D Books

One family's fight to reform the medical system is documented in this excellent, but gut-wrenching book. The author, Dorothy Cancilla, a bright and feisty woman, who learned the hard way how callous and incompetent some medical providers can be. Death by HMO documents her daughter Jennifer's eight years of painful illness that eventually led to a premature and avoidable death. Jennifer died four days before her 30th birthday.

I'm amazed at how much information and detail is compiled into this 132-page book. The reader gets an education on the human body, and the tragic errors made by doctors at every turn become very clear.

Jennifer's problems began with frequent abdominal pain and vomiting. While doctors debated about the cause of her suffering, she trusted her doctor who literally butchered her by removing her pancreas, instead of her gallbladder. Jennifer, who was somebody's mother, wife, daughter and sister, tried to live a normal life around many hospital stays and surgeries. Cancilla portrays her youngest daughter as heroic. Anyone reading this book will fall in love with Jennifer, but what pulls at my heart is Cancilla's loss--a mother's loss--that never goes away. She honors her daughter and family by writing this book.

People need to know what can happen to any of us once we put ourselves in someone else's hands. We must advocate for ourselves and our loved ones. We cannot assume that the doctor is always right. We have to keep in mind that the only body we have has to last us a lifetime. We are the ones who are affected by wrong decisions. Ultimately we must consider the medical professionals as part of our team. They are expert consultants and sometimes gifted surgeons. But even the most dedicated doctors are imperfect, not God-like. Even decent medical people may be cajoled into betraying their patients by the HMO who pays their salary.

Death by HMO will surprise and dismay you. But you will be inspired by the courage of Dorothy Cancilla and her family. This story has all the elements for a great movie.

> This is a very well written and documented story of a family trying to get professional medical care for their daughter (Jenny) at Kaiser Hospital...

> Jenny's family took it for granted that all Hospitals were "100% Dedicated at Maintaining a Very High Standard and keeping all of their patients in Excellent Health"...

> Without going into detail their daughter who was in her early 20's had a medical condition that seemed to be getting worse...

> This family was in for a Rude Awakening when they took Jenny to Kaiser Hospital to be diagnosed and treated...

> What they found out is that Kaiser Hospital did not want acknowledge or admit anything was wrong with "Jenny" and Refused to provide the Correct Diagnostic Tests that "would or would not" verify that she had medical condition that needed treated ASAP...

> Jenny's family spent the next "8" years trying to have their daughter Correctly Diagnosed and Treated at Kaiser Hospital with the end result being that the only thing "this hospital" had to offer them were Lies, Deception and Denial by repeatedly telling them that their daughter "did not" have any medical problems at all...

> What was found out later in Court by Professional Medical Experts and Doctors was that Jenny was provided with "100% Extreme Sub-Standard Medical Care" at "this HMO" starting with her very first visit...

> To put it simply: This young lady could have been Diagnosed - Treated and Cured by the Lowest 10% of the Graduates fresh out of Medical School because as it turned out Jenny had an Elementary Medical Condition that could have been Easily Diagnosed and Cured with Proper Professional Treatment...

> After Eight Years of "Extreme Sub-Standard Medical Care" at Kaiser Hospital and combined with Six Un-Needed Operations: Jenny Died a Horrible Death at the young age of "29 Years Old"...

***** THE FOLLOWING IS WHAT "YOU WILL LEARN FROM THIS EXCELLENT BOOK":

#1 The Red Flags that will tell You to change Doctors or Staff and get an Outside Second Opinion...

#2 To be able to Locate the "Many Great Doctors" that are available at Kaiser Hospital...

#3 To Understand the Fact that you have Zero-Support from some HMO's...

#4 I know that it is a "Known Fact" that there are some "Doctors and Staff" at "This Hospital" who Do Not care at all if you Die or Severely Damaged by their Major or Minor Medical Malpractice Mistakes and they will do nothing at all to save you - Rather than admit they made a Serious
Mistake and Save You - They will keep this a Complete Secret...

#5 Also Keep in Mind that there are "Many Great Doctors and Staff" at Kaiser who have Perfomed Miracles and saved patients who had almost no chance at all of Surviving and / or perfomed Incredibly Complicated Operations or Treatments with Fantastic Results...

#6 It is a "Known Fact" that some very "Unqualified Doctors or Staff" at Kaiser who will: Lie, Destroy and / or Lose Critical Medical Records, XRAYS, Radiology Reports, Dr's & Nurse's Notes, and any Info. that would Show or Prove they Commited a Major or Minor Malpractice Mistake that Killed or Severely Injured You...

#7 You may think so but you WILL NOT get any Support from "Some" Outside Medical "Watchdog" groups that you are told watches out for Sub-Standard Medical Care - This gives some people a Job to get Paid to Do Nothing and they are paid by you the tax-payer...

#8 The Exception to #7 is MEDICARE - "They do an EXCEPTIONAL JOB" at making sure you are OK... >>> BUT YOU HAVE TO LOOK OUT FOR THE RED FLAGS
YOURSELF BEFORE IT IS TO LATE...

#9 Before it is to late this HMO will have to Re-Evaluate their Game-Plan and put their Members & Patients in Priority Position #1... Income and Profits should be Priority Position #2... And #3 Should be to Weed-Out Any and All Unqualified Employees and Staff and hire Only Qualified and Professional Employee's who Desire to be the "Best of th Best" in the Kaiser Hospital System...

#10 If I had to make an Evaluation of the Kaiser Hospital HMO at this time after reading this excellent book and also being a past member of this this HMO - The Words that Clearly come to Mind Are:
***** THIS HAS TO BE THE MEDICAL SCAM of the CENTURY *****...

If Denzel Washington Touched Your Heart in The New Movie "John Q" Than read.....Jennifer's Story...DEATH BY HMO...A Real Life Tragedy.

This book is much much more than one which relays the horrible medical treatment that Jennifer received "While In The Hands of Kaiser" which resulted in her death.

This book is also about an organization that is more concerned about profit and image than the lives of any of it's patients. They will lie, they will trick, they will deny care in any manner possible until it is too late to save the patient if a patient is no longer profitable to them in the long run.

President Nixon when he was considering allowing the creation of the HMO Act was advised by Mr. John D. Ehrlichman who had received information on how Kaiser is run from the then CEO of Kaiser - Edgar Kaiser. Mr. Erlichman stated "...the less care they give them, the more money they make" and that just about sums up everything about this company.

Jennifer was tortured and abused by this corporation and like countless others she and her family found the inconceivable taking place right before their eyes. Medical personnel were not performing their prescribed duties in a professional nor competent manner. The medical staff with their conduct appeared to be a bunch of bumbling fools.

The Kaiser system is intentionally set up so that the patient and their family will choose to believe that a series of errors or incomptent events is taking place. These are really premeditated actions by a corporation that has put in place a system intentionlly fraught with systemic problems to delay treatment until the patient goes away one way or another.

For anyone that would question that statement how else can you explain how a doctor that goes to school for a decade to learn to be a physician and then passes a test to get a license could be so clueless over and over again.

It simply costs Kaiser less to settle an arbitration than it would to provide proper medical care in the long run.

Jennifer's family should be praised. They had the courage, the fortitude and the belief in themselves to put aside their pain and to focus their thoughts so that the public would have the opportunity to learn and avoid the never ending nightmare that they were all forced to endure by Kaiser and the for profit Permanente Medical Group.

This book is must reading for all people. If you must do business with Kaiser then at least be aware of what their business practices are so you can avoid the eternal suffering that Jennifers family must go through.

Jennifer's death was not in vain. She has lived on in this book to tell the story of what happened and to light the way for those that will listen.

This is a very disturbing indictment of modern health care. Dorothy Cancilla exhibits an extraordinary amount of restraint in recalling the preventable death of her daughter at the hands of inept doctors and an unforgiving system.

It's ironic that a organization whose charter is to maintain people's health can actually compromise their lives when the bottom line might be in jeopardy.

Kudos to Mrs. Cancilla for having the courage to face her demons by sharing them with others.

Part mystery and part life in an upscale college town in the southern California desert. More about relationships amongst the various inhabitants; not a lot of detecting. Fourth in an enjoyable series.

Hello, Hollywood, somebody film this excellent book. Everything is here for a great film.

There is only one word to describe this series - EXCELLENT!! Plot twists abound and when you think you have it solved you are right back to the beginning. I sure hope this series will continue. I'll be the 1st in line here at Amazon to buy it.

Claire Gray, who used to direct on Broadway now heads up the theater department of the Desert Arts College in Palm Springs, California. One night she is invited to the house of Glenn Yates, the college president along with the head of costuming, Kiki Jasper-Plunkett, to help diffuse an argument he is about to have with his ex-wife Felicia over a home in Santa Barbara that she received in the divorce settlement. Felicia can live in the home, but she can't sell it and she's not happy with this arrangement.

The argument doesn't go too badly, but the next day Felicia is found dead in her motel. Someone, it seems, helped her to a dose of poison and not surprisingly Yeats is the prime suspect. However, the list of people who didn't like or would benefit from Felicia's demise isn't a short one and because Yeats knows about Claire's ability in the crime solving department, he asks her to help him.

This is an excellent mystery with a brilliant supporting cast and lots of suspects. I like the amateur sleuth type of mysteries from Miss Marpole to Jessica Fletcher and I believe those two women have a worthy competitor in Claire Gray. Also I like the kind of mystery that winds up with all of the suspects in a room together, as this one does. And I particularly like it when I guessed wrong, but I like when I guessed right too. Either way, I believe you'll like DESERT SUMMER.

Those who are fans of Michael Craft's novels (and those who will make this their first read) will not be disappointed in this Claire Gray installment! As is his custom, the author makes us feel at home with familiar venues and characters. Who cannot admire Claire's keen sleuthful instincts? Who cannot cease to be entertained by the outrageous Kiki? Who cannot cheer the relationship between Grant and Kane?

Ah, but this is a mystery novel, after all! The list of potential who-done-it suspects is populated with typical Craft skill. My guess changed at least twice until the totally disarming surprise ending!

A most enjoyable and easy read! I look forward to Michael's next!

I have read this book several times and it is the only book on this subject that you will need. I have read the others but this book has EVERYTHING you will need to know INCLUDING how to select a surgeon, and even how to get approval for your surgery. A MUST HAVE ITEM IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING WLS.

If you are considering WLS and need to compare operations and get a basic overview, then this is the book for you. It covers pre-surgery questions as well as post-op concerns. I would recommend giving this book to your surgeon or primary care physician to inform them of the surgery. I work as a library assistant and recommend this book to my patrons. It has been the only book I have found that gives good basic coverage of the subject.

I depended on Dr. Flancbaum before and after my weight loss surgery in the same way that I depended upon Dr. Spock when my children were small. His book became a dog earred companion on my nightstand--well read and well loved. I would recommend it to anyone considering this surgery!

If you're looking for an authoritative review of weight loss surgery, including how it could actually save your life, this is the book for you.

Morbid obesity is usually diagnosed when someone is 100 pounds overweight or 150% of one's ideal body weight. Dr. Flancbaum refers to this condition throughout the book as a chronic disease and offers a range of surgical solutions, along with the risks and possible complications. For anyone contemplating this route to losing weight, realize that the book leans toward the more invasive Roux-en-y (RNY) gastric bypass surgery. In my opinion, it reflects the 2003 copyright date as well as the experience base of most surgeons, who tend to favor what they know best.

However, RNY surgery is documented as more effective, usually resulting in more weight loss than the less invasive gastric banding (GB) surgery. This is due primarily to the dumping syndrome that causes patients to vomit high fat or sugary foods and the malabsorptive nature of the RNY procedure, which reroutes the small intestine to the new stomach pouch and prevents the normal absorption of nutrients. The book terms this surgery as "more radical," since it involves opening the body cavity and re-plumbing the patient's innards.

Compare this to GB surgery, which is generally performed laproscopically with thin instruments and a tiny tv camera to guide the surgeon through four or five small incisions in the abdomen. The plastic band is inserted around the upper part of the stomach, forming a small pouch that helps the patient feel full on much less food. The band permits a trickle of food through the small opening, which is adjustable to expand or contract for more or less food to pass through according to the patient's weight-loss progress. The book cites some negative issues that occurred early on with this procedure, and tends to write it off. But since the book's publication, GB surgery is gaining popularity primarily because it is adjustable, is reversible (rarely done), is far less invasive, does not cause the dumping syndrome, does not affect the absorption of nutrients and has many other advantages.

Regarding food choices and diet recommendations -- Dr. A. Hawasli, one of the most experienced laproscopic GB surgeons in the U.S. -- makes one diet book a mandatory requirement for his patients. Written by registered dietitian Theresa Malysz, The Duct Tape Diet includes a comprehensive listing of 6200 foods from the USDA database of branded items along with their content of saturated fat, protein, carbohydrates and calories. The book also contains a simple, easy to understand regimen for GB patients to follow so their food selections don't interfere with the intent of the surgery. The title originates from her husband's use of duct tape to wrap up those "diet villains" that often cause people to fall off the wagon -- an amusing technique from a book that employs humor to help those afflicted with curse of dangerous excess weight.

Current estimates of 10 million morbidly obese adults in the U.S. (BMI of 40 or more) constitute about 5% of the population and could reach as high as 23 million if the BMI range extends to 35 or more. Although other books on the subject reflect a lower estimate, the problem is all too common for any western society. The Doctor's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery is one of the best guides to help you make this decision, which is not a magic solution to the problem, but is effective for anyone who can't do it any other way.

I am the father of a highly overweight adolescent girl, whose furure may include weight loss surgery (WLS). This book explained the many issues involved not only about the surgery itself, but, importantly, about many basic concepts about obesity (including very useful definitions and formulas about what constitutes obesity). The book also clearly discussed the critically important subject of the co-morbid conditions (diabetes II, high blood pressure, e.g.)that can be caused by obesity. The danger of obesity, as mainifested by the presence of these co-morbid conditions, was dramatically described. These issues, as well as the more technical description of the various types of WLS surgeries, was set forth in a manner that was easily understood by this lay person. I felt as if I was involved with a personal consultation with the physician/author, where the surgery was described, and the potential risks and side effects, and benefits, were being explained to me in a very understandable way. The book also contains an ending chapter of Frequently Asked Questions which provided an excellent review of the entire book's contents, and could serve as a condensed version of the book should a reader just wish to address a certain issue, and have the answers presented quickly and directly. The book greatly advanced my understanding of the meaning and problems of obesity, and placed me (and ultimately my daughter)in a substantially more enlightened and informed position to make a potential decision about whether or not my daughter should undergo this surgery.

When it comes to slander Austria almost to the point of ridiculousness, Thomas Bernhard has no peer. In this book he gives vent to his well-known hatred for the country through the character of Franz-Josef Murau, a middle-aged Austrian writer self-exiled in Rome who bears resemblance to many Bernhard's characters and ultimately to the author himself. By means of Bernhard's visceral, vertiginous prose, with touches of off-color humor and ironic resignation, Murau ruthlessly inquires into his own soul as he tries to unravel his painfully disenchanted past and come to terms with his dreary origins. A good novel by an interesting writer.

This was his latest novel to appear in English. It is masterfully constructed,elegantly disturbing and satisfyingly challenging.

Extinction is undoubtly one of the most powerfull litrature creation in the last 20 years. Bernhard takes his readers to a journy in his main charcter's (we don't know his name) obssesive mind or better say a journy in our own mind. Bernhard forces us to think, to contemplate our life and values, and the sharp mirror that he puts infront of us makes it a very hard task to do. This precious creation has a relevant political insight. When you see the current political scene in Bernhard's homeland, Austria, you can just admire his brave look on his country's malaises a country which refuses to stand and face it's Nazi past. Jurg Heider success in the last National election colors Bernhard work in a very realistic color.

There is great joy to be had from this wonderful book. Its first joy is its prose - sparkling in its clarity, musical, effortless - which carries one along on a journey through the thoughts and feelings of Viennese 48 year old Franz-Joseph Murau. Intellectual resident of Rome, alienated by choice from his Austrian family, friend to Archbishop Spadolini(who is also his mother's lover!), he receives a telegram that his father, mother and brother have died in a car accident making him at one stroke inheritor of the family's wealthy estate. He is now MASTER OF WOLFSEGG. The first half of the novel THE TELEGRAM concerns his recollections of childhood and relationships and events that shaped his life. Example: " At first we always tell ourselves that our parents naturally love us, but suddenly we realise that, equally naturally, they hate us for some reason - that is to say, we appear to them as I appeared to mine, as a child that didn't conform with their notion of what a child should be, a child that had gone wrong. They had not reckoned with my eyes which probably saw everything I was not meant to see when I opened them. First, I looked in DISBELIEF, as they say, when I stared at them, and finally, one day I SAW THROUGH THEM, and they never forgave me, could NOT forgive me.(p 76)" The second half of the novel THE WILL concerns his attendance at the estate where he oversees the funeral and greets and reflects upon the range of visitors paying their respects.

Example: "In ROME I often lay on my bed, unable to stop thinking of how our nation was guilty of thousands, tens of thousands, of such heinous crimes, yet remained silent about them. The fact that it keeps quiet about these thousands and tens of thousands of crimes is the greatest crime of all, I told my sisters. It's this silence that's so sinister, I said. It's that nation's silence that's so terrible, even more terrible than the crimes themselves.(p 231)" This bare outline of the two parts cannot prepare you, dear reader, for the experiences of this novel. It is as if one becomes privy as another Viennese Mr Freud did, to the real secrets of the heart of an individual, an individual nevertheless, shaped by the world in which he was born but determined to realise some truths about that world. WE are privy then to the feelings, equivocations, doubts, fears, guilt and searching. It is a revalatory experience, scaldingly honest, which provides one man's analysis of 20th Century Austrian culture, including National Socialism, the class system, religion, architecture, cuisine et al. Sometimes mocking, sometimes self excoriating, sometimes savagely funny, we travel with Mr Murau through his thoughts and feelings at this turning point in his history. In the end, Mr Murau makes a stunning act of redemption which concludes his statement and rounds off this wonderful work of literature on a joyous note. Please accompany, or perhaps follow,this novel with a large dose of HAYDN. Most modern novels pale into the ordinary compared to this work.

"Extinction" is the story of Franz-Josef Murau, a wealthy Austrian gentleman living in Rome as a private tutor in German literature. His tastes run to the esoteric and philosophical, and his relationship with his student, Gambetti, is intellectually mutual. He has just returned to Rome from the wedding of his younger sister, Caecilia, to an "obese wine cork manufacturer," held at the family estate in Austria, called Wolfsegg. At the wedding were his parents, older brother Johannes, and his other younger sister, Amelia.

He receives a telegram in Rome: "Parents and Johannes killed in accident." For the first half of this 320-page book (each half being one unbroken paragraph!), he describes his life, and his narration becomes a deep reflection on his childhood and life to date. He delivers a marvelous psychological portrait of himself, as well as the family members who have just died, and his long-dead Uncle Georg, whom he remembers with great fondness. He hates his family deeply, and the feeling is mutual. He is a philosopher, they are down to earth. He is an aesthete, but they are simple folks. He is a scholar, but they are hunters and farmers, despite their fantastic wealth and their prosperous family estate. Only Uncle George understood him, artistic, free-spirited, and educated. Franz-Josef reflects passionately on his current situation, and tells us many stories of himself and his family.

For the second half of the book, he describes the funeral at Wolfsegg. Lacking parents and older siblings, he is now the master of the estate. His sisters look to him for leadership. He must now decide what to do with the estate. Will he move back to Wolfsegg in Austria, a land he loves, but an estate he hates? Will he pass it to his sisters and remain in Rome, a city he cherishes more than any other? Bernhard will stun the reader with the beauty of the resolution, but will do it in his own literary fashion.

During the story, we learn Franz-Josef disdains Catholicism and National Socialism (i.e., Nazism) in equal parts. His mother had been having an affair with a Catholic Archbishop in Rome, a relationship which was supposedly secret, but which all her children seem to know of. The Archbishop is a close family friend, and will certainly visit the estate for the funeral. His father had many Nazi friends, unbelievably still openly Nazi all these years after the war. He tells us of the fun times he enjoyed playing at his estate's Children's Villa, and how disappointed he was when it was shuttered. He vows to open and restore it when he is master. He tells us of the five libraries---five!---scattered about the estate, similarly shuttered up, collecting dust despite a half-dozen generations' worth of valuable books stored within. He tells us childhood stories of his parents, his brother, and his sister, all disdainful, and heaps contempt upon his brother-in-law, whose name he cannot even bring himself to utter, in generous proportions. At one point, he bathes in his father's bath, and wears some of his clothes. Is this a metaphor for his feelings? We learn that he blames his father only for being such a simple man, but hates his mother passionately, for dragging his father into the mud.

We struggle with the idea that this is an unreliable narrator, and we are only hearing one side of a two-sided story, but unlike Italo Svevo's masterpiece, "Confessions of Zeno", it is clear that despite this narrator's one-sided story, there is no reason to disbelieve him. He is as critical of himself as of others, and he demonstrates the pettiness and crudeness of his family in many different ways. We trust him, not only because he is self-critical, but because despite his self-confidence, he is not a fool. We also learn some untoward truths about his family, and a few hidden secrets, which cannot be dismissed, even from the most unreliable narrator. His angst comes from a simple sentiment, expressed early on: "I can't abolish my family just because I want to." He struggles to resolve the question of extinction: Must he extinguish himself to satisfy his family? Must his family be extinguished to satisfy himself?

Finally, after a rollicking narration of heartfelt emotions and deeply-help philosophies, Bernhard's narrator demonstrates how he chooses to reconcile his thoughts and feelings, his inheritance and his sisters, his legacy and his future, and all the elements demonstrated through the length of the novel braid together like a jewel. Bernhard's prose is difficult for those unfamiliar with experimental or cutting-edge literature, but actually not very difficult once one tries. Curious readers will greatly enjoy engaging their mind with this book. If they wish to sample a smaller work before digging into this one, Bernhard's "Yes" is another masterpiece of style and depth. Both are rewarding, brilliant works from a literary master.

I had the pleasure of visiting with Raymond last week in Montana,and hearing him tell some of the stories that were not in the book was an interesting evening.

Even though I have lived in La. all of my life so many of the stories in the book I had never heard!Raymond brought them all to life.

Strother, a Texas bred Democrat consultant who served as a mentor to better known figures such as James Carville, recounts his experiences in the rough and tumble world of politics. In many hands, this could have been a very factual, dry and boring book. Luckily for the reader, Strother is an uproarious storyteller.

The son of a fervent union man in Port Arthur, Texas, Strother more or less falls into the political consulting business by default. He begins his career in Louisana, a hotbed of corruption and questionable ethics. Thru his journey, we relive his often painful and hilarious campaign experiences with country singer Jimmie Davis, Gary Hart and Bill Clinton.

Current politics are dirty business and not for the weak of heart. Idealists are often rudely discarded before they even realize what's happened. Strother considers himself a man of integrity in a profession that increasingly looks at such a trait as a weakness. He not only has to deal with Republican adversaries but underhanded tactics by members of his own party. Strother is honest in his analysis of his work and colleagues and spares no one including other Democrats who employed dirty tricks against his firm.

No matter what side your political beliefs fall, this is a good read if you want to understand how politics work behind the scenes.

Books about politics by insiders get most of the business right, but only Ray Strother tells you what it is really like to work in national politics in plain, unhyped prose.

Ray Strother's chronicle of the industry that brings us our leaders is fascinating. His story is also an "American Success Story". From the giants of the U.S. Senate includingRussell Long (recently passed) and Lloyd Bentsen to today's leaders in the Senate - Mary Landrieu, Blanche Lincoln and Zell Miller - Strother has woven a tapestry of stories that enthral and make us consider our democracy.

This is a first-rate, fast-read of an industry that is seldom discussed but that brings us world leaders. Ad agency execs marvel at their brilliance but at the end of the day they sell sugar water to children. Strother has given an insight to a world seldom seen, but of importance to all of us.

Get the book - read it and pass it around. This is one of those books that flys below the radar but could become a movie.

happy reading

Raymond Strother's warts-and-all memoir of his life as a political consultant is a fun, must-read for all students of American politics. Strother's career began when there was still some innocence in campaigning, and winds up during the frustrating years of ego-driven hacks whose self-importance overshadows their candidates, to the detriment of government. Ray Strother's genuinity was formed the old-fashioned way: he grew up poor and learned to appreciate other people.

Strother's tales of Southern political skirmishes will entertain. He's a smooth storyteller who should write more, now that he's out of the maelstrom of the Washington kill-or-be-killed consultant circuit.

Caveat: I am a Republican, and although Strother's life has been spent around Democrats, his tales are compelling across the board.

I had the privilege of being Amos Vogel's student back in the early 1980s, and was therefore fortunate to see a number of the 'unobtainable' films mentioned in this book. Vogel is an encyclopedia of film knowledge, and the often pithy accounts of various 'subversive' films -- including some you might not guess would warrant the label -- are both entertaining and intelligent. The image selection is great though, as others (including Vogel) have noted, a still frame stands for a film in an inadequate but nevertheless allusive way.

This book by Amos Vogel is a reference like no other. He explains why these films need to be seen. The photographs are a treasure themself and the book is abound with them. I have refered to this book constantly through the past 30 years. I'ts great to see it is back in print. My film library of over 1000 art, surrealist, avant guard cinema was largely do to Mr. Vogel's knowledge and explanation of film. I'm only sorry that it has not been updated to show the 1970's to 2006. A must have for sure, get the book while they last.

I agree with other reviewers. This is a great, indispensible book. I've spent the past twenty-five years or so trying to see all the films mentioned. I've made pretty good progress, but I still have a lot to go. My copy is all dog-eared and falling apart and I came here hoping to find one for my half-brother, who is just starting out in the movie biz and needs to know what's in this book. I hope it gets itself back into print. I'd love to see it updated to include subversive films created since 1974.

I picked this up for a quarter at a book sale at our local library. I have read it straight through several times, and i still pick it up quite often and thumb through.

I don't know why it is out of print, but a good number of the films discussed in the book are just as difficult to find as the book itself. If you ever see this book anywhere, and can afford it, you have to buy it.

I've had this book half of my life and am still working on seeing all of the films. That said some of the films reviewed in it have dated badly (even Jean Luc Godard has dismissed his Maoist films which never show today). In addition, some of the countercultural (aka hippie) terminology such as "consciousness 3" will leave modern readers scratching their heads. That said it is an essential discussion of films that break film conventions, whether it be through the language of film, political subversion (suddenly relevant again) or sexual politics. The one positive note is that at the end of the book the author states in bold, "But the real question remains: how to reach the masses 'out there' with five heavy cans of 35 mm film and nowhere to show them". The answer is that through video and especially dvd films mentioned in this book that were impossible to find are suddenly resurfacing and being re-evaluated. Though some films are best shelved (I pity anyone who watches all 8 hours of Andy Warhol's "Empire" just to say that they saw it), others especially from world cinema such as the Iranian film "The Cow" and the Senegal made film "The Money Order (Mandabi)" show film makers who now have recieved acclaim. Though some reviewers wanted an update of this book I think that it was written and speaks for a certain point in time, before the co-option of underground films into indie films, when foreign films were still ahead of the times, before garbage like Jackass broke almost all visual taboos while actually taking film a giant leap backward and before the vcr, when hunting down experimental films showing in theaters or libraries was a religion onto itself.

Food is such an integral dynamic of our lives that we should all at least consider its impact on our bodies. In a modern age of fast food, uninhibited consumption and the cosmetic manipulation of basic commodities we truly need to reflect and refresh our blitzed minds with regard to what is truly good and that which is actually causing us considerable harm.

Ann Marie Colbin does this with methodical and systematic gusto. From the basics of living systems, the inherent energy fields and forces in foods, balance, quality and quantity, and to modern diets, wholeness, food preparation, diets, and food as medicine. Importantly, she concludes that we can employ our natural wisdom of foods to bring a valuable balance between our mind, body and spirit.

Food and healing is a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between good health and the quality of our consumption. This book is one amongst many in a new wave of scientific and natural dietetics that correctly identifies the source of many modern illnesses with the food that we eat. Colbin is objective and knowledgeable in her approach and advice, and I cannot recommend this book enough. Much of the information she offers is of a practical nature, and her seven criteria for food selection is a good example to follow; buy food that is 1)whole, 2)fresh, natural, real, organic, 3)seasonal, harmonic, 4)locally grown, 5)traditional, native, 6)balanced, nutritious, 7)delicious.

Bon appetit!

This book is incredible. I liked it so much I bought a copy for my mom and a friend. So much information, yet still easy to comprehend. Understanding why we crave certain things, learning to listen to your body, and learning how to eat in a way that is enjoyable AND health supportive. Great book, I highly recomend it.

When I first borrowed this book from my acupuncturist/naturopath, I didn't think I'd ever actually get through it. But what I found was that I ended up reading it like a novel -- fascinated to learn about foods the way she presented it.

For example -- it really helped me to undertand the effects of sugar in a new way. Sugar in small amounts creates individuation and sugar in large amounts creates alientation. Also, Americans eat about 20 times more sugar than we did 100 years ago, and the average juvenile delinquent does 40 times more. And when the juvenile delinquents had sugar removed from their diet and replaced with fruits and vegges, they violence reduced and they began falling into the range of normal.

I used to keep it in my cube at work, and refer to it to offer suggestions to handling ailments. One time a guy at work cancelled an appointment because of a migraine. So when he made it in a few days later, we went through the book to see the cause an found some foods he had eaten a day or so before the migraine. He came to me 9 months later and said he had not had a migraine since.

This book provides a great model for understanding how diet can be used to help balance us from a physical, mental and emotional perspective.

Thanks Dr. Colbin!

I just borrowed this book from a friend, and Colbin covers everything--there were several pages I xeroxed before returning it. It doesn't propose any specific philosophy, rather it evaluates the effects of different foods on the body. She incorporates Chinese and ayurvedic philosophy also and details macrobiotics. I am vegan, and I especially recommend it for vegetarians since it explains how to balance your diet, making sure you get enough calcium and the essential B12. Colbin emphasizes all-natural foods and listening to your body. I'm gonna buy a copy when I get back to the states. Enjoy!

This remains one of my favorite books on eating for health. Annemarie offers sensible, and do-able guidelines, not rules, and a lot of information to mull over.
I go back to this book over, and over again.
I also recommend her cookbooks. Healthy, delicious, easy to make dishes, with
simple ingredients.

Written by a cardiologist and dietician couple. This is not a cookbook as some would guess by the title, but a guide to living a heart-healthy lifestyle. This is well written and very easy reading. It covers all aspects from a potitive attitude, sense of humor, fat Vs.carb issues, omega 3's, etc. I particularly liked how this is a common-sense approach to healthy living, and not another fad-diet that we're all so sick of hearing about. Thanks to Cardio Consultants in KC-Mo for turning me on to this book!

The Forever Young Diet and Lifestyle is easy to read and has a lot of logical advice on how to stay fit. It covers a lot of different aspects to life and diet. It was recommended to me by my doctor. Using the advice, I lowered my cholesterol by 10% and increase the good to bad cholesterol ratio. It also helped me shed fat while building muscle mass.

A must read for anyone wanting to maintain a healthy (but easy-to-do) lifestyle and maintain heart-health.

Read this book. Change your life. The content is NOT a lose weight fast plan. It's not really a "diet" book. It will change how you look at what you (and those you care about) eat. I've met the authors. They have the credentials and no agenda other than to share their knowledge of how a healthy lifestyle is easily achievable. Based on the knowledge gained from reading this book I've changed how and what I eat, lowered my cholesterol, increased my energy, lost the 25 pounds I needed to lose and have kept it off for over a year.

My husband is a diabetic. He had a recent doctor's appt., and his doctor had talked about how he lost 35 pounds and it wasn't that hard . . . just basically a change of diet (healthy), along with advice via this book. Well, my husband was about 20 lbs. overweight, and complained that he was getting flabby, so he asked me to order this book. I did, and he would read a chapter or two at a time. He would ask me, "Did you know how good green tea is for you?" I would say "yes." Did you know that nuts from a tree are very good for you?? I would say, "yes." "Did you know that for every 100 calories in grains (cereals and breads,etc.), that you need to have 3 grams of fiber?" Yes. I have read Prevention magazine for years, and was always interested in health and medical topics, so those little tidbits of info were not new to me. ANyway, for a guy who NEVER reads anything except HUNTING magazines, I was amazed that he actually read this book. To keep his attention, it has to be written in an easy-to-read-and-understand style, or he would be tossing it out the door! He says it is very good, and he HAS INDEED changed his eating habits. He is definitely more knowledgeable!!! I would recommend it!

Most people are fairly informed about the D-Day invasion at Normandy from the American, British and Canadian view. I knew little about the battle from the German side. Book was very informative and interesting. I also have just read Dunkerk and the Ambrose book.

This book compiled for the most part from original sources such as diaries and letters depicts the struggle in Normandy from the German viewpoint with emphasis on the grunts doing the fighting. But, the book transcends the viewpoint of either side. It relates in detail the receiving end of what students of military history now describe as industrial warfare. Many of the first person descriptions repeat the overwhelming material advantage the Allies possessed. German tanks especially Panthers and Tigers, "88" caliber guns, their equivalent to our bazookas, and machine guns were far superior to the Allies. Their soldiers were confident until faced with the massed airpower, artillery, navel gunfire, and the strangling of their supply lines by the allied strength in the air. Still, they fought a courageous and skillful retreat except for the trap at Falaise. The book reminds one of the amazing job the American Army did in putting divisions with no combat experience in the line and succeeding in attack without catastrophic losses. Despite the massive literature on the Normandy campaign, I recommend this book to those interested in military history, WWII, students, military professionals, and libraries.

This book is great, and really opens your eyes to the side of losing that war, and what nightmarish things they went through.

Santa put this in my stocking. Many adjectives and cliches come to mind: "page turner," "can't put it down," and even just "Wow."

Hargreaves masterfully narrates and is possessed to tell this story from the German view, only turning to an Allies' account of some key event when it is only absolutely necessary. He stitches personal stories, official records, and historical context of June 6, 1944 together for a whole and complete German account of the battle for France.

This detailed perspective of The Germans in Normandy is refreshing and a long overdue addition to the works of Paul Carell's Invasion! and Stephen Ambrose's D-Day works (D-Day, Band of Brothers, and others). If you enjoy WWII history, Hargreaves has written the next book you should read.

This is a superb book that is well researched & examines the battles fought in Normandy in 1944 from a German stance. The author explains how the Allied invasion was seen as the last opportunity to turn the tide & how Rommel made great strides in his short time in 5-6 months to strengthen the defences. However, the author does not just cover off the strategic & key high command personalities but more importantaly he looks at the Normandy battles from the common fighting German soldier (Landser)& has drawn on many first hand accounts, letters, diaries etc. The book examines how the German soldiers fought on despite been overwhelmed by the Allied material superiority & air supremacy. The Allies command of the air was a key factor in the German defeat as all German movement by day was effectively paralysed & soul destroying to the troops. But as the author points out 'despite the Allied material supremacy, tank for tank, gun for gun, the Wehrmact was more than a match for its enemies'. Unfortunately for the Germans, their losses incurred in men & material could no longer be made good. This is the story of the German soldier & how he fought & endured those battles in the West in 1944 (especially around Caen & Falaise), been driven on by their comradeship for one another. Highly recommended reading.

Reviewed by AJ Cooper for Reader Views (11/07)

John Cann, a senior associate for the law office of Loring, Matsen, and Gould, has just witnessed a horrific video of humiliation, torture and finally execution. His good friend, mentor and boss has asked him defend a man who was possibly responsible for the torture and killing of these Muslim people from the Balkans. The hearing for extradition will be held at an international tribunal in Germany. Other countries also have an interest in this man and they want him extradited to their country to stand before a court and answer for his crimes.

Of course John will follow the instructions of his boss and head to Germany to defend Dubran Mribic. His only request is to visit his friend Janie at her rehabilitation center in Georgia. Janie is recovering from almost life-threatening torture that she had received a couple of years ago because of her relationship with Cann. Cann and Matsen took it upon themselves to ensure Janie had the best care and also had themselves assigned as co-guardians with the approval of her family. Janie had come far as had been recovering fairly well considering she had been left for dead. The torture affected every aspect of her life and being able to function.

John hesitantly flies to Germany to defend someone he may not even be able to tolerate. When he arrives and starts to deal with the tribunal and Mribic, everything is not as it seems. Numerous attempts are made on John's life, yet there is another group that follows him and protects him. He discovers the nature of crimes committed by his defendant as well as crimes that had been committed against Mribic's people. No one seems innocent and nothing rings true. Then the unthinkable happens and Mribic is allowed to escape.

Back at home things go from good to bad for Janie at the rehabilitation center. She has a new doctor that has some unique and unusual forms of treatment. Matsen does not want to let on to John what has happened with Janie. He has his firm investigate the doctor and what they find is very disturbing. The law firm must now try and get Janie out of the rehabilitation center. Their only means is to kidnap her from the center and then fight the doctor through the courts. This takes all of Matsen's resolve and determination. Before Matsen is able to tell John about the troubles he has been facing with Janie, John is kidnapped.

Everything comes to a head in Europe and Matsen is forced to travel to Germany to rescue John. Old memories and horrors are brought to the forefront when Matsen returns to Europe. He served as an intelligence officer and became involved in the Balkans. Mribic really wanted Matsen, and not John, so he had to find a way to trick Matsen into returning to Europe.

I truly enjoyed the intertwining of both stories. I did not expect or figure out what could possibly happen next. I could not put the book down. This is a true thriller from the start that keeps you on the edge of your seat. This brief view into the atrocities of war and the hope for justice for the victims was very interesting. The good side of people can really shine through even in the direst of situations. I would recommend "A Grave Breach" to anyone.

Reviewed by Maria Elmvang

What is the gravest breach? Is it a breach of national security? A breach of peace? A breach of contract? Or a breach of confidentiality, of trust?

That is one of the things that James Macomber explores in his third John Cann book and newest novel, A Grave Breach.

John Cann would never have agreed to defend a war criminal in a court of law, especially not after seeing the atrocities he performed during the Balkan war, if it hadn't been for one thing: Arthur Matsen - his boss and a man whom he respects and loves as his own father - asked him to. Forced to find the blurred boundaries between his trust in Matsen and his own impression of his client, Cann travels to Europe and tries to get to the bottom of things and find out why Matsen asked him to take on this case.

Meanwhile, back in the USA Cann's colleague Katherine Price discovers that all is not as it ought to be at the facilities where Cann's ward, Janie is staying. When it is discovered that Janie is subjected to dangerous psychiatric experiments, only a desperate action will protect her.

Giving away any more of the plot would be a shame for others. James Macomber managed to keep me at the edge of my seat through the various twists and turns of the book until its final conclusion. Unfortunately by combining two unrelated plotlines, Macomber sometimes neglects one in favour of the other, and not all threads are properly tied up, leaving me with unresolved issues and burning questions.

It is an advantage, but not a necessity, to have read the two first John Cann books before reading A Grave Breach. I hadn't, but as all references to earlier books are well explained, it allows it to stand on its own without any problems.

Armchair Interviews says: An excellent suspense novel that definitely will leave you wanting to read more of Macomber's work.

Studded with a cast of memorable characters, "A Grave Breach" is an international legal thriller by James Macomber, a true master of this popular action/adventure/suspense genre. John Cann is asked to defend someone charged with war crimes by his trusted friend, mentor and colleague Arthur Matsen. Then there is Janie Reston, a young American college girl savagely brutalized left for dead because of her connection to Cann. The girl is under threat by Nathan Fredrich, an unscrupulous psychiatrist intent on exploiting her horrendous ordeal to capitalize on his questionable theories concerning repressed memories. With a complex and engaging plot involving diverse post-war legal, moral, and ethical dilemmas in Europe, compounded by strong emotional ties and vulnerabilities among the principle characters, "A Grave Breach" is a compelling, superbly crafted, totally engaging read from beginning to end that can be wholeheartedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library fiction collections.

Author James Macomber has set himself a tricky task in creating another thriller with two unrelated plots as part of his John Cann series of international legal thrillers with his recent tome, A Grave Breach.

Set against the backdrop of "ethnic cleansing" that transpired in the Balkans, Macomber has authored a poised and polished novel that unfolds when John Cann, a senior associate in the Washington law firm of Loring, Matsen and Gould is asked by the senior partner, Arthur Matsen to defend a war criminal, Dubran Mribic, after he watches a horrendous video tape that had been sent to Matsen.

It seems that the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia has now indicted Mribic for a variety of hideous war crimes committed against Muslims and he has now requested Arthur Matsen to represent him in any and all legal proceedings. We also learn in the opening pages that the law firm of Loring, Matsen and Gould are more than just attorneys as they are connected to the CIA, having developed a deep and lasting connection to the intelligence community since the creation of the firm. Why would the USA or for that matter Matsen be interested in defending a repugnant and repulsive war criminal who is now being held in Germany?

In addition to the main plot, Macomber includes a secondary plot involving a young woman, Janie Reston, who is now residing in a rehabilitation center as a result of a brutal crime committed against her by several terrorists. Apparently, two years prior to the happening of this atrocious crime, Cann had taken a sabbatical from his law firm and was a visiting lecturer at Charleston University Law School where he was the faculty adviser to Janie. Unfortunately, a connection between Cann and Janie was established in some minds-including the members of a terrorist cell within the Middle East Studies Department of the University, which in fact there had been no connection, however the terrorists didn't know that and they considered him and whomever was connected to him the enemy. The terrorists kidnapped Janie and what they did to her was beyond comprehension leaving her looking like a broken doll. The beastly criminals never stood trial as Cann made sure they were eradicated.

Cann and Matsen had taken it upon themselves to ensure that Janie received the best of treatment at the Whispering Marsh Rehabilitation Center, where, unfortunately, she nevertheless had fallen under the care of an unscrupulous staff psychiatrist, Dr. Nathan Frederich, who wanted to use her as a guinea pig in testing some of his far-fetched theories.

When Cann eventually meets up with Mribic and listens to the latter's side of the story, nothing seems to be as cut and dry as he anticipated. Moreover, when the legal proceedings commence before the tribunal, it appears that all cards are stacked up against his client. Cann also learns of some very interesting details concerning Matsen and his connection to Mribic, who turns out to be quite a devious fellow and who really wanted Matsen to show up and not Cann as he had some unfinished business to settle with him. If this is not enough to keep you turning the pages, various attempts at Cann's life are made by one group of thugs while there exists another group, who unknown to Cann, are his protectors.

Macomber is a great story- teller and he has concocted an interesting plot effectively negotiating the past and the present, east and west, young and old. Right up to the end he teases his readers with red herrings and unresolved questions such as why did he incorporate two distinct plots with very little links between them? It would have been nice if there were more of a connection rather than leaving this up in the air? I also found the complexity of the principal story quite confusing as I tried to keep track of the cast of characters and their past and present activities. Nonetheless, A Grave Breach did keep me reading well into the night and if you can endure some of the hideous scenes, it is still a great read.

Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures

Absorbing and horrifying, James Macomber's novel A GRAVE BREACH sets a story of revenge against the backdrop of the fierce ethnic conflicts in the Balkans. A Washington law firm is tasked with defending a soldier charged with war crimes, and even within the defense team, secret motivations exist, spanning decades. A videotape depicting the crime is the bait in the mousetrap, set by a brutal villain with a grudge against one of the lawyers. Soon, the lawyers, all of whom have ties to the intelligence community, are forced to use every weapon in their considerable arsenal to foil the plot and stay alive. This was a solid read for fans of real-world thrillers.