"Serving the broccoli gods" by Mary Purdy, MS, RDN

Contrary to the title, this book is not a religious manifesto devoted to broccoli.  Rather, this book is a funny yet honest summary of the author's life.  Close to 100 pages, this quick read can be consumed in as short as a few days.  Readers learn how a budding actress from New York came to become a registered dietician nutritionist in Seattle.  They will also learn about her love story and eventual marriage.  Somewhere between memoir and short story and satire, Purdy's book offers key insights into the human condition while also not letting a page go by without soliciting a chuckle from the audience.  What I liked was the nutrition information inserted intermittently in the book.  There is enough detail, for example, to make readers know that eggplant is good for them but no so much detail as to intimidate those who have not gone to school for nutrition.  I should also note that this is more of a story and not any sort of reference book / cookbook.  For that, readers should go to Mary Purdy's website or view her online Mary's Nutrition Show.  I really appreciated Mary's spirit of determination and go-getter-ness.  Changing careers is not easy, going back to school is not easy, moving across the country is not easy, and seeing the person you love date other women is not easy (this was before Mary and her now husband were a couple).  Yet, through it all, Mary persevered and kept going after her goals.  Since there is some swearing and references to adult content (not graphic, but still there), this book is not recommended for children.

"Hiding from Love" by Dr. John Townsend

What I reviewed was actually the workbook that accompanies the book and not the book itself.  This workbook was so good that I may consider buying the actual book.  Hiding from love starts out with a classic example of a young girl fleeing from nazi-like policemen who want to kill her family.  She runs and runs and runs and eventually hides in the woods.  When real help comes and wants to save her, she is afraid.  A good-guy policeman on her side wants to bring the young girl home, but she has come to associate all policemen with killers.  The premise throughout this workbook is that many of us readers are reliving past hurts that may no longer be applicable.  The author also goes into psychological states that have to do with hiding patterns.  Not all hiding is bad, and the author discusses healthy ways of hiding from true harm.  The intent of this workbook is for readers to look within themselves (journal prompts therein help) to see where they are shutting themselves off from true community.  There are real bad people in the world, but there are also sincere people who want to love us.  Get out there and stop hiding.