Teach Us to Sit Still: A Skeptic's Search for Health and Healing [Hardcover]

Tim Parks (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 26, 2011

Teach Us to Sit Still is the visceral, thought-provoking, and inexplicably entertaining story of how Tim Parks found himself in serious pain, how doctors failed to help, and the quest he took to find his own way out.

 

Overwhelmed by a crippling condition which nobody could explain or relieve, Parks follows a fruitless
journey through the conventional medical system only to find relief in the most unexpected place: a
breathing exercise that eventually leads him to take up meditation. This was the very last place Parks
anticipated finding answers; he was about as far from New Age as you can get.

 

As everything that he once held true is called into question, Parks confronts the relationship between
his mind and body, the hectic modern world that seems to demand all our focus, and his chosen life as
an intellectual and writer. He is drawn to consider the effects of illness on the work of other writers, the role of religion in shaping our sense of self, and the influence of sports and art on our attitudes toward health and well-being. Most of us will fall ill at some point; few will describe that journey with the same verve, insight, and radiant intelligence as Tim Parks. Captivating and inspiring, Teach Us to Sit Still is an intensely personal—and brutally honest—story for our times.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A small triumph of narrative artistry, luxuriantly written and full of bone-dry humor.”   The Spectator

 

 “A searingly honest, viscerally vivid, darkly comic self-examination of the connections between writing, personality and health.”  David Lodge

 

“A mystery story written with extraordinary nerve and eloquence...The result is harrowing, mordant, and unforgettable.”  David Shields

About the Author

TIM PARKS is the author of novels, nonfiction, and essays. He has won the Somerset Maugham, Betty Trask, and Llewellyn Rhys awards and been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. His works include Destiny, Europa, Dreams of Rivers and Seas, Italian Neighbors, An Italian Education, and A Season with Verona.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (April 26, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1609611586
• ISBN-13: 978-1609611583
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #644,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Diseases & Physical Ailments > Chronic Pain

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars It's About Meditation - Sort Of... June 20, 2011

By Rabid Reader VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I was familiar with Tim Parks writing based upon his books about his life as an expatriate in Italy. He is a dryly funny writer with a real flair for drawing his readers in. This book is no exception, but it is very different than his other non-fiction works. His books on Italy provide a glimpse into the peculiarities of that which is foreign. This book provides a glimpse into that which is familiar; namely, the human body and its processes. But perhaps more significantly, it unflinchingly examines the ability of human beings to live with a dichotomy of self - and what the ultimate consequences of that may be.

If you are uncomfortable with frank descriptions of the body, medical procedures and sexuality, then this book will be a very disturbing one for you, because Parks is frank. Very frank. But if you are able to move past Victorian sensibilities, you will find there is a lot to be learned here. You will probably end up knowing a whole lot more about the prostate gland that you ever wanted to, but because it is integral to the story, it figures prominently into the narrative. Trust the author and stick with him.

When all is said and done, this book is about coming to terms with who we are. It's about Parks experience, but his thoughts, feelings and pain will not seem foreign to most of us.

Take time to explore the train of thought that this book will undoubtedly spark in you as a reader. I didn't come away from reading it feeling like I was dramatically changed - it isn't a prescription for a metaphysical epiphany - but it was thought provoking and unflinchingly honest. It is was a worthwhile read for me, and I believe it will be for you as well.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not always an easy read, but we should all learn to relax and sit still! July 16, 2011

By Angela Wolf

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Tim Parks was a reasonably healthy guy, when he started having severe pains and trouble going to the bathroom. The first half of this book documents how his condition gradually took over his life. Doctors ran every kind of test on him - they all came back normal. Even so, many of them recommended surgery. Well, Tim was terrified of the surgery.

Even though he considers himself a huge skeptic, Parks tried other methods of healing. Part Two of this book discusses his journey to health again. The methods that helped him the most were meditation, shiatsu massage, and essentially learning to calm down and relax his tension. He realized his body had been tense his entire life, which no doubt contributed to his severe pain. He was sensitive to noise and needed quiet time to heal.

Part One of this book was difficult reading for me, but I enjoyed Part Two more, as Parks began to heal. However, the author is very intelligent and includes lots of references to artists and writers I haven't heard of, so I have a feeling many things were over my head.

However, I would recommend this to anyone who is battling an unknown illness, and anyone who suspects that it would benefit their health to learn to relax and sit still.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Funny Memoir About Illness and Recovery July 12, 2011

By Barbara J. Mitchell VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Tim Parks is a successful writer who has written novels, nonfiction, and various magazine articles. Now he has written a unique memoir in which he is searching for a diagnosis or solution to mysterious pains and other physical symptoms no one can figure out.

Rather than a sad, whiny, poor-ol'-me sort of memoir, this is honest, factual, and often funny. At first he thinks his terrible pain, urinary frequency and other symptoms are simply physical. Prostate is the first body part to come under suspicion of course, but when he finally sees a doctor and has tests, that suspicion doesn't pan out. He is very funny about the indignity of his symptoms and more so the tests.

Then he fears he has cancer but that doesn't seem to be the case either. There is no physical diagnosis. He buys a book that helps some, but mostly convinces him that his lifelong constant tension and anxiety could be the problem. He tries therapy, massage, and finally retreats. What happens to his mind and his physical symptoms along the way is surprising but entirely believable. This guy doesn't just launch into possible solutions with enthusiasm; rather he drags himself into them with a hearty dose of skepticism. He would be the first to detect quackery and denounce it.

I loved his humor and the fact that the best thing he learned in this process was to be honest with himself. His wife was at first supportive, then bored with the whole thing, and then very happy with the new Tim Parks. I hadn't read anything by him previously, but I imagine his writing became much better, and took a whole new direction during his long search for a cure. Memoir lovers, this is for you. I think you'll find it unique among the other memoirs you've read.