Reviews (14)

Memoirs of a Cat Doctor
If you own a cat, you should like this. For many years, Doctor Louis Camuti tended an amazing variety of cats in New York City, owned by a more amazing variety of famous artists, authors, Broadway and motion picture stars, producers, and executives. His insight into the owners is sometimes jucier than his insight into their cats (which is considerable). Along the way, he tells us useful facts. Cats are not fussy eaters, for example. They just try to outfox their owners into paying a fortune for fancy food. It's a thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing book. My cat gave it five sniffs, a high rating indeed.

A must read for cat lovers!
Dr. Louis Camuti, a New York City vet who specialized in making house calls to sick cats, wrote this delightful memoir about his years in practice. Anyone who has ever had a cat or even a pet will appreciate these tales of quirky cats and their even quirkier owners. From celebrity clients to the cat who liked to be vacuumed, every anecdote is laugh-out-loud funny and told with such dry wit you can only think what a shame it is Camuti never wrote more books.

Don't let Dr. Camuti fool you- he's a charmer!
And so are the many cats that populate his memoir. Written in a down-to-earth, practical manner without any of the gushiness that seems to plague most animal-themed stories lately, Dr. Camuti's love and dedication to animals really shines through in this book. His cat stories are colorful and amusing but also very real- not all owners pay attention to his advice or to their cats, not all cats get well- but that realism makes his stories that much more touching. Also worth reading for the glimpse into New York City life at that time period- Dr. Camuti worked with lots of the celebrities of that era (or, should I say, he worked with their cats). I'd buy copies of this book for all my cat-appreciative friends if I could- it's just that good.

Not a happy book
If you really love cats and hate to hear about them being in pain then dying..DONT READ THIS BOOK.Camuti is very preachy sounding and makes regular cat owners seem like idiots.he seems like he couldnt care less about a cat dying in pain.an example of this is when in his book he tells loving owners who have to leave their cat in camuti's care over christmas not to leave a little christmas tree in the cats cage(they just felt bad about leaving their baby over christmas)because it could possibly be bad for him they ignore him and put it in anyways(bad choice but they didnt know any better)...Camuti is a cruel,cruel man!!!

fascinating stuff!
Not only does this chronicle the life of an unorthodox vet from an immigrant to America in the late nineteenth century, but also goes to the latter twentieth century and his practice as a house-calling cat vet.

There are early stories of his brother and him rescuing a cat from some street thugs, and how the cat returned the favor... Louis as a horse doctor during WWI, how he met his wife, and how he gradually changed to become one of the first vets to specialize in cats, AND make house calls.

A fascinating no-nonsense, matter-of-fact account, replete with details. The "cat stories" are always fascinating and often funny, as are the stories of the people he met. I still remember the tale of the spoiled cat whose owner had to walk to the store every day to buy a special japanese fish product... during World War II!

The book has a very "New York" feel to it, and the narrative voice is fascinating and fun. An often funny, always interesting read. You'll be glad to have met Camuti. ... Read more

Book Description

Bald in the Land of Big Hair is the hilarious-and often heartbreaking-tale of Joni Rodgers's journey through the badlands of cancer told with humor, occasional anger, and unflinching honesty. More than just a cancer book, this is a deeply affecting memoir of one woman's struggle to come to terms with everything that life throws her way.

Ultimately, this is a moving celebration of the true meaning of human triumph and courage, the importance of community and the imperative of living everyday with joy.

Book Description

Kate Adamson survived on-in-a-million odds to enjoy the success she has today. For every challenge we face, Kate's story teaches us how to meet those challenges with grace and valor. When Kate experienced a double brain-stem stroke her bright tomorrow turned into a dark timeless tunnel. The lessons she learned are a model for anyone who feels their goals are just out of reach. Kate's story connects the fragility of life with the power of the human spirit. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Inspirational!
If you only get a chance to read a few good books a year; you should make this one of them.Kate Adamson has an unbelievable story to share.Suffering from a devastating stroke at the age of 33, Kate fights her way back with sheer grit and determination.

This is an inspirational story for stroke survivors, caregivers, and anyone else that has been touched by a stroke.Even if you haven't been touched by a stroke, it's a powerful read.Kate tells her story with honesty, humor, and courage.I give it two thumbs up and highly recommend it.

Outstanding
Ever said, "I have a terrible headache?"Did you feel it was the worst headache you've ever had.Then you must read Kate's Journey.

This book should be in the home of anyone that has ever had a headache, in the library of every neurologist, and in the hands of every therapist or any health care official that encounters stroke patients.

Kate's Journey delivers hope through an amazing story of recovery.In a clever and ingenious way, Kate interjects humor in the story of her recovery from a devastating stroke and the complete disruption of the life she knew.

Kate's Journey provides the key to not living a self-fulfilling prophecy of hopelessness when you or some you love is told there is, "No Hope." Kate's Journey provides the warning signs of stroke to those who may be experiencing the onset of a stroke and are totally unaware, and incredible insight to family members and friends of those whom may have already suffered the tragic disabilities of stroke. Think you're too young? Think you're in great shape?Read Kate's Journey before it's too late.

Wondering how I could ever read a book about someone's stroke, quickly turned into wondering how I could ever put the book down.It was witty and filled with Kate's actual thoughts.I was now getting first hand the pain and thoughts that were going through the mind of my own husband.He was now living Kate's Journey, her nightmare of paralysis and the inability to speak.

I recommend reading Kate's Journey, a story of recovery and hope, in lieu of books that deliver a message of acceptance of a devastating fate.I prefer the "Never Give Up" message contained within the pages of Kate's Journey; a story of bouncing back against all odds.Which would you rather read? It could happen in the blink of an eye.Stroke -- paralysis, complete devastation. Will you be next?Maybe not; if you read Kate's Journey Triumph Over Adversity.

I have found Kate to be as outstanding as her book.

WARNING! This book will CHANGE your LIFE!
This book separates itself from all other books on the market. Kate's story is a tribute to the human spirit in the face of real adversity. Her remarkable journey sweeps you along from the very first page. You won't be able to put this book down, as you are taken back to where she suffered a stroke and was given up for dead. You experience along with her, lying in a coma for months after a stroke, being a vegetable yet awake and aware of everything that was going on--to the inspiring, triumphant, powerful, and joyful person she is today.

I look at life differently, since I read this book. I have an attitude of gratitude, and understanding. I thank you Kate, for writing this book! THANK YOU!

The Most Miraculous Story Ever
When I first heard the story of this woman I did not believe it myself.I had to read the book for myself.Now I have read the book, and contacted Ms. Adamson personally.Being skeptical by nature, I had to discuss my conerns as to the book's authenticity.After discussing what took place in her life I am now convinced I have met someone who has been truly blessed by God.Kate is so inspirational, has such a great personality, and is so humble it is easy to overlook her intelligence, compassion and grace.I am giving a copy of her book to everyone in my family to read for themselves.Although her story is a miracle, it should give hope to anyone who has sufferred serious setbacks in their life. She has earned my respect.

AMAZING KATE
At first I had a hard time picking up this book thinking it would be too emotionally draining. Then I had a hard time putting the book down because it was so emotionally charging. Kate is nothing short of amazing. What I enjoyed most was getting the message that we are all capable of being amazing, just like Kate. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A book as uplifting as the disease it discusses is tragic, Uplift is an inspiring collection of voices of breast cancer survivors. Barbara Delinsky, author of The Woman Next Door and other novels, and herself a survivor of breast cancer, presents inspirational snippets from more than 300 women sharing breast cancer tips and experiences. Reading this book is like listening to the friendly hubbub of a crowd of women all offering advice and comments. They share practical tips about comfortable clothing after mastectomy, treatments for radiation burns, nausea remedies, wigs, advice for friends, and more. They share stories of supportive husbands, boyfriends, and family members who continue to love them. "I will love you till the day I die, whether you have one breast or none," says one husband. "Breasts don't laugh, smile, share brilliance, or give kindness," says another man. Every experience is positive and supportive, but not gushy. The humor chapter will make you laugh aloud.

Delinsky envisioned this book as "the support group that I had never joined but could have used, the one that offered all the practical little secrets of survival that have nothing to do with doctors, machines, or drugs and everything to do with women helping women." She succeeds. (Delinsky is donating all her earnings on this book to breast cancer research.) --Joan Price ... Read more

Reviews (4)

triumphant uplifting inspirational
Known for her strong dramas and her incredible publication rate, Barbara Delinsky has written her best work ever with this uplifting work of nonfiction. UPLIFT: SECRETS FROM THE SISTERHOOD OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS is a lot more than just a self-help guide though that is a major part of the book. Ms. Delinsky and friends provides "secrets that their respective doctors and others never told them about in their personal fight with breast cancer, a disease that played on the psyche of most of the participants. In the case of Ms. Delinsky she also had the haunting memory of her mom's death from this potential killer.

Part angst, part strategy, part belonging (an open invitation to join this courageous survivor's club) the book is loaded with anecdotal tales from survivors of the war. The optimistic tips will buoy the individual ready to do battle on how to take control of one's life instead of the physician, well meaning family members, or the illness running the show. Delinsky and the other veterans earn purple hearts as they furbish a triumphant uplifting inspirational tale that gives hope not just to breast cancer victims, but anyone facing the horrors of a devastating potentially deadly disease.

Harriet Klausner

Helpful book for those just diagnosed with breast cancer
If you have just been diagnosed with breast cancer, get this book. It has hundreds of tips and suggestions from those who have been through it. These are the things that your doctors can't tell you about, because few of them have actually experienced it. Author Barbara Delinsky invited breast cancer survivors to share their best tips and stories. Some of them are quite funny, but you'd have to be "one of the sisterhood" to understand. I first checked it out from the library, but decided I had to have my own copy. I will refer to it frequently during this next year, when I am under treatment for early-stage BC.

Memories
What a terrific and enlightening manual of information. The book helped me to remember my daughter's diagnoses, surgery and chemo back in March of '94. She was 38, a single Mom, had a huge faith in God and a sense of humor that wouldn't quit! Thank you Barbara for this book. Every woman should read it, whether she is a survivor, just diagnosed or a woman with empathy for what others think, feel and experience during their healing. Wouldn't hurt a bit for the men to read UPLIFT too.

This book is very Uplifting!
Excellent book for anyone going through cancer treatments. If you have any questions, Barbara's book has the answers from diagnosis to end of treatments. I feel honored that I have comments in her book and all proceeds go to breast cancer research.
... Read more

Book Description

Does one ever escape from the family? How much do we understand about our own past? How do we come to be who we are?

Walter Abish, the internationally acclaimed author of How German Is It, examines these questions through the prism of his own experience, and confronts and encapsulates the historic upheavals of the mid-twentieth century in this brilliant, deceptively simple, and quietly wrenching account of his two journeys.
The first begins in Vienna, where Abish was born in the 1930s in the Jewish, but not-too-Jewish, household of a prosperous perfumer. Then it ricochets around the world as his parents flee first to France (his mother had to sneak alone across the Italian border), then to war-torn Shanghai under Japanese occupation, just ahead of Mao’s army, then to Israel.

Incapable of understanding his family’s desperate situation, Abish as a boy creates his own private world, filtering out precarious and terrifying realities.

Abish describes fantastic events in the coolest tones. In precise, haunting detail, he records the perceptions of a child who registers and remembers what he will only later understand. He writes of the day in the park when a stranger suddenly screams “Jews out!” and he and his frail grandmother run for the exit in a panic as the other children and grandmothers stand and watch; the day his father is released by the Gestapo because a man in the room owes him money that he has never tried to collect and says, “Let Abish go—he’s okay”; of the time his father speaks to him about inheriting his perfume business, as they stand on the deck of a ship bound for China.
The first journey recounts the flight; the second journey chronicles the return: Abish writes about how, in the 1980s, he went on a tour to Germany to launch the translation of his award-winning novel How German Is It—a book he wrote without ever having set foot there, deliberately, because he wished to elicit the idea of Germanness in what was “a fantasy of Germany.” This tour of what to him is an unfamiliar society includes a side trip to Vienna, where he glimpses the life he might have experienced and has the horrifying feeling that he never left.
Double Vision is a book that cuts to the quick. With unflinching candor, humor, and affection, Abish re-creates the way it feels to be a child and to look at your parents and wonder who they are. To be an adult and catch them in every corner of your personality. To look back on the world of your youth and realize both what you noticed and what you missed. It is a stunning achievement. ... Read more

Book Description

Since he was first diagnosed with cancer in 1995, trusted advisor and best-selling author Larry Burkett has learned, in his words, "more than I ever wanted to know" about cancer and the keys to living through the healing process. With candor, compassion, and a practical biblical foundation, Larry shares his story, complete with many suggestions for living the life God has planned -- a life filled with hope and happiness while battling a life-threatening disease.

Inside the pages of Nothing to Fear, you will discover:
- The importance of attitude - what Larry has learned through his experience
- Faith vs. Fear - how fear impacts your immune system and the effects of your faith
- The process of finding the right treatment
- The role of nutrition in good health
- The role of alternative medicine and therapies
- Finding peace in the midst of cancer
- How to maintain hope and much more ... Read more

Reviews (1)

FEATS OF CHEMISTRY IN COUNTRY LAB STRAIN CREDULITY
GREEN HAS A BIG COW COUNTRY FOLLOWING. IN OTHER BOOKS HE TELLS OF VIRTUOSO PERFORMANCES IN AUCTION HOUSES, BRUSHY PASTURES, AND SMALL TOWNS WITH FIRST MONDAY HORSE SALES. NOW WE FIND GREEN ALL GROWN UP AND WORKING IN WEST TEXAS AS A VET. WITH LABORATORY EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE DURING WORLD WAR II, HE ANALYSES NOXIOUS WEEDS, FINDS SPECIFICALLY TOXIC SUBSTANCES, AND COMPOUNDS CURES RIGHT THERE. THIS IS PROBABLY NOT POSSIBLE WITH TODAY'S RESOURCES, SO THE ACCOUNTS IN THIS BOOK DO NOT RING TRUE TO ME. I'VE WORKED CATTLE IN A BRUSHY COUNTRY AND I'VE DONE SOME ORGANIC CHEMISTRY AND THE MORE I READ OF GREEN'S DOINGS, THE MORE SKEPTICAL I BECOME. I THINK GREEN MAY HAVE WORKED US TEXAS BOYS THE WAY CARLOS CASTENADA WORKED HIPPIES. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A delightful memoir of a life with animals
For anyone who loves animals, remembers "Zoo Parade" broadcasts from the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, or supports preserving endangered species, Dr. Lester Fisher's new book is a delightful read.

I first watched "Zoo Parade" growing up in Cleveland and when I moved to Chicago, made a beeline for the Lincoln Park Zoo, one of the country's remaining free urban zoos. Dr. Les Fisher brought the zoo up to contemporary standards of animal care and pioneered the breeding of gorillas. His book not only talks about his years as a part-time vet working with the famed Marlin Perkins, but also about his own 30 years as Zoo Director. Of particular interest are his stories about the photographic safaris he led with his wife Wendy for wildlife lovers and zoo supporters throughout Africa.

It's a refreshing and charming memoir that celebrates man's best efforts to preserve and honor the world's wild creatures.

Dr. Fisher's Life on the Ark
You're invited to sit back, hold on and enjoy a marvelous "ride!" Dr. Fisher shares over fifty years of his experiences loving, living for, caring for and conserving animals. His passion for and commitment to all living creatures is surpassed by none.

Dr. Fisher's Life on the Ark has all of the James Herriott and Dr. Doolittle "feel good" qualities and more. This book is for everyone who enjoys stories about wildlife, travel, conservation, WWII and celebrity encounters. ... Read more

Book Description

The Music of Madness is a book about a young, talented concert flutist and her harrowing journey from sanity into madness and back again. This true story is an odyssey that takes you through the dark cells of mental institutions to the lighted stages of concert halls. Come travel with the author as she journeys from her innocent childhood to the dark world of hallucinations, her face off with death and her emergence into the light of hope and final triumph as she reclaims her career and more importantly her sanity and her right to live life as it was meant to be.

The Music of Madness is an inspirational book for all those who have felt the anguish and hopelessness of mental illness either for themselves or for a loved one. This painfully honest story is a source of renewed faith in life and provides everyone who reads it with a stronger belief in the strength of the human spirit. This book brings to everyone’s library an exciting adventure full of truth, and the qualities that all of us share in surviving this chancey yet exciting existence we call life. The Music of Madness; have you heard it?

Reviews (4)

Inspirational
As someone who also has a severe mental illness, I find this book to be excellent and inspirational. This book should be read by all whose lives are affected by mental illness in some ways.

A beautifully written book and a vivid portrayal
I just finished reading The Music of Madness and I was amazed at Tracy Harris' ability to draw the reader into her descent into madness. Her descriptions of her hallucinations, hospitalizations and depression are incredibly vivid and they reminded me of my brother, who also suffers from a severe mental illness. Her writing is beautiful and I couldn't put it down once I started. I think anyone who has suffered from mental illness could benefit from reading this book. The author's message is one of incredible hope. I have given this book to my brother to read so that he too can see that it truly is possible to lead a rewarding life, even with a severe mental illness. It was fascinating to witness the author's great talent for music and her mind's terrible madness merge into one incredible and unique experience. Bravo to the author for having the courage to share her painful mental illness with the world. Through sharing her story the author affords us all a better understanding of those that are suffering everyday with mental illness!

A powerful story with a wonderful message of hope and healin
The Music of Madness is a book about a talented concert flutist and her harrowing journey from sanity into madness and back again. This true story is an odyssey that takes you through the dark cells of mental institutions to the lighted stages of concert halls. One is able to travel with the author as she journeys from her innocent childhood to the dark world of hallucinations, her face-off with death and her emergence into the light of hope and final triumph as she reclaims her career and more importantly her sanity and her right to live life as it was meant to be. The Music of Madness is an inspirational book for all those who have felt the anguish and hopelessness of mental illness either for themselves or for a loved one. This painfully honest story is a source of renewed faith in life and provides everyone who reads it with a stronger belief in the strength of the human spirit. This book brings to everyone's library an exciting adventure full of truth, and the qualities that all of us share in surviving this chancy yet exciting existence we call life.

Also recommended: A Beautiful Mind

A candid struggle of one woman¿s anguished mental affliction
Robert H. Gerner, M.D, Assoc. Research Psychiatrist- UCLA:

This is a candid struggle of one woman's anguished mental affliction and resolution experienced through the lens of her earlier gift of music. Patients, families and professional alike can readily feel her inner struggle with distorted perceptions of the world around her, and share in the reconstruction of her identity as an individual. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A country doctor delivers babies for the Amish
Dr. Kaiser was a no-nonsense country doctor for many years in the Pennsylvania Dutch country. She delivered babies at home for the Old-Order Amish and Mennonites, sometimes arriving at the farmhouse by sleigh, if necessary. She writes with astonishing detail about her patients, their humor and lifestyle. Dr. Kaiser got stuck in mud, snow, was sometimes unavoidably to late to get the baby delivered, but she always treated her patients with deep respect and loving care.

True Stories of Amish Life As It Is Lived Daily
A truly educational experience in the first person. Grace Kaiser has done an excellent job of documenting her many years of experience as a Practicing Physician living amongst the Amish people. She leaves nothing to the imagination on her birthing experiences. Learned much from reading this book of short stories.

Wonderful, interesting, comforting book.
I used to live near the Amish, growing up in Illinois, and so ordered this book. How comforting it was to read about a lifestyle that hasn't changed in hundreds of years. It is somehow comforting to know that there are still places in America where life carries on like this. The book was humerous too, especially if you grew up on a farm. She does a great job of portraying some of the more subtle differences in how the Amish regard money, work and life. This is a terrific read and I would recommend it to anyone. (I can almost see my German-descended grandfather in here - in some ways, he was not too different than the Amish when it came to squeezing a penny.) Anyone who had grandparents who worked the farm, particularly around some of the old German communities, will love this book. It would also be a great book for schools, I think, when the children are studying history and/or different cultures. ... Read more

Book Description

"ENTERTAINING...GRITTY, BEHIND-THE-SCENES DETAILS OF HOSPITAL OPERATIONS."

--Booklist

"In the prologue of this book, Echo Heron, RN, states: Nurses are able to do what they do because they are rich in the gifts of healing, compassion and love. She then goes on to illustrate that statement with 18 chapters of amusing and moving true stories of her career in critical care and in the emergency room."

--Chicago Tribune

"Heron gives a voice to her fellow nurses (a savvy, wisecracking, take-no-guff voice) and turns them into real people."

--Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"Although Heron provides enough personal detail to make the book a very good read, its importance lies in her depiction of how sick people really function, what nurses do to help them, and how little physicians, hospitals and our society understand or value that work."

--The Washington Post Book World

AN ALTERNATE SELECTION OF THE LITERARY GUILD(c)

... Read more

Reviews (8)

Wonderful!
This book is great. It really gives a very accurate portryal of what a "real nurse" is and does. A great addition to any nurses book collection that you should read over and over again throughout your nursing career. We all can relate to her tales of a typical shift.

Forgets Who Nursings worse enemies are
I found the book entertaining, because like Heron, I used to work as a nurse and am now a full time writer. I also lived and worked in the Bay Area, and know the hospital that she writes about. However, Heron seems to find enough people to lash out at, but she seldom mentions that nurses are their own worst enemies. Nurses rarely if ever stand up for themselves, they are great at complaining among themselves but when it comes to doing something about a problem--well, nobody wants to rock the boat. Nurses are great at backstabbing, they don't stick together--in short, nurses are treated without disrespect by doctors and hospital administrators because they tolerate it without a peep. So it always bugs me when high and mighty nurses complain about everyone under the sun except themselves. As for Heron's writing, it is okay but a little melodramatic.

Enjoyable--though disappointing
I loved Intensive Care and was thrilled to see Echo Heron's continuing story. The first two-thirds of the book had tales just as good, if not better, than the stories in her first book. However, her burnout and departure from nursing was an abrupt and sad ending. I hope that Ms. Heron has since reconsidered leaving the profession because it is obvious that she is a nurse with much to give. Though hospitals will never be perfect employers, there are many that are far better than "Redwoods Memorial" and I was disappointed that she did not try working somewhere else rather than giving up in disgust and despair. That said, I hope that laypeople as well as medical professionals read this book and see the things that are happening in medicine today that are driving so many excellent nurses out of the profession. Perhaps if enough people recognize the value of the contribution nurses make to medicine they can pressure hospitals into doing everything they can to recruit and retain the truly gifted ones like Echo Heron.

Condition Critical
This review comes from a non-reader. I read only if it keeps me reading. I read Intensive Care after a co-worker had given it to me and found a common bond with Echo Heron having been there myself. I bought Condition Critical when it first came out and she did it again. I left a hospital after the "assistants" came to help with our staffing problems. In this book, she tells it like it is and stands up for nursing--I wish she was still nursing and writing. We need nurses who can say what needs to be said and let the public know what's going on. All her books are entertaining and the real life one's are so funny, many a time I was laughing out loud!!

Somewhat disappointed...
Heron's experiences are entertaining. She writes with humor and with honesty. However, her writing is somewhat choppy and even slow in places. I felt disappointed at the end of this book, somehow let down by her lack of 'depth' and insight into the suffering that she witnessed daily. Her clinical evaluations and uplifting sense of humor were a treat, but spiritual and psychological observations were not easily found in this work. ... Read more

Book Description

Doctor Dan Shapiro, a writer and psychologist, takes us on a mesmerizing personal journey into his treatment of a brilliant young obstetrician.

Doctors in our society are often viewed as omnipotent, highly trained professionals who do not make mistakes, but they are, after all, still human. In Delivering Doctor Amelia, Dan Shapiro, who specializes in treating physicians, provides us with an intimate view of the vulnerability and sensitivity of doctors when their white coats come off. When Amelia Sorvino, a gifted obstetrician on Shapiro’s university hospital staff, comes to see him fearing that she has made a medical mistake, he finds himself struggling to help her overcome her self-doubts and fears, while reliving his own painful recovery from cancer at the hands of doctors just like her. As Amelia’s story unfolds, both doctor and patient are transported into their pasts. And through this journey of self-discovery, Amelia Sorvino becomes someone the reader is pulling for—a good woman whose career, family, and perhaps even life are in jeopardy.

Intense, moving, and deeply human, Shapiro’s narrative invites us inside the minds and pasts oftwo very different and yet intimately connected people: doctor and patient, psychologist and physician. Like the work of Kay Redfield Jamison and Oliver Sacks, Delivering Doctor Amelia is a riveting narrative about the nature of healing, the power of redemption, and the compelling vulnerability of the human condition. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Shapiro delivers a passionate look inside
Put the keys in the ignition and take this book for a ride. As you watch where you're heading, Dan paints a breath-taking portrait of the landscape. Like Mom's Marijuana, the focus is a patient's struggle through devastating illness, but this time Dan is the caregiver rather than patient. It's compelling. Once again, I only stopped reading when I was overwhelmed by sleep in the not so wee hours of the morning. You'll laugh and cry, and grow.

a great read
If you are a fan of the narrative non-fiction genre, you will love this book. The author does a wonderful job of telling Dr. Amelia's story through his sessions with her, but also relates it to his own experiences of being a patient himself. It's hard not to be drawn to Dr. Amelia's character - and identify with her and what she's going through. Beautifully written, Dan Shapiro tells this story in a way that's clever and humorous, and has you captivated from the start.

A mystery and memoir that reads like a great novel
I saw the Library Journal starred review that compared the Shapiro to Oliver Sacks (my favorite writer) and decided to pick up Delivering Doctor Amelia, what a great read! The book is structured around roughly 30 therapy sessions between an eloquent psychologist (the writer) and his patient, whom he describes as a gifted obstetrician. At first the obstetrician won't say why she's come into treatment and as her story unfolds and the stakes go up you can't help but get sucked in. In my case, I read it over three nights and ended up sleepless. This book takes you inside the minds of a psychologist and a physician and shows how they talk and think when no one else is around.

I hate when people ruin stories so I won't give away the ending, but I will say that the book pays off -- I cried at the end. ... Read more

Book Description

Beautifully crafted stories of psychotherapy—told for the first time from the perspective of the therapist

In her long career as a psychotherapist, acclaimed author Lillian Rubin occasionally encountered patients who demanded a very special, even unorthodox, therapeutic approach. For the first time, Dr. Rubin tells the
stories of her most fascinating, most challenging case, "from the other side of the couch," focusing not just on the patient, but on her own inner process as she confronts the issues each case raises. Each of the seven stories she tells is a moving journey into the human psyche, from the secret life of "The Woman Who Wasn"t" or the extreme regression of "The White Hat" to the smoldering rage of "The Man with the Beautiful Voice." Through these captivating tales, and in a thought-provoking introduction, Dr. Rubin illuminates the process of therapy and how it works, especially when rulesneed to be bent or even broken. For anyone who has been in therapy, or even wondered what happens behind those tightly sealed doors, this book offers a gift of insight.

"This daring and engrossing book offers a unique gift to readers: a window into the mind and the heart of both sides of the therapeutic relationship—the patient"s and the therapist"s. Only a writer and thinker as agile as Lillian Rubin could offer such compelling stories that tell us so much about the process of pain and healing for both patient and therapist."
—Kim Chernin, author of The Hungry Self

Lillian B. Rubin is the author of eleven books including Tangled Lives, Worlds of Pain, Intimate Strangers, and Just Friends. A sociologist and psychotherapist, Dr. Rubin has been a senior research associate at the Institute for the Study of Social Change at the University of California, Berkeley. She lives in San Francisco. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Five Stars
Dr. Rubin explains that there are a set of rules regarding the relationship between a patient and doctor and how she sometimes broke the rules to help her patients. She shows the soul-searching and thought processes that go into the decision to break the rules by describing interactions with some of her patients. She does a great job of describing these cases, building the tension for the reader who is wondering why the patient has come in for therapy; there is always a big payoff when the secret trauma suffered by each patient is revealed. This is a very short book and I found myself wishing it was longer. I could easily read 400 pages + of these gripping stories. The human drama never ceases to be interesting and the author has a talent for writing in simple yet artistic prose. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ben Watt's Patient is not the memoir one might expect from half ofthe pop duo Everything But The Girl. This is no star diary, no ordinary account ofsongwriting or performances, but a harrowing tale of Watt's battle with a rare life- threatening disease that ravaged his innards and left him with only three feet of intestine.This brush with death compelled Watt to write--the first thing he's "done apartfrom making records," and Patientchronicles the months of intense pain andidleness he spent in hospitals.Watt's prose, in a simple lyrical style that recall his songs,pulls the reader to his bedside as he alternates between drug-induced hazes andexcruciatingly clear visions of his life. The disorientation and fear grow more palpable ashis story unfolds.He likens his first major illness to a trip up a mountain: bearings arelost as vestiges of individuality and pride fall away in the fight for survival. Day andnight become indistinguishable, and the line between awareness and unconsciousnessblurs. Despite the nightmarish nature of his ordeal, Watt manages tender reflections onhis family life and his relationship with fellow bandmember and girlfriend, Tracey Thorn. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Lyrical and spiritual in its unique perspective
I purchase this book many years ago simply because I was a big ebtg fan. I casually knew what he had been thorugh and felt terrible for him, but was going through the process of losing and then grieving for a loved one.
When I read the book, it offered me a perspective on what life may have been like for my loved one as he suffered illness. What a wonderful gift Ben Watt has given. He writes without self-pity, in his lyrical style without being flowery or glossing over the ugliness of illness. I am so glad that he survived for selfish reasons-the music he (&Tracey) has(have) produced (before and after the illness) has been a diverse gift to the world.
And I am so greatful that he wrote this book. Experiencing the death of a loved one through being a spectator to horrible illness, was, in a strange way one of life's best gifts to me. No I didn't learn to be greatful for my health and all that crap-I learned that true joy comes from giving to another and expecting nothing in return. Ben Watt's Patient, gave me an extra perspective on that experience, and sometimes helps me to remember the life-lesson from it all.
In summation, read Patient for more of Watt's lyrical writing, read it to find a surprisingly good story with plot twists and turns, read it to learn what severe illness truly is. Fascinating. A gift-thank you.

Everything But The Hype.
The fact that Watt's story lacks a significant plot (outside of the onset, diagnosis, and treatment of his rare condition) is largely forgivable.For those of us who know Watt primarily as a musician/songwriter, the somewhat static storyline here is acceptable.All that's missing from "Patient" is Everything But The Girl's enlightening bed of music to be heard under Ben's delicately articulated prose.Typical of many great songs, Watt occasionally blurs the line between the first- and third-person narration, and "Patient" is better off for it.Perhaps even better than the great writing, though, is the genuine and intimate portal into the lives of Ben and Tracey rarely afforded to EBTG fans.It's a relatively short read, but each page gives plenty to be absorbed as the result of Ben's crafty alliteration and his uncensored, yet careful, approach to the fog of medical lexicon.Not for the weak of heart--or stomach--Watt's book exacts distinct feelings of sobriety and contemplation...with an ending portrait that expertly convey's his trademark understated hope.

Memorable, insightful
I'll admit I picked this up mostly out of curiosity as a longtime fan of Everything But the Girl.What kept me reading, however, was Ben Watt's skill as a writer.His story is gripping and harrowing, but told with a dry wit and wonderful observations.This book is not just about one man coming to terms with serious illness, but how that experience affected his relationships with his loved ones and his view of himself.This would be a great book for anyone in the health care field to read; it gives you a sense of the patient as a full human being, not just a "problem" to be fixed.Ben Watt's writing skills are as strong as his ample skills as a musician/songwriter.This book has my highest recommendation.

Interesting Phenomenon
To be clear, I have not read this book.I would only like to comment on the book as emblematic of an interesting phenomenon:that one of the main symptoms of chronic illness is the desire to talk about it to anyone who will listen.The sufferer may rationalize this urge by saying that it is an attempt to reach out for help.But what is interesting is that usually the sufferer is most long-winded about his illness to people he deems unlikely of providing any direct assistance.

Inspirational and touching...
I recently re-read "Patient" by Ben Watt, which I read five years ago when it came out. It is a truly amazing and rare book, a poetic and unsentimental look at life threatening illness. In 1992, Watt nearly died after a rare disease was discovered which required the removal of 3/4 of his lower intestine. At the time, Watt was well known in Britain as one half of Everything But the Girl, a jazzy acoustic band he created with longtime love Tracey Thorn. This was before their surprise # 1 smash "Missing" put them on the map in the US and before their successful transition to techno-club music, which continues to this day. (Watt is currently a DJ and club owner in London; EBTG's last album came out in 1999.)

The book is spare and uncomprimising in its look at sudden, life threatening illness. It details the two month hospital stay when Watt was reduced at times to skeletal remains and a hallucinatory state.I remember cringing my way through parts of it the first time I read it. On second review, I marvel at the lack of vanity of both Watt and Thorn as they dealt with the bodily breakdown caused by this illness. And we are talking serious bodily breakdown -- the Farrelly Brothers seem restrained by comparison!

Thorn comes across valiantly through the eyes of Watt, who seems smitten with her even after a then 10 year relationship. In spare and poetic vignettes, he flashes back on healthier times for them: meeting at Hull University in 1981, vacationing on Bird Island and in Scarborough, and a final, touching sketch of a trip to Cape Cod after Watt recovered from this episode. Their relationship is truly inspiring and life affirming, and will cause any fan to reconsider the lyrics of their subsequent love songs. (They are still together.)

Mainly though, the book unsparingly details the ravages of this disease, and the near miraculous recovery. I challenge anyone to read it and not be grateful for what they have. The fact that Watt does this without ever being sentimental or self-pitying is amazing. He seems like an amazing person. We would have lost a lot of great music if he had died in 1992, but more would have been lost if this book had never been written. It is a gift to those in recovery and grief. ... Read more

Book Description

"An erudite history of medicine...a welcome addition to any medical collection." -- Booklist

How does medical science advance? Popular historians would have us believe that a few heroic individuals, possessing superhuman talents, lead an unselfish quest to better the human condition. But as renowned Yale surgeon and medical historian Sherwin B. Nuland shows in this brilliant collection of linked life portraits, the theory bears little resemblance to the truth.

Through the centuries, the men and women Who have shaped the world of medicine have been not only very human people but also very much the products of their own times and places. Presenting compelling studies of great medical innovators and pioneers, Doctors gives us the extraordinary story of the development of modern medicine -- told through the lives of the physician-scientists whose deeds and determination paved the way. Ranging from the legendary Father of Medicine, Hippocrates, to Andreas Vesalius, whose Renaissance masterwork on anatomy offered invaluable new insight into the human body, to Helen Taussig, founder of pediatric cardiology and co-inventor of the original "blue baby" operation, here is a volume filled with the spirit of ideas and the thrill of discovery. Says The New York Times, "Doctors can be warmly recommended. Dr. Nuland succeeds in bringing his subjects vividly to life, and he leaves you with a much better understanding of what they achieved."

"Eloquent, informed, deeply committed." -- Los Angeles Times ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A good book, especially for the novice.
This is a very well written book especially if the sciences, history or medicine is not your strong suite. Mr. Nuland took a potentially boring subject (what history subject isn't?) and has made it very interesting to read.

I like math, but in school and college, I never did well with subjects that related to history and especially with science. I don't even read that much. However, I could not put this book down. I liked it so much, I have read it 3 times. It is a very enriching book. Thanks Mr. Nuland for restoring my confidence in being able to comprehend subjects that deal with medicine and history! My wish list is for Mr. Nuland to put this out on audio cassette.

Thomas Jue

A Well Written and Riveting History of Medicine
In this book Nuland takes the reader on an odyssey of western medical history spanning antiquity to modern medicine. It takes brief snapshots of a few of the physicians who have molded medicine into what it is today. He vividly brings to life colorful people like Vesalius who refused to accept the status quo of his time, but instead rejected popular theories because they did not agree with experimental results.

This is an inspirational must read for those who are either in the field of medicine or enjoy medical history.

An Intellectual Disneyland
Nuland's works are like pop-up books for adults. First, he gives you the big picture, an overview. Then, he focuses in on his subject and then -- POP! -- your reward, in the form of tasty tidbits of consistently obscure and delightful information.

This book, Doctors, is no exception. Throughout the book, you're learning without even realizing it, and at the same time, gaining historical and philosophical insight into the progress of medicine through the ages. From ancient Greece to the modern halls of medicine, Nuland will take you along through a Disneyland of exploration.

From his writing, it's easy to tell that even after a prestigious career, he's still as excited by medicine -- and as awed by its great practitioners -- as he was on his very first day of pre-med.

Nuland's prose IS a challenge; he usually assumes some prior knowledge on the part of readers, and a university and science background are helpful. If you've got that, though, then hop aboard for the ride of your life. I guarantee you, you'll never look at an emergency room the same way again.

Lots of information but too dull to read!
The author has a talent for making even interesting topics deadly dull. forget this one.

A required reading for any medical student.
Dr. Nuland gives us a riveting review of the triumphs and mistakes, the successes and failures, and the brilliance and blunders of the giants on whose shoulders we stand now and who have taken us to our present understanding of the art of healing. Anyone interested in pursuing a career in medicine should read this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Miguel Serrano, a Chilean diplomat and writer who has travelled widely in India studying Yoga, had a close friendship with Jung and Hesse at the end of their lives. This book is the outcome of his meetings and correspondence with them. Many letters are reproduced including documents of great importance written to the author by Jung shortly before his death, explaining his ideas about the nature of the world and of his work. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

crossroads of history
Serrano was a writer and diplomat who sought out 2 masters as a spiritual/philosophic seeker. Fascinating biography, mixed with Serrano's own fixations.

Serrano later fixated on Adolph Hitler, so there certainly seems to be a germanic bent that he followed. Read "Black Sun" to see the strange path MS took after his encounters with Hesse and Jung.

Very Enlightening!
I picked this up because I had read several books by Hesse and was interested in Mr. Serrano's personal experiences with the Master. I found his writing to be quite engaging, and felt as if I had met Hesse myself. The section on Jung piqued my interest enough for me to search for his, The Undiscovered Self, which I loved as well. I also went on to read Mr. Serrano's, The Ultimate Flower. Unfortunately most of Serrano's other works are out of print. Get this before it goes o.o.p. too. You won't regret it. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Staying Alive is the beautifully wrought memoir of three generations of family life, beginning in depression-era Paterson, New Jersey, where the three Smith sisters-Janet Reibstein's mother and two aunts-and their close-knit extended, Jewish family settle in the New World. Over fifty years, we see Janet's relatives grow into the professionally successful, ethnically mixed family typical in America today. What makes it atypical is the specter of breast cancer that hangs like a dark cloud over all the women in the family.It claims her two aunts first, then her mother, then a cousin.Finally Janet faces a far-reaching decision: to break the pattern and undergo a preemptive mastectomy.

This family portrait is also a palimpsest of the history of the disease. We see how support systems and awareness have grown over the years and how advances in research give women fighting breast cancer a higher survival rate and more humane treatments than the dark years of the Smith girls' early struggles.

Staying Alive is at once heartbreaking and heartwarming, a brilliant rendering of the emotional and psychological shadows cast on both the afflicted and the family members who support them. It is a story of sisters, of mothers and daughters, and also the men who loved them. In the end we are inspired by the extraordinary strength of these women, by their will to fight the disease, and the power of love in survival.
... Read more

Reviews (6)

Revealing and engrossing
This family memory of overcoming sickness recounts the experiences of the author, who decided to undergo radical surgery in an effort to prevent the cancer diagnosis and death which had plagued women of her family for decades. Their terrible legacy and suffering caused the author to make a painful decision which would change her life. Staying Alive is revealing and engrossing.

Intelligent Hope
Once upon a time there were three beautiful sisters: that's howfairy stories ae supposed to begin. And that is how in the real world the story of life in America did begin, for the daughters of one Jewish-American family, Mary, Fannie and Regina. But there was a secret darkening the future that awaited these sisters, a secret that had followed them from Europe and from the past. It is the gradual unfolding of this secret, that Janet Reibstein, the daughter of Regina, tracks as finallyit comes to play out in her own generation too.

Looking back with the intensity of a child's vision, she recreates a world, so that we too relish itsfabrics,its colours and textures. She makes the pleasure in clothes and dress that the sisters shared live again for us to share. And she also invites us to share her own journey within that family, as one by one her aunts and even her own mother arre diagnosed with the same illness, breast cancer. But instead of a story of doom, Staying Alive is a story of survival, of proactive, intelligent struggle.

You can read this book with pleasure as a family memoir exploring the generations in an American immigrant family. But what makes it truly compelling is the insight it offers into the relationship between mother and daughter, between Regina and Janet, both clearly extraordinary women but like so many mothers and daughters often painfully at odds.The sensitivitywith which Reibstein reconstructs her mother's inner life using her last journals bears witness thoughto the strength of the bond between them.

Regina is the last of the sisters to be diagnosed; time and methods of treatment have moved on and these allow her to live to the age of sixty-four. How Janet herself copes as a grown woman with the threat posed by her genetic inheritance is the thread which carries the story into the present. Her own struggle against fear and her determination to obtain the very best advice concerning the treatment of breast cancer make this a book to put into the hands of any woman who ;has been diagnosed or who lives in fear of such a diagnosis.

I learned a lot from this book, not least about mothers and daughters-and I loved the clothes.

Staying Alive
Beautifully written book about the struggles of a family with a history of cancer.It was informative, heartwarming and at the same time heartbreaking to read about the three sisters and how they struggled and lost theirfight against Cancer. The book told how much courage Janet's Mother (Regina) and her two sisters Fannie and Mary had in their battle.I learned how much medical procedures have advanced since the depression-era.It is also a compelling story of how Janet Reibstein (the author) took a pro-active role in beating the cancer for herself. I would highly recommend this book to anyone facing this challenge and their families as well. Italso describes how it affects the whole family and how they cope with all of these emotions.

Powerful
I'm in awe of the strength that the author possessed to take on such a decision as well as the strength that her mother had during her battle with cancer.I'm sure this book will have an impact on everyone who reads it.

Moving, inspiring memoir about breast-cancer family
A moving, inter-generational memoir, also, an inspiring book that will help to empower women to take charge of their destiny.A portrait of several generations of a family whose lives are full of so much--joy, at times, distress, at other times and, much of the time--the anxiety that accompanies the ever-present threat of breast cancer which threatens many members of this family.How they handle it, howhealthcare evolves through the generations, and, in particular, how the author triumphs over it makes riveting, important reading. ... Read more