A Place Where Weeds and Roses Grow |  | Author: Joan Spencer
Publisher: Windshift Press
Category: Book
Buy New: $19.25
as of 9/7/2010 19:37 CDT details
New (2) Used (1) from $12.51
Seller: Amazon.com
Rating:  5 reviews
Media: Paperback
Pages: 270
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.6
ISBN: 0973656085
EAN: 9780973656084
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Have you lied today? This week? For the compulsive gambler, lies are often more familiar and comfortable than the truth. Games within games ... stories within stories. On its surface, this true account of a woman's descent into shame is acutely shocking. And, under the surface... her soul's journey is one we must all share - no matter what our circumstance may be. There is nothing held back here. Take warning. Engaging and eerily familiar, the author, simply known as Joan S, takes us on a reflective journey into her own personal hell. Brilliantly written, simple and elegant in tone, Where Weeds and Roses Grow represents an opportunity for all of us to explore compulsive gambling from a detached perspective, while still seeing the cruel truth. Joan is as a sister to all of us, and a soul in need of recognition for her courage in living free of addiction.
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| Customer Reviews:
 wonderful July 16, 2007
George Kimura (calgary, alberta)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This book is a real eye-opener. I had not idea that gambling could be so devasting. The author describes her addiction in such vivid detail, that
I was sometimes left feel as though I had somehow experienced it myself. It serves as a powerful warning as to the dangers of additction that can sneak up on pretty much anybody who gambles. I think it should be mandatory reading for anyone who gambles "for fun". The author started out having "fun" too. But she sure paid for it in the end. I think it would be a good piece of literature for gambling counselors and rehab centres to have on hand. I really liked that it was not all doom and gloom. It offers a light at the end of the tunnel and provides some helpful information for other problem gamblers. I read the whole thing in one night. Didn't want to put it down.
Warning: Reading this book may shake you to the core July 6, 2007
Margaret Rose Takaki
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
'Weeds and Roses' is a shockingly truthful account of one woman's downward spiral into pathological addiction, her six years in this self-made hell and her courageous battle to overcome insurmountable odds in order to live addiction free. In the telling of her story the author keeps you on the edge of your seat as chapter by chapter the tension builds and builds. You find yourself wondering what she will think of next to raise money to support her addiction. And just when you think she can't sink any lower or pull off one more scam she does, each deception more clever and more desperate than the last. 'Weeds and Roses' should be required reading for anyone contemplating entering a gambling facility for the first time.
I highly recommend this gem of a book to anyone who is looking for an excellent read.
From one author to another---- July 1, 2007
Marilyn Lancelot (Arizona)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
In her book, Where Weeds and Roses Grow, Joan Spencer has captured the pain and desperation of the female compulsive gambler. It is a fascinating book and is not just a war story. Joan leads us through the addiction and gives the reader a visual image of the destructive path that compulsive gamblers travel. Her book is a much needed story because there are thousands of women addicted to gambling and no books in the bookstores or libraries for them to read. Joan shares her deepest secrets and shows us how she lost her identity in her addiction. She traveled a path through Hell and found the courage to come out on the other side and find recovery. This book is a real story written by a real lady who experienced the gambling addiction and should be read by anyone who may have a gambling problem or knows someone who may have a problem.
 Intimate look into the life of a problem gambler August 15, 2009
Kimberly Pottle (Phoenix)
I found this book as I was doing research on how to deal with my own gambling addiction. Joan Spencer has written a detailed story that isn't shy about sharing intimate details and admitting bad choices she made. Joan Spencer definitely took her time explaining her struggle with herself and the life she was living. Since I had a problem myself, I found that I was disappointed that she didn't write more about the recovery aspect. It felt to me like she went to Gambler's Anonymous and was cured. GA didn't work for me. I wanted to hear more about her daily life outside of GA and what she did for recovery. In the back it has several resources listed, which I thought was a nice touch.
This story is a good read to help you identify with someone else and their struggles. I was so frustrated with the lack of information available in books that I decided to write my own book to compliment the stories of addiction. In Numb No More: Simple Solutions to Achieve Freedom from Habits and Addictions I provide options that I used to overcome my addiction and made the book short and sweet so that it's easy to use. Together these books provide a more complete picture of recovery. Enjoy your success!
Compulsive Gambling June 21, 2007
Desiree (Seattle, Washington)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Well written but incomplete. You are left wondering what happened to certain individuals and the outcome of some scenarios. Difficult to differentiate between what the author imagined and what really happened because most of the book is reality, but a few paragraphs are dream sequences. In other words, during much of the book I felt like I was left hanging. The end of the book is neat and tidy where the author "finds God" and all is forgiven. There are a lot of fine points to the book and insight to be gained from it, but.......
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