5 comments about The Price of a Penis and Other Tales of a Country Surgeon.

1. First, I know and work with Dr. Iwasiuk in a professional capacity. This is how I heard about his book. I purchased two copies and gave one to a writer friend. His book is a very insightful and interesting read. I can also tell you that Dr. Iwasiuk objectively has an excellent reputation as a surgeon and does very high quality work. He is pleasant and always has a very reasoned insight into a multitude of subjects based on logical and well researched assessments of the nature of our world and our lives.
   
   Quite frankly his logic is hard to argue with. He for example discusses how Democracies have a natural 'life-cycle' and if we all are not careful, they can extinguish themselves due to imperfections in human nature.
   
   One part I did want to correct is that in the book Dr. Iwasiuk mentioned a doctor he worked with who was a married man who left his wife and family to marry an extremely beautiful nurse, and they left to what he wrote was Israel.
   
   When I read that it just did not sound quite right, but you never know. I asked him and he acknowledged that based upon the advise of his attorney, he changed the religion of the doctor, and the name of the country in that story. I can tell you that the doctor involved was NOT Jewish, and did NOT move to Israel. There is enough pain in the world related to antisemitism that I believed it better to correct this than to let it stand for posterity since Dr. Iwasiuk is such a credible and careful distiller of truth. I am sure Dr. Iwasiuk never considered that such a minor change (that he made) could increase the possibility of antisemitism, but anything not totally accurate that can justify negative judgments should by all rights be corrected.
   
   I am also impressed that Dr. Iwasiuk was so truthful that he shared very hidden and buried secrets about his own family that were not known and not many people would have done this.
   
   Dr. Iwasiuk is a beacon of reason in a world filled with irrational beliefs.
   
   His book contains many insights and truths regarding our history, our future and the human condition.
   
   I am looking forward to his next book about religion.



2. As I read this book, it did not take long to find this as an autobiography, and a good one. Dr. Iwasiuk's background is very similar to my mother's background and this book brought back many discussions that I had with my mom about her and her father's background.
   
   Dr. Iwasiuk's viewpoints on numerous issues are very similar to mine. He hit the nail on the head, so to speak, with comments about Camarillo State Hospital and the homeless people wandering around now. That hospital should have been kept open and be in use today.
   
   Also, the problems with today's health care delivery are so true. Health insurance needs to be available for everyone and not just the healthy. True, we do need to take care of our health as well.
   
   When I moved to California many years ago, a doctor at work said to me, "Good luck in California. Everyone is sue crazy out there." How right he was, but it is now that way all over. So Dr. Iwasiuk's comments about malpractice insurance and lawsuits are so true.
   
   So, all in all, I found this an enjoyable book to read. I suspect that since I work in the medical field and know Dr. Iwasiuk, that I may have been influenced to read this book. I also know that I would have enjoyed reading this without being in the medical field or knowing the doctor.
   
   And for everyone's information, I am not a doctor.



3. I received this book for Christmas from my daughter-in-law. I loved this book. I enjoyed all of it. The stories of his career were so interesting. The book is so easy to read. My sister-in-law also couldn't put it down until she finished it all, she loved all of his stories and all of the history.
   Dr Iwasiuk, writes in such a way that it is very easy to read and enjoy. What an interesting life story! Rella Legere and Lorraine Milne-Sanford, Maine



4. Best book I have read in a long time. It contains dramatic and informative life experiences with laughs in between. I learned a lot about surgical procedures, diseases and patients. Dr Iwasiuk operated on me for a recently discovered Lymphoma and I feel very fortunate to be one of his patients.



5. What a marvelous, captivating and mind boggling journey with the author from the horrors of war-ravaged Europe, to the "Land of Opportunity". Dr. Iwasiuk paints a portrait of his life and his times that ranges from knee-slapping humor to painful and gut-wrenching analysis of social issues, to terse and incisive philosophical and political commentary. This is a page-turning, must-read work by an author who knows how to grab and hold his audience!

1 comments about Una And Her Paupers: Memorials of Agnes Elizabeth Jones.

1. I found this book both moving and inspiring, really reminding me why many of us became nurses - to CARE. It was very interesting too to read about Agnes's nurse training at Kaiserwerth, the same school as Florence Nightingale - gosh, they were strict!! The account of Agnes's work in the workshouse is also fasciniating.

No comments about Conversations with My Healers: My Journey to Wellness from Breast Cancer.

No comments about Psychiatrist of America: The Life of Henry Stack Sullivan (Belknap Press).

3 comments about New American Streamline Destinations - Advanced: Destinations Workbook B (Units 41-80): B (New American Streamline).

1. This is the best way to practice the grammar from each chapter of the book. I have been studying with other books as well and I can say this book and the workbook are one of the best I have found to improve my English.



2. I'm an ESL teacher and I've used this collection for over 3 years to teach adults. I have many students who have learned using it and in my household only there are 3 of them. Yes, I've taught my own family! It's filled with great exercises, fun lessons and easy to do step-by-step class plans. Buy it, it'll change your method. With this books you don't even need the flash cards!



3. I'd like to learn english and I hope this book help me.

No comments about Ruth Jackson, MD: A Life on the Leading Edge.

5 comments about At Face Value: My Triumph Over a Disfiguring Cancer.

1. This book is a great read for anyone who wants to know just how indomitable the human spirit can be. Terry's story is written in a refreshingly candid style, giving us access to places that many authors seemingly avoid. By showing us his deepest fears and greatest challenges, he ultimately takes us on a journey of touching triumph.
   
   While there are several amazing aspects to this book, I found the most moving and enlightening area to be his description of re-inventing himself "from the inside out." Virtually all of us have made up stories about ourselves that keep us separate from others. Terry 's illumination of this process can help each and every one of us to dispel those myths and ultimately enjoy much closer relationships - both with others and ourselves.



2. "At Face Value" details author Terry Healey's brush with death and his conversion from a focus on the externals of life to the fabric that makes up the human spirit. Healey, diagnosed with a fibrosarcoma while a college student, is a cancer survivor today. In "At Face Value," Healey chronicles his years-long journey from the initial, agonizing diagnosis through more than thirty surgical procedures and radiation treatments he endured.
   
   Healey was not sure if he would survive the cancer, as it reoccurred. Once survival was a real possibility, he had to deal with having to never look "normal" as the fibrosarcoma radically disfigured his appearance, particularly his face. Thoughts of death and stares by friends and strangers were constant companions.
   
   The author says "the book is not about cancer disfigurement but a much broader issue, society's quick judgment of people based on the superficial" and "our need to look beyond appearances." We need to look deeper, and focus on the internal fabric that makes up the human spirit.
   
   The book explores the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual challenges faced by those forced on people faced with a serious life-threatening and disfiguring illness (or accident). These challenges are not unique to Healey. For example, a spiritual challenge most of us can identify with is our daily relationship with God. "I felt guilty about wanting to ask God for good health and favorable pathology results...why I only paid special visits to church when I needed help. Why couldn't I stop by church to say a few thanks now and then?...We all get caught up in our lives and tend to pray only when we're facing a major obstacle or illness ...eventhough (sic) I knew prayer always helps."
   
   Today, Healey is a board member of the Wellness Community - helping others facing a life threatening illness - and is a highly sought after motivational speaker.



3. As a fellow sarcoma survivor, my journey with a different type of sarcoma, in a different location, was similar. Terry's recounting of his journey was helpful for me. It reinforced that the numerous emotions that one goes through both during and after the battles, however different are part of the process of healing. Like Terry, part of me is disfigured, but I have accepted the scars as battle wounds, as a reminder that I have won and life goes on. Terry put into words the very emotions that I encountered these past few years. Unless one goes down this dark path firsthand, it is very difficult to understand what living with cancer is like. I highly recommend this book for everyone, not just therapists, patients and caregivers. Terry wrote the book like he is telling his tale to his friends. His message is a great wake-up call to all, to not pre-judge others on appearances. There is a story behind every scar. Read the book, then pass it on to a friend. Thank you, Terry, for writing your story.



4. Inspiring. If I ever feel sorry for myself I will just pick up this book. Quite a story. Quite a personality. (I felt I got to know Terry personally.) And, I was thoroughly entertained with the story he was telling. Most of all....his book will help me face life with a better attitude.
   
   JIM RICE



5. This book is excellent; an outstanding inspiration! I found myself laughing and crying in the span of 15 seconds and applauding his bravery with each turn of the page. Terry is a wonderful example of how positive thinking, coupled with a strong faith, are instrumental in the healing process. But we also see his many other raw emotions, and how they're hard to fight in the thick of battle. Terry, thank you for being extra transparent, allowing us to identify with your story (even if we don't have cancer) and apply it to our own challenges.

1 comments about An Angel at My Side: Surviving Leukemia Through Love.

1. An Angel At My Side: Surviving Leukemia through Love is the powerful, life-affirming testimony of author Frances Schindler, who had been twice diagnosed with leukemia and confronted her tremendous personal battle for recovery with courage, honesty, and humor. Schindler attributes her victory over cancer to faith, an upbeat, optimistic attitude, and the kindness of an angel of her own. This gentle, positive, candid, and highly recommended memoir concludes with a short list of support group resources and alternative therapies in addition to aggressive medical treatment, and is enhanced with a handful of black-and-white photographs.

1 comments about The Closest Of Strangers.

1. This is a must have for those whom practice medicine with God in mind

2 comments about A Gift of Life: A Page From the Life of a Living Organ Donor.

1. As I write this review, I am preparing to share the author's experience: I am donating a kidney to a friend who has suffered kidney failure. So much of what Ms Chabot-Long experienced I am now experiencing. The decision to give up a kidney is a very emotional one and I can relate to much of what the author went through. I discovered that she had the same experience that I am going through in that it reached the point where she would have been disappointed if for any reason, she could not have done it. I wanted a good, vivid account of what awaits me in the future and Ms Chabot-Long provides such an account. I feel that I have been clued in as to what awaits me both physically and emotionally. I know that the recovery from the surgery is likely to be painful and I have been given a good firsthand account of what I can expect. I was charmed and moved by her description of her family and what they went through in supporting her. The support I have been receiving has made me very emotional. The author is not a professional writer and it is clear that she did not have a professional editor. She and her husband published the book themselves so the writing style is not necessarily smooth and contains grammatical errors. However, I can easily overlook that since the book hits home as to my personal needs. Furthermore, the author did a fair amount of research and provides technical information in a style understandable to lay people. I recommend this book to anyone who wants good. reliable information on what a kidney donor goes through.



2. As a librarian and a fairly sophisticated user of information, I was indeed pleased to locate this title. My brother had just started dialysis and our family was looking into the pros and cons of living versus cadaver donation. A first-person account of the transplant experience from the point of view of the donor and the recipient was just the sort of introductory material my brother and I were looking for.

   Unfortunately, what useful information one could locate on end-stage renal disease, dialysis, the transplantation decision, the surgery or its aftermath was buried under pages and pages of irrelevant detail about the author's family, or was mired in hopelessly inelegant prose, full of glaring errors of grammar and tense. The excerpt of the book that follows the editorial reviews of this title is a perfect example of why clear and concise writing and careful editing are so important.

   Given the subtitle "a page from the life of a living donor" one would certainly expect a certain level of personal detail to accompany the facts. Yet Ms. Chabot-Long's account reads like the breathless entries in a teenager's " dear diary." And do we really need to know (over several pages) why it took so long for her to be discharged from the hospital? Hint: this essential bodily function often slows down after surgery. You really don't want to go there.

   This account would have been much better if it had been presented as an article in a magazine. It would have forced the author or her editor to stress facts and to highlight the decision-making process that her family used when they faced this crisis.

   My brother and I skimmed the book in about an hour and were much better served by the articles I found in reference books, in periodicals, and on the web.