By reading this book and doing the activities suggested at the end of each chapter, the reader will have at least one personal story to tell. And Jack Maguire comes across as very understanding and encouraging in the way he leads the reader through the whole process of personal story-making.

Maguire begins with the ideas, "Why tell personal stories?" and "Reclaiming your storyloving self." Then he moves on to ways for coming up with story ideas. That done, he helps the reader with actually putting together a story. Next comes discussion about what Maguire calls "embodying the story," an alternative to "memorizing the story." In chapters 20-23, he talks about how storytelling can be used at home, at work and in the community. And he's only finished after encouraging the reader to "take the telling leap."

This is a great book for learning to tell our own stories.

Something gave me an itch to make a hobby out of personal storytelling. I didn't know where to begin, but I found this book at Amazon.com (wasn't available in the bookstores). The title looked catchy, so I decided to give it a shot. I was richly rewarded!

The day may come when Storytelling re-emerges as a national pasttime. If it does, this book may very well be the handbook of such a revlotion.

The exercises are fun and enlightening. I've found my childhood memories to be more full of color and vitality after following Maguire's suggestions. The story prompts in the Appendix are just a ton of fun, too, if you want to get some freinds together and have a good time.

Well done, Jack!

Jack Maguire has a well organized approach to storytelling that provides resources for an individual wishing to tell his or her own story, for storytellers who want to develop some personal stories in their repetoire, and for those working in therapeutic settings. His selection of quotations about story are set clearly in wide margins and are unusually diverse and concrete. The book is chock full of ideas for finding your own story and for ways of helping others do the same. He interwines his personal experiences in ahelpful way to encourage the storyteller at anylevel.

This book is for anyone who may be skeptical about eastern medical practices, but who may be longing for a better, more holistic view of medicine than is provided by their own western doctor. The book outlines various common ailments and then describes the treatment diagnoses, first from the view of western MD and then from the view of an eastern doctor, without any bias towards either. You are able to learn the strengths and weakness of each method of healing so you can make up your own mind which is better or more effective. Its also a great, easy to understand primer of all the eastern philosopies and terms you've heard of before but not clearly understood like Qi, maintaining balance (yin/Yang), Accupressure, etc...
A definite must read for anyone dealing with a chronic illness or who feels like they've reached the limit of what their western doctor can do for them.

A terrific, power-packed book of practical information about the Chinese and Western systems of health and healing, and how you can apply them to your life.Valuable healing remedies and insights are on every page. Specific healing remedies for many of the most common diseases and health problems are outlined.

Finally a book that addresses student-specific reasons for procrastination. This book gives insight into the six types of procrastinators and lets you categorize your type through short quizzes. Although it offers a lot of information about WHY we procrastinate, I wish the book said more about HOW to stop this terrible problem. I'd like to see audio tapes made for the book's creative visualization exercises.

Children NEED to hear stories, and not just from books. They especially need their parents to spend time with them, and storytelling is a wonderful way to do this.

This book is full of good information, including some of the history of storytelling. Among others, there is a chapter on learning stories to tell, and another to help with creating your own stories. There is also an 'afterward' that addresses storytelling in relation to environmentalism.

Creative Storytelling is a book intended for parents, teachers, day care providers and librarians. It would also be a worthy read for camp counselors. I would recommend it to people in any of these positions.

As a resource for families, teachers, and librarians, this book is readable and reliable. The stories and suggestions about how to tell stories are especially useful. I have used the book for over 8 years in my work as a storyteller in the classroom.

As a teacher I have found this book very helpful in writing letters and just as a guide for future reference. I have used the book on several occasions to send various letters to people and it has helped me and saved me in many situations. Anyone that writes letters on a regular basis this is a must have book!

Only Jack Maguire could come up with 36 obscure Texas stories that captivate, lure and delight the reader. "Texas: Amazing but True" relates that Texas may not own its capitol; that Rice University resulted from a murder; that a Texan designed and flew an airplane two years before the Wright brothers; that Marshall, Texas was the capitol of Missouri; and on and on.

Maguire's writing is concise and moving. The ending came to soon. I wished for another 36 stories.

Richard K. Troxell

Author, "Barbecuing Around Texas" email rkt@fbg.net

This book is wonderful. As a freelance writer on African American culture, I find myself constantly referring to this text. The format is concise, easy to understand, and packed with little-known information on the history of African Americans. This book would be especially great for teachers and educators.

Even though I am a peanut butter fanatic, I have not gotten much use from this book. The ingredients used in many of the recipes are hard to find or expensive. It is not very comprehensive. No dressing or sauce recipes are included

If you really like peanut butter and don't just like peanut sauce one will definately find rewarding recipies in the book. One also must be willing to use their kitchen for more than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. If you like to cook,you will appreciate the integrity of these inventive recipies.

Although I like peanut butter, I never considered myself a major fan until I used Linda Leahy's peanut butter cookbook. They are inventive, varied, multicultural, and delicious. The recipes are not overpowered by peanut butter, but augmented by its rich, delicious possibilites. Favorites include, easy to make African Peanut Stew, Honey Gorgonzola Crostini, Turkey Molasses Pot Pie, and for dessert, Peanut Butter Pie. I have impressed many a guest with these.

I read this book and sat and thought.....hummm...does she even know who I am and what my real problem is. Well, No! She classified me into a group, which makes me just a statistic. I felt really put off by this book. I believe the author is quite intelligent in her field of understanding but I do not feel that she did a great job in helping me overcome my procrastination methods. Essentially, this book did NOT help me. But it could help others less analytical.

I like the categorization of the six types of procrastination and think this is a good starting point in finding out why you procrastinate.

This is a very useful book for those who are actually concerned with a personal problem of procrastination. You do not waste your time by reading it. It can actually help, because of the competence of the author, her capability to find the right words to suggest problems and ideas that can support people in their autoanalysis.