BOOKS
Honoring the Medicine: The Essential Guide to Native American Healing
By Kenneth Cohen (Ballantine Books, $25.95)
“Ah my brother, you will never know the happiness of thinking nothing and doing nothing. This is the most delightful thing there is next to sleep. So we were before birth; and so we shall be after death.” Hoping to shed light on the power and importance of silence, or the act of “doing nothing,” Kenneth Cohen opens his new book, Honoring the Medicine, with this quote from a conversation between Carl Young and a Pueblo Indian. Cohen has been studying and practicing Native American healing for more than thirty years, and over this time has become a healer, educator, and writer of the healing arts. Honoring the Medicine sheds light on such basic tenets of Native American healing as the importance of nature, belief in the Great Spirit, finding our purpose in life, and the belief that children are sacred, and explains how these principles can be brought into each and every one of our lives. The healing methods featured in the book range from vision-seeking, dreaming, and fasting to energy work and music therapy. If you want to broaden your definition of the word “healing,” this is an excellent book to explore. You’ll find yourself wishing to escape to nature and explore its beauty and the bountiful gifts it bears. And really who could ask for anything more?
—Melissa B.Scott
Safe Sex in the Garden
By Thomas Leo Ogren (Ten Speed Press, $14.95)
“Considering that huge amounts of allergy and asthma are directly caused by excessive wind-blown pollen, it might not be too far-fetched to say that pollen allergy is no doubt the most common sexually transmitted disease in the world.” According to Thomas Ogren, the sex that’s happening in our garden isn’t safe—it’s neither promiscuous or unprotected however, instead it’s single-sexed. In the 1950s, landscapers and gardeners began planting and using male-only plants because male plants don’t litter the ground with seeds. However, male plants create pollen. And, without female plants to absorb this pollen, it floats around and sticks to what it can—including the sticky membranes in your nose, throat, and eyes. To combat garden allergies, first find out if your plants are dioecious-flowered (one-sexed) or monoecious-flowered (two-sexed) and learn about the plants that are native to your area. Also, check out both of Ogren’s books, Allergy-Free Gardening and Safe Sex in the Garden, to learn more about how you can keep your allergies at bay.
—M.B.S.
The Truth About Beauty
By Kat James (Beyond Words Publishing, $15.95)
Kat James knows what it is like to fall prey to the beauty industry. As a young woman Kat developed a compulsive eating disorder that destroyed her body, looks, and mind. Becoming a makeup artist to the stars did not help her feelings about her body and her obsession grew deeper. However, a life-altering event changed her perception of beauty, food, and health, and pushed her toward the path of love. In The Truth About Beauty, Kat dives deep into the roots of beauty. She explains that only through healthy behavior and loving ourselves can we reveal our inner glow. Chapters cover everything from the foods that hinder our beauty (and cause many other ailments) to natural skincare and exercise, providing a truly comprehensive insider’s view of the world of beauty. Each chapter will motivate you to think about your thought and behavior patterns and will provide you with the tools you need to create a beautiful life—inside and out.
—M.B.S.
