Book Description

Slater takes the listener on a mesmerizing journey into her work with troubled psychiatric cases. With great humor, humanity, and insight, she makes us feel closer to understanding the foreign and frightening world of the schizophrenic, the depressed, the catatonic, the suicidal. Simultaneous hardcover release from Random House. 2 cassettes. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

worth the trip
While I'm ambivalent about writers who seem intent on building an industry out of their psychic pain, this book out of all of Slater's is the least focused on her mental problems. Instead we are introduced to people, who for all their issues, want the same things from life as more normal people - to communicate, to have their stories heard, to find love, and ultimately, to connect. Perhaps the most interesting is a woman who suffers from the most unglamorous illness of all - depression and whose brief lifting of mood and return to "ordinary" life is all-too-short and the more heartbreaking to read about because of it. These subjects come across as real individuals, not just freaks. And at the end of the book, we learn why Slater possesses such empathy - she knows the country from more than a clincian's viewpoint.

A poetic journey to the heart of mental illness and healing
This book is a gem of beautiful writing. As a student of psychology I seldom get to read a book of such sensitivity about the difficult subject of chronic mental illness. Slater elevates her subject to the spiritual realm simply through the love she obviously brings to doing therapy. I'd read anything written by this author - her style is evocative, surprising and lavishly imaginative. Lauren Slater is a unique voice in the field of psychology.

an eloquent memoir
When I first read this book, I was training to be a psychotherapist, and to make sense of the new feelings and experiences associated with that role. I loved her attitude toward her clients--that it is a privilege to know your clients and to relate to them, that "the border between the helper and the one who is helped is always blurry." I highly recommend this book for counselors, counselors in training, clients undergoing therapy, and for those who enjoy memoirs. I have read this book many times--I appreciate how well written it is and how the author uses her own psychiatric history as a tool to understand others' experiences. Wonderful book!

An easy read.
This book was an interesting and easy read. I enjoyed the stories of the patients and it gave me some insight on schizophrenia. The book though left me wanting to know more about the patients and less on what she thought and her own feelings. She often made herself look like the one in need of help. Overall, it was a good read that I got through in 2 days.

lyrical account of mental illness. maybe even too lyrical
this is a very compassionate and honest look at a group of mentally ill patients.

Slater is a good writer, though she sometimes goes too far out of her way to make a poetic analogy.

While she is honest about her own weaknesses as a therapist, she tends to come off as being the one to help her patients when no one else could.

Despite these issues, it's a great read. ... Read more

Book Description

The Beginner Books -- "Their cartoon format and irreverent wit make difficult ideas accessible and entertaining." -- Newsday

Everything you need to know about neurosis, libido, ego, and id -- but somehow it slipped your mind.

Freud for Beginners is a perfect introduction to the life and thought of the man whose discovery of psychoanalysis revolutionized our attitudes towards mental illness, religion, sex, and culture. This documentary cartoon book plunges us into the world of late-nineteenth-century Vienna in which Freud grew up. We explore his early background in science, his work as a therapist, his encounter with cocaine, and his theories on the unconscious, dreams, the Oedipus Complex, and sexuality.

We meet his family, his friend and enemies, and his patients -- The Rat Man, Anna O., Little Hans -- and we get an insider's view as the psychoanalytic movement is launched. The zany art and probing text do an extraordinary job of simplifying Freud without trivializing him. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great introduction to Freud with amazing illustrated slides.
The 'xxx for beginners' are marvellous not just because they give you a valuable grounding in forbidding subjects, allowing you to approach primary texts with more confidence, but because they are so entertaining, even in subjects you have little interest in. Though this book is a much-needed introduction to and exposition of Freud's basic theories, making you feel clever as you join the dots you always knew were there but for the intimidating jargon, the real joy is in the irreverent presentation, especially the illustrations. These are full of in-jokes about Freud's life and times which are not always treated explicitely in the text, as well as being technically expert, imaginative and, sometimes, bracingly shocking. So while it is pleasing, in these anti-Freudian times, to be reminded of the man's incalculable importance and influence, the illustrations offer an in-built critique that puts everything in perspective. Great fun.

Sometimes a Book is just a Book
This book is just a book, but a better book than its successor of the same title by Richard Osborne. Mostly because it does not hang onto the relationship between Jung and Freud as long and focuses more on the theories of Freud. In fact, what I really enjoyed about this book is that gave a good round about summary of most of Freuds theories inside each book. Certainly acts a good stepping stone for those who need to know Freud in a hurry and wants the gist of his work. Richard Appignanesi displays good understanding of Freuds work and summarizes it well and concise. Reccomended for the prodigal psychologist.

"I MAKE the world! This is my GIFT!"
(See page 79 for explanation and a very funny illustration of the second stage of psychosexual development). This book, in addition to being very informative, is also incredibly funny. Very well written and drawn; though in the form of a comic book, it is nevertheless a splendid introduction to Freud's life and work. The author and illustrator are quite witty as well as knowledgeable, and in this book they have succeeded at what should be the goal of all beginners' book writers: piqued my interest in the subject and made me want to learn more. Would be a great supplementary text in a course on Freud or on psychology/psychoanalysis in general. Highly recommended!

Terrific Fun and Informative
The pictures were fun (especially pg. 79) and the text clear and informative. This book has explained some Freudian concepts better than some of my classes in college have! Fun and stimulating at the same time... what more could someone ask for? ... Read more

Book Description

Reassessing Foucault critically examines the implications of Foucault's work for a wide range of areas in the social and human sciences.Focusing on the social history ofmedicine, successive chapters deal with his historiographical, methodological and philosophical writings,disease, and his thinking about the body.

Reassessing Foucault critically examines the implications of Foucault's work for a wide range of areas in the social and human sciences. Focusing on the social history of medicine, successive chapters deal with his historiographical, methodological and philosophical writings, his ideas about prisons, hospitals, madness and disease, and his thinking about the body. They engage with principal aspects of his thought and relevance, and suggest ways in which Foucault's influence will continue to dominate cultural history and the social sciences. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides a unique presentation of Simone WeilÆs life, work, and her contributions to feminist thought. Long before postmodern or deconstructionist ideas became current, Weil was concerned with recognizing the absence of consistency and the continual presence of reversals and contradictions in life. The struggle to clarify her "reading" of reality and her perceptions of meaning was an ongoing one and she challenged contemporary views on complex issues such as human nature, good and evil, divinity, and truth. In this introduction to Simone WeilÆs ideas, and the political and intellectual circumstances of her work, the authors make WeilÆs complex and at times elusive ideas accessible to readers. They offer their own interpretation of her work and delineate how WeilÆs ideas evolved, while providing compelling excerpts from WeilÆs writings to let her speak for herself. Her work offers a voice for those segments of societythat are generally underrepresented, misrepresented, or totally silent in conventional historical and philosophical writings. Simone Weil will be valuable reading for students and academics involved in womenÆs studies, philosophy, psychology, political and social theory, and for anyone with an interest in the life and work of this passionate individual. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

a post post-modern presentation
This slim volume on Weil is unlike all others (and there are many others) I've read. Frost and Bell-Metereau have obviously read Weil quite extensively and have a good working knowledge of the important secondary literature (but in English only it seems). Their selection of quotes are quite a propos, too. What I found odd about the book was its apologist tone. The authors seem overly eager to "justify" Weil's views, especially her spiritual/religious views, to what they evidently sense may be a hostile post-modern audience. Hence one gets the impression that Simone Weil needs somehow to be "rehabilitated" to reach the now-sophisticated post-Y2K reader. I'm not sure that's necessary (or appropriate), but their attempt is interesting nonetheless for the light it sheds on just how far foundational philosophical and metaphysical discourse has evidently fallen into embarrassing disrepute these days. Perhaps theirs is the only way to present such thinkers as Weil to the cyber generation. But I hope not. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"This is a story about a year when someone was sick, about a time when it seemed that the rest of the world was sick, too." So begins Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner's painful comic book autobiography centering on the year that they found out that Pekar had cancer; the year that also saw Operation Desert Shield turn into Operation Desert Storm. Drawing upon the many personal trials they faced, Pekar and Brabner create a portrait of a man beset with fears both real and imagined. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Learn to read the art as well
It's very important to emphasize here that Frank Stack's artwork is not "sloppy" or "crude" in any sense. He and Bill Griffith probably have the strongest straight-art chops of anybody doing comics now. But Stack isn't just technically accomplished. Once you learn to follow his deceptively simple lines, he's profoundly expressive in his impressionist manner. Especially dealing with the tough stuff in this story, he finds the exact unsentimental tone. If he was a more prolific storyteller (or had just a bit more vivid sense of humor) his work would be mentioned right with Griffith, Crumb, Sheldon, Williams, Woodring -- the likes of those. Barbner and Pekar's single finest stroke may have been choose Stack to do the art for "Our Cancer Year."

A great book
This is an incredible book. This comic-book remarkably and vividly portrays real lives--some lives torn apart by cancer, and some by war.

I loved this book, and I've read it twice, several years apart.

The second time I read it, something "hit me over the head" that hadn't struck me before. That's probably because since my first reading, I've done extensive research on the relationship between cancer and IGF-1 in dairy foods. (I've collected the full-text of hundreds of peer-reviewed journal articles while co-authoring a book on rBGH.) Upon this reading of Our Cancer Year, I noticed that dairy figured prominantly among mentioned foods in the book. Most readers of this review will view this paragraph as more quack than quirk, but I invite serious-minded researchers to check out PubMed for "IGF-1" (found in cow's milk) and "neoplasms," for instance. This book was written before rBGH was introduced into cows, which has resulted in even higher levels of the IGF-1 hormone in our diet.

Another thing that struck me while re-reading this is that people are still killing each other in the Middle East, even this many years later. Not surprising, I guess, but tragic, nevertheless. I admire Joyce B. for her challenging peace work. And I admire Harvey P. for this honest, insightful portrayal of their struggle with cancer.

I think the artist did a fine job, too. An all-around great book, whether you've had cancer or not. (I have not.)

Fine Work
A fine work of autobiography. Understand, however, that Harvey is critical of everything, himself included, and his unflinching eye depicts his personal agony alongside the state-of-the-world at the time. As in many of his extended works, Harvey uses his story to get up on a soap-box, but if you think of his comics as an extension of his life, you might be begining to appreciate what he really is. Harvey IS his stories.

I was struck by the relationship between Harvey and his wife Joyce: if there is a better depiction of the difficulty in love in the midst of illness, I don't know it. Their relationship is loving and it touched me deeply.

For Pekar fans and people struggling with illness
I found this book interesting since I'm a fan of Pekar's American Splendor series and his appearances on David Letterman's shows (apparently at an end, unfortunately for Pekar, even more unfortunately for Letterman). This book's an in depth look at Pekar's struggle with lymphoma. Given the subject matter, it's probably no surprise that this isn't as amusing as the American Splendor anthologies. But for fans, or for people struggling with illness, it's probably a worthwhile read.

I was disappointed...
I bought this book on faith, having greatly enjoyed "American Splendor Presents: Bob & Harv's Comics" (which was illustrated by R. Crumb). I expected a personal story, a slice of life, an attempt to make sense of tragedy. But what I found instead was unimpressive graphics (this book is NOT illustrated by Crumb!) and bombastic lectures on the mid-East and domestic politics, including much anti-Israel commentary. The political proclamations rubbed me the wrong way, but even if I'd been sympathetic, I think I would have been disappointed by the bad art and lack of focus on the professed topic. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When Julia Tavalaro opened her eyes after spending seven months in a coma,she awoke to a nightmare. Nobody in the hospital ward to which she had been consignedeven noticed that she was alert. Paralyzed and unable to speak, Tavalaro had no way ofmaking them take notice. She spent the next six years languishing in her bed, andalthough able to hear everything around her, she was unable to communicate.

Finally, a young speech therapist broke through Tavalaro's isolation by composing amethod by which Tavalaro could spell out words with her eyes. After mastering thetechnique, Tavalaro went on to write poetry about her life both before and after the strokethat crippled her. Tavlaro is able to recall her past in minute detail and weaves hermemoir from threads of the past, her present, and her poems that transcend the two.Look Up for Yes is the courageous story of a woman struggling to find her voiceand make it heard. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Good Job Julia
I thought that the book was exelent and that Julia could have talked more about her family and more about Goldwater. Overall she did a fantastic job at writing this book.

Make it mandatory reading for anyone in the medical field!
A nurse recommended the book to my sister. She said it changed the way she treats patients. My sister read it in one afternoon. It makes you think and reminds you to count your blessings!

Look up, and up, and up, and up!
Those who weap because they have no shoes should meet this woman who has no feet, no hands, no voice, no normalcy. And yet she greets the day with poetry and refuses -- against odds few people could bear -- to loosen her grip on reality, on the future, on hope. Where some autobiographical writers might seek our pity, Julia demands our respect. Where some labor to generate tears, Julia aims to generate cheers -- and at times outbursts of profanity. Her story is a fast, easy-to-follow read packed with flashbacks, present-day tales and, the most essential element of all, hope ... Read more

Book Description

Kenneth Hall was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at the age of eight. His early school years had been difficult, as although he is bright and articulate, his behavior could be challenging and easily misread. After his diagnosis, the Local Education Board intervened and provided him with a laptop computer, to encourage him to express himself. This book is the result. Kenneth is in a unique position to describe some of the inner experiences and perceptions of autism in childhood. He has a warm and positive attitude to Asperger's Syndrome which other children will find inspiring. Insights, struggles and joys are recounted vividly in a frank and humorous way. His book is for anyone interested in understanding more about autism, including parents, siblings, teachers and professionals. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

OUTSTANDING Insite About Asperger Syndrome
I just finished reading this fabulous, quick-read book written by a 10 year-old boy who has Asperger Syndrome. A friend recommended it to me after I mentioned that I would have (for the first time) a student in my 8th grade science class this school year who has the "disorder." This book, written by Kenneth Hall, has shown me a great deal about the Syndrome and what may be going on in the mind of my upcoming student. Hall writes about himself through the chapters "Who Am I?" "What is Different About Me?" "My Strengths," and "My Beliefs." I look forward to sharing this book with the other teachers and faculty who will be working with this student and with other students who have Asperger Syndrome or who are Autistic. I recommend this book for parents, teachers, counselors, principals, family members, and friends of Asperger children. It may also be a fine tool to use with Asperger children themselves, so they can compare and contrast their thoughts and feelings with Hall's.

From the mouths of babes
My twelve year old son was diagnosed as having Asperger's Syndrome during the past year and I have spent much of that year trying to learn as much as possible about his condition. I've read four other books on AS, and while they were all very good at describing this condition in clinical and sometimes anecdotal terms, none of them came close to being as enlightening and entertaining as young Kenneth Halls account of his condition. Perhaps it's because his personality and his AS mirror my own son's so closely, but my heart literaly sang as I read this book and discovered that all of my child's "unusal" behaviors were not merely idiosycracies, but part of a neurological condition which is shared by many people around the world. It's one thing to read a doctor's description of AS, and it's quite another to read a little boy honestly laying out the "cosy" fabric of his life. I can't thank Master Hall enough for his work in writing this book, and I can't recommend it enough to other parents and AS individuals. Sometimes you need to walk around in another man's boots (or books)to really understand him.

Inside View of Aspergers
Awesome! Kenneth is a 10 year old boy with AS. This book helps AS parents, teachers, & others to understand the delicate and complicated perspectives of an AS child's brain. Kenneth describes how the world looks to him and how so many things are a challenge for him. I've read the book numerous times. I have also quoted it in meetings and appeal hearings to help others understand my AS son's strenths and weaknesses. It allows "outsiders" an inside look at the world of Aspergers. My son has read it and feels it is describing his life. He is amazed that there is someone in the world that feels the way he does and views things the same way. This is a definite read for all who interact with these special children.

What an amazing kid!
This book helped me understand my child with Asperger's syndrome better than any of the books by "professionals." Excellent book, amazing boy!

ASPERGER'S WITH A TWIST
I love this book. I really do. Kenneth Hall, the young man who wrote it provides a candid inside view of Asperger's Syndrome or AS. AS is a neurological condition that is on the Autism spectrum.

A brilliant young man, Kenneth Hall discusses his early school experiences; his current home schooling curriculum and the people he works with; his sensitivity to loud noises and tastes; his heightened sensory modes and his loving family. I love his sense of humor. He describes his behavior program where he says he has learned to break tasks down into a sequence of steps in order to follow through and not lose his place. I love the way he describes the jokes he pulls and the games he enjoys.

This gifted young man is truly a gift. His deep spirituality and his acceptance of himself all speak to hope, empowerment and a positive face on Asperger's. A spectrum condtion and NOT a mental illness, Asperger's Syndrome is often considered "undefined differences" and many persons with AS are not diagnosed. This book will provide good clear explanations and descriptions of it. How wonderful it would have been had this book existed a generation ago. I wish I had had this book when I was 8!

Hats off to Kenneth Hall, his gifts of natural expression, fun and imagination and creativity. I can't recommend this highly enough. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Gently dismantling the myth of medical infallibility, Dr. Atul Gawande's Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science is essential reading for anyone involved in medicine--on either end of the stethoscope. Medical professionals make mistakes, learn on the job, and improvise much of their technique and self-confidence. Gawande's tales are humane and passionate reminders that doctors are people, too. His prose is thoughtful and deeply engaging, shifting from sometimes painful stories of suffering patients (including his own child) to intriguing suggestions for improving medicine with the same care he expresses in the surgical theater. Some of his ideas will make health care providers nervous or even angry, but his disarming style, confessional tone, and thoughtful arguments should win over most readers. Complications is a book with heart and an excellent bedside manner, celebrating rather than berating doctors for being merely human.--Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (61)

A "Must Read" Written By A Harvard Surgeon
If you have ever been a surgical patient, or expect you might become one in the future, I highly recommend that you read Dr. Atul Gawande's "Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science". If you are a medical student, I highly recommend that you read the book twice - once for you and then again for your patients.

Gawande, as a seventh year Harvard surgical resident, offers reflective insight regarding his observations and experience as a surgeon. From failed attempts to insert a central line as a new resident, to his pride of attending his first medical conference with more senior house personnel, readers easily share in his frustrations, delights, and challenges.

This book will encourage you to appreciate the ethical dilemmas surgeons face as they evaluate new procedures and self-police their own performance and that of their peers. Gawande reveals that even surgeons are mystified by the amazing human body and sometimes cannot explain how or why our bodies react the way they do to surgery.

This book should not be mistaken for a gruesome account of risky surgical procedures performed late at night by sleepy-eyed residents. Gawande's descriptions of his patients and their surgical cases are detailed, but he provides them as intellectual case-in-points rather than the yellow journalism of blood and guts shown on TV and in the movies.

This book will make you think...sometimes harder than you want to...it may even make you realize that surgery is not perfect and neither are even the best surgeons.

A real page turner and a fast read. Don't cheat yourself by skipping over this one!

Essay Collection from Surgeon, New Yorker author
This book is basically a collection of essays Gawande has published in the New Yorker, where he is a staff writer, along with a few from Slate. His writing style is similar to that of Malcolm Gladwell, Jerome Groopman, and other New Yorker authors of the David Remnick era - intelligent and clear.

Gawande is a surgical resident, so he is experienced enough to have insight into the medical profession and practices of surgeons, but still new enough in the field to bring a keen critical mind and the clarity of a relative outsider's perspective. Also, his compassion is one of his distinct qualities and shines through in the writing.

If you are a regular New Yorker reader, you probably have already read all of these essays. The brilliant essay about why doctors make mistakes is included, as well as memorable essays about when good doctors go bad, and how the practice of autopsy goes in and out of fashion. The only one that was new to me was the one about a surgeons' convention, which was entertaining but not crucial reading. It is nice to have them all in once place, but unless you are a completist or a rabid Gawande fan, I'd recommend getting it from the library or waiting for the paperback.

Excellent
This book was on my "suggested" reading list for my first year of medical school. I was dreading this list, so I started with this book first. I was extremely surprised to find this book easy to read, entertaining, and enlightening. I managed to read it in less than a day, and it left me with many impression on what to really expect when I undergo my training as a physician and beyond when I am really going to be expected to be a machine.

Complications
One must think to themselves whether or not they trust the man behind the mask. Before reading this book I had never given second thought as to putting my life in my doctor's hands, however that quickly changed.

In the book COMPLICATIONS: A SURGEON'S NOTES ON AN IMPERFECT SCIENCE by Atul Gawande many successes and failures are explored through out his journey as a surgical resident. These stories are interesting as well as informational. As a person in the emergency medical field as well I realized that I see things on a daily basis that parallel the experience as a resident. This book contains multiple essays written by Gawande and it is an easy read if you can stomach the gruesome details. I would recommend this book to anyone especially those in a health care field.

Without failures, there are no successes.
Atul Gawande's book Complications: A surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science is a gruesomely descriptive account of the path to becoming a good doctor through the successes and failures of being a medical resident. To those with weak stomachs, this book can be difficult to read at times. However, it shows the true humanism of even the most trusted in society. Without failures, there are no successes.

The book begins by describing a trauma incident, involving a young man who had been shot. He was hooked up to a catheter when it was discovered that he was internally bleeding, so he was told that he needed immediate surgery. He was put under, and his chest was opened up. The surgeons looked for a hole or excess blood in his bladder or rectum. What was found? Nothing. Not even a bullet was found. About a week later, a bullet was found in a completely different spot than where it had entered. How can one, as a surgeon, explain this rare phenomenon? Sometimes there are mistakes or misjudgments, and other times there are just bizarre occurrences.

The book is beneficial to read, since all people are patients at one time or another in life. Yes, with successes in medicine, there can always be strange and rare mistakes. However, through reading this book, one can learn that being educated about their health and asking questions no matter how trivial is not only beneficial to the patient; it is beneficial to the resident. This book forces us to nurture an understanding between the doctor and the patient, even in times of trouble. No one wants to be the patient that the resident is "practicing on," but how can we have experienced doctors if no risks are taken? ... Read more

Amazon.com

On April 1, 1984, Donna Sabia went into labor expecting twins. But one of the babies arrived stillborn, while the other--Anthony Jr.--was barely alive, with an Apgar score (rating newborn vitality on a scale of 0 to 10) of 1. In the following years, he suffered from spastic quadriplegia, cerebral palsy, and cortical blindness, and would require lifelong medical attention costing millions of dollars just to survive. The Sabias' lawyers faulted Donna's maternity clinic and the delivering physician for her son's condition, initiating a 7-year lawsuit on the claim that a simple $40 ultrasound could have eliminated incalculable suffering and catastrophic expense.

Damages is a careful analysis of how the fields of law and medicine intersect in the realm of medical malpractice, where lawyers sue not only to redress suffering but to make sure that doctors and hospitals are more vigilant in the future, if only to avoid being sued again. Werth leads readers carefully through the litigation, from the deposing of expert witnesses, through the preparation for trial, to the posturing of settlement negotiations. Always firmly aware that lawyers sue doctors on behalf of human beings, however, he reveals the emotional and psychological consequences of a civil justice system that is often neither civil nor just. Werth explains esoteric legal and medical procedures in understandable terms that laypeople will not find condescending, while describing the human side of the Sabias' case without patronizing attorneys and physicians. Ultimately, Damages is the chronicle of a devoted family braving a medical malpractice industry in which the decision-making process on both sides is governed by a cost-benefit analysis that leads, perhaps inevitably, to the commodification of human life. "Even after a big verdict," Werth quotes one malpractice lawyer, "I'm suffering because all I could get my clients, who've been brutalized by the most appalling malpractice, was money." --Tim Hogan ... Read more

Reviews (12)

I am recomending this to my associates. And my mom
I spend a great deal of time as a defense lawyer explaining how the system works-- to the associates in my office, to clients, to lawyers from outside the US. "Damages" is going to find its way into a lot of these discussions, and everyone who works for me is going to read it. I am also going to send a copy to my mom.

Barry Wirth's book is impressive for the way it gets the law stuff (and the medicine too, I think) mostly dead on, but beyond that, this is also a great read, with interesting, well drawn characters that one ends up caring about.

In many ways, "Damages" is a better book than "A Civil Action", which it resembles. The legal tactics are explained, rather than merely used to illustrate the flamboyance of the attorneys. More importantly, the case itself, a so-called "bad baby" case concerning the catastrophic injuries sustained as a result of claimed medical malpractice, is something anyone who reads a daily newsp! aper will be able to relate to. The book gives the best picture I have ever seen of how patients become clients, how prospective clients are screened by law firms, how discovery strategies are developed, how cases are evaluated (by both sides) and how settlements are negotiated. I could teach a course around this, and, in fact, I just might.

I recommend this book to anyone who has ever wondered how the damage awards they read about in news reports were arrived at, or thought about what the human consequences of a serious injury might be.

Brilliant !
"Damages" by Barry Werth is a compelling and incisive study of the anatomy of a medical malpractice case, as seen from all sides. A real page turner. Most impressive is the exhaustive and comprehensive work done by the plaintiff's legal firm, and the in depth and understandable explanations by the author of the medical facts, the legal strategies, the context of the times, the world of medical experts, the role of insurance companies, and the lives of those injured. Beautifully written. "An education" is the only phrase that keeps coming to my mind after completing this gem of a book. Read it ! You'll learn a lot and it will help you.

Instructive page turner...
Well written, a gripping story and balanced. I am teaching a course on medical malpractice at the local law school. This book is the text. It provides a frame work to discuss numerous issues and the potential impact - or more accurately non-impact - of many tort reform proposals.

Buy this book!
This is a wonderful book for anyone involved in the litigation process or anyone involved in the health care field.

I am a structured settlement consultant who works with personal injury attorneys and some insurance companies. This is the best book I have ever seen about the process.

I have purchased over 200 copies of the book to give to trial attorneys, claims professionals and other structured settlement professionals. All love the book. It reads like a novel.

Don McNay...

Chilling real life account of the justice system
I'm a medical doctor embroiled in a battle to expose a corrupt insurance company engaged in racketeering. I think (and have been told) that this is a story that needs telling. There are lots of twists and turns, corporate and government cover-ups, some drama, many sympathetic characters in the form of other victims of the abuses of this company, and lots of anguish. Thousands are suffering and some committing suicide because of the actions of this company. It will take me years to get to court, if that is even possible. Except for the Internet contacts I've made and a few friends, I am working practically alone. The legal profession has all but abandoned the public and their actions in covering these crimes up with confidentiality agreements, for those who can even afford lawyers, is allowing it to continue and worsen and spread, like a cancer. ... Read more

Book Description

In this, the first biography of Abraham Flexner (1866–1959), distinguished scholar Thomas N. Bonner offers an engaging and insightful view of one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century American education. From his early, pathbreaking work in experimental primary schools to the founding of the prestigious Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, Abraham Flexner's influence on American education was deep, pervasive, and enduring.In Thomas N. Bonner, Flexner has at long last found the biographer that his critical role in American education deserves.

The son of poor Jewish immigrants in Louisville, Kentucky, Flexner was raised in the Reconstruction South and educated at the Johns Hopkins University in the first decade of that institution's existence. Upon earning his degree in 1886, he returned to Louisville to found--four years before John Dewey's Chicago "laboratory school"--an experimental school based on progressive ideas that soon won the close attention of Harvard President Charles Eliot. After a successful nineteen-year career as a teacher and principal, he turned his attention to medical education. His 1910 survey--known today as the Flexner Report--stimulated much-needed, radical changes in the field and, with its emphasis on full-time clinical teaching, remains to this day the most widely cited document on how doctors best learn their profession.

Flexner's subsequent projects--a book on medical education in Europe and a comparative study of medical education in Europe and America--remain unsurpassed in range and insight. For fifteen years a senior officer in the Rockefeller-supported General Education Board, he helped raise money--more than 6 billion in today's dollars--for education in medicine and other subjects. His devastating critique of American higher education in 1936 raised the hackles of educators--but ultimately raised important questions as well. Three years later he created and led the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, convincing Albert Einstein to accept the first appointment at the newly created institute.

Brilliant, abrasive, tenderhearted, and fundamentally a decent, farseeing man, Abraham Flexner accomplished much good in the world. His story, based on new archival sources and told with verve and wit, is sure to become the definitive work on a man and his era. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Biography of an American visionary- Abraham Flexner
Professor Thomas Neville Bonner who is a distinguished historian and has authored several books about medical education has produced a real literary gem in "Iconoclast-Abraham Flexner and a life in learning". Abraham Flexner and his brother Simon were true giants in reforming medical education and introducing scientific medical research respectively in the USA at the beginning of 20th century. Abraham Flexner's life story is traced with marked clarity and precision of details in this remarkable book. Professor Bonner informs us about his fascination with Abraham Flexner's work in the Introduction by reading his first book "The American College" followed by the famous "Flexner Report- Medical Education in the US and Canada" published in 1910. He then takes us through Abraham's early years growing up as the youngest son of poor Jewish immigrant parents in late 19th century in Reconstruction Louisville, Kentucky, his graduation from high school, attendance at the newly opened Johns Hopkins University and coming back to Louisville at age 19 to become a teacher at his alma mater, Louisville Male High School. Thereafter he becomes principal of his own highly successful preparatory school. At age 42, he " breaks free" from Louisville and enrolls at Harvard and subsequently at Oxford in Britain and then at Berlin University in Germany. On his return back to the U.S.A, he is commissioned by Henry Pritchett of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to survey 155 medical schools in North America. Flexner Report was a scathing critique of the deplorable conditions of the then extant medical schools and catapulted him into an education specialist status overnite.After being hired by the Rockefeller Foundation, Abraham Flexner was in a unique position to implement medical education reforms, start full-time plan and improve university-hospital affiliations by being able to disburse huge sums of Rockefeller largesse.Bonner points out the immense influence Abraham Flexner enjoyed being at the helm of an epochal reform movement in medical education. He was an author, a negotiator, a highly effective fund-raiser and a philanthropist. He established the Instiute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ which became an intellectual powerhouse , through the philanthropy of Louis Bamberger and was solely responsible for Albert Einstein's immigration to the USA. Abraham Flexner's long life was a multi-faceted and highly eventful one. Professor Bonner has done an admirable job in writing this thoroughly researched and definitive biography which will serve as a highly dependable reference work for future researchers. He writes with great clarity and conviction. The book reads like a novel with tremendous intrigue and drama. I recommend this book as a required reading for medical students, physicians and medical educators.General public will also find this book extremely enjoyable and informative ... Read more

Amazon.com

An elegant and touching account of her tenure as clinical director of a county hospital's AIDS ward at the height of the epidemic (1985 to 1990), Kate Scannell's Death of the Good Doctor records her journey from the aggressive, invasive, never-say-die medicine that she had been trained to perform to a more compassionate, realistic practice in which she might be just as likely to prescribe fresh pastries or an outing as she would antibiotics or extensive laboratory tests. Structured around the stories of 11 of her most memorable patients, Scannell's narrative skillfully conjures the panic years of the AIDS crisis--political squabbles, public indifference, and the roller coaster of medical "breakthroughs" that proved dangerous or ineffective--always returning to the individual and the small acts of kindness that make a difference to the terminally ill. Her own recent diagnosis with cancer adds a poignancy to her reflections that is not lost on Scannell. Writing of AIDS years after leaving her post and returning to research, she explains that she is "moving between grief and acceptance of this disease": "After a dark period of responding to so much suffering and death with unmitigated grief and defiance, I have been able finally to find some peace, walking more comfortably, day-to-day, alongside the certainty of my own death." --Regina Marler ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Very beautiful, very sad, ultimately reaffirming
Make no mistake: this book can be very tough sledding. Reading about the sad, often lonely, always uncomfortable deaths Scannell's patients suffered would be tough for any but the most hard-hearted reader to take. How could anyone not cry when reading about the dying man who wanted nothing more than to end his life in the midwestern home he grew up in, yet was forbidden to do so -- and therefore died alone, far away -- because his parents feared his son's illness would turn their small community against them? Yet it is against this backdrop of sadness and isolation that Scannell writes about her tender, compassionate, and often very creative ways of caring for her patients. Through her eyes we can see that, even when there is no hope of extending life, the lives of the dying can still be valued and enriched in the time they do still have. On a personal note, although I haven't lost nearly as many friends to HIV/AIDS in the last 20 years as some have, I have still attended far more than my share of memorial services and have said goodbye (or worse, not had the chance to say goodbye) to a handful of friends who I sometimes still cannot believe are really gone. I remember all too well the dark days Scannell writes about, and am grateful that advances in medicine since the mid-90s have helped reduce the terrible loss of human life. But the lessons Scannell offers are timeless and independent of person or illness. I don't recommend this book if you are currently coming to terms with a loss, because it may prove to be too painful. But if you are starting to lose your faith in mankind and need a dose of humanity, reading a few chapters of Scannell's book can offer a healthy reorientation.

The Birth of a Remarkable Doctor
This is one of the most touching, beautiful books I have ever read. Scannell shares her life with her readers and honors the memories of her AIDS patients through her her series of "anecdotes." Each chapter is a different story, or memory, making it easy to read over a span of a week or more, or even in a day. In it, she touches upon a variety of issues like healthcare, sexuality, gender, death, family, and fear and she talks about her evolving from a good doctor (i.e. seeing the patient's physical needs) to a compassionate doctor (treating the patient holistically and considering their emotional needs).
In the last chapter she reflects on her five years of experience on an AIDS ward and how it helps her cope with her discovery that she has cancer.
When I read this book, I felt like she was next to me in person telling me these stories. I laughed; I got sad; I felt hopeful. This is a testament to human life, and I would recommend this easy read to anyone.

I want her to be my doctor when I die.
What a wonderful set of truths Scannell reveals in her experiences of caring for dying patients. Honest, raw, funny experiences that shed light into a world few of us can ever know. How great, too, that she "expands the traditional narrative" of physicians' lives.

A beautiful, intimate memoir from a woman physician.
There exist so few memoirs written by women physicians. It is refreshing to see Dr. Scannell's experience expand the narrative about all physicians' lives. Her mix of humor and sober observation is a beautiful weave of writing.

A beautiful and mesmerizing book.
Beautifully written and mesmerizing stories. It's extraordinary, and even reassuring, to read the reflections of a doctor who is so carefully aware of the human and spiritual depths of the doctor-patient relationship. It's unforgettable and shouldn't be missed. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

On June 28, 1996, Pat Holloran’s life changed suddenly and forever when Drug Control confronted her for the theft of narcotics from the hospital where she worked.

Book Description

Paula

es una memoria encarnada que atrapa al lector como una novela de suspenso. Cuando la hija de Isabel Allend, Paula, cayó en coma gravemente enferma, la autora comenzó a escribir la historia de su familia para su hija inconsciente. En el desarrollo de la historia aparecen ante nostros ancestros extraordinarios, oímos recuerdos maravillosos y amargos de la infancia, anécdotas increibles de los años jóvenes, los secretos más íntimos se oyen en murmullos. En Paula, Allende escribe una poderosa autobiografía cuya aceptacíon de los mundos mágico y espiritual recuerdan al lector su primer libro La casa de los espíritus.

Reviews (95)

Heart warming
Escucha Paula... te voy a contar una historia.

I read this book a few years ago, and many passages are still with me over the years. It is extremelly well written, simple yet very profound and manages to take you through a very sad and painful road we will all eventually go through, in a very loving way, the loss of a loved one.

It sometimes made me laugh, most of the time I had to remove tears from my face to keep on reading, but I am very thankful to Isabel Allende for sharing with me the most difficult time of her life, her story, and her suffering. I had never felt so identified with an author, and never had a book given me the chance to enter the author's mind, heart and soul.

What is trully remarkable about this book is that it wasn't inteded for us to read, it was only meant for Paula, so she wouldn't feel lost when she woke up, and yet you can immediatly identify with what goes on, and sense the everlasting, unmeasurable love of Isabel for her daughter.

It covers many subjects... history, family, war, illness, success, failures, but most of all, this is a book that celebrates life and LOVE.

Life-Affirmation
I first read Isabel Allende when my friend's mother recommended "The House of the Spirits." Later, I told my friend's mother how much I had enjoyed the novel. On that occasion she handed me her copy of "Paula," saying, "Hear. Read this." I obliged. "Paula" is the author's autobiography, written for her daughter, as she tries to nurse her daughter through a rare illness that has left her comatose. Allende visits the events in her past as she copes with the present. "Paula" moved me on many different levels. Allende's story of her own past is captivating. Her present day struggle to heal her daughter is heartwrenching. Despite the sadnesses of the book, it is a book that affirms life. I read it whenever I feel have wallowed in self-pity for too long. It reminds me that it is I who am in charge of my destiny. After crying the many tears I cry when I read "Paula," I feel cleansed, rejuvenated, and ready to live life again.

Took me awhile, but then...
I have to admit that the book took me awhile to love, but then I became totally involved. About the last 100 pages held my attention more than anything. This is a remarkable journey, and one that will haunt me for years to come. Some of the historical references were interesting, but often times took away from the poignancy of the novel.

In retrospect....
Isabel Allende is by far my favourite author, and I had always thought that 'Paula' was my favourite of her works.

However, stepping back from her books for sometime, then re-reading 'Paula' recently, I have had mixed feelings regarding the work.

The piece strikes me as somewhat more repetitive then I remember. While I completely understand a mother's love and the sorrow Allende must have felt during this period, her laments are almost word-for-word repetition. By far, the more interesting section of the book is that related to the family history and specifically, Paula's personality and place in the family scheme of things. Additionally, the continous use of similar metaphors and talk of spirits begins to wear down on even the most devoted of fans.

Paula's condition is never explained, and while I understand that it is as simple as a websearch, I felt that it was a major oversight to put it in relation to the context of their family.

Likewise, I felt that Paula's life was discussed too little, and Isabel's perhaps too much. Of course, it was Isabel's attempts to make sense of something completely senseless, and thus we can hardly blame her from trying to think of things unrelated to her daughter and ensuing sorrow.

A final criticism, much of the material covered in 'Paula' is again covered in Allende's 2003 biography 'My Invented Country'. If anything, 'Paula' serves as a suitable testment to the woman's extraordinary life.

Don't get me wrong, the work is still of four star quality. The writing is vivid, spiritual and alive, the story is un-put-down-able, emotions are wrenched from within, and the piece has a round cohension of which I truly admire.

The Pain of Too Much Tenderness.
A most poignant book by Isabel Allende. She surmounts words and feelings alike. The book lays bare the true story of her daughter's giving way too early, too slowly, and too sorely. It's a narrative that weds emotion to mystery; that nameless and dire facet of life. It reconciles contraries and makes peace with eyes too tender to shed their loved ones. Paula is not only a life-experience account, but also a true-to-heart revelation borne on human nature; how at times of utmost suffering we still manage to live on, as intimates, otherwise called memories, walk us along the remaining, and wavering, path of life. A tear and a smile, Paula. ... Read more

Book Description

For the thousands of readers who fell in love with Doc McCormack and the farmers, cattlemen, and moonshiners of Choctaw County in Fields and Pastures New and A Friend of the Flock, The Hero of the Herd is like coming home to old friends. Theres Carney Sam Jenkins, the countys amateur vet/taxidermist, with his stock diagnosis of kidneyitis; Bob Sinkin Jenkins, a 250-pound tough-as-nails hog farmer and Olympic champion fainter who can barely stand the sight of blood; and Goat, the mailman who doubles as the town gossip. There are new folks toothe McCormacks infant son, Paul; J.B. and Pool Do, the best hired hands in the state of Alabama; and one especially fractious piglet named Fred. There are even some big changeslike the new color television behind the counter at Miss Ruby McCords Grocery and Service Station. But its still the same Choctaw County, where late-night calf deliveries keep Doc up past his bedtime, where the local barbershop is the place !!to catch up on all the news, and where your best friends and neighbors are always just a holler away.Of course, our coveralls were wet and covered with mud, and, as expected, there was a problem with one hard-core resister. That particular hog had apparently decided he wanted no part of the surgical procedure and had somehow evaded capture by scaling the short fence and retreating back down the hill into the swamp.

Suddenly a grim-faced Buck beelined toward the escapee, who was taking a breather in the deepest, gummiest part of the lot. When he came to within about ten feet of the porker, Buck made a flying tackle and landed atop the surprised pig. The resulting chaos was worthy of national television coverage. In spite of their giggling, Everett and John piled on the wallowing duo. In the process of trying to jump and run through the mud, I lost both of my knee-high rubber boots. When it was all over, we stood staring at the scene for several minutes. Never had I seen such a sight. All we needed were several fires burning, smoke spiraling upward, and the scene would have been reminiscent of a Civil War movie not long after the Yankees had marched through the farmsteads outside Atlanta. ... Read more

Book Description

Registered nurse Michael Brown has interviewed over fifty practicing nurses, spanning forty-one states and most nursing specialties.He takes you to the front lines of his profession, where split-second, life-and-death decisions are made every day by these unsung heroes of health care, who put their own lives at risk to provide support and comfort to those who need it most..

... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good but...
As someone who is beginning nursing school early next year, I looked forward to reading this book. Very informative, but I could do with the author's left-wing bias.

A Great Read!
Whether you are a nurse or simply curious about the nursing profession, this book will both entertain and inform. I first read it as a pre-nursing student, hoping to catch a glimpse of what nurses really do. I waspleasantly surprised. In fact, several years later, as an RN myself, Istill sneak it off my bookshelf to re-read now and again. There are manystories from all facets of nursing subspecialties. Having worked medicalsurgical nursing, I can personally vouch for the accuracy of my favoritechapter, chapter six, "The Long Hallway."The stories arediverse and compelling. It's a well written book that has potential toentertain a wide audience. Medical terminology is clearly defined for thoseunfamiliar with it. If you are curious about what nurses really do on anygiven day, don't pass this one up! ... Read more

Book Description

A poignant and unforgettable memoir of growing up orphaned. Francine was three years old when her father died, and by the time she was eleven, her mother was dead of breast cancer. "I had been hurled over a cliff," she writes. "The irreversibility of what had happened crashed down on me; a nauseating wave of fear and a flood of tears followed. I didn't know who I was without my mother. . . . What would fill the vast space left by the disappearance of this all-consuming relationship? How would I spend my time? What would I become?" In answering these questions, Dr. Francine Cournos offers a beautifully written memoir of an injured child's inner life, and the moving --even exhilarating --story of the ways in which, after much struggle and with considerable help from others, that injured child living in a foster home grew to become a happy and successful adult. In City of One, an inspiring account of triumph over childhood adversity, a distinguished psychiatrist applies her expertise to her own true story of growing up orphaned. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

moving and brave
This book moved and enlightened me.Cournos' story of surviving what every child fears most--the loss of both her parents--is raw, vivid, and remarkably compassionate given that she became a foster child throughwillful neglect on the part of her extended family.Cournos succeeds intransforming her own particular journey into a roadmap for others who wantor need to understand what it is to be an orphan.Brave and beautifullydone!

Excellent knowlege of Foster Care system and loss of family.
As a psychiatric social worker this book gives an excellent perspective on the foster care system, how we would knew it and what it has become.In addition the book Dr.Cournos writes sheds an enormous light on thealienation of family and the reasons that alienation might occurr.It is asad tale with a shinning light ending. As a mother who has almost lost achild to cancer, this book has inspired me to look ahead and consider allthe possibilities, as Dr. Cournos has.It is a book that all should read.

Excellent knowlege of Foster Care system and loss of family.
As a psychiatric social worker this book gives an excellent perspective on the foster care system, how we would knew it and what it has become.In addition the book Dr.Cournos writes sheds an enormous light on thealienation of family and the reasons that alienation might occurr.It wasa sad story with a shinning light ending.

A compelling and touching memoir
It didn't occur to me that I would be so touched by Francine Cournos's book.I have an interest in child welfare issues, which is why I read it.She deals with a much bigger issue than foster care -- she writes about thevoluminous effect that the loss of parents can have on a child throughouthis or her life.Brava, Dr. Cournos.Thank you for sharing your life withus.This is a must-read for anyone who works with children in any arena.

Dr. Cournos' memoir gives voice to the effects of early loss
As a writer, and as someone whose own experiences of childhood loss and its aftereffects closely parallel those of Dr. Cournos, I found City of One both deeply moving and comforting.We who have the hole where the lovingparent should be, we who deal with the myth and the anger and the quest forwholeness, understand every word.Not only does Dr. Cournos evoke the painof the loss, but her honesty and her search for the strengths that can comefrom a tragic early life goes beyond judgment and pathology.It goes tothe things that define our lifelong sense of who we are.I highlyrecommend this memoir to anyone who wants to understand or who struggleswith these issues. ... Read more

Book Description

One of this century's most popular psychology scholars, Robert A.Johnson was among the first to present Carl Jung's rich but complex theories with simple elegance and grace,opening them to an entirely new and hungry audience. His masterful works--including the best selling He, She, Inner Work, and Owning Your Own Shadow-are known and loved as much for their beautiful retellings of timeless myths and folktales as for their deep wisdom and profound insight.

Balancing Heaven and Earth reveals, for the first time, Johnson's own fascinating and mystical life-from his near-death experience at the age of eleven to the lifelong soul journey that has informed his writing and taught him how to live a spiritual life in the endlessly challenging modern world. Full of compelling, humorous, and surprising stories of encounters with an assortment of "sages, saints, and sinners," it lays bare Johnson's own inner world and its dazzeling landscape of powerful dreams, mystical visions, and synchronistic events.

Beginnning with a vivid retelling of the childhood accident that claimed the lower part of his right leg, Johnson describes the life-defining moment when he was transported by a mystical vision to a realm that exists just beyond ordinary consciousness-a realm he calls the "Golden World." With this experience, described as "both my curse and my blessing," Johnson is launched on a spiritual quest that leads him in search of Eastern wisdom, to encounters with such wise men as J. Krishnamurti and D.T. Suzuki, and finally to Carl Jung, who shows him his destiny revealed in a dream. Johnson's experiences lead him to a unique understanding and acceptance of the slender connecting threads at work in all our lives, guiding us and shaping who we are-"call it fate, destiny, or the hand of God."

As much a personal guide as a memoir, Balancing Heaven and Earth teaches us to follow , as Johnson has, the subtle influences of dreams, visions, and even our deepest sufferings in order to live attuned to our spiritual selves. A pure delight for Johnson's many fans and a splendid example of his trademark blend of illustrative myth and psychological insight, this is a work of incomparable beauty and inspiration showcasing the wisdom of a lifetime. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Johnson's Moving Memoir
Robert Johnson was my first introduction to Jungian psychology. His simple, yet profound little books (He, She, We, Ecstasy, et al.) impacted my life deeply. In this his memoirs, Johnson relates a moving account of a life and all that it encompasses. The suffering, joy, and those wonderful "grail castle" experiences. If you are aquianted with Johnson's previous work, then this book will be all the more enjoyable. However, it may be a good starting point into learning more about Johnson's previous, more scholarly work on Jungian psychology.

possibly his best book...
....insightful, humbling, stated simply, an eloquent autobiographical piece by the well-known Jungian analyst. Memorable items include his clash with Jolanda Jacobe and his frustration with Krishnamurti.

A View Through Young Eyes
My soul (as my mind percieves it) has not yet found the thread of enlightenment. I accept the path to stumble, fall, rise up and down and to reach into the oblivion of understanding. I have seventeen