CALL ME AUNTIE MAME

Book reviewers are chancey when one submits a book for a review. It is similar to tossing the throw of the dice, or tossing a coin. Heads you win, tails you lose. I have been fortunate in receiving great reviews--for the most part. There were several reviews that were not author friendly and when I read them, I realized that my genre and style of writing was not frequency specific to them. And then, there comes a review that tickles the sense of fun and laughter.

I don't know how many of you saw the movie, Auntie Mame with Rosiland Russell or saw the Broadway musical based on a 1955 novel by Patrick Dennis. Auntie Mame was wild, outrageous and wonderful character. The closest I have been to being described as a possibility of being a teensy-weensy unusual character is the delightful review of my latest book Awakening the Genie Within recently posted on Amazon.com. The reviewer, Monty Rainey of New Braunfels, Texas has written a review that I think I will frame. I love it.

FROM AMAZON.COM

A pleasure to read, October 10, 2008 By Monty Rainey (New Braunfels, TX) - See all my reviews
Bettye Johnson reminds me so much of that wacky, eccentric great aunt that seems to exist in almost every family. You know the one, everyone talks about her like she's a little off her rocker, but yet, deep down, everyone wants to spend a little "alone" time with her because she's just so darn fun to be around! And, if you'll open your mind up a little and listen to what she is saying, some of it makes perfect sense!

Well, dear old aunt Bettye wrote a book and called it AWAKENING THE GENIE WITHIN: A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY. Now I'm the first to admit I'm a die-hard conservative Christian minister, Dallas Theological Seminary and all that, but I'm also the first to tell you I don't question someone else's faith. If Bettye found enlightenment through the Ramtha and his School of Enlightenment, then so be it. I believe there are many avenues to take us to the answers we seek and those roads don't always look the same.

This was an enjoyable read. Some may scoff at some of the conclusions that were reached, but keep an open mind and remember that Ms. Johnson's path may have been a little different than yours. That's okay. It doesn't make her wrong, only different. The point is, she has traveled a long journey and has gained wisdom, which she has chosen to share with the rest of us. Absorb her gift of wisdom in the way it was meant and enjoy the ride.

Here's to Monty Rainey! I enjoyed the style of writing along with the wit and the humor. With this review in mind, I will pull out the rough draft of a memoir, An Innocent in Paris based on my adventures as a young woman fresh out of racial prejudice Texas in the early fifties and thrown into the diplomatic world working for the embassy in Paris.