BOOK REVIEWS

Harmony and Me by Cindy Lowy

Chicago Spectrum Press

Nancy Bronner, Arts Across Kentucky, Spring 2002

    Several months ago, Cindy Lowy asked me if I would review her recently completed book. As I began reading, I wondered what I had committed myself to. Raised on powerful feminist literature of the 60's and 70's, I was unsure of my ability to comment on the gentle intimacy of this soul-searching journey through contemporary angst and spiritual confusion. Burned out on the plethora of self-help books of the 80's and 90's, I felt myself dated by the delicate grace and simple gifts of this personal confession. As I delved more deeply, however, I realized that the journal's theme of emotional self-exploration was familiar territory.

    The strong religious component will appeal to many readers, yet Lowy leaves it to the reader to identify their own spiritual foundations, a philosophy that has been successfully used in Alcoholics Anonymous' Twelve Step program for decades: (We) Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. The book is illustrated with personal drawings, heart-felt poetry, and vignettes of treasured memories, and the reader will experience a compelling and generous sense of self-forgiveness and reconciliation, but also an admonition that relationships take work and emotional chores are among the most difficult to accomplish and sustain. Harmony and Me will not bring a reader closer to an understanding of clinical depression, but the clear personal message of spiritual growth offers and appealing and affirming you-are-not-alone beacon.

Book Review

Harmony and Me, by Cindy Lowy

by Dee Patterson, Odyssey Magazine, Aug/Sept. 2002

    When I first began this book, I was totally captured by Cindy's experience on her spiritual journey and found it hard to put down. She is completely candid about her struggles and how an Angel helped her find her way out of a difficult situation.

    In Harmony and Me, Cindy shares her spiritual knowledge in an easy to read and understand format. Each chapter weaves a tapestry of faith, hope and miracles as she shares her experience of spiritual discovery.

    Her spiritual message, poetry and art are uplifting and inspiring. This is a book that can be used daily to find harmony and peace.

 

A Note About Cindy's Editor, Dianne Aprile:

Dianne Aprile is an award-winning journalist. A writer for the Louisville Courier-Journal for more than twenty years, she is the recipient of a Kentucky Arts Council fellowship and a writer's grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women.  Dianne is also the author of several books.