Matters Community Activities | Ye Yucan's Growth Book List

Thinking about the books you've read in the penultimate month of 2021 is a good way to look back. Before I started to write the main text, I deleted and edited the book list of the writing outline several times on the manuscript, and finally selected the book that inspired me deeply or moved me to tears, so there are several books that had a deep influence on my early life. 's book of enlightenment.

Can be divided into four categories:

• 1. Psychology and Psychological Counseling "The Gift of Life: 85 Memos for Psychotherapists"
  Depression Self-Help Manual
  "The Art of Love"
  100 Creative Exercises to Repair Emotions
• 2. The teen novel "Five People I Met in Heaven"
  "Charlotte's Web"
• 3. Science "The Complete Works of Fabre Insects"
  "The Fourth Virus"
  "Sick America"
• 4. Writing "Writing Lesson: One bird after another is just right! 》

The above is the outline of the paper list, and then the text begins!

1. Psychology and psychological counseling

The book of psychology and psychological counseling is a guide for my life, and it is also a redemption for being trapped in emotional distress. I have selected the following books to recommend to you.

(1) The Gift of Life: 85 Memoranda for Psychotherapists
Author: Owen. Aaron (USA)

Existential psychotherapy master Owen. Yaron's 85 memo to psychotherapists, "The Gift of Life," which contains the essence of his long years of psychotherapy. This is my bedside book, and I flip through it before bed whenever I'm feeling down. Manduo's notes are very enlightening to me, and can also form self-supporting beliefs.

The title of the book "The Gift of Life" is also a metaphor often used in psychological counseling: the trauma, pain, and grief experienced in life are painful and painful at the moment, but it is a gift from God, but it is just ugly. , When we unpack the external packaging of ugly pain, what we will get is more tenderness, understanding, empathy and the ability to accept and accompany life.

Share my favorite sentences:

When it comes to the meaning of life, Yaron believes:

It is best to approach the meaning of life in a roundabout way. What we have to do is invest in every possible meaning, especially one that has self-transcendence.

If the therapist removes the barrier, the patient will mature naturally, understand his potential, and even reach a higher level of integration beyond the therapist who helped him

Patient: "What can I give you? I just can't imagine. I feel like I'm useless. I've never achieved anything in my life."
Therapist: "But we like a person not just because of his achievements, but because of who he is, don't you?"
Patient: "That's right, me too."
Therapist: "Then why don't you trust people to like you because of who you are?"

Book link here

(2) "Depression Self-Help Manual"
Author: Lee Coleman (USA)

This book is the practical culmination of the author's clinical consulting and educational supervision work. Many books on depression only talk about the causes, but less on the description of specific depression care policies. This book is different from other books on depression in that it teaches depression patients, their families and companions. Very practical experience, not only in understanding the disease depression, but also how to choose medical treatment, how to self-assess the treatment status, how to take care of yourself, and most importantly, it has a chapter on how to assist patients with suicidal thoughts, From the patient's self-protection and the specific principles of how family members and companions accompany the patient.

The "Depression Self-Help Manual" especially emphasizes that " depression is not synonymous with sadness ". The sadness caused by depression will be more intense, may be far beyond the normal level, and last longer. Regarding the difference between sadness and depression, the author of this book cited the difference between Freud's classic paper "Mourning and Melancholy":

When you indulge in sadness, the world feels empty; when you are depressed, you feel empty.

In today’s era of accelerating everything, the compression of time, space, and living resources has caused many people to suffer from different physical and mental symptoms. Education in this area is also very necessary. It teaches people how to deal with and face physical and mental symptoms. This book is worth recommending. For your reference.

Book link here

(3) The Art of Love
Author: Erich. Fromm (USA)

Fromm was the first psychologist to argue that "love" and "the ability to love" are worth talking about. In 1956, he published a book on love, The Art of Love. The book's in-depth analysis and insights on "love" and "the ability to love" make this book one of the classics of contemporary psychology.

Fromm tells readers that love, like all arts and learnings in the world, can also be learned; love is not something that is unpredictable, unattainable, or something to be played with and applauded. Love has solid theoretical and practical methods.

He defines "mature love" as:

Mature love is union under the conditions of preserving one's integrity, preserving one's individuality. Love is the active force in man's life that breaks through the walls separating him from his fellow human beings, and unites him with others; love lifts him out of isolation and isolation, yet allows him to be him himself, allowing him to retain his integrity.

When I was young, I was very confused about "love". I found "The Art of Love" published by Xinchao Wenku of Zhiwen Publishing House in the library. Although I was very ignorant when I first read it, I was too young, but I read Fu Luo at that time. Mu's analysis of love gave me a direction for understanding the matter of "loving others and loving oneself". Later, I bought a copy and put it on the bookshelf. Later, when I encountered doubts in life, I would read it from time to time. This is one of the most important enlightenment books in my life.

In 2021, Taiwan's Trojan Culture Publishing House republished "The Art of Love", the book link is here

(4) "100 Creative Exercises to Repair Emotions: Transfer Stress, Anxiety, Fear, and Anxiety to Art, Remove Pain, and Soothe Body and Mind"
Author: Leah. Guzman (USA)

Leah Guzman, author of 100 Creative Exercises to Repair Emotions, is a professional artist and art therapist. He has been practicing art therapy for 17 years and has taught in schools, hospitals, prisons, shelters, nursing homes and more. Online courses are also available, specializing in the treatment of people with anxiety and depression. Her intention in writing this book is to create a safe environment for clients to express their emotions creatively and create new opportunities for life.

I saw this book when I was idling on the Internet. I was attracted by several small exercises in the catalogue that I was very interested in (especially the chapters on digital and photography creation), so I bought it for reference. After I got the book and read it carefully, I found that the introduction to "art therapy" in the first chapter of the book and the matching warm-up exercises are actually quite suitable as an introductory book for art therapy. In addition, when I participated in growth groups in the past, group leaders often used expressive art therapy to lead members to self-exploration, expression, and release of repressed emotions through writing, painting, dance, drama, and music. I have long realized that art therapy can effectively help patients with psychosomatic disorders, just like the subtitle of this book:

Transfer stress, anxiety, fear, and anxiety to art, relieve pain, and soothe the body and mind.

Book link here

The teenage novels

In my reading books, novels account for a very important proportion, so when writing this book list, it is really difficult to choose which ones to put in. In the end, the final selection is based on the tear-jerking level. This article lists two books that I think are the most tear-jerking. Touching teenage novel.

(5) "Five People I Met in Heaven"
Author: Mitch Albon (USA)

This book is written by the same author as the best-selling spiritual growth book "The Last 14 Tuesday Lessons," and he wrote it for anyone who thinks there's no point in coming to this world. The author hopes to convey that if you think that you are insignificant and that life is meaningless, you will understand after reading this book: everyone is important. We come to the world to meet others.

I read this novel when I was in college. As the story of the protagonist meeting five people in heaven who are intertwined with his life gradually unfolded, and the interrogation of the protagonist's life's meaning was approaching, the truth of the final story made my tears go out of control. break the embankment. Since I have also been troubled by the emptiness of life for many years, those who hope to find the meaning of life can especially empathize with the protagonist's question about the meaning of his life. After reading this novel, some of the deficiencies in my heart were comforted a lot. This book is also a novel that I will read again and again when I fall into a low ebb.

Book link here

(6) "Charlotte's Web"
Author: Alvin Brooks White (USA)

This book is one of the symbols of my childhood memories, and the novel that moved me deeply as a child. At that time, I read the version of the Oriental Publishing House in Taiwan. The Chinese translation of the book is "Little Pig and the Spider". The novel is not thick, but the inner emotions are very full. The story depicts the cross-species friendship between Webber the pig and Charlotte the spider. The piglet Webber, who was originally meant to be raised as a pork chop on the dining table, got rid of the fate of being slaughtered because of the wisdom of his friend Charlotte the spider, and was able to live in peace on the farm. I really like the sincere friendship conveyed in the book, as well as the delicate description of the farm scenery. The turning point of the plot in the latter part of the novel also moved me very much, but to avoid spoilers, I will not repeat it here. All in all, it's a teenage novel that adults and children should read together.

Book link here

3. Science

I am also an omnivore of knowledge. I like to read popular science books. Here are three books related to scientific topics for readers to know.

(7) The Complete Works of Fabre's Insects (10 volumes)
Author: Fabre (France)

Fabre is a famous French entomologist, he was a pioneer researcher in entomology in France in the 19th century. The greatest gift he left to future generations is his patient observation records of insects (such as the book web page introduction: In-depth exploration of the mysteries of insect behavior), as well as delicately depicted hand-painted manuscripts of insect observations. This set of books is the enlightenment of my childhood popular science books. There are ten volumes in total, and each volume introduces the ecology of an insect.

I like Fabre's approachable writing tone very much, like a grandfather who is still childish and loves research, introducing readers to the insects he is fascinated by research. Another unexpected benefit of reading this set of Insects is that I became a girl who is not afraid of bugs when I was a child. I can view pests such as cockroaches and spiders with rational eyes, and there will be no inexplicable fear. This book is great for family reading.

Book link here

(8) "Level 4 Virus"
Author: Joseph. McCormick, Susan. Fisher Hall (USA)

The original version of this book was released in 1996, and the Chinese version in Taiwan has undergone several reprints. The latest version will be launched in 2021 (for details, please refer to the link I attached). This is my enlightenment book on public health care and infectious disease prevention in high school. Before Taiwan was hit by the SARS storm in 2003, I was fortunate to have established a preliminary understanding of public health and epidemic prevention policies through this book.

This book is the personal experience of the frontline virologists. The two authors are husband and wife, colleagues, and comrades-in-arms on the front line against the deadly virus. Using the grammar of non-fiction novels, they are divided into several story branches, layer by layer to reveal the deadly original appearance of high-mortality infectious diseases such as Ebola, Hantavirus, and AIDS. I like that the author can tell a good story in the way of mystery novels by exploring the transmission route of infectious diseases while taking into account the scientific nature, and lead readers to explore the unknown and dangerous field of infectious diseases with them. This book is still very readable in the special situation of human beings fighting against the raging new crown pneumonia.

Links to the 2021 edition of the book are here

(9) "Severely Sick America: 4 Key Lessons in the Pandemic Era, How We Reflect on Healthcare, Human Rights and Freedoms"
Author: Timothy. Snyder (USA)

Unlike the previous book "The Fourth Virus", which was about the prevention and control of infectious diseases in the 1990s, this "Severely Sick America" exposes the first-hand medical treatment in the contemporary United States in the face of the first wave of the new coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Hospital records. I think many people, like me, are very surprised that the United States, the leader in the medical and biotechnology industries, was hit hard by the new crown pneumonia epidemic last year, and the number of infected patients ranks first in the world, because in our impression, the United States He is also a leader in public health research. Why did the United States have a heart-wrenching collapse of the public defense line when faced with the first wave of the epidemic?

The author of this book is a well-known American historian and the author of "Tyranny". He has solid research training and a high quality of written records. Unfortunately, he was seriously ill and went to the emergency room before the outbreak of the epidemic in the United States. Vulnerability and helplessness under the impact of the new crown epidemic. This book is a rich "field record" of the US epidemic. It is worth reading by interested readers. I believe it can answer some of the readers' doubts about the outbreak and rapid spread of the US epidemic.

The following text cites the book's web page introduction:

On December 29, 2019, well-known historian Timothy. Snyder was admitted to the emergency room of a hospital in the United States. In the following series of neglected, full of mistakes, and disturbed by the new type of coronavirus pneumonia, he deeply realized that although the country he lives in holds high the banner of democracy, freedom and human rights, it also helps the world to establish medical care as a human rights, but in fact a total failure. After recovering from the illness, he wrote down his own life experience, compared with the past experience in other countries' medical systems, and historical lessons, and made a painful appeal to the US medical system where profits are paramount and politically driven.

Book link here

4. Writing

In the last one, I introduce my favorite writing book to readers.

(10) "Writing Lesson: One bird after another is just right!" 》
Author: An. Lamotte (USA)

Author Anne Lamott brings together her many years of teaching writing classes and helping students overcome writing barriers to present us this intimate writing guide using the most inspiring short stories in her life as the title of the book.

By the way, when I browse many books on writing, this Chinese version published by Savage Culture uses a design of hand-painted bird arrangement, which is quite childish and attracts my attention the most.

I love this little story that inspired the title of the book, written in the second chapter of this book.

Thirty years ago, when my brother was ten years old, he had to hand in a bird report the next day. Although he had been working on the assignment for three months before, there had been no progress.
We were vacationing at the cottage in Bolinas, and he was sitting at a dining table surrounded by workbooks, pencils, and unopened bird books.
Facing the arduous task in front of him, he didn't know how to proceed, and he was almost crying.
Later, my father sat down beside him, put his hand on his shoulder and said:
"Bird after bird, mate. Just bird after bird, step by step."

The author goes on to write:

Writing can be a frustrating job because it touches on our deepest needs: to be seen, to be heard, to have meaning in our lives, to wake up, to grow, and to belong, and it’s no wonder we sometimes Take everything that is related to you too seriously. . . . that's all we have to do now: we'll just take it slow, bird by bird, and we'll finish this short article eventually.

Writing, after all, still has to be taken step by step. Just by accumulating ideas in the head, without expression and output, it cannot be conveyed to others.

Writing is also the sorting out of self-experience. When the joy or challenges of life are rushing in like waves, our senses are blocked. However, after the situation has changed, when we are alone, we can carefully precipitate our thoughts, reflect and organize, and then we can find the uniqueness and meaning of our own existence. .

Book link here

Written at the end of the article: I am very happy to catch up with the last train of the Matt City community event "My 10 Favorite Books". This is also my first time to participate in Matt City's essay call activity. I didn't expect that this article will be nearly 5,000 words long, which shows that I really love these ten books. I also learned a lot from seeing the book list shared by other companions. Thank you @guchen who hosted the event , which gave me the opportunity to review the past reading experience and recall the touching and harvest at that time.