“Constructive wallowing” seems like an oxymoron. Constructive is a good thing, but wallowing is bad. Right? But wait a minute; is it really so terrible to give ourselves a time-out to feel our feelings? Or is it possible that wallowing is an act of loving kindness, right when we need it most? Just about everyone loves the idea of self-compassion -- the notion that maybe in spite of our messy emotions and questionable behavior, we really aren’t all that bad. In recent years there’s been an explosion of books that encourage readers to stop beating themselves up for being human, which is terrific. Unfortunately, readers who aren’t interested in Buddhism or meditation have been left out in the cold. Self-compassion is an everyday habit that everyone can learn, even if they a) aren't particularly spiritual, b) find most books about self-compassion too serious, or else c) have already overdosed on meditation. Constructive Wallowing: How to Beat Bad Feelings by Letting Yourself Have Them is the first book to cut right to the chase, bypassing descriptions of Eastern philosophy and meditation techniques to teach readers exactly how to accept and feel their feelings with self-compassion for greater emotional health and well-being … while making them laugh from time to time. It seems that the wisdom of “keeping your friends close and your enemies closer” applies to emotions as well as people. It’s tempting to turn away from menacing, uncomfortable feelings like anger, grief or regret and treat them like unwanted guests; however, ignoring them just seems to make them stick around. They lurk in the background like punks with switchblades, waiting to pounce as soon as they see an opening. By learning to accept and embrace, rather than suppress, difficult feelings, people can keep their sense of personal power and, better yet, gain greater understanding and ultimately esteem for themselves. Feeling bad can actually lead to feeling better, faster!

In this, a sequel to Richard Varner’s first novel, The Journalist’s Children, the American Correspondent, Linda Hara, returns to Cruxville, Illinois after decades in Asia to confront the most daunting challenge of her life – facing her past. Linda is forty-eight, broke and has in tow her three-year-old, adopted Japanese kid, Naomi. She quickly settles into doing what Linda Hara does best, writing a provocative book -- Why We Are All Niggers ... And Racists, her deeply personal attack on the racist past which had destroyed her own family and sent her father to a mental institution for attempting to kill his then two-year-old daughter, Linda. The international adoption of Naomi forces Linda Hara to confront the role racism played in the formation of her own identity. Unexpectedly, Linda comes into a vast fortune, though of questionable origin, and she finds herself with the means to put to work in the real world the ideas for eradicating racism developed in her book. Now well financed, Linda’s plans gain the support of a renowned anthropologist, Professor Emeritus Hartford Keys, in whose field race has been discredited for decades as a baseless notion. Dr. Keys introduces Linda to his academic colleagues as well as to professors at the business school with the financial and media savvy to stir up the world. What ensues is the most treacherous conflict of Linda Hara’s long career as a journalist. The Japanese underworld attempts to recover their lost assets, which have been diverted through a cunning plan into Linda Hara’s control. The gangsters are joined in attacking Linda by religious fundamentalists, white supremacists, a conservative talk show host and an enraged black scholar, not to mention mainstream America, all of whom vehemently reject her far reaching plans for education and popular culture, plans which within a few short days after publication of her book manage to capture worldwide attention through a media blitz. Like Galileo four hundred years before her, Linda Hara finds herself paying a dreadful price for being out ahead of her time with ideas that will change the way people view themselves, ideas that explain -- Why We Are All Niggers ... And Racists.

Parents whose adult children have cut off contact wonder: How did this happen? Where did I go wrong? What happened to my loving child? Over time, holidays, birthdays, and even the birth of grandchildren may pass in silence. Anguish may turn into anger. While time, in and of itself, does not necessarily heal, actions do, and while every estrangement includes situation-specific variables, there are practical, effective, and universal techniques for understanding and healing these not-uncommon breaches. Psychotherapist Tina Gilbertson has developed these techniques and tools over years of face-to-face and online work with parents, who have found her strategies transformative and even life-changing. Gilbertson cuts through the blame, shame, and guilt on both sides of the broken relationship. Parents will feel heard and understood but also challenged — and guided — to reclaim their role as"tone setter" and grow psychologically. Exercises, examples, and sample scripts empower parents who have felt powerless. Gilbertson shows that reconciliation is a step-by-step process, but the effort is well worth it. It is never too late to renew relations and experience better-than-ever bonds.