The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 28 January 2015
by Mary Pipher
Author and therapist, Mary Pipher, is best known for her book Reviving Ophelia, which told the story of how teenaged girls react and respond to the cultural pressures of early adolescence. That book made her a best-selling author, and sent her on an arc of fame that placed intense demands on her and her family. After years of trying to satisfy the demands of her notoriety, Pipher had what she calls a "meltdown" during which she realizes that something has to change in her life, something must happen to reduce the stress and strain of her successes. From that moment, and after years of helping others find peace, she sets out on a journey to help herself, to attain some practice or habit that reduces her stress, allows her to live in the moment, and brings her to a mindful awareness of life in the present. This book begins with a long history of Pipher's family, which sprung from the heartland during decades of challenges and privation. Pipher, who knows a lot about how culture and history mold our character, details a history of strong personalities in difficult times and the long shadow that their challenges cast on their children and grandchildren, including the author. Pipher is a gifted teller of tales, and her look back over her family is compelling reading. From them, she inherited her need to please as many people as much of the time as possible, and her driven nature to succeed. She also confesses to self-critical thoughts that border on the self-destructive. And the remainder of the book chronicles her need to come to terms with her history and to overcome or learn to live with the stresses and challenges of her character and the pressures around her. Pipher has resources to draw upon, of course, her training in psychology and her decades of therapeutic practice. She delves into meditation, and tells a gentle personal tale of discovering how to slow down, pay attention to breath, and let the mind drift where it may. And she remakes her connection to the joys of living in the present, her family, and nature. We all experience the stress of modern life. As we grow older, the time we need to accomplish our everyday tasks grows ever shorter, and those tasks crowd out our opportunities to obtain the calm mental health that is one possible core of happiness. Through sharing Pipher's journey, we can begin to see where, in our own lives, we can start to form our own practice, our own path toward peace. Recommended.
Also by Pipher: [Reviving Ophelia]