Review of Home Is Where We Start From: Essays by a Psychoanalyst (Paperback)

These essays were collected and published posthumously, by Winnicott's widow, Clare, and colleagues. British pediatrician, humanitarian, andground-breaking psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott died in 1971, having made anearly immeasurable contribution to the fields of psychoanalysis and childpsychology. In this volume, as with his other writings, his ideas are deep,reverential and respectful, and often somewhat complex, and at the sametime, his presentation is utterly simple and straightforward. The reader isfully engaged, as a result of Winnicott's incredible knack for connectingwith his audience.

The lively and interesting papers comprising thisutterly accessible collection were written over a wide span of time - threedecades or more. The selections are varied, and have been separated forreaderly convenience into several sections: "Health and Illness,""The Family," and, finally, "Reflections on Society."Some were written in order to be presented at meetings of the medicaland/or psychoanalytic community; others, to various civic, political, andother groups (The Progressive League, The Liberal Magazine, The BorstalAssistant Governors' Conference, etc.)

The collection is various andinteresting for its content but also for - not in spite of - its grab-bagfeel. Winnicott was comfortable with his listeners, and never afraid tospeak simply, clearly, and with his trademark empathy intact. In fact, thatempathy was at the core of his work. There's a great variety in it, too."The Price of Disregarding Psychoanalytic Research," a talk givenin 1965, details the importance of his philosophy. ("The link betweenpoetic truth and scientific truth is surely in the person, in you andme.") Essays such as the 1963 "The Value of Depression"("Always, depression implies ego strength...") and the 1967"Delinquency as a Sign of Hope" ("the antisocial tendency islinked inherently with deprivation" ) show Winnicott at his very best.And the playful and kind 1969 "The Pill and the Moon" - writtenfor an address to the Progressive League in the 1960's - iswonderful.

Some of these hopeful and kindhearted essays show their age,but in a welcome and lovely way, and therefore each is well worth readingand thinking about.

Product Description
One of the most gifted and creative psychoanalysts of his generation, D. W. Winnicott made lasting contributions to our understanding of the minds of children.His ideas have influenced the diverse psychoanalytic schools of Anna Freud, Melanie Klein, and Hans Kohut. But his reach extends far beyond professional circles: his talks to general audiences over the years won him enormous numbers of followers among parents and teachers who have found his observations rich in penetrating insight.

This collection brings together many of Winnicott's most important pieces, including previously unpublished talks and several essays from books and journals now difficult to obtain. They range widely in topic—from "The Concept of a Healthy Individual" and "The Value of Depression" to "Delinquency as a Sign of Hope"—and elucidate some of Winnicott's seminal ideas, such as the "transitional object" and the concept of false self. All convey Winnicott's vision of the ways in which the developing self interacts with the family and the larger society. .



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Review of The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (Third Editition) (Hardcover)

Book Review:The Well Trained Mind, A Guide to Classical Education at Home, by Jesse Wise. I enjoyed this book for it's curriculum guidelines for homeschooling using the classical style of home education.Written bya homeschooling parent and heradult homeschooled daughter, this book laysout the principles of the Trivium, the three-part process of training themind.She says that this is diametrically opposed to the principles ofunschooling, because here, the parent "supplies the mind with factsand thinking skills." This gives a clue as to the approach. It's notchild-led. It's very structured.

Although I had a little troublewith the idea of teaching very formal academics to a younger child, I likedthe progressive nature of the Trivium, I liked the clear structure of thecurriculum, and the extensive resource lists, and I liked the emphasis onclassical works.The trivium, as she states, is language-based and notimage based, so there is very little hands-on and art and music mentioned. I think the problem with this approach is if you have a child with anothertype of learning style.There is a lot of reading and writing.It may notwork well with all kids.I also note that there is little if anydiscussion on how to teach multiple children,or where to start if youdon't do this from the beginning, and a lack ofdiscussion in buildingloving family relationships.It sounds like 12 years of academics withlittle time for much else.I think if you use this book, you need tosoften the process with good relationship building and family skills.

Theprinciple is this:The first years, grades 1 through 4 are the"grammar" stage where the mind is supplied with facts and images(rules of grammar, math facts, phonics, poems, songs, stories in literatureand history).And I was glad to see that these four years were just anintroduction to facts, not a deep delving.Then, the"logic"stages, in grades 5-8 where the child is given tools to logically organizethose facts (including learning outlining, paragraph constructions,organizing skills and analysis), and the third stage is the"rhetoric" stage, grades 9-12 where the child is equipped toexpress conclusions forcefully.

The other part of this process is therepetition ever four years.The first ,5,th and 9 th grades study theAncienttimes (4000 B.C - 400 AD) and the grades 2, 6, 10 study theMedieval and Early Renaissance (400 AD - 1600 AD) , and thegrades 3, 7,11 study the Late Renaissance and Early Modern (1600-1850)and theModernto Present times is studied in grades 4, 8, 12.The science is dividedalso this way:The first time period is Biology and Human body andClassification (Ancients), the second is Earth Science and Astronomy(Medieval times), the third time is Chemistry (Late Renaissance), and theModern times studies physics and computer science.History is studied withthe same four time periods, as is the literature. Everything in a wholeyear follows the time period.After four years, you repeat the cycle, butwith more emphasis on analysis and logic and creativity.

A couple ofother things she says:she believes that peer socialization should nottake such a precedence in children's lives.That family and neighborsshould come first. She doesn't believe in dating in high school.Shedoes throw her personal ethics in here a lot. She also says that childrencan learn to do more than we think. We can challenge them.She has a lotto say about the literataure and movies that most educators let our kidsuse for academics.She has a section on testing, transcripts, lists ofresources, how to use certain books and resources, complete step by stepideas on developing notebooks, how to prepare the mind to think.I thinkthis book is very good, BUT, like other homeschooling books, it could makeyou feel inadequate as a homeschooling parent.ON the other hand, if youneed some guidance on classical studies, and want someone to lay out a goodcurriculum for you complete with resources, this is a good book to own.



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Review of Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products, and Services (Paperback)

I first learned about this Canadian eco-bible a couple of summers ago on a trip to Toronto. At the time, I swore I would move up there if the impending election went awry. But then change came our way, Ecoholic was published stateside, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I like to think of myself as green: I recycle, I compost, I buy organic groceries and beauty products, I drink tap water. I didn't realize that there's so much more I could do--or not do--to lessen my carbon footprint. Also, I didn't realize exactly why I had adopted new, seemingly better habits, I just adopted them semi-blindly. This book explains the why and helps you distinguish between actual green living and green-washed living. It's very well researched, and the writer has a lot of creative ideas about how to deepen one's commitment to the earth. It's a lot of information to swallow in one go, so I would recommend using it more as reference guide. If you're the type who puts bricks in your toilet tank, or insists on using composting toilets, you might already be in tune with a good chunk of the information in this book. If, however, you're more like me, it's just the right fit.

Product Description
“This book is for people who want to dosomething to lighten their impact on theplanet.” —David SuzukiEcoholic is an eye-opening guide toseparating the green from the greenwashed in the maze of products lining our shelves. Unlike other eco guidebooks, Ecoholic names names and gives you the dirt on what not to buy and why, as well as the dish on great clothes, beautyproducts, home supplies, and more.

We all know that the earth is in trouble,but we're often left scratching our heads overhow to change things. How do we avoid poisoningthe planet and ourselves with the products weslather on our scalps and squirt onto ourfloors? And what safe alternatives actually getthe job done?

Filled with tips oneverything from which seafood is safe to eat togetting the hormone disruptors out of your kids, your carpets, and your love life,Ecoholic is a witty and indispensableguide to the small ecochoices that make thebiggest difference.

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About the Author
Adria Vasil is a best-sellingauthor and journalist for Canada's NOWmagazine, where she has been writing the“Ecoholic” column for five years. She lives inToronto.


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