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lexcellent's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
tomoonarmy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
okiecozyreader's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
James Doty runs CCARE, Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, an affiliate of the Stanford Neurosciences Institute (and partially funded by the Dalai Lama.
I read this book for the Zibby Ambassador program. It was chosen by Zibby author Sandra A. Miller, author of the forthcoming novel Wednesdays at One. She studied shamanism and have an energy work practice, which is why she selected this book.
Like Miller, Doty seems to be a new age type of thinker. In the book, he mentioned that kindness is his religion. I’m the book, he discusses growing up very poor, with an alcoholic father and a mother who repeatedly tried to kill herself. One day, he walks in to a magic shop in his hometown and the owner isn’t there to answer his questions. He says he liked magic because:
“I like being able to practice at something and get really good at it. I like that I am in control. Whether the trick works or it doesn’t work is only up to me. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says or does or thinks.”
However, the owner’s mother is there, and she asks him to come back so she can teach him a greater source of magic, which he calls “Ruth’s Tricks for Relaxing the Body,” which you can listen to on his website: https://www.jamesrdotymd.com/books
He discusses his path to overcoming poverty, going to college, medical school, a little about his military time as a doctor and his success as a neurologist and business man. From being worth millions to having nothing, he evaluates what he learned from his experiences and gives you a look into a few of his operating room experiences.
“Someone can ask you how you are feeling and you might say, ‘I don’t know,’ because maybe you don’t know or maybe you don’t want to say, but your body always knows how you are feeling.” Chapter 2
“That’s why you have to embrace each and every difficult thing in your life. I feel sorry for people who have no problems. Who never have to go through anything difficult. They miss out on the gift. They miss out on the magic.”
“The heart has its own kind of magic—love.”
Chapter 4
“A real magician transports the audience to a world where anything is possible, everything is real, and the unbelievable becomes believable.” Chapter 5
“What research has shown is that the heart sends far more signals to the brain than the brain sends to the heart—and while both the cognitive and emotional systems in the body are intelligent, there are far more neural connections that go from the heart to the brain than the other way around. Both our thoughts and our feelings can be powerful, but a strong emotion can silence a thought, while we can rarely think ourselves out of a strong emotion. In fact, it is the strongest emotions that will trigger ruminating or incessant thought. We separate the mind as rational from the heart as relational, but ultimately the mind and heart are part of one unified intelligence.” Ch 10
“…[Ruth] taught me the greatest and most real magic there is—the power of compassion to not only heal each of our own wounds of the heart but the hearts of those around us.” Chapter 10
I read this book for the Zibby Ambassador program. It was chosen by Zibby author Sandra A. Miller, author of the forthcoming novel Wednesdays at One. She studied shamanism and have an energy work practice, which is why she selected this book.
Like Miller, Doty seems to be a new age type of thinker. In the book, he mentioned that kindness is his religion. I’m the book, he discusses growing up very poor, with an alcoholic father and a mother who repeatedly tried to kill herself. One day, he walks in to a magic shop in his hometown and the owner isn’t there to answer his questions. He says he liked magic because:
“I like being able to practice at something and get really good at it. I like that I am in control. Whether the trick works or it doesn’t work is only up to me. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says or does or thinks.”
However, the owner’s mother is there, and she asks him to come back so she can teach him a greater source of magic, which he calls “Ruth’s Tricks for Relaxing the Body,” which you can listen to on his website: https://www.jamesrdotymd.com/books
He discusses his path to overcoming poverty, going to college, medical school, a little about his military time as a doctor and his success as a neurologist and business man. From being worth millions to having nothing, he evaluates what he learned from his experiences and gives you a look into a few of his operating room experiences.
“Someone can ask you how you are feeling and you might say, ‘I don’t know,’ because maybe you don’t know or maybe you don’t want to say, but your body always knows how you are feeling.” Chapter 2
“That’s why you have to embrace each and every difficult thing in your life. I feel sorry for people who have no problems. Who never have to go through anything difficult. They miss out on the gift. They miss out on the magic.”
“The heart has its own kind of magic—love.”
Chapter 4
“A real magician transports the audience to a world where anything is possible, everything is real, and the unbelievable becomes believable.” Chapter 5
“What research has shown is that the heart sends far more signals to the brain than the brain sends to the heart—and while both the cognitive and emotional systems in the body are intelligent, there are far more neural connections that go from the heart to the brain than the other way around. Both our thoughts and our feelings can be powerful, but a strong emotion can silence a thought, while we can rarely think ourselves out of a strong emotion. In fact, it is the strongest emotions that will trigger ruminating or incessant thought. We separate the mind as rational from the heart as relational, but ultimately the mind and heart are part of one unified intelligence.” Ch 10
“…[Ruth] taught me the greatest and most real magic there is—the power of compassion to not only heal each of our own wounds of the heart but the hearts of those around us.” Chapter 10
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
stracciastela's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
this is exactly what i needed to read right now
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Domestic abuse and Mental illness
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