5 comments about Shaman, M.D.: A Plastic Surgeon's Remarkable Journey into the World of Shapeshifting.

1. I bought Shaman, MD because I had seen Dr. Bruce for a consultation for a breast reduction, and I wanted to know more about that word, "Shaman" and how it related to the surgeon who was to perform my breast reduction. What a great read! I really loved the fact that I had found a surgeon who was open-minded and it was nice to see another side to "practicing medicine." I really recommend this book to anyone interested in learning what shapeshifting means and how it can help to improve your life. Dr. Bruce is not only a great surgeon, but a talented writer, as well. Her book has definitely peaked my interest to learn more about shapeshifting and Shaman techniques.



2. Shaman MD is a compelling story of a journey into one of the last refuges of human and planetary mystery. This is a journey not for the weak of heart. The risks can be life changing, or life threatening. Hiking along the high jungle deep into the Amazon forests of Ecuador with Jaguar, Anaconda, and hundreds of species of poisonous snake hidden from sight, is not always something many in our domesticated culture would care to risk. Or high in the Andes entering into poisonous fume producing caves seeking knowledge and power.
   
   Bruce's story unfolds as autobiography on the plains of Africa where she grew up in a family not afraid to march to its own beat by abandoning the comforts of western culture. With great courage, Bruce, tells her own story as a fifteen year old girl getting pregnant and choosing to keep her baby. The astonishing story unfolds in her return to America by entering college and then medical school followed by completing a surgical residency no other women had achieved to that point.
   
   The story eventually takes her into the world of indigenous healing and cross cultural norms on many different continents working with elders, shamans, sangomas, and sages. The story underscores the personal transformation she finds in these simple and honest communities still honoring our Earth Mother and those who remain conversant with her language.
   
   As someone who has walked this same path, I can only attest to its power to transform lives. The question, of course, can you let go of your cultural inhibitions, to enter into another way of knowing?
   
   This is a great book, by a modern visionary. My only regret is that Bruce has not written another book.



3. Dr. Bruce busts some myths that the right brain can't be in harmony with the left brain. A board-certified physician AND a shaman, Dr. Bruce is living proof that one can expand their view of transformation beyond what is "logically possible". Logic only takes one so far, the rest requires an ability to see other angles, and other ways of perceiving reality.



4. This is my second copy. . . There's so much to grasp in this book that I need a second reference copy. . .. Just the notion that we have the ability to shapeshift our life from moment to moment and with an enormous heart. . . . what a great gift!!!



5. Dr. Bruce likes to refer to "scientific studies" to substantiate some of her claims without citing the source of these supposed studies. The most preposterous being the "study" about the "randomized" trial to test the effectiveness of long-distance prayer, presumably the Harris et al study done in 1999. These and other studies such as the Columbia Miracle study in which it was reported that women prayed for from thousands of miles away by strangers were more likely to become pregnant than those who weren't are studies that have turned out to be a fraud.
   Although the book is interesting when Bruce talks about her family and her reasons for studying shamanism, her details and descriptions of the visions are just too freaky.
   I also don't buy what she says about a person being able to genuinely change from without before changing from within. I think this claim is only used to justify her career.

5 comments about A Slant of Sun: One Child's Courage.

1. The author writes in a highly personal, lyrical, and IMO
   somewhat self-indulgent style. It's not my cup of tea, but
   if there is a large audience for this form of writing, more
   power to the author. I personally think that the most useful
   message to come out of this book is "trust your instincts".
   The primary inspiration is Beth's courage, amidst
   the shock of dealing initially with the PDD-NOS conunudrum,
   to tune out the noise, and chart Jeremy's course
   herself based on her own instincts of what felt right
   and what seemed to worked best for him. Having been in
   a similar albeit less traumatic situation, I can't
   convey how much courage it takes to jettison, or at
   least cherry-pick among the advice of the experts. The
   instinct to let the experts take over is very powerful
   when you are searching for answers, and want to protect
   your child from something unknown and frightening. But
   when it comes to autism spectrum disorders, parental
   instinct can often trump psychology.



2. As beautifully as it is written, as much praise as it has received, and as interested as I am in the subject, A Slant of Sun was hard to pick up. For in opening these pages, I had to pry open a part of myself. The struggle was worthwhile, however, for the elegant prose of this book sheds light and hope upon the challenges faced by parents whose children receive the diagnosis of "Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified" as well as other invisible and elusive conditions that can affect the development of young children.
   
   Beth Kephart immediately engages the reader as she takes you into her heart and mind. You get to know this quite ordinary, unassuming first-time mother as she struggles with the normal but uncomfortable worries of parenthood. The pages resonate with the devoted passion of a mother's love. Then comes that all too familiar, slow-dawning realization that her child's differences are beyond the range of the typical. As a parent of a child within the spectrum of PDD, I had no choice but to relive my son's early years and my own anguish in discovering that he would never be "normal."
   
   As the author puts it, "What in the end are you fighting for? Is normal possible? Can it be defined?...And is normal superior to what the child inherently is, to what he aspires to, fights to, every second of his day?" Kephart refuses to confuse her only child with a label. She describes as only a fellow traveler can how she and her husband found therapists who "felt" right and held onto the ideas from doctors that made sense, like not letting their son get stuck in his rituals for too long. She talks about how hard it was as only a mother at home all day with her child can. As she put it, "It required more of me than I actually had to give, and at the end of it all, it was Jeremy himself who provided the light and the wisdom that moved us forward."
   
   Jeremy is described today as a successful second grader in a country Quaker school. As a reader, I couldn't help but feel jealous for my own son has never made dramatic progress despite my hopes and dreams and efforts to the contrary. A Slant of Sun reopened that longing within me and led me to rethink my steps from my son Tariq's early years until now as he approaches his nineteenth birthday still functioning in the range of mental retardation. Still it was worth the effort, for the broad category of PDD has different implications for each child within the spectrum and for each parent who has to come to terms with the reality for their child. The combination of love and good programs can take each child as far as he or she can grow--but no further. Neither Beth Kephart nor any of us other parents have control over that.
   
   We can hear Kephart's grief out loud in many of the essays which make up the book. While she observed her husband, on the other hand, to have grieved inside himself as most men do. Together they both did all they could while youth and innocence left this first-time mother. Like the rest of us struggling with disabilities in our children, they have been through years of having little life for themselves as they struggled to understand and meet their child's needs. First on their own, and then with therapists and teachers with the same approach, they learned to engage in Jeremy's world which helped him to enter theirs. They learned how to coach and pull him through his obsessions rather than yank him out of them and frustrate him. They made the world of relating appealing to their son.
   
   PDD has multiple causes and numerous symptoms which appear in quite individual profiles in children who struggle simultaneously yet unevenly with language, motor skills, and social awareness. Love is the only reasonable response in the absence of a cure. It is a love without conditions for our special children regardless of how far they can or may develop. Our children teach us about the love and wonder of raising a child that escapes and transcends science and logic. A Slant of Sun lives up to its title and deserves to endure for it casts light on the arduous but rewarding journey of parenting a special child.
   
   
   *****
   
   Robert Naseef, Ph.D. is a nationally recognized psychologist specializing in families of children with special needs. He is the author of the highly regarded "Special Children, Challenged Parents: The Struggles and Rewards of Raising a Child With a Disability" (2001, Brookes Publishing). On the web at (...)



3. Unlike most books about autistic children written by their mothers, this mom doesn't offer the difinitive methodology for "recovery", no recipe for success. She tells the story of herself and her son to tell what she has found to be the greatest truth of the parent child relationship - love matters. You do your best, you love your child, you teach him/her what is important. So many parents of autistic children, particularly those with very young children, are so afraid of the future, they want answers. You will not find those answers here. This doesn't tell you what to do, but suggests that whatever path you take, be sure it is full of love. This is a lovely book, beautifully written, sweetly told.



4. This book is a must read for parents of children finding their way back from the cloud of autism spectrum disorders. Beth Kephart paints a picture, not just of a heartbreaking condition but also of hope and joy in the midst of recovery. As the mother of a toddler battling the same mysterious condition I appreciated her acceptance and delight in her son. Beth Kephart put into words perfectly how parenting an autistic child can be so magical and thrilling and so sad and heartbreaking at the same time. Her refusal to let a diagnosis define her son is inspiring.

   This is an excellent book to read as a companion to all the information books about autism and pdd. Her son is not 'cured' but he is back, loving and being loved.

   Aside from the story itself Beth Kephart's use of words and language make the book worth reading, she writes beautifully.

   A wonderful book.




5. A Slant of Sun is a beautiful book written about a boy whose dignity and integrity teach his mother many things. This book is not an appropriate selection for parents who are seeking a plan of action or a series of steps to take toward a child's wholeness; the author makes it clear, repeatedly, that what worked well for her child is not necessarily a prescription for all children. Instead, A Slant of Sun is a book for those who believe it is important to step back, to spend time with their children, and to learn the lessons that they teach. It is a book for those who have been profoundly moved by their own child's first words, by unexpected gestures of love.

3 comments about Doctors and Discoveries: Lives That Created Today's Medicine.

1. Centuries of research and medical insights have contributed to the fundamental principles of today's medical and research practices: Doctors & Discoveries is dedicated to the pioneers who made these initial medical discoveries. Key figures in medicine from past to present are detailed in a collective biography of medical history chronicling their lives and achievements. Solid links are drawn between discoveries, discoverers, and how today's health practitioners work.



2. A splendid book for writers, doctors, scientists, reference librarians and any educated reader who wants to understand the history of medicine through the biographies of its chief proponents. From Paracelsus and Harvey to Koch and Gallo, this is a highly readable history.

   Many unfamiliar names lie behind numerous major discoveries and the reader is in for a real education discovering the pioneers of molecular biology, enzyme chemistry, viral theories of cancer, medical education, electrocardiography, cellular immunity and much more. A pefect gift for the young daughter or son who is looking forward to a medical career.




3. I am always on the look out for decent books that can be used to teach students about phenomenal lives and mentors. This book accurately fills that need. Most of the physicians in this book were also researchers before scientific research was even a field. Many of these men (they are mostly men) came from backgrounds that were not particularly conducive to doing medicine, let alone the research that they ended up doing. Their families were not aristrocratic or learned, many had fathers who were tradesmen...yet for some reason, they chose to enter fields of medicine. Medicine was not always the prestigious field or career that it is now. Often, it was looked down upon, especially prior to its consolidation as a science. The work that these men did helped to raise the prestige of medicine, anatomy, physiology, and neuroscience.

   Medicine, like most sciences, is a long ongoing process of learning. Not just about the body, but about what chemicals and what therapies are going to work for individuals. One of the things that this book makes clear is that those who succeeded in furthering medical knowledge all possessed great curiosity as well as often possessing great courage. So many times, these guys had to buck the current establishment, whether it was clergy, current medical knowledge (often dating back to Greece even in the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance), and even governmental authority.

   This book is well-written, and provides a lot of diverse stories about medical achievement mainly in European countries. There are a few chapters dedicated to women and only a couple involving men from the Middle East, none from the Orient. The author does bring up alternative medicine, but since I can think of several other medical discoveries and physician/inventors from parts of the non-European world that could and should be mentioned, I think this book should be followed by another including the inspiring stories from the rest of the world. All children and all adolescents, need to see mentors, scientists, and physicians that are like them; that it is possible to achieve in this area no matter where you are from, what gender or race or ability you have. This book is a critical and good start, but it is essential to take it farther...

   It's important for kids to have diverse meanings for the word 'hero'. With so many in the sports world, in the world of entertainment, and now in the business world providing bad examples, it is paramount that teachers and parents provide alternatives to these people as to what actually constitutes a 'hero'. So many in the media and in government lambast how poorly our students are doing in science and math education, yet part of the problem lies in the fact that adults are not providing good examples of what is important and what is not. This book helps to place this critical emphasis back on the importance of intelligence, of creativity, and of compassion for fellow human beings. A truly vital book to have for educators and those who would be mentors.

   Karen Sadler,
   Science Education,
   University of Pittsburgh

5 comments about Walking Out on the Boys.

1. Men groping women. Men coming on to women, and making incredible jackasses of themselves in the process. Men getting drunk and acting like barbarians. Men with one thing in mind. Men whose compulsion to talk about sex is so strong that they do it at highly inappropriate times in public. Men who think that pressuring women is their God-given right. If you think that what I just described is a high school football team on an overdose of steroids, you're wrong. These sexual antics weren't perpetrated by adolescents with testosterone bubbling out their ears, they were committed by male doctors at Stanford University. Not being stupid, these demigods put two and two together and realized that they could use their power to pressure women. One of these men made a fatal mistake, though: he pressured Dr. Frances Conley, a topnotch neurosurgeon and renowned researcher at Stanford. Bad move, fella. I suppose that guy never learned that if you're going to pick a fight, you don't provoke someone who can whack you back so hard you just might rethink whether it's wise to be a bully.

   As publicity spread about Dr. Conley's fight, more and more women came forward to reveal their stories. This was certainly an eye-opening book. Before reading it, I'd never given much thought about the sexual harassment of women in medicine and allied healthcare fields. Perhaps we're more civilized here in Michigan, because I've never seen or heard of any such hanky-panky. Well, let me revise that last statement: I have witnessed a lot of sexual inducement, but what I saw was women chasing men not the other way around. But everyone knows that those California folks are trendsetters.

   Dr. Conley never envisioned herself as a trendsetter, though. For years, she passively participated in the abuse until a concatenation of events convinced her that it was time to draw a line in the sand. To make a long story short, the men didn't believe she'd put up much of a fight, but she did, and they lost. Big time.

   (...) Perhaps the most chilling message in this book is that some men in positions of power are willing to use that power to stifle the careers of women. So what is an attractive woman to assume? That if she goes into medicine her pulchritude will serve as a magnet for sexual harassment? Perhaps this abuse is, unbeknownst to me, more pervasive than I think. I suppose because most of my friends are women, I can't understand men who view women as being somehow inferior. However, you shouldn't necessarily construe from that statement that I think women physicians are as competent, on average, as male physicians. There's no doubt that some are, and there's no doubt that Dr. Conley is a superior physician, not just competent. (...) My only major criticism of the book is that it is too focused upon abuse of women by men. Since the core of this book is hinged upon some of the depredations that ensue when power is abused, I think she could have achieved a more balanced perspective by pointing out that powerful people often use their power against men, too ý not just women. I've seen male docs fight one another with such a vehemence that it made the stories in Dr. Conley's book seem as pleasant as afternoon tea and cookies with a neighbor. Consequently, while I don't intend to trivialize the unfortunate reality of the abuse Dr. Conley documents, it's important to keep in mind that this abuse is but one aspect of a much larger problem. In defense of Dr. Conley, broadening the scope of this book to include other aspects of hospital politics would have diluted the message she wished to inculcate, and it would have made for a very unwieldy book. With that in mind, I suppose I'm on shaky ground by wishing that her book had a wider focus. Her book, her demeanor, her dedication, her resolve, and her competence are commendable. Dr. Conley is a great doctor and I am happy to have met her, however indirectly, by reading this book.

   Review by Kevin Pezzi, M.D.




2. As a minority faculty in the academics Frances Conley's book vividly portrays the reality of the ivory tower that, though pretentiously progressive in ideas, is way behind the iota of gender equality that exists outside the academe. I, sometimes, feel I am living in the medieval period when entering the academe.

   When I first came across this book I thought this must have been written in the seventies and I could share it with my students as a historical autobiography of sexism in an academic institution. I was horrified to find that it was written in the nineties about one of the most prestigious institution in California.

   I have always felt alone, alienated in the academe and of course disconnected from other women who were struggling too much to bother with the problems of their women peers. This book validated my experience and helped me understand where my alienation was coming from.

   I wish this book could be a standard read for all freshman students in all universities. Only when women who appear to be in power tell their stories of powerlessness and abuse can we act collectively to stop the misogyny that exists among our men and more particularly among our elite men.




3. I'm not an MD or a PhD; I don't work in a hospital or academia. Yet I too have experienced sexual harassment, and I too have consulted the EEO department that is supposed to get involved in handling these issues, and I found that they were disinterested, that they gave subtle and obvious messages that the problem was "my" problem and not the corporation's, and that they relied on my being too timid or unmotivated to initiate a lawsuit so the whole thing could be, well, ignored. Sexual harassment exists because the society permits men (even encourages men) to expect that it is their right to harass women. Not all men harass, and not all men admire harassers. In fact, it is quite the opposite, but those who possess the attitude that women who dare to compete must be put down through sexual threat or debasement will harass (they also enjoy and even need it, since these men have very real problems). Through her description of her own experiences, the author illuminates the social mechanism of harassment. She also brings to light the story that all we women know -- what it feels like to be the victim not just of a troubled person but of an organization that insists she accept the role of victim. When we are harassed, we women discover the battle we are in, not against one man but against all those societies which are founded on (this does sound harsh, I know) the hatred of women. This is a marvelous book -- hard to read at times if you've been there -- but it is important that women know what we are facing (especially our daughters, who like us may have been programmed to think that all men will be nice to us, will treat us fairly, and that if someone is abusive, it is our own fault, there is something wrong with me, etc.). Important too is having the author detail the steps she took to handle the harassment. This is a very supportive book for anyone enduring just such a situation (harassment as well as gender discrimination, which is a lot more rife and a lot less obvious). I'd recommend this to any woman who is willing to step outside of the traditional role, because we all need to know what we are up against, how the system is going to fail us, and especially all the steps we are entitled to take to combat this problem so that we change society's viewpoint and not just our own. I'd also recommend this to men, because there are many who are supportive of women in the workplace. Our husbands and boyfriends need to read this book to know how difficult it is for women, because in the end we can only effect a change if we all stand together.



4. Frances Conley offers a compelling indictment of gender discrimination at Stanford Medical School, past and present, focussing on her own recent experience. I started this book at midnight and could not put it down until finishing it at 4 a.m. Conley provides case after case of medical school professors given virtually absolute and unchecked power over their subordinates and their subordinates' careers, abusing that power, and the medical school administration covering up that abuse. While she never addresses the issues of solidarity in the face of sexual harassment, her cases all indicate that when one woman protests, she loses, and only a pattern of abuse reported by multiple women leads to any punishment of the harassers at all. Conley was fortunate and grateful that 37 others came forward to support her claim that Gerald Silverberg engaged in inappropriate sexual contact and other activities counterindicating his capability for leadership. I'll be passing this book onto many women who have had the choice to be treated at Stanford Hospital and may well now rethink that choice.



5. Sadly, any woman who's achieved a doctorate (& not just in medicine) will relate wholeheartedly to this book. I greatly admire Dr. Conley's unbelievable courage in standing up to the Boys' Club & trying to make things better for women in academia. Hopefully this book will encourage ALL women to stand up to the misogyny & be heard.

4 comments about Smile and Jump High! the True Story of Overcoming a Traumatic Brain Injury.

1. Don Lloyd does a great job of bringing you into the journey his family endures while dealing with Shannon's accident and recovery. As someone who watched her best friend go through a similar injury, I found this book hitting close to home.
   
   Reading Don's words and thoughts took me back to the raw emotions I felt years ago, but gaining the different perspective a parent has. I admired Don and Sue's bravery as they let Shannon live on her own in Atlanta after the accident, and wondered if I would have had the courage to do that with my own child.
   
   I think that Don, Sue, Brian, Kelley and Shannon are all lucky to have had each other during such a trying time. Tragedies such as this can pull a family apart but they fused together and helped heal Shannon as a unit.
   
   Thank you Don and Shannon for allowing this window into your life to be open to others. God Bless you.



2. This book proves that a person can do more than the doctors say he/she can; he can recover more fully, can have a better chance at a good, active, social life, and can eventually become independent, even if only in a few ways. Again, this is a book of hope for those of us who love and care for family members who are recovering from traumatic brain injuries. There will be a greater need for this type of book in the future as there are tremendous numbers of TBI's coming back from the Iraq/Afghanistan wars. My son is one of those survivors, with the "unseen injury".



3. Lots of valuable and good advice and resources for both craniotomy patients and caretakers. But the portrayal of NYC and its boroughs is incomplete and unfair (p. 179 of the softcover.) I had brain surgery in 2005 and I live in NJ and volunteer in NYC. I find the people there compassionate, thoughtful and considerate. That's 99.99% of them. They help me on the subway, across the street and do countless other nice things! Also, it's 2006 and Donald treats his wife, Sue, like chattel. He's very patronizing. I know what Sue had to do to make Donald and Shannon comfortable. She cooked, cleaned and did everything that a hard working Aide does. And believe me it's more work and more intense for a brain injured person.
   
   Donald goes through great pains and lots of analysis to explain the people, places, etc. that Shannon encounters. But on these matters it's a big miss.



4. Smile And Jump High!: The True Story Of Overcoming A Traumatic Brain Injury is the moving and compelling testimony of Shannon, a young woman who suffered a near-fatal auto accident. A devastating brain injury forces Shannon to embark on a grueling four-year journey of gradually re-learning simple physical skills, walking, talking, and coping with residual effects that drastically impair her problem-solving ability, behavioral temperament, and more. The inclusion of citations from personal journals of close friends and family members bear testimony to a long struggle culminating in triumph and rebuilding one's life from the ground up. Smile And Jump High is very highly recommended reading, especially for anyone having to come to grips with the recovering process necessitated by catastrophic injury or illness.

5 comments about Fields and Pastures New: My First Year as a Country Vet.

1. This book relates some of McCormack's adventures as the new vet in a southern country town during the early 1960s. McCormack grew up on a farm in Tennessee. His college roommate, a pre-vet major, interested him in veterinary science. Once he earned his veterinary degree and had a few years of experience under his belt, he set off in search of a town where he could hang up his shingle with an independent veterinary practice. At the time, Butler, Alabama had no licensed vet, so it seemed like a reasonable place for a new vet to make a start. In this book, McCormack describes the characters he met, both human and bovine, during that first year in Butler.
   
   McCormack is a master storyteller. With his careful choice of words, he conveys the character of the place with all its color. While chatting with some locals at a general store, McCormack quipped he went into veterinary rather than human medicine because he didn't like dealing with people. But he tells us that this is absolutely not true-if there's one skill that a vet must have above all others, it's the ability to deal with people, to understand their needs and character. In this book, McCormack regales us with tales of how he came to learn this lesson.



2. I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and entertaining. I loved the Herriot stories so much, this is another great book about vet stories. It will definately be worth your time.



3. I own the hardback copy of this book...actually I have owned it for a few years now. It is one of those books that become a literary treasure in your bookcase. I was so hooked on this book when I first got it, I read it from cover to cover in one day...I just couldn't put it down!

   Dr. McCormack in the US can be likened to James Herriott of England. His stories of animals that he treated and the start of his career in the 1960's makes the reader feel they are right along side him assisting in whatever procedure needs to be done to his animal patient.

   I am a person of great compassion for animals and as a reader, I was truly appreciative that the love and compassion that Dr. McCormack has for his animal patients shines through to the reader's soul. I laughed with this book..I have cried with this book...I have pulled for the sick animal in this book...I have rooted Dr. McCormack through as he treated tough cases in this book.

   There are books about animals and then there are the special books about animals because the respect, compassion from the writer is there and the animal patients become real as one reads along the journey in the book.

   If you are a James Herriott fan or an animal lover who is a reader, I highly, and I stress highly, suggest getting this book and reading it!




4. My people are not from Choctaw County, but we're from "around there." This is not only a sympathetic and heartfelt account of a rural vet practice in the sixties; it's a very accurate look at the folks you were likely to meet then and there, both the good and the bad. I have met most of the folks he talks about, or at least their near relations. Dr. McCormack's extended meditation on the verbal mangling of his job description by his neighbors is alone worth the price of admission, although the account of his visit to the Governor's Mansion driving the "rounds vehicle" and a too-long-delayed boar cutting run it very close. Excellent book.



5. I really enjoyed this book. It had good detail, and you really felt like you were going on the rounds with Dr. McCormack. I have read it several times since I bought it, and it is hard to put down each time, even though I know the outcome!

   I enjoyed reading how tough it was to convert some of the farmers to the methods of modern veterinary medicine, and it was interesting to read the different methods the farmers had preferred to treat the illnesses in their livestock and pets until their was more modern help available.

No comments about Laurance S. Rockefeller: Catalyst For Conservation.

5 comments about C.G. Jung and Hermann Hesse.

1. Carl Jung and Hermann Hesse unplugged in a fascinating and accessible way. The reader is a fly on the wall during Serrano's visits to these spiritual giants over the years. In my memory now, I almost feel like I was at a series of small dinner parties- Jung, Hesse, Serrano and me. Serrano has helped Jung and Hesse become 'companions' in the background and trajectory of my life. And these are some friends to have! Imagine that...



2. While I enjoyed this book, it fell short of the other reviews posted here. I'll preface my review - my readings of Jung are more limited than Hesse. I would rate the Hesse portion 2 stars, and the Jung Section 4 stars.
   
   Serrano romanticizes both Hesse and Jung to the point that they are portrayed as spiritual leaders. Serrano reminded me of a wide-eyed traveler who enjoyed idealizing the East, never really becoming entrenched in the culture. Spirituality isn't found by moving to India as much as Serrano alludes. It is possible my cynicism is a result of a recent trip to Asia where I encountered many travelers that reminded me of Serrano's worldly immaturity, although his later fascination with Nazism lends itself to my analysis.
   
   I was looking forward to the linkage between these authors and East theology/philosophy, but I think Serrano came up short. Some ideas he purports came from Jung or Hesse were around long before either author was born, and I do not think either author would say otherwise.
   
   Serrano fixates, at times, on himself a bit too much. Maybe some readers find Serrano interesting, but I was reading the book for insight into Hesse and Jung.
   
   Serrano wrote about Hesse as if Hesse were the Buddha. If you are interested in spiritual guidance I'd search elsewhere. Personally I think Hesse led a life of greater inner turmoil than Serrano lets on in this piece. I can appreciate the other reviewer's comment about people misunderstanding Hesse, however I found reading Hesse's "Wandering" more fruitful than this work.
   
   I did enjoy the Jung section. Serrano focuses less on himself in the Jung section and has more detailed accounts of interactions which I found fascinating. However, my readings of Jung are somewhat limited so the section may not actually offer much insight compared to other works.
   
   I'd recommend reading the book for the Jung section, but maybe get this book from the library rather than buying it.



3. An enchanting book by the controversial author Miguel Serrano. Serrano's books are often hard to interpret (requiring a knowledge of Alchemy, Gnosticism, Norse Paganism, Arthurian myth, Nietzschean Philosophy, Jungian Psychology, as well as Tantra both Buddhist and Hindu in order to decipher) but this is one of his more straightforward works. Serrano does an excellent job of drawing one into the story its almost as if you are on a spiritual pilgrimage with him. Despite the fact that I enjoyed his two other books that have been translated into English ( NOS book of the Resurrection and The Secret Flower) I put off buying this book for some reason. After having read a few of Hesse's works and finding them to be truly amazing I knew I had to stop putting it off and buy it. I wasn't disappointed.



4. _This is the second time that I have read this remarkable book. Both times I found myself envying the author for having established friendships with two of my greatest heroes, two of the greatest sages of modern times, Hermann Hesse and C.G. Jung.
   
   _This is not some collection of trivial exchanges- from the first meeting with both men the tone of the conversations were deep and significant. As the author says, it was like he had known both men before and they were resuming an old discussion. Hess himself commented on it and said that, "Here, only the right guests meet. This is the Hermetic Circle...." Sounds rather like Jung's concept of synchronicity, though Jung also speaks of Hermetic links with past and future in these discussions.
   
   _While both sections cover a remarkable amount of the core meaning of the life work of both men, there is also a personal sense here. You feel like you are meeting them yourself, are also guests in their houses. Not that the ideas are all rehash either- here and there something new pops up. An example would be how in one of the interviews with Jung the discussion turned to how both the ancient Greeks and the Native Americans both thought from their hearts and not their heads. Thinking exclusively from one's head is the result of dissociation between ego and Self- and sets up a tension that may tear a person or culture to pieces. In any case, you feel that you know both men. Of course, Hesse's novels were autobiographical in the deepest sense (and it is reaffirming to know that he actually was an accurate reflection of his characters- it wasn't just a show.) As for Jung, he states outright that he wrote primarily for his own process of individuation and that the fact that so many others read him made him frankly uncomfortable.
   
   _I was glad to see that my own perceptions of these often misunderstood and misinterpreted men seem to have been accurate from the start. For me too it was like a conversation with old friends- relinking with the Hermetic Circle.



5. Serrano was a writer and diplomat who sought out 2 masters as a spiritual/philosophic seeker. Fascinating biography, mixed with Serrano's own fixations.

   Serrano later fixated on Adolph Hitler, so there certainly seems to be a germanic bent that he followed. Read "Black Sun" to see the strange path MS took after his encounters with Hesse and Jung.

5 comments about Dr. Max Gerson Healing the Hopeless.

1. This is a book on the life and work of Dr. Max Gerson written by his grandson Howard Straus. It tells the story of Gerson from his boyhood in Wongrowitz, Germany through the years of his education in Breslau and his subsequent fame as medical practictoner, and curer of Tuberculosis throughout Europe. It then tells of his with the rise of the Nazis migration to New York establishing his practice , and coming to concentrate on curing cancer. The book claims that Gerson was the first true holistic physician who took into account the whole person and the environment in treating illness.
   Straus relates how Gerson as a young man had cured himself from migraine by radically changing his diet, moving away from the salt and fat rich diet of processed food common at that time to one based on wholly organic and natural foods.
   The cancer therapy of Gerson is controversial. One major story thread has to do with Gerson's persecution by the medical establishment on both sides of the Atlantic. There is one especially moving chapter on Gerson's treatment of Johnny Gunther, the son of the well- known correspondent John Gunther who later wrote the book 'Death be not Proud' about his son's struggle. Gerson's treatment seemed to be working but then a hormone treatment was given which he initially opposed doing. This led to the decline in the young man's' condition, and his death. The genuine soul- searching displayed by Gerson are an indication that he was not simply a formula- driven - fanatic but a caring physician.
   I have no way of evaluating the effectiveness of the Gerson treatment. It would seem however on the surface that were it the cure- all it is claimed to be it would have been universally adopted. I simply do not know.
   I do know this is a very interesting book, a story of a pioneering physician who cared about healing and developed original methods for doing so.



2. Here is the story of an authentic struggler; of a man of strict discipline and iron will; of a humble server of Humanity and courageous and strong defender of his profound convictions.
   
   With the historical contexts provided by writer Barbara Marinacci, Howard Straus leaves the realm of his academic field with the noble purpose of doing justice to his grandfather in a biography that ought to be required reading in more than one college subject.
   
   Its reading is not only beneficial for anyone who is curious about knowledge, but also for those who take courses on the history of medicine, on nutrition, and even on the History of Europe of the beginning of the past century. Its reading certainly is indispensable in the field of the research of cancer as a specialized and highly lucrative industry.
   
   The smoothly flowing account is organized in two parts on a chronological basis "The European Years" and "The American Years." It begins with the years Dr. Gerson lived in Europe because it was there, in Germany, where he was born in 1881. It ends in America because it was in the City of New York, in the American hemisphere, where he took refuge with his family in 1936, without knowledge of English, after he anticipated the imminent Nazi's barbarian affront against Humanity.
   
   Without sacrificing details and without being boring, Straus describes the life of animosities, persecution, rejections, and reprisals that doctor Gerson faced on the part of the so-called medical class ? as well as an attempt to kill him with arsenic ?for having dared to dedicate the power of his genial intellect to finding a cure for patients who had been sentenced to a certain death that their physicians believed to be imminent.
   With his careful research and daring innovations, Gerson made those galens look bad when he brought many of them back to health ? something they could not forgive him for.
   
   In the course of doing research for this book, Straus had the support not only of his relatives and of former patients of his grandfather, but had also the benefit of abundant clinical files, handwritten notes, Gerson's formal and personal correspondence and of the book the intrepid physician got to publish: A Cancer Therapy: Results of 50 Cases (1958). Reference is made also to the numerous articles that this pioneer of holistic and alternative medicine wrote, as well as to the many that the entities that tried to discredit him, systematically refused to publish.
   
   Although the justified pride with which the author describes his grandfather's odyssey in scientific research and in his unconventional practice of medicine is evident, the fact that he allows to see personality traits of him that could seem negative, at least at first glance, such as his rigid discipline and self esteem, is no less evident.
   
   Moreover, plenty of evidence is shown pertaining to the role of some well known organizations to sabotage Gerson's work, that is, of entities which historically have reaped lucrative benefits from the fact that cancer is deemed an incurable disease. Within this context, Gerson told one of his patients in a letter in October 1954, that his "main opponent" was Dr. Cornelius P. Rhoads, whose name the American Association for Cancer Research has dropped recently from one of its awards.
   
   When he learned that his physician and friend died of chronic pneumonia in March 1959, his compatriot, patient, and colleague, Albert Schweitzer, said about Gerson that he was "one of the most eminent geniuses in the history of medicine." Read this book and you will see why.
   
   J. Ortiz
   San Juan, P. R.



3. After talking with Howard (the Author) during business, he piqued my interest in his new book. He sold me a copy and I read it in a few weeks, and I was very impressed. This book opened my eyes to a lot of things, mostly things that I already knew, but never quite pieced together like that. (You ever get that? Know something but have it never really hit you?) the practice with Nutrition, the way doctors behave it all sadly made so much sense.

   This book is a tragedy in my opinion, a man constantly shot down for his efforts. But we should all learn from his example, Dr. Gersons efforts are not in vain for his legacy lives on in this book.

   More on the book however, I love many of the metaphors and vocabulary used IE "The Exodus of the Ants". Also, the book contains information that should be in everyone's thoughts. Now the reason it took a few weeks to read is it drags along toward the middle (as biographies tend to do). Taking a break solves this, reflecting on the information you've read for a while then starting it up again.
   
   I put it in my great book category, and have already lent it to many friends.




4. This book is extremely well wrote. You will be entertained from the very begining as you are hurdled through the multiple emotions of ones mans struggle to be able to truely heal all who have illness. The book tells the life story of an incredible healer and doctor and his nutritional and detoxifying diet therapy that he found was able to cure some forms of degenerative disease and benefit many other far reaching illnesses such as cancer. It is the story of a heroic man full of passionate veracity who was able to escape persecution from Hitler and the orthodox establishments that found him a threat to their standard treatments of disease. Yet today people do not have the knowledge of Max Gerson's treatment in order to make their own decision about their health and the treatments they would choose for any disease they might have.
   Thank God Howard Straus wrote this book!
   I think it is time that the story the American Medical Establishment and Pharmaceutical Companies have been hushing the last 40 years or more be told. Max Gerson is a genius that has worked next to all the greats of medicine. His concepts were early for his time. Now is the time that his treatment methods should be accepted, publicized and used mainstream as an alternative choice for those who would prefer something beyond pharmacy pills, surgery and radiation.



5. This book is a wonderful and informative read. I found the storyline
   portions to be riveting, especially the story of Dr. Max's escape from
   the Nazis. Additionally fascinating were the historical facts of
   Dr. Max's discoveries and disease-curing results and how they were
   received by the mainstream medical establishments in Europe and USA.

   The author's writing style is superb and very enjoyable to read.
   I think that all readers will find the book interesting and will enjoy
   learning Dr. Max's scientific & personal history and will recognize
   the repeated chord the AMA strikes with regard to Dr. Max & the Gerson
   diet. Also if readers follow recent health news & studies, they
   have already seen many scientific studies
   converging on the basic truths of Dr. Max's discoveries.

   I strongly recommend this book and have bought copies for many friends
   and relatives, and my primary-care MD... But in the
   meantime, please buy your own copy and read it. It's a great book.

1 comments about The Bizarre Careers of John R. Brinkley.

1. I would highly recommend this biography to anyone! Imagine a movie about Dr. Brinkley starring Robin Williams............