5 comments about All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House.

1. Giffels has written a thoroughly enjoyable book about a ridiculous quest into home renovation. All along I hoped to get to the part about the parallel ambition of building a cohesive family, and this never came. The character of the woman he bought the house from was better developed than the character of those whose welfare the home is supposed to shelter.
   
   I challenge the title and subtitle because the author seemed unwilling to delve into his own family's intimacy and what they surely learned as a team. It is a story of a man against himself, nature, and his house, all compelling reasons to read this well-told tale. Unfortunately, it seemed also to be a story of a man against his family while he battles a windmill, without his family's comprehension.
   
   The premise for the book begins with the assumption that the potential arrival of a second child requires a larger house. But a mansion? Not a convincing reason. The author needed a mansion to challenge, but not for his unborn child's well-being in whose name the project is undertaken. Giffels tackles this mansion with great description, practised humor, and introspection. He seems to be very averse to having his ambition compared to "The Money Pit", but this seems to me to be the same type of tale. As a veteran homebuilder from a wreck I haven't seen the movie either, but there is a difference in providing a home for a family against difficulty and lunging into a home that would require years if not decades of financing and dedicated physical effort to sustain.
   
   It seems to me that the marketing precedes the substance of the titles to sell the book to those of us that want more from a remodel story than the typical nuts and bolts. Giffel's advantage is that he can really write in an engaging way, and his love for his town's history is apparent, but the family life twist left me wanting. An additional complaint I have is that the restrained, though not entirely unadmirable budget indicates that the mansion will not be restored to the quality appropriate to the open budget that a mansion requires. It sounds like paint is used functionally take the place of materials more appropriate to the grandiosity of the building if the author/homebuilder hits a wall. It is a lesson that quality may suffer when there is too much space to fill. I recommend this book highly to read for entertainment, but not for the depth the tile suggests.



2. I wish I could praise this sincere effort by a very nice young man learning to build his family through the metaphor of remodeling an old house. Talk about a money sink. And where did the dough come from, anyway?
   
   As a DIY myself with plenty of experience pouring footers and pulling, I understand his impulse. But the book doesn't offer any useful construction information or any juicey marital drama. The only surprise is the found money but even that dragged on until I lost interest.
   
   Judging from the posted reviews, my opinions are wrong, wrong and wrong again. But then I don't live in Akron. Oh wait, when he glued his pants to his legs taking up a linoleum floor.. I wanted to know who does his laundry. Alas, that mystery remains unsolved.



3. I could not put this book down. I was even reading it while walking to the subway, to the market, etc. This is a totally new genre for me and I was sorry to see the whole story end. Somewhere on the internet are photos of the house. Amazing... what they did... Giffel is a fantastic, gifted writer and without his style and skill this book would not have been as much fun.



4. I picked up a copy of this book to read later this summer "when I have more time". I glanced at the first chapter and was intrigued.
   
   I read the second chapter and was interested.
   
   Buy the third chapter, I was hooked.
   
   I read this in three days. Not because it is a thin book (it isn't), but because it was so interesting I couldn't put it down. I usually share or give away books after I've read them, but this one is going in my permanent collection--it's that good.



5. I live in Akron as well,and have enjoyed reading David in the Akron Beacon Journal over the years,so I was prepared to enjoy this book too, however, I was completely blown away. I finished this great read in a couple of days, stealing every minute to get in another page. This is one that is very difficult to put down. This story has found it's way into most of my conversations since I began reading it. I truly loved the feeling of pride in our city, and really like his take on the blimp. As anyone who has grown up hearing the blimp, there is no other sound like it, and it was fun to read someone who understands that joy. This wonderfully funny, sincere, honest book is one I will recommend for years to come.

5 comments about My Own Country: A Doctor's Story.

1. This book was highly recommended by a friend/colleague. In fact he generously lent me his copy. The stories in this book are all real sad life stories. The images of each patient encounters are still very vivid on my mind and they all left big scars in my heart. It literally tore my heart apart when I read through the painful description of their sufferings till their last breath. They reminded me of the deficiency of our health care system (a big agenda item awaiting the next president-elected to tackle, if at all possible. we know it won't happen during this presidency for sure when the nation's focus is put on "war" and "combat"). There is so much more we, especially the health care professionals, can, should and must do to care for those who are tormented by ailments (both curable and incurable.) On the one hand, it saddened me to realize how ignorance, prejudice and selfishness of mankind can tear us apart. On the other hand it gave me hope knowing that there is always someone, like Dr. Verghese, who is heroic, selfless and willing to sacrifice for those who suffer. He is the perfect role model for all those who dedicate their life to health care.



2. This book has excellent insite to the challenges of people with HIV. Great read!



3. I happened across this book and was immediately drawn into it. The author is a remarkable human being with deep empathy and sympathy with some of the first casualties of the AIDS epidemic. As a Tennessee native, this story was very interesting to me; it chronicles the spread of the disease not long after the disease was recognized. The personal stories of all concerned are engrossing, and it's heartbreaking because in those early days the medical profession had nothing to offer the sufferers--and suffer they surely did, regardless of how they contracted the disease, and the book includes stories of those who got it through blood transfusions. The human connections between this Indian doctor who was born in Ethiopia and the people of east Tennessee, made at the most basic level, are what makes this book powerful; yet the author does not excuse his own shortcomings which eventually led to the failure of his marriage. I couldn't put it down and finished it in about 3 days - and then immediately got his other book, The Tennis Partner. (Another reviewer said this is fiction - but it's nonfiction. I found it in the biography section of the public library.)



4. My Own Country is Abraham Verghese's unique recount of his experience fighting AIDS at the dawn of the epidemic. Like other infectious disease specialists, Verghese is immediately immersed in AIDS, and it soon dominates his profession. the author traces the penetration of the disease as the city comes to grips with AIDS and its unwanted victims. Often without the support of his colleagues and family, Verghese treats an ever increasing number of patients. Including the estranged brother of a colleague, a gay couple intent on breaking it`s taboo, and man and his wife who contract AIDS through a contaminated blood transfusion. Though this memoir, Verghese reveals his own confusions about homosexuality, and wrestles with the his own sympathy for his patients and the prejudices of his colleagues. As one of his nurses says "'I don't think we should have bothered in the first place...he deserved what he got and I don't see why we should have to take care of him.'"
   Verghese can become wearisome in his consistent use of the term "miracle center" to describe his workplace and tends to drone on at many points, becoming unnecessarily detailed when writing about the specifics in his work and family life which somewhat take away from his insights. Also, Verghese's family is obviously important to him, and he hints time and time again at problems with his wife, however he never fully develops their relationship. "My work with AIDS in the community fell into this chasm between us. AIDS was like another wild friend, a friend from a different social stratum, a friend I indulged but no longer brought to the house or even discussed with her." Despite this, the author tells a terrific, unforgettable story of the not only the lives and feelings of the patients, but everyone it affects.



5. This based-on the author's true-story details the time he was just starting out as a doctor. He picked a Hospital in smalltown United States where he would be the infectious disease specialist. Suddenly, cases of AIDS appeared even in that small town. It was the 80's epidemic and as it spread from the big cities AIDS victims were met with fear and a lack of compassion from most doctors. Verghese was one of the few who truly listened to and cared for his patients through such a terrible disease.

5 comments about Riding the Bus with My Sister: A True Life Journey.

1. This book is an engaging, fast read. I was especially interested in Rachel Simon's flashbacks. We learn what caused her mental retardation, we see her experiences and Rachel's, we also suffer with the children as mom continues in a downward spiral. All of these flashbacks, distinguished by italic font, are worthy of a book all their own.
   
   Beth Simon is hard to like. She is loud, immature, unhygenic, and self-centered. She is also capable of holding down a job- she just chooses not to. What makes it worse is that she tells her fellow passengers that she doesn't work because she doesn't want to- always reminding them of her disability check. What type of endurance would you need, if you were riding the bus with Beth, heading to your job? Many people can't handle it. And Beth is oblivious to the reasons why people dislike her- she's a capable woman who won't better herself.
   
   In Rachel's relationship with Beth, the story is not sugar-coated. Rachel gets very annoyed with Beth: ' Damn it Beth, shut up! my dark voice erupts. Look at you- same expression, same seat, same stupefying conversation.
   and
   "When I started riding the buses, I remember, I thought of the people who didn't like Beth as insensitive and narrow-minded. Now I find myself more sympathetic to their point of view. Yes, some of them are coarse and offensively vocal. But she is so loud. And she talks all the time. About nothing. I know many of us babble on about nothing, too, but she does it over and over and over- and over and over and over- and it's really eroding the limits of my endurance. Dad used to tell us he came to dread their car rides to work for precisely the same reasons. That was twenty years ago."
   
   However, Rachel's interaction with every bus driver are so profound. She always seems to be learning something from them. And it's always about how they changed their philosophies so they could lead happier lives. Ugh, it was too corny and simplistic for me!
   
   Further, I was uninterested in how Rachel changed in relations to men and other people. I only wanted to see her relationship with Beth. Yes, Rachel Simon gives Beth and the bus rides credit for changing her life- but I really have no desire to know anything else about Rachel Simon in the late 90s (when the story takes place). Tell me more about Beth, including more altercations with drives and passengers, more about her obsessions with the drivers, more about her self-centered domination of every bus ride.
   
   " Beth is ignoring the parade of costumes in the street and gazing adoringly at Cliff- and with a jolt, I know what scares me.
   It's not just the same old crush with a new face, or the same olf song with the same wrong words. It's not just the pattern she doesn't see, or care about, and therefore cannot or will not change.
   It's that Beth seems to need a cataclysmic event for her to change in any way- an event like our mother's complete abdication of her responsibility to protect her own child, Juanita's rejection, or Rodolpho's abandonment. This seems true whether she's being called upon to develop resorucefulness, assertiveness, or just basic self-restraint. I look at her and feel a clutch in my throat. What will it take now?
   Is this all there will ever be to her life? "



2. This is not a book I would have chosen, but I read it for my book club and was pleasantly surprised. When I saw an endorsement from Rosie O'Donnell on the front cover of this book, I was expecting something more sentimental, along the lines of a Lifetime Channel movie, to lie within the pages. Instead, I found a powerful tribute to people on society's fringe and a meaningfully insightful story.
   
   The story centers around a workaholic writer/teacher, Rachel Simon, who runs out of ideas for her newspaper work and decides to spend a year shadowing her mildly mentally retarded sister, Beth. Beth has chucked working and living in a group home for a hedonistic life in her own apartment, filling her days happily riding the city's busses. Simon takes what could be a boring or sappy story and makes something marvelous out of Beth's mundane, repetitive life by her keen observation and analysis of the details of this routine. She does an excellent job of looking at life through Beth's eyes and of showing how the mentally challenged are at times similar to the rest of us and yet at other times vastly different and difficult to comprehend.
   
   Naturally Beth's efforts to live independently in the manner she desires create enormous frustration for her family and even the professionals involved in her "case." How to help someone in Beth's situation is complicated. How much help can family and professionals give versus how much help should they give? How many decisions can she safely, competently make on her own? Simon shows us that there are no easy answers, as she attempts to establish her own place in her sister's life.
   
   The book is beautifully written, hard to put down, and filled with insights and wisdom that would make Irma Bombeck proud. The author was surprised at how much she learned from Beth's limitations and her world, and you will be too.



3. I found this book to be very interesting and moving. It has really made a mark on my heart. I have a special needs child who unlike "Cool Beth" is not treated differently by many, yet sees some of the same prejudices. It was nice to read a book that shows how a person can live on their own and have the same things that so called "normal" people can. I appreciated that Beth knew right from wrong and is not afraid to express that to the world around her. We can all learn from that. The annoyance that Rachel gets from Beth is such a tough feeling for a sibling/parent, but a genuine one and written with such truth. This will not be enjoyed by all, but all can learn from it.



4. This book isn't for everyone, but anyone who lives with a mildy retarded family member will see this book as an eye-opening and touching memoir of the highs and lows of living and coping and dealing with a person such as Beth, the author's sister, with whom she agrees to ride the city buses with over the course of a year.
   
   The chapters are beautifully interweaved with flashbacks to the author's childhood with Beth, who is 18 months younger than the author. The parents' coping with Beth, and how the rest of the family deals with this headstrong and independent girl without once ever mentioning the words "mild retardation" and yet determined to keep together as a family in the early 1960s bring this book to life for many Babyboomers. Rachel did a lot of research on the subject to write for this book, and inserts statistics at logical moments without ever tiring the reader.
   
   Along with the encounters on the bus are small vignettes of the various and varied drivers who deal with Beth on a daily basis. Bus drivers are profiled coming from all aspects of society. Some like Beth, others do not, and many came forward to talk about Beth and her incessant chats while sitting in the front of crowded buses with strangers all around her. Bus drivers are her friends, are her mentors, are her romantic interests and Beth at times reminds us of our girlish teenage crushes...and she is 39 years old while the story takes place.
   
   Although this book mostly deals with Beth and her daily bus rides around town, the author also talks about her own failings; her recent break-up, her move to a new apartment, and we see how dealing with Beth, and talking with bus drivers, help Rachel find the answers for her own troubles.
   
   This book may not be for everyone. One must have a close experience with a person such as Beth to understand the many detailed and sometimes long-drawn-out episodes of city bus travel to truly appreciate this book. Beth is beautifully portrayed in this book, and with all her flaws and handicaps we can see a bit our ourselves through her daily bus journeys.
   
   Read this book with patience and understanding for the mildy retarded people in our society. We all know and have dealt with our own Cools Beths.



5. Okay, so maybe not the most original title in the world, but the story sure is. The author decides to spend some quality time with her mildly retarded sister, Beth, (whom she never fully understood). Simons basically takes a very long leave of absence from work and totally immerses herself in Beth's world - which consists mainly of riding the bus system in an unnamed Pennsylvania city. But this is not just a simple journey. She experiences how Beth has carved out a life for herself, the people she has connected with, the joyful outlook she has on life, and realizes that maybe Beth's life is fulfilling in its own way. This is also a journey through her childhood as she
   reflects on her memories, her relationship with her family as well as her sister. By slowing down her fast-paced existence and taking the time to experience a year with her sister, Simons certainly discovers a lot about herself, and comes away with a different, more appreciative view of her life. Hopefully you will too. I know I did.

5 comments about Not Without My Sister: The True Story of Three Girls Violated and Betrayed.

1. It is never pleasant to read some disturbing experiences that these young lady's have gone through. I kept questioning myself on why I was reading what I was. My wife, Mother in Law & sister in law all read this book & found it disturbing. The only reason I could find as to why I wanted to read such a book, was in the hope that the 3 lady's were now back together & leading 'normal' lives.
   
   If you are planning to purchase this book, the details, I found, are very explicit. However, the truth has to be known & the truth definitely comes out in this book. Yes I feel extremely sorry for these young lady's knowing that while I was growing up, there were people suffering like they did. These young lady's are very brave. Brave to that fact of making it known the disgusting things these so-called 'adults' put them through & then these 'adults' trying to justify their crimes through the word of the lord.
   
   I can only wish Kristina, Celeste & Juliana well, & congratulate them on their brave fight & wish them well in their continued fight to expose organisations such as the 'Children of God'.
   
   This is a very good, well written, but painful book. The 3 lady's courage can be found to be inspirational & a lesson to us all.



2. What I liked about this book was that it gave three different perspectives from within the same family and time frame, and also that it didn't sensationalize the abuse, but did give it appropriate coverage. Ran a little long, but was an interesting and easy read.



3. I bought this book simply to support the effort to raise awareness of the inner workings of The Family. I didn't think I'd ever get around to reading it, as I have hundreds of books that I have not yet read.
   Upon seeing the size of it I felt confidant that I would never read it, however, after skimming through it and seeing all the familiar terminology and names, I decided to start from the beginning. I finished it in 5 days. That's fast for me.
   I could relate to almost every situation, and to all the feelings of frustration, boredom and anger that arose from being in those kind of situations. I will never go back.
   
   After spending the first 20 years of my life in "the family" I can say from first hand experience that the information presented in this book, is an accurate representation of life in "the family".
   
   Anyone who has a problem with my review can write me at outofwords@hotmail.com



4. Not Without My Sister: The True Story of Three Girls Violated and Betrayed Paperback book The book was damaged when I received it. It is a very good bookespecially if you like true stories.



5. picked up this book and could not put it down,it is soooooo facinating and mind blowing how this has been alowed to happend,i feel for all the people invloved and feel this book need's an award it is so well written and the bravery to have written it,best book i read for a long while

5 comments about In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing.

1. Having been tossed into an experience of a spouse of 30 years having a critically serious brain surgery, this book rung so true to the joys, deep depression, and aganizing experience of TBI. While my experience had nothing to do with a public figure as large as Bob Woodruff nor a war injury, the end result of a TBI aptly descriped the hell that the injured, as well as the spouse/caretaker walks not just immediately, but for the long haul. The caretaker, in this case, Lee Woodruff was brutally honest about the emotions and the sheer exhaustion that the caretaker undergoes. I read this book in less than two days. It also shone light on the truth of miracles of the human brain to "rewire" itself. I applauded both Bob Woodruff and Lee Woodruff for their unending honesty in dealing with the topic of TBI.



2. This is a love story. One might question this when a journalist has to fight for his life after being wounded while covering the Iraqi war, but not once you read Lee and Bob Woodruff's amazingly poignant story. This is their love story-the story of Bob and Lee, and how their love came to be and sustained them through a year of pain, hope, fear, recovery, and dedication.
   Told in alternating time frames from the dreadful moment when Lee is called and told that Bob has been critically injured to how they met and fell in love. Lee tells her account of their love story with passion and feeling, while Bob is as always the accomplished journalist with his fact based style of recollection. Both Lee and Bob are heroes in this story. Bob's valiant effort to handle his severe injuries mostly to the brain, and Lee's courageous, steadfast support and love throughout the entire process make up this amazingly miraculous story.
   Bob, only recently having been named co-anchor of ABC News, was in Iraq imbedded with troops covering the Iraqi war while Lee and their four children were at Disney World. While that may sound almost callous to many, this is the life a journalist and his family. When a bomb explodes and Bob is literally blown to pieces, not much hope seems to exist that he will survive as Lee is rushed to her husband's side. Telling about how she got the call and what immediately transpired, Lee aptly recounts their story first hand and truly earns the title of In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing because that is what happened to this family in just one minute.
   In the above-mentioned alternating writing style, the story goes back to Bob's leaving a profitable law profession to pursue his dream of being a journalist. Bob's hard work and passion for covering the news takes him through the rank and file in many amazing places and stories as he works his way up in his journalism career. The part of the story of Lee and Bob's personal life is interspersed with the realities of Bob's day-to-day survival and recovery following the bomb in Iraq.
   Bob's 5 week coma, swelling of the brain, and many near death complications are told with detail and clarity so that the reader really experiences, as much as possible, first hand what this family went through. The never ending waiting to see if Bob will survive is a story of such devotion that in reality, you wonder just how someone can go through something like that. Lee tells this story in a way that makes you realize that you can never know, as did she, until you are tested, how you would respond in a situation such as this. At one point, after about five weeks, Lee crawls up into bed with Bob to try and hold him, with all his medical contraptions and tubes, and she tells him that he must fight for his life because she and their four children need him. Barely leaving his side, Lee is shocked when a few days later she walks into his room and he is sitting up and asking her where she has been?! It is at that point that the real fight begins for Bob to work hard to return to his life as he knew it. Meanwhile, Lee must juggle duel roles of parent and caregiver.
   This compelling story of love and devotion is told with honesty, humor, and hope. The friendships both Lee and Bob have, the love and family they share, guides one through an often graphic but also witty and very human novel. Get the book In An Instant and you will find it won't take much longer than that to be hooked and not want to put it down!
   Submitted by Karen Haney: Originally published Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)



3. This is a memoir written by Bob and Lee Woodruff. The passages are divided between Bob and Lee, each giving their recollection of the way certain events unfolded. I found Bob's accounts to be gripping and interesting, maybe because he is the one who received the traumatic injury. I found Lee's writing akin to reading a bad soap opera script. It was almost unreadable at times. I understand that she is facing hardships with her husband in a coma, but it nothing like what your typical family has to face under the same circumstances. At one point, this Colgate educated woman wonders how she is going to pay the bills with her husband in a coma? When I read this, I got the feeling that she didn't know how to pay the bills, i.e. write out a check and mail it. I don't think money is an issue for this Westchester County, NY family. It was passages like that which detract from the book. I found Bob's account of his therapy and what he had to go through to get back to himself very interesting but too brief. In the after forward, Bob mentions he is working on a documentary about his journey and the journey GIs have to make in recovering from traumatic brain injuries. I don't know if this has come out yet, but it would be an interesting show.



4. This story recounts the miraculous survival of news anchor Bob Woodruff. More importantly, it exposes the fear, frustration, and fatigue that Woodruff's family experienced as they guided him through months of trauma.



5. This book tells the serious story of the tragedy and triumph shared by Bob Woodruff and his wife, children, friends and co-workers when he was devastatingly injured while reporting in Iraq. The trauma of his head injury is explained in a very detailed manner, and his subsequent recovery is followed mainly from his wife's point of view, describing the horrors they all went through. The ability to deal with all of this makes this book a very moving and uplifting tale of how Bob and also our brave soldiers are coping with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and why it is important for all of us to become aware and understand this signature war injury of Iraq and Afghanistan.
   
   The poignant and matter of fact telling of the process to recovery is sprinkled with humor and makes a great read for those interested in learning how to move through this difficult situation.

5 comments about The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood.

1. The author being a self-described "naturalist," I thought this book would have some sort of insight into the nature of pigs. Nope. Mostly a lot of boring, self-indulgent tripe about how the author and her husband overfed this runt pig, whom they named Christopher Hogwood (how cute! -- NOT!), and Hogwood grew into something Montgomery calls "beautiful" but would more appropriately be called "grotesque." (She even admits letting him eat ice cream until he can barely move and becomes overweight). The author is what she calls "child free" (which one can fully support) but fails to see how her many animals are in fact substitute children. In one stunningly ignorant passage, she claims that the pig Hogwood is an "adult" and therefore her relationship to him is not one of adult to child. Hullo? It's a PIG for cryin' out loud. You can't converse with it, plan an event with it and (yes, just like a baby) you have to make sure all its poop is cleaned up and that it's taken care of.
   
   I lost count of the boring passages in the book about how Hogwood made the author closer to her neighbors and taught her how to "play with children" (gag). If you enjoy that type of sentimental fluff, this book is for you. Personally, I was very sad at the end. Not because Hogwood died, but at the waste of perfectly good meat! (they buried him...sob!)



2. This book was given to me by a friend as a birthday present.
   She gave it to me because I have a pig as a pet and she knew that I could probably relate to it.
   
   She was right. The Good, Good Pig is a very touching story. It made me laugh and it made me cry.
   
   My only criticism would be that Sy Montgomery got a little lenghthy on some explanations but I would still recommend this story to anyone who is an animal lover or especially to anyone who has a pig.
   
   I love my pig. My pig is a pot bellied pig. She is such a character. She inspired me to write my own story. Unlike Sy Montgomerys story, my book is fiction. A children's picture book entitled "Bubbles the Little Pig."
   
   Since becoming a pet pig owner, pigs have become very near and dear to me. They will always have a special place in my heart.



3. this book was an easy read with lots of laughing throughout. I enjoyed the information peppered throughout as well from Sy's background information and experiences as well as the associations her premise for the book was. I disagree that the pig was 'nothing special' as some poor reviews stated because it wasn't really about the pig but rather about the pig as part of a larger phenomenon.



4. This book was an absolutely disappointing read and it took everything I had to keep going in hopes that something would improve. The characters were never developed nor was the writing very descriptive. The author could have written everything she wanted to say in one or two pages. This might be somewhat interesting to a reader who never raised farm animals that escaped periodically or never had neighborhood kids come by to visit them, but for those readers who have grown up in the country around animals, this book is review of the ordinary. The author is far too self-aggrandizing and proud of herself for her chosen lifestyle, which is actually not that unusual or extraordinary. What I found particularly frustrating about this read was the author's blindness to the fact that Chris, though he is a pig, is just a beloved pet like your dog or my donkey. He is not extraordinary, nor was his life. It reminded me of parents who gloat about their child as though s/he is actually better than everyone else's child. I personally am very contrite and apologetic when my donkey escapes; I do not think it is cute at all, nor do the police. I was really hoping for a book with some insight or humor, but found neither here.



5. Of all the many books I've read since childhood about pets and animals, this one left me cold. Nothing the author said about this pig was at all out of the ordinary and if he had a special personality the author was not up to the task of convincing me of this. Ok, so he would pull a strawberry out of his slops and savor it and he loved to have his belly rubbed but what exactly made him special? The book has gotten good reviews but I just felt sorry for the author's mother and annoyed at her shameless self-promotion and narcissism. I've saved all my other books on animals to pass down to my grandchildren but this one is already in the recycling bin.

5 comments about Intern: A Doctor's Initiation.

1. I found this work by Sandeep Jauhar to be quite in insightful description of what the world of internship actually entails. What I find brilliantly done is the keen use of language to constantly push forward a sense of dismissal of patients, yet a odd desire to continue. Throughout the course of this work, Jauhar is incredibly hesitant of the idea of medicine in the first place, yet reluctantly decides to push forward over all odds. There are times when you not only know, but feel, as though Jauhar doesn't want to be in the hospital, don't want to talk to patients, doesn't want anything to do with medicine in the first place. I suppose that's the impact of working in a hospital for more than 24 hours at a time. Occasionally I would find myself reproaching Jauhar for his standoffish manner, which is somewhat of a theme of this novel. It seems as though he occasionally doesn't care for patients, but just wants to get the job done and go home. But then I realized that part of what Jauhar is trying to get across is a taste of what a life as a doctor entails. I had assumed there would be some nights where sleep might be hard to come by, but I never thought it was as intense as is portrayed here. I commend Jauhar for a well-written description and await his future works.



2. XXXXX
   
   "This book is about my residency [apprenticeship in medicine] at a prominent teaching hospital in New York City. The story goes up to the point when I decided to pursue a fellowship in cardiology, my specialty, and thus covers the most formative years of my education as a doctor.
   
   For me it was a disillusioning time: I spent much of it in a state of crisis and doubt. I had trained as a physicist [the author has a Ph.D. in physics] before entering medical school, and ten years of uncertainty about my choice of profession came out all at once...
   
   Because I had lived another, more sedate, professional life [as a physicist], the one I had to endure in the hospital was even more difficult to bear...For much of internship [the first year of residency], I felt buried--in a waking Hell under the weight of my own (and others') expectations...
   
   I am [now] finished with my apprenticeship, and...now work as a cardiologist...For the most part, I am happy...But so much about medicine still troubles me...sometimes I'm still not sure cardiology was the right choice..."
   
   The above is found in the introduction to this well-written book or memoir by Sandeep Jauhar, M.D., Ph.D. who now is the director of the Heart Failure Program at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. He also writes regularly for "The New York Times" (which got him into trouble during his residency).
   
   If you're expecting to find phrases in this memoir such as "Medicine is the greatest profession", etc., you won't find them and are advised to look elsewhere. This is because this book is brutally honest. Jauhar tells it like it is and I got the sense he was not attempting to sugar-coat any of his narrative. As well, I totally believe that others being initiated into medicine go through the same struggles, questions, and observations as Jauhar (but for some reason are afraid to admit them).
   
   Here are a few sentences and phrases that caught my eye:
   
   (1) A lawyer from risk management, the department that defended the hospital against lawsuits, informed us that at some point in our careers every one of us was likely to be sued, and that we could even be sued during residency.
   (2) "It's strange that all week [this was intern orientation week] they've hardly mentioned the patients...These are the people we're going to be learning on. It's like they're already invisible."
   (3) But as with most of what I learned during then first two years of medical school, I had forgotten it.
   
   (4) It's almost criminal the callousness with which we [that is, doctors] treat some of our patients.
   (5) We performed our [medical] interventions [on patients] with such confidence, such arrogance, but most of the time there was no way of predicting whether we were doing the right thing, or even a good thing.
   (6) What is the point of all this? All the protocols, chemotherapy, the transplants--what is the point of it if, in the end, the sickest patients, the ones we were beholden to help, or at least not harm, were better off without us?
   
   (7) The sentiments I had heard about neurologists seemed close enough to the mark. Master diagnosticians, they had depressingly little to offer their patients.
   (8) I too was learning that deliberate half-truths are a part of a doctor's armamentarium.
   (9) Even today, patients continue to be enrolled in experimental drug studies without proper consent, or under tacit intimidation.
   
   (10) In the ICU, sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.
   (11) Doctors make fun of patients for many reasons. Sometimes as a defence mechanism, and sometimes just because they can.
   (12) In some ways, I probably ended up becoming the kind of doctor I never thought I'd be: impatient with alternative hypotheses, strongly wedded to the evidence-based paradigm, sometimes indifferent (hard-edged, emotionless), occasionally paternalistic.
   
   Each chapter begins with an interesting quotation. Here's one of my favourites by Lewis Thomas:
   
   "The great secret of doctors, known only to their wives, but still hidden from the public, is that most things get better by themselves; most things, in fact, are better in the morning."
   
   Finally, there are notes in this book that contain very interesting information. Here's an example:
   
   "Doctors are more likely than members of the general public to commit suicide...Only 22 percent of depressed medical students seek help. Only 42 percent of those who are considering suicide seek treatment."
   
   In conclusion, in my opinion, this is the best book on becoming a doctor that I have ever read. There are two things that make it stand-out from the rest: (1) the excellent, intelligent writing and (2) its HONESTY.
   
   (first published 2008; prologue; introduction; 3 parts or 21 chapters; main narrative 290 pages; notes; acknowledgements)
   
   <>
   
   XXXXX



3. There are several books I've read that speak along the same lines of this book but there is one things that stands out. The difference in this publication lies in that the author speaks magnitudes about one's natural tendency to feel lost in the environment of medicine. It illuminates the emotions a person experiences with clarity and depth. More importantly, in my opinion Dr. Jauhar displays bravery in undergoing the task of writing his experiences.. I do not know any person who is willing to admit to their weaknesses though we all have them. He goes on to create a lucid picture of the hierarchy in the health system while taking the reader along for a ride down nostolgic paths of how one found his/her purpose in pursuing such a career. There is not much more to say except Dr. Jauhar should be applauded for expressing the truth that much of us are scared to admit we dealt with at one time.



4. If you are like me and wondering if the path to being a doctor is the right choice, then you might want to take the time to read through this one. The author gives you a first hand look at what it takes, and he doesn't hold back on details.



5. I read this book this past weekend. I think the book was an easy read and the writer has some obvious literary skills. I give the author the credit for being honest about his weakness and fears, but in the end, I never get the sense that the author actually wants to be a doctor. He is almost an "Atul Gawande" wanna be....Good effort, but no where near as insightful as the vast amount of other authors who have written similar titles.

5 comments about Priestblock 25487: A Memoir of Dachau.

1. 
   This Memoir of Father Jean Bernard grabs the reader's attention from the very first page.
   While rather brief (for a Memoir), it's packed with details; rather graphic.
   
   It forces the reader to grapple with the question, "What would I do in his situation?". - Not an easy question to answer.
   After six months, this reviewer is still wrestling with the question.
   
   The writing style is simple, direct and vivid.
   Fr. Bernard makes no attempt to spare the reader the horrors that he and and so many others had to endure; nor does he try to elicit empathy from the reader in his description of the hell in which he lived for 15 months.
   
   I've purchased four copies of "PRIESTBLOCK 25487", thus far; keeping one for myself and giving the others to friends. - One of which is a Catholic priest. I am looking forward to discussing Fr. Bernard's story with him.
   
   Fr. Bernard's Memoir is the inspiration for the movie, "The Ninth Day" aka "Der Neunte Tag", starring: Ulrich Matthes ("DOWNFALL") - Both were Excellent movies, by the way.
   
   This book is VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to those interested in Concentration Camp Survivor stories/memoirs. - All of which are very important for educating our children as well as ourselves.
   
   It is this reviewer's most fervent hope that mankind never forget what those millions of dear and precious souls suffered because of hate and jealousy.
   
   Paradine



2. This book has become one of my favorites. It is a wonderful book that shows the hope that is always present in the face of evil. I highly recommend this book, you'll enjoy it.



3. Father Bernad's narrative, written shortly after the war, is especially effective in its understatement. Fr. Bernard was an intellectual but not a writer, and so his narrative, seeking to tell only the facts, without any embellishment (really, is anyone today capable of writing a narrative without clouding it with "it changed my life forever," "defined a generation," "horrific," and all the other assembly-line filler-phrases and adjectives?)is focused, tightly-constructive, and useful. Acquaintances speak of reading through Fr. Bernard's little book of daily life in a concentration camp in one sitting -- it really is that good.



4. This book brings the reader into the daily life of a priest who was imprisoned for speaking out against the Nazis. The cruelty and drudgery of camp life is vividly detailed in this diary and one cannot help but feel the reality of the events documented so well by Fr. Bernard.
   
   Of interest to those who are interested in the role of the Church during this time are the sections where life in the camp becomes harder for the priests when the Pope or a bishop publishes a percieved anti Nazi letter or sermon. This real life witness counters those trendy academic claims of Church complicity.



5. Very uplifting. A page-turning eye witness account full of tragedy but also inspiration. The kind of book I couldn't put down.

5 comments about Lopsided: How Having Breast Cancer Can Be Really Distracting.

1. Meredith is incredibly insightful and witty. She provides a unique take on a very serious subject. I read the book in one day- it was so engrossing I couldn't put it down. After all the jobs she describes in her book, it seems as though Meredith has found her calling as a writer.



2. My mom loved this book. She was recently diagnosed with the same cancer. It made her thankful that she did not have to go through as much as this woman had and that she is still alive and well. People need to know this type of breast cancer is out there too!



3. I had such a good time reading this book. Not something you would expect about a book from a cancer survivor. Perhaps it's because I share Meredith's atypical journey through life that involves multiple careers and dark sense of humor that I found it such a refreshing read, regardless of the subject matter.
   
   If you can't handle the fact that cancer is painful, the way it's treated in Western medicine is laughable (if not scary), or if you expect to have some golden halo rain down upon you giving you a new perspective on life so you can walk away from it thinking that, oh, a black woman with a sense of humor who has cancer can't possibly be feeling any kind of pain, then go find another book. It is a humor that is funny, I think, if you find David Sedaris holding up a cadaver when the car full of French people accidentally show up in his driveway, funny.
   
   Don't get this book if you're looking for some magical panacea that will make you forget that people who go through traditional chemo don't have all the pain and unnaturalness that is Western medicine shoved into their bodies. But if you understand that life and death can be painful and beautifully hilarious whether dodging dog poop in Paris, "Christian" school groups in college, or navigating cancer, well then, read on...Also, if you're some literary snob who has spent more years at university than talking to regular people on the street (i.e. having a normal, healthy social life), then go re-read one of the classics and don't try to superimpose critical theory or comparative analysis onto a memoir that is clearly not meant to speak to you.



4. What an amazing book from a first-time author! From the very first page, I was completely hooked. Meredith Norton gives us a view of her battle with breast cancer that is witty and humorous, yet candid and unflinching (this is probably not a book I'd give to someone who has just been diagnosed--although I'd highly suggest it for those who have been in treatment for a while and know what to expect, and I'd definately suggest it for everyone else!)
   
   The book is filled with entertaining details and digressions about Norton's childhood antics, as well as her life with her French husband, Thibault. I laughed out loud as she describes her experiences as an American with a limited French vocabulary struggling to raise a son in Paris. (Her conclusion: if you have the vocabulary of a French six year-old, you are treated like a six year-old.) She describes meeting with a French nursery school administrator, who tells her what she must do in order to assure that her son, Lucas, gets enrolled:
   
   "If you really, truly want little Loo-KAH to learn with our school," she said, "you must call me every day and remind me who you are. Say, 'This is the black American with the garish, orange jacket. My son is still interested.'"
   
   She ponders the fact that her diagnosis--the worst, most important news of her life--was given to her (and her reaction was witnessed by) two doctors who were complete strangers.
   
   "Bad news should be delivered privately. You should sit in a soundproof room with a mirror and a box of tissues. When you're ready, a piece of paper slips through the door. You turn it over and read: 'Sterile' or 'Nobody likes you' or 'Herpes Simplex II.' When you are ready, you emerge and fall into the embraces (maybe reluctant, depending on your diagnosis) of strangers."
   
   Norton's cancer battle isn't a shining superhuman Lance Armstrong tale of courageous strength. Her tale doesn't give cancer patients a figure on a pedestal that they can strive to live up to; she shows that despite the struggles and the odds, it is possible just to live. She is an everyday woman and mother (with a wonderfully skewed sense of humor) who is doing the best she can. She actually describes her frustration at reading one of Armstrong's books:
   
   "Every day of my chemo that I ate a Krispy Kreme doughnut or took a nap instead of doing yoga I cursed Lance Armstrong and his toned abs, tiny butt, and three kinds of cancer. [...] Give me some fat slob on welfare who never graduated from junior high and can't ride around the block without choking on his cigarette, and yet manages to pull himself together, go macrobiotic, and beat cancer, and I will show you one inspired Meredith Norton."
   
   Norton has said that it was her battle with cancer (and the constant insistence of family members) that pushed her into finally writing a book. It is unfortunate that such a horrific experience was the catalyst for this book, but fortunate that her talent has been revealed. Norton possesses an insanely hilarious wit and amazing way with words. I truly hope she writes more!



5. Not only was this book an enjoyable, smooth read, but it was hilarious. Norton has a way of bringing together seemingly disparate stories/experiences without ever sounding trite; in fact, many times her conclusions are powerful. Her vulnerability through a harrowing experience makes her easy to relate to and sympathetic, and she never asks for or tolerates pity.
   
   It's an engaging story, whether you're a survivor, a patient, a loved one of either, or someone who simply likes to read good books!!

5 comments about Confessions of a Carb Queen: A Memoir.

1. Susan was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo transparent about her binges. I could relate.. Very open about the hardships of finding romance when one is a overweight woman.. The part that I most related with was the relationships she had with her mother and father..I really appreciate that she wrote this book. This will help me to lose the "last 40lbs"...



2. Susan Blech was on a downhill path. In her late 30s, she weighed an amazing 468 pounds. This amazing book is about the path she took to get to that place, what life was like in that place, and about the steps she took to lose over 268 pounds without surgery. I call this book amazing because I probably had my mouth open the entire time I was reading it. You won't believe what this girl used to put in her mouth every day. That someone could eat this much and still be alive is amazing. For all her lack of self control, Susan must be a very strong woman. She was still alive and able to turn her life around. Some people never get that chance.
   
   She used to go up and down both sides of the street picking up gigantic bags of food from every fast food place, eat it all in her car, and then dispose of the bags, convincing herself that it didn't count if she ate the food in her car. Some weeks she would spend $300 to $400 dollars on fast food.
   
   This was especially interesting to me because she lost the majority of her weight at a weight loss center in Durham, NC called the Rice House. That's only about an hour from my house.
   
   Susan talks about her life. She grew up in a house with no mother since hers was in assisted care after a stroke. She ate as a form of self-medication for the pain she felt. She talks about her friendships, boyfriends, and siblings.
   
   Anyway, this is a fascinating read. Susan also includes recipes of low-calorie, low-fat foods. I have been trying some of them, and they are good.



3. I read this book in 3 days. I found it be be courageous, inspirational and real. I feel like I know Susan for many years. I find myself thinking about her and her story when I have the urge to not eat healthy and then stop...and make a better choice! I wish I could infuse an ounce of Susan's courage in my brain!!!! Thank you Susan and Sister Caroline for putting your story into words!!!!



4. This is not a cut and dry book on how to lose weight. Those looking for self help books on weight loss in general should probably look elsewhere. This book is mainly a memoir, and many parts of it are not pretty. If you have a compulsive eating problem or extremely low self esteem, you will be able to relate to it. There is so much guilt and sadness and despair behind feeling out of control of your weight... you can really feel it through Susan's eyes when reading this book.
   
   I bought this book because I am often inspired by weight loss stories. I have lost about 65 pounds (and counting!) since 2003 myself, but I was never as big as Susan Blech was to begin with. I can tell you that I related to feeling unattractive and tired all the time, as well as the comfort found in greasy fast food. If you are squeamish, watch out for the somewhat graphic entries on "fat sex" and the borderline porn-esque descriptions of her marathon fast food binges. After Susan begins treatment for her eating habits and eventually starts to work out and really see herself change, that's when it gets inspiring.



5. Meet Susan Blech, a former 468-pound woman who backed on the pounds despite being healthy and fit as a kid and then a bodybuilding in young adulthood. But, as she says in her book, LIFE happened and the rest was history. Thankfully, at the age of 38, Susan took back her life and lost 250 pounds. But it wasn't before some rather humiliating circumstances in her life woke her up to this grave problem that she had been trying to deal with since the weight came pouring on. Anyone who has ever been obese will relate to these stories because they hit home. Susan moved to Durham, North Carolina to lose the weight...how did that go? This little square book reads like a riveting suspense novel and will entertain, educate, and motivate you to start doing some confessing of your own.