If there isn't something wrong with you then there is something wrong with you.
589133
If you are a person not prone to making "The Oprah Winfrey Show" or "Dr. Phil" a part of your daily routine then you probably don't realize how messed up you really are.  That's really too bad because there are so many "self help" gurus out there ready and willing to fill that void in your life.  In "Sham: How The Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless" author Steve Salerno points out how the "self help and actualization" movement has infiltrated nearly every aspect of American life over the past 30 or 40 years.  The growth of the "self help" movement in this country is at once remarkable and extremely alarming.  It is high time that someone presented the flip side of this story.

As Steve Salerno points out, just because a person does not buy in to all of this gobbledygook does not mean that he or she will not be affected by it. We probably all know of a marriage that has lasted 15 or 20 or more years that is suddenly breaking up because one of the parties suddenly decides "I don't want to be married anymore."  Who or what is putting such ideas into that persons head?  Parents love to crow about the fact that little Justin or Melissa is an A or B student in school.  Until they learn that as a result of grade inflation, a by-product of the so-called "self esteem" movement in our schools, 83% of students attain those marks.  Thirty five years ago the figure was 28%.  Are we really preparing our children for the real world here?  Hardly a day does by without hearing of a jury somewhere in the U.S. awarding an outrageous settlement in a lawsuit that many of us might consider quite frivolous.  The frightening part is that many of these cases hinge on the testimony of so-called "experts" from the New Age movement with highly questionable credentials.  As  Steve Salerno correctly points out that there are numerous unintended consequences that society is forced to deal with as a result of these outlandish settlements.  Whatever happened to common sense?

Finally, in "Sham" you will read about the sad case of 55 year old Debbie Benson.  Debbie discovered she had breast cancer in March of 1997. Debbie chose to refuse all conventional treatments opting instead for remedies prescribed by an assortment of fringe practitioners.  In July of 1997, Debbie Benson passed away.  How many more Debbie's are out there who believe that they can cure themselves through sheer application of will?

It was a frightening revelation to me to discover just how many Americans buy in to all of this "self help and actualization" mumbo jumbo.  In "Sham" you will learn about the various branches of the "self help" movement.  In addition, Steve Salerno introduces the reader to some of the major players in this phenomenon.  One thing is for sure. There is a awful lot of money to be made here.  Walk into any bookstore and you will see hundreds of titles on these subjects.  Likewise, log-on to the internet and you see all manner of books, CDs and DVDs for sale.  Steve Salerno has done a real service here.  It is high time that the other side of this story was told.  Reading "Sham: How The Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless" will get you up to speed on many of these topics.  Perhaps armed with a bit more information those of us who disagree with many of these ideas will begin to fight back.
1572347
While this review may not be all that popular with the folks at Amazon.com, I believe that this book could, if not should, be your last spiritual book purchase. Harrison points out that buying such books are part of a continuing pattern and life process oriented around the idea that there is something fundamentally wrong with yourself, that you are searching for THE answer, when the answer is just who you are as you are. His antidote is similar, if not identical, with the taoist idea of wu wei, doing nothing, that the process of doing something is where we all go wrong, where we exchange a real "now" world with that of our psychological confusion, seeking happiness, and seeking survival. Harrison says that since there is really nothing you can do about it anyway, just give it up, SEE who you are as you.
455266
This movie is hilarious. If you don't think it is, there's something wrong with you!
582561
You are not the problem.  The psychopath is.  This book will help you to understand what happened to you to make you doubt yourself.
3336528
If you, or someone you know, has a serious drinking or drug problem, you could do a lot worse than to read this book. For it reveals some startling and unfashionable truths: that alcoholics drink because they love drinking, and that they can stop if they choose to. Moreover, you quit by...wait for it...just quitting. You do not need to know why you drank, or attend recovery groups, in order to quit. You do not have a disease. You are not deserving of any special consideration. If you hate what drink does to you, yet carry on drinking, there is no mystery that needs special wisdom to uncover - the fact is that the 'Beast' within you simply loves to drink, come what may.

Trimpey would be the first to admit that it should not take a book this length to explain this. But his enemy is the American 'treatment industry', which only compounds the problems it purports to treat. AA, the chief culprit, wants you trap you into its strange world of rituals and odd teachings, and tends to keep you in an addictive mentality. The real solution is simpler - to learn to recognise the 'Addictive Voice', and to separate it from 'you'. AA says you are 'in denial' if you think you can plan to abstain for good, without their 'help', but Trimpey says that many people do just that, and succeed. The reader may find some of this overstated and oversimplified, and overly 'political'. My own experience with AA in the UK is not quite as Trimpey says it is in the US. But this book is a breath of fresh air, and you may wonder why its claims were not obvious to you all along.
2055086
This book demonstrates the value of judging people for who they are and not for who you think they are.
2973192
Hey, if you wonder why you keep repeating childhood behaviors despite your best intentions, or if people keep telling you to grow up, this is the book for you. There's enough here to get you through a do it yourself behavior change. It's also helpful if you decide to get professional help. An interesting and easy read. Well grounded in psychology.
4462521
I would recommend this to anybody that takes things for granted and doesn't treat people right. If I were you I would consider it.
1861973
How people can fool you and the repercussions of this. People change over time but we don't always realise this and that can lead to painful results.
359164
If you don't love Bob Seger, and this album, something is wrong with you.
3202162
...shine in this movie! If you don't love it, there is something wrong with you! Highly recommended!
1886101
Sometimes it is hard to find what you really want until  you are about to lose it. Some people will give there all when you don't expect it.
150732
This book is great for showing responsibility for problems.  Some problems only affect us.  Other problems may effect others and sometimes, many others.  The responsibility to fix the problem lies with those who are effected by the problem.
3594790
The roots you dig up might not be the ones that you want.
2710640
Although it's not a cure , it is a stepping stone if you put your mind and heart into it.
1368960
Confront your own fear, don't look away from what makes you uncomfortable and learn about human nature at its best and worst. Not always as black & white as we'd like to believe.
3186523
There is so much to us ,things don't just happen as we look at our past and the things that happened to us we can come to some understanding and change for the better so we don't suffer and many times get sick in many ways,you can't change things you don't know,this is a great book a must read for everyone,practical and common sense