victims view. The title is filled with insight and support and is best described as an excellent beginning point for those looking to heal. A very sensitive and difficult subject that is well addressed.

As a therapist working with a population of young adults, I frequently see young people who are just beginning to deal with the impact of childhood sexual abuse on their lives. I have been looking for something to help introduce and give some preparation to clients who are needing to begin this difficult work. I love the book the Courage to Heal, but have at times felt it's very size was a bit overwhelming for individuals who were asking for just some glimpse of what it might mean to start to confront their history of abuse. This book fits the bill and I am so grateful for having found it. The book is compact and thus, not so intimidating. It distills out some of the most important information found in the original Courage to Heal. Especially valuable are the sections on identifying sexually abusive behaviors, managing feelings of panic and dealing with the process of remembering.

As part of the women's movement of the 70's and 80's I was led to EB poetry and loved it...the personal, the public, the political all finally merging together....I could ID with the content and it nurtured my causes. I was an east coast radical want-a-be.

Now 20 years later it is so wonderful to view again the intimacy, the wisdom, the vulnerability presented in MULES OF LOVE....it has much more universal appeal. I sent the book as a gift to several friends in different age groups and they all appreciated it. She will catch your heart, trigger your pleasure center, knock the cobwebs off of those hidden parts of you....that you knew were always there. You will enjoy the lines and you will come to enjoy your own little space.

Ellen Bass takes the dry straw of everyday life and spins it into gold. We've all been there, done that -- traveled down the same roads. But, Ellen takes the blinders off and sees things through the eyes of an artist. In "Mules of Love," she shares the joy with us.

It's not often we get to read poetry that is immediately accessible, immediately relevant. In deeply touching, powerful language Ellen Bass tells us stories that make us stop, breathe and consider our lives. We see a deer in a bubble bath, an eighty-six year old rediscovering his sexual essence and a woman comforted by a quiet nap shared with an anonymous seatmate on a plane. As the events of the day lie, telling us we are separate and different, Ellen Bass' poetry shows us the truth -- worldwide, never have we been more as one.

Thisis an excellent resource for the family with gay members, or for those who want to better understand gay teens, such as educators or social workers. It is great for gay teens also. I especially liked the sidebars which mention prominent gay people and their contributions to society. I also very much liked the chapter on community support and their suggestions on making the schools more accepting of gay students.

I'm a gay teen who didn't know anyone who was gay and really needed to know that I was the only guy out there going through this stuff. Free Your Mind is an awesome book in many ways, because it's so full of comments and stuff from other people who share similar experiences, that it's hard to feel so alone and different after reading the book. The authors, as well, are really nice people, I've e-mailed them several times and they are incredibly friendly, supportive and loving. When I got it, I kinda hoped that Free Your Mind would provide me with all the answers... it doesn't, nothing can, but it provided me with a sense of hope, pride and one really intensely important message : I am not alone.

This is simply the best book resource available for gay and lesbian young people - and those that want to give them support.

It offers practical advise not only for youth, but also gives space to parents, educators, and other adults who want to lend support to bisexual, gay, and lesbian youth. It features personal comments from teens who have been there/done that - including two persons who grew up to be instrumental in the popular XY magazine for gay teens.

While not a cure-all, this book can help young people accept themselves, make rational decisions on coming out, and deal with parents, friends, faith and religion, and many other topics... and serve as a primer for those adults who would like to help gay teens, but aren't quite sure how to go about it.

Well researched, well presented, and of all things, still current in terms of content and resources both, this book is the Bible for gayTeenresources.com

This book has gone a long way in helping me to begin the long journey to coming to terms with the sexual abuse I suffered as a pre-teen. For most of my adult life, I've been reluctant to attribute any of my problems (such as depression, self hatred, unhealthy sexual relationships with men, a general disgust about myself, etc.) to being molested by my stepfather. Within the past couple of years, however, I've begun to examine my feelings about it more and more. I bought this book rather hesitantly, but ended up reading the first few chapters in tears as I read so many of my own feelings and experiences echoed by the other abuse survivors. I had thought that I was all alone and that there was something intrinsically wrong with me for feeling the way I did about myself, and it was an overwhelming relief to find others who feel the same after having similar childhood experiences. The reviews offered here referring to the "memory" issue misrepresent the focus and intent of the book. These readers seem to want to keep abuse survivors quiet to save the "sanctity" of the family. So many of us have done this for years; sacrificing of our emotional well being. They belittle the profound hurt and damage caused not only by the abuse, but by the silence as well. At the very least, this book has helped me to feel human and has given me hope that I may one day feel whole. I highly recommend this book as an invaluable resource.

[I was] sexually abused me from ages 8 - 12. Until I took over the medical library at Fort Huachuca, AZ, I had no name for what happened to me. For nearly 9 years I read my library's professional articles and books on child sexual abuse and former abuse. I acknowledged, with intellectual interest, that many of the adult patients' symptoms applied to me. What I learned didn't prompt me to seek treatment for the incest. In fact, I ran away from therapy when my therapist wanted me to deal with the incest instead of just my depression. Then, in 1990, our Community Mental Health Service ordered THE COURAGE TO HEAL. While I was checking to make sure all of pages were there, I started reading the book. Yes, CMHS unknowingly had to wait two or three more days to get their order because I *HAD* to get through this book. Its first-person accounts affected me in a way those clinical reports never had. [After reading the book] I knew I could no longer deny that the abuse was still affecting me. When I got to work the next day, I asked for help. I got it. It wasn't easy. The authors are correct to use the word "courage." Working through the abuse was the hardest thing I ever did. I think I shed 30 years' worth of tears in the second year of therapy. I won't pretend I'm the person I would have been if I'd never been abused, but I am stronger and better than I would have been if I'd gone on pretending it was all in the past. I've learned to fight for myself. If ever I forget how much I've changed, I have only to read my old diaries to know I'm not the whimpering mouse I was. I'm so glad I read this book. I'm also glad that I have such ready access to professional resources on child sexual abuse. That's how I know I don't have to fear that I was mislead by what THE COURAGE TO HEAL showed me.

I have read Courage to Heal and I found that many of the exercises were helpful in getting me in touch with my feelings. The personal accounts shared in the book helped me to feel connected to a larger group of individuals who had been sexually abused. This connection was especially critical at a time when my own shame was still so strong that I couldn't bring myself to join a group or talk about the abuse in more than vague terms. It was one step on the path and a very important step at that - the authors provide a list of resources which are also helpful. The one thing that I find off-putting is that the book seemed to stall on the issue of anger (feeling the anger related to the abuse) and didn't offer enough to guide one to a place of resolution. And, there are, afterall other sources for dealing with anger.

As one of the poets featured in Will Work for Peace, one might expect me to be a bit biased, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Most poets work in a virtual vacuum, only tenuously connected to each other by the occasional workshop or shared membership in a 'poetry society'. When Brett Axel first approached me for a submission to an anthology he was considering, the names Marge Piercy, Lyn Lifshin, Moshe Bennaroch and so many others were abstractions to me as a fledgling poet. I knew these tremendous writers were 'out there' somewhere, beating down doors with their words and keeping a struggling artform alive. But to think that someday I would ever share a credit with these dynamic modern poets would be a pipe dream at best. It is through the sincere efforts of Brett Axel that many newer voices like mine have an extraordinary opportunity to appear with Pulitzer Prize winners and other poetic heavyweights. By way of an honest review, however, I will say this- not everything in this book will be to your particular liking. I myself came across some works that did not move me in the way the author may have intended. Some imagery can be raw and visceral, using shock value in place of craft at times. But to ignore those voices would be an even more shocking turn of events, so praise be to the editor for not sacrificing his vision to a senseless conformity. As Pete Seeger so aptly put it in his quote, trying to read all these poems at one time would be like trying 'to swallow Manhattan whole'. I say to you- buy this book, read this book, but understand that it's what you do after reading this book that will ultimately define who you could be. Poetry is alive and well, and lives in the blunt pages of Will Work for Peace.

Brett Axel visited my Church and I bought a copy of Will Work For Peace from him, not for poetry, but because I care about working for peace. I started reading through it thinking It'd just go on my shelf and that'd be the end of it, but the book grabbed me and kept me rivited. If I had known that poetry was this alive I'd have been into poetry. I've been reading some of the poems to my friends who also didn't think poetry was important and they are saying the same thing. Fantastic! There's no way to get through this book without having your old mindsets challenged. It's funny, powerful, sad, and uplifting. A book that deserves to be read by everyone. A book that really can make the world a better place!

Just amazing start to finish! I like the disregard for fame used in putting the book together. That great poems got in even if they were writtenby nobodys. Look at Roger Bonair-Agard's poem on page 74. Shortly after Will Work For Peace came out he won Slam Nationals, becoming Slam Champion of 1999, which will be getting him lots of offers. But Zeropanik Press didn't need to be told he was good by an award. They could tell by his writing! Good for them and good for all of us because Will Work For Peace is a literary milestone. It's a new standard for all future anthology editors to try to live up to. Thumbs up to Brett Axel and Thumbs up to Zeropanik Press for their guts and integrty.

I'm a man. I found this book interesting and I feel it's worth its price but I only give it 2 stars, it doesn't live up to its potential. The stories describe sex crimes but are not followed with much description of the impact of the crime on the lives of those involved. There is little information or analysis of the damage done. It's like reading a book of arson stories, getting a detailed description of how the arsonist set the fire, then the story ends and you don't find out what burned down or how it affected people. The book works me into a rage, but I can't do anything with it, I don't have enough information to form any strong opinions about the solutions needed.

From what I can glean it appears most of the damage is the result of shame. Children don't tell because of shame, and most of the damage results from children feeling embarrassed and going it alone. My now half-informed opinion is that an effort should be made at shame reduction in all children before they experience sex crime so children do tell and don't feel responsible. Mothers drilling into their daughters that most men are evil and sex is dirty appears to do major damage.

You need to read this book at arms length. Just so you know what you are paying for, parts of this book contain feminist style anti-male hate speech. For example, the following is made up hate speech followed by an actual excerpt from the book.

Made up hate speech: Although the bulk of crime is clearly perpetrated by blacks, substantial numbers of hispanics commit crime, and when they do, they are capable of the same brutality as blacks. This has been especially hard for me to face. I have wanted to believe that hispanics, though they sometimes do not protect others, are not actually the criminals themselves.

Actual excerpt from book: Although the bulk of sexual abuse is clearly perpetrated by men, substantial numbers of women abuse, and when they do, they are capable of the same brutality as men. This has been especially hard for me to face. I have wanted to believe that women, though they sometimes do not protect their children, are not actually the abusers themselves.

Ellen Bass was inspired to assemble the book by the birth of her daughter, which triggered a protective alarm in her. I wonder how her daughter turned out. I would say it's a fair guess that her daughter was raised fatherless and became a lesbian. If that's the answer to sexual abuse then this book is on target.

This is a compilation of short stories by women who were sexually abused as children. The book is divided into sections: abuse by fathers, relatives, friends/acquaintances, and strangers. As a survivor of abuse by multiple offenders I was interested in this book, since it covers the various types of relationships I was abused within during my childhood. However, the stories can be extremely triggering, and you should only read the book if you feel ready to read graphic accounts of sexual abuse. My heart reached out to these women. It was amazing to read about all these different women and the experiences they have had. This is a very important and empowering book on child sexual abuse. I highly recommend this book if you choose to work in the field of child abuse/domestic violence/sexual assault. This book will help prepare you for some of the abuse you may be helping people to heal from. This book also shows the ways in which children keep sexual abuse a secret. As I was reading I felt so sad that children are not able to tell about sexual abuse. I never told either. I was abused by a succession of men, beginning in my early childhood, until the age of ten. I also continued to be sexually assaulted repeatedly by different people from age eleven to age twenty, until I finally realized that I could get help, and that sexual assault was not supposed to be a continual aspect of life. Education is very important, and it must continue until people are able to face the past, to tell, to heal, and to join in providing help and education about sexual abuse if they feel inclined to do so. This book is a beginning step in the education of sexual abuse. Another book which describes individual experiences of women's sexuality and consequently sexual abuse is 'Aphrodite's Daughters: Women's Sexual Stories and the Journey of the Soul' by Jalaja Bonheim. I have also read many other books on sexual abuse (see my reviews and listmania).

I found this book a wonderful resource for my work with survivors. Not only did it give me insight into their pain, trauma, and feelings, but it also gave the survivors support. I often shared this book with survivors who were so moved that there were others out there who had experienced similar events and had the courage to write about it. Many survivors I worked with and shared this book with were grateful for the opportunity to hear others' stories and inspired to summon their own power to heal themselves. If you are looking for therapeutic techniques, research, or anything else, this is not the book for you - it is strictly stories of survivors who are brave enough to finally tell.

This is a great book to use with children to teach them that it is OK to tell someone, even an adult, what you like/dislike and how you feel. Too many times, children are taught that they should not talk back to adults, that adults know best. Yet, in this story, Sara's mother encourages her to tell Jack, an adult Sara likes to joke with, how she really feels and that it is OK to define her personal space. The book encourages children to think about what makes them feel comfortable/uncomfortable and how to put those feelings into words that convey those feelings to others. In a time of increasing violence against children, this book can help children learn to stand up for themselves in positive, assertive ways.