Book Description

Fifty years before Resident Life became a reality television show on The Learning Channel, Clifton Meador lived, breathed, and sometimes slept the life of a med student at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Meador recalls those days in a fascinating and entertaining memoir, packed with stories, vignettes, and experiences that capture a time and place gone by. Med School celebrates the joy of learning, the excitement of medical discovery, and the adverture of caring for patients in a setting that helped shape modern medicine. While Med School will resonate with medical practitioners, its sheer charm will appeal to anyone who enjoys a wonderfully told story. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Med School Tells it Like it Was
I love this little book. Of course the fact that I was in med school in Birmingham, AL about the same time author Meador was in med school in Nashville, TN, probably has a lot to do with that. Although some of the content is historical, and some frankly hysterically funny, this is how the American doctors of the past 50 years were trained. It behooves patients to try to understand this as they work on their own patient-physician relationships. Yes, medicine has changed a lot, but Meador's tales suggest that med school, in essence, may not have changed much. We have published an excerpt chapter of Med School at www.medscape.com/viewarticle/473668, if the Amazon reader wants to taste before buying.

Superb Insight into Life and Education of a Medical Student
In reading this enthralling book, one is taken step by step through the education and life of a medical student and young doctor. You will laugh and you will cry. This is an exciting and entertaining memoir. It is filled with true stories, vignettes and experiences that will make you understand how doctors are created and why they are like they are. He pays tribute to his patients, as well as, his professors as eminent teachers. Dr. Meador's compassion and extraordinary sense of humor combine to give him an inimitable voice...one that leads you rapidly through the book... When you finish you wish it had not ended so soon..... ... Read more

Book Description

The telephone call every parent dreads... a near fatal automobile accident... and a family changed forever. Given only a one-in-a-hundred chance of survival, the victim beats the odds. Her visible injuries dissipate one by one, but she and her family must deal with a much more serious problem that can't be seen... a traumatic brain injury.

SMILE AND JUMP HIGH! is the moving account of how one young woman and her family struggle through the 'hidden tunnel of darkness' for more than four years. Their journey begins with re-learning basic physical tasks of life such as holding a fork and using a toothbrush; taking a shower and eating; and subsequently walking and talking. These prove to be easy compared with what comes next, however. They must still deal with residual brain deficits that affect her perception, reasoning, problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and volatile behavior.

The book is an emotional ride through the minds of family members and the victim using personal journals and a diary. It follows them on a sometimes serious, sometimes hilarious roller coaster ride from hope to despair, frustration to elation, finally ending in triumph. It also demonstrates the value of perseverance and love.

This is a story worth telling because it inspires hope and comfort for brain injury victims and their families. It's also a warning to every parent, teen, and young adult about making bad choices. The entire scenario was preventable... automobiles, alcohol and fatigue don't mix! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

For anyone having to come to grips with recovering
Smile And Jump High!: The True Story Of Overcoming A Traumatic Brain Injury is the moving and compelling testimony of Shannon, a young woman who suffered a near-fatal auto accident. A devastating brain injury forces Shannon to embark on a grueling four-year journey of gradually re-learning simple physical skills, walking, talking, and coping with residual effects that drastically impair her problem-solving ability, behavioral temperament, and more. The inclusion of citations from personal journals of close friends and family members bear testimony to a long struggle culminating in triumph and rebuilding one's life from the ground up. Smile And Jump High is very highly recommended reading, especially for anyone having to come to grips with the recovering process necessitated by catastrophic injury or illness. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Bobbie Ann Mason's marvelously tactile and textured memoir has the same blunt yet supple prose that distinguishes her novels In Country and Feather Crowns. Examining her roots in rural Kentucky, where she was born in 1940, Mason unravels her family's history and considers its impact on her as a person and a writer. Readers of the New Yorker will recognize a few excerpts, most notably the magical chapter on a local pop group in particular, and the siren song of rock & roll in general. Mason has woven the pieces of her story into a seamless whole limning her ambivalent relationship to her country roots. She was a bookish girl who fled to college and the sophisticated North before realizing that her fictional material and her heart were still down South. But when she bought land in Kentucky, it was "a long way from [home]. I had to keep some distance, keep my options open." Although her immediate family members all get loving, unsentimental treatment, the book is in essence a tribute to Mason's mother, whose free spirit never had a chance to roam as her daughter's did and who grabs center stage in the final chapter. This memoir is quintessential Mason in its strong storytelling, seeming simplicity, and deep mystery. --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Reviews (16)

The way it was, for some of us, in childhood...
When writing a memoir, authors are advised to write the first draft as if everyone is dead - and then to prune the damaging parts in subsequent rewrites. Perhaps Mason pruned a bit too much. This otherwise lovely and affectionate memoir of how it was to grow up in a small, working-class town in Kentucky in the 40s and 50s is a bit long on respect and caution - and a bit short on grit.
Otherwise, I loved it. I grew up in Kansas in the 50s and can relate to the pace, small-town values, and lack of danger (except from the "evil Communists" and "the bomb") that Mason portrays as such inherent parts of her roots. Her language, esp in the first part of the book focusing on her own childhood memories, is rich and multi-layered and pulls readers into every scene right along with her. In the rest of the book, she uses the techniques of creative nonfiction to weave a background narrative that spans the lives of three generations of women within the community.
A worthwhile read; it won't change your life, but it might make you think, and it's certainly a pleasant trip to take with this accomplished author.

Magical and nostalgic
Bobbie Ann Mason has written an honest and wonderful book dealing with her growing-up years in Western Kentucky, with her leaving the rural life and entering the urban world, only to return in her later years to Kentucky. The book will trigger a lot of similar memories in many readers, and should take its place alongside books by Russell Baker and others as a true and accurate picture of bygone eras.

Pure Mason
Indispensible to serious readers of Mason's fiction, this memoir is true to family and community life in Western Kentucky (despite what other reviewers might say).

The author remembers and revisits her Kentucky home
I'm an appreciative fan of Bobbie Ann Mason's short stories, about rural people raised with traditional values now somewhat at sea in a world of consumerism, pop culture, and a new morality. Young adults, whose parents would have stuck with a marriage come hell or high water, now divorce and drift through relationships. Their parents tied to the land and other life-long occupations, Mason's post-war generation is less rooted, freed of conventional beliefs, but often at a loss about what to believe in. Most striking as America grows increasingly urban, Mason's people continue to inhabit a rural landscape -- more worldly than their forebears, but not more sophisticated.

While some readers of Mason's stories and novels may have been puzzled by the point of view in them (ironic? matter of fact? sentimental?), this wonderful memoir should do much to clear up that ambiguity. Here a reader is introduced to the world of day-to-day experience that these narratives have emerged from. And you can begin to see how the matter of fact, ironic, and sentimental blend into a perspective that is distinctly rural American. The strongest individual (who is surely the source of many of Mason's fictional characters) is without doubt her mother, a remarkable woman with a quizzical sense of humor, a colorful manner of speaking, and a long view that comes of witnessing much of the 20th century at first hand.

A list of highlights in this book would go on for pages; there's just so much to savor and enjoy. There's Mason's own unsophisticated childhood (barefoot summers, crushes on pop stars, rock and roll fandom), the making of the film "In Country," and the continuing transformation of the rural Kentucky environment from horse-and-buggy days to the invasion of agribusiness -- a huge processing plant has sprung up across the road from the family farm.

I recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed Mason's fiction. It is rich with thoughtful and well-observed detail reaching back across three generations of family history.

A Disappointing Book
I can see I'm really out of step on this one! I thought this book left too many questions unanswered. For one, it failed to put the family into the context of the community: Sally Jane never comes down the road to borrow a cup of sugar; Fred Brown never drives over in his new car. Secondly, it glides over the family's obvious material success. How many husbands give their wives fishing ponds? How many farm wives go on senior citizens' junkets all over the world? I assume the money came from the tobacco allotment which is treated as a nuisance (which it is) but which is highly profitable. And thirdly, the author never relates to people outside the family. So I sense a kind of dishonesty of omission - none of these people are real to me.
I spent some time in eastern Kentucky in 1966, and the farmer who was my landlord (and who thanked god for his tobacco allotment) was signing papers right and left to prove that the young men in the neighborhood worked for him so they would be classified as essential labor and would not be sent to Viet Nam. That's why I consider it important to meet the neighbors. Otherwise the entire book is like Christy's big fish out of water, pushed onto the bank of the pond while Christy gets colder and colder. ... Read more

Book Description

A bestseller in a dozen languages and a favorite of readers for decades, The Story of San Michele is one of a remarkable life filled with fabulous experiences and ambitions. Axel Munthe was a fashionable physician in Paris who built one of the best-loved houses in the world, San Michele, on the Isle of Capri, on the site of the villa of the emperor Tiberius. Written with intelligence and verve, this autobiography tells tales of buried treasure in Italy, legendary creatures in Lapland, and the cold countesses and kindly whores of Naples—enough material, as one critic put it, “to furnish writers of short stories with plots for the rest of their lives.” “A frank and absorbing autobiography…packed with good stories, vivid scenes, and memorable portraits.” -- The Times [London] “Written in an imaginative style that is vigorous and impressive.” -- New York Times ... Read more

Reviews (17)

A Magnificent Raconteur
I came to this strange and wonderful book without the slightest inkling of what it was about -- simply because it was in the recommended reading for many guidebooks about Italy. First and foremost, it is an autobiography of a great physician and animal lover who just happened to spend some years of his life on Capri.

Autobiographies can make for strange reading, especially when there are obvious omissions. Although Axel Munthe frequently accuses himself of being a ladies' man, there is no mention of any love interest by name or even generic description. (That reminds me of film director Josef von Sternberg's FUN IN A CHINESE LAUNDRY, where we learn in passing that the author was married because of a cryptic mention in a subordinate clause 300 pages into the book.) Also missing is any mention of Munthe's childhood, although I understand there is at least one other autobiography written by him (MEMORIES AND VAGARIES), which I have not read.

There is, however, one section that does not appear in any autobiography that I have ever seen: An anticipation of Munthe's Last Judgment in Heaven following his death, with St. Peter, Moses, Athanasius, and St. Francis joining in the discussion.

STORY OF SAN MICHELE ranges from Paris to Lapland, Rome, Naples, Calabria, and Capri. We see duels, medical cases of wealthy women with imaginary diseases, demonic housekeepers, quacks, midwives, prostitutes, victims of cholera and earthquakes, brigands, shamans, and even an alcoholic ape. Munthe is a magnificent raconteur, and his book is a joy to read and reread.

Read it Again
After many years I hauled out an old copy (with photo's) of Axel Munthe's classic "The Story of San Michele". What a wonderful read and if you consider what this man went through, and went on to achieve its a more remarkable story than any fiction book I have ever read.
His compassion for animals as well as those humans he encountered in the tragedies of war, disease and natural disasters must have been immense.
His clarity of vision to be able to see into the human soul should be an inspiration to us all.
2 years ago I travelled to Positano in Italy and went by bus to Sorrento to make my long awaited visit to the Isle of Capri and to see the house and the artefacts within.
The weather was too rough for a crossing and my one chance of seeing Munthe's home was dashed as I had to head back to Australia the next day.
I can easily read this book in parts just for inspiration. It is a true classic of mans endeavours and what a true human being can achieve.
Munthe went blind in his latter years but it did little to deter him and his work.

A thought provoking book
My father had mentioned this book to me as a teenager. I read portions of it then, but have always wanted to read it in full. Finally, I found a paperback edition and found an absorbing and thought stimulating book. Dr. Munthe's care of the sick, his love of animals and the characters he describes, all will stay in my memory. This is not a book that you read once. I plan to read it again and again. Hopefully I will be able to visit Villa St. Michele some day and see the beauty of the place that he saw. I hope to find a bound edition with the photographs.

Many-Times-in-a-Lifetime Book
How gratifying to read the other reviews, and to learn that others have also experienced and loved this book at different times in their lives. The remarkable thing about it is how Dr. Munthe speaks to us in different ways at different ages. As a teenager, I was impressed by the passions, even though a lot of the details were above my head. In my late twenties, the way he tried to balance career and his love for San Michele was very meaningful. As a 44-year-old, I was impressed (and saddened) with the loneliness of Dr. Munthe's struggle, with really only his animals for company. While he speaks of friends, he shares little about them. And nothing about a lasting romantic involvement.

We all have our San Micheles. They may not be homes, but they are ideals toward which we strive. But for me, it exists only in my mind. Dr. Munthe was in some ways very lucky, yet also cursed, to be able to bring it to life.

The only frustrating aspect of "San Michele" is that it is, as its author notes, a fragment. I am interested to learn more of this fascinating man. Does anyone know if any biographies are in print, or in English? Thank you.

Unforgettable
Eighty or ninety years ago, Axel Munthe was a famous doctor.

He left behind a few modest and charming reminiscences, of which "The story of the San Michele" is, in my opinion, the most interesting.

The writer deliberately leaves outsides large zones of his existence; he only highlights those pertaining to his work.

The unity of this book in which memories mingle according to his fancy, is achieved through the presence of two underlying motifs: his love for the nature of the south and the battle against death.

A cholera epedemic in Naples, an earthquake in Messina, anywhere a doctor is needed, Munthe is present.

Even in his passion for archeology, gathering ancient statues and coins, building in Capri a new home from the fragments of an illustrious past - with the architecture inspired by dreams rather than mathematics - his spirit finds a new way of celebrating the beauty of life.

The book is filled with vivid and unforgettable portraits (don Antonio the priest; Maria Porta-Lettere the messenger; Rozalia, the caretaker; Mamsell Agata, the housekeeper with the putrid smile of Lazarus; Norstrom, his friend; Madame Requin, the delinquent midwife; Arcangelo Fusco, the sweeper; the Countess and the Viscount Maurice; John, the child who never laughed - and a lot many others.

But the most interesting character is the doctor himself - because of the special quality of his humanity. ... Read more

Book Description

"Groundbreaking.Here are the voices of women whose wisdom and experience have much to say to other women and to health-care professionals about what it means to live with breast cancer.And I mean live.These are women who live busy, productive, meaningful lives as they confront breast cancer.At once practical and philosophical, these active, professional women share their experiences, knowledge and feelings generously." -- Sandra Morgan
Director, Center for Study of Women in Society, University of Oregon

"A very insightful and dynamic book!As an oncology nurse and professional woman, it spoke both to me and for me.This book emphasizes beautifully the need for understanding and compassion for any woman dealing with breast cancer who desires to pursue her goals, whether professional or personal, and to lead as normal a life as possible." -- Jo Ann Vergnolle, RN, OCN
Cancer Treatment Center, Greenville Hospital System ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Ground-breaking, insightful, dynamic!
From the foreword written by Erma Bombeck:

I do not know nor have I ever met the ten women who authored this book.

But we share a common bond. All of us were watching our prime-time lives pass by when a voice announced, "We interrupt this life to bring you cancer." We didn't even have time to turn the dial.

I have read a hundred books on breast cancer - war stories of women who did battle with the most frightening adversary in their lives. But BREAST CANCER? LET ME CHECK MY SCHEDULE! is different. These are personal stories of ten women, all over thirty, who pursue careers outside their homes......the way they accepted their diagnosis, the decision sthey made, their approach to therapy and the way they coped all reflected their experience in the workplace.

I wanted to be part of this book mostly because of its title. It fits me to a "T." I too am a working woman complete with a little calendar that tells me when to have a headache. If it isn't penciled in, I don't have one. On April 23, 1992 under "Things to Do Today" I jotted down, "radical mastectomy, noon."

.........

As I read this book, I was hoping it would address the one emotion that all cancer patients rarely speak about: the uncertainty of our future. It did. We are a unique group who have been allowed to face our mortality, and oddly enough, it has made us better people for it. There isn't a survivor who doesn't admit she has changed. ........

I've heard women say, "I can't read cancer books. They're downers. BREAST CANCER? LET ME CHECK MY SCHEDULE is not a downer. How could it be when you enter the lives of these ten women who triumph over an invasion of their bodies. These are women with drive and purpose who aren't ready to give up. Cancer? It's a full week. I'll have my people call your people and set something up.

Prima donnas with breast cancer? Well, sort of.
This is a concept book, as you might guess from the title. I didn't much care for the concept.Ten busy professional women, all initially diagnosed with Stage I or II breast cancer, were invited by McCarthy Medical Marketing and Innovative Medical Education Consortium, Inc. to form a focus group that would help to foreground the needs of their special category - busy professional women with breast cancer - for the edification of medical personnel and other cancer care providers. The resulting book, put together in-house by MMM and IMEC, "is intended to provide health-care professionals with insight into what makes this group of women 'different' and, in turn, to enhance their relationships with them." And how are these women "different?" The book explains, "For all ten authors, the diagnosis of breast cancer was a major inconvenience because...it interrupted their busy, active, and fulfilled lives." It turns out none of them felt comfortable crying in doctor's offices or losing control. Nor enjoyed the disagreeable task of "comforting distraught well-wishers" such as their friends and extended family. Nor - back to the title - easily found time for treatment and other medical visits. Why, one woman had the unimaginable experience of being put on hold 15 minutes for her lab results! Whew, what a relief that the rest of us don't have any of that to worry about. As the book progresses and this offensive start-off impression recedes into the background, the characters become more sympathetic and their medical and professional fates interesting. So I'm inclined to hope that these 10 authors didn't quite anticipate how the final draft would make them look. Every woman who has breast cancer has a right to our sympathy and concern. That goes for busy professionals too. Will appeal to: Obsessive fact-gatherers trying to assess their options and eager to learn what happened to other people with a similar lifestyle. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Out of My Life and Thought is the autobiography of Albert Schweitzer, the theologian, musician, scientist, and medical missionary who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952 (and donated his prize to build a leper colony). Schweitzer's autobiography is a masterful and motley blend of confession, narrative, adventure, and philosophy. The chapters about how he came to writeThe Quest for the Historical Jesus and The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle are indispensable summaries of and apologies for those books; the chapter called "I Resolve to Become a Jungle Doctor" is a model of Rilke-style life-changing decision; and the chapters on Bach and on organs are full of fascinating historical and mechanical detail. For contemporary readers, Out of My Life and Thought may be most compelling for its epilogue, which describes the ethical mysticism that Schweitzer called "Reverence for Life," which he achieved in his later years. The epilogue is full of stirringly Germanic passages such as the following: "Once man begins to think about the mystery of his life and the links connecting him with the life that fills the world, he cannot but accept, for his own life and all other life that surrounds him, the principle of Reverence for Life. He will act according to this principle of the ethical affirmation of life in everything he does. His life will become in every respect more difficult than if he lived for himself, but at the same time it will be richer, more beautiful, and happier. It will become, instead of mere living, a genuine experience of life." Because Schweitzer believed Christianity implied such world-encompassing reverence, he had the confidence and faith to "demand from Christianity that it reform itself in the spirit of sincerity and with thoughtfulness, so it may become conscious of its true nature." --Michael Joseph Gross ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A book that matters...
This is an elegant though brief memoir written by the great man himself. One should not expect too much detail, however, as the text only gives us glimpses into the man's life and the singular events that shaped who he was and what he became and, more importantly, what he accomplished. Schweitzer focuses mainly on the development of his theological and philosophical thought, beginning with his early endeavours leading to his famous work, 'The Quest for the Historical Jesus'. From this point, he continues on towards the shaping of his magnum opus, 'Philosophy of Civilization'. It is in this section of the text that he discusses two worldviews of life-affirmation and life-denial and pessimism. This work evolves into his philosophical perspective of Reverence for Life.

The biography ends in the year 1931, well before the advent of the Second World War. Schweitzer was only fifty-six years of age when he penned this work, well before receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, living and working for another forty-four years. Curiously, when his publisher requested that he write an autobiography, he was hesitant, as he was more or less still in his prime. However, as he wrote to his publisher fourteen years later on his seventieth birthday, memory fades with age, and he believed that writing about himself at that stage of his life, he could put down those important memories that remained fresh in his mind.

Schweitzer is certainly an inspiration - a man of immense strength, physically, emotionally and spiritually, with an almost endless capacity for work. The man worked in the most difficult of circumstances. Practicing medicine in intense tropical heat, day after day, disease run rampant; constant worry over funds to purchase much needed medical supplies. Moreover, the terrible events of two world wars - the odds he worked against to maintain the Lambarene Hospital, to my mind, is simply unimaginable. But the man persisted, rising every morning to meet disease, suffering, violence, death and loneliness.

This is an inspiring little book, charming and entertaining.

For students of this great mind, this is a must read.
There is no better short book available on the mind and thoughts of Albert Schweitzer than this book. His theology on Jesus and Paul, his thoughts on Bach and organ building, his philosophy on Reverence for Life are all laid out here.

George Marshall (see my review of Marshall's excellent biography: Schweitzer) once asked Dr. Schweitzer what professors would best provide him an education on Schweitzer's thoughts. He replied that Marshall should not go to professors but "read my books! No one can express the ideas of a man as well as he has expressed them himself.... read my books".

Bob Frost of "Biography Magazine" once wrote, "Albert Schweitzer is not exactly forgotten today, but his name won't crop up in daily conversation. Fifty years ago, though, people talked about Schweitzer all the time. An American magazine selected him, ahead of Albert Einstein, as the "world's greatest living nonpolitical person." He was the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary, won the Nobel Peace Prize, and appeared on the cover of Time magazine. Fueled by idealism and burning spiritual passion, this medical missionary led one of the most intense lives of the 20th century."

Be apprized that "Out of my Life and Thoughts" is not an easy read. Dr. Schweitzer's theology and philosophy, though dense, is not incomprehensible. And due to the translation from French to English, you many find yourself reading a passage multiple times to get the gist his thoughts.

That said, for students of this great mind, this is a must read. Strongly recommended. 4.5 stars.

Schweitzer's life and thought:
"Since my first years at the university I had grown increasingly to doubt the idea that mankind is steadily moving toward improvement. My impression was that the fire of its ideas was burning out without anyone noticing or worrying about it. ... What was just and equitable seemed to be pursued with only lukewarm zeal. I noticed a number of symptoms of intellectual and spiritual fatigue in this generation that is so proud of its achievements."
Albert Schweitzer was a man of action -- humanitarian, theologian, historian, musician, musical technologist, medical doctor, author, philosopher, missionary, professor, environmentalist, prisoner of war, recipient of the Nobel Prize. He writes an interesting autobiography, which is not surprising when one considers the breadth of his interests and of his achievements in science, the humanities and the arts. In his later years he was perhaps the most widely admired and respected person in the Western world.
Jimmy Carter offers a foreword in this volume; it is economical, a mere six sentences. Schweitzer's philosophical work may be well studied, but does not particularly distinguish itself in this volume (with some notable exceptions). His theological work (i.e., Christology) is generally questionable -- bound to Enlightenment fallacies of a "historical Jesus." I was happy to be concurrently reading the thoughts of a far better theologian, CS Lewis, on the idea of "discovering" a "historical" Jesus. While some of Schweitzer's ideas are [rightly] not highly regarded, his "life and thought" makes for unusually interesting biography. His "reverence for life" precept certainly has great value, but seems to be a less profoundly unique idea than he held it to be. Perhaps my view here is merely ignorant of the world in which Schweitzer lived.
He considered this book to be his best, or at least his preferred, writing, but if you are going to read only one book considering theological and historical exegetics, this is probably the wrong book. On the other hand, Schweitzer makes many observations cleanly and powerfully: "Our world rots in deceit. Our very attempt to manipulate truth itself brings us to ... [a truth] based on a skepticism that has become belief... It is superficial and inflexible." Kant had observed the intellectual paralysis of such "a skepticism that has become belief," but Schweitzer goes further, recognizing it as an even deeper spiritual paralysis.
While Schweitzer's Christology is, at the least, arguable, his firm commitment to Christ's commandment of love is a strong example of the Christian life led in the light of its Teacher's example. The author is [rightly] given to referring to Christianity as "the religion of love." In this aspect, Schweitzer at once offers the non-Christian a true image of Christianity and offers the Christian an important, if gentle, reminder. "[God] announces Himself in us as the will to love. The First Cause of Being, as He manifests Himself in nature, is to us always impersonal. To the First Cause of Being that is revealed to us in the will to love, however, we relate as to an ethical personality." And quoting Paul: "Love never faileth: but where there be knowledge it shall be done away."

An inspiring journey with a true disciple of Christ
Albert Schweitzer was an acclaimed organist, a world authority on Bach, a church pastor and principal of a theological seminary, a university professor with a doctorate in philosophy, and above all a humanitarian. This book gives a stunning account of how he grew into his ideals and I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in ethics or philosophy. I was left with an urge to read more about this true human, who believed and practiced the basic principle of goodness, as I finished reading the book. Schweitzer's faith in what he believes in and how he transforms it to the needy is absolutely inspiring. The epilogue of the book is very thought provoking as it gives a clear idea of his vision and the relevance of it in the world we live in.

seek ye first the kingdom....
A memorable account of the theologian, musician, author, and philosopher who up and went to the jungle one day to become a doctor... and of the opposition he encountered by "people passing as Christians." If you are in doubt about whether to risk living your own dreams, then this is your book. Schweitzer relinquished everything, received everything, and was free. ... Read more

Book Description

As an adult, National Public Radio foreign correspondent Jacki Lyden has spent her life on the front lines of some of the #151; she's tired of hearing her relatives talk about the past. But when she opens the front door to symbolically welcome the prophet Elijah, she's transported to a Polish village in the year 1942, where she becomes caught up in the tragedy of the time."[Readers] will come away with a sense of tragic history that both disturbs and compels."— Booklist ... Read more

Reviews (23)

What a Queendom!
This is the story of a long self-discovery journey. Ms. Lyden writes a mostly wonderful memoir of her life. Although the main focus is apparently her mother, the book has a few sub-themes and characters to make it flow in a wonderful way. It was written so well, that I took two months to read it in order to make it last as long as possible. I loved all the details of her early childhood, and particularly got fond of Jackie's grandmother. I've seen reviews saying that Ms. Lyden writting was self absorbed and that she was playing a martyr. I dissagre, I think she was honest, even to the point of confessing how a part of her wanted her mother locked up in county's mental institution. One of my fears on reading this book was to find it too depressing, and true, it had some sad moments, but I also found myself laughing pretty hard. The whole Christmas episode where her mother pretends to be dead, was hilarious. One of those family situations that infuriates you when it happens and years laters you talk about it, and find the humor in it. I can see why Ms. Lyden wrote about her Middle-East experience as a relation to Sheba's Queendom, but the whole situation on her "Rodeo" job was a little distracting. It was an interesting part of her life that should be in another of her future books. Everything else in the book is top notch and I recomend reading it.

dissapointing
I found Jacki Lyden's book about her life with her bi-polar mother very dissapointing. I must give credit where credit is due, Ms. Lyden has a wonderful writing style and appears to have led a fascinating life, but I finished the book with a strong sense of dissapointment. Ms. Lyden's story did not answer the questions I had about her feelings about the real possibility that she could fall prey to the genetic disease that her mother suffered from. Nor did she leave the reader with any sense of sympathy for her. I felt that she portrayed herself as a martyred character who had an inflated sense of self. The callous description of Ms. Lyden's abortion and her endless trivial details about her "rodeo job" caused me to dislike the book even more. I had high expectations for this book, but I was left feeling unfulfilled.

disappointing
I bought this book after watching Ms. Lyden's appearance on Larry King Live, in which she spoke engagingly and eloquently about her childhood, her mother's illness, and the effects it had on the family. Sadly, she speaks more effectively than she writes.

Big words taste and feel good in our mouths, and it's fun to string a bunch together (this I know from personal experience), but after reading that style through a couple of chapters it got tiresome. Ms. Lyden seemed more interested in demonstrating her command of the English language than in telling her story.

I was also disappointed by too-frequent and too-lengthy sidetracks into other aspects of the family's life (for instance, the whole trip to Mexico story could have been told in a couple of pages). I had the impression Ms. Lyden was trying to flesh out the book.

For those interested in the subject matter, this is worth a try if you can find it second-hand or in the library, but not worth full price.

I do recommend watching Ms. Lyden if you ever get a chance to see her being interviewed - she is an excellent communicator...just not on paper.

Another Beautiful Mind
I am saddened to find so many unfavorable reviews of this memoir. Reading it, I was reminded of "Angela's Ashes," "A Beautiful Mind" and "Growing Up." I found Lyden's prose both poetic and evocative. I thought she portrayed her own family and herself with remarkable journalistic perspective, but also with compassion. I am amazed at the extent of Lyden's success in her attempt to describe her mother's mania, as well as the author's candor about her own life. There's no self-indulgence in these pages, only a long and difficult distance bravely traveled and recounted for us, so we can see the terrain through her eyes. To the critical reviewers, I say, "Let us read your life," and to Ms. Lyden an unequivocal, "Bravo."

Good start but looses itself midway through
I listened to this book on tape and although I enjoyed the beginning and was looking forward to a good story I found myself dissappointed and a bit disinterested by the end. There is no question that Lyden lived overcame a traumatic childhood and it is interesting to read about it. But her conclusions seemed, well, inconclusive. In the end she waxes poetic but doesn't really make any clear point. She accepts her mother and misses her mothers manias and she repeats how content she is with her own life. It seemed more like she really didn't know how to synthesize her story and that she was trying to convince herself and the readers that she was "at peace" then it actually seemed true. At the end of the book Lyden still didn't seem to have the solid foundation which, sadly, her childhood failed to provide. ... Read more

Book Description

While supervising a small group of interns at a major New York medical center, Dr. Robert Marion asked three of them to keep a careful diary over the course of a year. Andy, Mark, and Amy vividly describe their real-life lessons in treating very sick children; confronting child abuse and the awful human impact of the AIDS epidemic; skirting the indifference of the hospital bureaucracy; and overcoming their own fears, insecurities, and constant fatigue. Their stories are harrowing and often funny; their personal triumph is unforgettable.

This updated edition of The Intern Blues includes a new preface from the author discussing the status of medical training in America today and a new afterword updating the reader on the lives of the three young interns who first shared their stories with readers more than a decade ago.

Reviews (19)

A hauntingly accurate representation of internship
During medical school I was given "The Intern Blues" by a friend (we were both interested in pediatrics). I could not believe that what was in the book really happened, because the problems and stresses appeared to be impossible for anyone to undertake. During my internship in pediatrics, however, I reread the book and was amazed to find that it was 100% factual, from the patient AND physician standpoint. As a Chief Resident in pediatrics as a teaching hospital I have recommended it to the interns, to let them know that what they are experiencing is not unusual, and that they are not alone. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in medicine (especially pediatrics), and for the families of medical students and residents, as it can help them understand the many personality and life style changes that accompany internship and residency. This book is a MUST READ for anyone contemplating pediatric residency.

Can it be this bad?
This was the third medical education book I read this spring as part of a medical school course (2nd year). For some reason, I liked this book much more than "Becoming a Doctor" by Melvin Konner (too analytical and removed) and "House of God" by Samuel Shem (too much shock for the sake of shock). The Intern Blues introduced three interns who were probably typical. As a parent, I empathized with Amy and felt she was getting screwed for being a parent and a woman- but somehow she was still so unlikeable- I can't imagine she can still be practicing medicine with such an anti-everything attitude. Andy seemed like a great intern, but by the fifth time he broke down in tears during the first few chapters I was ready to see him jump off a building. Mark was great- I am a firm believer in using sarcasm to keep you sane. Prior to reading this book I told people I was trying to do well in classes so I didn't end up in the Bronx for my residency. Since this sounds like a high powered and competetive program, I'm tempted to tank my boards just so I DON'T end up in the Bronx. I must say, that my impression from people I've talked to is that things may be slightly better these days than they were in 1985. Let's hope so.

20 years old but still a great read
If you're entering medicine now you won't have to deal with 36 hour shift (thank goodness!) but it is very interesting to read about three interns who did in the mid-80's. One even had a two month baby going and was three months pregnant by the time she finished!

This isn't an uplifting book by an stretch, but if you're interested in medicine you won't get bored.

Good course material
I first read Intern Blues as a graduate student in a course on health communication. I am now using it as required reading in an undergraduate course I teach on health communication. A number of my students are pre-med or plan to go into health related fields. They have expressed overwhelming interest in this book. It serves as a great supplement to a health communication textbook. Issues related to medical ethics, patient-provider communication, medical training, death and dying, and even health policy permeate this book. This book has influenced the way I work with and relate to physicians. It has also transformed the attitudes of many of my students. I strongly recommend it for personal reading and/or for college course adoption.

A Great Book for Everyone
I'll preface this review by saying my knowledge of the medical profession is minimal at best. However, Marion's book was among the best I've read in a long time. The story of how three interns struggle to make it throught a year is emotionally draining and exhilarating at the same time. Marion does an excellent job of describing all medical terms and summarizing the stress that the interns are going through. After having read this book I have a greater respect and understanding of what current doctors go through to get to their positions. "The Intern Blues" is well worth reading for doctors and non-doctors alike. ... Read more

Book Description

Syndicated in more than 400 newspapers, Tom Batiuk's strip Funky Winkerbean has become known for its treatment of close-to-home issues--and Batiuk's recent series of strips that followed the character Lisa as she coped with the dreaded diagnosis of breast cancer have earned particular acclaim, as well as wide-spread media attention. This book gathers those strips into a single volume, and also includes a comprehensive list of resources for breast-cancer survivors and their families.

"Tom Batiuk has brought cancer into the unique venue of comic strip with sensitivity, realism, and wit--attributes essential to breast cancer experience."--Andrea Martin, breast cancer survivor and executive director of the Breast Cancer Fund ... Read more

Reviews (2)

a cutesy/powderpuff look at primary, early-stage bc
Like so many breast cancer books out there, this one fuels one of the great myths of breast cancer today: Lisa survives the disease and they all live happily ever after. This and many of the texts on breast cancer tend to gloss over the reality: that no one is ever really safe from the possibility of their cancer returning. And if it does, there's really nothing funny about it.

If, like me, you stumbled upon this one while trying to find books on advanced breast cancer...don't waste your time or money. They don't deal with that reality here.

To their credit, the book does include an extensive list of references -- though only one dealt with the subject I am trying to research and it, as well as a few other Web sites I tried, were out-of-date and/or the information wasn't available.

A book with wide appeal
As a woman surgeon who treats women for breast cancer, I was intrigued by this book. I found it delightful! It treats a serious subject with just the right touch. More importantly, it is loaded with insights into breast cancer, the way patients and health care professionals interact, and the reaction of family and friends. The front part of the book reprints the story of Lisa, who discovers a lump in her breast, copes with diagnosis, treatment - including surgery, chemotherapy, and reconstruction, and gets on with her life with a good sense of humor. The back part of the book has one of the best selections of resource material for breast cancer patients and their families that I have ever seen. This is not just a book for women - it's a book for their husbands and their families and friends. Finally, it's a book that medical students and physicians should read - it holds up a mirror to the medical profession and laughs gently at our shortcomings. Carol Scott-Conner MD PhD, Professor and Head, Department of Surgery, University of Iowa College of Medicine. ... Read more

Book Description

Told with immediacy and heart, The Oath is the story of a brave physician's dedication to saving lives in the Russia-Chechnya conflict.

In 1991, when the political conflict between Chechen insurgents and the Russian army began, Khassan Baiev was a wealthy plastic surgeon. But when Russia began to bomb his country, Baiev gave up safety and security and opened a small hospital in his hometown of Alkhan Kala. At times, the one-storey cement building was staffed by just six nurses and a handful of volunteers. Baiev was the sole physician.

Over the next six years, Baiev treated thousands of people under the most brutal conditions, using outdated tools and dwindling medical supplies, and with a constant threat of missiles overhead. A witness to the unspeakable horrors of war, Baiev treated anyone, Chechen or Russian, soldier or civilian. He became a marked man, hated by both sides in one of the world’s ugliest and least understood conflicts. After he treated a widely feared Chechen rebel leader, his home was looted and burned. A Chechen warlord stood him up against a wall and threatened to execute him for saving Russian soldiers.

Under threat from both sides, Baiev finally fled Chechnya early in 2000. Still tortured by the memories of his past, he has taken refuge in the USA. Throughout his whole ordeal, Khassan has maintained his commitment to medicine and medical ethics. When asked why he didn’t flee his country like so many others had done, he said, “I could have left before the war. But where would I have gone? Where was I more needed than Chechnya?” ... Read more

Reviews (8)

incredible surgeon with an incredible story
I read this book in between graduating from medical school and starting my residency. WOW! Dr. Khassan Baiev will amaze you this entire story. From living in the airport and being one of Russia's best judo athletes during medical school, to his impressive operations in unbelievable wartime settings. He is not just an incredible surgeon though. He is an incredible person with a truly amazing story. I have given this book to several nonmedical people, and they could not put it down either

Amazing!!!
Dr. Baiev has done a wonderful job of presenting the agony of his people. This is a must read for everyone. I was born on the Iranian side of the Caspian Sea. Many of the customs related by Dr. Baiev are very familiar to me. I have no doubt that the tremendous will power of the Chechen people will enable them to survive the current crises as they have done in the past. I highly recommend this book to every person of conscious.

Kudos to Dr. Baiev.

Horrifying, enlightening and edifying.
I truly feel privileged to have read this book, to have met the author and hear him speak (at the Northwest Book Festival in October 2003). I know of no modern book that brings home the horrors that citizens face during war, while offering the inspiration of the human spirit to go on in the midst of it all, like "The Oath." Baiev's horrific, personal story is worth the read in itself. However, the perspective he brings to the conflict and its origins is incredibly vital to the world situation today.

A Story of Strength & Tragedy
This book is a testimony to the power of human will, faith, and hope. Never before have I realized what strength and tragedy really meant.

"A Classic on the Effects of War"
Khassan Baiev's "The Oath: A Surgeon Under Fire" describes the wrenching field experience of a Chechen doctor who treated the wounded from both sides of the conflict, a work described at a recent American Enterprise Institute conference by Lawrence Uzell, editor of the Jamestown Foundation's "Chechnya Weekly," as "the most important to come out in some years, a classic on the effects of war." (from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty,"(Un)Civil Societies," www.rferl.org/ucs, 16 December 2003.

Some book stores may have erred in placing this book only in the back stacks under "health" or "medicine" where it languishes next to diet tips. It belongs prominently displayed in the "politics" and "European history" sections. CAF ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (15)

Perfect for anyone who loves life!
As not only an animal lover, but (hopefully) an up and coming veterinarian, James Herriots books seemed like a great thing to look into.

Herriot's books bring the Yorkshire countryside directly into your home. He brings the world of hard work, late nights, confusing symptoms, and the unknown of a vets life into the readers heart, but at the same time he also shows the thrill of pulling an animal back from the brink of death or bringing another life into the world.

This wonderful combination starts off when Herriot leaves for the RAF to fight in World War II, but as he goes through basic training his mind (and the book) wanders back to his days in Darrowby doing what he loves best.

Book assignment on a great book!
This is a really great book and the only biography I've really ever liked. It's about a guy (James Herriot) who is a country vet. This has stories about his work at a pet show, him when he's trying to court his future wife, and it has a lot about the personalities of the animals he treated. It also has a lot of his blunders, like when he got drunk (accidentally, I think) and went out to a farm. The people there were really religious, and he found out the next day the despised drinking! He didn't go out there again. All in all, it was a really good book, and I recommend it for any animal lovers or future vets out there.

James Herriot - an Amusing Storyteller
James Herriot Describing Himself in All Things Bright and Beautiful
In the novel All Things Bright and Beautiful, the author James Herriot is using his experiences as a veterinarian in Scotland to make an indirect characterization of himself. Reading the book, we get the picture of James Herriot as being a person who simply loves life because of the small things that happen in it whether they happen when he visits the farms in the country, goes and gets drunk in a pub, or has to get up in the middle of the night because of his job. Due to his amusing and joyful way of describing what he sees and does, we get encouraged to love life as much as James Herriot loves it himself. The way he indirectly describes himself makes the novel a joy to read.
We are not supposed to learn the lessons of life when reading this novel; we are supposed to enjoy James Herriot as a fantastic storyteller and get inspired to enjoy the small though extraordinary things in life that happen every day. The indirect characterization of James Herriot is what makes us realize that. We get inspired by his personality and his actions. James Herriot has put his personality onto every page of the book, and it is his personality that shapes the novel and makes it as good and amusing as it is. James Herriot has not written this novel because he had to; he has written it because he wanted to, and his love of writing about a topic as banal as his own life makes this novel a positively different and extraordinary piece of literature.

The BEST book I have ever read
This book is GREAT !! I loved from the beginning to the end.
It is about a Country vet. named James Herriot. Through out this book you have humor, adventure, everything you would want to find in a book! If you are a vet. , you love animals or you just want to read something good this, this book is for you!!

A wonderful book!
This book is just the beginning of a series full of good-character and fun-filled adventures. It will keep you interested the whole way through. With tales of every good or bad event that Jim encounters on his many early morning rounds to aid the animals of his English countryside, this book is a celebration to life. James Herriot makes the books come alive with his expertise in writing. A great book! ... Read more

Book Description

The popular Unity minister who authored the acclaimed Discover the Power Within You offers a non-theological, non-ritualistic guide to prayer for contemporary seekers of oneness, guidance, and self-regulation. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Great book - even if you're not suffering from depression
After I read this book I lent it to my roommate to read, and she's one of the happiest people know. Manning's writing style is so witty and so enjoyable to read that I can definitely recommend (and have recommended) this book to anyone who likes reading, whether or not that person deals with depression. Of course, you've probably stumbled across this book because you're dealing with depression and want to read about how others in your shoes have dealt with the issue (you're not just looking for witty / stylistically enjoyable reads). Manning's book perfectly chronicles her life with depression, her mental / emotional states while dealing with depression, and how she was able to (or not able to, in some cases) deal with her job, her child, husband, and siblings....all while feeling like she was coming apart. Despite the level of seriousness that her disease reached, Manning was able to write about her life with depression in ways that, at times, had me laughing out loud. If you buy and read this book, you'll feel that neither your money nor your time was wasted.

Putting Me at Ease
I have suffered from a mental disorder all my life. The severity has increased over the years. Although the doctors are having a hard time determining what I am suffering from (depression, bipolar, borderline personality) this book spoke to me. Reading through tears while nodding my head, this author experienced so much that I have, as well as many others. Knowing that she is a woman whose chosen career would send her patients like me was comforting. This book gives me hope that with a great support system happiness and achieving stability is obtainable. After a long time of feeling out of place or strange I am put as ease and feel human again after reading her story. Anyone who suffers from or has a loved one who is suffering from a mental disorder should read this book.

Inspirational
To say this book saved my life may sound melodramatic, but is true nonetheless.

I read this book soon after college, while in the throes of what was not my first episode of depression. Doctors had been recommending ECT for years, but I was scared to death of it, mostly because of the potential for memory loss. Since Manning is a therapist and obviously very educated, learning that she was able to resume her life without significant adverse effects was incredibly reassuring. Doctors always say "I'd recommend ECT to my mother if she were as depressed as you are." In Manning I found a mental health professional who not only would recommend it to her mother but would actually put herself through it, something I had previously been unable to believe about the doctors I had spoken with.

In 1999, several years after reading "Undercurrents" for the first time, I experienced my worst depression yet. Re-reading this book helped me find the courage to try ECT, and I have been depression-free ever since. After 20 years of fighting off the beast, I had finally won and I felt I owed a considerable amount of my success to Manning.

During one of my hospitalizations, I loaned this book to my mom. Manning describes what depression feels like in a way that I had previously been unable to and I felt her book would help my mom understand why I had attempted suicide so many times in the past. She did find it enlightening; although it made her sad to finally realize how I had been feeling, it did give her more clarity on the overwhelming helplessness associated with depression.

Unfortunately, Ms Manning has not had the luck with ECT that I have. I had the opportunity to meet her at a book signing for another book to which she had contributed. I was so excited I was going to be able to thank her in person!!! Many other people showed up at the reading to ask her about "Undercurrents" as well; it was clear this book had a great impact on the people in attendance. While answering their questions, Manning revealed that ECT was not a cure-all for her. She has had to undergo subsequent treatments which have been less successful than the initial treatment she wrote about. In fact, at the time she was in the midst of another depressive episode, albeit a relatively mild one. As a result, she was less than gracious when people asked her to sign copies of "Undercurrents" that night.

Downwards spiral into her personal hell.
Dr. Martha Manning was a university professor, psychologist, wife and mother. Depression transformed her from being happy and healthy to a sleepwalker haunted by thoughts of suicide. Undercurrents chronicles this transformation through Manning's journal entries. We understand her terror as she evaluates a new patient only to realize that she herself meets all of the textbook criteria of depression and feel her nowhere-to-turn despair as she is forced to acknowledge that the love of her family, the support of her therapist, and the exhaustive drug treatments administered by her psychiatrist are not succeeding. Finally, Manning agrees to electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT. Notorious for its brain damage and confusion, this controversial treatment becomes her last resort and only hope.
While I don't think I'm at the point of considering ECT, this is definately a book I'd recommend to anyone with depression. Not everyone has the same experiences, but if you want to explain depression to your loved ones, give them this book.

I loved this book! It was honest and engaging.
This was the kind of book that I was sorry when it ended - I could have gone on reading. In fact, I bought more of her books so I could. Dr.Manning's writing style lets you into her life and into her family in such a personal and honest way. She has a great sense of humor. As a Mental Health professional I am always looking for personal accounts of individuals' experiences of recovery. This is a book I will recommend and share with others. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (8)

I would give all of his books more than 5 stars if I could!
If you want a book that will take you back to the country life and its people with all their foibles and admirable qualities and love animals then his books will be pure enjoyment! I love the way he tells his stories. In his stories, he doesn't ever claim to be the best veterinarian around (I think he underrated himself), but you know he is a wonderful, kind, animal and people loving person. The way he speaks about the people and animals he comes in contact with, come to life and you feel you are right there with him. You will laugh, maybe cry, and cheer him on as you read. If you have animals, or raise them, you will love his books, although you don't have to own any to appreciate them.

A Gem!
My first experience with the late James Herriot's inspirational books took place in a bookstore in Singapore, in the 80's. I was barely 14 & had not heard of this writer/vet. But as soon as I started reading All Things Wise and Wonderful - my very first JH book, I knew I had to get the rest of the series.
Through his poignant, funny, sensitive and Yorkshire-accented writing, I relived his world as a practising vet. His was a world where decent, civic minded people lived with much love & respect for their pets and farm animals. A world where I wanted/want to be in.
It is true how one book reviewer put it: every chapter will have you either laughing out loud or shedding a quiet tear. To this day, I still remember some of his stories that touched my heart. The courtship years when a young JH was trying to impress Helen (who eventually became his very supportive wife); the timid little black stray cat, who with her last breath, would placed her one surviving kitten into the hands of a caring family; the endearing 'beggar' dog; the bored, pampered & misunderstood pet dog of a wealthy spinster...I could almost touch and see JH's characters through his vivid writing. I even felt his pride when his daughter also became a vet, & his son a doctor.
I am sorry that there were not more of his wonderful tales.

The Unabridged Audio Set Is Wonderful!
The reading on the audio cassettes is done by Christopher Timothy, the actor who plays James Herriot on the BBC series "All Creatures Great And Small". He does a magnificent job of Sigfried, Tristan and all the dales farmers. It is truly a delight to listen to this series of tapes - it takes you into another world.

(Note: there appears to be an error above, listing Edmund Stoiber as the reader.)

In this set, James has joined the RAF to support the war effort, though fate has other plans for him. We follow his attempts to get in shape and become a pilot, as events and people remind him of his many experiences back in his vet practice.

Perhaps because of the War Years, some of these stories are slightly more edgy, such as a rash of dog-poisonings and an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that is uncomfortably reminiscent of recent events. But overall there is that sweetness of tone that pervades all of Herriot's work.

I think my favorite story was the old farmer fetching two gallons of the local pub's best beer in a milk bucket in order to warm a mother pig to her new family. Of course he saved a "drop" for himself and his mates. The amazing thing about these books is that there is never a repeated story throughout the whole series.

Another favorite
James Harriot has that amazing ability to transport you into his world, take you into his confidence, and offer you his friendship.....all through a series of heartwarming stories taken from his life as a Yorkshire vet. It's so refreshing to read books that are not strewn with violence and sex...yet which captivate your attention. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants some good wholesome entertainment and an occasional chuckle.

A wonderful end to a fabulous series of books!
I have read each of James Herriot's books many times (including this one) and still enjoy them every time I read them! This book is one of my favorite books of the series, and is highly recommended by me. If you have read the other books you will love this one just as much if not more! If you have not read any of the other books, this book would also be a good one to start off with. After reading it I can assure you that you will want to read all the others. NOTE: I also have all five of these books on audio tape (by Christopher Timothy) and would recommend these as well! It is great to listen to them while you do hobbies since you can actually do two things at the same time, and Christopher Timothy (who played James Herriot in the BBC series) really brings the characters to life, using different voices and accents. ... Read more

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Reviews (2)

Lesser known Signer of Declaration Given his Due
Brodsky has done a brilliant job of telling Rush's story in an honest, yet sympathetic way. He weaves the great characters of our young nation into the larger context of a world in the midst of political and economic turmoil.

Another winner from Brodsky
Alyn Brodsky keeps turning out well-researched and very readable biographies. One wishes that he might turn his attention and talent to other genres as well. This book sheds light on a deserving figure, one who played a pivotal albeit unassuming role in American history. It's truly a shame that Rush is not better known and is often ignored (or at best treated like a footnote) in most textbooks. He was a true Renaissance man and a humanitarian. Some of his ideas were a bit misguided; he was after all a man of his times. Yet he was also, in many ways, ahead of his times, particularly in his treatment of the mentally ill. Maybe now people outside of Philadelphia (come to think of it, even them) will give him the credit he so richly deserves. As for Brodsky, we can only hope he continues to produce such good books for a long time to come. By the way, I should add that the Kirkus reviewer evidentally either only read one page of the book or is simply dim as it was abundantly clear throughout the book that Rush was a fervent patriot and that his motivation was a strong desire to see Americans achieve the freedom they deserved. Of course Rush, idealist that he was, turned out to be disappointed by what the United States (or should I say, our government and political system) became. I'm sure he's turning over in his grave considering what's going on today...not to mention most of the other Founding Fathers! ... Read more