Rating: 
Summary: many good points, but....
Review: There is much to recommend this book--one of the other reviewers has given a wonderful overview. It certainly has good ideas and is certainly no less worth reading or listening to than other self-help programs. The thing that bothers me about it, though, is what seems like the author's intense disrespect for other self-help programs of her own ilk. She speaks of the dysfunction of all that searching--looking for answers in one self-help program/method, and then another (she names some of the programs)--and, to me, a dispassionate "objective party," the others are no less (or more) valid than hers. She has a lot of truths, to be sure, and plenty of good points, and she has done a lot of thinking. (So have all the others!) But, by her own definition (even though maybe she doesn't realize this), you are being dysfunctional by looking to her for answers--since it's just one of those many self-help programs, after all. Maybe your own answers are no less valid than hers--maybe our mistake truly is looking to people like Ms. Ford for answers. After all, we're all only human--maybe she has no more answers, really, than any of the rest of us.
Rating: 
Summary: Understand and Follow Your Unique Divine Purpose in Life!
Review: This book deserves more than five stars! Ms. Ford provides a superb way to help you see past your ego and grasp the Divine meaning of the trials, failures, and successes you have experienced. I found the experience of reading, thinking about the book's contemplation quotes, and employing the action steps took me well beyond what I had learned from any previous book I had read or self-help course I had taken for establishing the right life mission. I am very grateful for this book, and have already given my copy to another person to help share the benefit I received.The key points in this book are nicely summarized by the author as follows: "First, we create our life stories in our attempt to become someone or something." These stories are usually built upon setbacks. "Our real fear is the disapproval of others, their harsh judgments, or the withdrawal of their love." "Second, our stories hold the key to our unique purpose in life and its fulfillment." "It is safe for me to contribute my specialty." "And third, hidden in the shadow of our story is a very special secret . . . [which will cause us to] stand in awe of the magnificence of our own humanity." When the personal story is removed, the Divine intention becomes apparent. One's personal story can be found in the themes behind the internal dialogue that runs through our minds all of the time, either putting ourselves down or saying that all is well. The book contains many excellent examples from the author's own life and those of people who have attended her courses or have been coached by her. I found the examples helped me to locate key events that helped form my perspective. Unlike some other teachers in this area, you are encouraged to remember the good, the bad, and the ugly. Without espousing a particular religion, Ms. Ford advances the idea that everything that has happened to us is Divinely purposeful preparation for our unique role. The stories she shares show how people have created enormous positive results in helping others, often by assisting others to overcome the same issues that were so overwhelming in the helper's own life. The chapters will take you through quite a lot of good thinking. I especially liked the sixth chapter that uses many different ways to help the reader connect new meaning to the events that have created so much emotional turmoil. "Our shadow beliefs establish our limits." Ms. Ford also understands that thinking can only take you so far. "Our minds cannot take us where our hearts long to go." There is a good check point near the end to help you test whether you have left the limits of your personal story behind. If you, like me, have read a lot of self-help books and attended many courses in various self-help subjects, you may be astonished by the number of examples in the book of people, like us, who have been unsuccessfully seeking the inner solution to their lives outside of their lives. When I finished the book and its action steps, I experienced one of the most important epiphanies of my life. Afterwards, I felt totally at peace. May you, like me, find your daily spiritual purpose!
Rating:
Summary: The Secret of The Shadow is Sound Advice!
Review: This book is chock full of great advice and warming affirmations that will help you to get in touch with yourself on many different levels. I remember reading "The Child Whisperer" by Matt Pasquinilli, and I had the same feeling I got while reading "The Secret of The Shadow.." If you have kids or work with them, get "The Child Whisperer" as a companion to "Shadow" - they don't cover the same exact information, but can compliment each other well.
Rating:
Summary: eh....
Review: This book is much like those diet pills that promise to make you thin over night. What I mean is, this book likes to "dangle carrots" in front of you. Instead of strating with, "How would you like to be rich? How you like to have the perfect body?" It dangles a different carrot- "How would you like to know your true self, be extremely happy, life the life of your dreams, and be special?" Probably anyone would say yes. But that is as much as this book offers- hope to cling to and keep on wishing. The idea of the book is that every single person has a "story" that sets limitations on themselves. THe stories usually have a theme, something like "I'm not good enough, I'm undeserving, I don't matter, No one wants me, There's something wrong with me, etc". Debbie Ford tells us that although we need our stories and they are a part of us, they are not the WHOLE us, and in order to find our true selves we must transcend our stories by healing the wounds from our past, taking back our projections and resentments, extracting the lessons and wisdom our stories teach us,offering our unique contribution to the world, and of course, finding the secret of our shadow (usually the opposite of what our theme is). Although it has some good exercises at the end of each chapter, it seems like the exercises are more for your head than your heart. You have to meditate and sometimes people are numb and can't bring up emotions from the past right away. Sometimes you just can't make yourself feel something instantly. If you're in a different mood or dont' care, the exercises won't work. People can be go from being sad one minute and then happy the next and sometimes it's hard to get into the past mood you were in at 5 hours ago in order to heal it. Some of the things that I don't like about the book are that Debbie Ford criticizes people who are stuck in ruts as if she's much better than them and can't have her time wasted by talking to them. And when she talks about unique specialties that each of our "stories" have given to us, everyone else's always pales in comparison to hers. It's an ok read, and Debbie gives many "dangling carrots" but the exercises don't work well. If you're going to buy it, at least get it for less than the 25 dollars she's charging for it. It's not worth it.
Rating:
Summary: WHAT A BOOK!
Review: This book is so easy to follow and you get the answers from YOURSELF and FAST! I think that Debbie Ford has put together a brilliant way to get to the root of what is driving us all... and then learn to deal with it! What a great concept. I would say that this book is an eye opener for anyone interested in seeing what is REALLY going on in their lives.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Not About the Cover (Read This Book)
Review: When you look at the cover of this book, Your first thought maybe similar to mine, that is, this is an autobiograghy of a Hollywood celebrity. The cover is abit overdone, but has very little to do with the message inside so don't let it deter you from reading this book. This book is full of valuable insights. Debbie Ford carefully reminds the reader that we are truly much more than our life stories and past circumstances, in fact many of our past dramas (even the most traumatic ones) when acknowledged and understood will serve us in many useful ways and open us up to the Truth, that we are never seperate from God. Our stories can transform each of us and free us to contribute to others in a meaningful way. The Healing Action Steps at the end of each chapter are quite useful and serve to make "The Secret of The Shadow" one of the better spiritual guides in the market
| 
