5 comments about The Least of These My Brethren: A Doctor's Story of Hope and Miracles in an Inner-City AIDS Ward.

1. I had the wonderful pleasure to meet Dr. Baxter at a book party thrown by a mutual friend in New York. I had already read his fascinating book (through the recommendation of our shared friend) and was delighted to have the chance to meet such a selfless, caring man!
   
   I learned that Dr. Baxter is currently living in Botswana, Africa teaching healthcare workers there how to treat HIV and AIDS patients (Botswana has the second highest rate of HIV infection in the world). The fact that he completely uprooted his life in the States to help others thousands of miles away is further testament to his compassionate spirit and good heart. I can only hope he writes another book detailing his experiences across the Atlantic. If it's anything like "The Least of These My Brethren," it should be a great, great read!
   
   
   
   **As a side note, Dr. Baxter is indeed as verbose in person as his writing suggests, though his extensive vocabulary is anything but pretentious! His vast intellect and humble character were a delightful paradox!



2. Yes, the doctor does write rather 'high-falutin'. I haven't met the guy, but if he is like many other of the doctors I met in med school...some of them come by their language honestly. Maybe he was raised in a home where language was spoken that pretentiously. If so, then there is more to admire about him. Doctors do not have to choose to work with members of society who are less fortunate. Especially one of Baxter's caliber. That he did raises him in my esteem, and impresses me all the more. He writes with compassion and with a sense of humor, which is necessary to deal with such a hard field. AIDS does not suffer fools lightly, and Baxter is no fool in spite of his language. He does an excellent job of making others aware of the real life of most with HIV. Very few are actually lucky enough to have insurance which will pay for the pharmaceutical "cocktail" which is necessary to maintain life, and even some who do have access...their bodies reject the drugs and they become worse. The AIDS crisis is far from over. We Americans have merely closed our eyes to that fact. Baxter tries to alert us to the needs of those who are dealing with day-to-day tragedies. This is a wonderful book, and a great addition to my shelves. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh



3. This book touched me deeper than anything else I've read in a very long time. It was a privilege to have a glimpse into the lives of Dr. Baxter's AIDS patients, to both laugh and cry, to both shake your head and marvel at humanity. I honestly felt for these characters and the author presents them with a grim reality that spares no detail. From this novel I have a much better understanding of what an AIDS patient must face on emotional, spiritual and physical levels.

   The only drawback is the doc's narration style. His personality is strong and the doctor's point of view makes it that more interesting. But his writing style is painful to read at times. His writing is extremely superflous, with a lot of 50 cent words. Many times he reminded me of TV psych, Frazier Crane, his vocabulary is that pretentious.

   If you look past the author's agonizing writing style - there is no limit to the feelings this book can evoke on human suffering, the human will and spirit and fears of our own mortality.




4. Dr. Daniel Baxter's chronicle of his daily routine as a physician in an AIDS ward at Saint Clare's Hospital in New York City, one of the poorest broken down and inadequate facilities truly serving the "dregs of humanity" is one of the richest, most spiritual and compelling books I have read in recent years. I finished this book and have kept it in my mind in many weeks going over the truly profound truths and challenges Baxter presents in his own story. The Least of My Brethren is a multifaceted, complex chronicle that teaches far more than the most readers expect as they begin any new non-fiction book. I was captivated by The Least of My Brethren from the very start; awed by Baxter's ability to present an entire range of issues, at times separately and yet, all at once in other instances -- from the seemingly simple and unimportant issue of how to get a room cleaned up or a light bulb changed in a hospital with only the leanest of support services, and in the next breath, to be speaking quite articulately on issues such as AIDS, poverty, the tragedy and loneliness of human beings who have no one left in life who have not abandoned them, to the entire spectrum of human sexuality, to questions of philosophy of life and the meaning of death and back again to the more mundane insignificance of individuals, almost all terminally ill, breaking rules on smoking in hospitals and in public places. Baxter presents a story that is as much philosophy as it is medical science; as much sociology as it is gender studies, as much psychology as it is political science. As one individual reader, above everything else, Daniel Baxter's story was a moving, yet at times, an inadvertently hysterically funny portrait of how little the latest buildings and equipment really mean to medicine in comparison to the need for a much rarer and seemingly more easily attainable achievement, the enlistment of truly caring human beings. When Baxter speaks of caring people, he is not referring to those who show their care by donations to charity or participation in clothing drives for the poor -- but "down and dirty" caring in the midst of stink, the odor of death and the scarcity of hope! This, one can conclude in reading Baxter's chronicle, is a truly rare and precious giver of life -- not easily found. In some ways I was shocked that truly caring human beings are a preciously rare commodity, yet the more I thought about the issue, I was able to acknowledge how few people there are who are willing to transcend themselves and give to others unconditionally -- while at the same time having the courage to face the demon of hopeless straight in the eye and prevail with hope. What Baxter brought squarely home to me were many personal questions and issues I have need to address in my own life. Whether it was Baxter indirectly asking me how much I appreciate the life I have, for whatever time it is given to me, to his ability to bring me to the realization that I have only marginally and clinically considered my own mortality. Baxter keeps going with questions and challenges on the importance of doing meaningful work in our lives to challenging me to examine my own willingness to place myself in the midst of dirt and filth and to be unaffected by it because the other person, far more needy than I, needs my help in the midst of that personally discomforting squalor. Finally, Daniel Baxter offers -- not by preaching -- but by his own personal example, the very real and comprehensible answer as to why our human behavior is so often paradoxical: that in order to conquer our fear, in order to gain anything worthwhile, in order to truly transcend ourselves for the good of others, we must become fearless, courageous, spirit-filled and hopeful persons ourselves. And, how do we get to such a place? The answer so obvious that we all actually know it, kept very close to our human consciousness, but often within far enough a safety zone that we do not have to necessarily respond: that is, in order to become stronger and better persons, we must face down, touch and truly look, often for the very first time, at what we find ourselves most afraid. In so doing, we become stronger, more courageous and grace-filled persons. Indeed there seems to be truth to the adage that ³what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger;² for it is proven out in the daily lives of many committed persons like Daniel Baxter, Sister Pascal or the drag queens in ...Brethren, who come to minister their sick friend up by decorating his room and applying his make-up and dressing him in all his finery, in order to help him feel more hopeful and comfortable. I finished Baxter¹s book more fully understanding myself, my own strengths, fears and weaknesses and biases. In addition, I came away with new role models to help me to at least try to make some changes for myself and to better understand the meaning of truly caring for all with whom my path crosses in the course of this mysterious journey we call life.A singular and outstanding read which should deserves much attention!



5. For anyone who has struggled to understand the Beatitudes, this books provides a wonderful incarnation. The pages are filled with real people: smelly, surly, struggling and sensational. Don't miss the chance to live this experience as you turn each page. It's life-changing!

3 comments about Stranger in the Village of the Sick: A Memoir of Cancer, Sorcery, and Healing.

1. F. Scott Fitzgerald once said that "life was something you dominated if you were any good." Harry Crews noted in his book "A Childhood: The Biography of a Place" that "survival is triumph enough."
   
   Author Paul Stoller's memoir of his cancer diagnosis and treatment wanders the vast middle ground between these two poles. And while you can't argue success in that he did get well from his lymphoma, as a reader I often wished he would "fish or cut bait" and for that reason I gave this meandering book three stars.
   
   Stoller practiced and witnessed the powerful effects of sorcery to heal or to hurt while on an anthropology research mission in the African bush early in his career. It's a riveting story that Stoller has told before in some of his other books.
   
   But that forceful and richly-detailed storytelling is incompatible with his modern-day story about the Western medicines used to diagnose and treat his illness. Stoller practices the beliefs of sorcery without embracing the practice. It casts a bad spell over his story since it seems ridiculous to separate beliefs from practice - something even the sorcerers told him. His conflicted character dominates this work.
   
   Conflict may have been the center of Stoller's illness but it really shouldn't have been at the center of his triumphant recovery.



2. Cancer and sorcery would not seem words to be used in the same subtitle at all, yet yoga-practicing anthropologist and sorcerer Paul Stoller found himself in an unusual position when diagnosed with lymphoma, and used the lessons of West African life and health to beat his disease. Ironically, the Songhay sorcery he studied professionally led to a unique ability to handle cancer's special challenges, and his lessons are imparted in Stranger In The Village Of The Sick, a deft blending of autobiographical memoir and anthropological healing insight.



3. "Stranger in the Village of the Sick" is a memoir by anthropologist Paul Stoller about his experiences as a newly-diagnosed cancer patient. He juxtaposes with these with reflections on his earlier experiences as a student of sorcery in Africa. In 2001, the previously healthy Stoller was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma (slow-growing follicular B-cell lymphoma to be exact). As for many--if not most--cancer sufferers, this diagnosis came like a bolt out of the blue, causing the author to reevaluate his life, his experiences, and his way of looking at the world. As Stoller notes, his form of cancer is ultimately "incurable" but at the same time, "highly treatable." In other words, Stoller was told, he coulld, with treatment, expect many more years of active life. Stoller underwent cutting-edge chemotherapy, which put his disease into remission.
   
   The facts of Stoller's diagnosis and treatment provide only the bare bones of the book. Most people find it impossible to confront a potentially lethal disease without having their view of themselves and their lives changed. For many, this leads to a deepening sense of the spiritual and an appreciation of the moment. For the author, it led him to return to his memories of earlier anthropological fieldwork among the Songhay of Niger. As a young man, he had several extraordinary and frightening encounters with sorcerers. He developed a healthy respect for their powers and become an apprentice sorcerer himself. His book, "In Sorcery's Shadow" (with Cheryl Olkes) was the result of that experience. As he notes, he THOUGHT he understood the Songhay worldview and the way of Songhay sorcery.
   
   But, as Stoller discovered, his earlier understandings of Songhay sorcery and society were only superficial. As a young man, he had been incapable of grasping the deeper philosophical currents. As he went through his diagnosis and treatment, his earlier Songhay mentor, Adamu Jenitongo resurfaced in dreams and memories. Stoller found himself recalling his earlier experiences and comparing Songhay attitudes toward life, death, and illness with those of modern American society. He found much of value in the stoic Songhay attitude toward the hardships of life. According to an incantation Stoller had been taught by his mentor, men have "thirty points of misfortune" and women "forty." Each point is a crossroads, where each person must decide which new path to choose and how to travel it. Songhay accept that these cannot be avoided and, in fact, that illness and misfortune are always present. This, as Stoller explains, is very unlike American views, in which illness is not a normal part of life, but instead, something that must be fought and eradicated. Stoller also points to the social web that ties Songhay society together far more tightly than do similar ties of family and friendship in the United States. Looking again at an incantation that he has known for years, he comes to a new understanding of how the Songhay view themselves as part of an ongoing stream of existence and how this perspective influences their lives.
   
   There is much to recommend in "Stranger in the Village of the Sick." Stoller's parallel accounts of his experiences as American patient and Songhay sorcerer's apprentice are fascinating, although at times the juxtaposition seems a little contrived. As an anthropologist, Stoller';s insights on the American health care system and American attitudes towards cancer are interesting, although not especially startling to those who have done work in the area. But his comparison of Songhay attitudes and American is invaluable. As is normal for most members of most cultures, we forget that there are other ways of seeing the world. Although most American cancer patients will find Songhay ways foreign, there are still elements of wisdom in the Songhay perspective. Whatever Stoller's ultimate fate, he has done a service in writing of his experiences

3 comments about Doc Jones: A small town physician's story.

1. I have read this book and enjoyed it so much... I was actually one of Doctor Jones' patients in Granite Falls. Doctor Jones captures the 'small town essence' of not only our small town, but, I think most small towns in America during that era. I have read the book a few times, and each time, I enjoy it more. Whether one grew up in a small "Andy Griffith" type town or New York City, I believe this book paints an interesting and delightful picture of the innocence of an era gone by.



2. Doc Jones is a wonderfully written account of colorful people and an insightful peak into human nature. I couldn't put it down. Loved it!



3. A touching, funny, insightful account of the human condition played out against the practice of a small doctor and his patients. A way of life that's passing from the American landscape kept alive by Dr. Jones with colorful, witty writing and a real compassionate touch.

5 comments about Anatomy Of Deceit- An American Physician's First-Hand Encounter With The Realities Of The War In Croatia.

1. In the canon of conspiracy theories and hate mongering, Blaskovich's work stands as a classic. His contribution to historical dialog and insight is what Jeffrey Dahmer was to quality childcare.
   
   Anatomy of Deceit is little more than a half-baked rationalisation for Croatian sponsored ethnic cleaning and a twisted apology for Franjo Tudjman's quasi-fascism. Substitute Tudjman's name with Pavlic's and we would be dismissing this work as Ustache state propaganda.
   
   Add Blaskovich to the long list of reality-challenged doctors, poets and professors who have blighted the Balkans; maybe more effort should be given to analysing the combined effects their delusions have had on the region.



2. Under-researched, unedited, full of typos and errors. A right-wing physician returns from California to his native Croatia and writes a book about how evil Serbs are. Just racist nonsense by an outsider who really doesn't know much about the Balkans. Give it a pass. There are so many other books out there on the Yugoslav wars.



3. It is clear that Jerry writes the truth. He clearly captures and articulates the horror caused by the SERBS in Croatia. Serbophiles of course will have great disdain for such honesty. So if you are a Serbophile this probably is not the book for you, however if you want to gain a strong understanding of what took place in Croatia this book is for you, if you prefer a film please watch Harrison's Flowers (French Directed) it too will provide you with a disheartening sense of what the SERBS did in Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, as well as Kosovo, finally the world knows what they are capable of, although they did hide it well under the auspices of COMMUNISM.



4. This is not a serious book. The author clearly has a pro-Croat Serb-hating axe to grind. Living in California and making a couple of adventure tours to Croatia, he knows little about the region, its politics or history. The book is full of errors, factual, spelling, characterization, and historical. There are literally dozens of books out there about the 1991-95 wars that broke up Yugoslavia, and this may be the weakest. Try Marcus Tanner's, Laura Silber's, or Misha Glenny's. The biases and lack of serious scholarship, the self-absorbed authorship, and the Croat nationalist leanings of this text make it one to avoid.



5. As an American born child growing up in a Croatian household, I always felt my parent's passion for Croatia. I had a deep longing to understand my parents and what they suffered as Croatians in Yugoslavia.

   Throughout school and college I referred to myself as an American-Croatian. Many wouldn't know where or what that was, and some would question, "Don't you mean you're from Yugoslavia?" It was at that point my Croatian passion, knowledge and experience would be shared and told to all around me.

   Jerry Blaskovich's, Anatomy of Deceit, is about his personal experience, passion and knowledge on Croatian history, the vicious war and what the distorted "Yugoslavian" government represented to Croatians in the United States and in Croatia.

   Anatomy of Deceit takes the reader into the complicated realities of Croatian history and suffering. It disects the truth behind the distorted creation of Yugo and the Anti-Croatian propaganda machine. The reader is then launched into the atrocities of war. The destruction, killings, mass graves, and rapes by the Serbs come alive in these pages. The reader feels, sees, and smells the war through the eyes of a phyisican trying to makes sense, and escape the sreams of war. You hear these screams and feel the deep pain that lingers long after the book is finished.

   As far as the proof reading errors, the publisher is responsibile and not the author, for editing of final proof. The content and message of Anatomy of Deceit goes beyond human spelling and grammar errors, it grips and ripes at the heart.

   Croatians will never forget what they had to go through to be able to scream their name and not fear for their lives.

   Zivoli Hravti!

2 comments about House Calls in the Hills.

1. An amazing book. I couldn't put it down. Travel into remote areas of Appalachia with a country doctor who responds to the needs of people lacking running water, sanitation and basic health care. This doctor is sensitive, perceptive and learns from his patients who suffer from an array of common and uncommon afflictions. We should all be lucky enough to have a doctor like James Banks.



2. Without a doubt one of the most connecting books on West Virginia I have read. I was born and raised in Beaver, often a patient of Dr. Banks. The names and locations in his book are so easily recalled, along with the faces and memories of them.
   For anyone from that area east of Beckley along New River and the Flat Top mountain area..a plus reading. I have purchased 10 to pass to family and friends as well as to my children.

3 comments about America's First Trained Nurse: My Life as a Nurse in America, Great Britain & Japan 1872-1911.

1. This is a fascinating glimpse into nursing history and this is not a vanity press item as the previous reviewer claims - this is a FAMOUS book by Linda Richards, who was a great American pioneer for nursing and also for women - that has been published several times over the years by a number of differant publishers since the early 1900s!!!
   
   The fact that this is larger print with wider margins than the norm is a plus and not a negative for me as it makes it easier to read. At US9.99 for this genre it is hardly overpriced either...many other nursing history books that are far smaller cost a lot more.



2. The content of the book was mostly quite interesting, if a bit shallow. However, the print was large, there were wide spaces between the lines ... and I read the thing from cover to cover in less than an hour. Might to better to peruse this one from the library (if you can find a library that carries it -- it is a vanity press item) than to pay for it.



3. For anyone interested in the pioneers of nursing history this book is a must read. It poignantly captures the hard life of nursing in its early days but this is clearly overshadowed by the optimism, tenacity and intelligence of Linda King. She was America's first trained nurse, was the leading teacher of the first graduates of nursing in Japan and an innovator in nursing education and administration. As an academic and nurse it is a priviledge for me to know more about this woman through her writings, and it is wonderful to know that the book has been reproduced for future generations.

5 comments about Dear and Glorious Physician.

1. Love this book about the physician, Luke, who wrote the Gospel according to Luke. Fiction, yes, but such an accurate depiction of the human struggle for spiritual relevance and the rebellion of the human soul. The detail and depth of characters, the complex and rewarding plot and the historical accuracy make this one of the finest works ever done by any author, in my opinion. Rarely does reading the last page cause such a sigh of satifaction. I am buying another because I've loaned mine out so often.



2. I'm surprised by how many reviewers read this book in high school. I think I read it in 8th grade. I also reread it within the last couple of years (over 40 years later). For me this book still had a great impact; I know I never forgot it. Caldwell was a great story teller and the forces at odds in Luke as he travels the road from angry nonbeliever practicing medicine in the Roman World to a man of faith who eventually writes his own gospel is a wonderful journey for the reader. I was pulled into his struggle like I have been in few other books. So the book stayed with me, but the second time I read it, I thought it would make a great movie directed by Martin Scorcese. I remembered his Last Temptation of Christ from the late 70's. I've tried to find a way to contact Scorcese to encourage him to do the movie, but was unsuccessful. If anyone reading this can get through to him, you might suggest it would be a great opportunity for him... (I think Leonardo Decaprio would make a great Luke). Anyway, the book is currently out of print; if somebody would republish it, I'd give it to everyone I know. The used editions have actually gotten a little pricey. But, I encourage everyone to read the book. On many levels, it's a great read. Finally, one of the best and most moving parts of the book is when Luke interviews the Virgin Mary and the Apostle John for his gospel; coming near the end of the book, these episodes raise the book above conventional historical fiction and make it somehow a spiritual reading experiance.



3. This book is to be read and re-read!!! It contains so much wisdom, insight, and all of it written in such a powerful way.
   If you are curious about one of history's most fascinating time periods, this book will definetely enthuse you. It is filled with so many visual descriptions capable of transporting you back in time as you read! I could not put it down
   Luke's story is inpiring and Caldwell's treatment is sublime.
   GET YOUR HANDS ON IT TODAY!



4. It was in great condition and made an excellent gift for my grandmother



5. This book is REALLY awesome. I like how Taylor makes St. Luke ( Lucanus) like a real person instead of some holy guy that you can't relate yourself to. It's full of Israelites, Romans, and Lucanus' quest to find who he is and what God calls him to do. It's truely hard to put down and is a beautiful story. I'm 13 and I reccomend this book to kids my age and up. If you want a really good book to read... this book is for you!

No comments about Healers & Heroes: Ordinary People in Extraordinary Times.

No comments about Venom in My Veins: Soul Survivor.

2 comments about Baby Catcher.

1. I loved all of Dr. Weise's poignant stories related to life and living. More than that, I appreciated him stressing the importance of faith.



2. I wasn't too impressed with this book. I started reading it and never finished it. It just never really caught my attention. I also was looking for something more along natural childbirth lines, and this book is very medical.