Reviewed by Maya del Mar

I am always amazed at the plethora of really good books which are publlished, especially knowing the dedication which it takes to write a quality book. I have several fine books in hand, which deserve to be mentioned, read, and used.

Books Received and Appreciated

Commitment to Fitness: Real Fitness for Real People. By Dr. David Lemberg, D.C. Writers Club Press, San Jose, CA, 2000. Paperback, $14.95. This book is short and simple. Nevertheless it is one of the best fitness books I’ve seen. It is exactly what the title says. Dr. Lemberg is deeply knowledgable about the human body, and he knows how to make the basics clear and relevant. He writes well, and one is drawn into his instructions as a fascinating story. This book is intended for all people of all ages. Dr. Lemberg, a chiropractor, knows about injuries, how best to avoid them and how to use them as opportunities to better health. His section on working with injuries is unique and invaluable. I highly recommend buying and using Commitment to Fitness.

What Are You Hungry For? Women, Food and Spirituality. By Lynn Ginsburg and Mary Taylor. St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2002. Hardback, $23.95. American women are not happy with their body images, and they tend to focus on the scale and the diet as ways to self-esteem. Lynn and Mary offer a way to bypass that superficial approach, and instead to focus on exploring the inner self’s relation to food. Their approach is eastern-wisdom inspired, and includes meditation, awareness feedback, and yoga. It appears to be a sound, easy-to-follow program which would lead to a real sense of wholeness and wellbeing. Anyone interested in deepening their relationship to food would benefit greatly from following the practices outlined in this book. Just reading it is provocative.

Signs of the Times: Unlocking the Symbolic Language of World Events. By Ray Grasse. Hampton Roads Publishing, Charlottesville, VA, 2002. Paperback, $15.95. I’ve been reading and appreciating Ray Grasse’s articles in astrology magazines for years. He has a wide grasp of history, a keen eye, and a synthetic approach which puts events into a large historical pattern, and relates them to astrology. What is the significance of current events? What kind of a world are we creating? Ray Grasse draws from his own writings, and his studies, to look at these big questions in the light of astrology. Ray’s use of current events as symbols makes this is a fascinating and provocative book. Furthermore, like both of the books mentioned above, it is simple and basic.

All three of these books possess the admirable quality of simply being good reads for the average person. You do not have to be a fitness buff, a dieter, or an astrologer to find these books interesting. Simply reading any one of them broadens one’s perspective, and makes daily life the richer for the background it provides.