This book is really a collection of vignettes about an interesting and remarkably alive girl growing up in a quintessential middle American town in Ohio. Like Mona Simpson without the emotional fireworks, the stories are sustained by the freshness and depth of the central character. Her love interest is not as clearly drawn, but the women around him are carefully and poignantly depicted. The whole story has a sadness and sweetness which is leavened by her keen and often humorous observations. The stories are strongest when told from the point of view of the young girl, and saddest when the author assumes an omniscient voice. This is good stuff, I'm looking forward to more from Lynn Lauber.

WHITE GIRLS is poetic, evocative, funny, and ultimately deeply moving. It feels a little like "Winesburg, Ohio," but it's darker, more poetic--a beatiful mediation on youth, on race, and on the regrets that haunt us all. The final scenes never fail to bring me to tears.

The book is a short and easy read of 168 pages (approx) with various photocopies of hospital forms inbetween the pages of medium sized text. It's a memoir about Susanna Kaysen's journey into a hostpial-a sychiatric hospital called McLean Hospital. And if I were to note that people such as Sylvia Plath and James Taylor were also clients at the same hospital it may interest you to see the colorful aray of incidents that happen at the hospital that although very serious, Ms. Kaysen seems to put in a highly amusing manner.
The book is at a level course of happenings and chapters even though it's set in a hospital that it makes you realise that the life inside the white walls of the hospital are practically the same as life in the outside world-just surprisingly more...safer and confined.

Susanna Kaysen has been able to put her words on paper so honestly and ingeniously that I'm sure that anyone with a spare afternoon will surely enjoy reading it as well as those who have a disorder of some sort (like myself) who will easily be able to see a whole new side of humor.
You want to know what I think honestly? This is one book you won't regret reading.

I read this book five years ago when it came out, and just re-read it again. Even if it takes a sure to be mediocre Winona Ryder movie to bring it to the forefront of public thought, so be it...because this a wonderful, engrossing book. I have a history of manic depression in my family, and what I think I love most about this book is that is addresses that fine line between the "sane" and the "insane". I love when she poses the question...is insanity when you "drop the act?". There is such truth to that statement. I appreciate the honesty and simplicity of this book, the way a short observation of a relatively minor event (such as the comical description of a trip to the local ice cream parlor) can speak volumes as to the "day in the life" of these young girls. Each character is fleshed out in such a poignant, funny way...I felt like I literally was a part of their lives. And I beleive that Susanna's conclusions about whether she truly belonged there are balanced...she leaves it to the reader to make their own judgement. This is an intelligent, touching story and I highly recommend it.

As the author of Lost in the Mirror, a book written to educate the public about Borderline Personality Disorder, I read with interest Susanna Kaysen's autobiographical account of her journey to healing after being diagnosed with BPD. While somewhat cynical about her experience in treatment, Ms. Kaysen writes with a sensitive appreciation of the metaphor embedded within her emotional suffering. In describing an overdose as an attempt to get rid of "a certain aspect of my character," she illustrated how many acts of self-harm are symbolic attempts to eliminate parts of the self that are seen as bad and somehow separate. In a discussion of "velocity and viscosity" of thought, she poignantly illustrates the flooding of thoughts and feelings alternating with emotional numbness that is typical of the experience of people with BPD.These rich introspective vignettes, the essence of the author's writing,are unfortunately lost in the screen adaptation of the book.

Ms. Kaysen also portrays a bygone era of psychiatric treatment in which hospitals offered a prolonged period of sanctuary during which healing could often occur. While the biological treatment of emotional disorders was still in its infancy and psychological treatment was inexact, more art than science, the hospital offered a safe environment, emotional support, and enough time for healing to occur. Time has always been a crucial element of the healing process. Even with the most sophisticated treatments, wounds take time to heal, a process that cannot be compressed to fit neatly within the several days or weeks of hospitalization allowed today to address emotional crisis. The lost opportunity for sanctuary is one of the great tragedies of modern psychiatric treatment.

The cover of the book caught by eye as I browsed a used booksale. Then I read the inside flap & discovered the content of this material & decided to read it's contents. I have been unable to this point read "White Girls" which may give me a greater understanding of Loretta's rebellious state of mind, yet I do know people white & black that possess this sort of behavior. I was a little lost in the begininning of the book as she started out talking about Junior Johnson, then eventually Elaine was discovered. I did see the story told from pretty much every character,except Elaine, her thoughts did not tend to be as vocal & the other characters. I wanted to know whatever happen to Helene, Junior wife, did she die, did they find her & how did Elaine accept the child, I know the eye contact Lorretta & Elaine made as she came out of her father's house but what there more contact between the two, how she felt about going to a gathering at Lorretta's family house. We are to assume she was ok with this. The book needed to close some of the gaps left opened. Yet some of it's unanswered questions I would recommend the book to other readers & when is Lynn planning of writing another book

I loved this book. I happened upon it in the library and having really enjoyed "White Girls" I wanted to read this one and I did in one sitting. Having grown up in the same small city in Ohio, many of the places are as familiar to me as they are to the author. I found "21 Sugar Street" to be a deeper, darker book than "White Girls" and much more touching. It left me wanting more stories from this author.

Here's a novel on the subject of race that offers a perspective which is both heartrending and uplifting. It chronicles how an interracial couple and their child send ripples out into the world that will reverberate for forty years. It's powerful, funny, and poignant.

Thats what this book should have been titled! I disagree. It's not just the same as make the connection. I found Make the connection just plain ole' diet info. Great info, but nothing new. This book's section on motivation was astounding! What an eye opener for someone who has struggled with the mental part of making the decision to finally change my life. This book is definately something to pick up for anyone who has had it with diets. There's so much more to it! Life changing!

It is true that the steps towards weight loss are no different than in "Make the connection". But I think this book complements the first one perfectly. For the chapters on motivation alone, this book is worth buying. It explains the motivation issues of certain typres of people and why it can be damaging to your self-esteem to attempt dieting when you are not ready in your mind. This book also helped me to stay motivated whenever I had a low, and to keep going. I haven't regretted for one second that I bought this book.

Like the others, I read MTC several times. Yes, if you just want instruction on the 10 steps, you don't need this book. However, if you've tried to follow them but just can seem to stick to the program, this book is for you.

His 'exercises' on self-awareness was written for me and was only hinted in the first book. It literally changed my life. For once, I have been able to stick to the 10 steps for 7 months now, have lost 30 pounds and am a much happier person in general. Oprah's story was nice, but I often wish I had Bob around to talk about ME for a change. This book does that.

Like I said, if you just want instruction and already have MTC, don't bother. But if you can't seem to stick to the program and can't figure out why, buy this book! You may learn something about yourself!