Customer Reviews

Something More: Excavating Your Authentic Self

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

This is one of a handful of books I've read that changed the way I look at myself -- and another on that short list is Simple Abundance which I'm working through for the 3rd time as I write "morning pages" daily. This is NOT a sequel to SA -- in lots of ways it doesn't seem to be written by the same Sarah -- but by a more mature, more worldly wise, more "evolved" one. Repeatedly in my reading of SM, Sarah brought me to tears--because she knows me--and made me see myself much more clearly, made me face some issues I've ignored for 50+ years--and helped me see a path ahead. The margins are crammed with my notes to Sarah, to myself, to my past. A person who thinks this is only a book about how bad most men are couldn't have read with a woman's heart. Is there bitterness? Yes--life has its bitter spots, too. But is there hope? Darned right. And if a reader doesn't see the "gratitude" and "joy" in the message of this one, I'm sad for that reader. It's not a "ruffles and lace" book at all. It's a no holds barred look at life--with lots of real-life examples, many of which aren't pretty. On page 59, she writes, "Could there be anything more important than living without regrets?" I think the whole book is about HOW to live without regrets.

I am a nineteen-year-old college student. I have never been married, and currently have no prospects of doing so. I struggle through mid-terms. I live in a dormitory with a group of amazing friends, my second family. My life is hopelessly and joyously flawed.

When I finished reading Simple Abundance and returned it to my bookshelf with a satisfied sigh, I left it with a newly-found contentment and an insatiable hunger to be myself--whoever that ended up being. A family woman? A career gal? A chemist? A teacher? Suddenly, prestige (as it is defined by the world)did not matter, as long as I knew that I was doing what my true self was begging me to do.

When I came across Something More by accident, I bought it without hesitation, hoping for yet another shot of self-esteem booster. While the writing style is artful and refreshing, the content was a complete departure from what I had come to love in Simple Abundance. Since I have never known the pain of divorce, I felt that most of the book did not apply to me since break-ups, rather than authenticity, were the theme. I also felt that the book as a whole did not have the cohesiveness of the original; at some points, it just wandered.

If you are a woman who is trying to overcome a painful divorce, Something More may be just what you have been looking, but for those of you who are searching for more self-discovery, re-read Simple Abundance instead.

Unlike many of the more recent reviewers here, I did not read "Simple Abundance" before I started the sequel. Also unlike many of the recent reviewers, I found "Something More" to be incredibly insightful, wonderfully written and a true gift FROM as well as TO the Soul.

I found the life stories within this book to be beautifully encouraging and inspiring, rather than depressing and anger-filled as several have noted. Life is an adventure, fraught with disappointment and sadness, as well as all the other "cozy" feelings we seek and need. And I, for one, am glad she didn't pull any punches and told things just as they are.

Excavating, searching, looking and definitely *finding* your Authentic Self takes a lot of courage. We all have it. THAT's what this book is all about and it gives us some concrete tools with which to do this. Thank you, Sarah, for daring to speak your Truth and helping so many of us along the way.

Read it. You won't regret it if you listen to your heart along the way.

I can't compare this one. I will say that I found this book to touch the core of my life as it is at this point. I'm approaching 50, though, and I'm not really sure it's a book for women under maybe 40! I found the anecdotes of women's lives and experiences to be reassuring in the sense that we need to know we're really not alone in how we feel as, what we experience as and how we approach being women. Sarah's approach to being a woman mirrors my discoveries for myself and the woman I'm becoming. While I didn't agree with everything, i.e. I don't believe in soul mates at this point, I did find her insights into our needs, dreams, anxieties, foibles and even "angers" to be dead on based on the woman I happen to be. At times I felt she was actually encouraging leaving relationships, but I must admit that since I'm anxious to discover the moment that is right for leaving mine, I found her words somehow comforting. I do not believe, however, that she is encouraging all women to divorce their husbands, but to finally simply realize their worth as an individual. I think the point is that once we do that we can heal those relationships that are salvageable and finally see those that aren't for what they are. I can see how some would see it as selfish because to a large extent she is encouraging us to be selfish, but I think as grownups we can certainly decipher what she ultimately means by the kind of selfishness that we must move toward. This book might not be for every woman, but it's one that I'm heartily recommending to my women friends.

This book is a waste of time! Good old Sarah, who did a fabulous job with Simple Abundance, really blew it with this one. She comes off sounding bitter at the break-up of her marriage (which she spent so much time lauding in SA)--she really goes off the deep end with the examples of "Soul-mates". Celebrities who want women they can't have (duh!) and men who after 20 years of marriage want to have a new face rather than to face their own issues). This book was a vehicle for her own healing and should have been kept as a journal--not published! Get a grip Sarah--your "soul-mate" is NOT going to save you from yourself and your bitterness and your life disappointments. Irresponsible writing if you consider the more gullible women out there. She basically says "dump that guy you've got for Prince Charming awaits!" She's been watching too many movies. If you have to read it--get it at the library. This one's going in the 25 cent pile at my next yard sale.

I found Something More: Excavating Your Authentic Self very inspiring and very uplifting. She is not offering a cure-all, solve your problems type of information, Sarah Ban Breathnack is giving her listeners insights on soul searching, thinking about themselves and coming to terms by telling stories of other women who have questioned their role in life, questioned their feelings about home and family, as well as children, lovers, and friends. I found myself as I was listening to the tapes, say "that's how I feel!" After listening to her tapes I found I could say that my feelings about myself and others was real, was normal, was o.k. At 46 years old, I wanted to believe that my life has had meaning and has had a positive effect on others. Her stories re-affirmed what I already knew about myself, yet also made me take another look at myself and my life. I would recommend Something More to anyone who has felt overwhelmed by life and the obligations of being a woman. These tapes are a feel good, my life is alot better than I thought kind of listening.

Naively, I misunderstood the `authentic self' in the subtitle, I was thinking in Jungian terms, that is, who we are in our souls and behind the materialistic layers and personas we wear. That's not what this book is about, it's about piling on the stuff. Still, never let it be said that I'm not fun. I looked around my house for magazines with glossy pictures, as required by the exercises. I found computer, investment, and environmental magazines...okay, I'm not fun. But still game, I did get as far as tearing out a few pictures of expensively-attired, skinny, teenaged models. I noted with some interest that not only did I not look like that, neither did the models, they were air-brushed. I wasn't sure if this meant my Authentic Self might be an Anime cartoon character, because around this point I got lost and just tried to read the book for its wisdom, and got further lost. It's not that it doesn't have any wisdom, some of the points taken by themselves are valid enough. I agree with the sentiment that all women deserve to be treated like queens. I'd also be agreeable if someone said we deserve to have lightening flashing from our fingertips. But the book is quite serious in its insistence that we all need to find rich young studs, who will coincidently also be our soul-mates, to do the treating, and that we should dump our husbands along with our worn-out undies pronto and get searching. Finding new underwear is excitement enough for me, I'm confused as to where we're all going to find rich young studs waiting for us to take advantage of them. Some alternate reality, perhaps? Besides, I'm extremely fond of my husband, and since Brad Pitt is now married (and probably leery of stalkers to boot), I decided to disregard the advice.

This book presents the type of woman I most loathe, the greedy, self-absorbed, `gimme-gimme' type. They have a desperation about them that's ugly. I was especially cynical about some of the buzz-words in the book. "Soul-mates' is one, I've heard too many people claim they've found their `soul-mate' and had the relationship not last a weekend. And `passion' should have a deeper meaning than naked lust. I'm not as clueless as to who I really am as this book would suggest and I can't imagine too many women are, unless they've been tied for years in a basement or have just awakened with amnesia. One positive thing about the book - I hated the shallow image so much that I was forced to look at my own faults, and resolved to be less demanding and whiny and more appreciative of my husband. In effect, I got from it the opposite of what I was supposed to.

I liked "Simple Abundance" so much that I suppose I was bound to find this one somewhat disappointing. But I didn't expect it to be SO completely different in tone and timbre from "Simple Abundance." In fact, "Something More" seemed to contradict the comforting message of the first -- which was to find peace and contentment in the things you have. Like many women, I looked to Ban Breathnach as a role model -- as a woman who put the "art" back into the domestic arts. She gave both the career woman and stay-at-home mother permission to enjoy creating home and family ties; to take pride in building a family life of beauty and grace.

Then along comes "Something More," and the sad and rather surprising stories of the author's divorce and new life as a now-free-to-go-her-own-way single parent. For some reason, this hit me as a slam to the warmth and coziness she artfully created in the first book -- and I felt disturbed, maybe even cheated. Worse yet, the second book tarnished the shine of the first for me, or rather, showed me that the author's "Simple Abundance" wasn't quite so simple or so abundant.

I hate to add my own to the other voices expressing such disappointment -- as the author is a fine writer -- but there you have it.

Women of America, WAKE UP! If you want to find your soulmate, read Harville Hendrix's "Getting the Love You Want." Instead of dumping your husband, do the difficult and meaningful work required to become someone capable of intimacy. That's the only way you'll receive the love you so deeply crave. Ban Breathnach has it all wrong. Happiness in relationships is NOT about finding that one perfect man--it's about becoming that one perfect woman.

After having sold at least 50 copies everywhere I went in my initial praises of "Simple Abundance", I was quite disappointed at this book. After reading it, I personally knew of only one woman who would relate; a newly divorced woman with grown children. I sent her a copy and received a thank you note saying that the book was a life saver/changer for HER.

Hmmm... So what happened? "Simple Abundance" appealed to me since it seemed to reach "everywoman". Tragically, it appears that the enormous success of that book changed the author's cozy life and "Something More" has a tinge of anger at her new solitary life.

As such, I would recommend this book to single women or women with grown children searching for that "something more" - whether it be in career or relationships. But, if you are in the throes of a young family - you already have your "more than enough" and this book is not for you.