5 comments about Beautiful Stranger.

1. I found this book sometimes interesting but mostly annoying and sort of flat. From the very first page (from the title!), the author begins her litany of how beautiful and gorgeous and amazingly built she is (even models would be jealous, she tells us). There's not way to substantiate these continuous claims, because the picture on the jacket is of a very average and not very attractive woman, and there are no other photos in the book to contradict that picture. Oh and also she says she's smart, and such a great writer that it would "be a crime" if she didn't write, and is awesome in lots of other ways I can't remember. Where I come from, we call that "bragging."
   
   She seems to be an odd combination of extreme conceit and extreme insecurity, which admittedly you do find in some people. But I found it difficult to reconcile the two disparate viewpoints into a coherent point to the book. I had thought she had body dysmorphic disorder, but she says at the end she only has SOME traits in common with it. Basically she seems to say at the end that she is mostly obsessive-compulsive. Maybe I drew the wrong conclusion (thinking it was BDD) because the focus was so relentlessly on appearance, and that colored my reading. But ultimately I felt it was a book about a woman who has some huge need to convince everyone she's great-looking (despite the picture that contradicts her claims) and throws in some insecurity to make it seems like she's not full of herself. I would have found the book a lot more effective if she had told her story, left out all the bragging, and shown some pictures (if in fact she really was so beautiful at some point). The saddest part about this woman is that she so desperately cares what other people think of her.



2. This book is boring and slow. There is nothing compelling. It doesn't grip you in any way. Didn't finish it.



3. This book is about the collateral damage of growing up a trophy daughter. I really think that's why there aren't any before and after photos. On the back of the paperback edition is a photo of Hope as a pre-op teenager and It is obvious that it is not the outside that needs fixing.
   
   Hope Hathaway Donahue is the only child born to a couple of very privileged narcissists. Mr. Hathaway is distant and inept as a father. His big setback was not having the stomach to follow in his illustrious surgeon father's footsteps. So, he becomes a very successful international banker and a hypochondriac. Mrs. Hathaway is a lady of leisure who insulates herself within her own privileged microcosm, preferring to shut out all of life's unpleasant realities. She tries to turn beautiful daughter, Hope, into her living Barbie doll. In order to one up her rich friends she spends lavishly on gowns for coming out parties for Hope. The relationship takes a more sinister turn, however, when Hope becomes a teenager and Mrs. Hathaway's looks begin to fade. She begins buying Hope string bikinis. Since most mothers prefer modesty for their daughters perhaps this is Mrs. Hathaway's vicarious attempt to retain her nubility. It backfires when Mrs. Hathaway begins to see Hope as her rival rather than her ideal projection of herself. She then accuses Hope of being a temptress and Mr. Hathaway of having an affair with their daughter.
   
   One day Hope comes home from French class and her mother, lounging by their pool, admonishes her not to burden herself with too much learning. In The Great Gatsby, Daisy, the fabulously rich narcissistic protagonist sums it up after the birth of her daughter: "I hope she'll be a fool, a beautiful little fool. That's the best thing for a girl to be." Primed to be a "beautiful fool" Hope becomes obsessed with physical perfection. She thus embarks on a long series of painful, expensive, and totally unnecessary cosmetic surgery operations.
   
   Hope gets a master's degree in journalism from UC Berkeley. There is no mention of her trying to seek employment in her field, or having any hobbies or interests beyond her growing obsession with physical perfection. She develops a fear of and disdain for the world and like her mother isolates herself. Her parents support her for a while so she's not forced to get a job. She rents an apartment with several other girls, but doesn't interact with them and they dislike her. As they go off to work in the mornings she hides in her room and bemoans the sounds of the 9-5 rat race ever so thankful that she hasn't been drafted into it. She then rummages through their things, perhaps trying to partake in the outside world from a safe distance.
   
   Hope's parents eventually stop paying for her plastic surgery. It doesn't occur to Mrs. Hathaway that her daughter's plastic surgery is a desperate cry for help or that she is staring at the consequences of decades of grooming her daughter to be the perfect physical specimen. She packs up her bags and goes to stay at hotel so she won't have to look at Hope's bandaged face. Her father has the same reaction, but is marginally more helpful. He remains horrified and distantly silent, but fixes some meals for Hope.
   
   A reader from a deprived background might feel contempt for Hope, but is this situation so different from the 3rd generation welfare mother or the girl with a violent alcoholic father who grows up and marries one? All throughout this narrative Hope searches for love and acceptance. Her insecurities are often mercilessly exploited, most egregiously by a sleazeball cosmetic surgeon identified as Dr. S. What is most conspicuously absent, besides any parental warmth or guidance, is the mention of any close friends. Hope recounts her lonely childhood playing in her grandparents' large house and being treated very distantly by them. Hope gets into a "relationship" with Hank, who is secretly married and comes over to occasionally have sex with and abuse her. This lasts until he tries to rape one of her roommates and they kick Hope out. Faced with having to pay for her breast implants and the drudgery of a 9-5 job Hope then has a brush with the porn industry. Luckily she manages to walk away before becoming immortalized.
   
   Hope eventually gets a job as a receptionist where she meets the love of her life. They marry and have four children. Aside from the surgery Hope has to have to repair the damage caused by Dr. S (his procedures were questionable), this is perhaps as close to a happy ending as real life gets.



4. Hope Donahue has written a tragically beautiful novel of obsession with appearance, an obsession that overrides even the smallest of life's everyday functions. Hope is beautiful, smart, a college graduate, a debutante: the girl you hated in high school and college because, on the outside, she had everything you thought you needed to be happy.
   
   Hope's upbringing as a single child to a psychotic mother and a distant, rigid, puritan father wasn't helped by grandparents who were old-fashioned snobs. Hope was alone, and forced into adult roles before she was ready for them. In a way, Hope was never seen. In her own words, she writes, "A single moment of being seen can make up for a lifetime of invisibility."
   
   The only thing Hope's privilege brought her was the money to disfigure herself with plastic surgery rather than cutting or hair pulling. What she writes about, very poignantly, is the feelings involved with being obsessed with what is in the mirror rather than what is inside. There are moments Hope describes as being unable to look in a mirror, too fearful of what she will see.
   
   Hope writes of her roommates, "How are they able to go out into the world each day, fresh and full of energy, instead of crippled by fear and plagued by dragging lethargy? How is it I have lost the knack for everyday life?"
   
   This is so true with many OCD's. Hope constantly investigates beauty magazines, looking for the perfect solution to her problem, becoming an expert on the intricacies of beauty history such as the recent trend toward thinness and the fact that geishas used deadly lead-based powders to obtain that whiter-than-white complexion.
   
   Depression never entered the vapid heads of this particular social caste. To Hope, "'Sad' was what you felt when the dress you wanted at Neiman's was sold out. 'Depression' was what people living in trailer parks felt, people with missing teeth who drank malt liquor from paper bags."
   
   While this book does get a little long in the tooth at times, but maintains a dreamlike quality, shifting through Hope's life like a ghost, through a life you realize you wouldn't have wanted in spite of the offered perks. I personally feel books like this should be required reading for our vulnerable middle-and-high schoolgirls.
   
   Still searching, though more promisingly, for the safety and security she needs, Hope says that it is her awareness of her disorder and not the disorder itself that's changed. Her major awareness came through finding a therapist she could trust (unlike the quack her mother drug her to in her earlier years), and subsequently finding the medicinal therapy that worked for her.
   
   This is a poignant and accurate story of one girl's fight for freedom from herself. It's an excellent book to read for yourself, especially if you're not "feeling up to the media", and a perfect book to pass along to your teen or pre-teen daughter. Donahue's writing skills are not wasted on this touching, heartbreaking tale of baring her soul. Enjoy!



5. How can one publish a book entitled "Beautiful Stranger" - A Memoir of an Obsession with Perfection -- a story of a young beautiful woman who seeks out multiple plastic surgeries on her face -- and not include 1 picture? This is what it is all about -- her face --which is portrayed on the dust jacket as bandaged up. That is the way the author keeps it. How disappointing to find an essentially visual book bound up in only the printed word.
   Let us know when you want true freedom, Hope, and send out a photo or 2. Or 3.

3 comments about Songs from a Lead-Lined Room.

1. Death and illness are tough subjects for any writer. A diary of of a writer's own illness runs the danger of either being too dark or too brave in the face of death. Suzanne Strempek Shea's account of her breast cancer treatment is neither. Shea marches cleanly down her own path, balancing her own anger and needs with the world around her. I read this book nearly a year ago, yet key passages remain with me still. Although Shea covers the life-altering details of cancer treatment, this book is more of a journal of the emotional trama caused by the disease. This is not the book for those looking for bright sunshine in the face of darkness, yet the account is very often funny. It is a real life take on how one person finds a way to deal with the most frightening thing that can be thrown at a successful person in the prime of life. Shea does her best writing when she speaks of the effect her illness is having on family and friends. Writing about music is extremely difficult, but Shea is also able to convey the healing power of music as she struggles through radiation treatment. Her way through the valley is unique and I think this book can be a useful guide for those facing adversity. Many readers seek to avoid the sadness of this type of illness account, but "Songs from a Lead-Lined Room" is one to be embraced.



2. When cancer hits you and yours, you read a lot of things in order to deal with the alien world you've been thrown into. The books are helpful, but always there is that undercurrent of, it's not so bad, you should be glad it's not worse, you should be grateful to do anything to stay alive, you should be ok with this in some way and even find life-affirming value in having cancer. Well in my experience it's not like that. Doing what you have to do in order to save your life in no way diminishes the problems, pain, and grief that you have to face. This book talks about that in a real way, and it's the only one I've read that does. It's ok to want your old life back, and it's incredibly important that you get validation for everything that you are going through. It really is that bad and you deserve to know that other people know that. This book will provide you with another voice that knows what you and yours are going through and doesn't try to minimize it. It was such a refreshing and helpful change from most books about breast cancer that I read it in one sitting on the day it came, and would recommend it to anyone that would like to hear about the experience of another real person.



3. This book is as much for families of those with cancer as it is for those with cancer.
   First read an excerpt in Yankee Magazine in the spring. "Songs" delivers on that promise.
   Despite the subject matter, the book is funnier than you would think.

5 comments about I Know You Really Love Me: A Psychiatrist's Journal of Erotomania, Stalking, and Obsessive Love.

1. I read this book shortly after publication and was horrified. I thought only people in the media were exposed to stalkers but this book proves that's not true. Virtually anyone can be a victim of stalking.
   The author covered the process of involving local law enforcement officials and the court system - all long and aruduous - and gives a clear picture at what price to achieve personal safety.
   Really everyone should read this book for an eye opening education.



2. I Know You Really Love Me was recommended to me when I had some concerns about someone I was casually dating. I was immediately enthralled as the author's voice took over and I became caught up in her fear and confusion over what was happening to her. Filled with detailed information presented in an interesting way, it made sense to me as a layperson without "dumbing it down". I had a clearer understanding of the disease as well as a better perspective on the tales I hear in the media. And I was inspired in general by her perseverance and courage in fighting for her own and other victim's rights. Plus it was a darn good read!



3. I bought and read this book when it first came out, and promptly returned it to the publisher for a refund. It was riddled with misspellings, poor syntax, and bad punctuation. If the physician-author wrote the book that way, shame on her. If the publisher hired someone to proofread and edit this book, they failed miserably: these were the errors I'd expect to see from a third-grader; not someone who purportedly has at least a four-year college degree.
   
   If you're curious about this phenomenon, there are other, better-written books to be had.



4. As a male Sophomore in college reading this book I was thoroghly terrified! It is noted that this does not just happen to women, but to men as well. Many times after reading this book was I looking around my car before getting into it, just making sure Fran Nightingale wasn't lurking behind it! Genuinly frightening (moreso because its a true story) read for either gender!



5. This is the first real Pop-psych book that describes the Stalking Phenomenon in correct and accurate Mental Health language. This book was recommended to me by a City Prosecuter who felt it would help me understand why My Ex-boyfriend stalked me with the aid of his new wife (of all people!). Stalking is NOT just ex-boyfriends and Yes, women can become erotically obsessed with other women in a non-sexual manner OR, as in my case, they can be motivated to carry on an Erotomanic pursuit of a target whom their lover has been stalking which can resultin a whole new range of Stalking behavior. This particular book deals with a Patient stalking her Psychiatrist with whom she has become obsessed - a common subset of Erotomania. However, the book also attempts and manages to cover pretty well the basics of Erotomaniacally motivated Stalkings in general which makes it a valuable addition to anyone's Library. ANYONE can become a target and Young Women should read a book like this before they leave home or college to enter the workforce. Even that may not be soon enough since I know of a few cases where friends of mine have had their highschool and junior high aged daughters subjected to such behavior. Even so.. I feel it is fair to say this is an essential book for Young Women. Men of all ages should and can read this as well, but statisically, women are at a higher risk which is why I singled them out as a group.

   What really makes this book work is that the writer has been targetted herself which permits her to identify with her reader in a way that she could not if she were merely a Clinician attempting to describe this illness or a law enforcement official trying to describe how to deal with it via the Legal System. The sad facts are that your friends and family will usually NOT understand what you are going through and many people will wonder if perhaps you yourself have done something to set the erotomaniac off. Another sad fact is that going to the Law may cause an escalation in the Stalking and you may also be greeted with the preconceived notion again that the victim has done something to encourage the mentally ill Stalker. Since the author has lived with a longterm, dedicated Stalker, she is able to relate and describe the specific brand of terror you feel under the circumstances. If you have never, for example, lived peacefully and proserously for, oh, a year maybe 18 months only to look up one day and see your old Stalker smiling at you from across the street from your new home in a new town in a new State under an unlisted number without your name on the lease, you won't be able to speak to the audience for this book.

   Now that I have communicated her closeness to the subject let me say just this: The police generally don't understand Stalkers so if you are being Stalked, it is now YOUR job to learn to understand their behavior as best you can. This book and Gavin DeBecker's THE GIFT OF FEAR will give you a good start. Once you have these two under your belt, you will begin to see that there is no real effective system in place for dealing with Erotomania when it intrudes on your life in a criminal manner and therefore you must make some careful choices as to how to react or whether to react at all. In my own case, My longterm Stalker seeks attention to his and his wife's actions towards me. If I react by calling the police or filing reports of restraining order violations, they go into full steam ahead mode as opposed to when I choose not to react and they eventually get bored by my refusal to bat the tennis ball back into their court an they quiet down for a few months. I feel one of the best messages of this book is to give you, the reader, a Psychiatric portrait of this illness instead of the usual folk wisdom stuff we are fed by the daytime talk-shows, the local news and via hand-me down info from friends and family who have brushed up against Stalkings. This is a valuable book and tool in your own fight to arm yourself with info and preserve your own sanity by learning about that peculiar brand of metally ill person who has either already made you the most important thing in their life or might at some point in the future. Good luck. Be safe. Remember, you are your own best protector.

5 comments about If the Battle is Over, Why am I Still in Uniform?.

1. I literally just put down this book!!! If you are living with an ostomy, cancer or other health issue and could use a good laugh...this is your book.
   
   Be ready to laugh and cry as Brenda takes you along on her journey through colorectal cancer. Be ready to read some of your own thoughts and experiences in this book. Reading this book is like talking to a good friend.
   
   I genuinely appreciate how Brenda can share with us her thoughts and experiences with amazing openness and candor.
   
   As the voice of experience...Laughter truly is the best medicine!!! Try it!!



2. Brenda's communication skills make her the perfect messenger to deliver a touching, humorous yet medically accurate tale of her own experience with cancer, surgery and healing - both physically and emotionally.
   
   Her story was especially touching since we went through similar experiences two years ago. Her story and ours had many parallels, with nearly the same characters in each part of the story - the accuracy of her account is amazing and truthful.
   
   A "must read" for anyone living with an ostomy or colorectal cancer as a patient, family member or friend.
   
   Insightful, accurate, touching, and funny!



3. Brenda Elsagher is living proof that if you're determined (a feisty attitude is a bonus) and armed with a brutal sense of humor, the spirit of a fighter won't be defeated. And Brenda is a fighter. Diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 1995, she shares in If The Battle Is Over Why Am I Still In Uniform? her private war with a deadly enemy; one she was determined to beat.
   
   After reading this book I will never think about my colon, or any other body part for that matter, in the same way again. I learned that screening for colorectal cancer is important, because if caught early enough, it can be cured.
   
   If The Battle Is Over Why Am I Still In Uniform? is filled with wit, wisdom, and the stark realities of cancer. I laughed often and my eyes misted more than once. It is a well-written book of one woman's cancer reality. It is also the story of that woman's determination to grow old with her husband and meet her grandchildren.
   
   This book will provide you with information that might just save your life. If you know someone with colorectal cancer, sharing this book with them will let them know that they're not fighting the battle alone.
   
   Also, if you know someone (maybe you) who is long overdue for their colon screening, this book will encourage them with reality. Get your doctor's number handy and call now!



4. Humor is where you find it. Brenda Elsagher has the amazing ability to find humor in a most difficult journey through colorectal cancer. She encourages the reader to use humor as a survival tactic to combat cancer. This book presents a sensitive portrayal of the immense challenge to the human spirit posed by cancer diagnosis and treatment. It also contains a powerful message of hope for life after diagnosis as readers follow Brenda's transformation from hair stylist to comedian. Brenda's description of her treatment for cancer "back there" under the capable hands of her surgeon "the rear admiral" is incredibly funny. It is likely to cause the reader to laugh out loud. For cancer patients that is a very good thing as laughter is good medicine!!!



5. Although I have known Brenda for 25 years and know what she has been through, the book was very hard to put down. It is an inspiration to survivors and caregivers alike. I am a caregiver myself and she really touched home on many points. It is a must read, especially if cancer has touched your life in any way, shape or form. A definate must for your bookshelf!

5 comments about Finding the Joy in Alzheimer's: Caregivers Share the Joyful Times (Finding the Joy in Alzheimer's).

1. Witnessing my mother?s abilities and personality whither away from Alzheimer?s has been difficult. Comfort and advice from friends, family and the medical community has helped, and so has reading Brenda Avadian?s brilliantly conceived and constructed book, Finding the Joy in Alzheimer?s. Discovering what others have experienced and learned in similar circumstances-?particularly the heartfelt reflections of joy?-has enabled me to see my mother and her disease in a new, brighter light. Highly recommended.



2. I was so thrilled to see a collection of experiences from other people, similar to mine. My Dad suffered from Alzheimers and I felt like a freak for having reflected on the illness with a smile. For me, this horrific disease showed me a man that I never knew growing up. All of his barriers were broken down and I got to know, not only who my Dad was, but who I was. I have such a joy from knowing this that it is hard for me to be bitter about that which stole my father, for at the same time, it allowed me to know the father I never knew before.

   It is stories like this that the author has compiled here. Many humorous, many touching, all showing a connection where many think none could be found. Yes, there is a time when the people we know and love so dearly are robbed from us by this devastating disease, but through the process there are many joyous times to be had.

   Read this book and you'll understand




3. I'm an older (born 12/12/1952) Internet user, so--in spite of all of those reassuring, little, gold padlocks shown at the bottom of ordering pages at online stores--I still wasn't ready to put my main credit card or checking account information out in Cyberspace. So, I came up with a doable solution, creating an account for just this very purpose.

   If purchasing this book wasn't actually my FIRST venture into the unfamiliar territory of online shopping (and I'm almost 100% sure that it was), it came pretty close.

   Venturing out into this unfamiliar territory has had more positives than negatives for me--but there's that unfamiliar territory that is among the worst nightmares of both patients and caregivers: dealing with Alzheimer's Disease.

   I had been reading the online letters that Debbie Center had been writing to a mother who would never again have the comprehension to read them--so, these letters were more for Debbie than her mother. And more for helping others who might read those letters to cope should something like this happen in their families.

   One day, in an IM conversation, Debbie shared her sadness with me that her mother was rapidly going downhill, and she felt helpless to stop it from happening--yet, she also had the great news that she would have a part in this book.

   And that's the thread running through this book: the moments of joy found within the Alzheimer's experience.

   The people who have contributed to this book are people who mourn the slipping away of those people--generally, parents and spouses--who were once so vibrant and alert.

   Yet, these same people have learned to find joy and comfort in some of the simple things of life, such as unexpected smiles, words, and laughter from their loved ones.

   In one case, a family--who had gotten out of contact due to distance and schedules--began a tradition of having annual family reunions due to wanting to get everybody together while the matriarch of the family could still recognize and enjoy them.

   Open this book and share the lives of those in this difficult and unfamiliar territory--and share those special moments of joy that make it all worthwhile!!!




4. Finding The Joy In Alzheimer's: Caregivers Share The Joyful Times by Brenda Avadian is a comforting, spiritually healing book filled with touches of wry humor and a serious understanding of the difficulties of Alzheimer's, and how important it is to find and treasure wondrous moments when caring for someone afflicted with this debilitating neurological disease. Finding The Joy In Alzheimer's is not intended to be a source of advice about the legal, physical, or medical difficulties of Alzheimer's disease; rather it was written to bolster the souls and spirits of those charged with caregiving responsibilities for loved ones suffering from the ravages of Alzheimers. As such, it emphatically succeeds in its mission and intention.



5. (...) The stories and poems are so sweet and heartwarming. When you get so deeply involved in this disease, you tend to become isolated; you think you are the only one who is going through this. Ms. Avadian's selection of stories gives the reader a lighthearted look into the trials and tribulations of caregiving, all the while letting the readers see what they are experiencing is no different from what they are reading. From the poem "CareGiver," to the stories of "I've got rocks in my head," or "Do you take...in sickness and in health...I do," or "Ice cream never tasted so good," and yes even "Family of Friends," the reader immediately feels love and support. With all the technical/clinical books that are available on Alzheimer's, it is absolutely refreshingly wonderful to have humor to help heal the caregiver's heart!

5 comments about Living Jonathan's Life: A Doctor's Descent Into Darkness & Addiction.

1. Although this book is about addiction, I believe anyone can relate to the story. Anyone who's suffering from drug/chemical dependency, anyone who's a codependent or anyone who's going through a rough time in life. Great story!



2. Dr. Davis's extremely honest and genuine account of his twin brother's death and his own spiral into addiction provides readers from all different experiences a solid introduction to addiction and the hope that comes with treatment. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a family member or friend dealing with addiction, anyone who wants to know more about a disease that is often misunderstood or misdiagnosed, and any healthcare professional who realizes the extent to which addiction pervades every patient population and the often inadequate help these patients receive. The appendices provide the reader with a great resource manual of different treatment programs and facilities nationwide as well as several screening tools for someone who suspects an individual may be abusing or addicted to alcohol or drugs.



3. Dr. Davis's discovery of his brother's poetry unexpectedly provides him with insight into his own past. What was once a shared existence, Dr. Davis's loss of his twin brother to HIV/AIDS reveals how much their lives have diverged on the surface, only to converge again in after his brother's passing - a realization that comes to him only after sharing his experiences to others during his own recovery process. Now, Davis is continuing the legacy of his brother by sharing his poetry and his life story.
   
   This book is a very fluid read, and it comes across as very honest without sacrificing its sentiment. Davis is describes the hidden aspects about a professional living with an addiction. It is an encouraging message to those of us who are facing hardships and have succumbed to addiction as a result. His life course has led him to a better place, and vividly documents how he has made that journey.



4. Dr. Davis's book gives an intimate and insightful perspective on addiction and its effects not only on the addicted, but on the family. By telling his story honestly and without any flair, Dr. Davis shows us that even the best of us can become victim of addiction, and despite the horrible nature of the disease, that there is hope. As a medical student, it is a jarring view of a problem that we see all across the US all too often, and being able to understand it through Dr. Davis's account, gives us better insight through which to understand our patients.



5. Dr. Davis conveys an important message in a gripping and honest book: that addiction can affect anyone, even physicians, and that recovery is possible by facing one's fears and deepest emotions. As an identical twin myself, I could relate to much of the description of the relationship between Scott and Jonathan; there's just a bond between twins that is unique and unbreakable.
   
   This book is also a great resource for those interested in finding or referring help. There is a lengthy appendix addressing issues surrounding addiction and abuse as well as intervention and recovery. I highly recommend it!

5 comments about Single in Saudi.

1. I was VERY disapointed with this book.
   I expected interesting facts about Saudi Arabia and life there, and all I got was what and when the author smoked and drank, and who she slept with. Even these facts aren't written in an interesting or funny style, more like a list of men and places she went to.
   I'm very sorry that Amazon sells (and even can recommend) such a book.



2. Really great. Took me back to the Kingdom of the 1970s and 1980s before the money got tight and before the Gulf War. It's a different place today, but those of you who were there in those days will enjoy it. When the Kingdom was a place of parties and bed-hopping for any ex-pat who was willing.



3. This book was a self-serving account of one woman's journey to The Kingdom. I was hoping to get more of an account of healthcare and cultural aspects of Saudi. Instead the author (who obviously thinks very highly of herself) goes on and on about how every guy she meets falls in love with her and how she can't resist the temptation to sleep with them. All the men are handsome to her and all of them are "passionate" lovers. By 2/3 of the way into the book, I found it difficult to keep track of who she was sleeping with in whatever chapter I was reading. I found it hilarious how she judged the character Johnnie for her lifestyle when the author had revealed she has little moral fiber of her own.



4. It's a self-published book, first of all. So don't expect ANY copy-editing at all. The prose is poor, the spelling just awful, but the story is kind of entertaining on a superficial level, though I do have to say I find the constant undercurrent of bigotry hard to take. She has no problem going from bed to bed with all these men, using them as much as they're using her, all the while saying bad things about them and their culture. She puts on airs as though she's such a sophisticated jet-setter and it comes off as phony. It's too bad, because somewhere in this mess of a narrative is a good story.



5. I loved "Single in Saudi" in its many perspectives.
   
   At one level it's a sexy romp through high-walled compounds inhabited by some of the world's richest men. At another it's full of sad insights into the degradation thrust on Saudi women by their countrymen.
   
   Genia writes a unique and illuminating book about herself as a blonde, blue-eyed American woman living in Saudi under a veil and obaya, the long, hooded, black robes that Saudi women are required to wear in public.
   
   As Americans we can learn much from "Single," because at some point the American-led coalition will have to decide whether fighting the war, or insurgency, or keeping the peace, or whatever we may be doing in Iraq, is worth expending our blood and treasure for a nation of ingrates and incompetents and worse.
   
   And that decision will in part be based on our view of those who people the nations of the Middle East, including the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a regime of hypocrites that Genia indulged without apology.
   
   I commend the book to you.

No comments about Medicine and Duty: The World War I Memoir of Captain Harold W. Mcgill, Medical Officer 31st Battalion C.E.F. (Legacies Shared).

5 comments about New Horizons and My Angels.

1. New Horizons and My Angels is a study in triumphant over the author's true life frightening and threatening struggles. The author unselfishly exposes with annotated reality how life was and how her angels caressed her into her new being. With a stunning combination of a gutsy knuckle down determination and the silky graciousness of spiritual insight, the author weaves in and out of medications, surgery, suicide attempts, severe migraines and hallucinations. Her brutal collisions with her own brain and her family conclude in birthing her anew to a fresh meaningful archetype.

   Acaysha's story starts with the affliction of epilepsy when she was two. At the age of 25, she was overwhelmed with 22 seizures in one month. Foraging for better answers to the seizure strangulation hold on her, she conferred with the Mayo Clinic. After extensive testing, she was accepted as a good candidate for a complex innovative surgery to remove the damage to her brain. This sparked the beginning of an amazing journey.

   After the brain surgery, the author regressed in many ways back to being two years old. As she learned how to climb the ropes of life all over again, she painstakingly and miraculously created a bridge over this crater of emotional pain to get to the other side of her new reality. She goes on to discover a surprising revelation about the seizures. They had served her well as her attention getters and her stress boundary keepers.

   New Horizons and My Angels is a megaphone cheering people to wake up and celebrate life no matter your situation. The author has proven that a wee little boat against the mightiest of cruel winds can make it through the storm to witness a dazzling rainbow.

   Sherry Russell
   Midwest Book Review




2. "Acaysha takes you on her journey ....an awe-inspiring story of hope and renewal of the human spirit! Her experience provides us a realization that life's challenges are, indeed, our very best teachers..... but only if we really pay attention to the lessons and letting go of those thought patterns of "Why is life so difficult?" and "Why is this happening?"
   Acaysha guides us to understand "what is real" and, in the process, we discover a world of majestic beauty... the peace and joy that Dolphins experience.In this world our suffering ends once we shed our "illusions."
   Acaysha guides us as her angels guide her. It is in this world where we can meet our very own angels. Thank you, Acaysha, for sharing this wonderful world!"

   Lanis Loveday Chidel (Artist/Feng Shui Consultant)




3. Through the trials and tribulations through life, a woman emerges.A ture friend and angelic being. Many adversities were thrown her way and she emerged victoirious with the help of the powers that be. Her life is a true inspiration. She touches many and heals many souls. I am honored to know her and be her friend. I write this DEDICATION TO ACAYSHA:

   SOMEONE WHO IS CARING, FORGIVING, KIND, THOUGHTFUL, GENEROUS, SPECIAL, ANGELIC AND A TRUE FRIEND;
   SOMEONE WHO HAS BEATEN THE ODDS AND WAS REBORN;
   SOMEONE WHO ACCEPTED CHALLENGES WITH DIGNITY AND GRACE;
   SOMEONE WHO WALKS ON FAITH;
   SOMEONE WHO HAS TAUGHT ME TO TAKE RISKS;
   SOMEONE WHO LIVES LIFE TO THE FULLEST;
   SOMEONE WHO TOUCHES THE LIVES OF MANY;
   ALL OF THESE THINGS DESCRIBE - - - ACAYSHA.

   MANY BLESSINGS,

   REV.KAREN WILKINSON




4. "In her book New Horizons and My Angels, Acaysha, reaches into the very depth of the human emotion and explores the essence of development as it relates to her life as an emotionally underdeveloped victim of epilepsy since age 2. Having corrective surgery at the Mayo Clinic at the age of 26 she was not prepared for her new life that included pain, depression and self-awareness. She is candid and open with her new life struggles and shares her pain with the world in order to help others heal. She takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride as she struggles with her new life without epilepsy but now she has to deal with the reality of pain and how it fits into her new life. She introduces you to her 7 angel guides and straps you into the roller coaster to ride along with her as she travels the bumps, grinds, highs, lows, curves and triumphants of the new life leading to the ending her struggles to be "normal."



5. "Thank You Acaysha for touching my life so deeply. You are a true angel and a great inspiration. Your book has given much hope and inspiration to keep going, even when the rough is winning. You will touch many hearts and souls with your story - it's a honor to know you and be your friend." Everyone needs to read this book. You are such a courageous lady, a joy to be around and an inspiration for all of us, no matter what we are dealing with !! You story is heart-warming, touching, truthful and inspiring !! Thank you for having the courage to write and tell your story !!

4 comments about Beyond the Storm: Treating the Powerless & the Powerful in Mobutu's Congo/Zaire.

1. Great book. Dr. Close writes about his life as a young adult and eventually leads up to treating a massive amount of patients in what was quickly becoming one of the most troubled and corrupt countries in the world.



2. William T. Close M.D., Beyond the Storm: Treating the Powerless and the Powerful in Mobutu's Congo/Zaire is the true-life story of William T. Close M.D., the former personal physician of President Mobutu, the former dictator of the Democratic Republic of Congo (called Zaire while under his rule). Close sought to feed the hungry, aid the sick, and improve quality of life for the nation's people, and was personally responsible for maintaining Mobutu's health; his testimony tells of a dictator who governed with a ruthlessness worthy of the tactics described in Machiavelli's classic treatise for autocrats, "The Prince." Yet the slide from hope into despair for the nation under Mobutu's rule was not immediate; it was provoked by a gradual incursion of kleptocracy, corruption, and cronyism. Close was one of few people both willing and able to tell Mobutu the unvarnished truth; as years progressed and the nation's situation worsened, Close finally had to leave, and let history take its course. Enthusiastically recommended as a primary source detailing events great and small throughout Congo's history and the life of its dictator, as seen through a principled, compassionate, yet often exasperated medical doctor in its center.



3. Dr. Close knows how to write and tell the story. He is to the point, he is honest and very human in revealing himself and his commitment to practice medicine. He takes one on a journey beyond what one thinks about the heart of Africa, about surgery in primitive settings and about tribalism and the deep love of a people and a place. It held my interest because I was one of the doctors who came to Zaire and worked at Mama Yemo Hospital as a surgeon and saw first hand the miracle that was wrought by Dr. Close to bring care to the people of Kinshasa and via the river systems with the short lived hospital boat. You will never look on Africa the same after reading this personal account of courage and commitment against impossible odds of doing anything meaningful. Thank you Dr. Close for giving us a view beyond the storm. Don Wood, MD, FACS



4. Beyond The Storm by William T. Close,M.D. with Malonga Miatudila, M.D. is an outstanding memoir by Dr. Close, who was invited in 1960 to go to the Congo for six weeks as a medical missionary. Leaving his wife and young children except for intermittent visits, he spent most of the next sixteen years ministring to the tremendous health problems in Congo, which became Zaire. He was for a long time the only doctor in a fifteen hundred bed hospital, with the responsibility to bring it from corruption and tribal medicine into modern medical standards. However, he went to the Congo just before its independence from Belgium, and when Mobutu took over as dictator Close became the medical doctor to the armed forces and then the personal physician of Mobutu, who in the beginning had the interest of the country in mind. The book tells of the extreme corruption Mobutu's power achieved in his personal life and how he became an absolute, uncaring dictator letting the physical and medical needs of his starving countrymen quickly decline to abject poverty and deplorable health epidemics because of the graft within his government and the unbridled money, power, and weapons he obtained from the West. The book is very interesting and just before Mobutu's death, Dr. Close, who had returned to the US to practice medicine in Wyoming, was called back to Zaire to rebuild the hospital and medical system and help overcome the horrible conditions.