An Affair of the Mind: One Woman's Courageous Battle to Salvage Her Family from the Devastation of Pornography

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Summary: An Affair of the Mind
Review: I thought this was an excellent book, it was written so well that it grabbed my attention from the beginning, I hope she comes out with more books, not just in this subject, but many other Christian books, she is so anointed and so is this book, and I dont say that about many books. This book is for both the addicted person and for those whom this addiction has effected.

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Summary: Insightful
Review: This book was my first reading on this topic and I found it to be helpful in dealing with the emotions running through a woman's mind when dealing with a pornography addicted husband. It was like she was reading my mind. She was very courageous to write this book! It will help you to sort out those feelings and know that what you're feeling is just like other women.

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Summary: Not Convinced
Review: This book begins with a lurid description of a visit to an inner city clinic for an HIV test. The prose is something one would expect to find in the National Police Gazette or something similar. What I never did understand is why a woman of means would subject herself to such peril as she states, just to obtain and HIV test. I assume to cast the shadow of shame on such an activity. And there is a lot of shame casting in this book. The author wields her pen to attribute everything from the stock market decline and productivity problems in American business to physical and mental illness to one thing. Pornography. She specifically denotes the origin of the fall of Western civilization to the first publication of Playboy Magazine. I am not being sarcastic or facetious It is the story of her battle, internal and external, to save herself and family from the invisible bane that is destroying them all. Her husband, a former missionary, has become lethargic and almost catatonic. He isn't working or earning a living and is totally unresponsive in his chair for days on end. All this is ascribed to his addiction to pornography. This addiction also led him to frequent prostitutes and squander money he wasn't earning. There is a good deal of very foggy theology presented by the author. An author who admits she attended church regularly but didn't know much about the Bible and thought Rainbows depicted on coffee mugs were satanic. I find this a modern treatise on the perils of pornography and the evil effects it has on man of the likes one would read in Victorian medical literature. The same ones that touted needle showers and sleeping outside in freezing weather as healthful. I don't know what was really going on in the author's household during the time she depicts in her book. But I find it very difficult to believe her husband's consumption of pornographic materials turned him into a zombie and it doesn't seem like she cared what he did until the family income evaporated. Suddenly she was interested and appalled at his behavior. There are those who will adore and revere this book and be happy to blame their own, personal failings on an agent, in this case pornography. Since the author makes the case it is responsible for just about every problem society faces, it seem like a good place to start. But it is a step in the wrong direction and she is reinforcing the scape goat mentality of fundamentalist Christianity. It isn't the alcoholic, it's the alcohol! Ban it and there won't be any crime in our streets! In the past that finger of blame has been pointed at Jews and other peoples who suffered for it. Grown men don't run off into the woods with their latest copy of a slick pornographic magazine and have conversations with the centerfold. Miss September, though reviled and castigated throughout the book by the author as the scourge of civilization, is not responsible for her husband's decline or the decline of society. People not taking responsibility for their own actions are the real problem. I don't think this is a truly forthcoming account of the author's journey. I think it is more of a platform from which to espouse anti-pornography rhetoric. There is nothing wrong with that, but it should not have been packaged as a personal story. And the writer should have been more responsible with her condemnation. The blame always lies with the individual, not the agent of his or her misdeed.

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Summary: Porn destroys more than hetero Christian marriages
Review: I am a devout Christian lesbian. My life partner (who is not Christian) is addicted to porn and also occasionally goes through stages of great pomiscuity. It was destroying our marriage and my sanity. This book gave me the courage and insight to approach the problem from the perspective of the Love of the Lamb of Christ, and showed me that despair was the greatest sin of all. My lover and I have been able to make great inroads on her problem with the help of this wonderful book.

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Summary: A must read!
Review: This is an excellent book for anyone who knows anyone playing with soft or hard porn. Laurie talks to every degree porn usage. It is extremely insightful for any Christain woman is truly wants to understand how God wants them to handle themselves under unspeakable hurt and frustrations. I highly recommend it!

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Summary: Must read for every man and woman!!!
Review: This is an in-depth book at a very important topic. This subject needs to be dealt with in the Body of Christ and it is time we quit acting like nothing is wrong. Please get rid of every excuse you have for not reading this must have title.

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Summary: Great
Review: Great book for anyone who has experienced the pain of pornography or knows someone who has.

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Summary: Finally-- a book confronting the taboo of sexual addiction
Review: I cannot say how much this book touched my life. The church has simply failed families--especially the wives affected by the horrors of pornography in their husbands' lives. Telling women to 'be more sexy', or 'pray harder' is not the answer, and Laurie's account of her own struggle gives hope to the hopeless. I can also highly recommend, "The Cleavers Don't Live Here Anymore", also by Laurie Hall--which helps women move on into the process of forgiveness--true forgivness--drawing boundaries, and winning back their dignity. She doesn't advocate being a victim or a martyr--and it gave me a whole new perspective on Jesus--and that he doesn't want me to be a doormat. At the same time, her account is filled with grace and compassion, but a sense of responsibility for each person--the abuser and their spouse.

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Summary: This May or May Not Be You
Review: Although this book is extremely insightful and offers a wonderful biblical perspective I feel is so lacking in society today, Ms. Hall is unfortunately dealing with one of the most extreme examples of sexual addiction. For those of us living in a relationship with a sexual addict in the preliminary stages of addiction, the information provided, while insightful, is also tormenting in the sense that it opens one's eyes to things that may or may not be occuring in one's own relationship. Personally, I began second guessing my husband more and more and it proved to be more detrimental to my relationship than helpful in terms of degradation of trust. Just something to keep in mind.

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Summary: Intense Journey
Review: This book is heavy and necessary. Be prepared for an intense journey. DaveDavidson.com