Reviews Books

Most of us have taken ACLS by the time we get to 3rd/4th year rotations and end up in the ER. Most of us aren't comfortable participating in a code at the beginning of the ER rotation. This book takes ACLS and runs with it, but slowly! It provides you with a great EKG review while addressing medications needed to treat each condition in a clear and concise manner. It provides essential information on how to recognize and manage non-cardiac codes such as airway emergencies, seizures, etc. You will be much more comfortable in a code setting after reading this book! Check out the other books in the Emergency Management series - they are pretty good as well.

This book revolutionized the way I think about ACLS. I was stunned by how easy things are to understand when laid out in a straightforward, evidence-based manner. I used to walk very slowly to codes in fear that I would be the first one there. I was ashamed that I didn't know how to manage coding patients. Since reading this book, I have been able to sprint full-force knowing that I am well-equpped to handle any situation.

I have found every BRS review to be the best around, and usually it's all you need for the USMLE. Dr. Latha Stead's book is no exception. She has written an excelent review on a broad and heterogeneous subject, with great questions at the end of every chapter. Thank God for BRS! I just wish there were more titles for the step 2...

This title, part of the very popular Board Review Series, is a concise review of emergency medicine focussed toward medical students doing an emergency medicine clerkship and 1st year residents from all services rotating through the ED It is a concise review of EM that one can read easily in a 1 month block.The book features 20 chapters divided by organ system representing the most common complaints seen in the ED. Every topic is divided into:

1. Clinical presentation which covers symptoms & physical exam findings

2. Diagnostic tests which includes labs and imaging studies. The most relevant or crucial labs are highlighted in bold. Others are listed with findings that further support the diagnosis but are not required. For imaging tests such as radiographs and CTs, the specific findings one may note are described.

3. The Treatment section covers theABCs, pharmacological therapies, patient comfort maneuvers, and which consults to call.

4. The Disposition section covers which patient to observe and D/H, which ones toadmit to floor, which ones warrant ICU, and discharge instructions. Many topics have subsections on definitions, risk factors, and prognosis.

Every chapter has 10-20 USMLE-style multiple choice and matching questions at the end, with detailed explanations of the correct answers. The end of the text has a comprehensive examination consisting of 200+ USMLE style questions, none of which are repeated from the end of chapter questions. In total, the book contains 400+ questions. The book is a recipe-style book intended to be carried around in the ED, packed with tables and figures one so often wishes they had at their fingertips. (For example, the ACLS algorithms, the Rosenbaum Eye chart, a chart contrasting cardiac murmurs, toxicology anitdote chart, bhCG correlation with gestational age, table of male GU emergencies, etc...)

In contrast to other EM review books, this one has both adult and pediatric dosages for all drugs listed, makes extensive use of charts, tables, illustrations and figures (key for studying!) and includes unique sections on bites & stings, biological warfare, and occupational (needlestick) injury.

Highly Recommended!

"OTHER TITLES OF INTEREST FROM MOSBY
Rosen, Barkin, et al.:
Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice, 4th Edition

Barkin: Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice, 2nd Edition

Barkin and Rosen: Emergency Pediatrics, 5th Edition

Rubin: Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Self-Assessment and Review, 2nd Edition

Rund, Barkin, Sternbach, and Rosen: Essentials of Emergency Medicine, 2nd Edition
[from the back cover of the book]

Emergency Medicine Self Assessment and Review is a must to bring out the important clinical teaching points on the very factual and sometimes verbose chapters of the book it reviews: Rosen's Emergency Medicine Textbook. The explainations that are provided explain not only why the correct answer is correct, but also why the wrong answers are incorrect. The book enables emergency medicine attending physicians, residents and interested medical students a feedback mechanism to insure the most important points are understood, and not just memorized.

"The Empire Reloaded: Socialist Register 2005" by Leo Panitch and Colin Leys (editors) brilliantly explores themes pertaining to finance, culture and the impact of U.S. imperialism around the world. The penetrating analyses offered by the sixteen outstanding writers in this collection makes a powerful statement about the Socialist movement's continued relevance in our increasingly fractured world.

The first two articles describe how globalization has been constructed through U.S. imperialism. Varda Burstyn's article draws inspiration from the works of several great Socialist writers from the past to find their ideas operative in the present. Burstyn connects President George W. Bush's shifting political alliances and doublespeak with the work of George Orwell; similarly, Burstyn finds that the bioscience and pharmaceutical industry's work towards engineering and pacifying the privileged classes had previously been imagined by Aldous Huxley. Stephen Gill explains how U.S. military and political power has been used to control international trade but believes that deficits resulting from imperial overstretch and growing negative public opinion might signal a turning point against the U.S.

Two works focus on the U.S.' domination of the post-World War II financial system. Interestingly, both Panitch and Gindin's and Christopher Rude's articles find that crisis has served as an integral component in the financial system's ability to discipline both labor and recalcitrant governments. Contrasting the institutional protections that have been built for financiers with the insecurities of the working class, the authors believe that increasing inequality and political illegitimacy may open the door for popular anti-capitalist movements to emerge.

Several articles explored the relationship between the media and ideology. Scott Forsyth suggests that the Hollywood action film's promotion of the U.S. engaging in a 'good war' is becoming an increasingly difficult idea to sell to the rest of the world. Yuezhi Zhao traces the Chinese State's embrace of corporate news and entertainment to the class alliance between transnational capitalists and China's ruling elite, which in turn has led to a culture of consumption that has left vast numbers of Chinese citizens impoverished.

Three articles addressed the topic of development. Harriet Friedmann highlights the myriad shortcomings of the industrial agriculture system and makes a case for indigenous rights and self-determination. Vivek Chibber's history of developmentalism shows how capital used the state to first repress labor and then take control of the state itself, whereupon subsequent development has benefited mostly private interests at the expense of the public. Gerald Greenfield discusses how nationalism has been exploited by leaders in the global South to restructure their states to meet capitalist requirements, suggesting a need to confront both class and capital and not merely U.S. imperial ambitions.

A collection of very interesting articles about the European Union (EU) challenges the idea that the EU might provide a more attractive alternative to U.S. leadership. John Grohl writes a history of the EU that stresses its economic and political domination by the U.S. and the subsequent nurturing of a pro-corporate legal system, the repression of labor, and a decline in the quality of life for many people. Dorothee Bohle points to the EU's exploitation of Eastern Europe as evidence that the EU is keen to implement an extreme neoliberal agenda and, in the case of Yugoslavia, is incapable of political leadership in the absence of U.S. military power. Frank Deppe critiques Jurgen Habermas' manifesto for an EU that embraces U.S.-style neoliberalism while wishing itself independent from the U.S., arguing that Socialism remains the best hope for distinguishing the EU if it hopes to lead the world towards a sustainable and just future.

Other articles discuss South Africa, Columbia, Russia, and Latin America. In each case, the authors stress the critical role the state plays in promoting corporate interests at the expense of people and the environment. Yet struggles for justice persist, suggesting that public discontent can develop into a broad-based movement that can successfully challenge capitalism.

As the legendary Tony Benn states in a profound interview in the concluding chapter: "...you can't hold people down, and that has been the lesson of history".

This is arguably the best Socialist Register yet -- the issues covered have never been more pertinent or provocative. The lead article by Varda Burstyn, "The New Imperial Order Foretold", frames the whole volume and is a pleasure to read. It is organized around Orwell and Huxley and their relevance today, and ranges from Orwellian war to Huxleyan "militainment" to nano-technology to mind conditioning to advertising techniques to artificial procreation to criminalizing dissent: a wild, and ultimately chilling ride. The next three articles lay bare the fundamental role of neoliberalism in the shaping of the global order today. Next, Scott Forsyth's "Hollywood Reloaded" is a wonderful discussion of the new order's characteristic film genre: the action blockbuster. Harriet Friedmann's "Feeding the Empire" is a fundamental historical treatment of a critical topic that is simply not talked about enough: food. The regional articles on China, SE Asia, S. Africa, Russia and E. Europe are all good, but the one that boggled my mind was the one on "counterinsurgency" in Columbia -- a mind-bending expose' of the so-called war on drugs, which is in reality a war of terror against popular forces in order to protect forest and oil resources in Venezuela. The book closes with an interview with the "grand old man" of the British left, Tony Benn, focusing on the Bush-Blair relationship: a fitting end to an extremely thought-provoking volume. And all this in just over 300 pages!

I began to learn Spanish 11 years ago as a 9-year-old when I moved to Madrid with my family. We stayed there for two years and then moved to Asuncion, Paraguay for another two years. So that was a good 4 solid years of classes and daily exposure to the language. Since returning to the U.S., my Spanish stopped improving despite taking high school Spanish courses each year. Then I came to college, and for 3 semesters I took no Spanish. But last semester I took a course on grammar and composition, and the first part of the course was just going through En Breve.

I loved it. So many little questions and doubts that had been building up in my mind concerning Spanish grammar and idiomatic constructions were answered. If you thoroughly read this book, your control of the Spanish language will dramatically increase.

I recommend this to anyone who knows a decent amount of Spanish but who isn't very confident in their grammar. Don't misunderstand me, my grammar wasn't bad; in fact it was better than most of my peers since I had the advantage of four years of exposure to native speakers. But I knew that there were tons of things that I didn't know how to express clearly, which I now know how to express.

Some of the most useful things I learned in this book were how to correctly express ideas such as...
"Strong as they may be, they never win."
"The more you buy, the more popular you are."
"She bought more books than she can read."

As simple as those ideas are, relatively few non-native speakers of Spanish seem to know how to express them correctly. The book of course also contains the more obviously necessary discussions on direct and indirect object pronouns; the tenses and their uses; the subjunctive mood and its uses; what prepositions are necessary after what verbs under what conditions; et cetera. This book is incredibly useful and surprisingly comprehensive.

I only wish this were a series so that there were parallel versions for French, German and Russian, for example.

I'd just like to advise that it is not worth the amazon price of $93.95 to have it new, as it is just a medium-sized paperback book. Just buy it used for a third of the price.

This book is the best book I have found to help you review and expand your knowledge of Spanish. It is meant for someone who already has a basic command of the language. There are short, easy lessons in practical grammar and vocabulary that are combined with exposure to Spanish literature. The lessons are followed by brief quizzes with the answers provided in the back of the book.

This book evaluates the work of a great many film artists (actors, directors, editors, etc.) and lists their every movie chronologically. I refer to my 1991 edition constantly, but we need a new edition. What are chances we'll see one?

This is the best movie guide we've found (and we're on our 3rd).You can look up information by actor. It puts Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide to shame (which is weak on information by actor). I wish the author would come out with an updated version. We'd be first in line to buy it.

Most coverages of superheroes focus on comic books and illustrators for the comic book world. John Kenneth Muir's Encyclopedia Of Superheroes On Film And Television narrows the focus to film and television superheroes, with entries by show discussing shows ranging from short-run productions like 'Isis' to 'M.A.N.T.I.S', 'Shazam!' and more. Each film and show receives critical quotes, overviews of plot and premise, cast and crew listings, and seasonal episode overviews. An excellent and recommended reference for film and television buffs.

"The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television," by John Kenneth Muir, packs a wealth of information into more than 600 pages. It is illustrated with many black-and-white depictions of both animated and live-action characters. The bulk of the book is an alphabetically organized group of entries on specific superheroes.

A typical entry discusses a superhero and the various film and TV incarnations in which he/she has appeared. Muir discusses many types of superhero portrayals: animated and live-action, black-and-white and color, serious and spoof, and adult- and kid-oriented productions, even including direct-to-video features. The book is amazingly comprehensive, including both solo heroes and teams. There are the expected entries on such "big" names as The Amazing Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, X-Men, etc. But Muir does not neglect the curious, cultish, or off-beat.

Among the many heroes covered are the Ambiguously Gay Duo (from a series of animated shorts on "Saturday Night Live"), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Darkman, ElectraWoman and DynaGirl, Isis, M.A.N.T.I.S., the Six Million Dollar Man, the Tick, and many more. I don't doubt that there are omissions or oversights (I would have liked to have seen an entry on the Bibleman character, portrayed by Willie Aames), but overall it's an impressively broad gathering of heroes. The entries feature cast and crew credits from various productions, as well as episode guides to TV series. Excerpts from critics' reviews add further to the entries. Among the fascinating topics covered along the way are the superhero underpinnings of the film "Unbreakable" and the notorious unreleased Fantastic Four film.

The book includes endnotes, a bibliography, and an index, as well as a number of appendices. I found the most interesting appendix to be the one covering the cliches and conventions of superhero media: "The Dogged Reporter," "Gargoyle Pose," "Lost Powers," etc.

This book is well-written and fascinating. Muir takes the genre seriously, and brings insight and intelligence to this project. He is also not afraid to be critical. In his introduction he puts superhero lore into the context of United States culture. He also discusses his rationale for excluding or including certain characters when writing the book. I consider this book an essential reference work for public and academic libraries. But its accessible writing, user-friendly organization, and treasure trove of information also make it a worthy book for any individual with an interest in interest in superheroes.

I totally agree with the previous reviewer; this is a fun book to read with your kids and do the activies together. It's also perfect for those awkward moments when they ask you a question like, "how does a road work?" and you don't exactly know the answer. It spells out everything in an easy-to-understand way.

I have an 8 year old son who is seriously addicted to Lego building blocks and anything else that can be built. I am also a cub scout den leader and that makes me pretty good at understanding what 8 and 9 year old boys like.

They like this book! It answers some basic questions, that very subtley provide some basic engineering principles. What is BEST about this book is that every chapter has several simple projects that your child and you can do together. Again, simple, but it is suprising how educational this kind of fun can be.

My cub scouts like building bridges the best so far. You can bet we will work our way through this book and do many more projects.

Honestly, I wish a book like this existed when I was a kid. I thought engineering was all math and boring! NO SO! This book lights a fire in my imagination as well as that of my son. I love this book!

This is a useful study guide and reference tool for anyone who is starting in epidemiology. It gives a great overview on study designs, statistics, and a great deal of other useful information for creating, implementing and evaluating a study. I have found it extremely useful in both my studies and in the implementation of studies. I would recommend this book as a study tool in any epidemiology course!

Worth its weight in gold. Covers the principles of every subject area required for board certification by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. Includes numerous lists, tables, charts, and a full set of referenced questions and answers. Downright poignant considering the precipitous decline in America's public health and preventive medicine infrastructure since the day George W. Bush assumed office.

Mark Gary Blumenthal, MD, MPH

This is a prestigious classy book and it's handsomely put together. The book will be a great collector's item.

Errol Flynn is Hollywood's greatest legend because he is a nostalgic, handsome, dashing, daring action hero.

Although this large-scale art book focuses on Errol Flynn's movie posters, it manages to be the best book out there on Flynn's career. There is an evocative introduction by Stewart Granger, good essays on Flynn's bio and on the Warner Bros. poster style (which was, sadly, the weakest of the major U.S. studios in the movies' golden age). There are beautiful reproductions of the posters and lobby cards themselves, from an impressively detailed collection (with samples of other swashbuckling movie posters for comparison). And finally, there are essays on each of Flynn's films that are fond, witty, and succinct. Beyond all this, though, it's the best Flynn book because it provides a clear and objective look at the trajectory of a remarkable career. It's amazing to see Flynn's image placed front and center on the poster of his first starring film, "Captain Blood," and it's both hilarious and heartbreaking to see the Dorian Grey-like image on his last, "Cuban Rebel Girls." Bassoff is that rare thing: a committed fan who loves his subject and gives him his due, but is far from star-struck. A great book.