Audiobook7 hours
Parenting Isn't for Cowards: The 'You Can Do It' Guide for Hassled Parents from America's Best-Loved Family Advocate
Written by James Dobson
Narrated by John McDonough
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
Unfortunately, children don't come with operating instructions, so raising even the most compliant kids can sometimes be disconcerting. Acknowledging that some youngsters are more challenging than others, Dr. James Dobson offers real help with establishing parent-child relationships, maintaining sanity, and banishing guilt. A Doctor of Philosophy in child development and the founder of the international organization Focus on the Family, Dr. Dobson has become one of America's most respected family therapists. Drawing on a landmark study of 35,000 parents, as well as on his experience as both a professional and a parent, the author offers valuable advice on every aspect of parenting. This insightful best-seller offers parents the opportunity to find fulfillment in every stage of parenting, from bringing children into the world to letting them go. Narrator John McDonough's reassuring voice inspires a healthy dose of parenting confidence.
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Reviews for Parenting Isn't for Cowards
Rating: 3.717948717948718 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
39 ratings10 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I will be the first to admit it wholeheartedly. I did not enjoy Zorba the Greek. There, I said it. I am beginning to feel I have a built in prejudice against translated stories because this is not the first time I have said this. Something gets lost in the translation. I am sure of it. Not only that, but this time I was bored.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It was a pleasure to read, the story of two men living on the island of Crete, and the opposite ways they had of dealing with whatever came their way, a synopsis of life. Most of us are like Boss and would, maybe, do well to be more like Zorba. There is much to do with Nature and the way it provides the backdrop for everything. Also there is constant comment on women who only play the supporting role with no particular emphasis or importance except to create extremes. I would like to understand that better and the blaspheme of God. I know there is a lot of symbolism and painting of life dioramas. It's a lot to take in, not light reading, but worthwhile.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Zorba really is quite a character. Have a sense of awe at life, and never be afraid to dance.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5'The Creation of Joy'"The aim of man and matter is to create joy, according to Zorba" (p. 272)Contrast the man of action, who creates joy as he lives life with the man of thought who ponders the meaning of life and carries the works of Dante in his pocket...Nikos Kazantzakis gives us these two men in a story demonstrating this contrast and develops a dialog between the characters to which we as readers can respond. His narrative asks big questions such as: what is liberty to a man; how can you be true to your nature as a human being; and, what is the relationship of the real to the ideal? In its pages you find references to Buddha, Nietzsche, Marcus Aurelius and others -- but most of all you encounter a good story full of life and love and the adventure that results from two men who challenge each other in their pursuit of the spirit of living.Kazantzakis' Zorba the Greek is a life-affirming novel of ideas. It presents insightful observations on both the nature of man and the real, and the ideal approaches to life. The contrast between the Apollonian and Dionysian spirits of the primary characters highlights this vibrant story of life and love.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book put me through the wringer! At first I loved it but found it slow going, having to reread sections and slow down to absorb all that was there. Then I hated it. I was sick of hearing about how great Zorba was while a distinct lack of plot dragged on. I avoided the book. Then I loved it again and was moved by the ending. Despite the humor, this is not easy or light reading, but many have commented on how Zorba taught them about life. Recommended if you're in the mood for fiction with philosophical substance.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I read Zorba the Greek every couple of years, and it never fails to inspire (and, at times, disgust) me. Zorba is the ultimate expression of a "free" human being. He is unfettered by social convention and lives always in the present. In Zorba the Greek, Kazantzakis fully captures the agony, beauty, filth and vulnerability of being human.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Although some passages capture the romance and mystery of Greece (Crete), I recommend seeing the movie, rather than spending time on the book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a RL book group read. I really struggled with this book. I found the writing to be florid, and the story lacking in focus. It was written back in the 50s and has an old fashioned style, which always causes me trouble. I also thought Zorba was a lazy, lying, thief and would run off at the first sign of difficulty. The Narrator was vague, diffident and the story was rather undefined. I developed a bad attitude about the book very quickly.I really disliked Zorba’s attitude to life. He acted as though he was a child in a man’s body, he wanted all the pleasures and opportunities but none of the responsibilities. He thought nothing of using others for his pleasures, especially women. The idea that he had many marriages and families but thought nothing of deserting them, was repellent. The Narrator is never named, and it is unclear what he is doing or why. He often seems as though he is required to do something and yet he never comes out and says it. I am unclear how he supports himself. He talks about having some money to open the coal mine in Crete. Yet he eventually leaves and seems to drift around, with no explanation of how he survives. Is he rich and slumming in Crete, does he do some kind of work, or is he the one who is the sponger ?He has these intense relationships with other men that were also perplexing. He exchanges letters and is in love with this one and that one. So why are they separated ? I suspect that the ‘love’ is not necessarily sexual or romantic, but how the Greeks express strong friendship (?). I found the book to be rather boring until about the middle. I was not interested in Crete, though the descriptions of nature were beautiful. When the mine collapsed, I was sad that it didn’t end the book. I had just about worked myself into quitting (I am a completist).Suddenly everything changed. I thought I didn’t care for the characters or the story, and wasn’t interested in Crete. Huh, that didn’t sound right (the part about Crete – love to travel by book and in real life). I had put the book down, but it had started to whisper to me.I kept thinking of the evocative descriptions and the narrative. It had gotten under my skin. I took another look at the story so far and realized that Zorba had faults, but he was loyal, hard working, and a true friend to the Narrator. He also had moments of kindness and valor that showed he could rise to the occasion. He changed in my mind from worthless to someone like one of those big dogs that mean well, but destroy everything (wasted Narrator’s money on a woman; his creation was a disaster; he turned the monk’s mind to arson).I also got to know the Narrator more and through his musings, he became more interesting to me – though not any clearer as to his goals and methods.Finally the longer they were there the more the villagers were exposed. You got to see their hardness, and insularity, the suspicion, and hatred of those who were outsiders or different. The horrible disrespect they had when Boboulina died, and the murder of the young widow showed how different they were from Zorba and the Narrator. The casual violence of their lives showed when the monk tried to roast the monastery with the monks in it.I was sad when they parted, and was glad to have news from Zorba and the Narrator after their time in Crete. It was sad when Zorba died. Again with the Narrator it was unclear what he was doing and why - in the real world. Philosophically he spent the book trying to be what he wasn’t: a man of action. He was a man of thought and words, and felt it was not a worthy mode of living. He wanted to be a man of action, but never figured out how to be, even with Zorba to show him the way. It wasn’t in his nature.Zorba was a force of nature and lived each minute to the fullest. He didn’t plan or calculate he just experienced. Sometimes he was kind and thought of others, and sometimes he thought only of himself and his enjoyment. While both ideas of life have value, I think being all one type is not really a recipe for happiness or a full life. The Narrator never thought he was good enough, and Zorba was too restless to settle and enjoy a stable life (until the end).So in the end I enjoyed it and it will stay with me for a while. I had seen parts of the movie but couldn’t stand to watch much of it. Perhaps after enjoying the book, I will change my mind. The great thing about reading is it opens your mind and changes attitudes if you let it. I almost didn’t, but was able to in the end. Besides the story, I will always think fondly of Zorba for that..
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I understand why Zorba's character lives on in literary fame more than half a century. It also makes sense that there was a movie made from the book, and of course I have to watch it now. The book read like poetry in some places,and like a Classical fable/play in others. There was a different cadence and flow to the language, and it transported me as I read it. Whenever I get to Greece, this book will be a must to read from while on the shores or hillsides.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5This book was really discouraging to us, and unnecessarily so. Not recommended.