Rating: 
Summary: Conquering Secrets
Review: "Stolen Hours" reads like a novel and is a fascinating, expertly written story of a real life, shared with total honesty.Many readers readers will appreciate and identify with this intimate story of a baby boomer's life, from his childhood and high school years lived in a time when unpleasant family dynamics were hidden and many secrets were kept, through the challenges of young adulthood in the turbulent 60's and 70's. The author is painfully open and honest in sharing the mountains he has climbed throughout his life. Readers will learn why some secrets are OK while others are unhealthy. Readers with unhealthy addictions and secrets will be encouraged by the author's experience of conquering each of his in its turn. They will find catharsis in this story of one who has grappled with and survived many challenges which they may identify with. Readers will also find practical help in overcoming and letting go of destructive secrets. Readers without addictions or secrets will find a new awareness and understanding of those around them who are compelled to keep certain behaviors secret. This book is not only a valuable resource, but also a very enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful Messages
Review: From James H Bruton, former prison warden and author of THE BIG HOUSE: Life Inside A Supermax Security Prison, Voyageur Press 2004. Stolen Hours is an extremely insightful recollection of behaviors that creates an internal impetus in changing a lifestyle leading to internal contentment. The author is deeply gifted in utilizing dependency and sadness in his life as a stepping stone toward positive and enriching behavior and lifestyle change. The book is instrumental in demonstrating the success of identifying perceived failures as the groundwork for making positive steps toward happiness.
Rating: 
Summary: Review Nancy Morris, Allbooks Reviews
Review: Genre: Self-help/autobiography
STOLEN HOURS
AUTHOR: JOHN PRIN
The feel of the wind against his bare skin was liberating, but the fear that he could get caught was invigorating. These sensual nighttime runs became one of young John Prin's first secrets.
This image of a young man running naked through the woods is an enticing beginning to an equally interesting memoir. "Stolen Hours" is the autobiography of John Howard Prin, an addiction counselor and lecturer, that combines the fascinating, albeit troubled, past of the author with the wisdom he now possesses.
Born in a residential area of Minneapolis, with an ailing father and a mentally ill mother, John Prin's story shows his progression from stealing cookies from the kitchen to secret addictions to alcohol, drugs, and pornography. It shows how his destructive habits wreck havoc on his family, his ambitions, and his potential; followed by how the addictions can be beaten through hard work, honesty, and Christian faith. At the end of most chapters, he presents `MetaViews to Muse'; pointing out relevant information and necessary knowledge to help the reader recognize and overcome their own secret keeping activities.
"Stolen Hours" is very well written, and the story of John Prin's life is interesting enough in itself to make this book worth reading. The educational insight it offers is well presented, easily understandable, and deserving of categorization along with the likes of the story of Bill W, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Aimed at anyone who feels they are not living an authentic life, "Stolen Hours" will prove especially useful to those who are struggling through life's adversities.
Nancy Morris, Allbooks Reviews.
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Summary: Stolen Hours: Breaking Free from Secret Addictions
Review: John's book is incredibly honest. I know about secret keeping because my husband's secrets destroyed our marriage. The sad thing was, many people wanted me to keep my husband's secrets to protect him while his sex addiction destroyed our marriage! Our society needs to learn that keeping other's secrets destroys families and marriages. It also makes it pretty impossible for the secret keeper to get well if everyone is protecting him from his bad behavior. In many cases it's even dangerous.
When I finally told, people got angry. It was reading John's book and his candidness that helped me know I did the right thing. I didn't give the book 5 stars because I'm waiting for his next book, the self-help book for changing the secret-keeping ways. Stolen Hours was wonderful but John's work is not done. I, for one am waiting for the five star book--it'll save a lot of families and change the course of a lot of therapy. Thanks John for this story and hurry up on the next one that you must write!
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Summary: Understanding Secret Keeping and Addictive Behaviors
Review: Recovering from a secret and addictive life as a credit card abuser, and now a member of Debtor's Anonymous, I was interested in reading Stolen Hours to gain insight into my behaviors. I found Stolen Hours to be very much like an autobiographical novel, and a real page turner, as John Prin reveals his exciting and traumatic life journey.
However, throughout the book, John Prin adds the dimension of analyzing his many secrets, addictions, failures, and ultimate successes. Every few chapters he provides a summary of analysis and insights that really hits home in many areas. Anyone with significant secrets and the stolen hours they cause, will gain much information about their behaviors by reading this book. Even if you're not afflicted with significant secrets and addictions, this is a fascinating autobiography and a fast read!
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Summary: Welcome addition to recovery, therapy, and self-help shelves
Review: Stolen Hours: Breaking Free From Secret Addictions a self-help guide for those people who chronically and habitually keep secrets, often to self-destructive or violent ends. Examining the nature of those who hide self-defeating behaviors such as alcohol and drug abuse, compulsive gambling, sexual addiction, eating disorders, and much more, Stolen Hours presents ways in which to combat the cycle of hiding and indulging in and hiding harmful activities. Case studies, 8 mindsets common to secret-keepers, and years of the author's exeprience as an addiction counselor and recovery from chemical addiction mark Stolen Hours as compelling in its own right and a welcome addition to recovery, therapy, and self-help shelves.
Rating:
Summary: A Brave Book
Review: This is a brave book by a brave writer. Prin digs deeply into his long and painful personal experience with addictive behaviors to offer a different angle on addiction, rooted in the concept of keeping secrets and stealing time to live in a secret world. Although he is coming from a decidedly Christian perspective, he does not let his Christianity overwhelm his message, but rather admits frankly that even after finding Christ he had many steps to go before overcoming his addictive personality. An unusual combination of autobiography and self-help book, this can be a real page turner at its best. I am not personally familiar with other literature on addiction, but it seems that this would be very helpful in that context. To me, however, the most interesting aspect lies in the whole idea of telling one's personal stories. We all have interesting stories, but not all of us can organize and express those stories in a way that makes them compelling to others. Prin has clearly struggled with his stories as long as he has struggled with his addictions, and this book brings them together in a unique and intriguing form.
Rating:
Summary: A Brave Book
Review: This is a brave book by a brave writer. Prin digs deeply into his long and painful personal experience with addictive behaviors to offer a different angle on addiction, rooted in the concept of keeping secrets and stealing time to live in a secret world. Although he is coming from a decidedly Christian perspective, he does not let his Christianity overwhelm his message, but rather admits frankly that even after finding Christ he had many steps to go before overcoming his addictive personality. An unusual combination of autobiography and self-help book, this can be a real page turner at its best. I am not personally familiar with other literature on addiction, but it seems that this would be very helpful in that context. To me, however, the most interesting aspect lies in the whole idea of telling one's personal stories. We all have interesting stories, but not all of us can organize and express those stories in a way that makes them compelling to others. Prin has clearly struggled with his stories as long as he has struggled with his addictions, and this book brings them together in a unique and intriguing form.
Rating:
Summary: A truly great read
Review: This powerful story is helping me to address behaviors and emotions that are essential for my continuing recovery. It is an honest and daring look at my life through the journies of John. By looking at the scarring and healing of parental, religious, sexual and relationship experiences, I am reminded that my anger, fears, disappointments and secret-keeping can be confronted with honesty and acceptance.
Rating:
Summary: Applicable to today's society
Review: Very well written and unabashedly honest. Prin here seems to have taken the courageous steps necessary to set himself free from a cycle that appears to be enormously typical in our culture today. He's then taken the lessons he's learned, and through additional research, study and professional observations as a counselor, is now trying to help others avoid many of the painful events Prin himself went through. A must read for someone who is looking for guidance and analysis concerning addictive behaviors and personalities from a 'whole' man perspective, which again, is so rare in today's environment.
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