Alopecia World
www.alopeciaworld.com
"Bald As A Bean" by Nancy Parsons
I read this book a couple of months ago and have since passed it on to my family.
Has anyone else read this book and if so what did you think?
Has anyone else read this book and if so what did you think?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Sarah on
-
Well I tried to find the book in stores but they never had any in stock since it is such an old book. So a friend of mine knew I wanted to book and he found it online and ordered it for me. I'm not exactly sure of the site he went to though.
-
-
Well I tried to find the book in stores but they never had any in stock since it is such an old book. So a friend of mine knew I wanted to book and he found it online and ordered it for me. I'm not exactly sure of the site he went to though.
-
Permalink Reply by BaldGirlsDoLunch.org on
-
Buy a lipstick instead. Buy a used copy on Amazon for 50 cents. You will have the entire drift in about 5 pages. Then do something fun to shake the blanket of depression it creates. All the alopecia books I've seen written by a single voice are dreadfully written (which is why they are nearly universally self-published) and that includes the ones pretending to have won "national" acclaim. Buyer beware. Take the time, do your research and look up the self-serving organizations that are awarding these "honors". We are not talking The National Book Awards or the Caldecott Medal here.
Alopecia World is free. It's diverse. There is collectively enormous and valuable experience here. Read the posts of the people who get the big picture and the small picture and are not here everyday just to tell you to buy their little books to earn back their self-publishing investment.
Just because it has alopecia in the title does not confer quality. In this economy, save the money and go buy a new lipstick or new accessory instead. You'll smile a whole lot more.
And when I find a really well written book I will shout it out loud and clear to all who can hear. Till then, do your reading on alopecia world.
Thea
baldgirlsdolunch.org
-
-
Since Ive never discussed my alopecia with others like me, the book was very helpful. I felt like she was saying what I had always been thinking.
I was just curious if anyone else read it.
-
-
I would agree that the thoughts are universal and seeing someone else say the same thing is validating of our feelings; but there was just page after page of doom and gloom with no strategy to live beautifully. That was really missing. And after you see how depressed she was, I was saying to myself. "Ok we get that you are really really depressed" . I thought by the end she was going to say she had tried to off herself a few times. I do not like whiny books.
Thea
-
-
Similar. If you've not spent time here on AW or have not met other women to talk to who have had the same challenges and feelings, you might see a couple of phrases that ring true and help you feel deep down "I'm not alone after all." There is value in that. You get in touch with your core feelings.It can open up your thinking so you start to create your own journal of self-talk and affirmations.
But I would not buy this book. I would spend the same money on something of enduring and lasting value like an accessory that makes you look fantastic! Something you will enjoy for a long long time. Or take out a friend who needs a good listener across the table. Give of yourself freely and alopecia will not seem very important. Spend the money on a report about forced genital cutting in women all over the third world and alopecia will never seem life shattering again.
There is far far greater value here on AW with so many wide ranging views than in any of these singularly voiced books. Talk to the women here about everything from wigs to lashes to dating to dealing with job discrimination. This tiny little book says everything it has to say in a few pages and some of the advice boggles me like advising women to go to bed with a wig on in case there's a fire in the house! That's like assuming that the chances of having a house fire are pretty likely. There's little incentive in a self-published book for the printer to tell the author to zip it up, write more concisely and get to the point. They tend to be repetitious and not professionally edited. Yawn.
-
Permalink Reply by Mary on
-
Thank you, Susan! It's nice to welcome new people to AW, but I think the authors who promote their books this way should include a brief statement of the actual viewpoint of their book. In the case of "If Your Hair Falls Out, Keep Dancing", that would be revealing that the major point of the book is how to keep people from finding out you have hair loss.
-
-
Ditto from me as to both books.
As to"When Your Hair Falls Out...", I appreciated the artwork, and from the title, I expected to be uplifted and encouraged as a newly-bald woman. I read "Dancing" when I was very depressed about my hair loss, and struggling to feel good about this "new me". This book actually made me MORE depressed because the overriding message is that a bald woman needs to do whatever she can to conceal her lack of hair. The author states that only 4 people have ever seen her bald, and one is her doctor. I know that's the way some women feel, and I support women who choose to wear a wig 24/7. If that's the way you feel, "Dancing" is for you.
But, if you're trying to work toward feeling good about yourself as a bald woman, Alopecia World is the place to get the message that it's okay to choose to be wigless at times.
Mary
-
-
If you haven't seen her posts about it already, please check out Pam Fitros' page for info about the book she is writing - I think it's called "Boldly Bald Women" . Pam is gathering the stories of women who post on AW, and I think it's going to be a wonderful book.
-
Permalink Reply by Pamela Rosse on
-
Hello Sarah, I'm 8 months into my journey with Alopecia Universalis my wounds too are fresh, open, & sore. I too like you & so many when first diagnosed searched for answers, I googled, I spoke with my physicians, went to the library & bookstores, a gentlemen at our local bookstore found two (2) books for me, guess what one of them was Nancy Parsons, Bald As A Bean the other was Leslie Ann Butlers, If Your Hair Falls Out, Keep Dancing. Of both books I found Leslie Ann's to be the most helpful. It led me to AW, which has been my saving grace. I've met some great people & found out I'm not alone.
Nancy Parsons book I found was one woman's journey through, with & finally acceptance of AU. As I previously noted Leslie Ann Butler's book really was the more informative for me, for a rookie like me she was very helpful. Her section on wigs was great for me, I had no idea of what a lace front or wefted wig were until her book, real hair versus synthetic wigs, & suggestions for care of both. Make-up & tips on eyebrows & lashes for those of us who have lost them. She covers many topics, it helped me a great deal especially when fellow AW members would speak about wigs I understood what they were talking about. Its so hard when your a newbie, so many questions we have for ourselves.
Do I want to wear a wig? Do I want to go ah natural? What can I expect? It's scary.
The gentlemen who ordered mine from our local book store ordered them from Amazon.com.
It's hard looking into the mirror & seeing this new person in the reflection.
Know that you are not alone, in finding AW your going to find friends, you will get different views but from them you will take away what will help you. Hang in there. Like me you will find the new you, so far I'm liking the new me, I'm finding out many new things about her, yea she's bald, but she's pretty, she's tougher then she ever thought she could be. Hang in there Sarah. It's going to take time.
Pam
-
-
I felt exactly the way you did when I started loosing my hair three years ago. I don't mind so much anymore what others think of me, what they say about me or any of that. I've accepted the fact that this is me. I guess I wish that I could have met and talked with others with Alopecia when I was new to all of this. The hard part for me is trying to make my family and friends understand where I am coming from and why I get upset sometimes. I love my family and friends to death, don't get me wrong, but I needed someone to FULLY understand and I feel I can have that now. Its something I thought I'd never get.
© 2024 Created by Alopecia World.
Powered by
