Beware of this book if you have tattoos, piercings, dress differently, are older with longer hair....
342623
I can barely give 2 stars. There are a few very useful tips and over-all I believe it can help women who have been raised to be the nice, quiet little girls who should marry well and stay at home and raise babies. The modern woman is stronger, though, I assure you.
HOWEVER...while this book is meant to empower women every where and change the old stereotypes of "women in a man's world" I am sad to tell you that even Dr. Frankel has fallen prey to stereotyping women. And in a very nasty, mean spirited way.
Mistake 99 addresses tattoos. You can feel her contempt for any and all who show such "poor judgement". Dr. Frankel goes on to say that her theory of "tattoos = disaster" was well founded because one - only ONE - woman she hired did poorly at her company and Dr. Frankel directly attributed this to the fact that the woman had full sleeves on both arms. (Tattoos that covered her arms).
"Her poor judgement was evident in her decision-making skills and the manner in which she interacted with clients and coworkers." pg 265.
I ask you, how do tattoos have anything to do with customer service or social skills? Apparently, the woman was capable of presenting herself very well if she had passed an interview and been hired BY Dr. Frankel, wouldn't you say?
Dr. Frankel, perhaps you felt biased in your assessment of this women BECAUSE you didn't like the way she looked...Yes?
Dr. Frankel said she would never have hired this woman if she knew she had tattoos (pg 265) and this is a direct violation of the equality act that ALL businesses MUST follow!
Dr. Frankel also shares that she was upset that the new-hire had worn long sleeves and hidden her tattoos at the interview, THEN she says that if you do have tattoos COVER THEM. But...wasn't that the issue she had with the tattooed new-hire in the first place????
Dr. Frankel continues her conflicting messages in Mistake 107 Inappropriate Attire. Here she states that sometimes it's okay to break the rules of appropriateness if you are valuable enough to the company. And then you just become eccentric.
Seriously?
Perhaps it would not have bothered me so much if the good doctor had openly said "I can't stand tattoos and will not be fair on this subject; it is a deal-breaker for me" instead of poisoning the minds of those who are trying to learn by spreading her very biased propaganda. I was quite shocked. Dr. Frankel seemed to be a woman who pioneered changes from the "norm".
Very, very disappointed.
I have plenty of acquaintances who have tattoos and are extremely successful. And some dress "eccentrically", too. I believe in modesty and in keeping your personal tastes personal (mainly for your own safety) however I don't agree with the way Dr Frankel shared this opinion (I'm guessing that is what she was intending to convey - be modest and such).
I have been in real world corporate positions and other various fields and know that there are elements of this book that offer useful information in all working environments.
But I caution you, fellow readers...if you are older with longer hair she will try to tell you that you need to cut it shorter as you age... or if you climb higher up the corporate ladder.
The things that make you go "Hmmm..."
4946217
Ugh. I had hoped to glean some useful info from this book, but couldn't listen after hearing

"The contemporary teen lives in a world where... homosexual relationships are being promoted as alternative lifestyles. Indeed, the words bisexual and transgender are common vocabulary for the modern teen."

Transgender and bisexual people exist. Teens knowing what to call them is a *good* thing.

And no one 'promotes' the homosexual lifestyle. They just live it. Geez.
3265406
While the writing and storytelling were fine, as a person with albinism (PWA) I found The Albino Redwoods by Heather Nelson incredibly disturbing. Heather Nelson seemed to be oblivious to the fact that albinism is not a term used for fair skinned people, or a mythical condition that affects only the characters in her story, but a condition that affects thousands throughout the world, causing a lack of pigment in skin, eyes, and hair. This condition also causes a visual impairment that all PWAs posses called Nystagmus due to the lack of pigment in our eyes. The visual impairment can range from rendering people legally blind to mildly visually impaired.
I am lucky to have only been mildly affected by albinism, and to live in a supportive environment, but some are not so privileged. Many PWAs attend schools for the blind, use canes and service animals, and read using Braille. In Africa, where albinism originated and is most common, PWAs are considered to posses demon spirits and black magic. Their limbs are sold on the black market by witch doctors, small children are raped because doing so is said to bring good luck, and their hair is sewn into objects like fishing nets to bring good fortune. For people with albinism, and even those mildly affected like myself, albinism is a real challenge that is faced every day.
Because albinism is a rare condition, it requires constant explanation. When I attempt to talk about my disability, I am often corrected by people who think that Im making up facts about albinism. Im asked why I don't have red eyes, which are, by the way, mentioned in this book. My disability, my honesty, is put into question. These problems are fatal for PWAs in other parts of the world.
Books such as The Albino Redwoods make living with my condition difficult. They portray PWAs as villainous, cruel, and creations of dystopian media. This is not at all accurate. The Albino Redwoods makes the validity of my disability a question, which should never be the case. It angers me that this author would not thoroughly research albinism before writing an entire, false, and damaging book about PWAs who somehow took over the world.
I understand that because this issue is not commonly known, it may have seemed like something inoffensive, some made-up idea. However, after years of living with albinism and its accompanying visual impairment, I assure you, it is not a made up condition, and this book is offending, whether intentionally or not.
I'm sure Nelson is a good person. I just wish she had researched her topic and realized the impact of writing with ignorance toward it.
1232959
I read this book as it was my Book Club choice. I would not have read it to the end if it had not been for that. I could see the twist coming a mile off! I would have more than likely skipped to the end just to be sure that I was right. While the writing is quite good it does meander around the place a bit and could do with tightening up. I was  also surprised to read that Laurel got the idea for her hairstyle in 1961 from the "BUNTY" ! I was 10 years old in 1961 and my memories of the "Bunty" are of a comic for younger readers, certainly not one that would have given hairstyle ideas for 16 year olds. Then Dolly was reading the "Woman's Weekly" in the '30's when she was only 15 or 16. This was a magazine that would have been read by older women I would have thought.  The third anomaly that I noticed was the choice of the name Caitlin for Dolly's friend in Coventry when she was in her teens. I doubt very much that there was ever a girl called Caitlin in Coventry at that time, or anywhere else in England come to think of it. There would have been plenty in Ireland where it is the Irish language version of Kathleen and is pronounced more like "Cautchleen". As far as I am aware this name became popular in the United States after the visit of Dylan Thomas whose wife's name was Caitlin (pronounced Kathleen)McNamara. The Americans pronounced it as they saw it written. It only shows up in England in the 1970's or 80's. Sorry for the long rant but these details really irritated me and got between me and the story.

Some reviewers have compared Kate Morton to Daphne du Maurier. I don't think that Ms. Morton compares to Ms. du Maurier at all. But she must want to otherwise why would she have lifted the character of the wealthy woman straight out of "Rebecca", even down to the crushing of the cigarette in the pot of face cream? Really careless.
2446936
So this book is just a compilation of hairstyles. The author does not actually do these styles or have real pics to demonstrate how-to. In fact, several of the pictures in this book are from a different hair book by Abby Smith (who does her own photos, hair, and step-by-step picture demonstration). Very disappointing book. I advise everyone to buy one of Abby's books.
3979899
I would recommend this book for those are transitioning, biracial or parents of biracial children who don't have the slightest clue of how to combat curly hair. Upon purchasing this book I was expecting to get great tips on how to maintain my curls in addition of the knowledge and skills that I already possessed. After reading 3 chapters into the book I was disappointed and disagreed with many of the techniques, especially when it came to using conditioner with curly hair. So if you are a veteran with naturally curly hair, I would suggest you to past this book up.
1409884
I am thinking of having breast augmentation and purchased this book to get more information and facts. I live in Switzerland but have lived for 10 years in the US.
I do appreciate the content of the book, it has provided  some detailed information about the facts of breast augmentation, and  educated me in many respects. I like that the authors try to protect the  woman consumer of a breast augmentation as much as possible.
However,  what I find quite offensive is the whole approach to and style of writing.  Throughout the book, the authors use BOLD and about 24 point font to  emphasize certain key issues in a way that makes me wonder: Do they think  all women interested in the topic of breast augmentation are unable to  comprehend anything unless they are being yelled at in bold print? Do they  truly believe in large breasts, or the desire to have them = no brains? In  the book they sound as if they respect women and their needs, but they  certainly had me wonder.. Do they imply that this tabloid style of writing  is the only way to get a point across?
Maybe the female reader of this  book is highly educated herself, maybe even a surgeon, and is used to  review complex information? One direct quote:" You don't need to all  the scientific data with regard to capsular contracture or smooth versus  textured shells. You just need a summary." p. 116. Who are you to  determine what I need? If the authors are serious about providing  information, would they please leave it up to the woman to judge what level  of scientific detail she needs to make up her mind?
A better way would  be for instance to provide the different levels of detail and leave the  choice as to what level of detail the reader wants to go, to the  reader.
Another complaint: The authors name the two dominant  manufacturers of breast implants, but are not able to give the names of the  major European providers. This particularly would have been interesting to  me.
Left out of the book were the long term effects, if any, of implants  leaking silicone into the body, something I was particularly interested in.  Also missing was at least a hint, that some of the major reasearch  projects, being funded by Dow Corning for instance, could perhaps have a  certain interest in a certain outcome:-)? What also would have been  interesting is more information on other breast augmentation surgery, such  as mastopexy. Sincerely,
3253461
I can't believe this book was even written and published in this decade. I am a serious fan of evolutionary psychology and anthropology books (I majored in anthro in college). After reading just a few random chapters in this book, I am very shocked that this is a new book. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought they wrote this book in 1880. I usually see a book in the bookstore then browse over it to see if the headings and chapters seem interesting enough to order as I don't like to read for very long in bookstores. I saw about 13 "1 star" reviews on Amazon, which was more than the 4 or 5 stars reviews (at the time I bought it). I really should have paid attention to some of the reviews and NOT bought the book.

Let me give you an example: The authors claim that blonde bomshells are the ideal beauty all over the world and they claim this standard of beauty is NOT a result of media influence (as the nay-sayers would argue) but more of an evolutionary acquired preference. Here is one sentence from pages 49-50: "To claim that girls and women want to look like blonde bombshells because of the [media]..makes little sense as to claim that people become hungry because they are bombarded with images of food in the media. If only the media would stop inundating people with images of food, they would never be hungry! Anyone can see the absurdity of this argument...The advertisements are the consequences of our tendency to become hungry, not the causes. They exploit our innate needs but do not create them."  But the authors fail to realize that it's the media that influences our decisions. When you're bombarded with images that a juicy hamburger tastes good, you will think it does taste good and want it. The same is true with perceptions of beauty....there is no doubt about that. If hamburger joints stopped advertising, maybe I wouldn't crave a juicy burger but might eat Chinese food instead! Just like if modern media didn't bombard us with sexy blonde playboy bunnies, we may not think blondes are as sexy as say a "healthy African woman" or "feminine Asian woman", per se.  They go on to say that women have dyed their hair blonde to fit this model of beauty as far as recorded history goes back. I guess in ancient Africa and China, they dyed their hair blonde too?? Ridiculous!

I am so surprised that this book was co-authored by a Japanese author saying that blonde and blue eyes is a universal beauty. I thought this book had interesting chapters and headings and it was well printed...so, I thought it would be a fun read. But so far, I have been disappointed. It's like it was written by some very one-sided amateur teenager trying to prove his biased opinions. Please let this reviewer be the one to make you realize that this book is terrible: SAVE YOUR $[...] or so!
3476961
So if you are over 50 is it that much different?  There is ageism, and you have to modify a few things so as not to scare the market off, but this book doesn't say much.  Save your money.
3427344
I read this book to my 10 month-old puppy and every time we get to the belly button I can't help but notice the look of shame on his face. His belly button is covered in hair, unlike the nice hairless human belly buttons depicted in the pictures. He is very emotionally sensitive at this age and I don't think this book is good for his body image. It may give him psychological problems later in life.
4391564
This is NOT an appropriate book for 9-12 year old girls; I would be very wary of this book. You can literally flip through page after page of negative vocabulary words, rap music expressions that are infiltrating the common vernacular, and even an extended section (with illustrations) devoted to tattoos. This book is representative of what is being done to our young people in this country by popular culture and unaware or unwitting parents. This book models and glorifies exactly how we don't want our young people to speak or act. It's shocking what authors will do to make money nowadays, marketing this to children. In fact, Ms. Russell, what were you thinking? Parents, be parents, not friends in your relationship with your children. I challenge you; read the book yourself before you just blindly give it to your child. The irony is that the things in the book that make the book attractive to young girls could have been accomplished without all the negative vocabulary and inappropriate references to older teen behavior.
4348774
I saw a story on Good Morning America about "getting your mojo back after having a baby" and how helpful this new book was for finding it again...I'm guessing the producers did not actually read this book because there are all if 4 paragraphs dedicated to postpartum. It is 95% about menopause, so buyers beware!!
2739653
I was a little disappointed with this book.  It didn't give any new information from other books out there.  The weird thing I keep finding is that I've gotten more practical information from books written by "non-professionals" such as "Ultra Hair Growth" by Cathy Howse (or Howe) or.  Also, though the models did appear to be actual customers (or employees, such as the author's daughter, who's on the cover shot) they all seemed to have over-processed hair (super straight)!!! This was a bit contradictory since this is one of the things the author warned against.
I don't want to knock the author too much, because she does seem to be sincere about her profession.  But, as my title suggest, this book is helpful only if you are just beginning to learn about hair care.  This is the third or fourth book I've read and I put off buying it because I feared it would only contain the usual basic stuff that doesn't really address issues black women usually have with growth and thickness.  Unfortunately, I was right.
4672668
If you love your natural hair as well as your children's, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! If there was a zero star, that's what this book would get. I bought it via German Amazon, so there was no review for me to read...I wish I knew that the book recommends  nonsense like "if used properly, relaxers can be gentle and safe and will work  magic. Try to wait until your daughter is at least 10 before you take this step"...
 The nerve of  this writer to write that..To recommend a chemical on a poor child's hair because to quote her " if...the hair is too unruly and wild"...What kind of message is she sending to our children? That it's okay to fry their hair with a chemical? Kinky/curly/wavy hair doesn't need to be fixed...The writer's shackles were showing...No matter what she says about the safety of relaxers, texturizers, etc...They will never be safe. The hair may look healthy, but it is not and will never be safe. The only people in the whole world who torture their children like this are Black people...(!) DO NOT buy this book..Look around Amazon and you'll find much better books that encourage you to work with the natural texture of your child's than to destroy it with chemicals. If you truly care for your child's mental/physical well being, and accept her and her God -given hair, DO NOT buy this book.
1358527
I have been crocheting for many years and own several crochet books. I took a look at this one at a local bookstore to gain ideas for new stiches/projects. Take a look at the inside of the book that amazon provides. The author teaches you how to make the basic stitches...but they are labeled completely wrong! She uses English crochet terms instead of American crocet terms...they are not equivelant. For example, she calls a single crochet a "double," a double crochet a "treble" and a half-double crochet a "half-treble crochet." DO NOT learn american crochet from this book. You will mess up numerous patterns and have to re=learn your stiches and reading patterns. If you want an excelent crochet "bible" that will show you various types of stiches purchase "The Crochet Stich Bible" by Betty Barnden instead.
4103847
This book has a lot of good information for looking younger and being more in tune with what's in right now.  However, it's very "of the moment" meaning 2007 and 2008.  The style tips and makeup and clothing recommendations are going to be very dated in a year or so.  I'm a bit disappointed that the photographs that start each chapter are of 20 year old or younger models, instead of 40 year old models.  I'm also disappointed that many of the photos of the over 40 women show clothing and makeup that goes against what the author recommends, such as "no Uggs" and then she shows 3 older and hip moms WEARING UGGS.  I would have liked to have seen more photos created expecially for the book, instead of grabbing any old photo of a celebrity.  Also, the author apparently doesn't know the difference between a centimeter (almost 1/2 inch) and a milimeter (about 1/16 of an inch), as she more than once says to outline lips or eyes a centimeter away from their edge.  You'd just look like a clown if you did that.  Still, I got a lot of good information out of it.
3721582
Every page refered to Pricilla's age. She was 65 and the author seems to think that is 'old age'. I am over 65 and resented being told on every page that Pricilla was too old. The author described mannerisms of someone much much older not a 65 year old active woman.