Books for Prep | |
 - Real DealI spent tens of thousands of my insurance company's money on expensive "rehabilitation" sleepaway camp - one of the best in fact! All I needed was this book, and good counselors at home who understand Covert Male Depression. I was "high functioning" - just pursuing that which I "was trained" by society and by my parents equals being a "man" - money, success, cars, houses, etc - I wasn't trained to do that which I simply wanted to do. This book enlightened me to my "Real" malady - covert male depression. I know now I was "set up" and Real's book helped me look within to find the courage to be a Relational Hero. Man it hurts.... Rating: - Guys in a whole new light...I can't put it down. It's an infusion of knowledge distilled from hard experience and its overcoming. I am a mother of two teenage sons who display very little emotion, never talk about it, and, not surprisingly, neither does their supposedly sensitive (but long-term depressed) dad. I knew a lot about my past abuse-and-depression issues and have overcome most of them [(I think? ;-) ] but didn't understand my husband's before this because they looked and seemed so different, so "benign" and less impactful from my formerly misguided view. Thank you Mr. Real, yes you are aptly named. Rating: - I Don't Want to Talk about It: Over Coming the Secret Legacy of Male DepressionShould be required reading for every male because it would help them to much greater happiness. If we all realized how male socialization helps mold ALL males, willingly AND unwillingly become soldiers treating ALL of their interactions as battles and ALL people as enemies or potential enemies who must be controlled or defeated. Rating: - An uncomfortable but needed bookThis is the second book on male depression I have read (first being Archibald Hart's Understanding Male Depression and out of print). Not written from a Christian perspective but a good read and useful for all men at every age-in other words, it's never too late nor too early to read this book! He has an insightful discussion about the active and passive abuse that occurs to many men in the socialization process, a process that teaches us to hold emotions at a distance. What I take away from the book is that many men suffer from covert or overt depression. They have learned to cover up the pain of their depression with addictive behavior which may lead to abuse or irresponsibility toward others and by keeping relationships at a distance emotionally. When things collapse or their self-medication attempts fail, the depression breaks out. One of my favorite quotes: "The essential shift in question that marks a depressed man's transformation is the shift from: What shall I get? to: What can I offer? . . . Recovery demands a move into generativity." 321 For more look up my blog at ruach.wordpress.com Rating: - This book can help youIf you are in a relationship with a depressed person, this book can help save your sanity. Depression is very insideous and destructive. This book can help you avoid some of the pitfalls and understand what drives your depressed loved one. My therapist recommended it and it truly helped me see the illness for what it is. In association with Amazon.com | |