Stop Being Mean to Yourself: A Story about Finding the True Meaning of Self-Love

I am writing to all of you who have written a review about this book, and especially to Melody Beattie. To the person who mocked about Melody's inner civil war, or you're already a god or you will never ever hope to KNOW what an inner civil war is. And to the rest of you, this book is not about traveling through Nothern Africa, it is about INNER travel, if you were trying to read an action-packed James Bond or Indiana Jones story, you guys picked the wrong book. This is not a fiction book, it is a book about how to find your inner deamons, your fears, face them and come through truly successfuly. This is a "self-help" book, and should be rated accordingly. I lived an inner civil war myself, and Melody greatly helped in making me understand how everything lies in subtleness, awareness, in trusting the universe. In trusting yourself, in listening to yourself for once! Hence the name of the book. This certainly was one of the pivotal steps in helping me change my life. This book is for people WHO needs it, otherwise you'd be bored to hell, of course. Every kind of book, song, movie, painting, etc... has a porpuse and is meant for certain kind of people. Just stop for a moment and THINK before you rate a book...before you rate anything. It is NOT about "if I liked it or not", it is about "does it work?" This book is not a novel, it is a tool for those who need it. It didn't work for you because you didn't need it. I needed it, and guess what, it worked. It really did. THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH MELODY, YOU REALLY HELPED SOMEONE BE MORE CONSCIOUS, MORE AWARE AND A BETTER PERSON. I ONLY WISH I COULD CONTACT YOU TO TELL YOU THIS PERSONALLY. GOD BLESS YOU, AND YOUR DAUGHTER. -Rafael Romo, Mexico City.

The title of this enlightening read caught my eye, for the very fact that there have been times when I've treated myself with less kindness than I show others. In Stop Being Mean to Yourself, Melody Beattie finds a unique way to unravel the reasons why this may be so. The sensitive solar plexus (the pit of the stomach) is an area of her body which she becomes quite aware of as she recounts her 1996 journey through Algeria, Morocco and Egypt. The "leap of faith" she describes taking in those exotic locales helped me to vicariously experience her inner transformation, which is really what this book is about. Cairo and Giza are areas of the world wherein the 'ancient' rubs shoulders with the 'modern.' While being guided through the "souk" or marketplace, Beattie observed a man using a stick to hit thieves within the crowd (thus identifying them for the benefit of others in his vicinity.) It occurred to her that she had been "walking without a stick" all these years - she had never been able to protect herself from those who would do her harm, much less identify them. This insight reveals a yearning for intuition and gives you the sense that her capacity for self-preservation is overdue. Symbolism permeates her tale. There are references to living in a psychological "box" and being tossed about as in a "vortex" - she makes good use of these images in describing some very disturbing episodes in her journey. What emerges, in the end, is Beattie's realization that her pain-filled life has had a greater purpose after all; her self-awareness which she can share through her writings can now help others in their quest for meaning and fulfillment.

Melody is a wonderful writer. I have learned much about my life since I began reading her books. My psychiatrist and psychologist recommended her books to assist me in learning how to stop being co-dependent. I did not realize until I started reading her books, just how bad I was a co-dependent. Thanks for the wonderful books you have already written and to the many more that all of us hope you write

I loved this book on many levels. As a travelogue it carried me to Algeria, Morocco and Egypt in a way that had me tasting the dust and feeling the sweat. As a symbolic journey, I need to re-read it to capture it all. There were countless moments of "Ah-Hah" that I want to remember, but, as befits a truly spiritual, moving book, I couldn't stop reading long enough to take notes!. Finally, this was a story of Melody Beattie, who I feel I got to know on some level. Although I read many books that can be labeled "self-help," this book stands out as the best I have ever read. It's title does not do justice at all to its complexity and depth. This should be a classic