The Franconia, New Hampshire, farm of the American poet Robert Frost was turned into a museum and center for poetry and the arts in 1976. From that time, "The Frost Place" has been annual event wherein an emerging poet has been invited to spend the summer living in the house where Frost once lived and wrote some of his greatest poetry. The Breath Of Parted Lips: Voices From The Robert Frost Place, Volume One is a remarkable anthology of twenty-four poets, each of whom won that honor of a summer's residency and document the success of the original concept as a means of generating outstanding poetry while nurturing the poet's muse in the rooms and views that were once the inspiration of the great Robert Frost. Poem At 40: Windwashed--as if standing next to the highway,/a truck long as the century sweeping by,/all things at last bent in the same direction./An opening, as if all/the clothes my ancestors ever wore/dry on lines in my body:/wind-whipped, parallel with the ground,/some sleeves sharing a single clothespin/so that they seem to clasp hands,/seem to hold on.//And now that I can see/up the old women's dresses,/there's nothing but a filtered light./And now that their men's smoky breath/has traversed the earth,/it has nothing to do with them./And now that awkward, fat tears of rain/slap the window screen,/now that I'm naked too,/cupping my genitals, tracing with a pencil/the blue vein between my collar bone and breast,/I'll go to sleep when I'm told.

This book reviews the assessment and treatment of PTSD with various cultural groups and victim populations. The chapters are written by many prominent psychologists and researchers. I highly recommend this book for clinicians or academicians.

The author early on in the book says that her problems (she was diagnosed as Bipolar like myself) were found to be due to a thyroid problem, and that in the ten years since she's taken the thyroid medicine to correct the problem, she has not had another episode of mania or depression. She then goes on to write a book purporting to be an expert on mood disorders and how to help yourself. The reality of the situation is likely that she only knows how to manage her own life without a mental illness and knows what strategies (generic to all people even if not ill) help her to feel better and organize her life.

She doesn't seem to think medications are necessary (something common among both the newly diagnosed and people without a true mood disorder), but acknowledges with much resistance that they have "some" value. She strongly implies (or seems to) that one has a weaker moral character for taking the medications. It's a self-help book, though, so I can understand why it has to push the idea that you can help yourself.

As a basis for her expert knowledge in the book, she put together a survey of 120 people (75% bipolar, 25% depression-only) from which she draws examples to use and quote from. And after the first few pages, that's what at least 50% of the book is - quotes or symptoms taken from respondents to the survey. The people reporting the description of the symptoms are not scientific experts, and there not much scientific/medical input into the book. I did find value from the one section (maybe 1/2 a page) written by a doctor where I learned of a new medication which I was able to find more information on-line about (geodon). As a result of that one little piece of knowledge, I don't feel I wasted my (Money), but the other 149.5 pages I've read so far are hardly worth the paper their printed on.

I have had two children who grew up suffering with Manic Depression and this book was a life-saver (literally) for them and us as parents. Mania can be turned to positive attributes like creativity. One daughter is a published author and lecturer on clinical psychology techniques and new trends in treatment. She recommends this book as number one to read for parents and adults suffering. I highly recommend you buy this book for your family or friends suffering from these symptoms.

A must for those dealing with depression or manic depression. This book is one of the few that answers the question: What can I do other than solely taking medication to get well and stay well? Whether using meds or not this book will help you. One should be suspicious of the source of any negative comments about this book. It is filled with truth and tools that truly work. Bravo to the author! This review by: Paul Wider, MA, Author of Overcoming Depression and Manic Depression (Bipolar Disorder) A Whole-Person Approach.