Nonfiction Book Reviews
Page Three of ThreePuffy, Xena, Quentin, Uma and 10,000 Other Names for Your New Millennium Baby by Joal Ryan
Plume, June 1999.Trade Paperback, 391 pages.
ISBN: 0452280915.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
How do you pick an appropriate name for your new child that will
1) not be the same name as ever other child, 2) will not be sound absurd
or cause your child to get beaten up on the playground, and 3) still
be a name that
will work for the next millennium? Relax. There is a reference available.
Puffy, Xena, Quentin, Uma provides listings of over 10,000 names
complete with interesting and unusual facts, 90s references
and helpful suggestions.
The introductory article explains how names are chosen and what impact
they might have on your child, including a list of the most popular names
so you can avoid them or choose them, depending on your taste.
The 10,000 names in the book are separated into names for boys
and girls and listed from A to Z. Each entry includes the name's origin
and meaning. The authors also provide comments and tidbits next to
many of the name entries including their opinion of the name, names that might be
better and references to popular culture. For example, under the
name Chandler the comment reads, "Like Rachel, Chandler is another name getting
a boost thanks to TV's Friends."
The book also includes a list of what GenX celebrities are naming their
children, hippie names, names from different eras and television
show names.
Puffy, Xena, Quentina, Uma is an unusual but appealing baby
naming reference that's fun to read, even if you're not
picking out a name for a new arrival to the family.
The Way of Aikido: Life Lessons from an American Sensei by George Leonard
Dutton, June 1999.Hardcover, 206 pages.
ISBN: 0525944133.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
This reference by fifth-degree
blackbelt and acclaimed martial art
Aikido teacher George Leonard provides
readers with a new way to view life and
solve life's problems.
The main focus of the book is to learn how
to refocus your energy to turn painful
and stressful situations into pleasant and
uplifting ones. Leonard provides advice
and suggestions on how this can be done,
including experiences from his own life
and teachings. George Leonard writes
that with Aikido's philosophy, "contexts
change, life's unanticipated blows
become gifts, attacks lead to reconciliation,
discord is transformed into harmony,
anxiety and pain are reborn as vital energy."
In addition to teaching the philosophy of Aikido,
Leonard also explains mind-body exercises from
his own body of work called Leonard Energy
Training. These exercises are inspired by Aikido,
but designed for those who are not trained in the martial art.
The Way of Aikido is
a great introduction to Aikido and its
philosophy (without having to actually
physically train in martial arts) from a
highly respected Aikido instructor. Those with high
stress levels in their daily lives should definitely
take a look at this book.
Nonfiction Reviews
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Return to the July 1999 issue of The IWJ.
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