Denial Is Not a River in Egypt

The author is a recovering alcoholic and the title reflects a turning point on her own journey of recovery. She had stopped drinking and, since she had hitherto equated having a good time and drinking, she was looking ahead to a rather moribund life. But she overheard someone quip, "Denial Is Not a River in Egypt" and she involuntarily found herself laughing out loud for the first time in her sobriety. This led her to start collecting similar aphorisms and finally to publishing them in the insightful book. There are many of the aphorisms that are fairly specific to someone who is in or has been in a 12 step recovery program, but they are mostly applicable to anyone. One that has helped me a lot is: "I do not have to attend every argument I am invited to." They are grouped under some of the key headings related to recovery such as "Fear," "Denial," "Resentment" and "Acceptance." But these are all issues on the path toward wholeness period. Some of my other favorite sayings are: "Resentment is like taking poison in hopes your enemy will die;""Religion is for people who are afraid they are going to hell; spirituality is for those who have been there;" "A closed mouth gathers no foot." And then there is one extended parable that I particularly appreciate: "A woman is standing on a beach with her son when a giant wave picks him up and takes him out to sea. The woman frantically prays, "Dear God, if there is a God, please return my son!!!" At this moment, the next wave rolls in and safely deposits her son near her on the shore. The woman rushes to his side, then turns and shouts up toward heaven, "Where did his hat go?" I hope that these "samples" will whet your appetite because this is a book crammed with "wisdom" that is superb. True laughter comes from the profound insight that is laid out in Psalm 8, where the author recognizes that utter insignificance of humans when one looks at the whole universe the Creator has fashioned and muses how amazing it is that the Creator even sees the speck that each of us is. And yet that same Creator has "crowned" us with a wondrous capacity if we only recall where it came from. "Denial..." follows in that tradition.

I absolutely love this book. I keep it in my car to help remember to laugh when I am in traffic. It helps to keep me real and remember that I do not have power over people, places and situations.

I knew my wife had a drinking problem, but every time I brought up the subject it would always end in WWIII. So, I bought a copy of this brilliant book and put it in the bathroom (mixed in with the magazines.) It is the first publication that treats a human problem with humanity, rather than with holier-than-thou condemnation. One month after she "happened to stumbled upon it" she joined AA and now when the subject comes up we smile and laugh instead of fight and cry. This hysterical book should nominated for sainthood.

This book is rife with hysterical insights on human nature that you don't have to be an alcoholic to enjoy. I'm memorizing it.

You don't have to be in recovery to get something out of this delightful book. With smashing illustrations and quick one-liners, this book offers humor, inspiration, and hope.