Category Archives: Non-Fiction

Review: Robert Uttaro – To the Survivors

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To the Survivors
Robert Uttaro

This novel is written by a rape crisis counselor, who has dealt with rape survivors for the last 7 years. He has done events to increase the awareness of rape, and supported the survivor speakers at those events. And now he has written a novel, exposing some of the day-to-day realities of how survivors deal with the world, and how the world can be more sensitive towards them.

The horrifying statistics of rape, for 1 in 4 women, and 1 in 6 men, at least in the USA, should pinprick a readers heart, and then the stories from the survivors themselves will stop your heart from beating. Depending on how sensitive you are feeling that day, you might even find yourself in tears.
This novel is written by a man. Why would you want a book about rape written by a man? All men are rapist, right? Not so. Uttaro makes it abundantly clear that rape is not just for women, or that only women are affected. Men who are raped are less common, but that doesn’t mean they don’t go through the same healing process.
The quality of this novel is in its storytelling within the chapters closer to the end. While the background information on the author is interesting, it is not as keenly occupying as the stories. The text is usually well written and expressed, although there are some sections where I didn’t mind putting the book down. It is not fiction however, and therefore please don’t expect a linear ‘narrative’.
Why might I want to read a novel about rape, of all things? The author himself asked me this question, because my usual reading of things is fiction or fantasy, and this novel is certainly not either of those. It’s about the human story. I love hearing about extremes of the ‘human condition’ – rape, suicide, murder, violence – because I like to know the motives of it, I want to know what it really is like. This novel gets inside the minds of rape survivors and makes it possible for the reader to empathize.
I’d strongly recommend this novel to ALL readers. It’s certainly intended as an adult novel, but I think that mature teenagers should be allowed access to it. Nay, even encouraged to read it. Potentially excerpts could be used in high schools, such as in health and development days. The only way to stigmatize rape and decrease it’s incidence is to TALK ABOUT IT. This novel provides a good starting point for that discussion.

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Review: Michelle Baumgartner – Diet and Weight Loss Lies

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Diet and Weight Loss Lies
Michelle Baumgartner
Michelle writes from her own perspective on exercise and anorexia, and finding your way out of the dieting hole. Backed up with science and a couple of relevant university Degrees, Michelle sets down planning for a new you in 8 weeks. Reminds me of the 12 week program touted by someone else…
Did I learn anything new from this? No, I didn’t really. I’ve read other books like this before, and find many of them the same. That being said, one of the diet books I read was completely a fad, and I couldn’t recommend it to anyone. See here for my rather ripping-apart review. This book is a reasonable source of information, and is certainly not a ‘fad diet’.
I loved the recipe section at the back. It’s a good formula for people who don’t feel comfortable working out what they should be eating from a random list of ‘allowed’ foods. There are some random lists in this book that you can skip over if so desired. I only wish that the menu plans had come with a total list of what you needed for the recipes.
Some fad diets come up with diets based on blood type, which is completely absurd. Instead, this guide uses your body shape. I think the overall view is good, but don’t shackle yourself into sticking to one body type meal. The main thing is being sensible about what you eat, and how much you eat!
I don’t agree with putting only a fist-full of food in your stomach at one time. For people working 9-5 hours, it’s simply not possible to fit in 5 meals. As it is, the earliest time we can have dinner is at 6pm. If you work from home like I do sometimes, I would strongly suggest packaging up your portions for the day, and eating them when you get hungry. If not, it is likely you will just snack from the fridge and not get far on anything.

A non-nonsense guide. I think I’d actually recommend this one. The only thing that let me down were the limited case studies – I always find that part the most fascinating.

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Review: Shauna Reid – The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl

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The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl
Shauna Reid
Diet girl is too fat for the scales. No, really, so fat that even if she loses weight, she can’t see it on the bathroom scales at home. Instead she joins Weight Watchers, watches what she eats, begins to try exercise more, and get herself out into the wide world.
I read the blog on which this novel was based years ago, in 2012/13. I loved the blog, and I believe I may have reread it once or twice. When I saw that Shauna had a couple of copies to send away, that ignited my curiosity to read the actual novel. I found myself let-down by the novel. Yes, it was formatted more nicely, yes, it followed a neat, linear plot line, but no, it didn’t have the same immediacy and drive of the blog.
On to the story. Simply, this is a self-discovery novel about what you can gain from losing weight, but also understanding what triggers you have. For Shauna, it is depression that can derail her weightloss, and it’s not even her fault.
The funny anecdotes, such as those involving the Mothership and the early courting with Gareth, were the highlights as always. Everything I say is going to be comparing it to the blog, so there isn’t much I can actually say about this novel as a stand-alone.
Is this just another success story, which pretends to give sage advice about losing weight in a ploy to get you to buy it? No, it’s a true story that is inspiring all in its own way, while not actually dieting, only being more careful with your lifestyle.
If you love the allure of a paperback novel, and you don’t have the drive to read through the blogging archives, this would suit you to a T. If you don’t want the paperback copy though, I don’t think you need to buy a Kindle version – you might as well read the blog.

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Review: A.J. Rochester – Confessions of Reformed Dieter

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Confessions of Reformed Dieter
A.J. Rochester
This is the weight-loss diary of A.J. Rochester, and is the first book beforeĀ Lazy Girl’s Guide to Losing Weight and Getting Fit which I previously reviewed. I didn’t realise that both of them were available as audiobooks, and so I listened to them out of sequence.
I’m sort of glad I did listen to them out of sequence. Not this this book was no good, but that I found the sense of humour in ‘Lazy Girl’ more to my liking. I’m just not that interested in the size of her arse!
There were a couple of bits that irked me, such as when she goes on about Pluto Pups (again?!?) and lists food items off. But I am excited for her as she goes through the plateaus and faces exercise challenges such as breaking her leg.
Rochester’s formidable personality shines through. I found it engaging to listen to, and was very sad when I got to the end. There were so many things left unanswered! I was frustrated that I didn’t know what happened to ‘the boy’, and I wanted her to find some sort of closure with Nutcase. I know it’s unrealistic to expect that in real life, but it should have avoided…
While then end of this novel is really very positive, when googling to check I spelt her name correctly, I found several less-than-flattering pictures of her more recently. She appears to have piled the weight back on, despite saying that she never would. Not very inspiring by someone who claims her new weightloss is for life!
When struggling with my own desire to thin down and get fit, inspiring books like these are just what I need. I don’t have 50 kg to lose, but knowing that someone else (on a personal level like what I felt with Rochester) has done it, and done it well is inspiring.

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Review: A.J. Rochester – The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Losing Weight and Getting Fit

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The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Losing Weight and Getting Fit
A.J. Rochester
A.J. has struggled with being big all her life and when she realises she is obese she decides to get professional help – Dr. Nutcase, Crusher and a nutritionist. This book chronicles how other people can follow her process and aim towards being thinner themselves.
As a talking book read by the author herself, the expression and nuances of language were amazing. It was engaging to listen to, and although I couldn’t say the topic matter was that interesting to me personally (knowing most of the things already), I was happy to listen to it on my walks to the bus.
Something that irked me were references to Pluto Pups. What is a Pluto Pup anyway? Additionally, the subscription to eating diet yoghurt. I’m of the belief that yoghurt’s fats are good for you, because that’s the way it’s made by cows. The amount of sugar added to those things to make them palatable is going to kill your diet anyway, and could have major effects on your metabolism. So my suggestion would be to eat pot-set yoghurt, because it naturally has lower sugar, and the fats are good for you.
Another thing that didn’t work in the talking book format were the lists of allowed food (too long, couldn’t remember most of them by the end) and the listed menus (boring to listen to). The passages about what to do about food in general, the psychology element and exercise were good though, and I didn’t get bored.
If you haven’t heard/read the first book (which I’m currently in the process of listening to), then the human element is slightly missing in this novel. However, A.J. does a good job of projecting her personality into it, and there’s a good chance you’ll be hooked anyway.
I think this book is a valuable addition to any ‘dieter’s’ bookshelf, provided you actually get into it. A.J. has some super valuable points that are useful. I disagree with fat being the only enemy (added sugar is also bad), but the underlying bones of the diet – eat less, move more – are solid.
I completely support A.J.’s suggestion that if you have abuse in your life, you need to get professional help before you can do anything about your weight. I often see smokers who should be thin because of the effect cigarettes have on the body that are fat. There has to be some underlying cause there, and getting psychiatric help is a great idea. If you can prove you have a problem, Australia has a ‘Mental Health Care Plan’ that means you will be able to see a psychologist cheaply. No excuses!

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Review: Jeff Sparrow – Money Shot: a journey into porn and censorship

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Money Shot: a journey into porn and censorship
Jeff Sparrow
I must admit I felt someĀ trepidationĀ when this book arrived at my doorstep to be reviewed. The lurid pink cover, even the title, didn’t see very appealing to me – despite this being a book I ordered. A book about porn…

15781784I got stuck into the novel just as I promised myself I would though – and it turned out to be an enlightening and interesting journey. I couldn’t say I enjoyed it, but it was interesting.

It’s difficult for me to pick out bits of this novel, because this is a non-fiction book, a genre which I rarely attempt to read and review. Something in this book’s favour is that I did stick with it, and it wasn’tĀ unpleasantĀ like some other non-fiction book I have come across. Sparrow was an engaging writer, and his sense of humour carried the book. The conversational tone, and the individual episodes of speaking to each of the interest groups, worked.
I’ve never really thought about the XXX-stores, other than a passing ‘ew, I could never be caught going in there’, but this book is quite an eyeopener. Chances are, some of the DVDs in there are ones that were never permitted by the Australian registration board.
I had to feel a little sorry for the old men who are described by Sparrow – it seems a little cruel to be picking on them when they are being open about their desires. I agree there is something a littleĀ sleazyĀ about the whole idea – but isn’t that what porn is? It’s easy enough to imagine people in cinemas getting off on a screen reel, but I’m sure most people at some point have watched porn in the privacy of their homes.

Zombies, Poppers and Pork is a particularly witty and well written chapter. Sparrow effectively manipulates his reader into feeling negative about Wolstencroft from the beginning, so you aren’t all that shocked to here that he is somehow a libertarian fascist!

Perhaps the most important thing is that there should be a mid-line between porn and complete puritanism. The points Sparrow makes about the Bible Planetshakers, and the natural curiosity of teens are very relevant and somewhat worrying. There is such a thing as good porn!

From nannying the net (internet filters) to predation on children, almost everything about porn in Australia is covered in this book. There are things that some people wouldn’t be interested in reading about, and I did find myself skimming a couple of chapters towards the end (racial porn for example). Do you have an interest in the future of porn, and the worrying ideas of Tony Abbott and completely censoring the net (with filters that also chop out useful sites)? An open mind is a must.

If you are interested into insights about censorship of porn in Australia and learning more about the guidelines that govern its import, this is the book for you. Due to the content, I would recommend it only for adult readers. It would likely be a useful read for people in the porn industry of Australia.

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Review: Gregory Kuhn – Why Quantum Physicists Don’t Get Fat

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Why Quantum Physicists Don’t Get Fat
Gregory Kuhn
This ‘novel’ is a weightloss guideline book. To clarify, I don’t actually need to lose weight, nor have I been actively trying to lose weight (other than reducing portion sizes because I now have a desk job). I have been the size I am now for the last 5 or so years, maybe longer, and I have never been overweight. I’m always interested in various weight things though, as now that I’m in my 20sĀ I don’t want to findĀ overnight I have gained a bunch of weight.
15814165I liked the way the book used a couple of headlining scientist quotes for each chapter. However I got a bit annoyed with them as time went on as it felt like they interrupted the flow of the text, and as relevant as some of them were, other just felt like filler.
Kuhn really is quite sneaky in the way he positions the reader to take his opinion on and follow his weightloss strategies. You find yourself nodding along, and then bam! He hits you with something new.Ā I loved the analogy of the browser for weight loss strategies. Neat! It explained the idea of changing the way you think to lose weight, and changing the strategies you use to do it.
The language is simple to understand and easy to read, even the moreĀ theoreticalĀ parts. I found myself 20% of the way through the book (thanks Kindle Cloud for telling me where I was up to) and not knowing how I got that far into it! Things went downhill from there though.
Chapter 9 is where the author loses me. He suddenly begins suggesting that our expectation that our parents love us makes the universe make them send us material expressions of love. Now, I agree to some extent that expectations can drive what you have been given, but also that those expectations do not magically change the cosmos.Ā He then goes on to suggest that the real you is making the decisions, which seems a littleĀ counter-intuitiveĀ  if you imagine that if that was your parents, they can’t be really making the decision sanymore, because it is you who is suggesting to them that they should give you presents.
As a scientist, I can’t accept Chapter 10 either. Those neuropeptides that do signal, which are created when you have a thought, they don’t support the evidence he just presented. Perhaps I’m clinging to old science here (and I’m sure that is what he would suggest), but I have no reason to. The suggestion that my cells have been reprogrammed by years of thinking ‘I’m smart’ to expect to be anything other than being smart is ludicrous. It’s still possible to make stupid decisions, even if you are thinking (or perhaps because you are thinking) ‘I’m smart’. I particularly have a problem with this style of thinking, because it implies that people with mental illnesses have programmed themselves to expect to be sick. If cognitive behaviour therapy (which is aimed at changing the way you intitively think) worked the way this author is suggesting fat busting works, there wouldn’t be any more mental illness.
So you can probably tell that by this point in the book I was feeling pretty irritated at the author. I kept reading though in the hopes that the second half of the book would be better because it was time for part 2.
The conversational tone of this novel made me as the reader feel like it was me alone being talked to. I can imagine that this is something that some people would like, because it brings to mind a supportive figure who is going to help you through your weight-loss goals.
Chapter 12 and 13 make excellent points, and I can understand their relevance. Feelings are aĀ thermometerĀ for your state of being! I do agree that feelings play a powerful role, but not that you can overcome everything with them as the author is suggesting. The author then suggests that because I feel that some of the things he has said are ‘silly’, I either don’t have unwanted weight, or I’m not in enough pain over my weight to try something new.
You must honestly feel good about everything you eat. If you eat the cake, you must truely appreciate it. Don’t eat it, if it doesn’t make you feel good. What this book asks of you is a complete mindset chnge, that even with a manual like this one, is very hard to achieve on your own. It is easy to continue to eat the way you always have, but you now need to feel good about whatever it is you are doing to try lose weight.
I was looking for a real rational approach to losing weight, a handbook of approach, things that I could use to prevent gaining weight. I didn’t find it here, and I didn’t really find anything here particularly worthwhile. This book really seems like another fad ‘diet’ to me – change the way you think, and the weight will magically drop off. Don’t bother reading the whole thing – skip straight to chapter 15-17 with the eating, moving and 6 Ā major points, and you will probably have gotten the most out of this book with the least effort.
This is an ebook that IĀ receivedĀ after missing out on a hard copy through Goodreads First Reads program. This has not influenced my review in any way – my opinion is my own.

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