I picked up the book in a library, and have been looking for a copy to own ever since. The book painstakingly talks you through the argument that anger is not in itself bad, but that anger is a response which at some level is a choice.

The chapters take you through the process of identifying the patterns of thoughts which trigger anger, such as blaming, globalisation (making a mountain out of a molehill) etc. Once these triggers have been identified, the book offers a number of strategies to cope with them.

The book emphasises that by controlling your response to the trigger thoughts you can choose not to be angry. It's hard work, and no quick-fix, but I found it more helpful than anything else I've tried.

As a bit of background, I am a happly married family man with two kids, but I found I had this bullying side to my nature which was out of all proportion to the stimuli received. It's still there, but the techniques in the book kind of slow down and separate the stages of becoming angry in this way, and so have given me a chance to choose a different way of coping with the stimuli.

Anyway, it's a book I would recommend.

"When Anger Hurts" is an excellent book. I had mistakenly believed that to hold in anger was bad for your health both physically and psychologically. Although I never got angry with my casual friends, my "loved ones" were not spared. I realized something wasn't right about the way I was expressing my anger. This book was an excellent source of information for me. It made me look at how anger is good if we use it to propel us to positive action. If you read this book, you will gain tremendous insight on what triggers anger. It will amaze you! This knowledge alone will help you to use your anger more effectively and appropriately. We need not make our lives painful. Holding onto anger and blaming only make our lives less joyous. This book will help you live a life that is more fulfilling. It will at least give you a wonderful start.

Curtis.Neimeister@hpinc.com from Tulsa, OK., USA Nov. 5, 1999 I consider this to be an excellent book on the subject of anger! Why? Because it helped me!

I read the reviews of this book on Amazon, and I am pleased to say I am one of the extremists. I thought it was well written and direct, not clouded with excessive rhetoric or "powdered sugar". It places the responsibility for anger right where it can be fixed, on me. It does not involve itself with painstaking research into the "Why" of anger, although that may come out through the use of the Anger Journal. It does contain many suggested causal areas, and my mind was quick to point out my guilty participation. I have gone from multiple angry outbursts per day to one or so mild angry responses per week in less than two weeks. Learning about "Shoulds" and "Blamers" can do that! And was I surprised to learn that I was contributing to my cholesterol problem by being angry! Anger was killing me!

It is behavioral in nature, and for those looking for, and brave enough to use, a path to correcting anger as a response to problems, this is your book! I strongly recommend it!

When Anger Hurts (chapters)

Understanding Anger

1. When Anger Helps 2. The Myths of Anger 3. The Physiological Costs of Anger 4. The Interpersonal Costs of Anger 5. Anger As A Choice - The Two-Step Model 6. Who's Responsible? 7. Combating Trigger Thoughts 8. Controlling Stress Step By Step 9. Stopping Escalation 10. Coping Through Healthy Self-Talk 11. Response Choice Rehearsal 12. Problem-Solving Communication 13. Images Of Anger 14. Anger As A Defense

Anger At Home

15. Anger And Children 16. Spouse Abuse

I have made a detailed outline of the book. If you'd like to have it, e-mail me.

I'm the sure that the main draw to this book concerns the seedy, gangster underworld of Chicago. I don't know if I have enough patience to get there; the narrative so far relates sound-bite stories of the founders, urban planners, and architects who first erected this city. It's extremely interesting material, but Johnson's flits over it all in barely readable, fragmented prose. Furthermore, as one unfamiliar with the city (especially as it was in the 1800s), his descriptions of the landscape (and the design of the buildings) leaves me still with a black box imagination of what the city looks like. Pictures or illustrations would well suit the understanding of this book, which would lead to the (hopeful point of the story) understanding of the city.

I have read a number of books on Chicago during the time of Al Capone including three of his biographies, but this book is an overlooked gem. I accidentally came across it here at Amazon and decided to give it a try. All the colorful characters are here including those Lords of the Levee (Bathhouse John and Hinky Dink) and a number of gangsters during that time period you may have heard of and others that will likely be new to you. Yes, there are chapters of the McCormicks of Chicago, Jack Dempsey, the boxing champion of the time period, Louis Armstrong, and buffoon mayor, Big Bill Thompson. Some readers may feel they are being told more than they care to know about Chicago prior to and during the Capone era. I did not feel this way. I have often wondered what happened to a number of the lesser lights who were not as well known. The author provides us with this information. Also pointed out is that just saying a gangster was shot a number of times and killed doesn't do justice to the horror of what takes place. In addition to the tears of loved ones there is "no romance in mob warfare, only life's red blood, torn flesh, and death." Many of these mobsters died in their twenties or thirties. Sooner or later, usually sooner, most of them found their way to Mt. Carmel Cemetery. This book rates a solid five stars. I wish it was in hard cover. If you are interested in this time period I would suggest you get a copy and read it. You will not be disappointed.