From Booklist
Self-help books are increasingly popular and readily available in bookstores and libraries. Their quality varies, and their indiscriminate use can be hazardous. The Best Self-Help and Self-Awareness Books offers readers not only a selection of the best titles, but also a guide on how to select from a wide array. Fried is chair of the psychology department at Park College and speaks nationally on the popularization of psychology. Schultis is a reference librarian at Park College. The authors discuss the nature and appeal of self-help books, perceived as private, comforting, and inexpensive alternatives to formal therapy. Specific selection criteria are offered, which range from examination of the author's credentials to scanning for readability. The following chapters have extended essays and annotated bibliographies that give readers insight into areas of concern and enough information about the books to make a thoughtful choice. The chapters include "Romance, Love, Marriage, and Divorce" ; "Sexuality" ; "Parenting" ; "Self-Development" ; "Stress Management" ; "Psychological and Substance-Related Disorders" ; "Coping with Chronic Illness, Disability, and Death" ; and "Aging." The arrangement of the more than 200 titles with substantial annotations in the bibliographies corresponds to the topical subdivision of the narrative sections. "Romance, Love, Marriage, and Divorce," for example, is divided in both sections into the subjects of loneliness and shyness, dating, violence in relationships, committed relationships, gay and lesbian relationships, marriage, remarriage, marriage and family therapy, and divorce. Children's books are occasionally included. The author-title-subject index allows easy access.
Finding Help: A Reference Guide to Personal Concerns [RBB O 1 95] addresses many of the same areas, lists more titles, and includes hotlines and associations, but essays and annotations are brief. Bill and Linda Katz's Self-Help: 1,400 Best Books on Personal Growth (Bowker, 1985), though dated, includes many useful titles that are still available. The Best Self-Help is readable and easy to use. Professionals in helping fields who recommend books to clients will find it useful, as will the general reader. Recommended for public libraries.
