Category: Feelings and Self Help

Personal growth, mental health, self-help, psychology posts

Gods Handiwork cover

God’s Handiwork

Department of God, Feelings and Self Help 16 comments

If I’m God’s Handiwork, Would Someone Please Explain These Thighs!: Discovering Your Unique Destiny
Lechner
2002

Submitter: I work at a public library in a small city in NC. We found this book from 2002 during a recent sweep. I think it’s a good example for your blog because of the outdated humor both in the title and within the work, as well as the outdated design of the cover and call outs within. The book never had particularly good circulation numbers and probably should have been weeded a decade ago.

Holly: I know it doesn’t seem like that long ago, but 2002 was 21 years ago. Let it gooooo!

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When Grandpa Died cover

When Grandpa Died

Feelings and Self Help 5 comments

When Grandpa Died
Stevens
1979

Submitter: Aside from the fact that the book cover is wearing out and the pages smell from 40+ years of age, the 70’s clothing made a book with a serious topic somewhat laughable because it looks so dated. Dad in particular is rocking some rad tight jeans, Beatles boots, and an epic ‘stache. Plus, note the photo where Dad comforts Mom as she cries about Grandpa. The book says it looks like Dad is about to cry too, but it rather looks like he’s taken comfort from the open beer bottle sitting on the floor next to him. Not the imagery you’d probably see in a realistic photo book published for kids today.

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chicken soup for the soul

Bitter Chicken Soup

Feelings and Self Help, Swedish Death Cleaning 11 comments

Chicken Soup for the Soul
101 Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit
Canfield and Hansen
1993

Another title from Mary’s Swedish Death Cleaning Project

Why on earth I have this book is completely beyond me. As a librarian, this book and its 10 million incarnations, were everywhere. I developed a deep and abiding hate for this series. I remember the first couple that showed up. Not my jam, but patrons liked these books. Okay. I can appreciate this. I even had someone who wanted me to order every single one because they wanted to read them all. In order.

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total joy book

Total Joy = Serving Your Husband

Feelings and Self Help, Ladies only! 15 comments

Total Joy
Morgan
1976

If you were around in the 1970s, the name Marabel Morgan will probably ring a bell. (We featured her first book the Total Woman a while back, but I think that post bit the dust years ago in one of our migrations.) She was one of those anti feminists from the 1970s that is all about personal fulfillment. Warning! The personal fulfillment part is from catering to your husband’s every need. Those poor feminists are unhappy because they don’t have a man. I remember my mother commenting that she was some kind of nut when she was on Phil Donahue in the 1970s.

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