2 comments about Memoirs Of A Medicine Man: What Medical School Forgot To Mention.

1. This book is the story of what we all wish our own doctors were. His pure love of humanity and devotion to his craft jumps off the pages and is truly inspiring. The book takes you from the trials of school and residency to the ultimate goal of saving lives. As a military hero (MASH Doctor in Santa Domingo and Vietnam with a Bronze Star for his service) as well as the kindly, loving doctor who cared more about his patients than his wealth, he was the FIRST doctor in the Atlanta area to open his waiting room to all patients equally. He literally risked his life to do what was right for all both in the Army as well as in private practice. We can all wish that our own doctors were Dr. Abernathy. This book is truly inspiring. This is my choice for Christmas gifts this year.



2. This Book I Read recently is a true Muse For My Health Care ideals It's Inspiring And a good read.

5 comments about Clear Springs: A Memoir.

1. I'm an appreciative fan of Bobbie Ann Mason's short stories, about rural people raised with traditional values now somewhat at sea in a world of consumerism, pop culture, and a new morality. Young adults, whose parents would have stuck with a marriage come hell or high water, now divorce and drift through relationships. Their parents tied to the land and other life-long occupations, Mason's post-war generation is less rooted, freed of conventional beliefs, but often at a loss about what to believe in. Most striking as America grows increasingly urban, Mason's people continue to inhabit a rural landscape -- more worldly than their forebears, but not more sophisticated.

   While some readers of Mason's stories and novels may have been puzzled by the point of view in them (ironic? matter of fact? sentimental?), this wonderful memoir should do much to clear up that ambiguity. Here a reader is introduced to the world of day-to-day experience that these narratives have emerged from. And you can begin to see how the matter of fact, ironic, and sentimental blend into a perspective that is distinctly rural American. The strongest individual (who is surely the source of many of Mason's fictional characters) is without doubt her mother, a remarkable woman with a quizzical sense of humor, a colorful manner of speaking, and a long view that comes of witnessing much of the 20th century at first hand.

   A list of highlights in this book would go on for pages; there's just so much to savor and enjoy. There's Mason's own unsophisticated childhood (barefoot summers, crushes on pop stars, rock and roll fandom), the making of the film "In Country," and the continuing transformation of the rural Kentucky environment from horse-and-buggy days to the invasion of agribusiness -- a huge processing plant has sprung up across the road from the family farm.
   
   I recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed Mason's fiction. It is rich with thoughtful and well-observed detail reaching back across three generations of family history.




2. Indispensible to serious readers of Mason's fiction, this memoir is true to family and community life in Western Kentucky (despite what other reviewers might say).



3. When writing a memoir, authors are advised to write the first draft as if everyone is dead - and then to prune the damaging parts in subsequent rewrites. Perhaps Mason pruned a bit too much. This otherwise lovely and affectionate memoir of how it was to grow up in a small, working-class town in Kentucky in the 40s and 50s is a bit long on respect and caution - and a bit short on grit.
   Otherwise, I loved it. I grew up in Kansas in the 50s and can relate to the pace, small-town values, and lack of danger (except from the "evil Communists" and "the bomb") that Mason portrays as such inherent parts of her roots. Her language, esp in the first part of the book focusing on her own childhood memories, is rich and multi-layered and pulls readers into every scene right along with her. In the rest of the book, she uses the techniques of creative nonfiction to weave a background narrative that spans the lives of three generations of women within the community.
   A worthwhile read; it won't change your life, but it might make you think, and it's certainly a pleasant trip to take with this accomplished author.



4. Bobbie Ann Mason has done a wonderful job with "Clear Springs". I did not grow up in Kentucky in the baby boom generation, but I did grow up in rural southern Missouri just after it, and this story is so very like what I was familiar with. Ms. Mason is of my mother's generation and except for the disfunction there are many similarities between this story and stories my mother has told. My family reminded me of the older Masons and not the disfunctional Lees. The isolation of rural life, but the joy in many ways that come from it. The curiosity of the outside world, but the fear of it. She relates that Clear Springs hadn't changed much since the Civil War and she was correct in that. The world that slowly evolved for most Americans changed before this rural generation's eyes. A Great book!



5. I'd never read any of Bobbie Ann Mason's work before reading Clear Springs for a book club. I believe I may be missing out if her other books are like this one. There is a warmth to her story that makes it a real pleasure to read. Mason's language, too, is comfortable and highly readable. Her rhythms, especially, give a real richness to her prose. I highly recommend this.

1 comments about Help for the Caring: a Bibliography and Filmography for Family Caregivers of Alzheimer's Patients.

1. Expertly compiled by Brenda Parris Sibley, Help For The Caring is an impressively organized bibliography and filmography gathering and presenting information about literary biographies, poetry, fiction, and instructional and dramatic movies focused on the subject of Alzheimer's disease and taking care of those stricken with it. An exemplary resource, packed with descriptions, web sites, and more, and with its bibliographic entries sorted into several main categories according to subject matter, Help For The Caring is a very highly recommended resource for anyone charged with the personal or professional responsibility of caring for Alzheimer's family members or patients.

5 comments about EMT: Beyond the Lights and Sirens.

1. Pat Ivey takes you far and beyond the title of EMT or cardaic technician. She takes you "beyond the lights and sirens." She lets you experience not only the adernaline rush of working in EMS but also the emotional stand point of the system Working in the system myself I have found the book to be a great inspirational guide. To know that everybody looses patients and people just die sometimes. She also gives you the motivation to do as much as you can in EMS. Excellent author and an excellent plot. GREAT BOOK PAT.



2. This book was given to me by a friend of mine when I passed the Virginia EMT test. I was 17 and a litte unsure of myself, and the reason I became involved in EMS. 7 years later I still answer the call that Pat so eloquently describes in this book and her other book EMT: Rescue. Having met Pat last year at the annual Virginia EMS Symposium, I was even more impressed with the way that she handled and presented herself to the many people that came to listen. Her book is one of the best that I've read concering EMS and life in general. Thank you.



3. Another bomb. I'm an EMT in one of the top rated systems in the world. This book, is not the best I've read. Although Pat and Ed are outstanding EMT's, they make the job sound like you just drive there, get on-scene and be a cowboy. I disagree with the reputation they give all public safety personnel.



4. I'm an EMT with a rual volunteer squad in the same county as Pat Ivey is. I've worked with her numerous times and the same compassion she shares in the book she shows on scene. "EMT: Beyond the Lights and Sirens" shares the heart that Pat has for her community. It's true, it's not just the lights and sirens that make up a rescue squad, it the heart of compassion of the heroes that volunteer their time to serve their community.



5. Pat Ivey is a fantastic author; her style of writing keeps the reader involved-almost attached to the story. You feel like you are standing right there with her in the memories and scenes. Beyond The Lights and Sirens was the first book that I had ever read from cover to cover and enjoyed every page. EMT: Rescue was just as great; in twenty-two years, I had never read a book thoroughly, as I did these. I've been an EMT for six years, and I didn't even read my EMS texts from cover to cover. I have never began a book that kept my mind involved as well as Ms. Ivey did. If she would happen to read this, I'd like to thank her. I recommend this book to anyone that has put their heart into EMS, and their community. Thanks Pat!

No comments about A Woman Doctor's Civil War: Esther Hill Hawks' Diary (Women's Diaries and Letters of the Nineteenth-Century South).

1 comments about Penicillin Man: Alexander Fleming and the Antibiotic Revolution.

1. This a brief, entertaining biography of a great man whose work has saved millions of lives, including, perhaps, my own. It's the type of book one would hope every high school student would be expected to read.

5 comments about Ebola.

1. I loved this book! It was a brilliant mix of emotion and a medical thriller-I really liked all of the characters, and it was very interesting. Definitley one of my favorites.



2. Ebola, by William T. Close, M.D., is a moderately dramatized account of the first outbreak of the Ebola virus in Zaire in 1976. The book's cover and introduction make it a point to inform you that Dr. Close was there to witness the outbreak firsthand and "worked desperately to contain the first outbreak of the virus", but the book is written in the third person and Dr. Close never makes an appearance. It's clear that he changed the names of the other people involved, but why change his own name in a book he's writing? Strange.
   
   Also somewhat strange is the fact that the word "Ebola" never appears in the main narrative. This is understandable given the book's focus on the characters rather than on the virus, but since the book's title is Ebola, I was expecting a little more information on the virus itself. Close's choice to focus on the characters rather than the virus is at times a good thing and at times perplexing.
   
   The story begins slowly, establishing the look and feel of the village of Yambuku, its people, and the Flemish nuns running the mission there. As the first victims of the virus begin to appear, the foreshadowing gets a little ham-fisted. It almost feels like Close is intentionally portraying the nuns as unconcerned and even careless merely for the sake of adding to the suspense.
   
   After the first hundred pages or so, things finally start to pick up and the really interesting stuff begins. The dedication of the nuns in caring for the victims under some of the harshest conditions imaginable, even as they themselves begin to contract the virus, is touching, and it's what makes the book worth reading.
   
   Unfortunately, while the middle of the book is gripping and generally well written, the last third goes completely off track. When two doctors from the WHO finally arrive at Yambuku, the virus has already killed hundreds of villagers and is beginning to burn itself out. Without the constant influx of Ebola victims, the author seems to lose his bearing, and the story inexplicably shifts its focus to a schoolboy crush one of the doctors (who is married) has developed on one of the nuns. It's so awkward it's almost creepy at parts. After this confusing twist is resolved, the book just keeps on going for no discernable reason, following the nun as she flees Yambuku when it seems like the virus might reappear. Nothing interesting happens to the nun, the virus doesn't return, and the book just ends, having strung you along for the last hundred pages or so for no real reason.
   
   There's another creepy thing about this book, and that's the author's apparent fascination with breasts. He describes them at every possible opportunity, often in unnecessary detail. The reader is kept constantly aware of the statuses of the breasts of nearly every female character, villagers and nuns alike. At one point we're even forced to read a description of the teats of one of the village's mangy dogs. I like breasts as much as the next man, but Close seems to think (and write) about them far more than is warranted, especially for a story primarily about Flemish nuns.
   
   On the whole, while I wasn't crazy about it, the book did tell a compelling story. I think a better author could have made it even more compelling, but since Dr. Close was apparently there, he'll have to do. However, if you're looking for technical descriptions of Ebola, its effects, and its treatment, look somewhere else. This is a book about villagers and nuns and how they dealt with an outbreak; it's not a book about Ebola.



3. Even Victor eats roaches yearly, so, I needed goats loving ewes doing almost yelling come here under caves kiting every lowly beast. Enough limits took all kin, even sewing artwork lesson almost reaching gave each boy limits. All candy kiting carries over coming knife in niches. Harold inside safe, almost stuck silly.



4. One of the most educational and eye opening books that I have ever read. I love this book and it is the reason i started buying other virus books. It really opened my eyes up to the terror that is truely out in the world that is put there by mother nature. Sometimes difficult to follow, but a facinating subject from a Dr. who was in the thick of the outbreak. Very good book with an objective for everyone to think about viruses like this.



5. Found this on the shelf of a second hand store for a very cheap price. I was expecting a lot more science in this book and it wasn't there. It's mostly written from the standpoint of the nuns of the Yambuku mission that witnessed this first outbreak. Although the characters claim to be terrified, that feeling never really came across to me- the reader. I also found some of the writing strange- the attraction to Veronica (a nun) by Dr. Aaron Hoffman was just weird. You knew nothing was going to happen because she was a nun and he was married. It came across as a lame attempt to make nonfiction spicy. Also, although he never says it directly, Dr. Close clearly does not like the French.
   Regardless, the book did give me interest in the subject and I just picked up "The Hot Zone." I also learned a lot about African culture from the book as well. Readers may be interested to head over to the CDC's public health image library (google it) and search for "Ebola." There are several interesting pictures related to the book there including pictures of the mission at the time and some of the subjects of the book.

1 comments about Dax's Case: Essays in Medical Ethics and Human Meaning.

1. This is, literally, a textbook case for medical ethics and the right-to-die -- to determine one's own destiny. In 1973 "Dax" was critically injured in a propane gas explosion that took his father's life and burned more than 65% of Dax's own body. For more than a year, Dax underwent painful treatment. In the end he was left totally blind, permanently disfigured, and severely maimed. Today, Dax lives productively and in reasonable comfort, practicing law in Henderson, Texas. His story would seem a tragedy with a happy ending. But it is far more complex than that interpretation would suggest, for Dax Cowart wanted to be allowed to die following his accident - and he believes even now that he should have been granted that escape from his suffering. His story embodies a range of medical, moral, and legal questions that challenge professionals in many fields and confront individuals in every walk of life. How do we define "life" and "death?" When do we withdraw life support. Who makes such decisions? A cautionary tale if ever there was one.

5 comments about A Kernel in the Pod: The Adventures of a Midlevel Clinician in a Top-Level World.

1. This book brought me to tears. Not because of anything related to being a P.A. Actually, about half of this book is about being part of a large, international mission. Having served with a large mission for 18 years (in some of the same locations Mike visited, actually) and gone through some of the same heartaches he and his family went through, I could really relate to the pain he experienced. It was wonderful to see that someone else had gone through it, too, and could do a good job describing what it was like. A good book for missions administrators.



2. I laughed myself silly and then cryed with the Jones family. I think that life is sometimes stranger than fiction. I found it spellbinding. I think that Mike's ability to land on his feet at times when it seemed impossible to do so was remarkable. I would recommend for anyone (not just those in the medical field) to read as a comment how one person can overcome discouraging circumstances.



3. I found this book to keep my interest and to be very enjoyable to read. As a future PA I found the book sort of upsetting and could possibly turn many people off to the PA career path. I also found many of the author's actions to be very odd and did not agree with most of his religous/family/career choices. Even so, I really liked the book and would highly recommend it.



4. After reading the review by the person who said there's only 30-50 pages about the PA profession in the first 260, I decided I would reluctantly purchase this book as those 50 pages were some of the few offered on Amazon about PA autobiography. In fact, that reviewer was wrong, and most of the book is about practicing as a PA. However, the author's choices about what to include seem odd. The book comes across as mostly venting about his mistreatment at the hands of various people, while he mentions only in passing attending conferences and his expertise in headache treatments. In the Acknowledgements, he mentions that he started publishing almost immediately out of PA school. Including more information about these aspects of his life would have made for a fuller picture of him as a person, a balanced view of the PA profession, and a more interesting story-line.
   
   That said, the venting seems totally justified. In fact, the book is out-right depressing. If this book were the only information I had about the PA profession, I would probably avoid being a PA like the plague.
   
   Also of note is the fact that the author seems to be a devout Christian, which may turn off some readers and attract others.
   
   The writing is casual and the book is a fast read. It is easy to skim large sections and then jump back in without too much loss.
   
   Overall, I would not recommend this book to those interested in becoming PAs. The professional experiences are a horror, and the section about the author's training is probably outdated as far as the application and decision-making process are concerned.



5. I've been a physician assistant for 13 years and was excited to read what turned out to be a well written, but very depressing account of my profession. I disagree with reviewers who think that the author's experiences are typical of physician assistants. If I would've had as many bad experiences in medicine as this guy did, I would've found another line of work.

1 comments about Voices of Scleroderma Volume 1.

1. This is Dr. Seibold's introduction in the ISN's Voices of Scleroderma Volume 2, the second book in this series. Dr. Seibold is Chair of the ISN Medical Advisory Board. He is Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the University of Michigan Scleroderma Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
   
   We welcome you to Voices of Scleroderma, a major contribution from the International Scleroderma Network (ISN). Scleroderma occurs in only around thirty people per million per year. Therefore, since it is so uncommon, patients have great difficulty finding access to expert care or even another similarly afflicted patient with whom they can share their experience.
   
   Access to high quality reliable modern information is crucial to patient well-being and outcomes. The realization that "you ARE NOT alone" has therapeutic value in its own right.
   
   I am Chair of the ISN Medical Advisory, a scleroderma researcher, and a member of the Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium. The SCTC is an international charitable organization of academic centers dedicated to elevating the pace and quality of scleroderma research. The SCTC works closely with the ISN in the education of both patients and caregivers.
   
   I have been interacting with the ISN on a variety of fronts, most notably in our shared goal of providing up to date and accurate information to the scleroderma community on a worldwide basis. Over the past six years, I have watched the amazing development of the site that Shelley Ensz created at www.sclero.org. I have seen it evolve from her personal site of one page to become the ISN site, now encompassing over one thousand pages in eighteen languages.
   
   The ISN site has brought together both the medical and patient communities from throughout the world. According to the recent TrustGauge Report of Internet traffic, it is in the top one hundred thousand of all Web sites, far ahead of all other scleroderma-related sites.
   
   In my view, the primary reason for this stellar success is the high quality of site content, as well as the multilingual, international reach, which is also an important driving force.
   
   Remarkably, the ISN has a small team of committed, dedicated volunteers who have seized the amazing capabilities of the Internet to provide exceptional, worldwide service and assistance to patients with scleroderma.
   
   More notably, from this enterprising site, the ISN has in turn developed into a thriving nonprofit organization. It is really a classic example of reversing the order of development. Rather than an established organization simply developing a Web site, a remarkably effective Web site developed into a full-service charitable organization.
   
   The ISN expands upon its cyberspace outreach by publishing Voices of Scleroderma. Every volume in this book series features articles from esteemed scleroderma researchers as well as over one hundred patient and caregiver stories, from sixteen countries, and in five languages.
   
   The ISN enjoys a well-deserved reputation for top-notch medical and support information and services from both the patient and medical organizations throughout the world. Today, over five dozen dedicated volunteers, including many doctors and translators, operate the ISN.
   
   Our ISN Medical Advisory Board includes illustrious experts in this field, such as Dr. Luis Catoggio of Buenos Aires, Argentina; Dr. Marco Mattucci-Cerinic of Florence, Italy; Dr. C. Stephen Foster of Boston, Massachusetts; Dr. Janet Pope of London, Ontario; Dr. Frank van den Hoogen of The Netherlands; and Dr. Shinichi Sato of Kanazawa, Japan.
   
   Dozens of other renowned leaders in their field also generously lend their expertise to the ISN, primarily as contributing authors, medical editors, scientific advisors, and translators. All of our ISN volunteers met and work only through the Internet. Their efforts have made quality medical and support information on this rare disease available worldwide.
   
   I hope you find this book of value, and that you also consider offering support to the ISN. It is only with a partnership of patients and scientists in a concerted worldwide effort that we will solve the riddle of scleroderma.