Real Sex for Real Women

As a sex educator, I try to read as many of the sex books that are available as possible and I am trying to review many of them here on amazon so that people can learn more about these books. I like that this book, "Real Sex for Real Woman", has photographs of real women and real men being sexual together. Not everyone likes this about this book and some of the reviews have said that they were appalled at these pictures. I feel that it is a personal issue. Some women and couples will be okay with seeing real photographs of real people having sex. Other people will not be okay with it. As a sex educator, I am happy to know that there is a book that features such pictures so that people can see what sex and intimacy look like between semi-regular looking people and not only porn actors and actresses.

I am more mixed on the information provided in the book. I do not often find Laura Berman to provide a lot of accurate information. However I do find the writing compassionate. I think it provides good basic information especially about intimacy, massage and communication. I feel that more of the research-based information presented in the book is not an accurate description.

Better books (in my opinion) for women who want to learn to have a better sex life include For Each Other, Because It Feels Good and The Good Vibrations Guide to Sex. For Each Other has mostly couples exercises and techniques in it; Because It Feels Good is about increasing desire, saying yes only to sex you like, getting out of sex cycles of dread; and using toys and lubricants to your advantage; The Good Vibrations Guide to Sex is about toys, communication, experimenting, male pleasure, female pleasure and more.

I am mixed on this book so moderately recommended. Good pictures, decent but not great information.

dr. berman's latest book really is about real sex for real women. how many times have you wandered into the "sex and relationships" section, opened a book, and been completely overwhelmed or baffled by the recommendations? this is a book for those of us who aren't gymnasts, super models, or super humans. she covers the basics, as well as information for those who are simply trying to mix things up a bit in the bedroom (or living room, or kitchen...) dr. berman's background allows her to talk about the psychological aspects of human sexuality in addition to the mechanics. her sections about communication and how stress or depression or emotional issues can affect your sex life provide a level of insight you don't get in just any book about sex. i've recommended this book to all my girlfriends and my partner (and theirs) are grateful!

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I was surprised by this book. This isn't a book for women who are sexually mature or who are comfortable with their bodies; this is a basic book. But it is the best and most respectful basic book I have found. I plan to give it to my friend who is a virgin and getting married. She was raised in a very religious home where sex was rarely discussed. This is a perfect book for women who want to learn more than the ABCs of sex. This isn't a cure your sex life book, and it was never advertised as such. You would be shocked at how little most women know about sex. I teach a college level psychology of sex class, and I am constantly amazed at how little women know about sex. This book is perfect for those women.

As I read this book, I realized that while it looks basic, it isn't as basic as it seems. The info is just very clearly communicated. I think that one of the goals in this book is to talk about sex explicitly but respectfully. This is an excellent book for women who are uncomfortable talking about sex or talking about their bodies and their partner's body. This book is also good for women who struggle with with sex due to poor body image.

I found that many of the women in this book were not skinny models. There were women of different ages, and different sizes. There were small breasted women and average to larger breasted women. Many women had round figures with a bit of a tummy. No one in the book is really big, but you are not going to find that in any book. The pics showing sexual positions were used with averagely healthy weight women. But that was necessary for clarity IMO. And no, I am not thin! Or even close to thin!

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I would recommend this book to every young WOMAN. As I thought I knew it all, I found alot of knowledge here and sage advice. Dr. Laura uses common sense along with expert advice and has taught this old dog new tricks! Quite possibly the best thing I have read so far concerns young women and their thoughts of self esteem. If used properly a young woman will come away from this book with the knowledge she needs for a happy, well adjusted, serene intimate life. Having grown up in the '60's, in rural Florida, I had no idea just how inhibited I was and that there was a whole world out there to explore. Kudos to Dr. Laura!

Please mom's let your daughters understand the biology, the chemistry and the emotions that are so important to a happy life.

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This book is awesome! It's chock full of practical advice on how to improve both your sex life and your relationship in general. It really is for real women-it features women of all shapes and body types in its pictures! We need more of that. A must-read for any woman who cares about her relationship!

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From a great escape to a new awakening - my journey through cancer

Dear readers,

I met Eddy and Annie one month ago in Yangon for the city's first international Marathon. I was always impressed by Eddy and Annie's dedication in details. Two days ago, I received this book in Hong Kong and started to read what a great journey in life with courage and love! Eddy has really enlightened us how to live a meaningful and accomplished life, with energy, responsibility and caring, these are something that we too much take for granted we have real examples around to live a quality life.

Thank you Eddy for your great contribution for human beings.

Shirley Lei in Shanghai

Just finished Eddy Li's personal account of his journey through cancer. A must read for anyone who lives a stress-filled life.

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The Merck Manual Of Medical Information (Merck Manual of Medical Information, Home Ed.)

This reference book is easy to use and understand. When I first leaned of this home edition version of the Merck manual I was hesitant. Over the years many books have been published that are medical in nature, some published by doctors, but the content is watered down or so vague that a layperson doesn't derive much information from it. Some books are actually condescending in attitude, some patronizing. So many books briefly skim symptoms and then caution to call a physician for more information.

Recently my son was diagnosed on the phone by our pediatrician with chicken pox and it was made clear that they did not want to see him for a physical exam. I was given a tiny bit of information by the office staff but was still curious for more information. I spent over an hour surfing the Internet looking for information but found watered down information, repeated many times over on multiple websites, including some written by physicians intended for laypeople to use. I looked at my parenting books written by doctors (one titled "The Portable Pediatrician", no less) and was still lacking any substantial information. When I consulted the Merck Manual home edition, (which I had forgotten I bought recently and had not yet used), I was surprised at the level of information given. There are many details that I had not found elsewhere, such as number of days from exposure to outbreak, how long it takes the pox to change from first appearance to crusted over, about how long the infection lasts, and treatment suggestions. Reasons why some children have a mild outbreak vs. a severe outbreak were even provided, something I had not found anywhere else.

The information here is not dumbed down in that it is not so vague that it is not useful. There is a lot of information here but it is written in a style for the layperson to understand. I appreciated the writing style, which presents information to the non-physician without putting on airs.

Anyone who, like me, prefers to gather information and learn about things rather than making a call or office visit to their doctor to get just one opinion will appreciate owning this book. At about 1500 pages it covers many illnesses and ailments. If you are interested in this book I suggest you buy it so that you have it at your fingertips 24 hours a day, for whatever may arise. I am not suggesting this take the place of a doctor, but I know from working with physicians that there are certain calls that are non-emergent in nature that are not appreciated when the office is closed!

If you are looking for a book about children's ailments that encompasses not only western medicine but lists an array of other treatment methods, I suggest Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child: A Practical A-To-Z Reference to Natural and Conventional Treatments for Infants and Children by Janet Zand. I found this to be an excellent companion to the Merck manual, home edition. The Merck manual gives more information about the disease or ailment itself through a Western medicine viewpoint while the Zand's books' specialty is sharing treatment options grouped by category (herbal, homeopathic, western, etc.).

This hardbound 1,509 page authoritative health care encyclopedia will serve you well. Designed for home use, it covers every major medical/health care topic. Complete table of contents, and well indexed (over 11,000 entries) to make finding the information easy. Major topics range from Anatomy, Drugs, Bone, Joint and Muscle Disorders to Disorders of Skin, Eyes, Immune System, and Children's Health Issues. Many informative tables are provided. You'll find clear, easy to understand answers to most of your health questions. Even though I am a health professional and have access to the standard Merck Manual, I keep this volume at home for ready reference and refer to it often. Well worth the price. There are many books on the market about health care topics, but this one IS AUTHORITATIVE !

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Let me start with my own qualifications for reviewing this invaluable book: 25 years' editing and indexing of professional medical texts and reference books; 20 years of creating "translations from the medicalese" for the rest of us; 3 years as consulting reviewer for an online health publication.

In this work, I use both the "senior" Merck Manual, which is written for professionals (though many nonprofessionals have been referred to it by librarians and such), and this recently developed "home" version, which I can't praise highly enough. It is literally the first text I have encountered that provides essential medical information in terms the average educated person can understand, WITHOUT writing down to people. It covers all the basic diseases and conditions and many unusual ones, including prevention where prevention is possible. Clear, understandable charts cover such topics as common blood and laboratory tests. The index is superb, so finding things is easy, whether you are coming at the topic by way of some medical jawbreaker your doctor has mentioned (myocardial infarction) or by way of what most people call it (heart attack). Any household would benefit from having this reference on its bookshelves. Even as a professional, I look in this edition first and tackle "Papa Merck" or a specialized textbook only if I need more than the basic information.

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This is a wonderful summary of general medical information written in simple terms so this is a great addition to the family. It is very current in describing medical understanding of a variety of illnesses, and it provides a solid foundation upon which you can start doing more research on the Internet for the condition that you may be interested in finding about. It even suggests temporary remedies and puts you in charge of how you are treated by the medical profession. This is a must have book to keep around!

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This book acts as an excellent source of information for both the consumer and the professional. The book's format is easy to understand, yet it provides enough information to make a good understanding about a broad range of medical issues. I would recommend the book to anyone who is looking for a good source of medical information.

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The Comfort of Home Multiple Sclerosis Edition: An Illustrated Step-by-Step Guide for Multiple Scler

this is the second time i've ever given a book less than 4 stars. i was quite disappointed. the content, i expected, might help family members in coping with a new diagnosis by a loved one (as the cover seemed to claim). with content taken from other books in the series, it almost seems to make ms sound like a disease which absolutely results in severe physical and cognitive degeneration. it provides lists, lists of everything, sometimes listing resources that might be of more help to caregivers of persons with other disorders. other times, the lists seemed to include almost random content. counseling included three paragraphs five sentences without suggesting resources or support groups for caregivers. probably the most helpful section of the book was on physical modifications to the home, mobility devices, etc. even it, however, was unfortunately incomplete. the list of mobility devices included scooters, wheelchairs, and pictures of many canes but none of canadian crutches, which seem to help many folks with m.s. in maintaining stability. the book was not written in an easy to read format, list after list provided few transitions, content seemed mis-leading, ill-informed, and incomplete. the physical modification section was good and i thought about 2 stars, but, based on the generally poor content throughout the rest of the book, i'm giving it a one star. i hope that i'm not being too critical and that others will share about their experience of this book. obviously, i would not recommend this book at the retail or current discounted price. if you have an opportunity to get it at a library used book sale for under $1, you might consider it.

The collaboration between Maria Meyer and Paula Derr with Kimberly Koch and Diane Afes from the National MS Society in presenting "The Comfort of Home Multiple Sclerosis Edition" is a huge success. The information in this book is presented in a clear, precise manner that is easy to follow. I realize the book is geared towards multiple sclerosis caregivers but it has so much information that is useable for me, a person living with MS, that it will find a valued spot in my library of books on multiple sclerosis. The tips, notes, checklists, resource information, and the publication guides are all great tools. Anyone living with MS, whether patient, family member or caregiver, will find information that they can immediately use in this edition.

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Review by MS World (May 2007): This really is a must-read for anyone who cares for someone with MS. People with MS who are currently care-free(or care-less) would do well to read it also. Mindfully illustrated, well organized, and exhaustive in its breadth of information, the book addresses the important issues facing those who are trying to retain quality of life at home while coping with worsening MS....details could be chilling for one who has MS and may be daunting for a caregiver, but the writing is calm and supportive. One feels encouraged to explore options rather than run from unpleasant realities....thankfully, there are suggestions for caregiver relief and extensive resources for outside aid involving respite care and vacation/travel arrangements....writing as a reviewer who has worsening MS...I would refer to this book without hesitation should I need the knowledge it contains. [Reviewed May 2007 by Dean Kramer, Essayists, Author of Life on Cripple Creek; Essays on Living with Multiple Sclerosis, Management Team MSWorld, Inc.]

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The Comfort Of Home: An Illustrated Step-By-Step Guide For Multiple Sclerosis Caregivers by co-authors Maria M. Meyer and Paula Derr RN (co-owner of InforMed) is a comprehensive and practical guide written for anyone, especially family members, responsible for the care of someone with MS. No experience or knowledge is presumed of the reader; chapters walk one through everything from basic advice for making one's home safe and comfortable to ensuring a balanced diet and sufficient exercise to avoiding caregiver burnout and much more. Simple black-and-white drawings illustrate key points where a visual aid is valuable in this practical book, which covers matters such as saving money and applying health care effectively as surely as the more labor-intensive aspects of caregiving. Highly recommended.

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As a carepartner and volunteer for the NMSS this book will always be within reach. This book is not only a great resource for our daily living but also a great reference source for all of the people I visit with. Maybe today I don't need some of the tips offered but who knows what tomorrow will bring. Being able to share what I have learned from this source with other carepartners and their loved ones is important. Living with MS can be a constant challenge and demanding for those around the condition but having a good reference book near by I know that our lives will be simplier since I have a good source of both information and other resources where we can find help. Can never have too much help in making life easier for all of us!

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Younger Next Year for Women: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy - Until You're 80 and Beyond

I read Dr. Lodges and Chris Crowley's book and it changed me forever. I first saw these two authors on CBN and then ordered the book, "Younger Next Year for Women". What I like about this book in terms of its style and reading is that it is balanced between Dr. Lodge's biology and DNA subject matter and Chris Crowley's shoot from the hip style. Yes, they do advocate exercise, but nothing so mundane as you find in typical exercise or motivation books. Nothing in any other exercise book ever woke me up like this book. More than just another exercise or fitness book, this book explains why and how we age, why we get fat, why and how we program our body and cells to die instead of grow. This book explains how our modern life style has confused the programming of our body and caused us to get fat, grow old, get stiff, get diseased and finally die. These things don't just happen to us we cause them to happen! That's right, we program our DNA and cells to age and die by our life style and activity, or lack thereof, which tells our body what to do with the next generation of cells. It also goes into what our bodies were designed for and how to work in harmony with that perfect design to obtain optimum performance. Once I learned this, I suddenly became aware that I had been setting my body up to die, day by day, one dead cell after another. I changed in the instant I read the first couple of chapters. This book is a real eye opener and instead of motivating you to do push ups or do this or that, this book integrates the whole life system of human evolution and biology and social attitude based on the design and makeup of the human genetic machine. It puts you on the right track to do what your body and cells were made to do and to do it well for a long and healthy life. I read this book cover to cover and it motivated me to begin an exercise and "life" program which completely changed my health for the better. I now do six days a week of cardio and exercise, have more energy, more drive, more motivation each day than I've ever had in my life and for the first time in my life, I'm pain free with more flexibility, endurance, and resiliancy than ever before. I've lost 15 lbs and dropped to a size 2 and can meet my daily work challenges with so much energy, I'm amazed. I have no longer programmed my body and cells to die but to live, and live fully and live each day with zeal and motivation. In changing my diet I also discovered I had food allergies which I never knew I had before. This book took me into a new direction and opened a whole other area of thought about my health, diet and exercise and spurned me in a new direction of wellness and wellness research. I've told many people about it and am buying several copies for friends and family. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to awaken their minds and bodies and be alive again. And especially for anyone in that age zone where health becomes a daily issue of concern.

I can't even count the number of self-help books I have read. I have a degree in holistic science. I "know" all the things we are supposed to do. But having come thru a particularly tough phase in life, including the loss of a committed relationship, two cross country relocations and two job changes all within the last 5-6 years, I hit the age of 60 wondering, where did all the time go? what do I do now? is it true, as I always believed, that it is "never too late"? While I was pondering those questions, the age of 61 rolled around, and all of a sudden I felt everything from the last few years finally took its toll. I tried adding up the positives: I finally live in my most favorite place; I am consistently thought to look younger than I am; I work for a wonderful organization that serves a great cause; I have had amazingly good health and I am the only one I know past 60 who has no aches nor pains; I ran a half-marathon this spring; I have great friends; I have a meaningful spiritual life. Yet I still felt like I had run out of luck, and the downhill slide was before me.

I am literally driving my car around with three crates of books I need to get rid of, but somehow I got captured once again by a book club that offers those 5-6 books for 99 cents. One of the clinchers was the title of this book. I thought, how crazy can I be falling for a title like that?!

Earlier this week my book package came, and last night I read almost this whole book (I recommend reading Part II well before you finish Part I, it is totally inspirational). The two-generational perspective of Chris and Harry is unique; Chris' wit and his own story often fool the reader into thinking it's the voice of the younger one. Harry has the scientific backup and puts the nuts and bolts into Chris' idealism. This is truly one of the best books I have ever read, or perhaps it was just what I needed at the time of life I have reached whether you want to use Gail Sheehy's term "Second Adulthood" or the Third Act or however you want to think of what used to be called the "golden years."

I saw retirement kill my father in his early 80s, so I had already decided that I didn't want to go that route. My financial condition assures that! One reviewer herein commented that the book did not address mental fitness it certainly does. Chris makes much of getting involved in new relationships, in taking on new causes and interests and activities I love his, just say "yes" when you have an opportunity to become involved in something but feel like sitting home and watching TV. I couldn't believe I reached a point in life where I was turning into a couch potato.

Having been a regular runner and a fair tennis player, I felt my half-marathon last spring was my last hurrah. I have been going home after work and taking naps, something I have never done in my life. I have wept at the thought of never receiving another hug or a kiss, as there are no prospects of connectedness for me (I am probably wearing my negativity on my face, driving anyone away who still has a zest for life). I lost a great love, having found him after I was 50, so I have become convinced, after 60, the odds are totally against me. And even what enthusiasm I may have had for life has been drowned in a horror that no matter what good may come my way, OLD WOMAN is stamped on every succeeding day.

Today I have a new lease on life from this book. That crazy sign-up for yet another book club must have been Providence. I can't get back my youth but I am taking back my life. I took a brisk walk before breakfast this morning, did a few minutes of yoga, and went online to Amazon to see if I could get this book every woman I know, my friends from their 40s to their 70s, is getting this book for the next birthday or holiday gift.

Get it, read it, live it, give it. I finally feel like I am going to have a great life again, and I'll be such a magnet of goodness and joy and warmth, like Chris maybe there will even be love again. For now I am going to hug my cat a little more and spend more time with friends and less time with the TV. The science in this book is sound, and the inspiration is unmatched. Thanks to Harry and Chris for snapping me out of the gloom and doom and their word decay. I am 61 years young!!!!

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Chris and Harry tag-team throughout this book to provide good information and inspiration. As other reviewers have stated, most of the information isn't new, but it's said in a way that makes it relevant and useful. And Chris is a jolly role model for all of us.

I'm not sure why this book motivates me when I already knew much of the information in it. Maybe it was the ongoing (relentless) mention of aging as decay in the US. Or pounding home the point of how much control we have over how we age. Or maybe just wanting to have fun being 71 like Chris. (My mom, 78, has heart disease. Her sister died at 71 and her other sister, 69, has cancer.)

I love the dead honest tone of this book. No diet plan, no recipes, no Kumbaya, no gimmicks just straight talk with some humor thrown in.

A bit of criticism: I wish they had added a female author for this book. Getting the male perspective on female aging was usually fine, but sometimes seemed lacking. Chris and Harry could quote statistics and give examples, but they really don't know. (Notable difference between reading Gail Sheehy's books on menopause and female aging, and reading this book.)

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So what's the deal? Can you really be younger next year? As another reviewer says, "Well, maybe." But the "maybe" isn't based on sketchy science, less-than-reliable studies, or even unclear advice; the "maybe" is based on whether or not the reader is willing to follow the very clear and well-supported advice, which is based on new but exciting discoveries in the science of aging bodies.

The advice? Seven basic and fairly straightforward rules, beginning with exercise (6 days a week for the rest of your life) and ending with finding something to be committed to and excited about (for the rest of your life), with some talk about not eating crap and a few other recommendations in between. Simple to understand, but not so simple to do, maybe most especially that thing about working out 6 days a week, every week, until they carry you out. That's a tough pill to swallow for many of us, but the authors make a clear and convincing case that it can be a magic pill, a pill that can promote wellness and firmness into our 80s and beyond, and help most of us replace what might have been a frail and desperate old age with a vigorous, joyful "next third" of our lives.

And what a great job they do of making that case, not only in the sense of presenting a clear and persuasive argument, but also in presenting it in a witty, entertaining, but also very direct style. The authors are one doctor and one of his patients, and they alternate chapters, sort of a team-teaching style, where Harry, the doc, gives you the science, and Chris, the regular guy, talks about how the science plays out in your life, and has in his. Interestingly enough, while Harry is the scientist, he has a pleasant, almost gentle bedside-or, in this case, bookside-manner, and Chris is the one who's inclined to be a little severe, though in an encouraging, coach-like way. So while Chris admits he wanted Rule #1 to be something like "Exercise 7 days a week," he tells us that Harry persuaded him to let us off with 6 days a week. Chris scolds us severely when we ask, as he imagines us doing, "How about 5 days, or even one day? Isn't that better than nothing?" No! Chris insists (you can almost see him stamping his foot), it's NOT better than nothing. But then he patiently explains his point, and leads us carefully through the reasons why one day, or even three, four, or five days, are not better than nothing. (In a former life, Chris was an attorney, and you can hear the litigator's flawless logic and attention to detailed argument in the way he builds his case for exercise. It's really quite wonderful!)

But Chris is no monster. (Here, take a minute to run over all the old lawyer jokes in your head and get it out of your system.) Again, he's the coach, variously demanding compliance or cajoling when it makes sense, browbeating when he has to, telling a joke now and then, and through it all, leading you along the path to success. He has lots of little tips and tricks to offer about all the rules. And he's a bit of wit at it, too. I've read lots of books on the subject of getting in shape, and none of them have made me smile, even chuckle, as this one does. As I was finishing the last chapter or so, I found that I was unhappy that it was all about to end, the way you're sorry that you've reached the end of a good novel or a wonderful movie. Fortunately, the authors have developed a very supportive website where you can ask questions, join a forum, get in on a chat now and then, and get more detailed advice about exercise and nutrition.

Some say there's not much "substance" or nothing new here. OK, if you don't count the several chapters that explain new scientific understandings of how important daily strenuous exercise is to our health as we age; if you don't count the bibliography that offers titles to fill in the stuff that the authors don't claim to be able to offer; if you don't count the entertaining, inspiring, and always on-topic message of the book: work out almost every day, quit eating junk, and find something in life to give a rip about.

To learn more, you'll have to read the book. You owe it yourself. But don't delay-the clock is ticking.

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I love "Younger Next Year". This is a rewrite that clearly IS a rewrite intended for women... a chapter on menopause added, etc, but the original book is fresher and I have other resources on female aging if I need them. Not bad but buy the other book and try to preview this one before you decide you need to own both.

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Curly Like Me: How to Grow Your Hair Healthy, Long, and Strong

I write this review as I sit here with my conditioner-laden, oh-so-defined teeny weeny afro in air dry mode. I've just finished reading "Curly Like Me" and I want to scream from the rooftops: "I've uncovered the Holy Grail of natural afro-textured hair care!!!"

If you're 1/10th as skeptical as I am when it comes to claims of a great hair technique, you'll want to know my credentials to see whether or not I'm qualified to make such a bold claim.

I'm biracial. My father is black and my mother is white. However, growing up, when asked the infamous "What are you?" question all you mixed chicks know what I'm talking about I would always apologetically suffix my reply with "...but I just don't have biracial hair". My brother has jet black big loose curls, but from infancy I was dubbed the one with the "bad hair" (not by my loving parents however, just the rest of the world). I believed it mind, body and soul. Why else would my evil hairdresser aunt force a relaxer on me when I was but a preschooler? Something must be very very wrong with my hair, I thought, since even with a relaxer it was an unruly Simba-mane. (I really did look like I belonged on The Lion King).

So, up until 10 months ago, I thought I couldn't live without the relaxer. Then one day several months ago, I decided to stretch my standard every 3 or 4 month relaxer fix by doing straw sets since it was so damaged. Time kept going and soon I was 6 then 7 months post, but with no thoughts of going natural. Then on month 8, a funny thing happened. For the first time, I really felt my new growth as I was washing my hair, what's this? Then I looked at it...CURLS?!?! Tight small spirally things growing from my head? YES! MY HEAD!

I began lurking on afo-textured hair care forums and other sites and began soaking up the knowledge from the ladies in the natural hair community. But, I feared that my hair wouldn't dry curly, that it would just turn into a hard matted Simba-poof; plus there was NO WAY I wanted to cut my hair.

About six weeks ago I heard about Teri LaFlesh and her method for the first time as I was lurking on a hair forum. I went to her Tightly Curly website, and I saw this biracial chick with hair to her butt. My instinctual reaction: jealousy and shame. All the feelings of my childhood rushed back. As a child, I would see biracial children with beautiful curls, soft and flowing or tight and spirally and I would be overcome with jealousy. I would see their hair flow down their backs whereas my relaxed ends seemed to be allergic to touching my shoulders and broke off at the sight of them.

What could this little hair queen teach me, I wondered. Surely our hairs have nothing in common! Then I saw her photo history; then I was floored. Her hair used to be a matted, relaxed Simba-explosion, like mine! Not a pretty cottony afro, not kinky spirals, but an evil, crunchy broken poof! I came to see that with her many hair disasters she could relate to me, and I began to become a Tightly Curly convert.

Fast forward a few weeks later as I waited with bated breath on THIS book to be released. At the end of April I snapped it up and bit into it like a...like a...like a person who really wanted to bite into something!

One day when I was reading it, I tried my Herbal Essences Hello Hydration on a bit of my hair where the relaxer had broken off to see if it would make curls and dry like that. I didn't think it would work. But it did!!! I began to see that other natural chicks with even tighter curls had done the method and experienced success. The scales began to drop from my eyes and I began to appreciate that there really is no such thing as "bad hair" after all. I came to appreciate that any hair that is healthy, happy and loved by its owner is "good hair", and I wanted good hair too.

Though the Tightly Curly Method is explained on the website, it is explained in greater detail in the book. I especially love the "Choosing Shampoos & Conditioners: What to Avoid" sections in the book as, since I don't live in the States, only a few of the recommended shampoos and conditioners are available. The book empowers me to find my own POOs and COs with in the recommended guidelines.

Teri has also gone to a lot of trouble uncovering hair and ingredient myths. Also, she describes on a molecular level what you're really doing when chemically altering your hair. I'm no scientist so I can't attest to the accuracy of her statements. However, I can say that what she had to say was scary enough to make me never want to hurt my hair with relaxers again. Ever.

I had originally planned to transition for another 6 months or so. But less than a week ago, when I was nearly done with the book, I was convinced that there was no reason for me to hold back. So, on that fateful Saturday afternoon of, May 1, 2010, I cut, I conditioned, I defined and I left in. FINALLY SOMETHING THAT WORKS!!!

I wish she had included in the book exactly how she came to discover this method, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this method works.

And so, dear reader, if you have tightly curly hair, do yourself a favour and purchase this book. Your hair will thank you, and it will thank Teri.

To Teri LaFlesh, thank you so much. My hair wants to be just like yours when it grows up.

To my hair, I promise from now on to love you unconditionally but always with plenty conditioner!

I was so excited when I discovered Teri's method, especially with the claim that it should work with most Afro-textured hair even if you don't have looser curls. As long as your curl pattern is still in tact you should be good to go, right?! Great! I read the book in one sitting and dreamt of a future head full of nicely defined, rain-proof coils. My daydreams included one where I'd run into Teri in Pike Place Market or something (since we both live in Seattle), I'd ask for her autograph and we'd compare our Rapunzel-length, Seattle-weather-resistant locks. Okay, I know that sounds crazy but I'd recently gone natural, was fed up, and my frustrations fueled my daydreams.

Anyhow, I digress. After many attempts, first following Teri's method by the book, then trying the many variations found online, I came to the conclusion that this method just wasn't my cup of tea. I have a nice, perfectly formed coil pattern when my hair is in its natural state but like many other reviewers I ran into issues with dryish, breaking locks. Sometimes it looked and felt filmy. There were just too many versions of this method and not only had I lost patience but I'd lost too much hair (and I wasn't willing to part with any more).

What I did take away from this book was an pleasant reintroduction to my natural coils which I hadn't seen since I was a kid. Teri gave me the confidence to go natural and the confidence that I could grow my hair to great lengths. She also put me on a path to find OTHER methods for achieving my hair goals.

Unbeknownst to me there's an entire community of black women growing long hair (very, very long hair) who don't use Teri's method. Their methods vary so one has more style choices; I mean what if you don't want to deal with the shrinkage? What if you prefer your hair straight? There's a long-black-hair method for just about everyone. Just spend a little time perusing YouTube and you're bound to find someone. (My favorites are LongHairDon'tCare2011, KimmayTube and BrittneyNGray). Most importantly, for me at least, these methods are far less time-consuming than Teri's and give me far more stylistic choices. I can go curly or straight. If you're skeptical, I can tell you that the thing that all these methods have in common (including Teri's) is that they don't advocate the use of chemicals, or the heavy use of heat (some heat is allowed); all require attention to keeping your hair moisturized and protected, especially while sleeping. As long as you follow these "rules" religiously, especially the moisturizing and staying away from chemicals, you should be able to retain more length. I'm personally using the flat-iron once a month method, moisturizing with olive oil and protective serum nightly, and mine has reached collarbone length with virtually no breakage. With commitment it doesn't take long to turn your hair-health around.

So, in short, Teri is still a "Hairo" of mine but I just prefer to use other methods. I just wish she'd done more experimentation with a greater variety of kinky hair types and acknowledged some needed variations.

Buy Curly Like Me: How to Grow Your Hair Healthy, Long, and Strong Now

This is an excellent book! While I'm not directly bi-racial, my hair is exactly like Terri's due to white ancestry. I wish that I had known about using conditioner to keep my curls when they dried. My hair is short now because I cut 10 inches off to have relaxer free hair, but my curls are there and they feel great. I'm going to buy another book and give it to my bi-racial niece whose hair is a little looser than mine, but would definitely benefit from this book.

While books like curly girl are good, it left me frustrated because leaving a little bit of conditioner in my hair left me with fuzzy spots. This book filled in the pieces that were missing! Terri, thank you for this book, and thank you for going through what you went through to get your beautiful curls back. I get so many compliments from everyone even though I have a dreaded layer cut.

I would recommend this book for anyone who has curls when their hair is wet but turns to curly frizz when dried. I would recommend this book to kinky kinky tightly curled hair as well because this book preaches keeping moisture in your hair, and ALL curly hair need this. Good book!

Read Best Reviews of Curly Like Me: How to Grow Your Hair Healthy, Long, and Strong Here

Whether you buy this book straight away or think about it for a while ... after you read this book, you'll realise like doing regular exercise, changing your career or leaving that loser boyfriend of yours, that this is something you should have done months or years ago. It really is a life changing book and when you have curly hair, you realise it is more than hair, it's an attitude and way of life.

After reading the book in one sitting, what strikes me about the book is that looking after curly hair is relatively easy and the less you do with it, the more likely you are to have beautiful curls. If you think about the money you have spent on useless hair products over the years and throwing away money on hairdressers who were clueless about how to cut and style curly hair, this book is such a worthwhile investment.

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How is a book a friend? IT SHARES ALL! Curly Like Me shares all the trials and errors Teri made throughout her hair journey. Not to mention every shortcut and secret she's learned along the way. The book talks to us in a clear, friendly tone, and it's spiced up with humor as well.

Curly Like Me addresses mistakes with a light heart. Teri mentions where she's been, but it's a small part compared to all the tips filling the pages of this book. We learn and move on from the past misunderstood hair to the future of embracing our hair as is and making it happy.

Like a true friend, the book supports and empowers us to be our best. Whether we use all the tips or just some, Curly Like Me gives us the information and tools to make informed decisions on our own hair. This book has become my simple, easy to use resource on curly hair care. I'm an on-the-go type girl who doesn't like to spend much time on hair, and I fit this method easily into my needs.

You can't go wrong with this step-by-step book. For me, the getting to know your curls and combing chapters by themselves were well worth the price. I like having the kindle version (iPhone app) as a helpful on-the-go reminder of steps, tools, and ingredients. Plus, it allows me to show fellow curly heads some of the book's tips at a glance.

The only thing I'd improve on or change is adding color pictures so the curls and styles demonstrated could be shown in more detail. Other than that, it's a perfect resource and friend. I think many will benefit from the overall time and research put into this book.

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The Cosmetics Cookbook: Over 50 recipes to beautify your face, hair, and entire body you can whip up

I have been making cosmetics for over 10 years, have a diploma in herbal medicine & aromatherapy...thought this book would be a great addition to my cosmetic cookbook collection. It was not. If you are a beginner & when I say beginner, I mean you have never made anything cosmetic in your kitchen before, this may be a good book for you. If you have made cosmetics in the past and don't know much about formulation, then check this book out from the library before purchasing. The recipes call for ingredients like mineral oil and petroleum jelly (NASTY ingredients to use on your face & body--these are both by-products of the petroleum industry, are not good for you, create a greasy layer on top of the skin, do not penetrate &/or heal anything), clearly the author does not realize what she is instructing people to use on their bodies. I generally do not leave bad reviews of any book, I try to find a little nugget of valuable information in the book prior to writing a review, but I have not been able to find a thing that justifies a good or at least ambivalent review of this book.

Excellent! The only word to describe it. The book is very well presented and also well written. A MUST for every home with such simple and easy to prepare recipies. I would recommend this book to everyone and really worth its price in gold!

Buy The Cosmetics Cookbook: Over 50 recipes to beautify your face, hair, and entire body you can whip up Now

This book is very simple and easy to read. The instructions and recipe items are basically all from your kitchen. My only problem is that some of the recipes are almost too simple; almost like they were just taken from the sky and they seem to be all from "granny". I haven't tried any of them but I can see how some of them would work considering what I already know.

Read Best Reviews of The Cosmetics Cookbook: Over 50 recipes to beautify your face, hair, and entire body you can whip up Here

I am very stasified that I purchased this book. The Cosmetics Cookbook help me with my homemade beauty products. All my beauty products are made with natural incredients. The recipes in this book along with my own creations are great. Please check out my page to see just how I made good use of this book.

Thank you.

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really good book. Recommend it to anyone who is tired of paying for so called "natural" products from salons!

Recepies are easy to make and REALLY work....

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