2 comments about Kevin and Me: Tourette Syndrome and the Magic Power of Music Therapy.

1. "Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast..." this oft-quoted line is startlingly a propos in Kevin Heenan's case.
   
   Kevin developed normally for the first nearly 3 years of his life. He suffered from earaches as a toddler and his language was severely delayed. His social difficulties were first noticed in his aggression with peers as a pre-schooler. His younger sister Megan was the only child with whom he had a mostly good relationship.
   
   Kevin was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome when he was six. Facial twitching; grimaces; involuntary swearing and bizarre comments and generally poor language skills were behaviors that were present. Kevin's parents divorced when he was a young child. He became more violent, erratic and out of control. At 10, he was hospitalized for three years. Still in need of a secure facility, Kevin spent several more years in state facilities. His father resumes custody of Kevin when the boy was 15.
   
   By that point, Kevin, medicated since the age of six to control violent behavior and Tourette-related outbursts had started running away. The boy's mother then resumed custody, but Kevin's problems continued. He was enrolled in special programs in high schools in his district; he rebelled as he chafed at the stigma of these educational placements. After years of fearing Kevin's violence and history of running away, the boy's mother has him placed in group homes.
   
   Once in the group homes, Kevin literally steps up his running away. An inveterate soda addict, he goes on soda binges, even taking soda from other residents. Since the sugar jolt has adverse effects on his behavior, he is gradually weaned off of soda. That was the first of many giant steps he takes.
   
   Luckily for Kevin, music therapy was included in the group home program. He responded immediately and everyone was soon singing the praises of the music therapists and music therapy in general. Kevin also became involved in his community, taking on several part-time jobs and even received an award for volunteering at an animal shelter.
   
   From the telling, Kevin will continue to need care and supervision. Hope abounds as he makes progress in socializing with the other residents and by making music his forte. This book makes me think of Stevie Wonder's words "...music is a language we all understand..."
   
   Kevin was in facilities that were part of MHMR (Mental Health, Mental Retardation) which is a Texas agency. Many readers will undoubtedly pick up on that.
   
   I noticed that the word "eradicate," which means "obliterate" was used instead of "erratic," in "Kevin's eradicate [sic] behavior." The word "perseverate" is a damning and extremely harmful word. It has hurt many and is best avoided. The heavy-handed usage of that word cost this book one star. The terms "special interests," (if interests apply), "repetitive verbalizations/behaviors," or just plain "repetition" are much more accurate and demonstrate tolerance whereas that other word does not.
   
   
   Still, this is a good book about life with a person who has an especially severe case of Tourette's in addition to other challenges.



2. The topic of Music Therapy is not new to me as I am a Registered Music Therapist myself. The book Kevin and ME is a very sensitive and compassionate story about how the natural gift of music can offer so much hope and relief, and change a young man afflicted with Tourette Syndrome and other horrific disorders, into a special, loving one, with a future to look forward too! I have Tourette Syndrome and know how the tics associated with this disorder can be so painful and completely devastate the lives of so many children and adults. Kevin and ME shows just how much Music Therapy can do for so many that are afflicted with various disorders.
   This book should become a part of the reading curriculum in the public school system! BRAVO! TO KEVIN!
   Thank you to Patricia Heenan for sharing this book with the world and for being "A VERY SPECIAL MOTHER!"
   
   Author: Raymond Vacchino M.Mus.(MT) A.Mus. L.R.S.M. Licentiate (hon.)

2 comments about RYAN A Mother's Story of her Hyperactive/Tourette Syndrome Child.

1. Susan Hughes generously allows us into her familys private struggle with TS and ADHD. She shows how life really is as a parent struggling to control this disorder. She offers us a look into what the future might hold for any parent that has a child with Tourettes. This book gives parents and educators a much better understanding of these disorders. If there is someone in your life dealing with Tourettes then you must get them this book



2. I would like a 3-4 page review of this book, please. It would mean so much to me.

   Thank you,

   Karie

5 comments about This Ain't E.R.: A Heart Surgeon's Struggle to Keep the Faith.

1. If this were to be a truly honest account - as it claims to be - then it should have commented on the atrociously poor reputation that "Bayview's" surgery residency has across the nation. As a former surgery resident, I can comment with confidence on this point. To say that "Bayview" has one of the best surgery programs in the country is absolute fantasy! Teaching is poor and resident morale is abysmal. Murrah's success is probably mostly due to his personal strengths in spite of "Bayview" rather than because of it. True, "Bayview" surgery has a rich heritage, but its luster has faded in recent years. Other than these falsehoods, I found the book largely enjoyable.



2. This book has multiple problems. First and foremost, the writing is poor. Second, Murrah beats the reader over the head with his premise that this story is more "true" and "real" than other books on the same topic, because he supposedly wrote it as he went along in training. Unfortunately, those episodes are presented in brief passages he drew from his notes. The majority of the book is retrospective commentary on what he was thinking at the time- something for which he criticizes other authors. Further, his arrogance grows tiresome early- just because you're a liberal doesn't make you better than everyone else, Murrah. Also, UAB is not a good surgery program, Emory is not the best CV program around, and your wife is not "hot" as you mention several times. I get the feeling throughout that Murrah has to keep telling himself these things to justify his choices in life. In the end, Murrah is just another one of the 140 + residents who complete cardiothoracic training in this country each year. There is nothing of value in the pages he has put forth here.



3. If you work went to school or work at Bayview General (as I do) then it is a definite buy and read. His description of the characters is amusing. After you read it you will certainly have a new perception of arrogance at its highest level. There are a lot of people in a lot of specialties who work hard and try to put the patient first. Tell us once and get on with the story. If you are not familiar with Bayview I don't think you would enjoy it nearly as much, and remember, this is one person's (very biased) view.



4. I thought the writting was accurate, but, could have used some better editing. As a close to finishing Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellow myself, I enjoyed the premise, theme, and characterizations. But, as others have stated, UAB is not among the best General Surgery Residencies, and Emory is not among the best or busiest Cardiothoracic Surgery Residencies. Perhaps each is among the most "malignant."
   This is not a good book for those considering a career in medicine...This IS a good book for those considering a career in surgery. CT surgeons are a very minute population, and it wouldn't be wise to take Murrah's experiences as generalities when a far greater majority of medical society has a different mindset, and different training philosophy.



5. I found myself laughing at what amounts to a surgical resident with a godzilla ego. I can't believe that someone who is entrusted with protecting and saving lives can make such fun of the very people he is charged with helping. If I were one of these patients and read this scrambled mess, I would hire an attorney for slander and malpractice. I only hope that he never passed his boards and if he did, practices in a state far from mine....you're the type of ass that gives doctors a bad name.

5 comments about Just Love Me: My Life Turned Upside-Down by Alzheimers (Purdue Series on Ageing & Care).

1. One could say that this book has a misleading subtitle: It would appear that Jeanne L. Lee's life has turned right side up because of her diagnosis of Alzheimer's.
   She says it like it is for her, and much of what she describes is true for this reader who has come to grips with his own diagnoses of Alzheimer's, unipolar depression, obesity, kidney failure, alcoholism, emphysema, and now diabetics, all within the last two years.
   Page after page she describes the various conditions of depression, alcoholism, dropping, forgetting, losing words, endless tests, denial by physicians, et al,, which plague all of us.
   But thanks to the diagnosis, she is able to confront the denial of early continued sexual abuse, her own and her father's alcoholism, and multiple relationships.
   The book is jumpy, and disjointed, but that is the nature of this species of dementia. Many of us demented ones have a huge sigh of relief, when all the eliminations are done, and the only culprit remaining is Alzheimer's,
   This is not a book for those professionals who are determined to establish that those of us with the disease have no valid information to share with them. This is not a book for those who are only interested in working with the caregivers. This is not a book for those who say why do anything meaningful, since we won't remember the patterns anyhow. This is not a book for those who flaunt memory improvement exercises which deny the loss of the ability to learn. This is not a book for those who talk, but do not listen. It is a book for the rest of us.
   Her main title says it all for this ALZer: "Just Love Me." But this love comes at a high price in the face of vincible ignorance.
   We will talk, even if the words are jumbled. We will read, even if the continuity disappears. We will listen, even if the sentences disappear into a black hole. But most of all, we will love, even when we are not loved by those around us.
   Lee has shown us the way out of our tunnels of loneliness and despair.
   Lee says: "I know there are many people out there who neeeed to hear from others, like themselves, that it's okay to goof up; it's okay to do stupid things; it's part of what's happening to this body and brain. But it doesn't have to be all bad. There is so much good, and so much you can still do. So what if you can't remember somebody's name. You can still say hello to a little old lady. You can still give flowers to soneone . You can still look at the ocean [like I did on a Senir Retreat last week] and say, 'Oh God, I'm so lucky.'" And thanks to this book, that is exactly how I will spend my time remaining. Thank you Jeanne.



2. ook Review

   Just Love Me, My Live Turned Upside-down by Alzheimer's
   by Jeanne L. Lee

   I think this book is a wake up to those of us who share in the care with someone with Alzheimer's. Jeanne tells it like it really is in words we can all understand. Jeanne has given me permission to use a few excerpts so that we can all begin to realize just what it feels like to those who have this horrible disease. Through reading this book, you will learn why you as a carepartner or caregiver need to have more patience and remember that it is the disease and not the person you love. Believe me, the person who has Alzheimer's or another dementia sure didn't ask for it. It is up to us, the TAB's (temporarily able brained) to learn to move into their world as best we can as they cannot, try as they may, always be able to cope in our world.

   I offer my sincere thanks to Jeanne for sharing her life with us in order to help all of us have more understanding.

   Page 26
   Did you ever take a full minute to decide which way a key goes in the hole? Maybe once, but five times a day? Or look in a phone book and not know which letter follows which letter? Try to add three numbers together and get five different answers? Walk into someone's house that you have been in many times and take ten minutes to get oriented as to whose house you are in, and what you are doing there? Watch a TV movie and forget what it's about in the middle? Read for hours and hours, having enjoyed it while you were reading it, but then it's all gone? Ride the bus and forget where you're going, and have to hunt through your weekly agenda to see where you're going and why? That is, if you remember you have somewhere to check. Lose or misplace something, not just occasionally, but four or five times in an hour? I can misplace my pen ten times in an hour. I can misplace my glasses, even though I have a pair in my purse, another pair in the bedroom and another "wandering" pair. All of a sudden they're all wandering, and then they're all in my purse. I clean up the same pile of stuff four or five times before it gets where it's going, and I used to be the best organizer in the world. Now it takes me two hours to prepare before I go anywhere.

   Page 32
   Something that I also find disturbing, especially with groups, is that I have to frequently interrupt, because, if I don't, by the time they're finished with their story I've forgotten what I wanted to add. I have to get people to understand that they can remember their story, and after I've said what I need to say, before I forget it, I'll shut up and let them finish. So, I either interrupt or lose what I was going to say, and what I have to say may be important to the conversation. This is hard for someone like me who was taught not to interrupt when someone else is talking, but it's the only way now. It's an awful feeling, but if people were more aware that this is the case for someone with Alzheimer's that would help. For those who want to say something and can't find the right words, it makes it seem like you have no intelligence. Combine that with feeling rude for having to interrupt, well, sometimes you just feel it's easier to let the thought go. That is why so many withdraw and don,t talk. But I do not think people should have to do that.

   A Note from Jeanne Lee
   Jamie My purpose in writing the book was to help people. You have my permission to use what you see fit. Anything short of cover to cover is open to you. I admire you for the ribbon and if I can help please let me do so. I am on a journey for earlystage awareness and moving right along. I hope to do a greyhound bus tour from LA to Portland stopping at towns to lecture and do book signings. If that turns out OK and the funds last I will do Portland to Vancouver BC. I do not have the support of oour archaic AD association so this is a one woman challenge to open the eyes of all the islands. I even borrowed $6000 from a friend to represent the United States as a person with dementia at the International Alzheimer's Convention in Barcelona. I do not want to toot my own horn but just to show you that I really am an advocate. Aloha Jeanne
   Thank you so much for The Ribbon.
   Jeanne L. Lee
   Author: "JUST LOVE ME"
   My Life Turned Upside-down by Alzheimer's




3. A riveting account of Jeanne Lee's personal journey into the misunderstood world of Alzheimer's. Her story is sad, but allows the reader to get inside the mind of someone whose fears, frustration and worries about this mind-tangling disease provides a road map for us to be forever living in the moment. - Larry James, CelebrateLove.com, Author, "How to Really Love the One You're With"



4. Expected so much more from this book..a complete waste of money. Kept hoping it would get better but it never did! Read anything but this...you'll be glad you did.



5. This book has been such an eye-opener that I gave it to friends. As a caregiver to my mother with late stage Alzheimer, it was such a revelation for me to understand what she was going through. When see the fear and frustration on my mother's face when she knows she should remember something or when she is pretty sure that what she just said doesn't make sense,I remember the title of Jeanne's to "just love" her. All the stories that the author tells of forgetting what she meant to add to the conversation or blanking on the alphabetical order are all things that I watched my mother go through. I would get so frustrated with my mother when she erratically think we were going some place else or ask about someone who is dead. Now thanks to "Just Love Me" My Life Turned Upside-down By Alzheimer's, I know to just give my mother a smile or a hug. I know she can still appreciate the beauty of a sunset even though she sometimes forgets my name. And I know that she never asked to have Alzheimer's and that it is much more painful for her than it is for me.

5 comments about The Least of These My Brethren: A Doctor's Story of Hope and Miracles in an Inner-City AIDS Ward.

1. For anyone who has struggled to understand the Beatitudes, this books provides a wonderful incarnation. The pages are filled with real people: smelly, surly, struggling and sensational. Don't miss the chance to live this experience as you turn each page. It's life-changing!



2. Dr. Daniel Baxter's chronicle of his daily routine as a physician in an AIDS ward at Saint Clare's Hospital in New York City, one of the poorest broken down and inadequate facilities truly serving the "dregs of humanity" is one of the richest, most spiritual and compelling books I have read in recent years. I finished this book and have kept it in my mind in many weeks going over the truly profound truths and challenges Baxter presents in his own story. The Least of My Brethren is a multifaceted, complex chronicle that teaches far more than the most readers expect as they begin any new non-fiction book. I was captivated by The Least of My Brethren from the very start; awed by Baxter's ability to present an entire range of issues, at times separately and yet, all at once in other instances -- from the seemingly simple and unimportant issue of how to get a room cleaned up or a light bulb changed in a hospital with only the leanest of support services, and in the next breath, to be speaking quite articulately on issues such as AIDS, poverty, the tragedy and loneliness of human beings who have no one left in life who have not abandoned them, to the entire spectrum of human sexuality, to questions of philosophy of life and the meaning of death and back again to the more mundane insignificance of individuals, almost all terminally ill, breaking rules on smoking in hospitals and in public places. Baxter presents a story that is as much philosophy as it is medical science; as much sociology as it is gender studies, as much psychology as it is political science. As one individual reader, above everything else, Daniel Baxter's story was a moving, yet at times, an inadvertently hysterically funny portrait of how little the latest buildings and equipment really mean to medicine in comparison to the need for a much rarer and seemingly more easily attainable achievement, the enlistment of truly caring human beings. When Baxter speaks of caring people, he is not referring to those who show their care by donations to charity or participation in clothing drives for the poor -- but "down and dirty" caring in the midst of stink, the odor of death and the scarcity of hope! This, one can conclude in reading Baxter's chronicle, is a truly rare and precious giver of life -- not easily found. In some ways I was shocked that truly caring human beings are a preciously rare commodity, yet the more I thought about the issue, I was able to acknowledge how few people there are who are willing to transcend themselves and give to others unconditionally -- while at the same time having the courage to face the demon of hopeless straight in the eye and prevail with hope. What Baxter brought squarely home to me were many personal questions and issues I have need to address in my own life. Whether it was Baxter indirectly asking me how much I appreciate the life I have, for whatever time it is given to me, to his ability to bring me to the realization that I have only marginally and clinically considered my own mortality. Baxter keeps going with questions and challenges on the importance of doing meaningful work in our lives to challenging me to examine my own willingness to place myself in the midst of dirt and filth and to be unaffected by it because the other person, far more needy than I, needs my help in the midst of that personally discomforting squalor. Finally, Daniel Baxter offers -- not by preaching -- but by his own personal example, the very real and comprehensible answer as to why our human behavior is so often paradoxical: that in order to conquer our fear, in order to gain anything worthwhile, in order to truly transcend ourselves for the good of others, we must become fearless, courageous, spirit-filled and hopeful persons ourselves. And, how do we get to such a place? The answer so obvious that we all actually know it, kept very close to our human consciousness, but often within far enough a safety zone that we do not have to necessarily respond: that is, in order to become stronger and better persons, we must face down, touch and truly look, often for the very first time, at what we find ourselves most afraid. In so doing, we become stronger, more courageous and grace-filled persons. Indeed there seems to be truth to the adage that ³what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger;² for it is proven out in the daily lives of many committed persons like Daniel Baxter, Sister Pascal or the drag queens in ...Brethren, who come to minister their sick friend up by decorating his room and applying his make-up and dressing him in all his finery, in order to help him feel more hopeful and comfortable. I finished Baxter¹s book more fully understanding myself, my own strengths, fears and weaknesses and biases. In addition, I came away with new role models to help me to at least try to make some changes for myself and to better understand the meaning of truly caring for all with whom my path crosses in the course of this mysterious journey we call life.A singular and outstanding read which should deserves much attention!



3. This book touched me deeper than anything else I've read in a very long time. It was a privilege to have a glimpse into the lives of Dr. Baxter's AIDS patients, to both laugh and cry, to both shake your head and marvel at humanity. I honestly felt for these characters and the author presents them with a grim reality that spares no detail. From this novel I have a much better understanding of what an AIDS patient must face on emotional, spiritual and physical levels.

   The only drawback is the doc's narration style. His personality is strong and the doctor's point of view makes it that more interesting. But his writing style is painful to read at times. His writing is extremely superflous, with a lot of 50 cent words. Many times he reminded me of TV psych, Frazier Crane, his vocabulary is that pretentious.

   If you look past the author's agonizing writing style - there is no limit to the feelings this book can evoke on human suffering, the human will and spirit and fears of our own mortality.




4. Yes, the doctor does write rather 'high-falutin'. I haven't met the guy, but if he is like many other of the doctors I met in med school...some of them come by their language honestly. Maybe he was raised in a home where language was spoken that pretentiously. If so, then there is more to admire about him. Doctors do not have to choose to work with members of society who are less fortunate. Especially one of Baxter's caliber. That he did raises him in my esteem, and impresses me all the more. He writes with compassion and with a sense of humor, which is necessary to deal with such a hard field. AIDS does not suffer fools lightly, and Baxter is no fool in spite of his language. He does an excellent job of making others aware of the real life of most with HIV. Very few are actually lucky enough to have insurance which will pay for the pharmaceutical "cocktail" which is necessary to maintain life, and even some who do have access...their bodies reject the drugs and they become worse. The AIDS crisis is far from over. We Americans have merely closed our eyes to that fact. Baxter tries to alert us to the needs of those who are dealing with day-to-day tragedies. This is a wonderful book, and a great addition to my shelves. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh



5. I had the wonderful pleasure to meet Dr. Baxter at a book party thrown by a mutual friend in New York. I had already read his fascinating book (through the recommendation of our shared friend) and was delighted to have the chance to meet such a selfless, caring man!
   
   I learned that Dr. Baxter is currently living in Botswana, Africa teaching healthcare workers there how to treat HIV and AIDS patients (Botswana has the second highest rate of HIV infection in the world). The fact that he completely uprooted his life in the States to help others thousands of miles away is further testament to his compassionate spirit and good heart. I can only hope he writes another book detailing his experiences across the Atlantic. If it's anything like "The Least of These My Brethren," it should be a great, great read!
   
   
   
   **As a side note, Dr. Baxter is indeed as verbose in person as his writing suggests, though his extensive vocabulary is anything but pretentious! His vast intellect and humble character were a delightful paradox!

5 comments about A Life Shaken: My Encounter with Parkinson's Disease.

1. Mr. Havemann provides us with an incredibly personal view into Parkinson's disease. His wit, candor, and superb writing style draws the reader into his story to such a degree that it is difficult to disengage. While telling his story he concurrently entertains and educates the reader as to where medicine stands with regard to research and current treatment, and how individuals cope. I'm looking forward to his next work.



2. Author Joel Havemann weaves his own story of living with this progressive neurological disease with a clear and carefully researched explanation that ranges from symptoms and drugs to challenges and the outlook for a cure. "For an adventure it is - not one that I would have chosen, but an adventure all the same." Mr. Havemann, an editor with the Washington bureau of the Los Angeles Times, helps us look at the human brain and its intricate yet magnificent operation, and the disastrous consequences of even the simplest misfire. He has created an excellent reference guide for caregiver, family member and patient alike that affirms the paradox of our own frustrations and hopes for the future. We feel Mr. Havemann's determination to keep going for his family, anger at the debilitating symptoms, and belief that the scientific and medical communities will deliver an answer.



3. Other books about PD scared the heck out of me, but Havemann's sense of humor and indomitable spirit have changed my perspective. I'm not afraid anymore. Thank you Joel. The book is honest and straightforward. He describes what happens to a brain with PD so clearly that I finally understand it!



4. Joel Havemann brings the journalist's practiced eye for detail, detachment and clarity of expression to the task of understanding, describing and coping with Parkinson's. He also allows his heart to speak and the result is a work that should be especially valuable to those who have themselves have recently received a Parkinson's diagnosis or who have a close relative or friend thus stationed.
   The book offers clear and interestingly presented facts about the various drugs, treatments and hopeful research that become an integral part of having Parkinson's, as well as the historical and public policy context in which those elements have evolved in the centuries since the disease was first identified. There is just the right mix of facts, opinion and sometimes barely concealed disgust in Havemann's treatment of these matters.
   As valuable as those chapters are, I think many will find Havemann's account of his personal odyssey and that of his family to be the more valuable aspect of his book. He is unstinting in his descriptions of the physical and mental effects of the disease and frank about his occasional failures to deal with those effects as effectively as he would like. He also spares little in telling of his fears about the disease's potential progress and what it could mean for him and his family.
   I can't think of a better preparation for confronting the many challenges and crises that accompany the arrival of Parkinson's in the life of an individual and family. A Life Shaken is strongly recommended.



5. This was by far the most comprehensive, detailed and informative book on Parkinson's disease I have read.
   The author is an Early On Set Parkinson's patient and yet, with support, has been able to continue to raise his family and work full-time at his job as Editor of the Los Angeles Times.
   
   He thoroughly investigates medications and other medical proceedures available and their benefits and disadvantages, which I found extremely helpful- certainly more information than I received from any physician.
   
   Further, the author discusses, with amazing frankness, his own physical and mental challenges, which takes it beyond pure information to a story of courage and personal growth.

4 comments about The Music of Madness.

1. Robert H. Gerner, M.D, Assoc. Research Psychiatrist- UCLA:

   This is a candid struggle of one woman's anguished mental affliction and resolution experienced through the lens of her earlier gift of music. Patients, families and professional alike can readily feel her inner struggle with distorted perceptions of the world around her, and share in the reconstruction of her identity as an individual.




2. The Music of Madness is a book about a talented concert flutist and her harrowing journey from sanity into madness and back again. This true story is an odyssey that takes you through the dark cells of mental institutions to the lighted stages of concert halls. One is able to travel with the author as she journeys from her innocent childhood to the dark world of hallucinations, her face-off with death and her emergence into the light of hope and final triumph as she reclaims her career and more importantly her sanity and her right to live life as it was meant to be. The Music of Madness is an inspirational book for all those who have felt the anguish and hopelessness of mental illness either for themselves or for a loved one. This painfully honest story is a source of renewed faith in life and provides everyone who reads it with a stronger belief in the strength of the human spirit. This book brings to everyone's library an exciting adventure full of truth, and the qualities that all of us share in surviving this chancy yet exciting existence we call life.

   Also recommended: A Beautiful Mind




3. I just finished reading The Music of Madness and I was amazed at Tracy Harris' ability to draw the reader into her descent into madness. Her descriptions of her hallucinations, hospitalizations and depression are incredibly vivid and they reminded me of my brother, who also suffers from a severe mental illness. Her writing is beautiful and I couldn't put it down once I started. I think anyone who has suffered from mental illness could benefit from reading this book. The author's message is one of incredible hope. I have given this book to my brother to read so that he too can see that it truly is possible to lead a rewarding life, even with a severe mental illness. It was fascinating to witness the author's great talent for music and her mind's terrible madness merge into one incredible and unique experience. Bravo to the author for having the courage to share her painful mental illness with the world. Through sharing her story the author affords us all a better understanding of those that are suffering everyday with mental illness!



4. As someone who also has a severe mental illness, I find this book to be excellent and inspirational. This book should be read by all whose lives are affected by mental illness in some ways.

1 comments about Mi Mamacita Tiene Alzheimer's: My Beloved Mother Has Alzheimer's.

1. This book is a helpful resource for family members who are caring for, or who have, a family member suffering from Alzheimer's disease or another chronic illness. By sharing her story, the author lets you know that you are not alone--that others like you are experiencing similar ups and downs caring for a loved one.

4 comments about Margaret Sanger: An Autobiography.

1. Margaret Sanger is not only one of the most influential women in 20th century America, she's the rare sort of individual whose autobiographies are better than the biographies that others have written about her. The Sanger described by others is typically little more than an icon, a stilted "Woman of Valor." The real Sanger you'll discover here is far more interesting and in many ways far more apt to reveal flaws and shortcomings.

   This is a reprint of her 1938 autobiography, written by a mature Sanger as she was retiring from public life to become the birth control movement's senior representative. Her 1931 My Fight for Birth Control has more fire to it, but at that time she was much more ill-tempered. She'd been pushed out of the American Birth Control League that she had founded and was having little success in her attempts to get federal birth control legislation passed. If you read one of her autobiographies, this should be the one.

   Just remember that you will not get a full picture of Sanger from this book. Here you get the events of her life told from the inside. To understand what motivated her you need to read the book she termed her 'head' book, her 1922 The Pivot of Civilization (recently republished with additional material). It's her most intellectual book and contains an introduction by her friend H. G. Wells.

   It is demeaning of Sanger's legacy that so few of those who claim to take her seriously as an activist take the time to examine her ideas. It was Sanger the thinker who inspired Sanger the activist. We must understand both to understand the movement she founded.




2. In reviewing Sanger's autobiography, there is a difficult balance to manage.

   On one hand, Sanger had a genuine desire to reduce unwanted births and, indirectly, reduce the population of the poor and mistreated.

   On the other hand is the ungirdings of her beliefs: that African-Americans were second-class citizens. Backing what she believed was a growing acceptance of eugenics, that to have a better world, the population needed to be genetically purer. For Sanger, not too different that Hitler, this meant encouraging abortions among African-Americans.

   To read Sanger's auto-biography alone might mislead the reader into believing her views were founded in cleanly laid-out welfare theories and of women's rights. That was part of it... but deeper still... and the reason I'm not comfortable fully recommending this book... is her core racial prejudice under the guise of freedom.

   I understand my review might offend fans of Sanger, but read it in context.

   Pick up George Grant's book on it... get past his over-emphasis on his own conservative views, and read his analysis of her own comments. Better yet... if you can find one, read Doug Scott's "Bad Choices" expose of the founding and practices of Planned Parenthood. Again, exceedingly conservative and not for the close-minded, but his citations of Sanger's letters and official documents are astounding and alarming.

   Anthony Trendl




3. Margaret Sanger was no better than Hitler with her population control. She chose to focus on control because she was one of many children from her family and obviously did not get enough attention. Now she focuses on being selfish. Most of us have children because we love them. For those who have abortions, they need to stay out of other peoples beds if they can't handle the responsibility or the unselfishness of having a child or children.



4. Don't expect an accurate depiction of Sanger from this propaganda piece. Save yourself a lot of time and read the following quotes if you're really interested in finding out what kind of woman Margaret Sanger really was and what type of agenda she promoted for America:

   On the extermination of blacks:
   "We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population," she said, "if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members." Woman's Body, Woman's Right: A Social History of Birth Control in America, by Linda Gordon

   On abortion:
   "The most merciful thing that a large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it." Margaret Sanger, Women and the New Race (Eugenics Publ. Co., 1920, 1923)

   On the right of married couples to bear children:
   "Couples should be required to submit applications to have a child." -- Margaret Sanger "Plan for Peace." (Birth Control Review, April 1932)

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!