COPING WITH CHAOS

Nancy Mairs’ provocative review has made me eager to read “Healthy Pleasures” by Robert Ornstein and David Sobel (Book Review, July 9). According to Mairs, the authors “encourage us to think of the basic elements of our existence--in a refreshingly affectionate light.” Wonderful! But what about such realities as the seven deadly sins and the competitions that invade our terrains? How do we cope with them with equanimity? I keep wishing that some of the books that try to tell us how to be happy would also give us specific pointers on how to survive in the midst of chaos. That would surely be a healthy pleasure!

SHERRY TERZIAN

WEST LOS ANGELES