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 S&P
Book Awards: One of the Best Spiritual Books of 2006 |
The Fabric of Friendship validates the concept that
friendships between women can be powerful and beneficial. These
relationships can shape who we are and who we can become. According
to a Harvard Medical School study, not having close friends can be
as detrimental to women's health as smoking or carrying extra
weight. The book focuses on both the benefits and the difficulties
that can emerge in women's friendships, including some of the darker
sides of women's relationships such as envy, competition,
aggression, boundary and control issues, problems working together,
"the men" thing, unclear communications about needs, and more. It
provides information about why these problems can happen; includes
real-life stories validating the restorative aspects of women's
friendships; and offers realistic solutions that women have
undertaken effectively. The Fabric of Friendship is filled
with practical ideas of what women can do to celebrate the joys and
reclaim the power and authenticity of strong women's friendships.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Fabric of Friendship
Celebrating the Joys, Mending the Tears
in Women's Relationships
- The Gift of Friendship
- Our Mother, Our First Friend
- Our Sisters, Our Partners in Friendship
- Rising above Envy
- Competition in Friendship
- Anger in Relationships
- Working Well with Women
- The Plus of Boundaries
- Men & Friendships
- Recognizing Needs & Feelings
- Surviving through Friendship
- Getting It All Together
Appendix: Ten Steps to Better Friendships
ADVANCE PRAISE for The Fabric of Friendship
An illuminating book that looks at women from every perspective.
It is fresh, honest, exuberant - and sometimes painful - as it
explores the ties that bind us together. A wonderful read for
women young and old and in-between.
--Suzanne J. Hemming, Chief Executive Officer, Hemming + Gilman
Productions
*****************************
Joy Carol has written a wise, tough, compassionate book about
women's friendship. Skillfully, she has woven together stories
and probing questions of the many, richly diverse women whom she
has interviewed. The result is a valuable resource--not just for
women, but for the men who love and seek to understand them.
--Margaret B. Guenther, author of Holy Listening
******************************
Joy Carol celebrates the abundant rewards of friendship among
women, making it clear that those that last are usually based on
abiding spiritual underpinnings. Through interviews and astute
observations, she shines light from all directions on these
important relationships. A must-read for women of all ages!
--Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, authors of Spiritual
Literacy and Spiritual RX
*********************************
Joy Carol's book is great news for every woman who wants to have
healthy relationships. She has given us a book filled with
women's personal stories that make the pages come alive with
real people who will touch your heart. Her practical handbook is
filled with wisdom and humor about how we can learn the skills
of developing, enriching, and maintaining strong friendships.
She openly explores subjects about relationships that are often
overlooked. Don't miss reading this special book. It may
transform the fabric of your friendships with women - and with
men too.
--Carol Lundrigan, President, Union Center for Women, Brooklyn,
NY
***************************************
Joy Carol's remarkable book touches on many
important issues and concerns that women and girls face in all
stages and walks of life. Reading this book will give you a new
perspective and better understandings about the vulnerability,
validity, and power of women's friendships. And it will give you
useful ideas how you can improve and strengthen your personal
and professional relationships with women. This is a must-read
for women--and for men. DESCRIPTION: Journeys of Courage answers the outcry for stories of healing in the violent and turbulent times in which we live. These are powerful accounts about the transformation and healing experienced by communities that have courageously faced difficult challenges. These stories vividly demonstrate what worked for different kinds of communities and how they undertook meaningful healing processes. The stories range from people affected by 9/11 to abuses within the church, to those affected by addictions and poverty, and many more. Here
are some quotes about Journeys of Courage :
Here are some quotes about Towers of Hope :
This is one of the most inspiring
books I have read. Carol, who has worked for the United Nations
Development Programme, Save the Children and the Christian
Children’s Fund, draws on her international network to bring
together accounts from around the world. While the author’s American
origins are clear, the compassion, love and healing in the stories
is international. Ranging from the contribution of an adopted child
to a family, to saying goodbye to one of the author’s oldest
friends, each story is followed by the author’s comment, drawing
principles for us all. Carol tells of the capacity to forgive old
hurts, "Practicing forgiveness and clearing hatred from our hearts
makes room for the ‘Great Spirit’ to work hope-filled miracles in
our lives" (p. 88), and of a drunk driver’s redemptive
contributions. One of the most deeply moving stories was of a
quadruple amputee foster carer’s courage and determination to resume
her caring role. The book has many wise quotes from around the
world, enhancing the spiritual depth of the presentation. You may
not agree with all the theology, but you will find help for your
days of wondering how to keep going. These stories helped my courage
grow. I recommend the book most strongly. Students considering their
competence in values for their social work qualification will find
this book a challenge; it may help to identify ways of working with
the strengths of those who seek their service.
Journeys of Courage is filled with
powerful, real-life accounts of communities that experienced
difficult or violent situations, and explorations of the ways they
undertook their healing processes. These are stories of real people
within real communities, ranging from those affeced by the
devastating losses of September 11th to the survivors of trauma in
Northern Ireland. They vividly demonstrate what has worked for
different kinds of communities. These stories can encourage us to
move ahead by telling us personal truths about what has worked
before, what has failed, what we can try ourselves and what we
should avoid
--Helen Brumbaugh, President/CEO, Old South Building Company
buy the book
A superbly crafted collection of moving
stories to inspire all of us!
-by
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Joy Carol has done it again. Wide-ranging and
wonderful
-by Nina H. Frost. Soul Mapping.
These are stories that can heal
-by China Galland. The Bond Between Women.
Discovering hope for those who thought it was
lost
-by Helen LaKelly Hunt & Harville Hendrix. Getting the Love You
Want.
Her stories inspire and encourage
-by Leonora Tubbs Tisdale. Making Room at the Table.
Reading her books is a way to come back to our
own reality...
-by Pat Pearson. Stop Self Sabotage.
Carol's elegant new work speaks to the ability
of the human heart to survive the unthinkable
-by Deirdre Felton. Bereavement Magazine.
...stories that will give us strength and
courage for these times
-by Jim Boyle. Retired President, Uniformed Firefighters
Association.
...treasures of wisdom, tenacity, and courage
-by Dermod McCarthy. RTE Television.
...healing that gives hope and strength
-by Mary Zepernick. Past President, Women's International League for
Peace and Freedom.
This is a book to be read more than once
-by Ellen Kirby. Past President, American Community Gardening
Association.
DESCRIPTION: In these turbulent times we desperately want to "hear" stories that show us how to heal the scars and pain in our lives. Towers of Hope recounts stories about people who have suffered from tremendously difficult situations, such as mental and physical abuse, imprisonment, war, terrorism, life-threatening illness, and approaching death. Although unable to change the terrible things that happened to them, they responded to their problems by transforming what seemed like hopeless situations into healing experiences and personal triumphs. They found wholeness in their losses, traumas, and disabilities. Their stories are made for these times in which we live. They show us that there is good news in the midst of suffering, that people are resilient, that they have a desire to heal, that they can stand with optimism and perseverance and recover the treasures of life.
buy the book
...eloquently moving stories that fill us with
hope.
-by
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
...inspires readers toward this own potential.
-by Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt, Giving the Love That Heals
...lovingly crafted, wide-ranging stories of
healing and recovery.
-by China Galland, The Bond Between Women
...masterful framing of universal teaching.
-by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spiritual Rx
...this unique book will be a gift to all who
read it..
-by Nina H. Frost, Soul Mapping