I picked this book up on a whim, and have been very glad I did. I had assumed that "sensitive" was synonymous with shy. Since my child was by no means shy, I didn't think I would get much out of this book. What I discovered was that there are several areas of sesitivity, and that shyness was only one area. I was often frusterated with my child who complained about the seam on her socks and clothes bothering her, and how she would get over-excited when confronted with a lot of visual stimulous and noise. This book helped me understand her in a way I never did before, and I have been able to help her learn to take control of situations so she doesn't become hyper anymore. I will always be grateful for the authors for helping me understand and help my child blossom in ways I never thought possible.

Understanding Aggressive Behavior in Children addresses this complex theme in a forthright and understandable manner. Certainly written with the professional clinician as the primary intended audience, yet clearly digestible for the seasoned psychiatric consumer recipient(and concerned family members, etc.) Where does the madness come from? What are its consequences? And, what might the future hold? The author answers these questions, and fills in the assorted "gaps," accordingly. This book is a "must read" for those individuals with hopes of enhancing their understanding of the dynamics at hand!

"The Secret Knowledge of Water" is prose poetry, without a single word wasted. Three or four months after reading it, many of the images are still in my head: images of ancient trails to waterholes; large, unexpected swimming holes, microbes so hardy their environment can go dry and they just curl up and wait...

This book will become even more valuable and compelling as drinking water supplies diminish in quality and quantity. Childs leads us with great flair to a subject of unparalleled importance. His musings blend with touches of humor, history and fascinating naturalism. "Secret Knowledge" should be on every nightstand and in every science (and literature) classroom. It's truly a work of art!

What John McPhee did for North American geology in "Annals of the Former World", Craig Childs does for the deserts of the southwestern U.S. in "The Secret Knowledge of Water". Childs does it better, however: he writes as a son of the desert, one whose intimate knowledge and love of the land and its ways percolate up through these pages like the waters of a favorite desert spring. And he shares his admiration and respect for the desert in a lyric prose that delights as much as it informs.

Childs has worked as a guide and teacher in this area of the country. That he wrote a book based on his knowledge of the terrain is not all that surprising, but his ability to provide a guided tour on paper and to paint word pictures of desert scenes like a novelist would is extraordinary. The successive sections of the book stand on their own as introductions to the desert world and, particularly, to the nature and role of water in the desert. But they also peel away a layer at a time, revealing more and more fascinations as he leads through the book. So we are treated at the start to an account of what John Wesley Powell called the "Thousand Wells" area of the Arizona-Utah border, a collection of potholes, or "waterpockets", each containing hundreds (or thousands) of gallons of water and found sitting on the surface of the land in one of the least likely places on the planet for water to be. But from there we are treated to more delights: underground reservoirs that bubble up to the surface in springs or spout out from a rock face in a waterfall; arroyos that carve the desert into creeks and then disappear; canyons that channel even modest rainfall into floods that are as fierce as they are fickle. Childs' prose is full of wonder and an eye for detail; he can get new-agey at times, though, especially in how often and how strongly he personifies water, and the account he tells of child sacrifice to stop a flood can be either poignant or horrifying, depending on one's point of view. So the accounts hit some bumps here and there, but nothing hard enough to make the jeep he's taking us around in bend an axle.

I have been to, or near, some of the places Childs describes in Secret Knowledge and, as a lifelong resident of the well-watered east, naturally missed every single feature he wrote about. So next time I go, I will be sure to bring this book along to point the way to some of the hidden gems of the desert. It's like having the best tour guide ever lead you around personally, but on the cheap.

In the American West, where water politics is intimately entangled with power, this author sets out into untramelled reaches in search of desert water in a seemingly barren & unforgiving environment.

Part memoir, part paean to the infinitely changing landscape & part lessons in geology, geography & genealogy, this book lures you out of your safety zone to follow Craig Childs' footprints across scrublands, along river beds & deep, deep into voice-filled canyons.

A word about Regan Choi's artwork: imagine it "life" sized - immense jutting bones of our planet towering above cactus & tumbleweed; an Escher-like botanical drawing in exquisite detail, of water hole shrimp eggs or The Shrine or Sonoran desert spires or after the flood as seen from the floor of an overwhelming canyon. Delicate & mouth-watering!

This is a magical read, to be savored for years to come; returned to with the same delight a parched explorer returns to a shadow-cooled pool.

Illogical to assume that a child's psychological and emotional development are not patterned as infants from the first day, and that his or her outlook and life attitudes of emotive responses are created by parental attention and attentive encouragement, this book is a long time overdue. Acknowledging this fact, and considering labor issues which remove parents from the household so much that this vital process is minimized threatens each infant born and promising to erode the value of human interaction and harmonious potential in all human resources areas. Valuable time, effort and progress which once lost is not recoverable is enormously important to America and to each country in the development of humans and their treatment of one another. Robotic clones without the emotions of compassion, guilt, empathy or sympathy can only promise a hard-hearted society, a direction of high risk detrimental to everyone of all ages in all capacities. This is a very much ignored area of human relations that addresses all of the social system involving mental health and the subsequent poor physical health that inevitably follows.

As the mother of a now nineteen-month-old, I highly recommend this book. For the first eighteen months, this and the AAP's book were all I needed. I liked the blend of research and advice explained in an easy-to-read and nonjudgemental format. While some may find the book overly general, frankly, I already knew how to change diapers and stuff, and I prefer the approach of being told what is happening developmentally with my child at a given moment and then letting me decide what to do with the information. There are some very good suggestions for what sorts of stimulation a child needs at various ages, and they're nice to use for launching points. Having made it all the way through the stages in the book, I can say that their advice helped my son become the happy, well-adjusted toddler he is today.

This is a fascinating and very readable guide on early learning and emotional growth for the parents of newborns through 18 months. Using the latest research, the internationally renowned Rameys discuss how infants adapt, learn and grow, both intellectually and emotionally. Right From Birth contains examples of proven benefits, the Seven Essentials, that parents can give to their children beginning at birth that will result in permanent developmental benefits. It also contains many practical suggestions on parenting that are easy to understand and apply. They are presented in simple formats such as What Parents Should Do. This book considers everything from an infantss personal style to elements of growth to what to expect. It covers teaching, daily routine, language development, outside care, appropriate activities, and a myriad of other important elements and milestones in an infants development. If you are the parent of a newborn, this should be must reading for you! Start Right From Birth to give your child the best head start for development!

This book verbalized so much of what I couldn't make sense of as a child. Forward has an unusual understanding of the workings of "toxic parents" -- indeed, the very term "toxic" describes very well (much more descriptive than the word "abusive," which is rather general and is now associated with many things) the nature of such parents. One of the unusually insightful things that Forward does in this book is that she dares to suggest that it is not necessary to forgive one's toxic parents to heal. This is a controversial stance she takes, but from personal experience, I see her statement to ring true. As a client of hers summed up, "God wants me to get better more than he wants me to forgive." Naturally, Forward's statement should not be misconstrued as to mean that you should not forgive. She merely means that forgiveness should come as a second step in the healing process, if at all. The book offers very insightful and helpful healing tools. The checklists and exercises the author has devised are right to the point and obviously evidence a lot of thought and care on the author's part. This seems to be one of the best books out there to help abused children/adults of abusive parents. Bonuses: very little, if any, psychobabble!! Also, very easy-to-read language. For adult abused children dealing with issues related to past abuse, this book will most certainly bring up many emotions.

I have been interested in the field of childhood trauma for ten years and found Toxic Parents to be one of the most direct and practical things I have ever read. I think it will be transformational both for individuals who are trying to move beyond a difficult past and for therapists who want to grapple with a remarkably simple and direct approach to psychological healing. The more I think about this book, the more I realize how strange (and telling) it is that the author's approach is not already standard in the fields of self-help and psychotherapy. I suspect it will be before long; it's just too good, too real, and too direct not to become so. There really isn't much else I want to say about this book; read it and decide for yourself. If you're miserable, order it by One-Click.

There are several other books that, like Toxic Parents, go to the core issues. For the typical self-helper, these books will be a more challenging read than Toxic Parents, but I think many will find them worth the effort. For therapists and intellectually sophisticated self-helpers, these books are essential. The books I refer to are (a) anything and everything by Alice Miller (including Prisoners of Childhood [read the original text, currently available only in hardcover], For Your Own Good, and Banished Knowledge); (b) Betrayal Trauma by Jennifer Freyd; (c) Making Sense of Suffering by J. Konrad Stettbacher; and (d) Soul Murder by Morton Schatzman. Note that this last book is inexplicably out of print; don't confuse it with an in-print book of the same title by Leonard Schengold; you can get Schatzman's book from libraries or via interlibrary loan.

Toxic Parents, plus the other books just listed, should be considered core reading for anyone serious about psychological healing. There might be some others that I haven't "discovered" yet (emails welcome!), but these are pretty darn great. In my view, the world is stuffed full with facile self-help books and bloated psychological trash. If some magical spirit could wipe them all into a big, green, smelly dumpster, and replace them with the books discussed here, the world would rapidly become a much happier and healthier place.

I have purchased three copies, one for my husband and two for his sisters. Upon receiving the shipment I read this book again. Five & a half years ago, a friend suggested that I read it and it reassured me about the observations I was that stunned me. Toxic parents can have a devastating effect that brings on shame, preventing some from seeking help early in life and the saddest legacy is that it gets past on for generations.

Any adult who emotionally strips their child of self-esteem, self-worth and confidence is a Toxic parent! Any parent who enables the abuser...is also a Toxic parent! And sadly to say, any victim who chooses not to overcome the hurtful legacy can potentially become a Toxic sibling, a Toxic spouse or a Toxic friend.

I never thought that I would, one day, wake up to the realization that I was in a Toxic relationship... sometimes it sneaks up on you! I "ROCKED THE BOAT" and endured a backlash from my husband and his family this book made me realize that I had to stick to my guns if I wanted to have a healthy marriage.

Nobody should ever feel obligated to hide or burden the family shame.

Custody of the State is another interesting story that will keep readers pondering lifes big questions. Why do bad things happen to seemingly innocent people? Why does God allow corruption and deceit and how can people of faith trust God in troubled times?

Will Chambers, the main character in this story, once again offers the reader a picture of perfectly flawed humanity. It is hard to not love this character - and yet at the same time wonder how he doesn't suffer from some mental disorder! The guy is amazing...his ability to endure suffering, his innocence in certain situations and wisdom like a child in others.

The story itself is captivating and hearttugging at the same time. However, in my opinion Mr. Parshall's first book The Resurrection File was a tiny bit better. Custody falls just a little short of what I believe Parshall can produce. In Parshall's first book the characters were more solid whereas in Custody a few of the "supporting cast" didn't really have the punch that the first book carried. A few of the storylines in Custody were also not really needed and I think added a little more clutter to the story then needed to be. So because of this I'm rating this book - of the 3 other Parshall books I've read previously a 4.

However, even with a rating of 4 I still highly recommend this book because the court room scenes and airplane ride storyline is worth it!

Struggling new Christian Will Chambers finds his faith tested in this second installment of the series. The state is after a young mother for allegedly poisoning her child. Fearing that she will lose the child and that the boy will die as the result of an undiagnosed condition, she flees, leaving her husband to face the consequences. Will reluctantly takes her case, having to fight all the way to save this family, and a baby's life. Not only is he spiritually challenged, but faces beatings and prison to do what is right.

Will's personal life is also in a muddle. His new love, Fiona's, career separates them often, and though he wants to marry her, the timing is just never right. Along for the ride are the other characters you met and loved in the last book; Jacki, his secretary, and even Tiny.

***** Christians who want a legal thriller on the order of Turrow or Grisham, but without sordid details, will find their answer here. Will Chambers is an excellent hero, one easily identified with as he struggles along in his journey. He is flawed and questioning, much like most readers, and will be someone with whom even non Christians can find a common chord. In fact, seeing his struggle to faith might win a few converts.

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

This is a wonderful book filled with important information, ideas and suggestions backed up by the kind of thorough, careful research for which Sharon and Craig Ramey are well-known and respected. It's also clearly written and enjoyable. I truly believe that parents owe it to their young kids (and themselves!) to read this insightful, practical guide.

A friend gave this book to my daughter who has three children. She liked it so much, she gave it to me to read. Although we no longer have young children, I was so impressed by the book and the practical information it provided. Its divisions are very clear, and it offers easy to follow tips and suggestions.

This is a terrific book that's filled with practical information. I really appreciated the Rameys' approach of using research findings to show what matters and what doesn't in preparing my daughter for kindergarten. The chapter on "Ten Hallmarks of Children Who Succeed in School" was a gem, explaining what I can do to give my daughter a real edge in her education. This is a no-nonsense book with loads of useful advice.

Craig Childs' writng is lyrical, personal, dramatic. He lives a life I wish I'd known I wanted to live when I was able to do so. Every one of his books is in my library. Last year I gave at least a half-dozen copies of 'The Secret Knowledge of Water' to friends and family. I look forward with keen anticipation to vicariously participating in his next set of adventures.

So what happened this time? Craig finds and reveals to his readers what it is that he searches for out there in the desert wilderness. Maybe I didn't like so much introspection. I know more about his friends and their private lives than I want to know. And (I don't want to sound prudish...everything has its place) I really don't want to know the color of his wife Regan Choi's various body parts.

That said, I must also say that I think it would be impossible to read anything by this author that does not inspire and impress. He is a gifted, very gifted, writer. And he is a crazy-man explorer of the wild places that are left in this world.

I read a lot of outdoor books, and I have to say this is one of the best that I have read in ages. Craig Childs lives, breaths, eats "wild." He writes with a clarity that makes me feel like I am alongside him -- and with a passion that is contagious. I am already planning a trip to visit some of the places he writes about. In the meantime, I'll nurse my desires by trying some of his other books.

I heard about this book on NPR and living in the area decided to read it. I have read several books about this area and the desert, in general and this is one of the best. Up there with Edward Abbey's books, but nowhere near as acidic. I have not yet read Child's other books, but he gives a great insight into the vastness of this area, both phyiscally and mentally. From someone who came to this area from back east, I recommend this book to anyone who would wonder why people would want to come to this area to live and work.

The Naked Child: Growing Up Without Shame is a wonderful reference for nudist families and parents, and those who are interested in the subjects of nudity and its effects on children's development. The authors present a lot of academic research study summaries to support their conclusions, and also include a number of anecdotal interviews. I feel that, at times, the anecdotal material is kind of contrived, but, overall, it gives the conclusions drawn (namely, that children's exposure to social nudity is not only not harmful, but is generally beneficial) a more "personal" ring to them. I've owned this book for many years, and I still frequently use it when compiling research on the topic myself.

From the preface (which I think is very well written):

"Does exposure to nudity cause sexual hang-ups in children? Will an open physical environment have negative effects on the personalities and sexual development of young people? Will seeing their parents nude cause children to develop what some experts call an over-balanced attachment to mother and father, and seduction anxiety? Or, as other experts believe, will nude experiences in the physically open family inevitably lead to incest, create terrible guilts and frustrations, and arouse parent-child rivalries? Will the children in families where nudity is common be the victims of more school failures and posess more sexual obsessions than those reared in families where nudity is not allowed? [...]

"[This] is the report on a study which addresses the questions listed above and gives the reader a chance to compare the opinions of the experts with the real-life experiences of adults who grew up in open physical environments. This book is the result of five years of research and writing plus added years for follow-up on some of the cases. _Growing Up Without Shame_ represents the first systematic attempt at studying the effects of a physically open environment. We know this study is the first. We hope it is not the last."

I found this book an easy, enjoyable read; it appears to give serious consideration to the topic, reviewing experts' opinions and researching the views of people who grew up in open environments. A more technical examination of the data from the research is given in an appendix.

Also contains a number of b&w photos from nudist environments, although these photos seem purely to brighten up the pages, since they have no direct connection to the text where they are placed.

This book was published before the Terror and contains beautiful, uncensored text and photos. There is no similar work available in English on the important subject of nudity and shame. While not as scholarly as Hans Peter Duerr's "Nudity and Shame: the myth of the civilizing process" (in German), this book offers welcome balance to the mass hysteria over child sexuality in the U.S. The fanatics haven't yet targeted this book for burning so read it before books like this are silenced forever.

I'd like to give it a score of "-5" but 1 is the lowest available here. This is absolutely and positively the ugliest artistic rendition of Oscar Wilde's beautiful fairy tales and of that of thousands of children's books I have read or collected over many years. The comic book style illustrations draw the reader away from the inner poetry and beauty of Wilde's prose. This is truly the first book I have ever thought of burning - it would make good kindling for the fireplace.

P. Craig Russell's pen makes sparks fly as it gives depth, color and life to every brilliant fold and cascade and ripple of luxury. More sparks fly as the pen portrays the poor and the raggled: the thinness of their bones, the dirtiness of their quarters, and, most poignantly of all, the pitiably concave looks on their scrawny faces. P Craig Russel makes Oscar Wilde's otherwise beautiful fairytales into something far beyond beautiful. The magic of the words and glistening sketches combined are enough to make one weep or wonder at the miracle of someone so talented as P. Craig Russell, and someone so talented as Oscar Wilde. Please buy this book knowing that it will bring you a treat like you have never experienced.

I have a vivid memory of a film strip adaptation of "The Selfish Giant" that I saw several times in kindergarten and first grade. I didn't really understand the Christian allegory at the time, but I was entranced by the beautiful, melancholy nature of the story. Years later I still find it deeply moving, and P. Craig Russell's adaptation is as perfect a retelling as I can imagine. Though a non-Christian, I find that the story loses none of its impact or beauty. This is a story for anyone with an open mind and a love of well-told children's tales. Russell is one of the modern masters of cartooning, and his artwork and sense of design really compliment the story. His second collection of Wilde's fairy tales is also highly recommended, as are his adaptations of various operas and the fantasy stories of Michael Moorcock.