A review of Bev Aisbett's 'Living With IT' , 'Living IT Up', 'Letting IT Go'
By Jane - ADAVIC Volunteer - June 2004What has become known as the 'It' series of books by Bev Aisbett comes in a suite of three easy to read, short comical books. These books focus on identifying possible causes behind anxiety, problems ranging from panic attacks to agoraphobia, social phobia and depression. The books use a comical cartoon character known as 'It' to represent the cause, or what is seen to be the cause, of people's conditions.
The first in the series, 'Living With It', identifies what may be causing the problem, offering some suggestions on how to cope and begin to solve the problem or issues that have created the little 'It' monster.
The following book 'Living It Up' continues looking at the healing process and focuses on possible setbacks. It highlights how, in order to have a setback, you must have first managed to move forward. As each of the book's progress, the focus also shifts from a mainly self-related focus in the first book, to learning how to interact and understand relationships with other people.
'Letting It Go', the final of the 'It' series, takes a larger focus. It looks at relationships with others, understanding others viewpoints and how to effectively express your own views and feelings.
The use of comics throughout the series lightens the subject matter and feel of the book, enabling the reader to not only identify with it but also have a little laugh at the same time. The addition of aspects of Bev's own experiences help the reader to see that she truly identifies with what the reader is going through, sharing with them something which she found helpful herself. Overall the three books, whilst best read as a set, can be individually beneficial for multitudes of people. From those who experience a high level of anxiety to those who could just use a little chill out or reality check.
Personally I highly recommend them and benefited from them quite a bit myself.