Books about Struggling from Amazon.com

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of those he treated in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory—known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")—holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.

At the time of Frankl's death in 1997, Man's Search for Meaning had sold more than 10 million copies in twenty-four languages. A 1991 reader survey by the Library of Congress and the Book-of-the-Month Club that asked readers to name a "book that made a difference in your life" found Man's Search for Meaning among the ten most influential books in America.

Born in Vienna in 1905 Viktor E. Frankl earned an M.D. and a Ph.D. from the University of Vienna. He published more than thirty books on theoretical and clinical psychology and served as a visiting professor and lecturer at Harvard, Stanford, and elsewhere. In 1977 a fellow survivor, Joseph Fabry, founded the Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy. Frankl died in 1997.

Harold S. Kushner is rabbi emeritus at Temple Israel in Natick, Massachusetts, and the author of several best-selling books, including When Bad Things Happen to Good People.

William J. Winslade is a philosopher, lawyer, and psychoanalyst at the University of Texas Medical School in Galveston..
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Emotional Intelligence was an international phenomenon, appearing on the New York Times bestseller list for over a year and selling more than five million copies worldwide Now, once again, Daniel Goleman has written a groundbreaking synthesis of the latest findings in biology and brain science, revealing that we are “wired to connect” and the surprisingly deep impact of our relationships on every aspect of our lives.

Far more than we are consciously aware, our daily encounters with parents, spouses, bosses, and even strangers shape our brains and affect cells throughout our bodies—down to the level of our genes—for good or ill. In Social Intelligence, Daniel Goleman explores an emerging new science with startling implications for our interpersonal world. Its most fundamental discovery: we are designed for sociability, constantly engaged in a “neural ballet” that connects us brain to brain with those around us.

Our reactions to others, and theirs to us, have a far-reaching biological impact, sending out cascades of hormones that regulate everything from our hearts to our immune systems, making good relationships act like vitamins—and bad relationships like poisons. We can “catch” other people’s emotions the way we catch a cold, and the consequences of isolation or relentless social stress can be life-shortening. Goleman explains the surprising accuracy of first impressions, the basis of charisma and emotional power, the complexity of sexual attraction, and how we detect lies. He describes the “dark side” of social intelligence, from narcissism to Machiavellianism and psychopathy. He also reveals our astonishing capacity for “mindsight,” as well as the tragedy of those, like autistic children, whose mindsight is impaired.

Is there a way to raise our children to be happy? What is the basis of a nourishing marriage? How can business leaders and teachers inspire the best in those they lead and teach? How can groups divided by prejudice and hatred come to live together in peace?

The answers to these questions may not be as elusive as we once thought. And Goleman delivers his most heartening news with powerful conviction: we humans have a built-in bias toward empathy, cooperation, and altruism–provided we develop the social intelligence to nurture these capacities in ourselves and others..
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Business leaders who maintain that emotions are best kept out of the work environment do so at their organization's peril. Bestselling author Daniel Goleman's theories on emotional intelligence (EI) have radically altered common understanding of what "being smart" entails, and in Primal Leadership, he and his coauthors present the case for cultivating emotionally intelligent leaders. Since the actions of the leader apparently account for up to 70 percent of employees' perception of the climate of their organization, Goleman and his team emphasize the importance of developing what they term "resonant leadership." Focusing on the four domains of emotional intelligence--self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management--they explore what contributes to and detracts from resonant leadership, and how the development of these four EI competencies spawns different leadership styles. The best leaders maintain a style repertoire, switching easily between "visionary," "coaching," "affiliative," and "democratic," and making rare use of less effective "pace-setting" and "commanding" styles. The authors' discussion of these methods is informed by research on the workplace climates engendered by the leadership styles of more than 3,870 executives. Indeed, the experiences of leaders in a wide range of work environments lend real-life examples to much of the advice Goleman et al. offer, from developing the motivation to change and creating an improvement plan based on learning rather than performance outcomes, to experimenting with new behaviors and nurturing supportive relationships that encourage change and growth. The book's final section takes the personal process of developing resonant leadership and applies it to the entire organizational culture. --S. Ketchum.
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Working With Emotional Intelligence takes the concepts from Daniel Goleman's bestseller, Emotional Intelligence, into the workplace Business leaders and outstanding performers are not defined by their IQs or even their job skills, but by their "emotional intelligence": a set of competencies that distinguishes how people manage feelings, interact, and communicate. Analyses done by dozens of experts in 500 corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide conclude that emotional intelligence is the barometer of excellence on virtually any job. This book explains what emotional intelligence is and why it counts more than IQ or expertise for excelling on the job. It details 12 personal competencies based on self-mastery (such as accurate self-assessment, self-control, initiative, and optimism) and 13 key relationship skills (such as service orientation, developing others, conflict management, and building bonds). Goleman includes many examples and anecdotes--from Fortune 500 companies to a nonprofit preschool--that show how these competencies lead to or thwart success.

Unlike IQ, emotional intelligence can keep growing--it continues to develop with life experiences. Understanding and raising your emotional intelligence is essential to your success and leadership potential. This book is an excellent resource for learning how to accomplish this. --Joan Price.
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This important and compassionate new book from the creator of the successful God Allows U-Turns series will help parents and grandparents of the many adult children who continue to make life painful for their loved ones.

Writing from firsthand experience, Allison identifies the lies that kept her, and ultimately her son in bondage—and how she overcame them. Additional real life stories from other parents are woven through the text.

A tough–love book to help readers cope with dysfunctional adult children, Setting Boundaries with Your Adult Children will empower families by offering hope and healing through S.A.N.I.T.Y.—a six–step program to help parents regain control in their homes and in their lives.

• S = STOP Enabling, STOP Blaming Yourself, and STOP the Flow of Money
• A = Assemble a Support Group
• N = Nip Excuses in the Bud
• I = Implement Rules/Boundaries
• T = Trust Your Instincts
• Y = Yield Everything to God

Foreword by Carol Kent (When I Lay My Isaac Down)

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As events unfold, those wanting answers go beyond everyday sources to seek out news, opinion and perspectives direct and unfiltered Only world band radio delivers this no matter what, and quick-access Passport to World Band Radio is the #1 seller to this market-over a million copies sold to date. Each edition is welcomed by established and emerging readers alike, as Passport delivers in nearly 600 pages what world band listeners seek: * Three-way guide to what's on from stations in dozens of countries: news, entertainment and opinion in English and other languages. All three formats: country-by-country, channel-by-channel, hour-by-hour. * Award-winning reviews of world band radios and accessories, with ratings of dozens of models from Sony, Grundig and others. Radios for emergencies, too. * Wealth of helpful how-to articles, along with a directory of station contacts, webcasts and a glossary. This annual title keeps readers coming back year after year, making it what one chain buyer hails as a quiet bestseller..
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Any child can be motivated to learn.

"If he only would apply himself..."

"She can do it if she puts her mind to it."

"He just doesn't seem to care."

"She's just not trying."

Motivation is the key to learning. But very few parents and teachers have an effective arsenal of techniques at their disposal. Enter educator and acclaimed author Rick Lavoie, who arms all those who deal with children with proven, effective tools and strategies they can use to encourage any child to learn and achieve success.

Lavoie's practical, innovative approach begins with a quiz that helps a parent or teacher identify -- using six different possible models -- a child's motivational style.

• Is she motivated by power?
• Does he need prestige?
• Does praise mean a lot to this child?
• Does contact with other people inspire this child?
• Does he like to do projects?
• Does she enjoy receiving prizes?

He then explores each motivational style in depth, presenting proven techniques, strategies, and scripts that can be used in the classroom and at home to break through a child's apathy and discouragement and inspire him to succeed and achieve.

Along the way, Lavoie explodes some common myths about motivation: for instance, he demonstrates that rewards, punishment, and competition are not effective motivational tools. He gives specific advice throughout for parents and teachers of children with learning disabilities and provides detailed instructions for how to create a motivated classroom. He outlines the parent's role, the teacher's role, and suggests ways in which they can work together to encourage children to reach their potential. The book's final chapter, "What Does Madison Avenue Know...That Maple Street Elementary School Doesn't," reveals what parents and teachers can learn from some of the most powerful motivators in our children's world: advertisers.

With empathy and understanding, backed by decades of experience in the classroom, Rick Lavoie gives parents and teachers the key to unlock any child's enthusiasm and responsiveness. The Motivation Breakthrough will revolutionize the way parents, teachers, and professionals reach out to and motivate all children..
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The Story of Christianity, Volume 1, is an informative, interesting, and consistently readable narrative history. It brings alive the people, dramatic events, and ideas that shaped the first fifteen centuries of Europe, such as the Spanish and Portuguese conquest of the New World. Historian Justo Gonzalez shows how various social, political, and economic movements affected Christianity's internal growth.

Gonzalez skillfully weaves in relevant details from the lives of prominent figures from the apostles to John Wycliffe, tracing out core theological issues and developments as reflected in the lives and struggles of leading thinkers within the various traditions of the church. "The history of the church, while showing all the characteristics fo human history, is much more than the history of an institution or movement," Gonzalez stresses. "It is a history of the deeds of the spirit in and through the men and women who have gone before in the faith." The Story of Christianity demonstrates at each point what new challenges and opportunities faced the church, and how Christians struggled with the various options open to them, thereby shaping the future direction of the church.

The Story of Christianity will serve as a fascinating introduction to the panoramic history of Christianity for students and teachers of church history, for pastors, and for general readers.

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What Really Matters for Struggling Readers offers a clear blend of research and practice that teachers can use to develop better methods for helping children with reading difficulties.

• Includes clear, non-technical summaries of research on the subject of children as proficient readers.
• Research section on reading fluency that provides instructional models and methods for fostering fluency, including pause-prompt-praise, partner reading, taped read -alongs, impress method, choral reading, and fluency charting.
• Research section that studies the effects of enhancing access to appropriate books and offers suggestions for designing schools where all children have books that are appropriate.

In What Really Matters for Struggling Readers, nationally recognized scholar Dick Allington offers easy-to-understand interpretations of research that support three important principles: Children need to read a great deal to become proficient readers, offering summaries of research on the subject, the text shows how to monitor the amount of reading and create interventions that expand reading activity. Children need access to appropriate books, exploring the research on the subject, the text contains suggestions for designing schools where books are available and appropriate for all children. Children need to develop fluent reading to become proficient readers, reviewing the research on reading fluency, the text provides instructional models and methods for fostering fluency.

Richard L. Allington is the Fien Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Florida, Gainesville. He was a co-recipient of the Albert J. Harris Award from the International Reading Association for his "contributions to the better understanding of reading and learning disabilities". Dick is also a past president of the National Reading Conference and has been elected to membership in the Reading Hall of Fame.

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