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

The psychoanalytic writings of Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) are well-known and biograpies of every hue have been published. But what was Jung like in his workaday analytic sessions, and how did he interact with his clients, colleagues and friends on a daily basis? Catharine (Katy) Cabot, and American in Europe, was a patient of Jung's and also a part of his Zürich circle from the 1930's through the 1940's and she recorded the details of her sessions with him along with other inner and outer events. "Onkel" (Uncle), as Jung became to her, and his family and his friends, all were a part of her life in those years. Her daughter, Jane Cabot Reid, who herself grew up in this same environment, edited the diary notes and added her own comments and memories, along with historic photographs, many of them never before published. Today she is a Jungian analyst, living and working in Zürich, Switzerland, where so many of the events recorded in these pages took place. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Jung, My Mother and I
This book is a breakthrough in the category of books about Jung. Based on the careful notes of her analysis, handed to her daughter during the last of her life, Katy Cabot depicts a human, warm, gossipy side to the great psychologist. The result is an example of how he adapted himself to a young extraverted American ex-patriate socialite who sincerely wanted to grow. The plight of her young and only child [the author] is told with remarkable restraint, given the lack of concern of the mother, as she traveled from hotel to hotel and country to country. We get glimpses of that child's perception of Jung, as well and she grew up to become a Jungian analyst herself. Fascinating glimpses into Jung's opinions of his wife, Toni Wolf, and the many members of the Analytical Psychology Club in Zurich in the 30's and 40's! A super book. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1903, despite the vehement objections of his parents, Albert Einstein married Mileva Maric, the companion, colleague, and confidante whose influence on his most creative years has given rise to much speculation. Beginning in 1897, after Einstein and Maric met as students at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic, and ending shortly after their marriage, these fifty-four love letters offer a rare glimpse into Einstein's relationship with his first wife while shedding light on his intellectual development in the period before the annus mirabilis of 1905. Unlike the picture of Einstein the lone, isolated thinker of Princeton, he appears here both as the burgeoning enfant terrible of science and as an amorous young man beset, along with his fiance, by financial and personal struggles--among them the illegitimate birth of their daughter, whose existence is known only by these letters. Describing his conflicts with professors and other scientists, his arguments with his mother over Maric, and his difficulty obtaining an academic position after graduation, the letters enable us to reconstruct the youthful Einstein with an unprecedented immediacy. His love for Maric, whom he describes as "a creature who is my equal, and who is as strong and independent as I am," brings forth his serious as well as playful, often theatrical nature. After their marriage, however, Maric becomes less his intellectual companion, and, failing to acquire a teaching certificate, she subordinates her professional goals to his. In the final letters Einstein has obtained a position at the Swiss Patent Office and mentions their daughter one last time to his wife in Hungary, where she is assumed to have placed the girl in the care of relatives. Informative, entertaining, and often very moving, this collection of letters captures for scientists and general readers alike a little known yet crucial period in Einstein's life. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Perhaps they really are just a pair of lucky people, but Milton and Rose Friedman are so perfectly matched that destiny must have played some part in their coming together. Milton is a Nobel Prize-winning economist, Rose, an influential theorist who advised American presidents and world leaders on the formation of their economic policies. Together the two wrote books (one flopped, the other is 1982's Free to Choose, a runaway bestseller) and were instrumental in influencing systems and ideas like negative income tax, the balanced budget amendment, tax-withholding, and even drug legalization. At times their ideas seemed outrageous but their strong belief that personal freedom is essential to a sound economy has helped shape many of the West's socioeconomic policies in the latter half of the 20th century.

And it is together, too, that the Friedmans penned their memoirs. The tone of Two Lucky People is quite humble despite their considerable achievements. They remember the lingering, technical conversations--which would put most people to sleep--that they shared in front of their fireplace; the personal and professional relationships they had with Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, and Margaret Thatcher; Milton's winning of the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize for Economic Science; and countless other triumphs in their field. The book lacks the personal information--tastes in literature, art, music--and the quotidian details that help form a solid sense of personality. But their passion for their vocation seems all-consuming and maybe, in the end, that's what defines them best. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

God helps those who help themselves
Milton Friedman is one the of tough guy who always support the free market idea.He is the first guy who builds the monetary school and also a good story teller.He does do a great job and I guess that is not just luck.

A fascinating account of two remarkable lives
The memoirs extend from the Friedmans' early years to 1997. The earliest times are recounted in separate voices by Rose and Milton, each telling her or his own story seriatim. For the later years, their narrative voices are presented sometimes jointly and sometimes in tandem. This method adds a great deal to the readability and interest of their story. It allows the reader to get different impressions of the same people and places and brings out the (rare) disagreements between the two authors. It provides more information and presents a more vivid picture than is typically the case in memoirs by a single author....

To read "Two Lucky People" is to get on intimate terms with a wholly delightful and wholly admirable couple. Here is a book to savor. Instructive and endlessly entertaining, it brings to life a whole era from the Great Depression to the present day.

Very Boring
More of a travelog than an interesting business book. I could not even finish it, which is very unusual for me.

Fascinating story; actually a "two-fer" - 2 biographies
I'm indebted to the review by Thomas Sowell in the July 6 issue of Forbes Magazine (Forbes.com) This book has history, sociology, romance, economics, faith, good stories and more. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Honest
Was I ever impressed with her genunine honesty, which is so lacking in the world today. This book is so insightful and emotional. It is more of a biography than a book about bulimia but I do recommed it. Leah let's people know her deepest thoughts and heartbreak. That takes courage.

lacking
I have both me Leah and read her book. I met her on two occasions at conferences I attended. I also read her book. The book does look into the horrors that I know are part of the struggle with the 'demon'. However, I question the sincerity in the author. Due to the reception I received from her at both encounters, I question the sincerity of her attempts and wonder if it isn't all a grasp at further fame.

An honest reflection from a wonderful person
Leah Hulan was my roommate at the 1994 Miss USA Pageant in South Padre, Texas (I was Miss North Dakota). The reflection and insight this book relects is real. Leah truly is a person we would all like to be like... and for her to have the courage and strength to share her story is a gift to the rest of us. The book is wonderfully written. This book would be helpful to anyone struggling with their own disease or for those knowing those who are.

Leah Hulan attacks the subject of eating disorders
I think this book is an excellent detail of how society puts pressures on young women to be beautiful and femimine, no matter how hurt and mistreated you are on the inside. Love yourselves, Eleni

This book tells of a horrifying disease in which many suffer
As I read this book I remembered my aspects of my own eating disorder. I felt as though demons had taken over my body and I had to fight them off. There were days that I was as normal as the next person, but then there were days that I could not remember even waking in the morning. I was in a treatment facility with Leah a few years ago. She seemed to have a grip on breaking the cycle. However, it can still be a struggle when times get rough. She bares all in this graphic tale of her life as she lived it. I admire her courage to re-live those years. ... Read more

Book Description

Readers of Cheaper by the Dozen remember Lillian Moller Gilbreth (1878–1972) as the nurturing mom who endures the antics of not only twelve children but also an engineer husband eager to experiment with the principles of efficiency—especially on his own household.What readers today might not know is that Lillian Gilbreth was herself a high-profile engineer, and the only woman to win the coveted Hoover Medal for engineers.She traveled the world, served as an advisor on women’s issues to five U.S. presidents, and mingled with the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart.Her husband, Frank Gilbreth, died after twenty years of marriage, leaving her to raise their eleven surviving children, all under the age of nineteen.She continued her career and put each child through college.Retiring at the age of ninety, Lillian Gilbreth was the working mother who "did it all."

Jane Lancaster’s spirited and richly detailed biography tells Lillian Gilbreth’s life story—one that resonates with issues faced today by many working women.Lancaster confronts the complexities of how one of the twentieth century’s foremost career women could be pregnant, nursing, or caring for children for more than three decades.

Yet we see how Gilbreth’s engineering work dovetailed with her family life in the professional and domestic partnership that she forged with her husband and in her long solo career.The innovators behind many labor-saving devices and procedures used in factories, offices, and kitchens, the Gilbreths tackled the problem of efficiency through motion study.To this Lillian added a psychological dimension, with empathy toward the worker.The couple’s expertise also yielded the "Gilbreth family system," a model that allowed the mother to be professionally active if she chose, while the parents worked together to raise responsible citizens.

Lancaster has woven into her narrative many insights gleaned from interviews with the surviving Gilbreth children and from historical research into such topics as technology, family, work, and feminism.Filled with anecdotes, this definitive biography of Lillian Gilbreth will engage readers intrigued by one of America’s most famous families and by one of the nation’s most successful women. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent bio of a woman well remembered for the wrong thing
Lillian Moller Gilbreth is well remembered today as the patient mother of "Cheaper by the Dozen". This book makes it clear that this was the least of her attributes.

Dr. Gilbreth spent over a half century as one of America's leading engineers. First colloborating with her husband, Frank Gilbreth, she spent the first forty years of her widowhood on an intense schedule of conferences, consulting, and teaching, finally retiring near her ninetieth birthday.

While the primary focus of this book is on Dr. Gilbreth and her engineering career, and the conculsion makes clear author Jane Lancaster's bitterness that Dr. Gilbreth is best remembered for the fictionalized mother of "Cheaper by the Dozen", fans of the book will find material to satisfy them. Several chapters deal with the family's life. Few of the many footnotes are simply to "Cheaper" or its sequel, "Belles on their Toes"--appropriate, as a later chapter deals with how "Cheaper" came to be, and that it was written not as non-fiction, but rather as things should have been. For example, the episode in "Cheaper" where Dr. Gilbreth spent a day in bed, and the children were convinced that a new baby was due, having associated Mother's brief bedstays with childbirth, was based on Dr. Gilbreth giving birth to a stillborn, thirteenth child.

Jane Lancaster gives life to this pioneering woman engineer, unfortunately typecast by her children's books. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Wolfgang Pauli, whose work contributed to developing the bombs that decimated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, suffered from disturbing dreams that led him to psychologist C.G. Jung.This groundbreaking study traces Pauli's thoughts and dreams over the course of his life. ... Read more

Book Description

This book presents the life and work of one of the leading British social workers of the 20th century. The wife of Donald Winnicott, an analyst of Melanie Klein, a wartime innovator in helping evacuated children, a teacher and mentor to a generation of British social workers and a gifted psychoanalyst, Clare Winnicott’s life encompassed a remarkable richness of relationships and accomplishments. As well as documenting Clare Winnicott’s life and career, this book also contains valuable and pragmatic career strategies for assisting parents and other care-givers in the difficult challenge of creating and sustaining facilitating environments for troubled children."[Clare Winnicott] showed that social workers who spent time with and who could relate with, play with, and talk with children could enable them to deal with their difficulties. Joel Kanter should be thanked for so carefully and clearly bringing Clare Winnicott back to the notice of the world of social work." -- Dr Bob Holman, Visiting Professor in Social Policy at the Universities of Glasgow and Swansea"Joel Kanter has edited for us mental health professionals a most important and timely book.Its focus is on the thinking and practice of Clare, whose original profession was social work, and the story of the mutual influences between her and Donald Winnicott, the medical analyst who became her husband. It is as though Clare and Donald began a dialogue that has grown in volume and intensity, and out of which both professions may broaden and deepen in knowledge and therapeutic competence." -- Jean Sanville, Ph.D., Training Analyst, Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies; Founding Dean, California Institute for Clinical Social Work"Joel Kanter has woven together so many diverse events, ideas, tasks, achievements that are all part of Clare’s life, and at the same time he has managed to depict the essential inter-relationship between Clare and Donald which kept the importance of playing and enjoying each other’s company as the context within which the struggles of their lives took place. I am grateful to him." -- Pearl King ... Read more

Amazon.com

By age 15, R.D. Laing (1927-1989) was reading the works of Voltaire, Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud--perhaps to escape from his brutal upbringing,or perhaps to understand it. A British Army psychiatrist by age 20, Laing sat with schizophrenics in their cells, trying to decipher the "environmental" source of their malady. Rather than pass it off to neurobiology, Laing believed that emotional misery stemmed from experiences, particularly those within the family. His work at the Institute of Psycho-Analysis in London led to many books on the subject including Self and Others. Daniel Burston shows how unconventional thinking took him to the top in his field, then eventually led to his demise. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

R. D. Laing:Social Misfit and Theorist of Schizophrenia.
In the 1960s several different movements became prevalent which operated in direct opposition to the institution of psychiatry, which often included forced medicating, confinement, and electroshock andpsychosurgery on individuals deemed to be mentally ill.These individuals included both leftists (radical leftists, Marxists, and other liberals) as well as �libertarian rightists� and those who argued for individual responsibility attempting to re-politicize the process of denying civil rights to certain individuals deemed insane, among whom were many in the psychedelic counter-culture, cult groups including Scientology, various indiduals believing themselves to have been wronged by the psychiatric establishment and often identifying themselves as �psychiatric survivors�, and even some prominent psychiatrists � the two most notorious such �anti-psychiatrists� being Thomas Szasz (libertarian rightist and opponent of coercive �treatment�) and R. D. Laing (whose politiics ranged from the Marxist left to the far right)._The Wing of Madness_ is a biography of the Scottish maverick psychiatrist R. D. Laing and his contributions to our understanding of the schizoid/schizophrenic mode of being-in-the-world in terms of existentialist theory.Laing had a strange relationship to the medical establishment beginning as a psychiatrist who developed an interest in the field possibly as a result of his own troubled upbringing (his mother frequently prone to depression and possibly psychosis and his father prone to difficult bouts as well).Laing himself would come to embrace both traditional Christianity (in the form of Presbyterianism), but also Gnosticism and ancient mysticisms, as well as Eastern religions and philosophy, and the phenomenological philosophies of Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger, and the existentialism of Merleau-Ponty and Jean Paul Sartre.For a time Laing flirted with Marxism, but later would claim that he had embraced the right (although exactly to what extent this was to be interpreted was difficult to determine).Critics of Laing frequently argued that he idealized and romanticized madness (especially the psychotic break that occurs in schizophrenia and other schizoid type disorders).Indeed, for Laing, madness often was an entirely reasonable attempt to deal with a difficult situation brought about particularly by stresses demanded from social conformity, economic conditions, and in particular the family life.Indeed, for Laing the family often was a means whereby violence was inflicted upon the individual (the family revolving around several �enduring myths� which became cracked at the point of madness seen in schizophrenia for example).Using these sorts of theories, Laing argued that schizophrenia and other psychotic type disorders should be allowed to follow out their course, perhaps being a stage in a process necessary for individual growth.Thus, he opposed treatment which often included medication into a stupor, electroshock, confinement, and insulin shock therapy or in extremely difficult cases even dangerous psycho-surgeries.At the time this was a radical position to take, which could be interpreted as one of the extreme left (arguing for the rights of the �oppressed� asinsane) or even as a conservative measure (arguing for a return to a time when the mentally ill were treated with less invasive measures).Towards the end of his life, Laing moved away from some of these ideas, and perhaps turned closer towards the more generally accepted theory of a biological basis for psychosis (particularly schizophrenia, as brain disorder).Also, Laing frequently encountered conflict with medical authority and other famous psychiatrists and thinkers and was eventually suspended from his medical practice.Laing died playing tennis; however, before his death Laing experienced several severe bouts of depression and frequently resorted to alcohol - drinking himself into a stupor.It may have been his own inability to cope with certain aspects of his life which led Laing to see the mad in such a compassionate (indeed, romanticized) light.Indeed, Laing raises for the thinking individual many questions about the nature of sanity and madness, the nature of man and normality, the roles of society on the individual, the nature of family life and myth in family life, the role of abuse on man to his fellow man, and ultimately about the very nature of reality itself as seen in the light of the eyes of the mentally ill individual.This book offers a good biography of Laing, an anti-psychiatrist who combined insights from both religious mysticism and phenomenology and existential philosophy into a political thesis about the nature of psychosis and schizoid/schizophrenic being-in-the-world.While I believe that the role of biological processes in mental illness is entirely underrated by individuals like Laing and Szasz, nevertheless, their books offer a unique alternative look at the medical establishment which often foists unfair measures upon those who are merely deemed different.

"Give us bread but also give us roses"
For anyone who has been thrilled by any of Laing's books, as I had been, reading a biography of Laing can be a sad experience. Burston doesn't shrink from the disappointing aspects of Laing, but he finds great and continuing value in Laing's work while also reminding us of Laing's better side.

Burston has divided the biograpy roughly in half. First comes the standard chronological presentation, then an analysis of Laing's thoughts and concerns. This meaty but quite readable analysis includes assessment of Laing's philosophical assumptions, his position on psychoanalysis, and his place within psychiatry.

Burston effectively reminds us that, whatever his failings and however large his fall from popularity, Laing's work still presents challenges and promises values which we would be foolish to ignore. Blessed with a great mind, R.D. Laing also forged a wonderful heart: too many other therapists forget that our suffering needs both.

The Guru's Dilemma
This really should be read along with the biography by hy Ronald Laing's son, Adrian Laing.Adrian Laing is much more critical. Although he is a lawyer and Burston a psychologist, I think Adrian Laing shows more understanding of RD Laing's place in psychiatry. Both books are very readable (which is the reason for the 5 stars) because Laing's life makes makes a good story.
By the end of the 1960's Laing was a dinosaur rather than an innovator. He was still blaming parents for their children's mental illness and advocating treating schizophrenia without medication. When I came to America in 1963 psychanalysis was dominant in psychiatry here. By the time time Laing died in 1989, psychanalysis was no longer taken seriously by most psychiatrists. I suspect that part of the reason for Laing's tragic self-destructive behavior came from the dawning realization that his treatment methods did not work for schizophrenia. Unlike Bateson and many of the American neo-Freudians, who were not MD's, he was a psychiatrist who undertook clinical responsibilities. Having set himself up, or been set up, as an omniscient healer he found he could not help those who turned to him. ... Read more

Book Description

Unlike other histories of economics, Mark Skousen's book provides a running plot with a singular heroic figure, Adam Smith, at the center of the discipline. Skousen unites the great thinkers by ranking them for or against Adam Smith and his "system of natural liberty." He shows how Karl Marx, Thorstein Veblen, John Maynard Keynes, and even laissez-faire disciples Robert Malthus and David Ricardo detracted from Smith's classical model of democratic capitalism during periods of economic failure and upheaval, while Alfred Marshall, Irving Fisher, Ludwig von Mises, and Milton Friedman, among others, remodeled and improved upon Smithian economics as the world economy recovered and prospered. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

A very readable, non-technical History of Economic thought
I found this history of economic thought remarkably refreshing, lively, and informative. It is very readable, Skousen leaving out the technical minutae that turns many people off to economics. In fact, my one criticism is that, being technically-minded I wanted more than he presented (although I understand a technical presentation was not his aim).

Skousen does a good job of bringing out the personal side of the characters in the history. He devotes nearly as much space to items of interest in their lives and personalities as he does to their contributions to economic thought.

Unlike more liberal writers, Skousen does not hide his "personal biases" and presents the history from his perceived "correct perspective". He makes no appologies for this and presents his reasons for writing the book in the introduction. He is a big believer in free markets, small government, and natural liberty (as championed by Adam Smith). He presents all major economic schools of thought and refutes those he believes to be in error. Liberals will call this a polemic. It is hardly that. Skousen presents the side of the argument that has been historically suppressed in academia, but which is making a resurgence in the 21st century.

I found of particular interest the role economic thought played in the rise of socialism, Marxism, and the modern welfare state. It's simply facinating.

If you took ECON from Keynesians like I did, you need to read this book. At the very least, you need to hear the rest of the story.

Terrific Book!
Mark Skousen has done a great service not only in putting the development of economic theory in perspective but doing so in such an entertaining way. The author contrasts Adam Smith's system of natural liberty and free markets with that of Marxist detractors along with everyone in between.

Better than any work I know of, Skousen brings the Austrian contributions to economic theory to light. It seems the Austrian, marginalist, subjective view saves the day again and again.

Integrated throughout the narrative are the personal curiosities of the major economists. One murdered, another interested in palm reading, the economist with the most investing success, an enthusiast of astrology, one involved in a sibling rivalry, the economist with a fascination for handwriting analysis, etc., etc.

Not only has Skousen made an interesting read of the history of economic theory he has presented a new paridigm of the circular flow model as well. And his "What Could Have Been" section near the end is very thought provoking.

Skousen's book was such a pleasure to read that I'm tempted to immediately return to page one and do it again!

Good history, but don't use it to decide economic policies
This book provides a very readable and fairly informative introduction to the history of economic thought. But it's mainly valuable as a description of the differences between economists, and shouldn't be confused with a serious attempt at finding the correct answers to economic controversies.
The author's libertarianism sometimes overcomes his objectivity, particularly when dealing with the great depression. He credits the Austrian school with predicting the depression without noting the frequency with which their theory predicts downturns. He is rather uncritical in reporting the claim that the Fed could have expanded the money supply faster in 1931-32 without endangering the gold standard. That claim depends on the rather questionable assumption that broad measures of the money supply are all that matters. Arguments such as those in Wigmore's The Crash and Its Aftermath that make proper note of the large increase in currency in circulation seem more thoughtful.
He is a bit unfair to Keynes, whose main theory makes some sense if his ambiguous references to savings are interpreted as an increased desire to hold currency (which, by causing deflation, distorts real interest rates and wages). But Skousen assumes that Keynes meant savings in the broader sense of choosing to invest wealth instead of consuming it. Many of Keynes followers have interpreted Keynes' theory that way in order to rationalize using Keynes' theory as a solution to recessions that don't involve deflation - Skousen's criticisms seem fair when applied to that version of Keynesianism. And of course Keynes deserves some criticism for being unclear. I propose as a better way of expressing what Keynes was groping for is that there was a speculative bubble in currency. I.e. people bid up the value of the dollar relative to other goods, and the trend caused people to decide that currency was a good investment.

Very good
Skousen says his book is meant to be an alternative to the history of economic thought presented by Robert Heilbroner in 'The Worldly Philosophers'. In that it largely succeeds, and Skousen's history is the more honest of the two because, unlike Heilbroner, he makes his ideological biases and point of view explicit to the reader. A pretty good overview of the main tendencies in economic thought can be had by reading both books.

Skousen's book is well worth reading, so it's too bad that it was so sloppily edited and carelessly proofread. Nassau Senior is called Senior Nassau (twice), Malthus is said to have died in 1934 (twice), words are misspelled, bibliography entries are not correctly alphabetized, sentences that should not have survived a first draft are left as written, etc. Corrections should have been made before the paperback edition was released.

Ol man take a look at my life it's a lot like you
There's a saying in the economics department of academia that the answers to the test are always the same, only the questions change. Mark Skousen does a masterful job in telling us why this is true.

Skousen begins this marvelous book with a quote by J.M. Keynes. I'll paraphrase it as follows: "the ideas of economists and political philosophers are more powerful than commonly understood; indeed the world is ruled by little else". A quote on the same page by J.M. Ferguson avers, "Economics concerns itself with the greatest of all human dramas... the struggle of humanity to escape from want". These two quotes suggest that one: the "follow the money" theory of history has credence, particularly over the Hegalian master-slave theory, and its Marxist class oppression version. And, two: that the study of economics has essentially revolved around how to alleviate poverty, and to create a greater surplus for all people.

Skousen begins this tome with a salute to Adam Smith whose "invisible hand" thesis explains the counter intuitive concept that "individual self interest attains for the greatest common good." This idea supports Tom Sowell's assertion that social policy should consist of ways to incentivize industrious, commercially competent, ambitious, self centered men; a push for the idea that greed is good.

Skousen compares Smith's "Harmony of interest" model, which asserts that workers, landlords and capitalists work together to provide goods and services", with Ricardo's "Class conflict" model, one that suggests that the same parties compete with one another for a share of those goods and services." What's good about this book is that Skousen gives both sides an equal hearing, and he tells it as a storyteller might. He makes it readable and engaging.

He wends his way thru the stories of French economists Alex de Tocqueville, Frederic Bastiat, and Jean Baptiste Say as they relate to the study of economics in the period following the printing of Adam Smith's opus, "the Wealth of Nations". This continuing study weaves forward thru Hegal's dialectic and its influence on Marx's "Communist Manifesto."

We're then treated to Skousen's insights into the thinking of Thomas Carlyle, a critic of capitalism; John Stuart Mill; Jeremy Bentham; E.B-Bawerk who wrote a devastating critique of Marx's "labor theory of value", where a mud pie was said to be worth as much as an apple pie; W.S. Jevons who led the revolution in the concept of "marginal utility" along with Leon Walrus, also known for his use of mathematical equations and his work on economic equilibriums; and the brilliant Italian Vilfredo Pareto, the fellow who decided that all human behavior could be classified in 80-20 terms; Pareto's Law.

As we mosey thru the rise of the Fabian Socialists in the 1870's, George Bernard Shaw et al, we're introduced to the greatest economist of the late 19th century; the neo-classicist in the Adam Smith tradition, Alfred Marshall. His chore was to rescue free-market capitalism back from the big-government socialists.

But, Socialist-Leftist-Communist-progressive thinking began to gain traction, J.M. Keynes and his Bloomsbury group helped its furtherance by seizing control of the intellectual ferment of Western civilization in the early 20th century. As England weakened economically after WWI the idea of big government, with its command and control model, began to seem efficacious as a way to run society, at least in the mind of Keynes. After all, government control of the economy seemed to be working just fine in Japan, Italy, Germany and Russia in the early 1930's.

Keynes felt that, much in the image of Plato's Republic, a small group of individuals, gifted with superior intellect and judgment, should make public policy for all of those not their equal. Alas, he like Marx missed having a firm grip on the concept of the "Law of Unintended Consequences." Like Marx, he failed to discern that the most important factor in the means of production was the human initiative of those upon whom he cast his snidest of intellectual aspersions. Keynes, though academically brilliant, got many things wrong in his set of assumptions about the economic workings of the world.

A group of Austrian economists (L. Von Mises, Frederic Von Hayek, and Joseph Schumpeter), known as the "Austrian School", took exception with the Keynesian theories. Hayek engaged Keynes in fierce academic debates in the early 1930's, but Keynes won out and became the most influential economist of the early and mid-20th century. However, with the rise of the microchip and the ability of ever more powerful computers to crunch the numbers, the jury is in and the Austrians, represented by the University of Chicago, have dominated the Nobel Prize in the last 25 years. Hayek, who wrote "the Road to Serfdom" predicting the failure of socialist communism, has been vindicated. To continue the irony, his flag bearer, Milton Friedman, the Monetarist extraordinaire, has been the named the most influential economist of the last 40-50 years.

Skousen tells this story in a page turning fashion that makes me wish he had been my econ prof back in the early 60's at Michigan State. It's odd that even today, freshly minted MBA's everywhere know little about Alfred Marshall and Frederic Von Hayek. It's a stain on academia that they have failed so in their mission to compare and contrast the great thinking done about "the business of life", which is what economics is all about. Read this book and give it to your children. Discuss it with them; you'll be a better man because of it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

British-born Jonathan Raban sets out on a passage from Seattle to Juneau in a small boat that is more a waterborne writing den, and as usual with the brilliant Raban, this journey becomes a vehicle for history and heart-stopping descriptions that will make readers want to hail him as one of the finest talents who's picked up a pen in the 20th century. The voyage through the Inside Passage from Washington's Puget Sound to Alaska churns up memories and stirs up hidden emotions and Raban dwells on many, including the death of his father and his own role of Daddy to his young daughter, Julia, left behind in Seattle. More than just a personal travelogue, however, Passage to Juneau deftly weaves in the stories of others before him--from Indians whom white men formerly greeted with baubles set afloat on logs, to Captain Vancouver, who risked mutiny on his ship when he banned visits with prostitutes, some of whom offered their services for bits of scrap metal. Pressed into every page are intimate descriptions of life at sea--the fog-shrouded coasts, the crackly radio that keeps him linked to the mainland, the salty marine air, and the fellow sailors who are likewise drawn by a life of tossing on water. While Raban successfully steers his boat to the desired port, readers ultimately discover that this insightful, talented sage is in fact emotionally in deep water and may not fully be captain of his own life. --Melissa Rossi ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Passage to Juneau -- A Sea and Its Meanings
Having once sailed the same waters that Raban describes in "Passage to Juneau -- A Sea and Its Meanings," I read with fascination this writer's reponses to the tests and subtle meanings of life on the waters of the Pacific Northwest. He offers a sympathetic portrait of the unlovable and socially bereft George Vancouver, a shrewd insight into the people of the region, and a wonderful sense of the hydraulic mysteries of tide patterns, weather and narrow channels in a place that never hears thunder.

Raban looks deeply into the play of light and shadow on water and draws forth the hidden metaphysical realms of the native peoples. And it is in these descriptions of the scattering of the light that he presages his own emotional changes -- a seeing but not-seeing of storms on the horizon. His work is as dazzling as sunlight scattered on waves and as deceptively deep as the dark channels that are home to Sisiutl and Sedna.

As a memoir and travel book "Passage to Juneau" is an intimate look into a quiet corner of a subtly changing part of our world, and a thoughtful meditation on the other passages we make as humans. My one criticism is that with all of the author's references to charts, navigational aids, portolanos, and coastal pilots, the book is devoid of reference maps. Perhaps if the book goes into a second printing the publisher will rectify this obvious shortcoming.

"I meant to go fishing for reflections...
and come back with a glittering haul."

So plans Jonathan Raban, when he begins fitting out his small boat, well-stocked with both supplies and literary works, for a trip up the inner passage from Seattle to Juneau. Raban soon gets on his way to Alaska, the last frontier of North America.

The exploration that Raban undertakes on this voyage occurs both in the outer environment and inside himself. He explores, and describes in lush detail, the spectacular and stunning scenery of the coast. To Raban, these outposts of America and British Columbia represent the best of the sublime - a romantic concept which reveres the fantastic and unexplored in nature. Raban docks at many undiscovered ports, and shares these journeys with the reader. In addition to his travel, however, Raban learns a great deal about himself, particularly about his dual roles as son and father, in the course of the journey. Also woven into the text is a good deal of material about earlier inhabitants of the Inner Passage; both Native Americans and early European explorers of the coastline.

This is a beautiful book about the landscape, the sea, and its meaning to one individual. It is beautifully written and will not easily be forgotten.

Passages
I initially picked up this book hoping for a sentimental journey in the area where I grew up. The inside passage holds a special mystique among Pacific Northwesterners and is generally accepted as the most scenic, challenging, and historic way of getting from Seattle to Alaska. But this book is much more than a travelogue. We get to join Raban on a much more personal journey.
Raban is obviously an experienced seaman, who sets out to explore the inside passage. As we accompany him, it becomes apparent this will be much more than a mere trip to Alaska. He intertwines history, beautiful scenery, and his own personal reflections into a fascinating trip of self discovery. Raban is a gifted writer who can draw you into the journey and the closer you get to Juneau, the more involved you've become. His descriptive prose takes you out of your lounge room and onto the boat with him. If you're looking for action-adventure, this is not it. But for a beautifully written book that parallels the stories of the sea with real life, this is a great read. Highly recommended.

blah blah blah
pedantic and self-serving, Raban blathers on and on in a way impressively formulaic and dull.

Book as Revenge
This is a great book for about the first third of its passage. I get the impression that like a musician with a few good tunes but not an entire CD worth of them, the idea of a cohesive theme is abandoned for the sake of size.
A book of the parallel trips of Mr.Raban and Cap'n Vancouver was enough for me had it been researched more deeply. I got the impression that he was bored with his own topic after firing off some initial brilliant ideas.
The hard right turn into the extensive description of the death of his father belonged in another book as did the wind up which feels essentially like he's using the merits of the rest of the book and his status as a writer as a weapon to dump on his wife and her decision to separate. If that's his way of dealing with the situation then it's not surprizing that the separation happened.
We all have these bizarre fragmentations in our lives; the public humiliation of his wife just makes me feel worse than when I started the book and I was left with the impression that I was [pulled] into a cheap shot. ... Read more

Book Description

This book tells the story of one of the most important public figures of the twentieth century. It is the first full biography of Friedrich Hayek, the Austrian economist who became, over the course of a remarkable career, the great philosopher of liberty in our time. In this richly detailed portrait, Alan Ebenstein chronicles the life, works, and legacy of a visionary thinker, from Hayek's early years as the scholarly son of a physician in fin-de-siecle Vienna on an increasingly wider world as an economist and political philosopher in Londom, New York, and Chicago. Ebenstein gives a balanced, integrated account of Hayek's extordinary diverse body of work, from his fist encounter with the free market ideas of mentor Ludwig Von Mises to his magisterial writings in later life on the legal, political, ethical, and economic requirements of a free society. Awarded the Nobel Prize in 1974, Hayek's vision of a renewed classical liberalism-of free markets and free ideas in free societies-has taken hold in much of the world. Alan Ebanstein's clearly written account is an essential starting point for anyone seeking to understand why Hayek's ideas have become the guiding force of our time. His illuminating portrait of Hayek the man brings to new life the spirit of a great scholar and tenacious advocate who has become, in Peter Drucker's words, "our time's preeminent social philosopher." ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Pretty good overview of a deep thinker.
Hayek is my favorite author not because I agree with all of his ideas, but because his books have taught me so much. I write this review as an experienced fan of Hayek, but those who have read few or none of Hayek's writings will benefit the most from reading this well-researched biography.

Never before has any writing put together so complete a picture of Hayek's life and background. If you admire Hayek as much as I do, you'll find it very satisfying to read Ebenstein's largely fruitful efforts to understand the man behind the distant - but kind - demeanor that he wore. Frankly, much of the value I got from this book came from the satisfaction of my curiosity. Those who haven't yet read much of Hayek, however, will find far more of value in Ebenstein's excellent summaries and analyses of Hayek's ideas. Ebenstein has a knack for condensing Hayek's ideas in a concise and highly readable form, which Hayek himself could not do very well. Mostly Ebenstein saw it as his function to simply summarize and explain Hayek's ideas, but he also entered into some interesting discussions about the intellectual controversies Hayek was involved in. Obviously the socialist calculation debate is one such controversy, but Ebenstein also picks out a few nits from Hayek's books, such as an inconsistent interpretation of J.S. Mill and the inspiration Hayek may have taken from a misunderstanding of Karl Popper.

I was most disappointed with the author's treatment of Hayek's strictly economic work in capital and trade cycle theory. In short, Ebenstein informs us that Hayek's views on these subjects are very far from being the accepted wisdom among economists, and that students of Hayek consider his economic work to be greatly overshadowed by his achievements in political philosophy. Both points are true, but neither goes any distance toward refuting Hayek's somewhat unique ideas about capital, business cycles, and inflation. Ebenstein nearly dismisses these theories out of hand. Readers will probably either be left unconvinced that Hayek was wrong, or they will be left with the impression that Hayek was not a very successful economist. I feel that if Ebenstein is going to reject the Austrian Business Cycle theory (ABC), he has no excuse not to provide his readers with an adequate summary of the arguments against it. First of all, a good, nontechnical argument against it could be made within the space of a few pages. Secondly, the mainstream arguments against ABC aren't usually a complete rejection of it: many mainstream economists only differ from ABC by degrees. For instance, Hayek thought that the most serious side effect of inflation was, by far, its distortion of capital investments. Some mainstream economists would agree that this distortion can take place, but they would argue that it isn't nearly as important as the other costs of inflation, such as the deadweight loss resulting from individuals' efforts to avoid having their wealth depreciated away. On the other hand, I think Ebenstein slightly understated the enormity of the chasm between the mainstream and Hayek (along with the other Austrian economists) when it comes to methodological issues. The slight mistreatments of Hayek's economics constitute my only complaints against this book. It is excellent in every other regard.

Biography of Great Economist Thoughtful, Thorough
Excerpted from book review by Bruce Caldwell in The Independent Review (Fall 2001)

Alan Ebenstein's Frederick Hayek: A Biography is the first English-language biography of FA Hayek. The volume clearly represents a massive amount of investigative work. It has much to recommend it, not least that it offers up the facts of Hayek's life in clear prose and with considerable detail.

He has gathered into one place virtually everything that has been written about Hayek's life and personal relationships. The book represents a truly imperssive amount of investigative work. Ebenstein has done a superb job of collecting and putting into usable form what already existed in print about Hayek's life and of filling in most of the remaining holes by his own investigative effort.

Diminishing this considerable accomplishment is Eberstein's insistence on offering at various places throughout the book his own assessments of Hayek's substantive work. Too often summaries compress an entire literature or debate into a few pages.

Those who wish to know about Hayek's life should get this book and study it carefully, for it contains more information than any other source available on that subject. It is also, in my opinion, quite solid on certain aspects of Hayek's political thought. But it is not a particularly good guide to Hayek's intellectual development or to his legacy in other areas. The book would have been far stronger had Ebenstein stuck to reporting and left out his own responses to Hayek.

A middle class economics hero's life.
This biography has many short chapters, and displays a considerable balance. The structure of the book reflects the nature of Hayek's thoughts. "Hayek put forward the difficult idea of spontaneous order. In a spontaneous order, individuals may exchange and interact with one another as they desire. There is no central management of individual decision making." (p. 3). The fame of Friedrich Hayek is associated mainly with the political views needed to maintain a thriving economy as much as with the idea that no one person knows everything that is going on in an economy which functions as Adam Smith pictured, with each person acting in his own interest in order to produce the mix of goods and services that best provides the needs of all. Adam Smith is listed in the index, but not quite as much as Milton Friedman, who is occasionally mentioned as being more popular than Hayek, as well as more correct in the analysis of monetary policy in the United States at the start of the great depression.

Hayek finished a law degree and a second degree in political science from the University of Vienna before he lived in the United States from March 1923 to May 1924. (p. 31). One of his first economic articles in 1924 was "on American monetary policy suggesting that an expansionist credit policy leads to an overdevelopment of capital goods industries and ultimately to a crisis. . . . So I put in that article a long footnote sketching an outline of what ultimately became my explanation of industrial fluctuations. . . . A rate of interest which is inappropriately low offers to the individual sectors of the economy an advantage which is greater the more remote is their product from the consumption stage." (p. 41). The Federal Reserve Bank had been designed to keep the economy moving by offering great deals to capitalists, but when Hayek noted the tendency to produce instability, he became the head "of the evolution of Austrian business cycle theory." (p. 41). When the depression became the lowest point reached by the American economy in the 20th century, Hayek continued to think that low interest rates in the 1920s had produced the instability which produced it, while Milton Friedman produced a monetary explanation which is more widely accepted.

Public opinion is often a matter of simplifications which avoid the complexity that real problems present. Chapter 8, on Keynes, quotes Keynes attacking Marxism as if Marxism were nothing but a public opinion. "How can I adopt a creed which, preferring the mud to the fish, exalts the boorish proletariat above the bourgeois and intelligentsia who, with whatever faults, are the quality of life and surely carry the seeds of all human advancement?" (p. 68). German was a problem for Keynes, who wrote "in German I can only understand what I know already!" (p. 70). Hayek tried to review Keynes' TREATISE ON MONEY for an English journal, "Economica," when he was about to start teaching at the London School of Economics. Keynes seemed to think that his criticism could be characterized as "The wild duck has dived down to the bottom--as deep as she can get--and bitten fast hold of the weed and tangle and all the rubbish that is down there, and it would need an extraordinarily clever dog to dive after and fish her up again." (pp. 357-358). Hayek was allowed to publish a reply in the "Economic Journal" edited by Keynes "to an article by Piero Sraffa attacking him, and concluded his reply, `I venture to believe that Mr. Keynes would fully agree with me in ... that he [Sraffa] has understood Mr. Keynes' theory even less than he has my own.' Keynes then footnoted, `I should like to say that, to the best of my comprehension, Mr. Sraffa has understood my theory accurately.' " (p. 72). The finishing touches on this argument are complex. Keynes wrote that his footnote was appended to Hayek's reply "with Prof. Hayek's permission," (p. 72), a sure sign that Keynes was amused at agreeing far more with Sraffa, however Hayek might feel about it, and that he had done everything he could to force Hayek to see it his way.

Hayek was admired most for his popular book, THE ROAD TO SERFDOM, which considered central planning in control of an economy as a major step on the way to totalitarianism. He expected his book, THE CONSTITUTION OF LIBERTY, to appeal to the same readers, but when it was published on February 9, 1960, people had other concerns. In "The New York Times Book Review," Sydney Hook presented the mainstream economic opposition to Hayek's major concerns. "He is an intellectual tonic. But in our present time of troubles, his economic philosophy points the road to disaster." (p. 203).

Considering disasters in the area of economics, it is difficult to counter the idea that any government program offers the kind of deviation from stability that anyone would expect from a drunken bat. One idea that was almost popular at the end of the 20th century was a lockbox, where workers' money could be kept until it was time for them to retire. Hayek followed John Locke in thinking that civil government can maintain an impartial liberty through "certain basic rules on everybody." (p. 224). LAW, LEGISLATION AND LIBERTY was supposed to provide some guidelines, but there was no lockbox in the title, or in the title of any of Hayek's books. Now tax law has changed, as a basic incentive for a rise in the price of common stock, without safeguards to see that income is taxed even once. Speculation seems to be the common assumption upon which everyone is now to be satisfied. Actually, I suppose the government might never stop flying around like a drunken bat. For all the complexity in this book, it is much less like a drunken bat than the opinions I find in any newspaper.

An Important Man, A Poor Biography -1.8 on a scale of 1 to 5
Hayek's life deserves-no demands- a biography of the highest order. I read Hayek in my studies in college and I was fascinated by his theories. He was a man who thought and wrote on profound economic issues.
This biography, while seemingly well researched, does a disservice to the man. I (and a book club for an ivy league college) found it poorly written and structured. Sentences, paragraphs and thoughts collide.
I would only recommend this book to diehard Hayek groupies (though it may cause pain). Individuals who want to learn more about him might benefit from skimming through the book. However, I would caution those individuals who seek out intelligent biographies of interesting people-that despite Hayek's very interesting life, this is not an intelligent biography worthy of him.

overrated
Ebenstein's biography of Hayek is well received, as the other reviews testify. It's informative, readable, and generally fair-minded. Nevertheless I feel that the merits of this book do not deserve such high praise as was given, even by such outstanding men as Friedman. Ebenstein's understanding of Hayek's ideas is narrow and derivative, his portrayal of the man is flat. Above all, the most fundamental aspect of Hayek's thought, namely his elucidation of a complex spontaneous order (independent of the properties of the elements), is neglected. Ebenstein also completely misunderstood Hayek's criticism of Mill, which is characterized as unfair in this book. This is no minor misunderstanding, as what's at stake is Hayek's attack on the concept of social justice, again one of the most important parts of his political philosophy. Reading this book, one gets the impression that Ebenstein is a hard-working, sincere, and intelligent fellow. But as the author of the first substantial biography of Hayek, he simply does not possess enough learning or insight to carry out this task adequately. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

fun read!
This book pulls you in from the beginning. It's not a dry history but a witty and sharp look at the Bloomsbury Group and issues about sex and gender in England. She can be critical of Strachey's misogyny and class elitism while at the same time she makes her readers feel strongly about the plight of the gay man during a repressive era. The book is loaded with fascinating stories about his relationships with Virginia Woolf, Dora Carrington, and John Maynard Keynes. Sodomy, war, complicated love affairs--what more could a reader ask for?!

Wow!A great read!
I had never really known much about Lytton Strachey before reading Taddeo's book.I ordered this on a whim and loved it---I've just ordered Strachey's Eminent Victorians after reading this.

Taddeo writes really well---the book moves quickly and I was fascinated by Taddeo's analysis and discussion of Strachey's sexuality.What I liked most about this book (and I can't say this enough!) was its readability.This is a book for scholars and non-specialists.

If you've read any of the books by the Bloomsbury group or if you love the Victorians, buy this book (actually you should buy it and read it no matter what!). ... Read more

Book Description

When British anthropologist Nigel Barley set up home among the Dowayo people in northern Cameroon, he knew how fieldwork should be conducted. Unfortunately, nobody had told the Dowayo. His compulsive, witty account of first fieldwork offers a wonderfully inspiring introduction to the real life of a cultural anthropologist doing research in a Third World area. Both touching and hilarious, Barley's unconventional story--in which he survived boredom, hostility, disaster, and illness--addresses many critical issues in anthropology and in fieldwork. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Accesible anthropology
You've got to love this book. I'm an anthro type anyway, but if I wasn't this book would still be highly entertaining and a great experience.

It's about a self-deprecating British anthropologist who goes to Cameroon to do fieldwork among a little-known tribe called the Dowayo. While he's there, he encounters strange foods, a crazy old missionary, an impossible French-speaking Dowayo assistant, illness, personal injury, beer parties in the fields, paranoid Dowayo men, and a host of other things that will alternately make you wince and laugh out loud.

For anthropologists, this is an amusing look at what it's REALLY like in the field, with none of the "blood and guts" left out. For the lay reader, it's a look at what anthropologists actually do, and a highly educational one at that. If you think anthropology is all about dead white men condescending to attend a "native" ceremony now and then, this book's a kick in the head. I loved it.

An hilarious clash of reality
A real funny ground work diary. From shock to shock, the author discovers that services and activities considered as granted are not so in other places. Bureaucracy to the most absurd limits, supposed to be modern culture imposed to a tribal mood (as a beauty miss election almost in the forest) and even the return to the civilization are oportunities for amazing and funny histories.

It is a real way to discover "the others" that are, at bottom, so close to us (as when the boss of the tribe excused for not accompanying him back to U.K. because as every one knows it is afreezing weather, there are dangerous animals as the dogs in the catholic mision and cannibals abound (exactly the same told by his mother in U.K.)

All in all, I was expecting for some conclusions on the disaster of imposing our way of development on tribal and undeveloped countries and other way of doing it but maybe this was not the book for such kind of thoughts.

What about the women?
While I enjoyed this book very much, and found it both humorous and enlightening, I was left with some curiosity and concern about the female tribespeople. Barley never delves into the lives of the women, nor comments on the fact that the women are treated as commodities and excluded from most ceremonies and celebrations. I couldn't help but think that a female anthropologist would have come away with an entirely different view of the Dowayo. Barley's hilarious description of Cameroonian dentistry, however, was enjoyable enough to outweigh the whiff of sexism which put a slight damper on my enjoyment of the book.

Humor and wonder
An entertaining serious book. Mr. Barley's understated tone is a powerful tool in the rendition of amazement and humor. Those of us who have had the pleasure of an African sojourn can relate to his continuous sense of wonder and surprise which rightfully and at every turn challenge our daily assumptions. This is a very humorous often hilarious book, whose last chapter, Mr. Barley's return to England, is a must read for anyone trying to understand the fascination foreign travel and foreign experiences can exert. The clash of cultures on the reverse is as powerful a discovery as his entire life in the bush was. A great book on all accounts!

A delightful mix of cultural awareness and non-PC sarcasm!
Those who have experinced it first-hand know that life in rural Africa is at the same time seductively alluring and monumentally frustrating. Barley captures the essence of African village life with a delicate balance of acid wit and utter transparency. A must read for anyone headed for the bush!! ... Read more

Book Description

This doctor still makes house calls. In 1990, Dr. Linnea Smith went on vacation. The result? She abandoned a thriving medical practice in Wisconsin to serve the Yagua Indians in the deepest part of the Amazon rainforest of Peru alone.

Today, Dr. Smith routinely hears the midnight cry of "Doctora!" from patients facing life-and-death emergencies. Accompany her on house calls where the unknown often awaits. Observe how she treats exotic diseases, alligator bites and complicated births almost a day's journey away from the closest hospital.

Taken straight from the pages of Dr. Smith=9's journal, La Doctora offers readers a rare glimpse into the suspense and drama of practicing medicine in a culture far removed from the sophisticated supplies and supports of 20th-century medicine.

Learn how Dr. Smith evolved from a "strange white woman" to an adopted member of the indigenous community. Her story of adventure, self-discovery and service creates an inspirational testimonial to one person's power to make a lasting difference. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Amazon doctor tells all
Linnea Smith's story captures you from the very beginning. Telling of her experiences as a physician in the Amazon jungle often keeps you on the edge of your seat. Taken directly from her journals, it discusses her experiences over a 7 year period of practicing medicine in the jungle without all the current medical technology. She also talks of the natives, their beliefs and some difficulties encountered because of the disparity of cultures. This book is an easy and enjoyable read.

An Amazing Amazonian from Wisconson
It wasn't so long ago that I had the privilege of meeting Linnea in Peru. She was just coming back from a fundraising journey to the States, where she received a prize of recognition for her selfless work in Amazonia. I was with a tour group that was to stay at several Amazonian jungle lodges. The Amazon was in it's annual flood stage and the only way any of us could get around was by small boat. La doctora Linnea had her own dugout which she paddled to and from the clinic, the lodge and her patients all by herself, in a dress. She wore skirts almost entirely because of the humidity and local custom. The only women who wear shorts or pants in Amazonia are tourists and scientists. Every evening Linnea would come to the lodge for a bit of relaxation and conversation with whomever was staying there, but one couldn't help but notice how more comfortable she was in the company of the locals and guides. The Ribiernos [local river dwellers] didn't ask rude or probing questions. They were friendly without conpromising her privacy.This ingrained need to keep part of herself to herself comes through in the book she's written. She's happy to talk about her work and her love of the people, but reveals little of her previous life. I recommend this book for the incredible story, the sense of place, to learn about people we would otherwise never know. She may not speak book-learned Spanish, but communicates fluently with her friends and patients. As she writes, she arrived in Peru speaking no Spanish.

The Great Doctora Isn't Quite Gripping
This is somewhat of a minority viewpoint in comparison to the previous five customer reviews already written. I read this book because of the local publicity it received here in Wisconsin, the fact that I have been in Peru and in Amazon region (though not the same part as Dr. Linnea), am interested in Latin American culture, and speak fluent Spanish.

Dr. Linnea doesn't. The one complete Spanish sentence in the book contains a major grammar error that most students wouldn't make mid-way through their first semester of college Spanish. Of the isolated Spanish words she uses, she gets a couple wrong. She can be forgiven for this. She obviously managed to communicate adequately with her patients and she's a physician, after all, not a linguist. I'm aware this seems like nitpicking, and this is not my reason for a mere 3-star review.

What I find lacking in this book is emotional engagement with the reader. I liked this book passably, but wanted to like it so much more. Dr. Linnea is really the only character in it and she seems to be a rather private person. She gives us her opinions much more than her feelings. Maybe this is typical of the majority of physicians. We never really get to know her patients or any other person in the book. If she develops close relationships, we don't learn of them. Some patients improve and survive, some die, but it's a bit like a catalogue of people who barely have names or faces and come through her office (or she goes to them). I'm also interested in medicine and geography in general, and a book in a similar vein, that of a doctor practicing "backwoods medicine" that is truly wonderful (and that I'd hoped this one would resemble) is Dr. Abraham Verghese's MY OWN COUNTRY. (He treats AIDS patients in Appalachia in the mid-1980s.) Perhaps he's atypical in the way he becomes personally/emotionally involved with his patients or in the way that he is able to put human faces and lives on a disease and write about it all. Dr. Linnea, in spite of being a wonderful person who has done dangerous, extremely outstanding work, is not able (or chooses not) to do what Verghese did in his book.

Unlike another customer who reviewed this, I definitely don't think this was ghost-written. Dr Linnea is right there, revealing not one iota more than she wants to. I think the "problem" can be seen right in her acknowledgements, when, regarding her publishers, she writes that they "gave me u