1 comments about Mah and Family Values.

1. We see a rise in hate crimes in America. The Black man is under constant attack. This book is written in a timely fashion reflecting upon a very pervasive type of racial discrimination and harr- assment. It focus upon the problems of a select group of people call the powerless which cross all color and ethnic lines. MaH & Family Values tell the unique story of how a family struggles and survives because of their faith and beliefs in God. The Work express the types of Values which can be used to Unite all Americans in their struggle for Justice. A Book for Thought.

1 comments about Healing with Handmade Bread: From Start to Finish in Just Two Hours.

1. This book was written by a beautiful woman who has made it her goal in life to make others happy. Kathy writes in a manner that is simple and humble. Her style allows the reader to not only learn to make delicious bread, but understand the peace that Kathy feels when she makes and shares bread. I am a long-time bread maker and love these recipes. They have been perfected to the point where a novice can easily learn and an experienced bread maker can start to develop new recipes. This is not just a book for bread makers or just a book for those with cancer. Kathy's experience with cancer and her love of making handmade bread is an inspiration to anyone.

2 comments about Second Sight.

1. When Robert Hine was coming of age, he learned that, sooner or later, he would be blind. Instead of giving up, Hine went on to earn his maters degree and later his doctorate degree. He became a respected college professor, author, and researcher. Before age fifty, he was completely blind, yet he continued to work. Fifteen years later, circumstances necessitated a risky surgery that couldn't have gone better. Hine's sight was restored. He shares the miracle of his instant return to the sighted world, taking readers along as he reacquaints himself with the visual parts of his life. Hine demonstrates how truly relative "disability" is. WIth some sight, no sight, and restored sight, the author remains motivated and sucessful. This book is both a personal journey and a manual on living with loss and the rewards of not giving up. Hine is a true hero. Amazingly he carries it all off without an ounce of pretention.



2. This was a short book, for which I'm grateful. It would have been much more enjoyable if it was half as long. The aspects of going blind and than regaining sight many years later was intriguing, and those parts of the book I enjoyed. But the author spent (IMHO) much to much time talking like a philosopher, which made it an effort to read.

1 comments about Lisa, the Brief Life of a Writer.

1. LISA, THE BRIEF LIFE OF A WRITER is a collection of poems, essays, and book reviews written by Lisa McDonough, who died at age 34 in March 2001 from Cystic Fibrosis. She had been a journalist with the PALM BEACH POST newspaper. Her poems are insightful and mature, employing a gift from the muses; her essays (many about dealing the trials she had to face) are inspirational without being sentimental. Most interesting to me are her book reviews. Oddly enough they reveal much about her character, while providing readers with a vehicle to access a wide variety of reading material.

   This is a beautifully designed book, with a photo of Lisa on the cover. That same photograph sits on my own writing desk, a gift from Lisa following a visit to her home in Jupiter, Florida in 1999. Years ago, I had the honor of teaching Lisa McDonough when she was in the eighth grade, in Hawaii. Later, she helped to edit two of my own books, published by Susquehanna and Syracuse University presses. What enormous pleasure it gave me to watch my little student, now a college honors graduate, take red pen to her teacher's work. She had learned well and had become an expert teacher herself.

   Lisa's brief time with us is a message that life--even with the weight of trials and tribulations--can be possible, useful, and hopeful. Her passing was a lesson in grace and bravery. Her book is not just a tribute to her but a guide to help all of us live with courage and joy.

4 comments about Lessons from Joan: Living And Loving With Cancer, a Husband's Story.

1. 'Lessons From Joan' is amazing. It is an eloquently written book about an incredibly painful subject. While at times difficult to read, it is more difficult to put down. Eric Kingson has captured the essence of the dignity of life and death.



2. A book this rich with information, experience and insight profoundly affects different readers in different ways, and for different reasons. I loaned it to my friend, whose sister has a terminal cancer condition much like Joan's in the book. My friend said it helped her face the fact that her sister is dying, whereas she had been in a state of denial before reading "Lessons From Joan."
   
   My friend thought so highly of "Lessons From Joan" that she loaned it to her doctor, who ordered a copy for her patients. The physician said the book is not only an excellent memoir, but also a unique resource of practical information about how to navigate the health care system, complete with sample letters. Such help from families who've "been there" can be, quite literally, a lifeline during a confusing and potentially overwhelming personal health crisis.
   
   Because of my own personal circumstances, I took something entirely different from "Lessons From Joan" than what my friend or her physician did: I learned about how to live well. What I found most enlightening was how Eric and Joan Kingson knit joyful activities into the fabric of their lives, even once cancer threatened to take life away-unlike many people, like me, who are so focused on the future they neglect the present. Similarly, I was touched by Eric Kingson's candid picture of his and Joan's family, friends, careers, and life choices. It's clear that the author is not idealizing; he is very honest about their difficulties and imperfections. Yet it is also very clear how psychologically strong and happy Eric and Joan were-what a good marriage, family, set of friends, and community they had built through their dedication. For people like me who originate from less "functional" family backgrounds, it was eye-opening to learn how a family like this operates: how the Kingsons made choices, how they enjoyed life, and how they faced the unthinkable together with tenderness, humor, and persistence.
   
   Another aspect of "Lessons From Joan" that struck me profoundly relates specifically to Joan's death, as well as the unexpected deaths from cancer many years earlier of both Eric and Joan Kingson's parents. Since reading "Lessons From Joan," I've written letters to my children just in case something should ever happen to me. And months after reading "Lessons From Joan," I find myself using Joan's last weeks of life as a gauge by which I measure whether my current goals, thoughts and actions make sense in "the big picture" of my own family's life.
   
   I also find I have a much deeper appreciation and understanding of the experiences of families affected by cancer, whereas before reading this book, my sympathy was superficial in a self-protective way. Eric Kingson takes the reader through the rollercoaster journey of life with cancer, after which no reader will ever be the same. Although that journey is painful, it is very life-enriching and worth every second of sadness the reader experiences as part of it.
   
   "Lessons From Joan" holds many lessons for everyone, applicable well beyond the typical audience for this type of book. Eric Kingson is an excellent writer, and through his writing, those lessons are cemented into the reader's mind and woven into our hearts, where they strengthen the foundation on which we base our own futures, whatever they may be and for however much time we may have.



3. Eric's wife Joan was diagnosed with cancer and despite her near-perfect record of eating well and exercising right - and her medical background which should have lent to learn diagnosis - she struggled with cancer and the medical system alike. LESSONS FROM JOAN: LIVING AND LOVING WITH CANCER, A HUSBAND'S STORY offers far more than the usual memoir, however: its most valuable contribution lies in its lessons on how to navigate the medical system, how to obtain results in the face of obstacles, and how families can endure both diagnosis and treatment. This powerful story holds many lessons and much advice for any facing similar struggles, and is a high recommended pick.



4. I love these people! This book is written with immense love and is the most touching story I have ever heard. It is worth reading for anyone, not just those with family members who have cancer.

5 comments about Manic By Midnight.

1. I read other reviews before purchasing this book, and had high expectations of Ms.Shannon's story. Once I began reading, however, I found her writing style to be extremely repetitive, with many sentences being paraphrased over and over again. This may be intentional, to reflect the confused state of mind during a stressful period in the author's life, but does not, in my opinion, add substance to the book or to the subject matter.

   Having said this, I have to mention that I do empathise with her story, being a bipolar patient myself. I just expected that a published book would have a higher quality of written English on its pages. Contrary to other reviewers' opinions, I kept having to put the book down as I tired of the writing style.




2. I rate this book five stars! This well written and fascinating book is about the author's experience with mental illness. Her perspective helped me put into words so many feelings I had. I especially enjoyed the part where the author wrote from a psychotic viewpoint, which makes the book all the more unique.

   This book would surely be of help to a bipolar or a relative of a mentally ill person.




3. Faye has written a touching and uplifting story about her struggle with bipolar disorder. She appears to have been afflicted with a pretty severe variety of the disorder, perhaps Bipolar I would be the proper diagnosis. The writing isn't as good as in the finest mental illness memoirs, such as "An Unquiet Mind" or "Girl, Interrupted", but she is still able to tell her story vividly and honestly. The reader is likely to find himself cheering for her, hoping she can get her life back together. Anyone with bipolar disorder should read this book. Avery Z. Conner, author of "Fevers of the Mind".



4. This book contains a candid description of the experience of a manic episode and the social, career, family and financial devastation it can cause. I'm sure most bipolars will identify with Faye, and SOs of bipolars will get an insight into the illness that perhaps the rest of us don't always have the words to convey.
   
   It was very engaging. I put aside the other 3 books I'm reading just to see how things turned out.



5. This was a great book to give insight on her own trial and tribulations of coping and dealing with bipolar. I read it as an assignment but the knowledge I gained will help me to educate those in the future. Thank you Faye Shannon for going out on a limb and putting your whole life out there for others to read. You are truely an inspirational person.

4 comments about Shattered: True Story of an American Teenager.

1. I couldn't put this book down. One I started it I had to finish this true story of a young girl whose life was turned upside down. A must read for every teenager every parent of a teenager and for anyone who realizes that life is so precious and our lives can change in a matter of minutes.



2. I enjoyed the book, I had to finish the book the same day I started it. When my children, ages 9 and 11, are older I plan to have them read it. I hope that they will realize that every action had a consquence. I wish that every teen would understand that.



3. This is a great story. I had a chance to meet Holly after reading her book, and she was such a wonderful person when we met. She has an incredible wit and a terrific sense of humor.



4. I felt like I was just watching a movie on TV while I read this book. I would especially recommend this to all youth nearing driving age or those that may have just received their license.
   
   As an adult, I can remember that in my teenage years ... I felt like nothing I did could harm me. Yet this is just one of many examples that in less than a second, a tragedy can happen that changes your life and the life of everyone around you forever. This book helps us all understand how fragile we all are and how blessed we are to have the burdens in our lives that are so small in comparison.

1 comments about Goals in Sight: The Story of John G. Hodson Sr. and the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America.

1. This book is full of inspiration and hope. What an amazing story. The MSAA does amazing things for people with Multiple Sclerosis. I have given this as gifts because it is invaluable information all MS sufferers need to know.

No comments about Dysfunctional Families Everyone Has One.

4 comments about I Would Be Loved.

1. In this memory of foster caregiving Ms. Falkner brings together the true flavor of foster parenting in the age of "coke babies" and "crack moms". Little did we- as reader- know that ALCOHOL would prove to be the greater toxin. The first wave of little cocaine and other drug exposed children appeared to do well clinically and even educationally until a certain age, around 5-8 years. Suprisingly when alcohol was the come-down drug, or the drug not-of-choice in times of coke scarcity; the babies did not fare so well. These organic damages were evident from birth and never let up. Alcohol is a legal drug and Ms. Falkner makes it very clear how permanently her clients were affected; how readily accessible this legal teratogen remains and how terribly devastating pre-natal alcohol exposure is. There is no known safe amount of alcohol from conception through nursing. That is the premise of this book. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is the underlying thread which runs throughout. Subtle in its forces of confusion, overwhelm and lifelong vulnerability, a simple working knowledge of FASD is conspicuous by its absence in so many circles [CD treatment, adult child circles, the field of corrections, special education etc]. This book makes a good read for anybody beginning to see how very wide spread and unspoken FASD is still- despite two and a half decades of available wisdom in the public health arena as to the dangers of alcohol use by pregnant women. Judges, sherrifs, social workers, school principals, teachers and aides, as well as daycare providers, latch-key providers and foster caregivers and related professionals can all benefit by taking this book along on their summer breaks. Read something else for fun; because as human and warm as this memoir of a very special family is--you will no longer wonder "what's up with johnny?" or "why jane won't try?". Linda Falkner tells no lies. This is exactly how the system feels when in our homes. This is how pervasive and frightening the developmental delays and other disorders caused by exposing a fetus to alcohol......are when in our lives. Our kids are so very special. They need an outside brain. These biological moms can recover while their children [exposed] can never. As a foster caregiver during that same epoch, I am grateful to Linda Falkner. She has spoken my mind......and more. My heart sighs in sadness.



2. Ms. Falkner provides readers with a dose of realism in living with children exposed prenatally to alcohol. Social service professionals, foster parents and adoptive parents would be wise to read this to gain a better understanding of the devastation FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) causes in the life of the child. Only by facing the truth as a society will we be able to prevent this 100% preventable birth defect. This book would also make great reading for high school students in health classes.



3. I use this book in jr and high schools. The kids are fascinated and amazed. Hopefully, this will prevent some of them from drinking during pregnancy, and save a child from this tragedy. This book is not only a great read, but it's full of must know facts. Very highly researched, and written from her heart.



4. The pictures and stories that show what alcohol can do to a baby are shocking. More people need to know about this tragedy so it can be prevented. This is a fast reading and fascinating book.