A Good Introduction to the Topic
You will need more than this book if you want to work on debilitating guilt and shame. The book does a good job of explaining the difference between guilt and shame and how both lead to anxiety. It also provides somewhat helpful scenarios that show the difference between shaming and non-shaming families. I found that the end focused too much on unhealthy spousal relationships. I wish the book had gone into more detail about the different strategies children learn to survive in shaming families and also keep parts of themselves. I didn't see my marriage in any of these scenarios because I was self-aware and sought out people with whom I could be whole. I was lonely otherwise. That said, shame and guilt are always present with me. Which leads me to my other suggestion for the book. It didn't do much to explain how to go about unburdening oneself from excessive shame and guilt. At the end, I was disappointed and left with a feeling of "now what do I do?" So, I think this is a good book to start with, but that it is necessary to have other books that deal with the subject from different angles and perspectives, and also books that deal with the practical steps one can take to deal with shame and guilt.

Long Overdue
Understanding the difference between shame and guilt is essential in a narcissistic culture. Now I am waiting for the second part: what to do in a shameless society where entitlement and a lack of accountability, respect, or personal pride are the benchmarks of "Postmodernism."

Great
This small book is about much more than the difference between shame and guilt. It is about degrees of shame (to the point of debilitating shame), ways that children are shamed, the consequences, characteristics of adults shamed as children and a lot more. One specific topic that I found extremely interesting was the explanation of grandiosity as a response to debilitating shame, which makes this book required reading for people with this symptom (such as alcoholics and families; bipolars may also benefit). Great condensed book.

Excellent book
I read this book cover to cover and I plan reading it again. The author does and excellent job of explaining how shame and guilt are transmitted across generations and how shame effects people. I especially like the fable she use in chapter one to illustrate the giant chameleon and perfect personalities and how they interact in a family. The illustration of Giant and Chameleon on oposite ends of the spectrum and the human being in the healthy middle was very insightful. I also liked the example she gave of how a shaming family handled a dispute between there sons and how a nonshaming healthy family does it.

Couldn't Put It Down: Full of Insight
Never really thought about the difference between shame and guilt until I read this book. Guilt being when we blame our behavior in a given circumstance and shame being when we judge our very being. It has made me think twice about how I parent my own children and discipline their behavior. Eye-opening !