Seaward (Stressed Is Desserts Spelled Backward
) offers a book to help the reader "overcome personal adversity" and bring "peace to the heart and soul." The book's four parts in turn discuss the nature and reality of stress; the relationship between stress and spirituality; practical strategies for finding equilibrium and letting go of stress; and some success stories. Throughout, Seaward intersperses brief meditation and journaling exercises. Yet the book feels hollow. While Seaward touches on some profound Taoist principles—as one might expect, given the book's title—he fails to investigate these teachings in any depth. Instead, he uses them as a broad, a priori
template for an "ageless wisdom"held by generic "wisdom keepers." He then cites examples of this wisdom from a wide range of other sources and traditions, including Native American spirituality, Joseph Campbell's writings, and DNA research. This lack of focus is exacerbated by the text's habit of substituting unsatisfying anecdotes for a probing exploration of a given point. The result is a superficial amalgam of sweeping generalizations, inspirational clichés ("even the darkest night has bright stars!"), sentimental stories of triumph over adversity and quotes from the likes of Mother Teresa, Einstein and Lance Armstrong. Some of Seaward's spirituality-based ideas for navigating stress may have dimension and weight, but his treatment leaves them feeling trivial. (Nov.)
