No comments about Juvenile Delinquent to Surgeon: A Surgeon's Memoir.

No comments about Hunted Heretic: The Life and Death of Michael Servetus, 1511-1553.

No comments about Florence Nightingale in Egypt and Greece: Her Diary and "Visions" (Suny Series in Western Esoteric Traditions).

No comments about F.M.: The Life of Frederick Matthias Alexander: Founder of the Alexander Technique.

2 comments about Paralyzed but Not Powerless: Kate's Journey Revisited.

1. ANY HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL WOULD BENEFIT FROM READING THIS BOOK.
   WHAT AN INSPIRING STORY! KATE'S STORY WOULD TRULY BE INSPIRING FOR ANYONE TO READ.
   VERY WELL WRITTEN. IT WAS NICE TO HEAR KATE'S EXPERIENCE AND, HER HUSBAND ALSO SPEAKING OF HIS EXPERIENCE. WHAT A GREAT ADVOCATE HE WAS FOR HER. HAVING A NEUROLOGIST SPEAK THROUGHOUT THE BOOK TO EXPLAIN WHAT KATE WAS GOING THROUGH WAS A GREAT PART OF THIS BOOK TOO!
   IF YOU LIKED KATE'S FIRST BOOK, YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK.
   THIS BOOK WOULD HELP FAMILY MEMBERS CARING FOR THEIR LOVED ONES.
   KATE IS AN AMAZING WOMAN WHO WILL SHOW ANYONE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO OVERCOME OUR OBSTACLES WITH THE "POWER OF OUR HUMAN SPIRIT". AS KATE MENTIONS "FOCUS ON WHAT WE CAN DO AND NOT WHAT WE CANNOT DO."
   KATES COURAGE AND DETERMINATION ARE A LESSON TO ALL!



2. Kate Adamson's "Paralyzed but Not Powerless" truly inspired me. Her story is a riveting example of just what's possible with perseverance and belief. I give this book my highest recommendation. Read it and you'll be glad you did.

5 comments about Learning Sickness: A Year With Crohn's Disease (Capital Discovery).

1. I picked up this book simply because I wanted to read a good memoir. Little did I know what else it would give me. Just a week after I ordered an advance copy of the book online, my 44 year old brother died as a result of complications from ulcerative colitis, a disease that I later learned is very similar to Crohn's disease. Reading Jim's book was an important part of my grieving process; his narrative gave me insight into the everyday experiences my brother must have had with his own health -- and I gained new respect for his struggle.

   Jim Lang has written an eloquent, piercing, yet down-to-earth chronicle of life with Crohn's disease. This book is the best kind of creative non-fiction: a memoir that tells the truth in a self-reflective but non-detached way. I highly recommend this book not only to those with connections to Crohn's, but to anyone seeking to understand the depth of human experience through memoir.




2. As a 30-year-old who had Crohns for the past 6 years, I was interested in this book. It was well written and sweet. I often had the same feelings the author had about taking the darn pills every day and always feeling sick.
   I also liked how he sat in church and prayed to feel better. I also went thru the, "Mad at God" stage b/c I was so sick and blamed him for my illness. It was nice to know that others feel the same way sometimes, and it helped ease a little of my guilt.
   Great book for a Crohns or UC patient...or their family and friends... :)



3. For years, myself, my friends, and my family have struggled with feeling helpless as my physical and mental health fluctuate due to the unpredictable nature of IBD. Jim's book offers the heartfelt insights about coping with chronic disease that I have been either too tired or too afraid to admit to even my closest companions. While this book offers an honest voice I can commiserate with, it is a much needed resource for anyone who wants to understand what it means to be sick with IBD. I cannot recommend this book highly enough for both the sufferer and those who want to learn more.



4. As a person who has struggled with Crohn's disease for years- I had hoped this book would offer some useful information. Instead, after buying it out of my now very meager income- I got to read some guy's diary about how he felt. It was not useful to me at all- except that it will hold the front door open to let the fresh air in. If you have Crohn's disease or suspect it- I beg you to read Jill Sklar's book or 'Straight from the gut'- both are available on Amazon and both are very, very helpful.



5. I purchased this book after reading a blurb in the local paper about the author speaking at Barnes & Noble. I was unable to attend but ordered it through Amazon. The book sounded like a helpful way to share what a Crohn's patient feels with my spouse/family. As it turns out, the author suffers from Crohn's of the colon only and does not experience the daily pain that 80% of patients do. The major issue for me wasn't even covered! The second problem I had with it was, no offence, it was written from a very male point of view. As a woman, ego & ability to deal with emotional issues are not experienced in the same way as an alpha male type. I think he just needed a Xanax! He does offer an entire chapter about the importance of being your own patient advocate & I think that's definitely an important point to cover when dealing with any chronic medical condition.

3 comments about Manhattan Medics: The Gripping Story of the Men and Women of Emergency Medical Services Who Make the Streets of the City Their Career.

1. I'm not sure how everyone else felt after 9/11. I was not yet a resident of Manhattan, but like the rest of the country was deeply affected by what I was seeing on TV and around me as my friends and I cried, prayed, phoned, gave blood, and wondered what else could we do. Francis Rella describes his own helpless feelings through a protagonist who brings a smile to your face and tears to your eyes all at the same time. After all the hype and media over 9/11, it's nice to read a real story written by a real guy. With a real heart. With vivid imagery and thoughtful characterization, Rella recreates the paramedics' fall of 2001 for those of us in civilian clothes. I couldn't put it down.



2. Who knew that among the dust of the collapsing towers, in the unifom of a paramedic, worked the observant mind of a gifted writer.
   From the first moments of the tragedy through the aftermath. See 9/11 as it was lived by those who were there and get the point of view of theose who lost their lives as heroes.



3. Frankie Rella is a hero for his actions on 9/11. His TV interview with Dan Rather gave millions of Americans an idea of what our police, firemen and medics were going through on that tragic morning in 2001. Those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, should be remembered for their bravery.
   
   This book pays homage to those who served "in the trenches" on that morning. It is well-written and puts you right in the middle of the action in lower Manhattan, New York.
   
   This is one of my favorite books on my book shelf. Partly because all of the proceeds from the book's sales go to the widows of 9/11. Rella is a Saint.
   
   ~=Gregory M. Kuzma=~
   Author, On the field from Denver, Colorado...The Blue Knights!: One member's experience of the 1994 summer national tour (N)

No comments about A Race for Life: A Diet and Exercise Program for Superfitness and Reversing the Aging Process.

No comments about Nothing Short of a Miracle: One Woman's Journey Through Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Fibromyalgia Chiari Malformation.

5 comments about Eye of the Storm: A Civil War Odyssey.

1. Eye of the Storm is a rare opportunity to see a new yet original view of camp and prison life. You will find yourself drawn to Sneden's original illustrations time and time again. The more you study them the more you see. It makes you want to see more and larger versions of his drawings. Brayn and Lankford have done a good job in not tainting Sneden's work while at the same time pointing out some important historical questions. I marked over twenty parts to use in reference and speeches.



2. I always look for first hand information in journals. These are the journals by Priv. Sneden. The pictures that he drew are wonderful and his first person accounts of his journey throughout the Civil War are sad & touching. It is worth it all to read a first person account of his stay at Andersonville Prison in Georgia. Both his books, "Eye of the Storm" (his journal) and "Images of the Storm" (drawings of his journey) are prized books to treasure and will be passed on through generations. What a wonderful gift Priv. Sneden left behind.
   My heart aches for this wonderful young man who realized nothing
   from his legacy.



3. Do you ever read book and have trouble putting it down? For Civil War buffs this is it. While RK Snedon rambles on a bit at times, there can be no better insight into the maelstrom that was the Civil War. The drawings are fascinating as is the courage and positive attitude of an individual faced with obscene circumstances.



4. The finding of primary source material is of great value in the field of history as it can give us a glimpse into the past through actual eyewitnesses. This book gives us a chance to see the American Civil War through the eyes of Robert Sneden of the 40th New York Regiment. His skills as a cartographer produced some remarkable depictions of some of the battlefields, land features and prison scenes that alone are worth studying. As the compilers of this book stated, his memoirs and drawings were quite substantial.
   
   Sneden's observations offer us a glimpse into camp life (though he was spared most of the front line activity), some of the personalities of the war, the unfolding events of battle and perhaps most descriptive of all, life in the numerous prisons he stayed in, including those in Richmond, Salisbury (though briefly), and Andersonville. Once again it is his remarkable sketches and drawings of these places that capture our attention, though of course his written descriptions can be quite vivid and detailed, especially concerning some of the gruesome features of battle and prison life.
   
   Sneden wasn't so much writing a history as he was detailing his day to day activities and observations during his time of service and captivity during the war. But it is these types of accounts that can offer new insights into historic events that we otherwise may never have known about and in Sneden's case especially his drawings. Of course even these types of sources need to be carefully scrutinized for factual errors as well.



5. I hesitate to rate any book five stars, but will do so when it satisfied all my expectations and gives me far more. Pvt. Sneden's journal does exactly that.
   
   In the context of civil war journals, in my humble opinion, it rises above many others for three reasons. First, Pvt. Sneden is simply an excellant writer. Not surprisingly, the journal is no example of modern grammatical rules, but of course, that would not be expected in this context. Still, I found Pvt. Sneden to be one of those writers with a gift for painting a picture in words. It is one of those books, unlike many historical primary sources, that you do not find yourself rereading parts to try to figure out what the writer is trying to say. Secondly, Pvt. Sneden had an extremely unusual perspective for a private soldier. He acted as a map maker and had been attached to headquarters units for most of the period covered in the book. This allowed him to comment based on many perspectives as he traveled through multiple commands in each campaign. Likewise, he gave some insight to the conduct of the general officers he worked for mapping. Thirdly, Pvt. Sneden Had a hobby of drawing pictures of almost anything he tripped over on the battlefield. The analogy I would draw would are to people these days who always have a camera and will take a picture of anything that strikes them as an interesting shot.
   
   Besides those positive aspects of this book specific to Pvt. Sneden, there are two other aspects of this book that makes it exceptional in my opinion. First, as to primary sources, I would submit that most readers would agree that the most important factor in evaluating them is veracity. In other words, the memoirs of a politician I would guess would never be taken on face value due to the bias of the author. In this book, even describing his time as prisoner, Pvt. Sneden in a very large seemingy presents a vey balenced picture of his experiences. There might be some comments put in after the war for dramatic effect, but the editors flag them. Even flagged as possible exagerations, Pvt. Sneden established his credibility to a sufficient degree with me that I would not so easily disregard such comments.
   
   Secondly, the editors do an excellant job providing the backdrop to Pvt. Sneden's journey through the war.
   
   In my humble opinion, this book should recognized as excellant primary source material writing about the period. Likewise, I believe it well worth the cost of anyone with an interest in the period.