cover image How to Handle Trouble

How to Handle Trouble

John Carmody. Doubleday Books, $20 (226pp) ISBN 978-0-385-47120-6

A senior research fellow in religion at the University of Tulsa and author of some 40 books, Carmody was diagnosed with incurable bone cancer--multiple myeloma--in 1992. Here he offers inspiring advice to people faced with all manner of trouble, from the minor and fleeting to the catastrophic. Instead of the behavior modification and step-by-step methods urged by many self-help books, Carmody's simple program uses techniques of thinking, feeling, sharing, determination and prayer. In compassionate and warm prose, he also shows how personal tragedy can be a catalyst for self-revelation and spiritual growth. Although largely drawn from religious traditions both Eastern and Western, Carmody's techniques include a dose of psychology as well. This is a sensible guide. (Oct.)