Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional

       What if you have boundless energy, are restless and have mood swings from high to low. Does this mean you are bipolar? Or, if you like everything very orderly, arrange things by size, shape, or color, and have unreasonable recurring thoughts. Do you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)? Not necessarily, according to the theories espoused in this book by Dr. Dale Archer. The author, who is a psychiatrist, media presenter and website host, conjectures that eight of the psychiatric disorders highlighted in the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the bible of psychiatric diagnosis, are not full-blown psychoses but instead are normal human qualities that each of us possess, whether nearly absent, dominant, or superdominant, along a continuum. So, the person with ADHD may simply be adventurous, an individual exhibiting social anxiety may be shy, and the narcissist is very self-focused. Dr. Archer also compares schizophrenia with magical thinking on the continuum, histrionic personalities with dramatic ones, and people with generalized anxiety disorder with the hyper-alert.

       Although Dr. Archer recognizes that individuals who are super-dominant on the continuums for any one of these psychological traits probably will require psychotherapy and/or medication, he believes that we should appreciate these traits that we all possess to a greater or lesser degree. The easy-to-read book contains several in-depth examples of these behaviors, a list of bibliographic sources, and eight brief questionnaires designed to help the reader determine where he or she falls on the continuum for each.

The Lost Wife

       Author Alyson Richman offers a hauntingly beautiful story of love lost and then found many years later, paralleling the story of the surviving Holocaust victims, their losses and their struggle to regain some of life’s joys, while never forgetting those that they lost. A large part of the tale takes place in Czechoslovakia before and during World War II, where Lenka, an art student and Josef, a medical student meet and fall in love. They marry just as Jewish citizens are scrambling to escape from the approaching Nazi army. Josef and his family are able to obtain passage to the United States but because Lenka’s family cannot do the same, she refuses to leave with Josef, staying behind with her family. Josef promises to send for Lenka and her family as soon as he is able.

      First, Lenka’s family is shipped off to Terezin, a prison camp in Czechoslovakia. There they suffer much hardship, although Lenka is able to use her artistic skills to produce objects for the Nazis and to give some purpose to life. Eventually the family is sent to Auschwitz where only Lenka survives. Josef loses his family in a shipwreck on their way to the United States. He arrives alone in New York. Although the couple has frantically tried to communicate with one another, through the confusion of the war each mistakenly learn that the other hasn’t survived.

    After the war each remarry; Josef to a fellow refugee whose loss of family has permanently damaged her life and colored their marriage with sorrow; Lenka to an American Jewish soldier who is part of the liberating army, their marriage has more joy in it. Life continues for Josef and Lenka. Eventually both are widowed. Coincidentally, Josef and Lenka each have a grandchild who fall in love with one another and marry. It is on that wedding day that Josef and Lenka discover one another again.

Authors With April Birthdays

Here are some well-known authors who were born in April.

April 1st – Anne McCaffrey, the renowned science fiction/fantasy writer who has given us the Dragonriders of Pern series, as well as several other series and individual novels. Her books feature in-depth characters and imaginatively detailed settings on other planets.

April 2nd – Hans Christian Anderson was the 19th-century fairy tale writer and folklorist who enchanted children and adults. Some of his most famous works include The Ugly Duckling, The Little Match Girl, and The Little Mermaid.

April 8th – Barbara Kingsolver is the author of critically acclaimed works of fiction (The Lacuna, The Poisonwood Bible,
Prodigal Summer, etc.), short stories and some non-fiction featuring such topics as social justice and biodiversity. Several of her books have been on the New York Times Best Seller List. Kingsolver has lived in and traveled the world over.

April 12th – Tom Clancy is the prolific author of fiction based on the themes of espionage, technology and military science. Two of his most famous characters, Jack Ryan and John Clark, are featured in several novels. More recently he has produced the Op-Center and NetForce series. His name also has been used in conjunction with the creation of video games and movies based on his books.

April 12th – Scott Turow is a practicing lawyer and the author of several legal thrillers; Presumed Innocent, Burden of Proof, Ordinary Heroes and others. Two of his novels have been made into films. He also wrote two non-fiction books. He has won several literary awards. He currently is president of the Authors Guild.

April 22nd – Janet Evanovich, the author of a “romantic adventure” series featuring bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, got her start by writing romances. Now with eighteen novels in this series, Evanovich has branched out with other series novels, some written individually and some co-authored with others.

April 24th – Sue Grafton is the author of the “Alphabet Series” featuring private detective Kinsey Millhone and set in 1980’s Santa Teresa, California (a fictionalized Santa Barbara). Grafton got her start writing screenplays for television movies until she was able to develop her skill at writing novels. She has won several awards for her works.

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace -- One School at a Time

Here is the story of Greg Mortenson, a mountain climber who in 1993 was unable to complete his ascent of the Himalayan Mountain K2. He was rescued and nursed back to health by residents of a remote mountain village in Pakistan. Emotionally moved by the selfless actions of these people, Mortenson decides to dedicate his energies to building schools for the region’s children, especially the girls who at this time had no educational opportunities whatsoever. Although the region was rife with Taliban and could be dangerous for Americans, Mortenson stood by his promise. He travelled back and forth between the United States and Pakistan and Afghanistan for the next few years, coordinating funds and overseeing an increasing number of projects. These included construction of schools, bridges and other structures, and the development of small businesses by residents, especially women. The text is filled with descriptions of the people Mortenson worked with, village elders and residents and students in Asia and the donors/supporters from the United States and across the world. A collection of photos complement the narrative. This is a heartwarming story, only slightly marred by recent reports that Mortenson may have exaggerated and/or modified parts of his story.

The Authors:
Greg Mortenson is currently the director of the Central Asia Institute. A resident of Montana, he spends several months of the year in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
David Oliver Relin is a contributing editor for Parade magazine and Skiing magazine. He has won more than forty national awards for his work as a writer and editor.

Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America

With this work of narrative historical nonfiction, author Erik Larson showcases American society and its customs during the late nineteenth century. The 1889 French Exposition Universel, featuring the newly-built Eiffel Tower, was a tough act to follow. But the United States was determined to outdo the French and show the world that we could surpass them in matters of culture and innovation. Chicago and New York each vied to be the host of the 1893 World’s Fair; amazingly Chicago was selected to receive the honor. The up and coming Chicago architectural firm of Daniel H. Burnham and John Root was chosen to be in charge of the design and construction of the fairgrounds, which included the creation of buildings, landscape design, and selection of the various exhibits. With time running short, construction troubles abounding, and committee members fighting among themselves it seemed unlikely that the fair would be completed on time, especially with the death of partner John Root early on. But through the labors of Daniel Burnham the fair was able to open on schedule.

At the same time another massive project sprang to life. Serial killer Herman Webster Mudgett, whose alias was Dr. H. H. Holmes, a man of some medical talents and much charm, and a bona fide psychopath, decided to move to Chicago to pursue his own interests of murder and dissection of human bodies. His victims were mostly young women on their own; they were less likely to be missed. Holmes constructed a hotel so that he could rent rooms to the fair visitors. Unbeknownst to all, this hotel also housed a gas chamber and a crematorium that were used in the murder of more than 200 people. Eventually Holmes was caught, tried and put to death.

Throughout the book, we get to meet a variety of well-known historical figures such as landscaping genius Frederick Law Olmsted (also the designer of Central Park), Buffalo Bill, Susan B. Anthony, George Washington Gale Ferris (the originator of the Fair’s greatest attraction , the Ferris Wheel), Thomas Edison, and more. Most importantly, we are able to visit a more innocent time in American history.

Victims: An Alex Delaware Novel

A grisly murder scene, the likes of which have never been seen by detective Milo Sturgis and psychologist Alex Delaware, is what starts off Jonathan Kellerman’s latest novel. The victim, a woman well known for her confrontational ways and loved by no one, was found dead of a broken neck; after which the killer skillfully removed all of her internal organs and left them on display. Was this murder a result of the victim enraging the killer, or was it the beginning of a serial killing spree or a continuation of one from long ago? The murder victims keep popping up and there aren’t any connections among them. The hunt leads Sturgis and Delaware to the past and a state mental hospital, now closed, yields the clues. With in-depth detective work, psychological insight and forensic investigation, the killer is captured; albeit leaving the duo feeling more regretful than triumphant about their success.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

In her analysis of personality types, author Susan Cain found that approximately one third to one half of all Americans is introverted, and that the others are extroverted. What is an introvert? Psychologist Carl Jung defines this person as “drawn to the inner world of thought and feeling”. What is an extrovert? This is the individual who is drawn “to the external life of people and activities”. But simple definitions don’t explain the complexity of these personality types and the need for both in our society. In the United States, where the extrovert is the ideal in the worlds of business, politics, law, religion, and more, the introvert often is denigrated. Yet Cain finds that introverts shine in creative activities such as the arts, sciences, inventions, etc. Introverts also can metamorphose into “pseudo-extroverts” when necessary in order to attain their goals. And just as American culture idealizes extroversion, societies in other countries differ in their introvert-extrovert makeup. European nations also lean towards extroversion; Asian nations towards introversion.

This book is in an easy-to-read format with many case studies and ending with fifty pages of annotated bibliographic notes. Susan Cain skillfully presents a wealth of information gathered from years of psychological studies and interprets it for the lay reader.