No comments about FIRE ON THE PRAIRIE: The Life and Times of Andrew Taylor Still, Founder of Osteopathic Medicine.

1 comments about Journey of the Heart: Spiritual Insights on the Road to a Transplant.

1. This admirable young lady - I know - showed amazing courage during a time of near death episodes prior to a final heart transplant. Her insightful description of the thoughts and feelings experienced during this period of heart stoppages, fibrilations and a trip to the operating room for a transplant only to find the available heart not suitable and be sent home results in lessons in living for all of us.

No comments about Psychiatrist of America: The Life of Henry Stack Sullivan (Belknap Press).

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 Morley's work is very much out of date at this point, and is only reprinted (so far as I can tell) because it is out of copyright and hence can be xeroxed cheaply.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, (...)

1 comments about Diary of Desert Storm's Combat Gynecologist.

1. As a tentmate, I find his accounts very accurate. He brings a human element to the reservist role activated from private practice and serving in the armed forces during operation desert storm. The EVAC hospital located in northern Saudi Arabia was important in the ground war as well as reconstruction afterwards with the care of the POW. The book is light and entertaining. It is a modern day "MASH" delineating the real life experiences of a field doctor serving in the army.

5 comments about Goodbye, Walter: The Inspiring Story of a Terminal Cancer Patient.

1. As the publisher, it's interesting to see the reaction of different people to Goodbye, Walter. Some seem to get it and are deeply touched by it. There may be others who can't understand why the focus in the book is on RuthAnn, the author.
   We, the publishers, asked RuthAnn to focus on herself--it wasn't her idea, and the original manuscript she submitted didn't do that. The reason is that the beauty of Walter's story is the change he wrought in her. Here is Walter Schifter, who felt so worthless as he was approaching the end of his life that he wanted to commit suicide. However, once he is properly cared for, the richness of his personality and his value as an individual come out. He comes to realize that, even though doctors have told him he has only two weeks to live, every day still matters because he now has a purpose for living. His focus changes from his pain and misery to what he can do for others during those last days.
   RuthAnn, as she comes to know Walter, is profoundly affected by his sense of purpose, and she is touched in such a way that she decides to put her own life back together.
   I love her honesty and her openness. She is struggling with a life that has, in its most important aspects, come unglued, and she freely shares that with us. Walter doesn't preach--he's not that kind of person. But, with his example and his deep desire to be useful to others, he helps her see what is truly important in life. As she builds her life on those important things, it falls into place. And that is the point of this story. It's a profound, beautiful lesson.
   We are seeing tendencies in society to devalue the lives of those with terminal illnesses, people who are totally dependent on others. Some even encourage them to end their lives early. With this book, Walter and RuthAnn show us that life has eminent value, even in its final, potentially miserable days.



2. I am in agreement with Mr. Hall. (The reviewer from Sierra Vista obviously has issues.) The thing that strikes me so much about this book is the sense it gives you of how important life is--not just the importance of being alive, but of living life with a purpose. Death can come to any one of us at any time. Live life earnestly, love earnestly, and rejoice that you have a place in the universe. This point is made with great PERSONAL power.



3. Goodbye, Walter: The Inspiring Story Of A Terminal Cancer Patient by RuthAnn Hogue is an influential biographical depiction of a struggle for life and the many barriers required for survival. Hogue's personal story will enrapture the reader in its telling of a difficult and inconceivably strenuous time for both the author and Walter Shifter, her friend dying of cancer. Goodbye, Walter is very strongly recommended for its inspirational content for readers looking to overcome their own difficult situation, as well as readers who have friends with cancer or other terminal conditions.



4. At first I was a little confused about who this book was about, Walter or RuthAnn. But as I finished the first chapter, I realized that it is about both of them and how Walter's terminal illness enlightened him about his life's purpose and the difference that he made and touched RuthAnn's life in profound ways as well. Isn't that the meaning of enlightenment? I think that it is showing another, by example, something that makes a difference in their own life and transforms them. Through her relationship with Walter, his wife and his friends, RuthAnn began to see life through a different, more empowering avenue and she made more positive choices. I appreciated the opportunity to get close to people that I would not have otherwise gotten to know and realize again, how precious and wonderful it is to be alive....it's not about me....all the time!



5. I have had the fortune to come across this book as my own family had to say farewell and as a mental health professional I've passed this book onto others. A must have for any counselor like myself. A++ Excellent Author & journey

No comments about Escape From Silence: Two brothers and the technology that allowed them to hear.

No comments about Pasteur : A Beginner's Guide (Great Lives) (Headway Guides for Beginners).

3 comments about TRAVELS WITH THE WOLF: A STORY OF CHRONIC ILLNESS (WOMEN & HEALTH C&S PERSPECTIVE).

1. The book is a beautiful and lyrical account of Ms. Goldstein's illness and her struggle with a chronic condition. A must reading for all, and particularly for those involved in health professions.



2. Amazingly descriptive accounts of how the medical profession both helped and failed the author. Every physician should read this and think long and hard about her or his own place in the profession.

   But also an amazing coming-of-age story. I have never had chronic illness, but I could relate to so much of the narrative. It is a wonderful account for anyone who remembers struggling to assert one's independence and define oneself as an adult while maintaining and redefining relationships with friends and family.

   Wonderfully written.




3. Professor Melissa Goldstein writes with clarity, grace, and emotion. The combination of prose and poetry flow seamlessly. Chronic Illness can often be attributed to psychological illness, even when there are physical explanations. Melissa Goldstein writes of the struggles associated with belief in oneself, one's physicians, and one's present life without fear of the future. Her story is one of hope and determination and is inspiring to all people; she reaches out to us through our most basic emotional connections.

5 comments about The Medic: Life and Death in the Last Days of World War II.

1. "'Aid Man!' ... He ran up to me. He shouted in my face. 'Aid Man!' He grabbed my shoulders, his mouth agape, heaving air. 'A man got his leg blowed off. Let's go!'" This was Leo Litwak's first shot of many to come at saving a life. Leo was a young Jewish boy being trained as a medic in South Carolina. It was February of 1943, and, sooner than he would have preferred, Leo would be immersed in World War II. This is a true story and an excellent one as well. Leo Litwak does a wonderful job telling the truth in this book leaving no goury details out. His book shows all aspects of the war. He shows the soft side, dark side, romantic side, and even the surprising side. Gloria Emerson from the Los Angeles Times states, "[This is a] book that should be given to every schoolboy in the country at the age of thirteen." I must agree with this statement because all the reality and accuracy in this book will inform them that there's not always a happy ending and that war is nothing like Hollywood.



2. I was expecting a more in-depth analysis into the combat and mental condition of a medic, but what I got was a long drawn out story of himself. There was no connection w/ his fellow men and if there was, it was just a misconception. Basically, he just want to forget about the war, the horror, and the cruelty behind it. If that is the case, then why write the book.



3. I was disappointed in this book. Maybe I went into it with too high an expectation. I knew going in, it was a dramatized version of Mr. Litwak's experiences but I expected more insight into his job as a medic. there were relatively few scenes of his actually work. In that way, I would say the title is misleading. It really is a book of one man's army service in Europe during the later days of World War II. He seems to have disliked everyone he served with and Mr. Litwak has the right to be. there were more sex stories than medic stories. the Sgt. Lucca story I thought would help me gain more insight into the author. But it left me looking for more of an explanation of how Mr. Litwak really felt. Did he like the Sgt. or not? He seems to have been hurt by his death but I am not sure.
   Thebook overall does help one experience WWII from a more realistic standpoint. But a non-fiction approach would have been more of a contribution.



4. Leo Litwak's recollections of his service in WWII as a combat medic is not what I had expected. I had anticipated a memoir - instead the book is essentially a collection of vignettes and impressions the author had during his service in Europe in the final year of the war. Litwak admits in his foreward that unit names and places had been changed, and that some individuals mentioned in the book were composites of personalities he knew. I appreciated his honesty.

   After reading the book, I also appreciated his honesty in presenting his perspective on the war. The graft and looting by "our boys." The whoring around. The detached neutrality of working on the wounded, and the non-chalance of seeing so much death so often. Not everyone who served in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) saw combat; and not everyone who saw combat in the ETO was there from the Normandy landing to V-E day. Litwak was honest about his service, his experiences, and his impressions.

   As a combat medic from a later war, I had anticipated experiences and recollections similar to my own. While we had some experiences in common, we had many more differences as we served in two very different times. Nonetheless, the honesty with which Litwak writes of his time in Europe is not a romanticized or sanitized version of WWII. And aside from the obvilious shortcomings of his composites, it is real at an emotional (if not strictly historical) level.




5. This is a very good read. It speaks a lot about the relationships that develop (good and bad) as much as the war.