cover image Never Stick Your Tongue Out at Mama: And Other Life Transforming Revelations

Never Stick Your Tongue Out at Mama: And Other Life Transforming Revelations

Max Davis. Delacorte Press, $18.95 (176pp) ISBN 978-0-385-31932-4

Former pastor of the Open Bible Fellowship, Davis, now a public speaker and writer, begins this previously self-published collection with an essay on how corporal punishment administered by his parents helped develop his character. The other pieces, also taken largely from the author's experiences, provide useful though somewhat hackneyed guidelines for living that are heavily based on his religious convictions. He believes in the efficacy of prayer for problem solving, combined with a commitment to positive behavior. He offers advice on how to deal with difficult people; how to become a patient, disciplined person; and how to achieve one's potential through humility. Drawing on techniques he obviously utilized in his counseling career, Davis also describes the characteristics of being a good listener. Although many of the self-help methods detailed here are not original, those who share the author's spiritual view of life, founded on accepting personal responsibility, will find them useful. Author tour. (Oct.)