Women of all colors, unite and buy this book

Even if you're not a Black woman you probably have one for a friend or co-worker. So give the sister Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett's SOOTHE YOUR NERVES. Let's face it, Black women do have much to worry about, some of which Dr. Neal-Barnett addresses: sexual assault (women of color are twice as likely to be assaulted as white women because they are seen as "easy" or lesser), violence and violent deaths of loved ones, the "acting white" stigma, teen pregnancy, discrimination, and now the "down low" phenomenon, plus the historic strength that they have modeled in a kind of two-for-one Superwoman mold. These are realities that everyone needs to understand, especially women. By reading this book, white, Hispanic and Asian women might confront their own anxieties and their own stereotypes and offer support and help to the sistahs in their lives.

However, nowhere does the book mention misogynistic hip-hop or philandering among black men. A Strong Black Woman is supposed to keep the sucker in line. Easier said than done. Nor does the book deal, except in mentioning not being able to pay for psychiatric treatment, the effect that poverty has, let alone single motherhood. Perhaps Dr. Neal-Barnett is trying to lift up the Black woman from stereotypes by portraying successful women as suffering from compulsions, anxiety, fear, and the ultimate stereotype of the Strong Black Woman, popularized in the media. She does this most effectively by portraying Black men as loving partners with frustrations of their own in dealing with their anxious mates, although not the self-destructiveness in Black men.

However, treating Black women and Black men as victims is as destructive as the Superwoman myth (are you listening, Jesse Jackson?) This sensitive, intelligent treatment of a complex subject deserves to be read and reread.

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Helpful and informative book concerning AA women

Soothe Your Nerves explores a topic that many women, especially black women, don?t discuss but find that we suffer from a lot. ?Nerves? is what we call it, when in fact we are suffering from a treatable and curable ailment called Anxiety. Many black women have been raised to believe that we shouldn?t seek or accept professional help for problems and we?ve been so conditioned to adapt to our problems that we readily don?t recognize we suffer from this condition. Using examples of people she?s knows and/or has treated, Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett exposes anxiety, panic and fear and gives advice on how treatment can turn a life around.

Soothe Your Nerves contains self-assessments to recognize Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, examines the types of drugs commonly prescribed for treatment, and even takes the time to distinguish between psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors and lay personnel by degree and length of internship. She further lists websites and other helpful numbers for people seeking assistance with personal issues. I like the use of examples the best and while I don?t think that we are actually searching for ourselves through the pages, the subjects Dr. Neal-Barnett chooses to highlight are wonderfully illustrated with people we might encounter in our lives. We might encounter ourselves. A strong proponent of ?Sister Circles?, there are even examples of charters and step-by-step instruction on starting a circle.

I am especially pleased to see that faith is mentioned in the book. Oft times, as illustrated in the book, we are taught that if we pray more and seek to turn our lives more toward our Creator, all things will be solved. It is nice to be reassured that seeking professional help for a mental issue isn?t turning away from our faith but rather allowing professionals to further enhance our faith walk. Dr. Neal-Barnett even mingles her Sister Circle concept in the church. Soothe Your Nerves has opened a door enabling more people to walk through, explore and accept. Simply by reading this book, a person is taking the first step to self-discovery and self help.

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an important book

I've struggled with depression and anxiety for years and felt guilty about it because black women are taught that such things only happen to weak people or to whites. This old folk tale has ruined countless lives and came close to killing me. And then I found this book. It was the first inkling that my problems didn't stem from weakness or lack of character but was a genuine illness. I've since got up the courage to see a therapist and I'm doing better than I ever have before and it all started because I happened to see this book on the library shelf.

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