BOOK REVIEW: "I Am Potential" by Patrick Henry Hughes

Probably not the best book for a pregnant woman to be reviewing, the first few chapters of I Am Potential: Eight Lessons on Living, Loving, and Reaching Your Dreams detail the devastation when first time parents find out that their newborn son is far from physically normal and healthy. Patrick Henry was born without eyes and with shortened limbs that limit his upper body range and make it impossible for him to walk.

I moved quickly through those opening paragraphs compelled by a vain hope that right there on page 34 or 35 a miracle would be pronounced - the doctors would realize that in fact Patrick Henry could develop eyes to see the world through and sprout strong limbs to play football with his father. But that was not the story Patrick Henry and his father would, or wanted, to tell.

Instead both father and son alternately tell the reader about Patrick Henry's path through young life --- the operations, the hope and distress, the young boy's selflessness, his courage and in particular, his passion for playing the piano.

The "eight lessons" in the book's subtitle might signal warning bells to those fatigued by the self help genre, and "I am potential" is certainly a classic self help presentation. But at least there's no lecturing here, no guided visits to the depths of your being in the hopes of transforming your soul, no promises of self realization. It's just a simply told tale of lives that would have been less than whole without the determination and open heartedness of a boy named Patrick Henry.


---Niamh Bushnell
imagineatrium.com

BOOK REVIEW: "Cads, Princes & Best Friends: A Tale of Lust, Love & Redemption" A Memoir by Danielle Coulanges

“God answers prayers. Although God’s answer is immediate, the particular way it unfolds may take time.”

When the memoir begins Danielle is living in downtown Jersey City , New Jersey in the 1990s. For the last decade she has allowed herself to be trapped in an unhealthy relationship with a real cad. This is a woman dealing with some heavy self esteem issues; she finally breaks away from this doomed relationship and begins working on recreating her life and ultimately herself. Desperate to start her life over, she needs to find a rewarding career, a loving relationship and a spiritual home.

Danielle is looking for a Christian church that will inspire her to become a more spiritually grounded person. Central to the story is the author’s blossoming faith in God which parallels her growing faith in herself. Her personal growth and spiritual growth are closely linked in this story.

Danielle Coulanges’s first book, Cads, Princes & Best Friends: A Tale of Lust, Love & Redemption, is a raw memoir that reads like you are literally reading pages of her diary and peering into her most intimate world. The author was born in the Caribbean island of Haiti and came to the New York City area at the age of sixteen in the mid 1970's. She's had careers as a fashion designer, entertainer, compliance officer and business woman.

This book is certainly not a roller coaster ride of excitement, but it is a story of a real person dealing with real situations. I think many readers will see themselves in this tale of lust, love and redemption and would recommend this to anyone who needs to make changes in her life or is on a spiritual quest.


---Jennifer Rossi
imagineatrium.com



For more Jersey authors, visit Imagine Atrium's author page.

BOOK REVIEW "Fresh Food From Small Spaces" by R.J. Ruppenthal

Oh, the timeliness! Oh, the comforting knowledge this book gave me! Timely and comforting, because, being blessed with something rather rare in the NYC area, a backyard garden that I've cultivated for years, I saw it suddenly threatened by construction occuring on the empty lot next door! Instead of a vacant space, I was becoming hemmed in by a four story building, the first level of which was an ugly concrete wall along the whole left side of my garden! Apprehensive about possible loss of sunlight, I worried it might not be possible to grow my favorite vegetables, tomatoes and eggplants next summer. Then along came this book, filled with reassuring facts, telling me such things as, "even when there is little direct sunlight, light-colored concrete walls provide enough reflected light to grow many vegetables," and suggested trellises be placed all along those bare, ugly walls.

It spoke of container gardening and tiered gardening, so my tomatoes could reach for the sun more effectively. Some of the book's suggestions, such as chicken raising and honeybee keeping, are really not feasible for the city---although it says they are. Chapter eleven has gotten me intrigued by...of all things, composting using worms, which can be (the book says) easily done in one's basement or garage using a couple of plastic bins. I am going to try it! It's ecologically sound, not smelly or unsanitary, and a good way to dream away the winter months while (hopefully) producing rich compost to fertilize next summer's garden which, according to this book, can be prolific and beautiful, four story building or not!


---Jane Pedler
imagineatrium.com

Wanna buy the book? Find it at an independent bookstore near you at Indiebound.org.