No comments about Emotional Resonance: The Story of Helen Watkins, World Acclaimed Psychotherapist.

1 comments about The Life And Death of Alexander Pushkin: A Genius at Odds with Himself.

1. I am personally acquainted with Druzhnikov, at present a University of California Davis Professor, formerly a Moscow Newspaper Reporter, who was forced to flee Russia or be shipped to Siberia. I have purchased and enjoyed reading all of his earlier books. I am now ordering the new Pushkin book and know that I will thoroughly enjoy it. Druzhnikov is always extremely thorough in his research. Documents everything. I am sure that even though I am very knowledgeable regarding Pushkin and consider him to be one of the greatest poets of our world, that I will learn something new about Pushkin from reading Druzhnikov's new book. I recommend that all readers, particularly those interested in both the Old Russia and the fall of Soviet Russia to read all of Druzhnikov's books.

No comments about The Darkest Time is Just Before the Dawn.

No comments about It's a Lovely Day, Outside.

1 comments about Listen to the Music: The Life of Hilary Koprowski.

1. Wonder how medicine comes up with cures for anything, ever? Here are some of the answers! The author makes me wish I could invite Dr. Koprowski for dinner, he is so comfortably described. Not that Dr. Koprowski seems like an altogether comfortable man, you'd have to stay on your toes with him, but what a mind! This is a must-read antidote for Hooper's unsubstantiated theory concerning the origins of AIDS. If you've read The River, you BETTER read this. And it's a whole lot more interesting!

No comments about Lives Of Eminent American Physicians And Surgeons Of The Nineteenth Century.

2 comments about Beyond my Control: One Man's Struggle with Epilepsy, Seizure Surgery & Beyond.

1. I found this book fascinating. It is amazing that while trying to recover from brain surgery to be cured from epilepsy, a secondary condition can develop (depression) which is also a huge hurdle to get over. How the human brain is so vulnerable. This book is a very honest account of the authors struggles with both conditions which brought up some deep underlying emotion for me. I wish the author and his family all the best. Carolyn (New Jersey)



2. To share his personnel battle and thoughts during his struggles with epilepsy..Stuart managed to keep his sense of humor and strength. His emotional journey is one of the most realistic, detailed trips involving a fight against an illness I was unfamiliar with. I had to read his story twice as we all miss things the first time around. He is a man of determination, yet humble in his battle. The book at the same time is a love story, between he and his wife, Lisa. I believe if not for her strength and love, this book may not be here to educate and give us strength in battle against medical odds. I experienced sorrow, as well humor in this wonderful book. I recommend "Beyond My Control" to any person battling medical issues, and to any person in need of a little strength. This book is a Hoozey!!
   
   Thank you Stuart, for sharing a deep meaning personnel journey of strength and love. Carol

No comments about Carl Gustav Jung (Key Figures in Counselling and Psychotherapy series).

2 comments about Letting Go: A Memoir.

1. I am actually directly related to Mark Smetko--he is my uncle. This was a pretty good book. Knowing how our family actually lived through it, I think it was a little romanticized but for the most part quite realistic. The medical terms at the beginning added understanding and interest, and helped build up to the devastating shock when Dr. Gruber developed Hepatitis C and had to quit his job as a surgeon.

   This story might have a couple of editing things that need to be revised a little bit. Otherwise, it is a pretty touching story and it was very sad for those of us actually living it. My uncle Mark was a very interesting person and it is good to read about the lives of these three people--Dr. Gruber, Mark, and Mark's mother Zita, my grandmother.




2. This book creates a journey in your own heart and mind as you travel with Dr. Gruber through his. This book touched my heart in ways I didn't expect. It is a tale worth telling and a book worth giving. If you cried when you read Tuesdays with Morrie, you will cry when you read this book.

2 comments about A Gift of Life: A Page From the Life of a Living Organ Donor.

1. As a librarian and a fairly sophisticated user of information, I was indeed pleased to locate this title. My brother had just started dialysis and our family was looking into the pros and cons of living versus cadaver donation. A first-person account of the transplant experience from the point of view of the donor and the recipient was just the sort of introductory material my brother and I were looking for.

   Unfortunately, what useful information one could locate on end-stage renal disease, dialysis, the transplantation decision, the surgery or its aftermath was buried under pages and pages of irrelevant detail about the author's family, or was mired in hopelessly inelegant prose, full of glaring errors of grammar and tense. The excerpt of the book that follows the editorial reviews of this title is a perfect example of why clear and concise writing and careful editing are so important.

   Given the subtitle "a page from the life of a living donor" one would certainly expect a certain level of personal detail to accompany the facts. Yet Ms. Chabot-Long's account reads like the breathless entries in a teenager's " dear diary." And do we really need to know (over several pages) why it took so long for her to be discharged from the hospital? Hint: this essential bodily function often slows down after surgery. You really don't want to go there.

   This account would have been much better if it had been presented as an article in a magazine. It would have forced the author or her editor to stress facts and to highlight the decision-making process that her family used when they faced this crisis.

   My brother and I skimmed the book in about an hour and were much better served by the articles I found in reference books, in periodicals, and on the web.




2. As I write this review, I am preparing to share the author's experience: I am donating a kidney to a friend who has suffered kidney failure. So much of what Ms Chabot-Long experienced I am now experiencing. The decision to give up a kidney is a very emotional one and I can relate to much of what the author went through. I discovered that she had the same experience that I am going through in that it reached the point where she would have been disappointed if for any reason, she could not have done it. I wanted a good, vivid account of what awaits me in the future and Ms Chabot-Long provides such an account. I feel that I have been clued in as to what awaits me both physically and emotionally. I know that the recovery from the surgery is likely to be painful and I have been given a good firsthand account of what I can expect. I was charmed and moved by her description of her family and what they went through in supporting her. The support I have been receiving has made me very emotional. The author is not a professional writer and it is clear that she did not have a professional editor. She and her husband published the book themselves so the writing style is not necessarily smooth and contains grammatical errors. However, I can easily overlook that since the book hits home as to my personal needs. Furthermore, the author did a fair amount of research and provides technical information in a style understandable to lay people. I recommend this book to anyone who wants good. reliable information on what a kidney donor goes through.