Two Words, One Answer.
Wharton
 The New York Stories of Edith Wharton (New York Review Books Classics) $16.95 If you like Edith Wharton like I do, this is a candy store of tales written in brilliant prose. The collection of stories also spans her career as a writer and the dramatic changes in society during her lifetime. I really loved this book.  The Whartons' Stretch Book $15.95 This brief review is based on my experience and perspective as a practitioner of Aaron Mattes' Method of Active Isolated Stretching and Strengthening (a form of highly specific therapeutic exercise and manual therapy). I am not an expert on this topic. However, I hope that this review is helpful to anyone who is considering learning/studying exercise, stretching, and therapy. This book seems to be written to present the authors' version of Aaron Mattes' Active Isolated Stretching and Strengthening (AIS) to avid exercisers, amateur athletes, and professional athletes. There is good information on the benefits of stretching actively, and good instruction on how to put together a stretching routine based on what one does for work and play. There is also a brief presentation of the health, posture, and movement challenges to be aware of for a good number of sports and occupations. An attempt is made by the authors to dispel what they call the Twelve Myths of training and exercise, which I feel is well done. At the end of the book are short sections explaining the importance of this style of active stretching for expectant mothers and elderly readers, and a section dedicated to explaining how AIS can be applied to specific orthopedic conditions for which most think that surgery or orthotics are the only solution. In short, there is a treasure trove of valuable information for the exercise enthusiast or sportsperson presented well in layman's terms. I feel that this book does not present the actual subject of AIS well in its illustrations and descriptions, however. The illustrations only show the beginning position or end position of each stretch, and the descriptions are vague and occasionally do not match the illustration on a few important points. The authors do not include important variations on the stretches, which are presented very well in Aaron Mattes' Specific Stretching for Everyone, and some of the stretches that the authors describe are quite dangerous for the cervical (neck) region in the opinions of many chiropractors and physical therapists (the reader may of course make their own decision). Most notably, the authors have seriously underestimated the amount of time it takes to do the recommended routines (a fact that I noticed after reading another reader's review and trying the routines out myself). I feel that a person interested in this book may learn much more about the actual techniques and application of AIS from reading Aaron Mattes' Specific Stretching for Everyone (for the lay person and professional) and Active Isolated Stretching: The Mattes Method (for the professional). Jason Wright  The Custom of the Country (Penguin Classics) $13.00 Even though it was within your parameters, it took a real long time for the book to arrive |
|
