5 comments about One Gift of Grace: My Path Through to the Other Side of Disease.

1. ONE GIFT OF GRACE, by Dr. Janet Smith, is testament to the most human of ironies: That nothing enhances the value of life like the prospect, impending or distant, of losing it.
   
   Subtitled MY PATH THROUGH TO THE OTHER SIDE OF DISEASE, she recounts her journey, her odyssey, as Everyman, faced with the awe-filled challenge of a dread disease that threatens being. She appears better prepared than the rest of us to confront some of the medical mysteries presented by AMM (agnogenic myeloid metaphasia) because of her schooling and practice as research chemist and Doctor of Veterinarian Medicine. Indeed, one of the excellent features in this biographical journal is her knowledge and explanation of the biology and pathology of her disease, clearly describing to the reader what is happening as she battles AMM.
   
   But more engaging for us are the other questions that are tacitly posed for someone in her predicament: "What are the values, my values, that have animated my life?' What are the spiritual resources which this daughter of the South, one of five loving and well-loved children, draws upon on this seemingly chaotic pathway through disease and disorder?
   
   Well, a bit of wry humor, as the epigraph to one chapter tells us: "Doctor, heal thyself! Trouble was I was a tired old horse doc."
   
   But also the other "virtues," like love, honesty, and courage, drawn from herself and others, along the way. We all come to realize that life is an odyssey, not because we bumble through it, but because we discover ourselves and others in the passage.
   
   Dr. Smith hints at some of her most important discoveries by quoting Marcel Proust, Emerson, and contemporary writers: "We don't receive wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take us or spare us." (Proust) "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old response." (Emerson)
   
   At a critical point in her book, Dr. Smith speaks of the transformation from doctor to patient. But read carefully and you may discover a further transformation to an existential being. I even hear Biblical echoes of St. Paul's "putting on the New Man."
   
   Like all good biographies, this is a book of self discovery. It teaches us that the heart often discovers what the mind forgets. Just what, exactly, is this gift of grace on the other side of her disease? Take the journey with her.



2. This is a very well written book. She does an excellent job communicating with the reader her experience and how it has affected her physically, emotionally and spiritually. Well done Dr. Janet, I thoroughly enjoyed every page!



3. Inspiring. Uplifting. I think anyone and everyone should experience this book. It's not just something you read it's an experience that will last a lifetime. If you have ever asked yourself, "How am I ever going to get through this?" Dr. Janet will show you the answer. This book will help anyone that has doubt or issues of anykind I reccomend it for everyone to read.



4. Dr. Janet Smith has written a courageous book that brings to life the real human struggle of accepting one's mortality while discovering one's innate spirituality and the appreciation of Grace. Being taken as close to death as medical science can take anyone, she recounts her resurrection from its cold painful grip in clear understandable language.
   
   
   Dr. Smith recounts how she survives this difficult and painful journey because of her sister's healthy life saving stem cells that were transplanted into her as she danced the thin line between life and death. While fighting for her own life, Dr. Smith experiences the passing of several of her new friends who lost their fight for life in the transplant ward. Her life saving experience was further complicated by the tragedy of 9/11 as her admission to the hospital paralleled the event. Along the journey, Dr. Smith exposes the strengths and the glaring weaknesses of today's modern healthcare system. Throughout all this, Dr. Smith weaves her growing appreciation of humankind's transcendent spirituality.
   
   
   As a living example of the value of stem cell transplants, her life validates the need for stem cell research while encouraging the debate over its ethical use. Reading this book about her journey will help people balance both the cold science with the loving Grace that comes from having escaped death's cold grasp.
   
   
   This is a necessary read for those on either or both sides of the stem cell argument. Most importantly, it may help to bring them closer together. Dr. Smith has written a book that will help everyone appreciate the balance that is needed between science and spirituality. She gracefully reveals both are necessary for a healthy life.



5. Dr. Janet Smith evidently 'walked the talk' and has written her experiences to help those facing the same; or similar, battle with death. We must hang tough with God. "One Gift of Grace: My Path Through to the Other Side of Disease" has been a tremendous help for us as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. The book helped us keep the 'mountain tops' in our sights and not lose hope. Thank you, Janet.

5 comments about Porphyria.

1. The book did not hold my attention, but I really liked Sharon. I would like to met her someday. I hope she reads this and writes an online review about herself. I sent her an email, but did not get a responce. Come on Sharon the people want to hear more from you.



2. I have recieved many e-mails from readers of the book, but I have not wrote any of you because this is not my book. I am glad that you liked me, but that is because of the Author not me.You said you wanted to hear more about me, Well I am very busy with remodeling the inside of my house. It is the first time I have ever been able to remodel, because I have always been a military wife and I was always on the move. Now I can afford to do what I have always wanted to do (remodel)My husband and children say I am very good at it.When I am not working on the house I am traveling. I just got back from N.C.With my friend and I had a ball. I went and saw the bilmore house it has 260 rooms. No I didn't get to see all of them. Well that is a little bit about me. I hope you go on reading the book and keep learning about new disease's.



3. This book was very interesting. The author tells her own story in her own way. Amazing.



4. this book was excellent. i applaud the bravery and fortitude shown by tammy and indeed all her family. her friend sharon is also to be commended. if we all had friends like her the world would be a better place. i knew nothing of this disease before reading this book but feel i have a little understanding now.



5. As one involved in the porphyria community, I was eager to read this book. There isn't a lot of information out there for us, after all!
   
   Evans writes in a matter-of-fact, direct fashion. The prose isn't scintillating, but the story moves along at a brisk pace. I could easily identify with many of the author's experiences: the endless testing; the blinding pain; the dismissive doctors; the despair of knowing *something* is wrong, but not being able to pinpoint the cause.
   
   I did question a lot of the material, however. For one thing, there have been porphyria foundations in both the USA and Canada since the 1980s. There have also been more aggressive treatment options and banned drug lists since the 1970s. Also, a lot of Evans' descriptions of her attacks were odd--for instance, the way her photosensitvity manifested itself. Either Evans had completely incompetent doctors, or something's missing here.
   
   I also wondered why Evans kept playing up the whole "Vampire Disease" and "curse" terminology. It's certainly sensational, but that's about it. It would have been better if she had explained the illness a little more thoroughly. The reader never really gets a clear picture of the actual scientific facts of porphyria.
   
   On a technical note, who edited this book? The grammar and punctuation typos and misused words made me grit my teeth. How did the proofreader at this press overlook such errors as "hoards of people" (it should be "hordes") and "dirth" (a misspelling of "dearth")? Call me a nitpicker, but these things do detract from the overall quality of the book.
   
   I would recommend this book to other porphyria patients, but I am not sure I would extend the same endorsement to the general public. I do not feel this book really provides a full and accurate depiction of a typical case.

No comments about Jonas Salk (Rourke Biographies. Pioneers).

No comments about Forget-Me-Not: A Memoir of Anne Bashkiroff's Alzheimer's Crusade.

5 comments about The Bullet's Yaw: Reflections on violence, healing and an unforgettable stranger.

1. As a fan of Dr. Ballard's previous book, I was not surprised to find this slim case study stuffed with his characteristic wit, curiosity and knack for explaining complex material (mostly medical in this case) in fluid, fast-moving prose. It seems to me that this book has all the raw materials to make an excellent medical case study. However, I suggest that before completing and expanding this book, Dr. Ballard ought to resolve this fundamental question. Whose story is this, his or Jeffrey Mains'? Certainly, it is possible to write a compelling story about a how dramatic event may have profound repercussions for two people. Indeed, Dr. Ballard's own previous book (co- written by his wife), is a fine example of such a story. However, in that case, the dual narration worked because the reader saw the same story (a relationship tested by the rigors of a 2,000 mile hike)from two sides, each with an equal stake in the outcome. Anne Fadiman, in her classic medical-case study book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, managed the trick of dual points of view by profiling both, on the one hand, the patient and her family, and, on the other hand, the entire medical community which treated her. Here, the emotional investment in the story is lopsided, with Jeffrey Mains having, obviously, a more urgent claim to the story. To balance this, I would suggest that the author either profile Jeffrey Mains in more depth,and drop himself from the story entirely. Or, as Fadiman did, Dr. Ballard could alternate the story from Mains' point of view and from that of the entire medical community, including of course Dr. Ballard, but also including the nurses, paramedics, surgeons, psychiatrists and physical therapists that have helped him heal.
   Good luck!
   This seems very promising



2. Dr. Ballard's compact and engaging narrative comes through as a highly thought-provoking conversation with a brilliant dinner guest. This book's purpose and argument concerns violence and its prevention, and specifically firearms violence, which he correctly notes is an extremely toxic debate in the United States. Ballard's book earns the right to discuss it by laying a very human presentation of the challenging and harrowing details faced by an urban hospital trauma unit, details most Americans know nothing of and may never encounter even once. Ballard then trains his lens specifically on Jeffrey Mains, a badly wounded victim of a psychotic's gun rampage. Mains' cruel and unnecessary injuries and the physical and emotional challenge of his recovery are delivered first as a medical procedural, and later fleshed out in personal terms. But after laying both foundations, then Ballard states his conscience: That firearms violence is, like deaths from automobile accidents in the 1960s, "a neglected disease" in that both, in their era, pose seemingly intractable problems to trauma response physicians nationwide. In the 1960s, a combination of accident prevention and trauma medicine innovation -- both of which Ballard reports completely and cogently, with a personal association with the principals involved -- combined to reduce traffic fatalities by two thirds. Today, such a meaningful public health approach to gun violence is long overdue. Ballard, whose opinion is both personal and relevant, proposes a reasonable plan of accident prevention, as applied to firearms purchasing and ownership. One senses that it is offered in hopes that the blind risks we seem to accept today will become shockingly clear, and seem as primitive and unacceptable as the dangerous conditions a motorist faced 40 years ago.



3. Many of us are drawn to the time tested TV medical drama formula used by the likes of ER or Grey's Anatomy. A victim is rushed to the hospital after some heinous crime or outrageous mishap. Doctors speak in declarative, jargon filled sentences in their urgent attempts to save John or Jane Doe. Family members and friends trickle into the hospital to color in the life that the victim was leading before landing in the emergency room. We are shocked by the nature of the injury, fascinated by the medical procedure, and begin to feel emotionally invested in the victim. But there is a problem with this formula: is often over-scripted, sensationalized, and/or fake. Dr. Ballard's autobiographical account of his dealings with one of his most memorable patients, on the other hand, is painfully real.
   
   In this short, very readable book, Ballard brings the emergency department to life. We learn the real reason why Doe is such a common surname on hospital charts, we effortlessly begin to attach meaning to medical terms, and we develop an appreciation for how the doctor's mind works in making diagnoses under severe time pressure to the robotic two-minute drill of their daily rounds. Yet in telling the story of Jeffrey Mains, an innocent victim to a shooting rampage, Ballard's compelling narrative follows his patient outside of the hospital to show how difficult it can be to regain some sense of normalcy after such trauma. He deftly uses Jeffrey's experience to underscore broader societal problems including gun control and the failure to exchange psychiatric information across state borders that indirectly abet senseless violence such as the recent killings at the Northern Illinois University.
   
   If there is a weak point to this book, however, some readers might find it difficult to invest emotionally in Jeffrey, in part because the author at times seemed to have trouble establishing a connection himself. Ironically, the perpetrator of the attack, Joseph Ferguson (and the shocking, though briefly described personal circumstances that led to his terrible crime), represented perhaps the book's most unforgettable stranger. Should Ballard ever choose to revise or expand this book, it might be worthwhile not only to generate more reader sympathy for the challenges of the healing process (perhaps by taking additional steps to humanize Mains or introducing other patients facing similar challenges), but also to delve more deeply into Ferguson's story, which provides the launching point for much of the author's social commentary on violence. Overall though, The Bullet's Yaw is an important, authoritative, and thoughtful work that is engaging enough to captivate the Grey's Anatomy audience and substantive enough to resonate with health care and policy practitioners.



4. The Bullet's Yawn?
   Not.
   That being so succinctly said, I'm not going to presume here to write a review of "The Bullet's Yaw" with the sparkling wit or erudite charm of some of the other reviews I've read because I'm not a writer. But I am a reader. I read a lot. I enjoy reading. And, based solely on these qualifications, I found The Bullet's Yaw to be as readable and well written as most of the literature I've consumed over the years.
   As I was into my enjoyment of this very manageable book, I was reminded of a style of writing that I deeply admire; that of "science writers" - authors who take that potentially dry-as-toast subject matter that Discover or Scientific American feature and turn it into something not only digestible, but very tasty. And that's what Dr. Ballard has successfully done with "The Bullet's Yaw". As with good photography, he's taken a shot of a scene that we normally may not have given a second glance and done so with the artistic sensibility to fascinate us with it. It's good news to hear that the author is contemplating the expansion of the book into a longer-length version.
   Another reviewer mentioned that they weren't sure whose story was being told here and I'm not seeing that as a weakness of the story telling, but rather another layer of good story-telling technique. I started "The Bullet's Yaw" thinking that I was going to be reading the story of Jeffrey Mains, but was pleasantly treated to a layer cake of subjects. (I told you I wasn't a writer; I'm stuck in food-analogy land.) It was even a nice surprise to have the subjects of gun violence and traumatic-injury-as-disease handled so deftly and unapologetically. Rather than being a distraction from the story of Jeffrey Mains, they were the logical extension of that story.
   My nagging complaint with 80% of novels that I read is with their timing - in particular that their endings are too rushed or condensed. I'm going to continue that nag with Dr. Ballard and ask him to not pick up speed as he reaches the finish line. I've been right there with you up to that point, I'm not going to jump ship at the end because it's "taking too long". This coming from someone with the attention span of a fly.
   Thanks for the means to spend a pleasant afternoon and exercise my brain at the same time. I'm looking forward to The Bullet's Yaw's next incarnation.



5. Dr. Ballard is a burgeoning Ernest Hemingway trapped inside the body of an ER doctor. Among other things, Ballard takes the reader inside the ER room with a short, captivating account of a victim of gun violence and his slow, emotional recovery. Many of the other reviews here appropriately note Dr. Ballard's fascinating account of the development of emergency medicine protocols, his skill in describing the victim's anguishing return to normalcy, as well the his scientific account of the disturbing preponderance of gun violence in America. I second those glowing reviews and would simply add that for me the most compelling aspect of the book was the opportunity to walk in the shoes of an ER doctor for a few, brief moments. Entry into the ER as either a victim, or the loved one of a victim, is the ultimate leap of faith and journey into complete helplessness. We have no choice but to entrust our lives or those of our loved ones to the whims of this opaque institutions - the ER. Dr. Ballard demystifies the process by putting the reader on the other side of this exchange. The reader learns that while a trip to the ER is first and foremost the ultimate role of the dice, thanks to the trailblazing efforts of Dr. Blaisdell and others there is a tested process in place to reduce the element of chance. Even more reassuring, the reader learns that while the ER may have institutional safeguards in place that sometimes give it the antiseptic feel of a factory, with doctors like Ballard on duty, the victim is ultimately in very good hands.

2 comments about Life of Henry Cornelius Agrippa: Doctor and Knight, Commonly known as a Magician.

1. IT'S A FAIRLY NICE BOOK BUT DRY AND OF NO USE FOR PERSONS WHO STUDY MAGIC IT CONTAINS SOME USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT THE LIFE OF CORNELIUS AGRIPPA BUT IT'S OCCULT USE IS ZERO ESPECIALY IF YOU HAVE READ AGRIPPAS 3 BOOKS ON OCCULT SCIENCE.ON THE OTHER HAND I WOULD DEEPLY RECOMENT IT FOR PERSONS INTERESTED IN AGRIPPAS LIFE OVERALL ,IN THE WAY SOCIETY AND PEOPLE USE TO (WORK)AND IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF A WORLD THIS EXTRAORDINARY MAN LIVED IN.



2. Morley's work is very much out of date at this point, and is only reprinted (so far as I can tell) because it is out of copyright and hence can be xeroxed cheaply. For a serious biography and critical assessment of Agrippa, see Charles Nauert, _Agrippa and the Crisis of Renaissance Thought_, which is hard to find but worth it. Morley's book is, however, chatty and enjoyable to read, and includes a number of humorous stories and suppositions about Agrippa's life and work. Morley's assessment of texts is very dubious indeed, although he can hardly be blamed, as he was after all writing in the mid-19th century. Occultists will find this book useless; historians may find some material here, but should start with Nauert. See also Marc van der Poel's book on Agrippa's orations, (...)

2 comments about There's More to Life Than Just Living: A Personal Story about Cancer Survival.

1. With the projected statistics for cancer in this country at 1 of 2 Americans will develop cancer in their lifetime, and the HORRIFIC lack of adequate or even HUMANE treatment for a degenerative disease that has been around for more than 6000 years, perhaps longer, Bruce's personal, quiet yet profound story of his life with cancer is more than inspiring.
   
   Unfortunately, given the levels of toxins our bodies are exposed to daily(about 70,000 at last AVAILABLE count), the level of radiation emitted since "Desert Storm" (about the equivalent of 400,000 Hiroshima bombs), I believe Bruce's approach to cancer will become more acceptable, more embraced by HUMAN BEINGS, who refuse to have their BEINGS mutilated, chemically poisoned to the point of "almost death," and radiated (HASN'T IT BEEN PROVEN RADIATION CAUSES CANCER???????????????) in order to "survive" perhaps 5 years. Real statistics on survival for cancer ARE UNAVAILABLE; the medical establishment has so surreally massaged the actual statistics.
   
   I applaude Bruce not only for his vision, but for his determination, and so for his courage to share his journey, his soul's deeping, and his body's healing, naturally, from a disease that is far more dreaded, in my opinion, than it is deadly. May the Goddess be with you always Bruce.
   
   I would highly recommend anyone who has been "presented" with a diagnosis of cancer to read "There's More Life than Just Living."
   
   - Anne Kaspar
   Santa Fe, NM
   BodyByBliss (TM)
   BodyByBliss.com



2. I was diagnosed with cancer in 1989, and, according to "official statistics," have lived nearly 10 years past the average number of years most people do who are diagnosed with this particular cancer. I have lived as long as I have because I have taken charge of my own treatment, and because I have continually educated myself about ALL treatment modalities and health protocols I can. I have taken whatever I could from naturopathic, "alternative" medicine, and I have taken whatever I felt was useful and not harmful from allopathic, or "mainstream" medicine, and I have used them to my advantage.
   
   Today, at the age of 56, no one who has not seen my medical records would know I was ever diagnosed with cancer. No one would know large numbers of other people were diagnosed with the same form of cancer, but that's because they are dead and buried.
   
   Bruce Guilmette has written an excellent book about the very kinds of things I have done, over the years, to live as long and as well as I have with what allopathic mainstream medicine considers a deadly, terminal cancer, and he has written about those things in clear, intelligent, compassionate language. Dr. Guilmette's book is a MUST READ for anyone diagnosed with or living with cancer. Why? Because, after reading what Bruce has to say, the reader who was unfamiliar with the kinds of things Bruce has to say will be 1000% better armed in his fight against cancer, while the reader who already knew some of what Bruce writes about will greatly bolstered and uplifted in his walk with cancer.

4 comments about Signs of Life:: A Memoir of Dying and Discovery.

1. Tim Brookes very eloquently voiced some of my own thoughts, feelings and struggles as I experienced my mother's death from cancer 2 months ago. It is a time of great intimacy and discovery about the very meaning of life. Our culture's beliefs and fears around death are interwoven with his very personal story, which he shares with great poignancy. This book is NOT a downer but a tribute to life. It is HIGHLY recommended for everyone, as death is a part of everyone's life



2. When my grandmother was diagnosed terminally ill(suffering from COPD), the family chose hospice care instead of a nursing home. I went to the library to get a book on hospice and this is the book that carried me through the heartbreaking yet beautiful last week of my beloved Nany's life. I know that every dying experience is different, but there were similarities between the author's mother and my grandmother's. It gave me great comfort to read Mr. Brookes words as I sat beside my grandmother's bedside. Many thanks for putting into words what my family and I were observing and feeling.



3. Tim Brookes offers a well written, engaging account of the dying and death process. My father was diagnosed with a brain tumor a few weeks ago and a dear friend put this book in my hands. It is a tribute to life and dignity in dying. As I write this we are still in the middle of searching for treatment and I find the words of this book comforting and a guide of sorts to the process of living, essentially with a death sentence. The author shines a light on a process we are all engaged in, as we all eventually face the dying process. This book would be helpful for family members as well as professionls...and not only those dealing with cancer.



4. My beloved father passed away on March 3, 2005 after living for 2 years with Stage IV lung cancer. I was his caretaker for the last 6 weeks of his life whe I moved to New York to care for him. This book is a beautiful heartfelt story of the author's experience with his own's mother's illness and death. I found it to be very cathartic and appreciated the beauty of his words. i even found things within to adapt when writing my dad's eulogy. If only i could write so well to write something beautiful for my father. Thank you Tim Brookes, bless your family and your mother, may she live though you all who loved her so. Lori

2 comments about The Singing Bird Will Come: An AIDS Journal.

1. The Singing Bird Will Come is a remarkable book by a man who is truly in touch with himself as he struggles with the reality of death. His strong desire to continue to celebrate life as he prepares to die makes a lasting impression on the reader. How the author comes to grips with communicating his journey is the focus of the book. He seems to follow Kubler-Ross's stages of death--denial, anger, bargaining with God, depression and finally, acceptance. He feels it is especially ironic that he has to come to accept his dying so soon after he had come to accept himself as a gay man. This story captures the well-balanced tension John Noonan experiences between continuing daily living and thinking of eternity. I recommend it highly for caregivers, service providers, and all of us who will prepare to die someday.



2. The Singing Bird Will Come is a remarkable book by a man who is truly in touch with himself as he struggles with the reality of death. His strong desire to continue to celebrate life as he prepares to die makes a lasting impression on the reader. How the author comes to grips with communicating his journey is the focus of the book. He seems to follow Kubler-Ross's stages of death--denial, anger, bargaining with God, depression and finally, acceptance. He feels it is especially ironic that he has to come to accept his dying so soon after he had come to accept himself as a gay man. This story captures the well-balanced tension John Noonan experiences between continuing daily living and thinking of eternity. I recommend it highly for caregivers, service providers, and all of us who will prepare to die someday.

1 comments about The View from the Vue.

1. This book was on my parents bookshelf when I was growing up - signed by the author (a family friend). When I finally pulled it off the shelf and started reading it in high school (13 years ago) I found that I couldn't put it down. I've read it several times since. This book is truly addicting and compelling; Dr. Karp's storytelling is engrossing, his anecdotes show that the things that happen in the real world to real people are far more interesting than what Hollywood and fiction writers can think of. I highly recommend this book - it's funny, sad, enlightening, and a great read. It's been one of my favorites for years.