5 comments about Virus Hunter: Thirty Years of Battling Hot Viruses Around the World.

1. I extremely enjoyed Dr. Peters's book. The only thing that I can argue with him about is in the chapter titled Cochabamba, when he describes Bolivia's geography he makes a mistake. I expect that he got confused, but he said the that the Kollas live in the lowlands of Beni and Santa Cruz and the Cambas in La Paz and the high altitude Altiplano. Well, the truth is that Cambas live in the lowlands of Bolivia and Kollas in the highlands. Otherwise I found the book very good and entertaining. I recommend everybody to read it, but to remember the Camba-Kolla explanation.



2. An excellent book!
   This books reads like a thriller as the authors take the reader from one hot zone to another. My appreciation for the bravery and humanity of individuals who do this has increased manifold after reading this.



3. The maps of South America & Africa were confusing - they put a lot of effort into identifying most of the Countries, but many of them didn't feature in the text, so why give the Geography lesson?

   The 20 photographs were of some interest, but there was only one photo of a patient with symptoms, and only one of a virus - I wish there'd been more of those and less of head & shoulders like having a meal and daughter's high-school graduation?

   Great disappointment - absolutely no Index!

   The penultimate Chapter 11 gives a prediction of Avian Flu originating in Thailand - just what we're getting news about this month (Jan 2004) - but this book was published in 1997. Given the age of the book, its probably not surprising that Chapter 12 is very out of date (as in 'wrong') regarding its description of BSE (Mad Cow Disease) & CJD.

   Was it necessary that we be told what the wife of the 'ghost writer' does for a living?




4. Everyone who is interested in life threatening diseases has come upon the name of C.J. Peters, a leading figure in epidemiology for at least 20 years. So, when i saw the book i bought it just to get an insight of the man himself. What i found was an inspiring manifest of how ''the job gets done'', written by a deeply stuborn, sensitive and respectfull scientist. It is not only a fine book on emerging diseases, it is also a call to medics and politicians alike to enlist to one of the most important, yet underated, scientific fields. Don't miss it.



5. I decided to read more about C.J. Peters after I concluded The Hot Zone; finding myself infatuated with this semi-mysterious, tropical-shirt wearing military officer and virus researcher. I was fascinated by this man whose experience and research will and has changed history.
   
   Despite the unmatched experience, education and brillance of C.J. Peters intellect, I found the tone of this book suprisingly "down to earth" Peters is clearly a scientist who an experienced mentor. I sensed he does not see how extraordinary his life is; only that he is aware he is a man who has pursued his passion.
   
   Having recently read both The Hot Zone (marburg), and Preston's Demon in The Freezer (smallpox), I felt I comprehended the power of airborne virus'. What I gained from Virus Hunter was just how much research, time and passion it takes for scientists to learn about these diseases. The intensity of virus research and trying to save human lives makes for an extraordinary read, particulary from the first hand accounts of a true virus hunter (I found his character truly translates to an Indiana Jones of the viral world...pursuing his subject deep into Brazil, the Sudan, and Virginia...)
   
   Peters shares experiences including communication attempts with people around the world, and a need to relate to their lives. He wrote of adventures trying to reach rural locations in South America. He also respectfully recounts the stories of other scientists who succumbed to virus' illness, and the need for the research community to see these deaths as something to hold in mind while seeking a cure. Clearly attaching specific individuals (whether lab researchers, or individual unnamed patients who he watched die) as representatives of why cures MUST be found.
   
   
   The only lull in this book is about 3/4 though the early chapter about the Four Corners outbreak, the initial story was intiguing (and as you will see ties distinctly into the entire theme of the book), however, it did drag. This was the ONLY slow part of this book. The rest was amazing.
   
   C.J. Peters is the kind of scientist you want to sit, and UNDERSTAND what he sees and learns. He can easily communicate with the average person, and with those at the highest level in military and intellectual leaders. I so wish I had such a passionate scientist who has as much respect for women biologists as men; a scientist whose infectious (pun intended) passion raises everyone sense of curiousity about the subject he teaches. I believe more educators with his passion would produce more passionate scientist, and people willing to take on the overwhelming accomplishment of achieving a biology degree at University.
   
   
   I would strongly, strongly recommend this book to anyone with any sort of interest in biology, disease, virus, or just anyone who enjoys a terrific adventure.
   
   The sharing of his personal details, and the mating habits of top scientists (they date among their own kind...) added a true depth to his storyline.
   
   I found this book utterly brilliant. The clear message is everyone must be aware of the dangers of viral disease, the serious nature of these illness' which are not classified as bacteria...nor parasitic. Also, the tight budgets created for medical research are truly a danger to the future of our health and those of developing nations.
   
   While I was eating dinner the other night, I was deep in Virus Hunter, reading the descriptive details of what Ebola does to the human body. The thought suddenly struck me...I am eating and reading about subcutaneous hemorrhaging without even a blink...
   
   Now THAT is a good book!

1 comments about The DAMNDEST RADICAL: The Life and World of Ben Reitman, Chicago's Celebrated Social Reformer, Hobo King, and Whorehouse Physician.

1. Ben Reitman was a hobo, medical doctor, anarchist, and social reformer of the early 20th century. This book reveals his world, a world that most history books tend to ignore- the world of the hobos and political radicals (they were often one and the same) of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is the world of "Hobohemia." Much of this world centered around old time Chicago (the winter quarters for most hobos) and such institutions as the Hobo College, the Dill Pickle Club, and Bughouse Square. I know that one doesn't think of hobos discussing politics, economics, literature, and the arts, but that was a large part of their world. In many ways it reminds one of the world of the Beats during the 1950's- Jack Kerouac would have fit right in. In fact, considering the surprising prevalence of jazz,"free love" and recreational drugs, it uncannily prefigured the Beat scene.

   The people that Reitman knew makes an impressive list: Emma Goldman, Jack Reed, Walter Lippman, Theodore Dreiser, Upton Sinclair, General Jacob Coxey, James Eads How (the "millionaire hobo") and Al Capone. The description of the many, now unknown, hobo philosophers is even more remarkable, for these were very remarkable men. These were free thinkers and intelligent and sensitive critics of the society around them. As for Reitman himself, I not only feel that I know him from reading this book, but I admire him and regret never actually meeting him.

   Oh yes, while most of the men covered in this book were labeled as "radicals" by the authorities of their time, all they really wanted was to improve life for the average working man (the hobo was essentially a migrant worker) and make society a little fairer. For this they were persecuted, imprisoned, beaten, and often murdered. Some things never change....

No comments about Love & Laughter.

5 comments about After Midnight: The Life and Death of Brad Davis.

1. I was extremely disappointed with "After Midnight". The author, his widow, has written the book from her own life's perspective, and there is sadly little about the true Brad Davis. His homosexuality, or perhaps bisexuality, is mentioned only in passing, and anyone in New York or Hollywood that knew him will tell you that this was a huge part of his life. I guess a book written by his wife can't be expected to delve too deeply into this area, but even other interesting details - his drug addiction, his acting technique, etc. are only minimally suggested here. I wanted to put the book down after two chapters, but kept waiting for it to get interesting. I suggest the publishers retitle the book "My Life with Brad Davis - The Saga Of A Wife Kept In The Dark", or something similar, to indicate to readers that this book is about Susan Bluestein, and tells very little about Brad.



2. This week I picked up 'After Midnight' at the library, and read it in less than 24 hours. It was riveting, poignant, honest (from Susan's standpoint), sad, horrific, very darky comical, and ultimately redeeming. Irony of ironies, I finished it yesterday, September 8th, the 13th anniversary of Brad's death. I wasn't even aware of what day it was. As for what Susan wrote, she wrote it from her point of view, and she knew things about Brad and had experiences with him that others didn't know about. Just as others knew things about him and had experiences with him that she didn't know about and still doesn't. So, it isn't fair to judge her and say 'Oh, she was just in denial'; maybe she was/is, but that isn't the point. She was trying to write the history about a relationship of a man and a woman over a roughly 20 year time span. Hopefully, one of these days, more people will come forward, and we will be told their true stories about Brad as well, in order to better understand him.



3. This is a book that is interesting and compelling, even heartbreaking at times, and since the only people who would be buying this book are more than likely fans of Brad Davis or of Midnight Express, it's worth reading.
   
   But the key words of that last sentence are "at times." Those who previously used the word "annoying" to describe this book are right. To get to the moving moments, one must bear with Susan Bluestein Davis, who is so self-absorbed and, well, annoying, that it's hard to get through the book. For example, the first three chapters are filled with her listing every famous person she or Brad has ever met or whom Brad has been compared to. It's frustrating. I expected to be reading about Brad Davis, but the book is more to be about Brad Davis in relation to her. What seems to have kept their relationship alive is the deep denial Bluestein was/is living with, which kept her so dedicated to him, while in return he gave her "the best sex [she] ever had in her life." And that's it. Davis treated Bluestein so badly-he treated everyone very badly, but especially her. Then again, she found ways to justify his behavior. She stood by him through everything, but only by avoiding as much of the truth as possible. It's hard to criticize someone who has been through so much.
   
   I would have rather read a biography of Davis written by someone else. His widow may be the best source, and she did promise him to write the book, but her narrative takes away from what could have been a much more powerful book.



4. The movie, Midnight Express is my all time favorite movie. Brad Davis' performance was electrifying! The book was well written by his wife. I work in the mental health field and witness similar tragedies as Mr. Davis' every day. From drug and alcohol abuse to sexual abuse and self mutilation. How heart breaking a life this man had. He had to sleep with his mother till the age of 16. No human being can ever come out of such an experience and not be traumatized. He was turning his life when he was diagnosed with HIV. I often think of what he could have done with his career had he bbeen aloud to live longer? Hopefully he is in a better place now then when he was alive!



5. This is a difficult book to read, not because of how it is written but because of how painful it is. To those that argue that this is not a biography, the author states at the beginning that it is not a biography but a memoir through her eyes of her husband Brad Davis covering the years that they were together. A true biography of Brad Davis has yet to be written. That said, I was glad that I read it. One criticism that I have is that I did not get a good sense of what Brad Davis was like before he was clean and knew that he was positive. It was only then that he came alive as a person for me. I realize that before he got off alcohol and drugs that his life & the life of his family was in constant turmoil, but I really would have liked to have had a clearer picture of Brad and not the state of his addiction. I would have loved to have had a better sense of all the wonderful and unique things about him that made her fall in love with him. I am in awe that no matter how unfaithful he was to her, he was nothing but loyal and absolutely committed to her. People confuse faithfulness and loyalty, but here is a prime example of how they are not the same thing. I am sorry that Midnight Express became an albatross around Brad Davis's neck because it was the most powerful performance. To see him in that is to remember him forever. Finally, I must say that I appreciated all the info regarding all the Hollywood & New York performers, agents, etc. of the time. Maybe others know all about who was doing what then, but I sure don't. It helped place things for me. I am about to start reading a biography of someone supposedly very important in the theatre world that I have never heard of & I certainly hope that the writer gives enough information that I have some perspective. Otherwise, it will be like reading a novel written in a biography form.

No comments about Complications Notes from the Life of a Young Surgeon.

No comments about 25 Months: A Memoir.

2 comments about Diary of a Breast Cancer Husband.

1. Mr. Lyman offers a very candid and heartfelt account of his and his wife's journey through the battle of breast cancer. From the moment of discovery through treatment and recovery, we accompany this man and his wife. We experience his fears, his frustrations and his failures, as well as his love and support. This is truely a remarkable love story, but it is also a great reference book that would benefit anyone experiencing breat cancer.



2. Mr. Lyman's experience with breast cancer from the man's point of view offers a thought provoking spin for women, for the entire journey from the man's point of view. Compassionate, sensitive. A love-story, an interesting and comprehensive read. Extremely resourceful and a must read for every man affected by breast cancer.

No comments about Where Did Mary Go?: A Loving Husband's Struggle With Alzheimer's (Golden Age Books).

No comments about Cold Winter Nights: Another Month in the Er.

No comments about English Authors Series - Florence Nightingale (English Authors Series).