J. R.

Hypochondriac Mental Case

Revisado: 08-24-22

The author writes about her struggle assuming the symptoms of various mental illnesses when she receives various diagnoses.
She correctly points out that the DSM is not science based and there is no way to empirically diagnose mental illness.
My own experience confirms much of what she said, although not everything. I had several bouts of depression and my doctor put me on an antidepressant, which caused a manic and paranoia episode. She sent me to a very reputable shrink. By time everything was done, I was diagnosed with multiple disorders and placed on 8 different meds in heavy doses which turned me into a Zombie. The side effects were overwhelming and I pretty much lost 7 years of my life before I started slowly getting off the meds. Bottom line is all the diagnoses were wrong. The original antidepressant cause all the other symptoms. If the docs would have taken me off that I would have been fine. I’m only on a mild antidepressant now.
Beware of over diagnoses and especially of the psychotropic meds. I have a 7 year period where I can remember very, very little.
In our culture, excessive distribution of medications is the norm. The phrase “Your doctor has determined the benefits of this medication outweighs the possible side effects“ is total BS. Most doctors don’t think much about all the side effects of the drugs in their patients. You need to be your own advocate.
My new shrink was against me getting off the meds. We worked together for a year lowering the meds, but she wouldn’t take me off them. She was shocked when I told her I was off a particular drug. When I told her I took myself off Seroquel, she totally freaked. She couldn’t believe I wasn’t having manic episodes. She renewed the prescription even though I was fine. I’m still fine.
I’m not bipolar.
I’m not OCD. I’m a perfectionist who likes everything in its place.
I’m not paranoid unless I take certain meds that cause it (a great side effect they never mention).
I’m not an insomniac. Yes I have difficulty falling asleep, but that doesn’t mean I can’t sleep.
Beware of getting on all these meds. Many are addictive and take a long time to wean yourself off them. Even then, you might experience withdrawal symptoms. I almost always experienced a few days of headaches and some depression for the first few days after lowering the meds. But after that I felt much better. I think it is also best to work with your doctor as much as you can. My new doctor was more open to lowering the meds than my previous, but even she was against me getting completely off certain meds.

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How to ruin a perfectly boring book

Revisado: 08-20-22

I only listened to a little over 3/4’s of this book. I’m not sure what audience this appeals to, but clearly it appeals to a large audience. A little girl is abandon by everyone in her family except her drunken father, who comes home occasionally before banishing completely. Avoiding school and social services, she is helped by various people as she grows up by a marsh.
Tate is a young boy who helping her learn to read and he treats her respectfully. He is a perfect gentleman until one day when he brings her cake to celebrate her 15th birthday, then proceeds to feel her up. I gave up when Tate goes all the way right after telling his father that “she isn’t that type of girl. So he makes her one??? The problem is that up to this point, Tate has been a perfect gentleman, but now takes advantage of a very naive girl. It ruins his whole character, and indeed, this whole boring book. The book flows along about as fast as the stagnant water in a marsh.
Personally, I don’t think the crawdads are singing. I think think they are crying.

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A Lot of Fun

Revisado: 08-10-22

My first Andy Weir book and what a blast! I can’t even remember the last time I read science fiction. It’s never appealed to me - until now. I will definitely read Mr. Weir’s other books. The ‘science’ was interesting but no overwhelming. Plus there was a lot of comedy, especially between Grace and Rocky as they worked together solving problems.
I will be listening to this book a few more times.

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Great Story. Great Narration

Revisado: 08-05-22

There’s a lot of negative reviews about Scott Brick’s narration. Don’t believe them. Mr. Brick does a great job. He’s different than George Guidall, but that doesn’t mean he’s bad. I agree it would have been best if Mr. Guidall read the book because we’re accustomed to his voices, but I’m perfectly content with Scott Brick’s reading. Both Mr. Guidall and Mr. Brick are two of my favorite readers.
As far as the story goes, it’s the typical Mitch Rapp story line. The bad guy wondering if he will be the one who finally takes down Mitch Rapp, a liberal minded politician/FBI agent trying to expose the evil CIA and Mitch Rapp, and Mitch Rapp being Mitch Rapp (Spoiler alert: people die :), and, of course, Mitch brooding about his personal life.
While the stories are repetitive, I enjoyed this one more than the last few. I think part of the reason is because Mitch wasn’t working with his usually crew, but with a roundup of people from past stories. There also seemed to be more humor in this part of the Rappverse.

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You Only Exist as a Hologram

Revisado: 12-30-20

This book is way past being on the fringe. The author hand picks various theories to make his case. Note that these are only theories. He then piles on his own theories & postulates. In short, it is a house of cards that has no factual foundation. With very little thinking, you can see his numerous errors. The book is an attempt to sell you eastern mysticism. It does nothing prove the existence of God.
His quotes are frequently taken out of context achieve the meaning he desires. If you are familiar with the Bible, this is easy to spot, but it is not limited to the Bible. Quantum physics & quantum mechanics are weird and many of the quotes are related to that weirdness rather than statements proving the existence of God. Having said that, I do believe in God, heaven, and the Bible, but this book has nothing to do with real quantum physics or Christianity.
Some of his claims are simply absurd:
1. If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, did it really happen? If no one is there to observe, then the tree doesn't exist.
2. Reality only exist because we are conscious. (This means that reality is only present when we are looking at it. The moment we turn away, it ceases to exist until we look at it again.)
3. We are merely two dimensional holographic images in another unknown realm (brane) which are being projected into this realm (brane) and thus become a three dimensional hologram.
I'm not making this up. There are numerous comments like this throughout the book, none of which are based on fact. The author frequently tells his reader that these things are very difficult to understand, therefore, he won't attempt to explain them so you don't get lost in unnecessary details. He then tells you not to worry if you do not understand, just trust him. Then he gives you some bizarre statement or conclusion that he expects you to accept.
I am stunned by so many high reviews. Are people really that gullible? Writing a book does not mean that what you write is true, nor does it make you an expert. This book is a work of fiction.

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Love this book,

Revisado: 09-22-20

I have read it several times and it is so good. have to go right to the Nextbook red

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Love the whole 5 book series

Revisado: 01-04-18

Dani pettery is a new favorite author. give books 5 stars which I don't often do

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Mostly Good

Revisado: 10-14-10

This book has some interesting tidbits, but much of it is common sense. The author tends to lean toward implementing government controls to prevent people from making 'irrational' decisions. The narration is absolutely excellent.

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Classic Soap Opera

Revisado: 05-26-10

The story reads much like a soap opera in high society. Some analysts of "The Idiot" claim Dostoevsky designed the characters to be representative of various aspects Russian society in the 1800's while others claim that the main character's are representative of Christ and the devil. Neither were apparent to me. There are also many characters, which make the story the little difficult to follow. (However, kudos to the narrator, who's outstanding performance minimized this particular difficulty with the story.) The story seemed long and at times, seemed to go around in circles without contributing to the whole. While "The Idiot" is not necessarily bad, it does not soar to the heights of Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment".

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America: Noble Past & Bright Future

Revisado: 03-25-10

Agree or disagree, you will definitely understand Mr. Romney's political views and, more importantly, the reason he holds them. I highly recommend "No Apology" for the following reasons:
(1) It is clear, concise, and well written. There is no extra 'filler' to pad the pages.
(2) It provides an excellent overview of today's current affairs, both national and international.
(3) Multiple solutions are presented for many social issues. These solutions will cause you to think outside of the typical conservative or liberal box. (Although the solutions are generally conservative in nature, not all are.)
(4) Mr. Romney provides several brief synopsis of history to make some of his points. These historical summaries are very good.
(5) Finally, "No Apology" presents the nobility of America's past and presents hope for America's future. As the subtitle states, this excellent book makes the case for America's greatness.

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