Book that changed your life? How/why? Amother enabled

amother

Blush

Tue, Jun 14 2016, 6:43 pm

Understanding the borderline mother by Lawson

Suddenly the chaotic pieces of my mother came together. I was able to make sense if it. Instead of getting lost in it.

amother

Powderblue

Tue, Jun 14 2016, 6:53 pm

Okay, this might be really different than other answers.

Naomi Ragen's The Sacrifice of Tamar. (Jephte's Daughter and Sotah a bit, too, but not as much.) It really pinpointed what was bothering me about some parts of the chareidi life I was living. And helped me make certain lifestyle changes.

Rachel Shira

Tue, Jun 14 2016, 7:14 pm

The five love languages by Gary Chapman. An incredible way to understand myself and my husband (and our relationship with each other).

Also, Quiet by Susan Cain. Very validating as an introvert (or interestin for extroverts to understand introverts).

I'm sure I'll think of more but that's all for now.

Last edited by Rachel Shira on Tue, Jun 14 2016, 7:17 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Apricot

Tue, Jun 14 2016, 7:15 pm

"Your s-xually Addicted Spouse". It Helped me understand why I was so shattered by discovering his secret life.

"God of Our Understanding" by Rabbi Shais Taub. It gives a beautiful Jewish view of the 12 steps.

"An Unquiet Mind" helped me understand how a person with mental illness can live in denial for so many years.

amother

Emerald

Tue, Jun 14 2016, 7:21 pm

The Proper care and feeding of Husbands by Dr. Laura, helped me change my perspective in the early years of my marriage.

amother

Peach

Tue, Jun 14 2016, 7:53 pm

Waking Up Jewish by Rabbi Uri Zohar.

That book was from the strongest factors in why I didn't go OTD

amother

Mustard

Tue, Jun 14 2016, 8:20 pm

the surrendered wife. it made me realize how much I want to control my dh. and to give him some freedom. and to appreciate everything my dh does despite not getting other things I so want.

it made so far a lot of positivity. though I didnt read the whole thing yet.

Rachel Shira

Tue, Jun 14 2016, 8:25 pm

amother wrote:

Yes! This too.

mama2

Tue, Jun 14 2016, 9:19 pm

Living emuna by rabbi Dovid ashear. This book has had the greatest impact on my life. It's divided into small segments so I learn it nightly. I find myself so much calmer in stressful situations and so much more aware of Hashem's presence in my life. Highly recommended!!

amother

Seagreen

Tue, Jun 14 2016, 9:31 pm

Garden of Emuna
Life changing
1. Everything comes from H-Shem
2. Everything H-Shem does is good
3. Everything has a purpose.

amother

Jetblack

Wed, Jun 15 2016, 12:12 am

I'm posting as amother because this book is not so clean, but "Pay It Forward" was an amazing read. By the end of the book, I could hear myself vowing to pay it forward, together with all of the thousands of people at Trevor's funeral, without realizing that it was just fiction.

Also, Raising Roses Among the Thorns by Rabbi Noach Orlowek

seeker

Wed, Jun 15 2016, 12:44 am

I knew I shouldn't have opened this thread. Now my reading wishlist is going to grow even longer while I still totally fail to get far enough into any book to contribute to a thread like this.

amother

Mistyrose

Wed, Jun 15 2016, 1:09 am

As long as I live by Aharon Marglit
If someone could go thru a childhood and life with so much tragedy and still come with so much strength and emuna - then I know I can get thru what life throws at me.

The Gift of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, and Rising Strong by Brene Brown. Really pinpoints the core of all the things I need to work on - and taught me how to build meaningful connections.

amother

Papaya

Wed, Jun 15 2016, 2:42 am

Living Inspired - Rabbi Akiva Tatz. I will forever be grateful to the person who gave it to me as a gift. It completely changed my view of the world, and how it works.

morningsickness

Wed, Jun 15 2016, 3:37 am

The 7 habbits of highly effective teens helped me as a teen transform from a victim of my circumstances to someone who takes control of her life.

The baby whisperer enabled me to actually get some sleep since it taught me how to put newborn dd to nap. Until then, baby dd thought napping was a RECOMMENDATION and not a neccessity. I remember sitting with her in my "intro to Psychology" class and hearing the teacher describe how newborns sleep for about 16 hrs. a day, and my little one wasn't even sleeping 8 hours a day!!

Ruchel

Wed, Jun 15 2016, 8:45 am

Holy woman. I read it when I was miserable due to sif, and realized I should not be but should be thankful and that it was not in my hands. It helped a ton, for every concern I could have.

Chayalle

Wed, Jun 15 2016, 11:36 am

Ruchel wrote:

Holy woman. I read it when I was miserable due to sif, and realized I should not be but should be thankful and that it was not in my hands. It helped a ton, for every concern I could have.

The thing that amazed me about Holy Woman, is that it could also have been titled Holy Man. When I read an article about how he kept from her, her entire life, that he had had a child before the holocaust (in the book it says his first wife arrived in the camps holding a niece; actually, she was holding their child) so that she should not be pained knowing she couldn't have a child - she thought he could not father one - I was amazed at the depths of his sensitivity and kindness. It just blew me away.

leah233

Wed, Jun 15 2016, 7:36 pm

amother wrote:

Fiction only pinpoints the authors perception.

Therefore you can not make any real lifestyle changes based on it.

PinkFridge

Wed, Jun 15 2016, 8:14 pm

leah233 wrote:

Fiction only pinpoints the authors perception.

Therefore you can not make any real lifestyle changes based on it.

Sequoia, are you following this thread? I'd love to know what you think Tongue Out

I would say that with this author, yes, we clearly know her perception. If someone is inclined to think the same way, a gifted writer (not having got through any of her books, I don't know if she is) could definitely make an impact with an evocative enough story.