Book LISTs

Zone of Tolerance: Excellent creative nonfiction about men and women and, especially, prostitutes in Mexico.

Facing the Complexities of Women's Sexual Desire: Both physiological and psychological findings about women's sexual desire. Not overly technical, but very scientific and accurate.

Lone Stars of David: The Jews of Texas: Jews are less than one percent of the Texas population but have had a major effect on the state via various achievements. Has both modern and historical stories.

Tools of Critical Thinking: Excellent examples of how our thinking is distorted and how to make it accurate. Probably quite readable even for nonpsychologists.

Exploring Psychology: The Introduction to Psychology textbook that I use with my classes here at University of Texas-Pan American. Easy to understand and quite accurate.

(to be published this year by Kendall/Hunt) Various articles by me, a clinical psychologist, on such topics as those in the title plus drugs, education, gangs, sex education, prison, and a little more.

These are all books that at one point or another stopped my life in its tracks and helped me make a very necessary change onto a different path.

I usually hate having to pick a favorite of anything. There's just too many choices, I have way to many varied interests and how can I narrow it done to just 5. What I like depends on my mood.

So instead of favorites, I just picked 5 books that I read a lot. They're not necessarily my favorites, or even the books that have changed my life, but they are books that are comforting to me. Books that I return to again and again.

Incidentally, I'm not sure that you would really call these "Square-Peg" books, except for the fact that I read them and I'm a Square-Peg, so that makes them Square-Peg by association.

My Life and Hard Times: James Thurber (This used to make me laugh so hard I'd cry.)

Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen (Obviously a classic, but it's still fun. Especially if you can read it in bed with tea and cookies.)

Home Cooking: Laurie Colwin (Essays/memoir with recipes. I love any book with food and this is one of the best.)

Dance of the Dissident Daughter: Sue Monk Kidd (Wonderful book, given to me by my mother.)

One Man's Garden: Henry Mitchell (A book of garden essays, but Henry Mitchell is such a good writer that anyone could read it. Plus he's very funny.)

Q's Legacy: Helene Hanff (Short, but very chatty book about books. I've probably read this 50 times.)

...one is definitely TheChalice and The Blade by Riane Eisler - really opened my eyes to how our version of the world is controlled by those who want it to be...

...another is A Woman's Worth by Marianne Williamson - lots of energy around how female is perceived in our society, sort of this century's version of Chalice - another is The Verbally Abusive Relationship by Patricia Evans...

all of these books have some very simple challenges and ideas to help the creatives (and non-creatives) remember who they are, and the good things in life about it. The exercises always make me remember who I am (many are focussed on your own inner thoughts)and how I fit into the world.