5 comments about Stephen Hawking A Life in Science.

1. I am an enormous fan of Stephen Hawking, his achievements in physics are incredible and his ability to overcome his illness demonstrates how sturdy the human mind can be. He is touted in the book as the greatest mind since Einstein, which is a claim I also recently read concerning Richard Feynman. I have no opinion on this, as I hold them both in very high regard. To me such debates are silly, as ranking such people is so subjective that it is meaningless and wasteful.
   That aside, I generally enjoyed the book, finding the explanations of the physics a little too simplistic for my tastes, but certainly within the realm of the general reader. My only real criticism is that there was too much ink spent on some of the minutiae of his life. Even Hawking probably objects to some of the details about his life that appear. However, I was pleased to read that he can be temperamental and shows his anger by running over a person's foot with his wheelchair. It just makes him sound that much more human.
   This is a good biography of a great man, who lets nothing get in his way. An inspiration who probably does not want the role in any capacity other than as a physicist, he has revolutionized cosmology and it will be a minimum of decades before all the consequences of his work will be known.



2. Stephen Hawking A Life In Science by Michael White and John Gibbons does a fantastic job of combining both the story of Stephen Hawkings's life and in depth explanations of his scientific work and findings. The story of Hawking's life is told starting from his very early childhood and progress through his schooling and career. The book discusses the people and events in Hawking's early life that influenced him to work in the field of Cosmology. The book also addresses the discoveries and theories that Hawking developed in his studies. The theories are explained in plenty of detail but the authors do a good job in making them as easy to understand a possible. The story of Hawking's life itself is truly amazing because of the significant discoveries he made despite his disability. The book is worth while fro anyone who want s to learn about Stephen Hawking and wants to learn a bit about his discoveries and why they are significant. Although the authors do try to keep the explanations simple, there are some parts that are hard to understand without a decent knowledge of physic's principles. Even so, the book is still well written and the story it tells is fascinating.



3. Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science is an excellent biography which presents one of the most celebrated physicists, Stephen Hawking, in an elegant and expressive manner. Michael White tells of the significant events that greatly influenced Stephen King's life, for example the disease that crippled him but he fought valiantly enough to delay his later death. White wrote in a way which kept the readers attention. It had the basic theories that an average reader could fully understand, but the book did not go in depth with the scientific reasoning behind the theories.
   Overall, I generally liked the book even though at times the book seemed to go on forever. I have to say I honestly learned quite a lot about his theories of black holes etc. The overcoming of his disease inspired me because it showed how strong he wanted to finish work. I would suggest this book to other readers because there is a lot of information that can be understood. It is a pretty long read but it flows pretty nicely especially if you like the science genre.



4. The story of Stephen Hawking that is told in the book is not only extremely informative but also very Physics based. The motivations for the author to write the story are obvious, due to famous nature of the subject that is Stephen Hawking. And the reason for being famous is different to just about every other situation possibly imaginable. The reason for reading this book is not confined to those that are interested in Physics. The book is written in a nature that allows all people to read and understand it. it show people where Stephen Hawking had been and what he had done before he become disabled from his disease, as well as allowed people to better understand and appreciate him as a person in society growing up and not as someone that was different from all other people. it can give some hope to those that do not believe that they will be able to do something with there lives and allows the idea of a chance of success



5. --This is a story about one man who has changed man's view on the universe, about one man who miraculously survives......
   
   Spending more than twenty years of life on a wheelchair, Stephen Hawking has revealed the most intriguing part of the whole universe, through his groundbreaking discovery in black holes. Considered "the successor of Einstein", Hawking attempted to combine quantum mechanics and relativity, two contradictory theories, breaking a new path for scientists to reveal the nature of physics. But perhaps the most fascinating part of Hawking's miracle is his fight and resistance to his illness, which, according to the doctors, would have ended his life by the age of 21. Despite huge difficulties of moving and speaking, Hawking has never given up himself, and neither has his wife, Jane, who helped Hawking go through the most difficult time of his life. The authors are inspired by Hawking's tenacity and spirit, and also will every one who will read Hawking's life through this book. After reading the book, one would understand, as what the authors hope, what contribute to Hawking's success--not only his genius and incisive intuition, but also fortitude and a positive attitude toward life. This book perfectly blends theories of physics and the universe with Hawking's life, depicting a colorful and unique picture to help understand the indefatigable scientist.

4 comments about Weeding Out the Tears: A Mother's Story of Love, Loss and Renewal.

1. God Bless Jeanne White for writing this book! If you have *never* lost a loved one to AIDS, this is *still* a must read! Ms. White writes not only of living with and dying of AIDS. She writes of the loss of a child, the loss of a loved one, and all the emotions that come forth from this -- faith, fear, anger, confusion, hope, sorrow... this book is a true human experience. If you have lost someone close to you, you must read this book. Jeanne's book brought me tears and smiles... and comfort... and hope. Jeanne, thank you for sharing Ryan's story, but more importantly, thank you for sharing your own story. It is the caregiver who is often the most devastaed after a loss. Thank you for allowing others to experience what we go through



2. This book is a great story of a mothers dedication to her son and daughter. The story is about Ryan White's devoted mother and how she helps him in the battle against AIDS. She has so much courage; how she delt with her son dieing, and her divorces. A very touching story.



3. its a really good book it made my cry but I liked it alot.



4. This book is amazing. I've read Ryan's book as well, and that book is an amazing story of courage and determination. Ryan was an amazing human being and lived a wonderful life in the short time he had here, and was a much better person than most people can hope to be. He was so selfless in all that he did, and it shows by how he helped to shed light on AIDS when it was kept in the shadows by the public.
   
   Jeanne's book shows her love for Ryan, and her determination to continue Ryan's legacy by educating people all over about AIDS. It is emotional and deeply personal, but is wonderfully honest and one of the best books I've ever read.
   
   I definitely recommend it.

5 comments about Speak to Me: Grief, Love and What Endures.

1. To face your fears, to really dig down deep and write from the heart, is the biggest challenge for any writer. Marcie Hershman more than scales a mountain in SPEAK TO ME. This book is smart and serious yet it ends with such hope and joy, I was sad to put it down. Bravo! A beautiful tribute and memoir.



2. Marcie Hershman's Speak to Me is simply one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. On one level this is "about" the death of a beloved sibling; on its other levels, it engages us in the power of the human voice to speak in so many ways about love -- the love that moves us out of grief and into a richer sense of our lives. That we might hear again our loved one's voice in dreams, or "play" that voice again on audio tape, or have it echo again in memory, and that there are mysteries, too--voice after death--all these aspects of our connection to each other Marcie Hershman reminded me of. She has wit, wisdom and an honesty that reveals the heart of the matter. Her ten meditations, so gorgeously written, and so deeply felt, told me not only about the special bond she and her brother Rob shared, but of the bond I too have felt with family members I have lost. There are so many voices I still long to hear. I am extraordinarily glad to have read Speak to Me. I urge others to read it and share it. This is beautiful, heart-stirring work!



3. I read Marcie Hershman's book to give me insight on grief and mourning. Although the topic of voice is intriguing & often neglected, I found the writing to be very dry and difficult to read. The book is brief (100 pages) but for me, I found it hard be propelled forward with detailed descriptions of metaphysical topics. It was excrutiatingly dull for me to complete this short book.



4. Not many books deal with the loss of a sibling and how the death of a brother or sister changes the way you see the world. I found this book extremely helpful to me, although I did not lose a brother, but my husband of sixteen years. Once I started reading, I couldn't put this book down. I started in the afternoon and kept reading through the night. I felt like I was having a heart to heart talk with a good friend. I was happy by how different it was from the usual "how to get over grief" type of book, full of rules and advice. Highly recommended.



5. My brother died almost three years ago, but it took me almost two years of Marcie Hershman's book sitting on my bedside table to get up the courage to read more than a few pages now and then. I finally finished the whole thing today, in one sitting, and am sorry now that I waited. It has been cathartic, enabling me to mourn and to cry in a way that I couldn't before. Her book is full of gentleness, love and writing that flows straight from her pen into our heart. In "Speak to Me" she crosses over boundaries and in between worlds as if they are water. Dreams, spiritual thought, a sometimes complicated childhood and the here and now of her brother Rob's TV producing - she does not limit herself because the story is not one of limits, but of expansion. She has touched a chord that those of us who have lost somebody can identify with. There are many of us who have probably heard the voices, and dreampt dreams about loved ones who are gone. Marcie Hershman, who writes so lovingly about her brother's voice, is, in fact, OUR collective voice to the world.

No comments about One Sad Ungathered Rose: Schizophrenia - A Mother's Story.

1 comments about On My Own Terms: My Journey with Asperger's.

1. This book is a rare gem and a recently discovered treasure. In addition to being well written, one can identify with much of what the author has chosen to share. It provides a much needed window with parted curtains into autism/Asperger's (a/A) perceptions and interpretations.
   
   This book has appendices and additional insights that are not included in this author's previous work, "Overcoming Asperger's." The text from the original book in its entirety is included in this one. The only difference between the books other than the titles is the inclusion of the appendices.
   
   It has been said and evidence appears to support the finding that people on the a/A spectrum learn empathy cognitively as opposed to intuitively. Seeing the view from another person's perspective is challenging for most people, but for those on the a/A spectrum it is all the more so.
   
   This book is one that commands respect; being able to disclose the level of information that is found in this book is nothing short of courageous. It is the voice of hope for those with any form of autism; for professionals and for those personally involved with people on the a/A spectrum. This is a book for everybody! Being able to share these insights and observations made me think of the song "Climb Every Mountain" from "The Sound of Music."
   
   Hats off to this book!

5 comments about 23: Time to Choose.

1. The author does a great job of communicating his feelings. This book was a great book to read if you have ever gone through a tramatic experience in your life or if you just need to come back to a realization in your life. This book is well worth reading!!!



2. This book is one long "Poor me, oh pity poor me" whine. The author, (when underage) got stinking drunk at a party. (Later he was found to have taken barbiturates and amphetamines also) The police were called. Asked to take a breath test the author ran out of the house.
   
   Three blocks from the house a police officer on routine patrol sees someone 'acting suspiciously' so he turns his police car around to investigate. Seeing this the author sprints away. The officer and a police dog follow in pursuit. The dog leads the officer off the street and towards some woods. The officer then calls the dog back and leashes him. He yells to the author to come out of the woods.
   
   Instead of obeying the officer, the author trys to run down into a ravine. Being both drunk and stoned, he falls forty feet to the bottom. The officer finds him unconscious and calls for an ambulance, saving the author's life. The author suffered permanent brain damage but recovered significantly.
   
   Instead of feeling gratitude for having been saved the author decides to cash in and sues the police officer and the Duluth PD for $1,000,000. First the District Court judge then the Appellate Court judge rule that the officer acted properly and without liability. No surprise there.
   
   Especially galling is the fact that the author never refers to the officer by his real name, instead labeling him Officer 'Matthew 7:15'. A quick read of this bible passage says much about this book:
   "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves."



3. In reading this book I saw a young person who we all were at some point in our lives. He made a mistake and had consequences from it. I found the writer to be forthright and honest about his mistakes. The author makes the reader understand how he came to understand what he had to go through and how his life came back to fruition. I also found the book to be very uplifting and motivating. This should be a must read for any young person going to college as well as someone who is struggling through a hard point in life. As the author says it was a "Time to choose" for him and I learned more about myself from reading it.



4. Nick has really completed an amazing log of his difficult recovery from a traumatic brain injury. As someone who has served on the Board of Directors of the Brain Injury Association of Minnesota for over six years and who is a brain injury survivor and author Meditations on Brain Injury myself, I feel very qualified to recommend this book to anyone who has been touched by brain injury and especially to those who enjoy an uplifting affirmation of faith.



5. The following is a review from a friend who does not have an amazon.com account!
   
   It is extremely obvious that this book was "Beyond Ken." Maybe a better name for him should be, "Disgruntled Clueless Cop" since he obviously has no concept what this book is about.
   
   The book is NOT about who was at fault, or "pity," or "whining," or "drugs," or "alcohol," or re-litigating the details of that terrible evening. This book is about a horrible accident and how the author overcame adversity and fought back to just be able to walk and talk again.
   
   In order to understand the extent of what happened, there has to be a discussion of the background facts of the accident. It has to be understood, for example, that the author fell down a 40-foot cliff and laid face down unconscious in a creek for a period of time so you can have an understanding of why he was so severely physically hurt.
   
   Rather than try to discredit the facts of that fateful evening, the "Disgruntled Clueless Cop" should have focused on the rest of the book and how the author overcame death and serious physical and mental challenges that came with the serious injuries he received that night. The book is about hope, faith, and perseverance - not about "sour grapes."
   
   I say that the "Disgruntled Clueless Cop" should stick to critiquing something more up his alley like DONUTS, and leave the heavy lifting for us folks with intelligence and the ability to reason!

2 comments about How I Became a Human Being: A Disabled Man's Quest for Independence (Wisconsin Studies in Autobiography).

1. September 1955. Six-year-old Mark O'Brien moved his arms and legs for the last time. He came out of a thirty-day coma to find himself enclosed from the neck down in an iron lung, the machine in which he would live for much of the rest of his life.

   How I Became a Human Being is Mark O'Brien's account of his struggles to lead an independent life despite a lifelong disability. In 1955, he contracted polio and became permanently paralyzed from the neck down. O'Brien describes growing up without the use of his limbs, his adolescence struggling with physical rehabilitation and suffering the bureaucracy of hospitals and institutions, and his adult life as an independent student and writer. Despite his weak physical state, O'Brien attended graduate school, explored his sexuality, fell in love, published poetry, and worked as a journalist. A determined writer, O'Brien used a mouthstick to type each word.

   O'Brien's story does not beg for sympathy. It is rather a day-to-day account of his reality?the life he crafted and maintained with a good mind, hired attendants, decent legislation for disabled people in California, and support from the University of California at Berkeley. He describes the ways in which a paralyzed person takes care of the body, mind, and heart. What mattered most was his writing, the people he loved, his belief in God, and his belief in himself.

   Mark O'Brien was the subject of the 1997 Academy Award?winning documentary Breathing Lessons. He was a published poet and cofounder of the Lemonade Factory, a California press that published poetry by people with disabilities. O'Brien died in 1999 at the age of forty-nine after completing a draft of How I Became a Human Being . Gillian Kendall is a writer. She has contributed to both Outright Radio and Sun magazine; one of her short stories appeared in The Student Body, also published by the University of Wisconsin Press.




2. "How I became a human being" is a great read. It is one of those books that I had trouble putting down, once I had begun reading it. Mark O'Brien is a truely inspirational person, who proves that if you set your mind to something, you can achieve whatever you want to in life despite, in his case, extraordinary obstacles. I simply can't imagine being paralysed from the neck down. What amazed me while reading the book, was that at times, I forgot that Mark had such a profound disabilty, with his humour, personality and love coming through in his writing.
   My only criticism of this book is that there was no mention at any point of Mark's realization that he would never walk again, that he would forever be reliant on others and indeed be reliant on an iron lung. When was he first told he would never walk again? How did he and his parents react to this news? Did he live in hope that by some miracle, he would walk again or did he accept that this was the way he was going to be for the rest of his life? After finishing the book, I felt that these questions were left largely unanswered.
   Also, as Mark O'Brien died in 1999, I felt that it would have been good for the co-writer to have written an epilogue regarding the circumstances of his death. Throughout the book Mark comes close to death on several occasions and he talks about death in quite some detail, but the reader is left with no details of the actual circumstances in which he died.
   Despite these criticisms, I recommend this book highly. It is an amazingly inspirational read.

5 comments about A Biography of Mrs. Marty Mann: The First Lady of Alcoholics Anonymous.

1. Riveting and educational! A page turner! Marty Mann was an incredible woman and we finally get to read about her life in detail. This is a must read for those who are recovering from alcoholism, those affected by alcoholism, social service and public health providers and legislatures. We have much to learn from Marty Mann and we must continue her mission today.



2. This was written with the language of the heart... and was informative, fascinating, and well done in every way. I enjoyed the pictures too. I felt privileged to see inside this fabulous woman's life.



3. I loved this book. It is well-written, expertly researched and completly honest.As a recovered person myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the the weaving of historical accounts of the early days of AA and NCA. Even without that, the story of Marty Mann was impressive and powerful. The account of the founding, growth, growing pains and success of NCA was a primer on how to get an impossible job done. Many other historical facts that were intertwined throughout the book provided a sense of reality about developments in our country that are rarely discussed.
   
   My thanks to the authors for writing a book I will treasure it and make it a permamnent part of my personal library.



4. I enjoyed Marty's story so much. She was such an intelligent, attractive, successful woman, and yet alcohol brought her to a point of utter despair and poverty. I could truly relate to how it feels to have so much and yet not be able to save yourself from alocholism. With the help of AA I have found my life again, and continue to grow in all areas of my life. Reading Marty's story was so good for my self esteem and confidence. It truly emphasizes that alcoholism is a disease and not a moral issue. I enjoyed this book so much I stayed up until 2am the first night I started reading it. This has been a good read for me! I would recommend it to females in AA especially.



5. I am happy with amazon's fast accurate service. The book is interesting and easy to read. Would reccomend to anyone interested in history and development of modern substance abuse education and treatment. Mrs. Mann was a truly remarkable woman. I don't believe her contributions can be over estimated.

No comments about Down the Yellow Brick Road: An ALS Victim's Quest for Oz.

5 comments about Get a Grip! : A Take-Charge Approach to Living With Arthritis.

1. One does not have to suffer with rheumatoid arthritis in order to be inspired by this book. Its lessons are universal!Amye's descriptions of her pain, feelings of isolation, helplessness are almost palpable.It is hard to imagine the spirit and strong desire to lead a full life that propel her to go through countless surgeries. Her description of the role of family and loving friends brought home what we always knew that our relationships can make the difference between life and death. I also particularly appreciated her emphasis on taking control of your own health, and in dealing with doctors to work as a partnership. The phenomenal work she has accomplished is more than most people could do without health problems, but her contributions to others are a tribute to her courage, determination and tenacity. I advise everyone to read this book, lend it to others and rejoice that an Amye Leong exists!!!



2. 'Get A Grip' is not simply a story about how to deal with the pain and torment of arthritis, this is a story about how to deal with LIFE! This is a story about a woman who at the age 18 was stricken by a disease normally attributed to those much older. Amye Leong tells her story of pain, of despair and hope, of setbacks and victories. This is a story that can teach us all lessons on how to deal with whatever challenges we may be faced with in our own lives. This is a story that can teach us all that in the final analysis it is the person we all see looking back at us in the mirror that has the real power to affect our lives. But most of all, this is a story of COURAGE!!



3. As a person with RA and as a professional health educator, I LOVED Get a Grip! Not only did I like the advice and inspiration that Amye Leong provides in it, but her personal story was amazing! I did not want to put this book down and when I did finish reading it, I wanted to read more about what happens to her next as she reaches for her dreams all while dealing simulataneously with a ravaging chronic disease. If you want to know exactly what it is like to have RA as a young adult or you just want to read how another person understands exactly how YOU feel while trying to live a full life and cope with RA at the same time, you have to GET THIS BOOK! Amye really is a wonderful arthritis educator and advocate but even more so, she is such a terrific role model. If she could come through her horrible flares of this disease as well as she did, it makes me feel like I can still move towards my dreams as well, RA and all. Amye is a great motivator and author, and now I can hardly wait for her next book to come out: to hear how her story continues!



4. This book is full of inspiration for those with or without chronic illness. Amye shares a heartfelt, yet witty story of hope and perseverance. She weaves in helpful resources and advocacy strategies as she describes her journey with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Get a Grip is empowering and life changing. As a person with chronic pain - once I read Amye's book - I knew I wasn't alone.



5. I think the book is very interesting. I heard about it because I saw Amye Leong at an Arthritis Conference she spoke at and came home and ordered her book. She went through very tough times and is a very motivational speaker and I really enjoyed listening to her. I have family members with arthritis( not rheumatoid ) but I felt they could read the book also and be inspired by Amye. I am a registered nurse and I now know the daily struggles rheumatoid arthritic patients persevere. Thank you Amye for a great book!!