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14th out of 21 books
—
5 voters
Are You My Guru?: How Medicine, Meditation & Madonna Saved My Life
Read Wendy Shanker's blogs and other content on the Penguin Community.
From the author of The Fat Girl's Guide to Life—an insightful and humorous memoir of one woman's quest to navigate the world of alternative healing.
At age 33, Wendy Shanker was on the verge of Have It All-itis: a Midwestern girl living in Manhattan, writing for television, mingling with celebrities, an...more
From the author of The Fat Girl's Guide to Life—an insightful and humorous memoir of one woman's quest to navigate the world of alternative healing.
At age 33, Wendy Shanker was on the verge of Have It All-itis: a Midwestern girl living in Manhattan, writing for television, mingling with celebrities, an...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
September 7th 2010
by NAL Trade
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I found this a really unusual book to read. Worrying, captivating, attentive, inquisitive yet fun are all words I could attribute to this book and, despite some ‘difficult’ content, it proved an overall pleasure to read.
Shanker describes at some length her journey with a chronic and potentially life-threatening illness. Strongly refusing to take a medical doctor’s word at face value she explores alternative therapies and healings to help her towards her quest of physical and mental peace and wel...more
Shanker describes at some length her journey with a chronic and potentially life-threatening illness. Strongly refusing to take a medical doctor’s word at face value she explores alternative therapies and healings to help her towards her quest of physical and mental peace and wel...more
Actually, I am re-reading this book AGAIN. I love Wendy's attitude in the book and her willingness to try different treatments. I admire her ability to write about her illness with humor and balance. It's fun to re-read the MTV and the Oxygen network scenes and all those Madonna moments. The Duke diet camp section is pretty hilarious. In the book, she's your basic diet-coke drinking skeptic of non-Western medicine but agrees to try some of the most outrageous cures imaginable. (However, she draw...more
Full disclosure: Wendy is a good friend. But oh, this book makes me so proud that she is. She writes with so much humor and so much humanity about having a really crappy illness. As she points out, how sucky is it to have to get chemo but NOT be able to say you have cancer? To have some rare auto-immune thing no one has ever heard of and there's no ribbon or walk-a-thon for? To have to cope with the loss of your looks when you've only recently come to accept that you and your body are beautiful?...more
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Wendy Shanker experiences hell as she is diagnosed with Wegner's disease, an extremely rare autoimmune disorder yet conveys her tale in a way that is humorous (love the Madonna song titles as chapter headings), reflective, and brave. Anyone who has experienced a life-changing medical condition will find many parts of this book to ring true - how others relate or do not relate to you, trying to fight your body in a battle that can't be won - only tamed, attempting to live the life you once had, g...more
Really wonderful book. This lady had a fairly rare autoimmune disease, difficult to diagnose and treat. It showed how western medicine is sadly lacking in treating many types of illnesses,and how western doctors have blinders on as to any beneficial role eastern medicine, alternative health practices and spirituality can play in healing. The author documents her journey , sometimes out of desperation, into finding solutions and treatments for her health with alternative methods, and how this cau...more
Being someone with a chronic illness I've read other books related to managing chronic disease/memoirs in the past. What I've discovered ironically is the so-called Christian books don't do anything for me. I don't believe I'm being punished & therefore I have this illness, nor do I believe the devil gave it to me. I believe it's something that happened and there is a lesson to be learned. That's what I found in this book. I liked that Wendy didn't just stay with western medicine. I also lov...more
3.5-4 stars
A few spoilers...
There were beautiful moments of enlightenment and great details about her own life dealing chronic illness but then there would some areas that had too much detail and other areas I felt didn't need to be there at all (too much spirituality & weight loss). When I got the book I thought the title meant Mary = Madonna and not Madonna the singer. I was reading a book about a nun at the time. Forgive me? Easy mistake. To be honest, I don't know how effective and reson...more
A few spoilers...
There were beautiful moments of enlightenment and great details about her own life dealing chronic illness but then there would some areas that had too much detail and other areas I felt didn't need to be there at all (too much spirituality & weight loss). When I got the book I thought the title meant Mary = Madonna and not Madonna the singer. I was reading a book about a nun at the time. Forgive me? Easy mistake. To be honest, I don't know how effective and reson...more
5.0 out of 5 stars Spirituality, Western and Eastern medimne, and Life With a Chronic Autoimmune Disease, September 21, 2010
By Rachel Kramer Bussel "Cupcakes Take the Cake ... (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
This review is from: Are You My Guru?: How Medicine, Meditation & Madonna Saved My Life (Paperback)
Shanker offers up an incredibly moving, funny, intense look at living with an autoimmune disease. This memoir isn't an excoriation of Western medicine,...more
As someone who has suffered with an autoimmune disease, with so many complications, this book was brilliant. It managed to be informative, funny, and empathic all at once. While my disease is bad, the author's is so much worse. I can't imagine all that she's gone through, and I was inspired by her outlook, her humor, and her spirit. It made me want to be more like her. I highly recommend this book to anyone suffering from any autoimmune disease.
This book was cute. I really enjoy books that highlight a person's quest to find guidance or faith or meaning in the world around them, because everyone's is different. I really wish that she had gone into more depth in the spiritual side of her story, but I couldn't help but feel happy when she finally was at peace with herself and she definitely made me chuckle. A good, quick, enjoyable read.
Shanker adds just the right combination of seriousness with her disease and its affecs with her hilarious sense of humor at life and at chronic illness. She has a great self-deprecating humor. Great read. Especially as someone who deals with many of the same realities, I loved it. She really nailed what it's like to have things happening to you that you often have no control over.
I picked this up this book because I'm going through my own health problems and have been seeking out alternative medicine options as a solution.
I loved her wit and sarcasm throughout the book. I found it very moving but didn't give it five stars because I thought there would be more holostic/alternative reading. Despite my expectations, it was still a great read!
I loved her wit and sarcasm throughout the book. I found it very moving but didn't give it five stars because I thought there would be more holostic/alternative reading. Despite my expectations, it was still a great read!
I became interested in this book as a Madonna fan - and I enjoyed that part of it, as the author is the same age as me. The rest, I must admit, was just not for me. But I recommend it if you're going through a similar experience (auto-immune disease) like self-help books and Ms Shanker's brand of humour.
This book was ... okay, I guess? This was one that I had read about somewhere and put on my to read list, and I didn't realize it was about a woman's battle with an autoimmune disorder.
It wasn't funny or fascinating, but, you know, it was okay? Not really my cup of tea, though.
It wasn't funny or fascinating, but, you know, it was okay? Not really my cup of tea, though.
I was a lucky winner of this book through the Pretty Pear blog. First let me say that this is not for the weak of heart. Wendy Shanker goes into great detail about her illness and the physical outcome of not just her illness but the healing treatments she experiences. It's an engrossing read (and a gross read?) and her journey to finding her own spiritual healing path through Ayurveda, Madonna, and other Eastern, Western and Everything Else therapies is written with Shanker's signature wit and h...more
Great, insightful, personal journey story. I love how straight forward and honest Wendy is about where she started. She has really come a long way, but was able to look back with honesty and describe what she went through without bitterness, and with humor. Excellent. Some parts are not pretty.
I loved this book. I would recommend it to anyone who has struggled with health issues. Her use of humor when dealing with difficult issues is an inspiration.
I enjoyed this book. It was non-fiction so that made it even better. The author is witty and it was a very interesting story of her journey through illness... and the many ways she tried to heal herself. She was very open and thorough in her emotions and thoughts through this journey. I am I interested as well to see how she is doing now.. a couple of years later.
This is really 4.5 stars. This book made me very thankful for my health and the health of my loved ones. God is probably happy I'm done reading this since I thanked him every paragraph or so!
I enjoyed this funny read about dealing with an autoimmune disease and trying to find the right treatment. Trying everything short of rubbing a pigeon on her, the author battles with the horrible symptoms of a super rare autoimmune disease called Wegener's and the even worse side effects of the hardcore medication she takes to treat the disease.
The three themes of medicine, mediation, and Madonna weave together in that she writes about the medicine her western doctors prescribe her, the alternat...more
The three themes of medicine, mediation, and Madonna weave together in that she writes about the medicine her western doctors prescribe her, the alternat...more
Sent for review from author/publisher? Surprise in the mailbox!
A cut above your typical woe is me disease memoir.
Wendy Shanker is a guru. Funny and touching.
I think this really opened my eyes up to someone living with a lifelong disease. Her trials and tribulations were hard and I tried to imagine the cards she had been dealt. It was inspiring to say the least and she really fought her battle and I loved how she decided her body knew what was right. Everyone might have thought she had the perfect career and what not but in the end she realized that didn't matter. It takes a strong person to see that!
How can you laugh your way through a story of a woman facing horrifying health situations? With great pleasure, thank you. Wendy Shanker's ability to take a situation, find the humor in it, and try to maintain a normal life anyway.... unforgettable story, great voice!
Wish there were six stars - one more for choosing to write this book. How do you stare down the maw of eternity and tell it "don't call me, I'll call you?" How do you grind through a cruel medical journey and retain your fabulousness? What's the humor in a covert-operative disease? Wendy Shanker can and does let you know. You must read this book: for your improved well-being, the terrific storytelling, and to find out the beautiful significance of BTP, and Wendy Shanker's own M-n-M.
Very moving and relentlessly witty.
Not nearly as funny as everyone said it would be -- self-effacing yet journalistic snark isn't my favorite flavor, and not even Madonna could rescue me. BUT.. the ending was profound and for that reason, I'm glad I kept with it.
Really enjoyed this book about a woman with an autoimmune disease and her experiences with eastern and western medicine. Almost 5 stars.
Shanker is a funny woman. I loved her wit and sarcasm as remedy for a serious situation. Her obsession with Madonna is a hoot.
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Wendy Shanker's humorous, hopeful memoir about women and body image, The Fat Girl's Guide to Life (Bloomsbury USA) changed the way many women related to their weight. You may have seen Wendy discussing her book on The View, Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning, or on her national tour sponsored by Macy's Woman. The Fat Girl's Guide was recently released in paperback, and will be published in s...more
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May 31, 2010 04:25pm