1 comments about From Caracas to Stockholm: A Life in Medical Science.

1. Benacerraf is a charming writer, but I was somewhat disappointed with the book. I was hoping to find some new insights into the creative process in science and some sparkling anecdotes about this Nobel Prize winner's colleagues. I did not find much of either.

5 comments about The Tennis Partner.

1. Dr. Vergesse has great powers of observation and uses them in a powerful way to record the demise of his young friend through cocaine addiction.

   For persons (especially medical Doctors) without intimate knowledge of the power of addiction this should be very informative. For those with personal knowledge (especially medical Doctors) it should also be helpful.




2. My doctor is an amazing person - not just a great doctor. We spend quite a bit of time talking about life, not just doing the clinical stuff. He recommended "The Tennis Partner" to me and I put it off for about a year before I dove into it. It's absolutely amazing. The depth of the writing is superb and the story captivates you from beginning to end.



3. Whether or not you have a background in medicine, this book will draw you in and keep you interested. The only parts that may seem a bit tedious to run through are some of the tennis sequences. This may seem odd coming from a tennis player, but reading about tennis is like watching grass grow. However, the sequences do bring other parts of the book together, and they are tolerable.
   My only other issue is Verghese's constant romanticizing of El Paso, neighboring Juarez, and their inhabitants. Having lived here for almost three years (*and* having worked as a physician in the hospital he mentions in his novel), I can promise you that the innocence, the bluster, and the graciousness of his side characters is almost completely fictional.
   I don't think it would have detracted from the book to portray the city and the people more realistically.



4. My first up-close experience with drug addiction occurred several years ago at the hospital where I work. The scenario was remarkably similar to that described by Dr. Verghese. A bright, warm, wonderful nurse anesthetist succumbed to addiction despite having attended a rehabilitation program.
   In recent weeks a family member has shared with me the frustration of living with an addicted spouse: the lies, the denial, the missing money, the worry about finding a lifeless body in one's bed.
   The Tennis Partner is not an optimistic portrayal of addiction, but it is an accurate one. I recommended it to my sibling, and to anyone else struggling to understand the addicted person.



5. The story started with a great suspense. I wanted to know what he (the Intern David) had done, who was he and what was about to happen when his pager beeped. I really like the author's style, the way he told his story. I just borrowed this book from the library but I ended up buying one for my collection. Its that good! I will be recommending it to our bookclub. Lots of emotion in the story.
   
   The ending was sad and I kept thinking what went wrong with David. Was it parenting? Or was it David himself. The story, the way it was told, left a lasting impression in my mind.Cold Eyes

No comments about Making Medicine Scientific: John Burdon Sanderson and the Culture of Victorian Science.

No comments about Where Have All the Healers Gone?: A Doctor's Recovery Journey.

1 comments about Man of Vision: The Story of Dr. Robert Morrison.

1. You know a book's worth when you read the last few pages very slowly hoping it will never end and just go on and on. Dr. Robert Morrison's book inspired me, like I try to do with my students, to always strive to be the "best you can". Even if you fall short sometimes, it's the striving that counts. Dr. Bob is truly an inspiration to millions of people with poor vision and especially contact lens wearers. The bottom line is, HE CARES. About the poor people in undeveloped nations, the royalty around the globe and the common person who has a vision problem and needs help from a master. I will never forget this book, and more importantly the man, Dr. Bob, who strived and succeeded in " making a difference " in life. I pray everyday that my high school students become the Jane Goodalls and Bob Morrisons of the future and straighten out some wrinkles in a troubled earth. Read this book.

No comments about Physicians, Surgeons and Apothecaries: Medical Practice in Seventeenth-Century Edinburgh (Scottish Historical Review Monograph series).

5 comments about The Wheel of Life : A Memoir of Living and Dying.

1. Those who grouse & are dismayed at the second half of the book perhaps have not traveled far enough on their own spiritual journeys yet to understand. I found the book, like all her works, thoughtful, insightful & honest. Having worked in hospice nearly 30 yrs, in part due to Dr. Kubler-Ross, I can honestly say that in hospice you see many things that are beyond the scope of everyday life. The more I see of human Spirituality in hospice paitents & their families the less judgmental I tend to be.



2. I never received my product. I only purchased this product as it was of very sentimental value to my mother, however I was bitterly dissapointed to find the product was lost in transit. I would love to say amazon made every effort to find my product, I personally could not believe this to be true. I do appreciate the jesture of a full refund, but I can honestly say I feel totally dishartened by the whole ordeal. I only purchased from amazon as I knew the item was difficult to locate but to pay almost 13 dollars for it to be lost is in my opinion both unacceptable and extremly unsatisfactory. I shall not purchase from amazonm in the future.



3. Heard THE WHEEL OF LIFE by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, the author
   of the classic ON DEATH AND DYING . . . here, facing her own death
   at age 71, she tells the moving story of her life and what makes life so
   worthwhile.
   
   It is love!
   
   As she notes, "I have never met a person whose greatest need was
   not love."
   
   She then concludes with a powerful final statement, saying, "It is very
   important that you do only what you what you love to do. You may be
   poor, you may go hungry, you may live in a shabby place, but you will
   totally live. And at the end of your shabby days, you will bless your life
   because you have done what you came here to do."
   
   It seems that doing so will make dying easier. Or so it can be
   hoped!
   
   Ellen Burstyn's narration added to my enjoyment of the book . . . in
   addition, I liked that there was an introduction by the author.



4. Kubler-Ross had a massive impact on our society and the way we approach death. Her collection of 20,000 interviews with people who died and came back to life showed common threads in almost every way, a spiritual goldmine of positive and loving experiences. This autobiography details how she came to be the person who let us know for sure that death isn't some hokey religious shell-game available only to those who tithe but rather a guaranteed return for all of us to a more loving place.
   The first half of this book is tear-inducingly sad and beautiful, and it's hard not love the young Kubler-Ross as she lets her heart lead her through very tough times. There are some exceptionally moving passages that make this book a real must for those who want to feel better about letting go of life and living it more fully here and now.
   Unfortunately, the latter part of this book and her life found her enamored of charlatans and spiritual quackery, but in no way does that lessen her accomplishments. Not a one of us is perfect, and very few of us change the way the world sees life. Elizabeth was one such soul, so it's easy to accept her foibles.
   I read this book while preparing for an interview with Kubler-Ross, which sadly turned out to be the last she gave before her passing. She was as gracious and wise and funny as this book indicates, and was very much ready to die. She spoke lovingly of her life and happily of letting it go to move on homeward, and she clearly embodied the many positive attributes of this truly moving autobiography.
   Highly recommended for those who like to both feel and think.
   Knowing that death will be joyous sure takes the load off.



5. I loved this book so much that I am having my book group read it. It is an amazing life story about a very driven and gifted woman. This book also has been a gift to have during a very diffcult time. It has helped me immensely through my grieving process.

4 comments about Painted Diaries: A Mother and Daughter's Experience Through Alzheimer's.

1. This is such wonderful reading. a book I did not want to put down till I finished.I strongly recommend this book for any family experiecing this emotional time and disease, or just good reading. The author has such an enlightning & informative way of writing about such a sad disease that affects so many people



2. Painted Diaries is one of the best books I have ever read! I could not stop reading it. It is a great book for families how are expeirenceing the painful Alzhiemers disease. I STRONGLY reacomind it!



3. "Painted Diaries" offers a perspective on Alzheimer's Disease which helped our family, and especially my wife, cope with the lonely jouney of my mother-in-law's illness. By sharing her experiences, Kim Howes Zabbia awakened us to a positive, proactive perspective on this most difficult topic. It is an excellent book, and we share it with anyone facing Alzheimer's in their family. It has been a blessing to us all.



4. Covering a period of eleven years (1982-1993) in the life of one family, this touching book chronicles one woman's Alzheimer's journey through her own journal entries, and the paintings and journal of her daughter, Kim. Treasured family photos are included, for example there is, made in 1982, is a group picture of four generations, including Kim's mother, a former journalist, her grandmother, and her daughter at nine weeks old. There is even a photo of the mother's declining writing, as she wrote "I love you" in the fall of 1989. As the years passed and the disease progressed in her mother's life, Kim, a teacher, artist, and graduate student working on a degree in art, was influenced by the disease in her paintings. Kim's paintings changed as she explored her family's emotional struggle and visualized her mother's feelings in her work. Kim and her mother's journey was aided by their creativity in helping them cope, understand, and express the changes brought about by what her mother called "Al, Mrs. Zheimer's son".

1 comments about When It Gets Dark.

1. I read the book because I was helped by reading Mr. DeBaggio's first book "Losing My Mind". "When It Gets Dark" was just as inciteful. I have recommended both books to others and have given several copies as gifts. The books helped me see Alzheimers Disease from the perspective of my husband. I learned that it is very important for me to make the adjustments in our relationship and not get upset by every change in his behavior. I learned that humor helps both of us and that I can do some things I felt I would have trouble doing for him.

No comments about The Invading Body: Illness Autobiographies.