Spiral Crone
What goes around, comes around.

I had the great privilege of attending a Book Opening a couple of weeks ago. My friend Ann Pai has written about her sister's death and how the event affected all of the family members. Ann is a technical writer and a poet, so the book was bound to be eloquent and to the point. The language is very meaningful, and I was drawn in at the first page.

I had known about the event before the manuscript was completed, so I knew "how it came out in the end." This did nothing to deter my fascination with the book from beginning to end. It can be a difficult book to read because it is so personal, and so honest. I congratulate Ann for not pulling any punches in writing. She took some risks and she was very courageous, both in the event and the writing about it.

I was so glad to be invited to be a part of the sharing of the very first copies of the book. Seeing Ann surrounded by people who love her, who support her, and who honor her was really a buzz.
She seemed sort of surprised to realized that she has reached a major goal in the project, although she is well aware that there is a lot more work to be done.

There was a map cake into which she carefully placed flags in all the cities where she hopes to be doing book signings. She is hoping that the blank areas will fill in soon with the names of people who live there and will be willing to host her for a signing.

I am so very pround of Ann for doing this book. She decided to self-publish after weeks and weeks of trying to convince a publisher to take it on. She realized that she might as well be putting the energy to better use, getting it out and publicized.

In addition to signing books with an eye to selling copies, she is also doing presentations at groups of all types with discussions about obesity and its effect on individuals and on significant others. I am working to network her with a nurse I know who specializes in weight management, and gets federal grants to support her research. I think the possibilities are staggering in just this one instance of collaboration, for the two people involved as well as student nurses, patients, and family members who will be touched by the ripples of the association.

Here is one reader's response to the book:
While Ann Pai’s My Other Body is a magnificent monument to a beloved sister who struggled with morbid obesity, and, ultimately, with life itself, it is much more than that. It is a generous gift of empathy to everyone who has ever struggled with the limitations of being a fallible human being. Readers, whether they are personally fighting obesity or less visible demons, will thank Ann Pai for understanding the difference between a problem and a person. My Other Body is an advanced course on love, not the easy kind that some feel while riding a wave of good fortune, but the hard kind, that loves more deeply as what is most precious slips away.- Lawrence W. Smith, Ph.D.Clinical Psychologist, SeattleAdvisory Team Member, obesityhelp.comCo-founder, Ethix Media (ethix.com)

Don't I just have the neatest friends?!

Copies of the book may be bought at her website:
http://www.sunspotpress.com/order.html

Bright Blessings,
Spiral Crone
READ THE WEB ARTICLE

Permalink posted by Spiral Crone -- 6:43 PM.

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