5 comments about Only When I Sleep: My Family's Journey Through Cancer.

1. Only When I Sleep: My Family's Journey Through Cancer is an intensely personal, candid, and compelling account of then 24-year-old Lisa Shaw-Brawley's battle to overcome Hodgkin's disease and give birth to a child. This superbly written and presented biographical account is an inspiring testament to the human spirit in overcoming adversity and striving for a dream against all the odds. Highly recommended reading.



2. This is a wonderful book. It will make you cry, but will also bring joy to your heart and a smile to your face. It makes you realize the "choices" Lisa and her family had to make to survive where very hard for her and her family. You will admire her strength, courage, and her determination to beat this. You see first hand how it effects everyone in her family. How the love of her husband, parents, family members and friends are unconditional. It shows us how the small things we all take for granted can be taken away from us in seconds and our world can be turned upside down. How Lisa never gave up and if you "believe" anything is possible.

   I highly recommend this book to everyone, not just those dealing with cancer. There is a "lesson" for everyone to learn from Lisa's experience. It's a WONDERFUL story of love, courage, faith and determination of a young woman who is fighting to survive cancer.




3. This is a wonderful book. It will make you cry, but will also bring joy to your heart and a smile to your face. It makes you realize the "choices" Lisa and her family had to make to survive where very hard for her and her family. You will admire her strength, courage, and her determination to beat this. You see first hand how it effects everyone in her family. How the love of her husband, parents, family members and friends are unconditional. It shows us how the small things we all take for granted can be taken away from us in seconds and our world can be turned upside down. How Lisa never gave up and if you "believe" anything is possible.

   I highly recommend this book to everyone, not just those dealing with cancer. There is a "lesson" for everyone to learn from Lisa's experience. It's a WONDERFUL story of love, courage, faith and determination of a young woman who is fighting to survive cancer.




4. Lisa is a brave and intelligent person. The words she writes of her cancer experience are from inside her soul, they are real. She dares to speak of her fear. You can hear her fear and her courage to fight fear. She insists on explaining this life changing event. She describes cancer's potential and how paraylzing an experience can be. I myself am a (2) time Hodgkins Disease survivor. I can relate to Lisa in many, many ways. The title, "Only When I Sleep," says it all. I strongly encourage anyone to read this book to hear words of a cancer experience and the meaning of a cancer survivor. Those who have experienced cancer and read this book will applaud Lisa for her strength to overcome adversity and commend her for not letting her experience go unnoticed. That yes, Cancer is life changing, it will try to take you down, but for many not without a fight. With a loving support system, you can overcome.
   Thanks Lisa, and happy healthy - life to you and yours.
   Patti Nowak



5. The pouty look on the author's face on the cover of the book should be enough for anyone to know exactly how the book will read.
   As a current Hodgkin's patient, I was highly disappointed in Only When I Sleep. I kept reading it only because I wanted to be able to write a review here to counter those that convinced me I should buy the book. I am experiencing how personally devastating cancer can be, however, I am ashamed (and a little bit angry) that people might think that all cancer patients behave like spoiled children, moping around in search of pity and verbally abusing those who love them.
   There are certain emotions and ideas about cancer which the author writes about that I do agree with; however, it's mind-boggling why someone would want to actually put their selfish and immature behavior on display like this. Shaw-Brawley wasn't happy unless everyone was coddling her; she had to see everyone cry over her before she was happy. Her poor parents and husband deserve some kind of award for putting up with her--they were probably exhausted by the time her treatments were over. I agree that families experience cancer right along with the patient--there's no denying that--but none should have to suffer like Shaw-Brawley's.
   I don't doubt that keeping a journal throughout her ordeal was beneficial and cathartic to Shaw-Brawley, it was not something I feel she should share with the world. In no way am I saying that what she was feeling was wrong or that she should have kept it bottled up...it just wasn't worth publishing. Journals are meant for personal reflection and should be kept in a box in the back of the closet.
   I gave the book two stars only because it must have took some kind of gumption to show this side of herself in a book. Do yourself a favor and don't buy this book...neither the writing or the editing is that good anyway.

1 comments about Jewish Doctors Meet: The Great Physician.

1. The stories compiled here are authentic and sincere. These are doctors, generously sharing their very personal accounts of how they came to discover, albeit reluctantly, the absolute truth of the love and saving grace of a very Jewish Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.
   
   These stories are written by doctors, not writers. That element alone kept the reading pace clear, quick, and thoroughly interesting.
   
   I am gentile. I learned a great deal about my Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ. Especially the seemingly insurmountable obstacles placed before the Jewish seeker of Biblical Truth; family, tradition, religion, indifference, investment, etc..
   
   I found the input near the end of the book by Ruth Rosen to be fascinating. Her perspective on faith was truly insightful. Her words have helped me articulate what true faith is. Rosen's commentary on Hebrews 11:1 ( A New Testament letter) became revelation for me. I am grateful to her for giving Glory to God by bringing this book to light.
   
   Finally; David Brickner's thoughtful rendition, describing the meeting of a desperate but faithful woman and the Christ, made those scriptures in the Gospel of John so much more relevant and meaningful.
   
   If you are a believer in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit you will be encouraged to fight the good fight of faith. If you are gentile and a seeker of absolute truth, you will find insight into the level of courage and surrender you will face if you are sincere in your attempts to grasp it. If you are Jewish and are being called by the Spirit of God to search, reason, explore, and discover who Jesus is, do not harden your hearts, but seek His face while He can still be found. Read this book. May God bless you right now.

2 comments about Walking on a Rolling Deck: Life on the Ark.

1. Walking on a Rolling Deck: Life on the Ark is the true-life memoir of author Kathleen C. Berken, of her life-changing choice to work as a live-in assistant in a L'Arche community in Clinton, Iowa, aiding men with developmental disabilities. A deeply spiritual testimony, Walking on a Rolling Deck tells of the inevitable difficulties of adjusting to change, confronting the specter of breast cancer, but most of all, of the benevolent power of God's love - a power all too often ignored, neglected, or obscured in today's world. Ultimately a simple story of Christian life and the resonance of faith, illustrated with a handful of black-and-white photographs, Walking on a Rolling Deck is highly recommended for Christian readers and anyone seeking to quietly contemplate the mystery of God that permeates even the most mundane aspects of daily life.



2. Walking on a Rolling Deck: Life on the Ark
   
   Berken's first book is amazing! I didn't want to put it down! It hits on everything: spirituality, disability, family, community, cancer, humor and simply living life. Life on the Ark is very real and very down to earth.
   
   What makes this book so great is that anyone can read it, and find something to relate to. Anyone who knows someone who has dealt with cancer. Anyone who knows someone with a disability. Anyone who has dealt with divorce, and family, and starting over, and then incorporating the power of spirituality into all of those things.
   
   This book is amazing, and no matter who you are, or where you are on your journey, you will learn something from this book... and no doubt you will laugh and cry.

No comments about Nobel Lectures on Physiology or Medicine 2001-2005.

3 comments about Who Goes First?: The Story of Self-Experimentation in Medicine.

1. This is a wonderful book about a nearly wholly ignored aspect of medical research - - doctors who are the cutting edge of experimentation. Hopefully it will be in paperback soon



2. This book discusses a taboo in medical research--self-experimentation. The self-experimenters ranged from the oddball to the dedicated, experiments ranged from shots in the dark to well planed out Gives a glimpse into the courage of these men and women. I highly recommend this unusual and thrilling book.



3. This is one of the few nonfictional books that I have ever read that I have literally had a hard time putting it down. Dr. Altman not only wrote a book of significant importance about the need for self-experimentation, and the history of it...but he wrote it so well that I wanted to know what and who did the next group of experiments. It also explained a lot of procedures I learned about in medical school, but sometimes without the knowledge of the history behind it complete understanding is impossible. The author also explains quite clearly why we can't use just animals in experimentation, and gives numerous illustrations of physicians and scientists who...surprise!...actually think about others compassionately and are able to put themselves in the shoes of the patients. After undergoing an experimental cochlear implant which failed (in its early days), this book makes it a lot easier for me to explain to others why I undertook such a risk and didn't sue when it failed and made me ill. The book also makes clear the need for both patient and doctor awareness of informed consent...for all patients, including those who are disabled or those who lack a complete education. Dr. Altman wrote a book that should definitely be required reading by all medical personnel in ethics classes. Karen L. Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh, klsst23@pitt.edu

1 comments about Axel Munthe: The Road to San Michele.

1. Having read The Story of San Michele long ago, and visited Munthe's house on Capri, I was thrilled to find out more about him. What a complex man! The book is well written, and describes a fascinating life.

1 comments about No Boundaries: A Cancer Surgeon's Odyssey.

1. No Boundaries is the story of the author's rise from humble beginnings on the black side of a little town in the Florida Panhandle to the pinnacle of his profession as head of the American College of Surgeons, the American Cancer Society and the President's Cancer Panel. Dr. Leffall's story, honestly and often heart-wrenchingly told, recounts how he shattered racial barriers throughout his life simply by his determination to do every job well and learn from his own mistakes. It's a great read for anyone who wants to believe that hope and determination conquer narrow-mindedness and despair.

2 comments about REBOUNDING FROM DEATH'S DOOR.

1. Rebounding From Death's Door is an inspirational book that tugged at my heartstrings from every direction! From the moment I picked it up, I couldn't put it down.



2. Reading Rebounding From Death's Door I found myself crying, laughing & cheering. Most of all, I was left completely inspired. A must read for the entire family!!!

5 comments about Patient: The True Story of a Rare Illness.

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. I'd been a fan of EBTG for quite awhile before this book came out. Their soothing music has always been a favorite so I was really interested to see what this book was all about.
   
   It turned out to be a very disturbing account of Ben Watt's freak-show illness, blow by blow. His commentary is riveting and one gets the feeling that he does not feel sorry for himself in the least, but instead follows his own story as if he is an observer who also happens to be its main character.
   
   I was heartened to read toward the end of the book Watt's own musings on what may have brought all his health problems about. Though he left it vague, his illness seems to be among those new "diseases of civilization" caused by many factors in our surroundings that lead to hard-to-define ailments where environmental toxicity and the overuse of pharmaceutical medicines are certainly not to be discounted.
   
   In any case it seems that his passion for music transcended all, and was at least in part a contributor to his recovery. Most of all he deserves a thanks for telling his story, unadulterated. For sure it has made this reader not feel so isolated.



5. Sad, but not hopeless, biographical account of a young musician stricken with a horrifying illness. Heartfelt & honest without being overly sentimental. Written in a captivating & sometimes humorous tone, not witholding any details. I have been reading this as a physician, and will recommend the book to any young patients I have with grave illnesses.

5 comments about If Wishes Were Horses: The Education of a Veterinarian.

1. As a practicing veterinarian for over 20 years I view this book as the most honest and courageous to address this profession. It breaks the rules and debunks the simplistic mythology that pervades the profession. By shattering the illusions that many cling to in their unrealistic and romantic views of the complex relationships with our pets and the educational process, she understandably will offend some. That simplistic dream world needs breaking. This book was given to me by clients as a token of appreciation after a gruelling situation ultimately resulted in the euthanasia of their dog. This gift moved me greatly and reinforced my strength to face new challenges. Rather than finding the truth telling depressing it heartened me to find a veterinarian brave enough to reveal that we are as human as anyone, have lives with ambiguities, doubts, personal tragedies and diversions, like anyone else, and yet continue to face uncertain days regularly with committment, hope, dedication, and optimism.



2. as a 40-plus student hoping to gain entry into veterinary medicine, this book has provided great inspiration. I hope I won't encounter the same problems that the author did but if I do then I shall be better prepared after reading this book.



3. There is so much to this little book. I laughed, I cried, I squirmed, I was inspired. Loretta Gage tells the truth about what a student must go through in order to become a vet - especially what is involved in learning to work with living animals. These are things most of us don't think about when we consider our vets' educations. I have a new respect for both my large and small animal vets from having read this book, and I recommend it to friends who are considering this profession. This book also shows that the only real obstacles to changing course in midstream are the ones we put there ourselves.



4. I read this book before starting veterinary school and it terrified me with its accounts of sleepless nights, failed relationships, nonsensical classes and cruel professors. Now that I'm in vet school, I wish I'd never read this book before starting!

   This may have been an accurate portrayal of how vet school was for her, but I don't think it's an accurate portrayal of how it is for most people. She's right about financial stress, having huge amounts of info thrown at you, and having to study a whole lot and give up a lot of your social life. But my profs are by and large friendly, I don't study every free minute, and half my class is married, engaged, or partnered, including me! I still find time for the important people in my life and most of us generally get a reasonable amount of sleep!

   She emphasizes the negatives and leaves out the positives. I think vet school have changed since her day, at least the one I'm at. And the veterinary profession is changing too. So -- don't assume that your experience will be like hers.




5. I loved this book! It doesn't try to skim over the tough parts of vet school or the ethical, financial, and professional conflicts both in school and after one becomes a practicing vet. I believe in animal rights, and I find some of the things in this book horrific, but they do not detract from this story... they give it more of a ring of truth.
   If you are really sqeamish, I wouldn't recommend this book, but otherwise, especially if you are/will be/would like to be a veterinarian!