1 comments about The Clinical Diary of Sándor Ferenczi.

1. The Hungarian analyst Ferenczi was a Freudian, a member of Freud's early circle, and a renegade of sorts. He was Freud's analysand and, relatively quickly, moved into intellectually uncharted psychological waters. He gained a reputation as a passionate, unorthodox, and even flakey analyst. This "clinical diary" charts with candor, disarming simplicity, and stunning lucidity the thought process of Ferenczi as he discusses his patients, Freud, his own interesting experiences of countertransference, and his highly original and ( especially for their time) unconventional notions regarding the psychoanalyst's rightful and appropriate levels and types of engagement with patients. He was a caring and humane doctor. The writing is complex and layered at times. A very, very worthwhile read.

5 comments about Made a Difference for That One: A Surgeon's Letters Home from Iraq.

1. Seems a little too well-written for emails, but a very personnel account of a surgeon in a field hospital in Iraq. Depictions of life on the base and compassionate account of his cases. Would have liked a little more in depth account of his relatiionships with others he encountered there.



2. a pleasure to read and even more importantly, dr. christopher coppola is a pleasure to know.



3. Dr. Coppola is a remarkable person and he did indeed do a thourough job of describing life at Camp Anaconda. I especially enjoyed the stories of the children that the doctors at Balad were able to help. I'm a medical professional and I expected more technical accounts of care given and medical procedures, but the book is composed of emails sent to laypersons stateside, so the laymans terms and cursory descriptions were appropriate for that audience. I was also very surprised at the liberal slant of the book....Dr. Coppola admittedly opposes the war in Iraq. I find it hard to reconcile his opposition to the war with his accounts of the many ways that our troops have made life better for the Iraqi citizens and the stories of profuse thanks being extended by Iraqi nationals who visited Balad. Having just read about Bataan and the sacrifices made by Allied Troops there, I find it frustrating that Dr. Coppola feels that the cost of the liberation of Iraq is too high. The loss of any US personnel is tragic, but this is a war and it is worth fighting and Dr. Coppola's letters are great illustrations of the good the US troops are doing in Iraq. The US casualties in Iraq are tragic, but the sacrifices are not in vain. It is unfortunate that Dr. Coppola feels that the price for bringing a better life to Iraq is excessive. Our grandfather's generation knew, but we have forgotten, that nothing worthwhile comes without a price.
   
   Dr. Coppola's descriptions of life at Camp Anaconda are panoramic and give a good taste of what life is like there, but his writing is choppy and disjointed at times.
   
   If you are expecting a compilation of extensive but not exceptional emails, then you will appreciate this book tremendously. If you are expecting hard details of the medical side of life for a combat surgeon or literary genius, you will be disappointed.
   
   Overall, I'd say this is a good (not stellar) read.



4. It's no wonder this book won the 2006 EPPIE for best nonfiction e-book of the year! Chris wrote informative and touching accounts of his time in Iraq and his wife, Meredith, has compiled them into a cohesive and compelling book. Although his specialty is pediatric surgery, Chris was called upon to perform all kinds of medical procedures during his time in the war. However the most moving stories in the book are those about using his special skills to help the children of Iraq. Getting to know this remarkable man is a worthwhile and inspiring experience. Thanks to both of them for sharing it with the rest of us.



5. Having deployed along with Chris, I laughed and cried with his remembrances which so mirrored my own. He writes well, with detailed and candid descriptions that both show the reader what life was like, and tell the reader how different he wishes things could be. His enthusiasm for life, for service, and for the care of his patients are an inspiration and this book is part of 'current events' as well as soon-to-be history. I am glad that his wife was able to compile and publish his letters, to share with others his experiences and thoughts.

No comments about Florence Nightingale: Letters from the Crimea.

2 comments about My Breast.

1. Published in 1992, Ms. Wadler's story is engrossing, and especially interesting when she sticks to her cancer and its treatments, instead of digressing into descriptions of her rather flaky relationships with three, on-again, off-again boyfriends. Based on the author's upbeat yet realistic attitude, and the fact that she had an apparently slow-growing, "good" type of malignancy--medullary cancer--I would suppose that she is alive and thriving today.

   "My Breast" is a fast read, and one that would be particularly appropriate for anyone who has been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. The more frightening aspects of Ms. Wadler's diagnosis and treatment are well balanced by her sense of humor and positive attitude.




2. "The surgeon took it out using a local, and when he was done, I asked to see it. It was the size of a robin's egg, with the gray brain-like matter which give it its name, medullary cancer. It rested in the middle of a larger ball of pink and white breast tissue, sliced down the center like a hard-boiled egg...and I looked at it hard, trying to figure it out. We did not know it was cancer until twenty minutes later, when they had almost finished stitching me up and the pathology report came back, and then I was especially glad I had looked. Mano a mano, eyeball to eyeball. This is a modern story. Me and my cancer. I won."

   Any book that starts off this way has got to be a terrific read and this one is. A sharp-eyed, witty, chin-up personal account by a journalist who keeps it close to home but happens to be a great mediator of the graphic details and the medical context. Not many breast cancer patients will be lucky enough to have the rare, unaggressive medullary form that Joyce Wadler thought she had, but even she had her diagnosis hedged later in the game and thus underwent the full round of surgery, radiation and chemo. Will appeal to: All breast cancer readers, well or ill.

No comments about God's Eugenicist: Alexis Carrel And the Sociobiology of Decline (Monographs in French Studies).

2 comments about Saving the Heart: The Battle to Conquer Coronary Disease.

1. I am a medical student/researcher with plans to become a cardiac surgeon or cardiologist. I enjoyed learning some of the history of the Cleveland Clinic and am personally involved in some of the new developments that the author mentioned in the last chapter. My only problem is that the book was not representative of american cardiology or cardiac surgery as a whole. It seems that the author did all of his research in Ohio and the Northeast, whereas significant advances have taken place in other parts of the country (U. of Alabama, Mayo, Texas Medical Center). Two of the most famous cardiac surgeons the world has known - Michael Debakey and Denton Cooley were only mentioned in a few short sentences. The reader gets the impression that some less important surgeons (that happen to work at the Cleveland Clinic) invented cardiac bypass surgery when it was actually the work of hundreds. In the last chapter, the author mentions a technique called OCT. Yes, this technique shows promise (I work with it) but it was only mentioned because someone at Harvard is working on it. I can think of 10 examples of techniques that show as much promise. I wish writers that wanted to tell the world about American medicine would search all of America before they sat down to write. In sum, it was readable but had some holes that made me feel incomplete after I read it.



2. Stephen Klaidman has provided us with a very interesting, easy reading book that I recommend to anyone who has a heart condition or is interested in the subject. The major portion of the book discloses chronologically how heart conditions were treated from its earliest practitioners to the present day. Biographical sketches of medical developers, practitioners, entrepreneurs, etc. provide human interest to the emerging history.

   All major surgical developments, most of which occurred in the twentieth century, are explained in detail. The struggles of medical pioneers to gain acceptance of what at the time were radical innovations are amply explored. Among these innovations are angiography (imaging technology), heart-lung machine, coronary bypass surgery (with and without the heart-lung machine), angioplasty, and minimally invasive bypass surgery.

   Hi-tech heart surgery-an extremely complex and difficult subject-is explained for the layman to understand. The benefits and problems of each of the current procedures are explained.

   Klaidman explores hi-tech surgical instruments, a highly profitable multi-billion dollar business. His biographical profiles of some developers (doctor-engineer-inventors) and entrepreneurs disclose how the competitive race of developers to market first and the rivalry of entrepreneurs for market share may be detrimental to the best interests of patients.

   None of the many present sophisticated treatments provide a cure! They just alleviate symptoms. The pioneers of today are searching for cures. Their approaches are described and are not only fascinating but also innovative.

   The final chapter discusses the ethical questions raised by our current medical system: conflicts of interest between practitioners with financial stakes in various treatments; competition between advocates of various treatment options; competition between various surgical equipment manufacturers for market share; the pressure to reduce costs by HMOs; etc.

   If there is one fault to the book, it is that the title "Saving the Heart: The Battle to Conquer Coronary Disease" led me to believe that it would be more comprehensive. The drugs-nitroglycerin, Coumadin, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, statins--were mentioned only as they pertained to a topic then being explored, not in the detail the surgical treatments were given. Not even mentioned are life style changes--diet, exercise and meditation--that Dean Ornish has proposed. A book on these topics written as well as this one would definitely be welcomed.

   But for what this book does it does it so well a five star rating is most appropriate.

2 comments about On My Own Terms.

1. This is a compelling story of a woman's life and her struggle with various kinds of adversity. I loved that instead of focussing on the pain and the horror of the events in her life, D. Barriere used them to speak about her personal growth and the triumph of her human spirit after much struggle. She was successful in making me think, making me sad, making me joyful for her successes and a book that is able to draw those emotions from me is a rare and treasured thing.



2. On My Own Terms is a very powerful book! The author had me identifying with her. I was often in tears when I was reading this book. It addresses so many issues that deserve further thought. I truly recommend this book to anyone, as the author sheds a great deal of insight as to how a person is affected by abusive parents. This book left me with a feeling that we can all overcome obstacles, no matter what a person has endured. Darlene Barriere's book is truly inspirational.

No comments about Taking the Lead: Dancing With Chronic Illness.

1 comments about On Women Turning 70: Honoring the Voices of Wisdom.

1. Incredible book - fun to read, I read it in my 40s and it served to light the way to how I want to age (in a serious and realistic and fun way - not something superficial like wearing purple or being ornery). Should definitely be brought back into print as we baby boomers NEED this kind of wisdom... Letty Cottin Pogrebins Getting Over Getting Older is also good - she nailed that what throws the whole game is being able to handle our loss/losses. That this is what separates the Great Elders from, well, the older folks none of us wants to become...

   i wasn't as inspired by the On Women Getting 40, 50, 60 in the series - don't know if it's because these 70ish women were/are such amazing human beings - or if 70 is a better stage in life ... so I'd check them out of the local library - or BUY them for the local library to have on hand... but THIS BOOK YOU WANT TO OWN and refer to and pass around and buy for others! Made me love the prospect of Old Age and showed me women I could emulate. Thanks, Cathleen - a book that should live forever - it's that definitive. Teens and young people should read it - they'd benefit from the wisdom of these "happening chicks"! An attractive preview of how the Endgame can be if you want to make it --- from women who hardly had everything breaking their way throughout life. You close the book thinking "ain't life grand even when it ain't grand?!"

2 comments about Alzheimer's, a Love Story: One Year in My Husband's Journey.

1. I assume that most of the readers of this book will, like me, be people who have a friend or loved one suffering from Alzheimers. I bought "Alzheimers, A Love Story" looking for some concrete answers and suggestions, but instead found a lovely, highly personal story of one woman's struggle with her husband's early years with the disease. Although I was at first disappointed, since I didn't find much information about the hows and whys, I am now very pleased that I discovered this book.



2. This book tells the truth in a profound, moving, beautiful way, and is enormously helpful to anyone in the difficult position of caring for a loved one with Alzheimers. A must read, I kid you not. So helpful in every way - for dealing with the psychological and emotional difficulties, and for the concrete decisions and actions that must be taken