5 comments about Not Fade Away: A Short Life Well Lived.

1. Laurence Shames and Peter Barton wrote a good book. I like that the authors traded off narrating chapters, which is an interesting spin on writing a memoir/biography. I especially like Barton's self-reflective honesty, honesty that's helped me out several times when my lack of confidence threatened to "give me away" to associates and clients.
   
   Although Barton was famous as a pushy, brash, and successful businessman, few people knew he could also be unsure of himself. He says: "(There was) a truth that at the time I hid even from myself, but that now, with the bracing candor that comes with being close to death, I can readily admit: I had a lot of bluster but very little confidence."
   
   He also says: "There's no surprise in a truly brave person acting brave; it's when the erstwhile coward rises to the occasion that we feel pride in our humanity. Similarly, it's not great accomplishment for a genuinely confident person to seem confident. But I had to work at it every time. I had to suck up fear over and over again. (This, by the way, is a trait I seem to share with many of the most successful people I have met in business.)"
   
   Barton's thoughts make me feel more secure with my insecurity, and they reassure me I don't have to be confident to be successful.



2. I just finished reading "Not Fade Away" for the second time. The first time I read it a couple of years ago I remember taking it very slowly because I felt each word was so important. Usually a very fast reader, I would stop and go over sentences because I didn't want to miss anything. Impactful ideas were there in every sentence.
   
   I just finished reading it again because I wanted to see how it stood up against "The Last Lecture." And it held up very well. The two books are by (and about) similarly energetic, optimistic men dying of cancer, but they tell very different tales in different styles. I'm glad to say that there's an honesty in this book that wears well with time. Re-reading it again made me very glad that I recommended it last year to a friend whose brother was dying of cancer. They say the best gifts come in small packages, and that's certainly true here. Powerful and enjoyable! Read it.



3. As a leukemia survivor, married to a wonderful spouse and with three young children, Peter's memoir rings almost too true to me. I actually met Peter a few times in the 80s through one of his dearest friends whom I dated for a short time. Peter was never so enthusiastic as he was when talking about Laura, his soon-to-be bride. You could tell that family devotion, and a strong conscience was deeply rooted in him from an early age.
   
   The basic values given to him by his parents, particularly the sacrifices his mother made, were at the heart of this book. He sacrifices his own personal privacy and makes a gift to his children and others coping with cancer. He shows us what the process feels like. Knowledge, however sad, is somehow empowering.
   
   As a cancer patient, I have plenty of time to reflect and read. If you don't, then I say read it. You won't regret it. This book is at times intoxicating and high-flying, philosophical and deadly real. It is about life, much more than it is about death.
   
   Peter may have not thought that he was a survivor, but he was--every day he lived. Here's hoping that Peter's life, however brief, will never fade away in the hearts and minds of all he loved.



4. I happened upon an advance uncorrected proof of this book quite by accident. I read a few sentences and thought, "Why not give it a read?" Well, I have to say that the book - both the writing and the content - are absolutely wonderful. Laurence Shames gets all the emotion and humility and pride down flawlessly in the pages of this book. You can't help but wish you had known Peter Barton after reading this.



5. Mr. Shames wrote a poignant and very real account of the disease that took his life at a very early age. I read this a couple years ago, and just re-read after hearing the story of a "younger" person stricken with cancer. This book will inspire, but will also force the reader to consider; "What would I do? Would I have that much grace and zest and enthusiasm?" The dirt-nap gets us all, this book demonstrates how one man dealt with his impending demise---and teaches valuable life-lessons that we could all use. Highly recommended.

5 comments about Sick Girl.

1. I learned a lot from this book, and highly recommend it. You will not regret.



2. I really liked the book and found it hard to put down at times. I found myself laughing at times to her humor. But a bit disappointed that she is pretty self-centered. For example: She mentions several times about how badly she wants to get pregnant and have a baby, yet she gives vague details about how her adopted son came about. If she truly cared about someone other than herself, I would think she would at least put some emphasis on her son.



3. This book I couldn't put down. It is mesmerizing from beginning to end. Often I was admiring her bold candor. And cringing from it. Sometimes I thought she was a blazing narcissist. And then I'd be inspired by her huge huge courage.
   
   I had no idea a heart transplant was not a magic fix that worked until it was rejected. Omg, it is the very tough life to lead with a heart transplant. I had no idea.
   
   For instance, the heart is not hooked up to the spinal column. The replacement heart was removed, the patient's heart was removed, to never again have a heart that is hooked up to the spinal column. Forever after it does not feel like a normal heart. Forever after it doesn't act like a normal heart. Forever after a transplant patient lives with fear to terror with constant varying symptoms.
   
   Near the end of the book she's summing up about her warm and fuzzy internist doc at the very beginning of her ordeal taught her never again to warm up like a friend to a doctor, because she'd be moved up to one specialist after another.
   
   I remember my horror when my mother, alone in the hospital during my father's lung surgery, received a phone call in the lobby by our many, many years family doctor that there was no hope. No empathy. No hand holding. Not even making sure someone - a nurse, someone, would be with my mother when she received the news.
   
   I remember when my father was in the hospital dying of cancer he'd gotten a stomach infection that required a specialist. I can remember sitting in our dining room calling the specialist sobbing. He hadn't been notified by, I guess, hospital staff. He quickly agreed to come. He was the ONLY doctor I'd experienced the entire time who unhurriedly with empathy and compassion treated my father and then took the time to look at the family pictures. This doctor was there only that one day. He's the only one I've never forgotten.
   
   What a remarkable woman - Amy Silverstein.



4. First, I am an R.N. who has cared for many truly unfairly ill people with repeated admissions for their illness which eventually led some to their death. One of the most horrifying was a woman I cared for who started with a below the knee amputation in one leg, then each admission had more and more of her body removed until she was left amputated from the waist down like someone you would see in the circus. She had a bag for urine and a bag for stool, suffered tremendous pain and body image violation. Developed an untreatable infection and died a horrendous death.
   
   I am also someone who has suffered with chronic pain illnesses for over 15 years depriving me from a life I so wanted like my friends and unlike Amy, I can not walk any significant distance so jogging daily or going to Spain with my friends is utterly out of the question. I appreciate that Amy is able to write clearly her experience but if she wasn't a heart transplant patient there would really be nothing that would make her situation unique.
   
   Thousands of people suffer illnesses at young ages. They experience lost dreams (like finishing school which Amy achieved) loss of being parents (Amy got that one in, unsupportive spouses (amazingly Amy got that one too) and chronic unrelenting pain needing heavy narcotics or implantable stimulators (I think cycloclosporine would be a walk in the park for them).
   
   What is sad and kinda unacceptable is that despite all Amy went through she recogized that she should be thankful but could never grow up enough to really feel it. I often have wondered at the unfairness it seems that the the people who I feel are so undeserving of illness (I cared for a priest who died a tremedously painful death from liver cancer) and those who are the scum of the earth ( a heroin addict who decided to shoot up through a IV in a major vein in his neck prompty putting himself into cardiac arrest and lived) seem to survive. Hard to know why Amy got her heart, lived to age 24 before a congential defect reared its head, but truly it seems the most deserving of better health are not the ones who get it and the ones who get those second changes don't always deserve it.



5. Finally someone is brave enough to speak up - not only for heart transplant patients, but for many chronically ill people. In exceptionally beautiful and poignant writing, Amy delves into uncomfortable and unpopular territory. As a few cruel and unfortunate comments here show, there are people who want to believe that there is always a happy answer to terrible illness. Amy shows us, bravely, that this is not so. Some illnesses go on and on, they can come near to breaking us, and yet we can meet their challenge daily, doing the best we can. She is an author and a human being who dares to take the mask off and show us that suffering happens - that therapy and happy thoughts are not always an answer. Sometimes a chronically ill person just has to bear it. And wouldn't it be great if the people around them would have empathy and understanding instead of judgment and that "shut up, you crazy person" mentality. I sure understood a whole lot by the time I got to the end of Sick Girl. I will never look at a sick grandparent, parent or friend the same way. What a read.

5 comments about It's Not About the Hair: And Other Certainties of Life and Cancer.

1. This book is an inspiring story that reminds us that life can be lived joyfully, no matter what challenges we face. The author is an example for all to follow, no matter whether we have faced cancer, or not. It's a great selection for book club discussions.



2. A friend going through breast cancer told me about this book. I got it from the library and could not put it down. Debra Jarvis is a chaplain at a well respected Cancer clinic in Seattle, and in a twist of irony, she is diagnosed with cancer (one week after her mother's similar diagnosis.)
   
   (Reviewer disclosure: I do not have cancer, nor am I religious.)
   Jarvis puts "God" in a perspective to which even I can relate.
   
   Sounds like it might be dark, but Jarvis's humor, wisdom, faith and grace are both enlightened and hysterical. She has a wicked sense of humor. I've since bought this book for several people and will continue to. If you're having a tough time, due to health, emotional or any other worries and can't seem to see past the dark clouds, I highly recommend this book. She is inspiring and the book is a gift.



3. This book is written in such a personable manner, I felt like I was making a friend while reading the book. The way Debra deals with painful and scary situations with humor and caring diffuse the negative emotions attached to cancer, hospitals and dying. I was really impressed with how she integrated different styles of spirituality into a practice that sounds flexible and comfortable. I am not an active church goer anymore, but Debra's welcoming acceptance of others and continuing search for answers for the big questions in life gave me interest in more actively pursuing a spiritual life. She gives me hope that I will some day find a spiritual community to grow with.



4. Debra Jarvis has the perspective few other cancer patients have: that of a cancer patient and cancer chaplain. When I think of "chaplain", I imagine a older gentleman with a collar and a bible, ready to read me my last rites; Debra is the antithesis of this. She is a young, funny woman with a surprisingly secular approach to God, and she is able to minister to people with cancer in a way that touches everyone. And when she is diagnosed with stage II breast cancer, her reactions and emotions strike a nerve as genuinely human and real -- her training as a chaplain doesn't give her any special superhuman strength to deal with it more than any of her patients.
   
   This book is a great insight into a cancer patient's journey, especially for a loved one or caregiver. When a friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer, I think this book was as helpful for her as it was for me in learning to speak about it. Just like a great film, this book will make you laugh and cry, but ultimately uplift the experience of cancer and shine light on the dark shadows that surround it.



5. I found this book while browsing in a bookstore early in my chemotherapy adventure. In many ways it helped me survive the ordeal. The writing is wonderful--engaging, humorous, realistic, and at times heart-wrenching. There are many "this is how I survived cancer" books around, but this one is different somehow. It meant so much to me, and I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone who has received a cancer diagnosis.

5 comments about A Leg to Stand On.

1. Oliver Sacks is better in theaters than read. I consider "The man who mistook his wife with a hat" the only readable book from him.



2. Sacks brilliantly chronicles his experiences as a neurological patient. His experience came from a mountain climbing expedition, where he totally broke a leg and severed or damaged the femoral nerve in his leg. This book is his story of recovery from that intense and serious accident.
   
   What Sacks concentrates on in his story are the feelings of patients, particularly his own, who have serious neurological problems and how those feelings translate to the condition itself, or the condition translates to the feelings. His most significant commentary has to do with the feelings regarding the disassociation with the affected body part. One starts to feel that it is foreign, no longer a natural part of the body. And, that it no longer exists and will never again exist to the patient.
   
   In addition, he carefully points out the non-recognition of these patient feelings by his Neurologist who sees himself more as a fixer of mechanical problems with the body, rather than a Dr. treating a real live human being with feelings of alienation of the limb and alienation from society. Sacks writing style is sophisticate and beautiful, a rare combination for a doctor, but he achieves it like always with exquisite aplomb. The book is highly recommended for all readers interested in physical recovery, especially those who have had a significant neurological problem.



3. Neurologist Oliver Sacks was startled by a bull while climbing a mountain in Norway and fell, tearing his quadriceps muscle entirely free from the knee. This horrible injury was life threatening, occurring as it did high on a cold mountain, but he managed to splint his leg and crawl down the mountain to be rescued.
   
   He was airlifted to a London hospital and had surgery to reattach the muscle. After the surgery he was shocked to discover that he had completely lost the "image" of his left leg. He couldn't feel it or move it -- couldn't even think how to move it. He was like a one-legged man with an unknown "chalk column" lying next to him in bed. In vintage Sacks style, "A Leg To Stand On" discusses this phenomenon with reference to music, philosophy, literature, and of course neurology, since this is what he calls a "neurological novel." While learning to use crutches, he suddenly regained the concept of his leg and how to use it; in his words, "...suddenly...I believed in my leg, I knew how to walk."
   
   "A Leg To Stand On" explores from his own point of view what it means to be a patient and to have this devastating though not uncommon loss of body image. His synthesis of the experience delves into the basis of the "old" neurology, focused on neural function, and the "new" neurology which he describes as neuropsychology, studying what people do and how they do it.
   
   I recommend this to anyone who has read and enjoyed other books by Oliver Sacks. If you are new to his work, you may like to start in the shallower end of the pool with Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (Picador) or An Anthropologist on Mars.
   
   Linda Bulger, 2008



4. I'd not read any of Sacks' books before, so was unprepared for his writing style. The first chapter is perfect, detailing the frightening encounter with a bull in Norway. In his frenzy to elude it, Sacks terribly injures his leg. He describes his ordeal where he transports himself laboriously down the mountain using his two arms and one good leg.
   Reappearance of the bull or getting trapped in the cold mountain area overnight would mean death. His rescue at the eleventh hour completes this part, which could stand alone as a short story.
   His hospital stay puts the doctor in the role of patient, and not a very patient one. The impersonal setting, discovery of any lack of feeling or movement in his leg and his active mind dominate this section of the book. He vividly recalls his thoughts, actions and every nightmare from this time. It's a frightening experience to find one's leg insensate and alien to one's self.
   I've been reading quite a few biographies about paralysis (Best Seat in the House, My Stroke of Luck, etc.) and this one is in a category by itself. It's extremely cerebral, literary and alternately fascinating and off-putting. At moments you feel his horror at the situation while at other times you think, "pull yourself together."
   Since each reader brings their own perspective to reading a book, I still recommend it. See what you think.



5. This book draws on Dr Sack's personal experience of trauma and recovery. It is an interesting perspective for the doctor to view things from the standpoint of the patient, and it drives home the point that apart from professional competency, excellent interpersonal skills are vital. One must never forget that in dealing with a patient, you relate to him/her as a person first, and as a doctor second. This insight is conveyed clearly here, and as obvious as it might seem, it is often relegated as being of a lesser importance by most medical professionals.
   
   The experience recounted though is overtly detailed and can become rather heavy to digest and a challenge to get through at some parts of the book.

5 comments about Balancing Heaven and Earth: A Memoir of Visions, Dreams, and Realizations.

1. Robert Johnson has been a great teacher, mentor, and inspiration for many in the exploration of the inner world, and ultimately the discovery for what he has known as 'the golden world'.It is a homecoming and a place of bliss and repose. I had the privilege to study and share time with Robert in the U.S. and India. He provided for me a taste of that world and a living inspiration in the very real possibility of developing a sacred and blissful rapport between the inner and outer worlds we inhabit. I was delighted to find in this book my own tiny contribution in suggesting to Robert that he take a polaroid camera to India. The realm of Enlightenment is the destiny of all humanity, and here is the humble story of one man who is pointing for us the way to follow... if we are willing to find the courage to do so.



2. Sometimes I think if I was being scurried away to a desert island I would only bring Robert Johnson, Robert Bly, and James Hollis books because these three are such amazing writers and thinkers. This autobiography is so heartfelt and real and just a total gem all around, Don't miss it- or any of his other books, especially He, She, We, and Ecstacy.



3. I learned a great deal from this book. It gave me a basic understanding of Jungian analysis, in particular how dreams are used to tap into the sub-conscious mind and help identify one's personal "destiny" or "thread" as Johnson describes it. I appreciated his several visions of the "Golden World" and how he sought, throughout his life, to re-experience this heightened state of awareness. He also describes how we project our desires onto others in order to experience this sense of connection. I loved Mr. Johnson's experiences in India, and the way he immersed himself in the culture and learned so much about their distinct way of viewing the world. I hope to read another of his books.



4. Beginning in his youth, Robert Johnson shares a frank history of his spiritual development through his entire life, through the lens of a master of Jungian theories and concepts. He describes his early experiences and wounding, his early adult years following the "slender threads" that guide him to finding God's will for him. He describes his sensitive personality type and its close connection to a world both present and just beyond our grasp. His life demonstrates a beautiful rendition of following the spiritual path and its relationship to development from a Jungian perspective. He is as humble and unassuming in his writing as I suspect he was in life. This biography is a beautiful portait of a man's life lived well in the pursuit of following God's will. It demonstrates the unique understanding that can be developed by pursuing life from a Jungian perspective spiritually. I would recommend this book to people who have some sense of the breadth of Jungian psychology and some sense of their own "type", as well as some general concept of type dynamics and the concept of the shadow or inferior function. It is thoroughly engrossing and enjoyable. I would recommend it especially to middle to older age adults, seminarians, or others pursuing their personal spiritual development.



5. When I'm asked for the most influential books in my life, this is the one that tops my list. As someone who reads 50-200 books a year, that's a big list. I've given it as gifts, quoted it in sermons, referred to it as a spiritual counselor, used it for my own growth and have come back to it over and over since it was first published. I happened upon these reviews while ordering Johnson's latest CD, Golden World, which I'm thrilled to know has been produced. I've read all his books and agree with other reviewers that this is the best, or at any rate, the one that has provided a helpful road map for my life and experiences, and hence, for the many whom I also touch. For those of us, and there are numerous souls, who have had extraordinary tastes of the Golden World (and its inhabitants), "balancing heaven and earth" for the rest of one's life is a daily task; sometimes grace, often a struggle. His words in this memoir (my paraphrase): "there have always been those whose job it is to tend the borders between the worlds" gave me context when I first needed it. His book "We," while it didn't save me from romantic errors (and he writes: "the genie"--e.g. romantic love--"can't be put back in the bottle,") did, again, provide a context for healing and future lessons ("the depression is always in direct proportion to the inflation that preceded it.)His experiences with Krishnamurthi, recounted in this book, gave me important lessons as a teacher, e.g."don't try to give an old man's wisdom to a young person," and his lessons on sainthood have been extremely important as well. If you are living the inner journey, have any sort of spiritual life, and especially, if like Parsifal, Johnson's oft-referred to mythic model, have suffered the agony and the ecstasy of a visit to the Grail Castle and then "lost" it, this book is for you.

5 comments about What Patients Taught Me: A Medical Student's Journey.

1. In "What Patients Taught Me," author Audrey Young, M.D. describes her path in the study of medicine. Growing up in a comfortable Seattle household, she became interested in socioeconomic justice. As an undergrad at Berkeley she "wanted to be an urban doctor for neglected populations."
   
   She chose the University of Washington Medical School, an institution with a " ... dispersed ... program to train medical students from the Pacific Northwest to practice as rural doctors." Under this program, called WWAMI for its presence in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, Young's medical school rotations provided an unusual amount of patient contact and responsibility.
   
   It was her choice to spend the first year in a Seattle rotation, where she had limited patient contact while taking a heavy academic load. The following summer she began her rural training in a family practice clinic in Bethel, Alaska, where huge distances and inaccessibility of care often led to delayed treatment.
   
   Here on the tundra, as Young learned to present a case in pertinent bullet points, she began to see the context in which patients live their lives. From a healthy youngster with a cold, to a mother with a fulminating post-partum infection, to a forty-year-old mechanic with tuberculosis, each patient was so much more than symptoms and test results.
   
   After Alaska, Young's rotations were a mix of urban and rural. Seattle for surgery and psychiatry; Spokane for obstetrics; Pocatello, Idaho for pediatrics; back to Seattle for internal medicine where she began to long for the autonomy and open spaces of more rural rotations.
   
   At the end of her third year Young took a difficult rotation in Swaziland, in eastern Africa. This third-world country was overrun with HIV and suffered acutely from interruptions to the supply chain due to war, poverty and political ideology.
   
   What Patients Taught Me: A Medical Student's Journey is illustrated with story after story of patients and their diseases and social context. This is the lesson Audrey Young shares with us -- "that a doctor should understand how people live." She tells her own story beautifully, and it's an inspiring story regardless of the reader's field of interest. I would paraphrase her life lesson and say that in all our interactions, any person should strive for that same understanding.
   
   There is a lot of medical detail in this memoir, but if that field is within your area of competency as a reader, I recommend this book to you.
   
   Linda Bulger, 2008



2. If you are in the medical field you need to read this book. It's great to see someone who is in the medical field for the people and not the money.
   
   If you don't pick something up from this book as to how to handle your patients, I'd be real surprised.



3. After reading the author's accounts of rural medicine, I've begun to strongly consider applying for a rural-based residency upon completion of medical school.
   
   Her tone isn't as pompous as some other similar books I've read. She's very down to earth, and doesn't try to make herself sound impressive by using jargon and fancy words. I've already recommended it for friends who are looking into going into medicine. A friend gave this book to me as a gift after reading it, and I plan on doing the same!



4. It was very thoughtfully written.
   
   It was a topic of great interest to me.
   
   The evolution of her insight into her patients was craftfully presented.
   
   My only negative comment concerns the less than excellent level of literary skill.



5. When one conceives of the typical American medical school student's training one usually envisions students learning core clinical sciences the first two years and then proceeding on to rotations in major, large intercity hospitals. Yet, a quick glance at the inside jacket of this personal narrative mentions places like Bethel, Alaska and South Africa - not typical locales where one would expect to see a budding young physician. The singular uniqueness of the experience initially captures one's attention and then the succinct, yet poignant prologue fully captivates one's curiosity. Audrey Young brings a clairvoyant quality to her writing and seems to realize her own experience's importance in the midst of the vastness of modern medicine. She has found one thing that unifies medicine - the patient's story - and simultaneously is cognizant of its decline. Young best describes what attracts readers to the book by saying, "Patients teach things that the wisest and most revered physicians cannot, and their lessons are in this book." (x) These lessons are the defining topics of Dr. Young's personal memoir, What Patients Taught Me.
   Audrey Young describes her experiences as a developing physician enrolled at University of Washington Medical School. In preparation for medical school and the goal of becoming a practicing physician in the future, Young envisions herself as an urban doctor working in a clinic to provide much needed medical assistance to the indigent and underprivileged. After trudging through her first year of medical school, settling "into the idea that doctoring meant fixing bodies with science", and considering going to practice rural medicine, Young finally enrolls into a summer experience in the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho) program. (10) The maturing medical student ventures first to Bethel, Alaska where she learns from the Yupik people the value of doctoring as caring for one's patients and living alongside one's patients as not only caretakers but neighbors as well. It is in Bethel that Young first realizes that "telling the story was the crucial first step in taking care of a patient" - a lesson that motivates all subsequent interactions and provides the framework for her memoir. (29) She concludes her experience in Bethel without knowing the outcome of a patient suspected to have either curable tuberculosis or malignant cancer - she never finds out.
   Upon return returning to embark upon her second year of medical school, Young "gradually...began to function like a classroom student again and devolved into a primitive machine that ate textbooks and syllabi and spit out answers on multiple-choice exams." (39) Such harsh criticism of the traditional, rigid educational structure of lecture pervades Dr. Young's book, and instructs the reader of the dangers of making medicine simply an inhuman science without a personal component to the learning. In Spokane, she returns to a different type of classroom where her patients established the syllabi and constantly made additions and revisions. On her obstetrics rotations, Audrey Young witnesses difficult labors, complicated pregnancies, and tragic endings with one baby dying immediately after the mother held the baby born without a fully developed nervous system. Young learns to overcome her feelings of judgment of pregnant teenagers and renews her duty to care for those in need in spite of witnessing how not even the best doctors could always convince their patients to help themselves.
   In the next chapter of Dr. Young's seemingly unending journey, she endeavors to Pocatello, Idaho where she completes her pediatrics rotation. In this segment of her training, Young finds herself persistently in doubt - of her motivations, her capabilities, and her desire to become a physician - but she is able to find consolation in the example set by one caring resident, Jon. Of him she writes, "I felt a surge of gratitude again for how much he'd contributed towards my clinical skills and for the glimpse he'd given me into a young physician's soul. We had been through a chapter together." (110-111) In Missoula, Montana on her next rotation these clinical skills would prove defenseless against "the capricious powers of the human body to act as it wished, regardless of what the mind hoped for." (125) Martha, a patient who had previously recovered well enough to be taken off a ventilator, quickly sinks into a coma after being resuscitated and then dies almost too quickly for any of her relatives to bid her farewell. John, another of Young's patients, decides to live a fuller life without chemotherapy, spending his time riding on top of horses instead of gurneys.
   It is here where she learns from her patients valuable lessons such as the difficulty involved in adhering to an extensive drug regimen, the suffering of being misdiagnosed and treated improperly, and the vulnerability of making such important decisions as a physician. Young learns from her own inadequacy on a standardized test that she herself may make many mistakes, and that someday others might not be able to prevent her mistakes from harming her patients.
   Dr. Young's next journey leads her to practice medicine in Swaziland in South Africa in an impoverished community health clinic. Here in Africa Young witnesses the inadequacy of her clinic; this clinic is a healthcare facility that does not even have penicillin to treat simple infections. In spite of a close-call with an accidental needle-stick after taking abdominal fluid from an HIV-infected patient, Audrey Young still renews her devotion to medicine and carries on by taking care of patients and working through difficult circumstances. Young recalls, "I convinced myself that to feel and to act could be entirely unrelated things, but I decided that a doctor who sees suffering must act, rejecting the choice of not acting, even when futility and risk run high." (193) The time spent in Africa, while a vastly divergent setting, still provides Young and the reader with fundamental lessons about the devoted care that an exemplary physician must impart upon his or her patients.
   After returning to the United States, she continues her commitment to rural medicine by pursuing a rural internal medicine residency. She finds her niche practicing in a Seattle clinic for the indigent and teaching medical students how to interact with patients. From her writings, one can learn numerous valuable lessons from her diverse experiences. Dr. Young promotes an awareness of a different type of medicine - the type of medicine that the reader witnesses in Young's travels is not the dramatic, exciting medicine that one might see on television. It is also not the technology-driven medicine that one might envision as the future of medicine. What the reader finds in Young's account is simple patient and physician interaction. Young conveys this important message by reiterating, "I admired many of my teaching physicians as brilliant scientists and intellectuals, and for a time fancied myself in that vein. But WWAMI had imprinted upon me that doctors take care of patients, and in the end, I could not imagine a lifetime of doctoring without patients at the center." (208, emphasis added)
   Dr. Young weaves an elaborate tapestry out her patients' colorful stories - they are stories of nothing short of what it means to be human. The author does not veil the patients' suffering in medical terminology or vapid euphemisms; the reader instead discovers a potent, passionate account of what physicians might be missing by not listening to patients' stories beyond the clinical manifestations of disease. The first, primary lesson of this narrative informs the reader that "almost everything important comes from the patient's story." (212) The reader witnesses the consequences of failure to take note of the patient's story in the case of Carla, whose first doctor missed the diagnosis of Crohn's disease. From this encompassing lesson, the reader also learns that medicine and health should not simply concern itself with simple clinical symptoms and treatments, but should include consideration of the patient's and the family's more fundamental needs as emotional beings. John's decision to end chemotherapy to live out his last remaining days happily and the physician's respect of this decision eloquently demonstrates the importance of medicine extending beyond physiological considerations.
   Moreover, one of the perhaps more important messages that the reader can derive from Dr. Young's What Patients Taught Me is that medicine is fallible and that physicians cannot completely conquer human suffering. It is this humanly flawed aspect of medicine that makes it such an emotional experience to be a physician - to have the power to make a positive impact many times, but to lack any power against disease and illness at other times. Young concludes this statement best when she writes, "Sometimes I enter a story and find I can bring a little light and relief to human suffering." (214)

5 comments about Out of My Life and Thought (The Albert Schweitzer Library).

1. Albert Schweitzer had a high intellect and sought to improve the lives of many people through hard work, and dedication while sacrificing position and individual wealth. The man could have been a university professor of theology and philosophy, a Pastor of a prestigious church or a wealthy doctor. He became an accomplished organist as a musical artist, playing concerts to large audiences, and an expert in organ building; He wrote a book that became a standard in how quality instruments are to be built. Albert Schweitzer was a man of much intelligence and accomplished skills. After forging a bright future for himself he had an epiphany to be Christ like was to serve his fellow man. So he studied to become a medical doctor, so he could practice medicine where one was remote from what constituted modern society in the early twentieth century to practice medicine in Africa.
   This is an interesting read. The autobiography ends in 1932, so 25 years of his life is missing. I disagree with how this man perceived God and Jesus. He interpreted the Bible as if it were purely man made; that the Christian faith evolved through time. He determines theology based on the idea Jesus was a confused individual that expected one thing and events made Him adjust his thoughts. His view makes Jesus out to be quite pathetic. The author also believed Paul's thoughts were more informed and formed by events and his surrounding culture. Albert Schweitzer did not believe God's word was inspired through the Holy Spirit but by individual interpretation and culture.
   
   This book is an interesting read. How this man worked as a doctor - a physician in Africa yet still pursued practicing playing the Organ and intellectual pursuits. He even did this when he became a prisoner of war in the Great War. Where he eventually served as camp doctor to his fellow prisoners? I found this book a relatively easy read.



2. This book is not an easy read, but it is an interesting and worthwhile read. The chapter on why Dr. Schweitzer chose to be a medical missionary to Africa is especially interesting and meaningful. His thoughts on "Reverence For Life" are interesting and worthwhile reading, most provacative. His wide array of talent, abiltiy and interests are amazing and especially interesting, almost beyond belief and comprehension. His experiences as prisoner of war are revealing and somewhat shocking. At times the book gets tedious, especially in his philosophical thought,but don't let that stop you for slow you down. This book is well worth the read.
   
   Do men like Albert Schweitzer exist anymore? Could or would our culture let them exist?



3. This is an elegant though brief memoir written by the great man himself. One should not expect too much detail, however, as the text only gives us glimpses into the man's life and the singular events that shaped who he was and what he became and, more importantly, what he accomplished. Schweitzer focuses mainly on the development of his theological and philosophical thought, beginning with his early endeavours leading to his famous work, `The Quest for the Historical Jesus'. From this point, he continues on towards the shaping of his magnum opus, `Philosophy of Civilization'. It is in this section of the text that he discusses two worldviews of life-affirmation and life-denial and pessimism. This work evolves into his philosophical perspective of Reverence for Life.

   The biography ends in the year 1931, well before the advent of the Second World War. Schweitzer was only fifty-six years of age when he penned this work, well before receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, living and working for another forty-four years. Curiously, when his publisher requested that he write an autobiography, he was hesitant, as he was more or less still in his prime. However, as he wrote to his publisher fourteen years later on his seventieth birthday, memory fades with age, and he believed that writing about himself at that stage of his life, he could put down those important memories that remained fresh in his mind.

   Schweitzer is certainly an inspiration - a man of immense strength, physically, emotionally and spiritually, with an almost endless capacity for work. The man worked in the most difficult of circumstances. Practicing medicine in intense tropical heat, day after day, disease run rampant; constant worry over funds to purchase much needed medical supplies. Moreover, the terrible events of two world wars - the odds he worked against to maintain the Lambarene Hospital, to my mind, is simply unimaginable. But the man persisted, rising every morning to meet disease, suffering, violence, death and loneliness.

   This is an inspiring little book, charming and entertaining.




4. There is no better short book available on the mind and thoughts of Albert Schweitzer than this book. His theology on Jesus and Paul, his thoughts on Bach and organ building, his philosophy on Reverence for Life are all laid out here.

   George Marshall (see my review of Marshall's excellent biography: Schweitzer) once asked Dr. Schweitzer what professors would best provide him an education on Schweitzer's thoughts. He replied that Marshall should not go to professors but "read my books! No one can express the ideas of a man as well as he has expressed them himself.... read my books".

   Bob Frost of "Biography Magazine" once wrote, "Albert Schweitzer is not exactly forgotten today, but his name won't crop up in daily conversation. Fifty years ago, though, people talked about Schweitzer all the time. An American magazine selected him, ahead of Albert Einstein, as the "world's greatest living nonpolitical person." He was the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary, won the Nobel Peace Prize, and appeared on the cover of Time magazine. Fueled by idealism and burning spiritual passion, this medical missionary led one of the most intense lives of the 20th century."

   Be apprized that "Out of my Life and Thoughts" is not an easy read. Dr. Schweitzer's theology and philosophy, though dense, is not incomprehensible. And due to the translation from French to English, you many find yourself reading a passage multiple times to get the gist his thoughts.

   That said, for students of this great mind, this is a must read. Strongly recommended. 4.5 stars.




5. "Since my first years at the university I had grown increasingly to doubt the idea that mankind is steadily moving toward improvement. My impression was that the fire of its ideas was burning out without anyone noticing or worrying about it. ... What was just and equitable seemed to be pursued with only lukewarm zeal. I noticed a number of symptoms of intellectual and spiritual fatigue in this generation that is so proud of its achievements."
   Albert Schweitzer was a man of action -- humanitarian, theologian, historian, musician, musical technologist, medical doctor, author, philosopher, missionary, professor, environmentalist, prisoner of war, recipient of the Nobel Prize. He writes an interesting autobiography, which is not surprising when one considers the breadth of his interests and of his achievements in science, the humanities and the arts. In his later years he was perhaps the most widely admired and respected person in the Western world.
   Jimmy Carter offers a foreword in this volume; it is economical, a mere six sentences. Schweitzer's philosophical work may be well studied, but does not particularly distinguish itself in this volume (with some notable exceptions). His theological work (i.e., Christology) is generally questionable -- bound to Enlightenment fallacies of a "historical Jesus." I was happy to be concurrently reading the thoughts of a far better theologian, CS Lewis, on the idea of "discovering" a "historical" Jesus. While some of Schweitzer's ideas are [rightly] not highly regarded, his "life and thought" makes for unusually interesting biography. His "reverence for life" precept certainly has great value, but seems to be a less profoundly unique idea than he held it to be. Perhaps my view here is merely ignorant of the world in which Schweitzer lived.
   He considered this book to be his best, or at least his preferred, writing, but if you are going to read only one book considering theological and historical exegetics, this is probably the wrong book. On the other hand, Schweitzer makes many observations cleanly and powerfully: "Our world rots in deceit. Our very attempt to manipulate truth itself brings us to ... [a truth] based on a skepticism that has become belief... It is superficial and inflexible." Kant had observed the intellectual paralysis of such "a skepticism that has become belief," but Schweitzer goes further, recognizing it as an even deeper spiritual paralysis.
   While Schweitzer's Christology is, at the least, arguable, his firm commitment to Christ's commandment of love is a strong example of the Christian life led in the light of its Teacher's example. The author is [rightly] given to referring to Christianity as "the religion of love." In this aspect, Schweitzer at once offers the non-Christian a true image of Christianity and offers the Christian an important, if gentle, reminder. "[God] announces Himself in us as the will to love. The First Cause of Being, as He manifests Himself in nature, is to us always impersonal. To the First Cause of Being that is revealed to us in the will to love, however, we relate as to an ethical personality." And quoting Paul: "Love never faileth: but where there be knowledge it shall be done away."

2 comments about Pioneers of Cardiac Surgery.

1. I was very excited to read Pioneers of Cardiac Surgery because I worked with Dr. Stoney at St. Thomas hospital as a cardiothoracic fellow. I enjoyed my rotation with him not only for what he taught me about surgery, but also for the good stories he would tell while we were operating. In his book, he has blended his talent for a good tale with interviews of nearly every pivotal character in the fascinating sequence of events that led to the development of cardiac surgery. I was struck by the humble beginnings of the physicians interviewed, and inspired by their dedication, tireless work ethic, and inquisitive thinking. By and large, they were self-effacing men who found themselves on the wavefront of an exciting surgical breakthrough.
   
   The book was detailed enough to be interesting to physician or surgeon readers, but clearly written to be understood by readers without medical background. As many of those with first hand experience of the beginnings of cardiac surgery are lost to age and infirmity, Dr. Stoney's work is a timely compilation of a compelling historical adventure.
   
   Dr. Stoney is one of the finest men I have met in my surgical career. Even though the format of Pioneers is a series of interviews of other surgeons, his honesty, integrity, and affable nature are evident throughout the book. I highly recommend to all readers.



2. I expected this book to be a rather dry and technical account of a medical sub-specialty's history. But in fact it is a readable, entertaining history geared not just to specialists, but to the general reader, containing many inspiring life stories of the "greatest generation" of doctors. I think this book would be very interesting to young doctors who are in training today, whether they plan to be cardiac surgeons or not..
   
   The book begins with a short history of cardiac surgery. This chapter might be useful to students of the history of medicine who don't have time to read every word of the rest of the book, and it is useful to orient the reader to the chapters that follow. There is also a timeline in the front of the book that begins in 1896 with the first successful suture of a stab wound to the heart and ends in 2001 with the first implantable artificial heart.
   
   The rest of the book is divided into chapters, each chapter being the life story of a doctor, told in the first person by the doctor himself. (The stories were based on interviews that the author conducted with the doctors.) Most of these men (and they are all men) were born in the first quarter of the twentieth century, many in small rural towns. Virtually all of them served in World War II, and many learned a great deal about surgery and medicine during the war. These doctors came back from the war and created the new specialty of cardiac surgery.
   
   Much of the book revolves around the achievements of Dr. Alfred Blalock, who died before he could be interviewed for the book. Dr. Blalock did the first blue baby operation, and several of the doctors profiled in this book worked at one time with Dr. Blalock. Some were present in the room when the historic blue baby operation was performed.
   
   Each life story is accompanied by a photograph of the doctor and a very useful bibliography of further reading by and about that doctor's research and achievements. This book could thus serve as a jumping-off point for more in-depth scholarly research into the history of cardiac surgery.
   
   The stories are quite readable and engaging. Some of them are even a bit humorous; for example, it is fun to read Dr. Denton Cooley's account of what it was like to work with Dr. Blalock, who he says was "a whiner." It's interesting to imagine the grand old man of cardiac surgery, Denton Cooley, as a young resident subject to the whims and whining of his mentor Dr. Blalock.
   
   It's also amazing to read about the work ethic of these men. At Johns Hopkins, surgical residents working under Dr. Blalock literally lived at the hospital, sleeping and eating when they could find the time, and usually functioning on little sleep. One doctor talked about being so tired that he fell asleep walking down the hall carrying a urine sample, and woke up only when he crashed into a wall and dropped the sample. One can be thankful that residencies are no longer so grueling, but most of the men who trained this way seem to think that it was a good system, and they didn't particularly resent it.
   
   During the period covered in this book--roughly the nineteen forties through the seventies--cardiac surgery was dominated by white men. None of the doctors profiled in this book are women or African-Americans, although the "short history of cardiac surgery" at the beginning of the book contains the stories of Dr. Helen Taussig and Vivien Thomas, a woman and an African-American man respectively, who played essential roles in the development of the blue baby operation and thus in the development of cardiac surgery as a medical specialty. It is gratifying to reflect on the changes in medicine since then. Many more women and minorities are practicing medicine now. The world of Dr. Blalock and his colleagues seems quite distant and strange, and that is yet another reason that young doctors in training now might find this book interesting. The reader can see not only how the science and technology of medicine has grown and changed, but how medicine has changed sociologically.

5 comments about Cutting Remarks: Insights and Recollections of a Surgeon.

1. Cutting Remarks was a real pleasure to read. Dr. Schwab combines a touch of medicine, humor and emotion to create an excellent and entertaining novel. His story begins as a new graduate of Case-Western Reserve medical school embarking on a surgical residency at UC-San Francisco the mid 1970's. Early in his training, he's drafted in the Vietnam war, but resumes his training after completing his service. We follow him through his journey as a junior and senior resident and the story culminates with his appointment as chief resident at the conclusion of his training.
   
   After reading his memoir, I feel as if I've had opportunity to peer inside a great surgeon's mind. His recollections will make you laugh and cry, and in the process you'll learn a thing or two about general surgery. He points out the shortcomings of both physicians and modern medicine in 1970's throughout and comments about the current trends (whether for better or for worse). His writing style is down-to-earth and casual, reading much like a conversation.
   
   If you frequently read this genre of literature, you'll notice that no medical memoir is complete without covering a case of necrotizing fasciitis (the flesh eating bacteria). Dr. Schwab's book is no exception! And, there are plenty of other exciting cases that medical enthusiasts will certainly enjoy.
   
   In summary: I highly recommend this book, in particular for those who are considering a career in medicine or surgery. Its an outstanding contribution to medical literature.



2. I liked Dr. Swab's book very much..I think he is a clever and interesting person who knows how to tell a story well. I like his blog stories too! Lynne in Oregon



3. I bought this as a gift for my son, currently attending medical school. I happened to look through the book before wrapping it up and became so engrossed I had to read it cover to cover, trying hard to be very careful not to crease the pages or spine. A slop of coffee spilled on a page as I shook with laughter at one of the stories in the book, gave away that I was now gifting a not so pristine book. No matter, my son loved it and has shared it with his friends. Meanwhile, I have become a daily reader of Dr. Schwab's blog at http://surgeonsblog.blogspot.com.



4. Every medical student should read this before starting third year. Above all, this gives insights into the mindset of a first rate surgeon. The culture and work ethic of surgeons has not changed much since the 70's when I trained as a pathologist. As a bonus, the book has beautifully written explanations of the surgical details. And unforgettable humor. This will leave you a lot more inspired than "The House of God". Hospital administrators, RN's and surgeon's spouses would also benefit from this book.



5. This book is hysterical. There were parts when I could not stop laughing. It gives a nice, well-rounded view of this surgeon's life. Interesting read.

5 comments about House Calls and Hitching Posts.

1. This is an excellent book. I have recommended it to one of my colleagues who is a recognized authority on the history of medicine. Dr. Lehman comes across as a realist and a caring professional. His practice is/was heavy on births and traumatic farm injuries. While there are many examples of these in the text, they never become tedious.
   
   The book also gives a warm glimpse into the lives of the Amish people and their lifestyle and beliefs. One enlightening incident involved an elderly farm woman who had sustained a stroke at home in bed. Her husband sent for the doctor. Dr. Lehman recognized that the woman had little time left. The husband asks, "Is there anything the hospital could do for her that we can't do here?" The answer came back, "Essentially 'No." The woman passed away a few hours later in familiar surroundings, in her own bed, with her family and friends at her bedside. All of us readers can only hope for so peaceful an ending ourselves.



2. I've always been interested in the Amish People and this book is good learning for anyone who is interested in the Amish. I've read this book 2 times already and I hope there will be a sequel.



3. If you are interested in Amish culture, this is a great book to read to get a snapshot of what types of challenges, ethical and medical, on a typical Amish farm. The writing style is easy to follow and very descriptive. The Amish people have such a strong faith and are very family oriented which is a refreshing change to read. If you are a nurse or a physician, you would really appreciate the ingenuity that is needed when dealing with blunt force trauma from a farming accident or just the challenge of getting to someone's rural home in 6 feet of snow.



4. This was a wonderful book . Once I started reading it I could not put it down. It is amazing to realize that there are still Dr.'s out in the world that care so much for their patients.



5. If you enjoy reading and learning about the Amish, you will enjoy this book.