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Old June 24th, 2008, 10:47 AM
James Brody James Brody is offline
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Location: Philadelphia area
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Smile I'm Not OK...

A Review: Hussey, Shelley (2008) I'm Not OK, You're Not OK, But That's OK with God: Finding the Humor and Healing in Life. Harper Inc. 15 chapters, 149 pp. With contributions from James Mallory, MD, and Melanie Wilson, Ph.D. Available for $18 from Shelley Hussey, Harper Ink, 4980 Thornwood Cove, Acworth, GA 30102.

I know Shelley briefly, I know Fred somewhat less briefly, and the two them stopped near Philadelphia about a year ago and bought me dinner. (And most of you know Fred because of his contributions to this forum.) Nonetheless, I'm enough of a hard ass intruder to go through her biography and into their lives without choking up. Yea. And it was so easy that I needed a month to write this.

Shelley, fortunately, has a funny, manic style. She also writes in grit, the language of my mother and people I knew long ago in a swamp school in south Georgia. There's still another connection with this little firecracker: Janisse Ray's Ecology of a Cracker Childhood is also set in south Georgia and talks about similar kinds people - the fidgets, the labile, and the tough cuss males and the women who anchored them - men counted every penny but spent it anyhow, led always with their feelings, reached often with both hands for God after they got drunk, killed someone, or founded a church. They also settled in an almost impossible country of swamps, slow rivers, and stubborn mosquitoes and now make children, poets, and soldiers for this confused nation.*

I like to think of Shelley as arranged in layers. There's the petite black-haired woman - now blonde - who's easily noticed even when she's being demure: there's the devout witness to God, the mother who will suppress her quirks in order to stabilize her children who sometimes have similar quirks, the wife who organizes prayer groups when her husband gets sick, and the same wife who insists that he get medical help from competent people.

She tells of her "cooties" ... her urges to play piano on her face, to pick at her hair, or to talk forever wherever she may be. She, taking a benzo (e. g., Xanax), will plan a party for Fred although he prefers barium enemas to being with a group of people. At other times, she hides under her blankets with only her nose exposed.

She tells of religion and the series of medications and healers that helped sometimes and at other times, not so much. (In this regard, she reminds me of Glenn Beck, former Catholic, alcoholic, bum but now a Mormon, sober, and third-ranked talk show host in the country. The before and after for Beck are separated by about four years. She, like Beck, anchors her adventures with Bible verses and personal wisdom.)

She is also a columnist and has been guest on a series of TV shows. One of her ploys: she responded to a call from Donohue's people for frugal shoppers. She won an appearance and went attired in layers that she removed, one at a time, on national television ... outfits that she often assembled for no money.

As for hard ass me ... I sometimes laugh or cry along with her, become furious at the superstitions spun so glibly by counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists, and look forward to times when a clip of hair might reveal the dangers that she faces from within herself, the likely times and conditions for their appearance, and whether she is most apt to respond to the resonance of a preacher or the contents of a bottle - whether benzos, stimulants, lithium, or Jack.

She also reminds us of the truth demonstrated by every crying baby or scared alcoholic or teenager who won't look under his bed after dark - there is little more powerful than an extended hand, a hug, a calm voice at 3 AM, the strong hand of a loved one, or a conviction that someone or something watches over you and counts the feathers on your wings. Thanks, Shelley, for Joshua 1:9 and forgive my taking so long to do this...


JimB


*Richard Nisbett wrote about southerners as the descendants of Celtic sheepherders but reared in a culture of honor. His data may be correct but Nisbett will never understand these people because he is not one of them and never will be. And everyone but a damned yankee knows that honor is important because it grows from within, usually in the South and almost never in New England where they fight only for money.

References:

Nisbett RE & Cohen D (1996) Culture of Honor: The Psychology of Violence in the South. NY: Westview/Perseus.
Ray J (1999) Ecology of a Cracker Childhood. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions.

http://www.rebellionphysicstopersonalwill.blogspot.com/
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  #2  
Old June 28th, 2008, 02:46 PM
Fred H. Fred H. is offline
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Default Re: I'm Not OK...

Thanks for the great review JimB. Shelley really appreciated it; it meant a whole lot to her.

I always thought of it as a book that women would love (and all that have read it do, far as I know), but that men wouldn’t necessarily be too taken by it. Seems I may have been wrong about the male readers. Guess I’m going to have to read it myself one of these days.
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Old February 9th, 2009, 12:09 PM
James Brody James Brody is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Philadelphia area
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Smile Re: I'm Not OK...and still fun

Happy Valentine's Day to all! Speaking of affairs of the heart:


I (loved, jb) Hartford for a few reasons. The top two:

1) This past week, I got to visit with my beautiful and crazy daughter (the nut doesn't fall far from the tree), do all things snow-related, AND....

2) Act Crazy Like on FOX - Channel 61 FOX TV's morning news show, where I discussed my book. (Note to Southerners: I do love y'all, don't be offended by the seven seconds of Dixie dialog. Was just trying to show these Connecticut Yankees how to talk. :-D ) Here's the clip:

http://www.fox61.com/pages/video/?au...clipId=3401898

Wishing y'all much love and full hearts this Valentine's week.

Shelley Hussey
Boomer Humor Author and Speaker
I'm Not OK, You're Not OK, But That's OK With God
http://www.shelleyhussey.com
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