Companies Books

This is not a review on pragmatics of human communication, it is a review on a book. This might be an imperative read when you're working with human beings and/or when you're a pragmatist, but you'd probably already knew everything in it. This is no book for the communication specialist: it will be too disturbing. There is no 'sender', 'no channel' and 'no reciever' in the bbok. It also has no 'message'. It is also not recommended for people who do not want to change. Finally, it is not for lay people, because it is better to live in ignorance than know that a conversation in basically about nothing.

That human relationships are something mysterious and intriguing is hardly a question. But whether an account of them that is limited by scientific standards can do justice to their complexity and nature is quite another. However, I'm convinced that in this case the subject not only survives the operation - the methodology and presentation don't kill their subject or explain it away - but benefits from it to a rather surprising extent. That is, it achieves the difficult task of being both accurate and rigourous on the one hand and sheading light on the parts of us that have to do with us being human on the other - the thoughts and feelings in our behaviour. This is not only in stark contrast to the behaviorist paradigm dominant at the time this work was written, but marks an equally important departure from the intrapsychic focus of psychoanalysis. Thus the introduction of models based on cybernetic principles, systems theory, game theory, mathematics etc allowed for a completely new dimension in human relations to appear.

The new approaches that made it possible and which found so excellent synthesis in "Pragmatics.." are to a considerable extent traceable back to the works of Gregory Bateson. Indeed, it wasn't untill reading his "Steps to the Ecology of Mind" that I came to realize this. However, the relative lack of originality is compensated by the degree of integration and condensation achieved in "Pragmatics" - perhaps higher than any other single writing in "the Palo Alto framework" before or after has (intended) - which naturally exceeds that of "Steps..." - which is a collection of Bateson's articles dating from 1930s to 1970s. So above anything else, the two make an excellent complementary reading.

The last chapter of this book, which I read over 30 years ago, and still remember to this day, is a true stunner, especially the last sentence. The truth therein is timeless. When I finished it, I remained seated and awestruck for a long time, contemplating a cosmic truth which has never left me to this very day. The specific memory is carved in stone, so to speak.

Ever heard of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig? Well, POHC goes even further - towards a mathematical truth about our very existence. This book is far more than its title suggests. Quite simply it is the second most important book I've EVER read... and Pirsig's is not the first, either.

If you have the intelligence to absorb it, this book will probably change the very foundation of what you call "me"... it will fundamentally challenge your mind. Read it if you have confidence in your OWN intellect.

BTW - for a reference point, I was the only student in my class at Western Michigan University who apparently understood the implications of this book. It was a 400 level Communications course with 28 students, and the course was "built" around the book.

A very intresting book. After I have got this book, I acquired all the other books by the author and found that this book is probably his best one. A must read for those who are interested in knowing the interactions between communication and paradoxical psychotherapy.

I bought the book wanting to know something more about the world of communication and was delighted to find references to my youth interests: logics and mathematic and to my more recent one: spirituality. What was of a particular interest, even if it might be considered a bit partial, was the importance the authors put on paradoxes both as the root for patology and cure. In this latter respect references are given to zen sayings and their relationships to actual therapeuthical episodes.
A problem stemming for the emphasis put on the interrelated cause of neurosis is that individuals tend to be quite neglected: so giving the feeling that people having no stable relationships with other people must be either totally healty or... incurable.
Already bought two other books from the same author.

Product Strategy for High technology Companies by Robert Cooper. I purchased the book with the intention of getting my professional certification in product management. The is extremely helpful in the area of product planning and development. It links the technology strategy of a company to its product platform development strategy down to its product line planning strategy. I like the way the book is structured, building up from vision to techniques. His case studies / examples (though not in depth)are very good in illustrating what he was trying to say.

the Core Strategic Vision approach for determining strategy is interesting, and is a good framework to develop a realistic vision.
The boundaries test to determine whether your vision will deliver what you expect (it forces you to expect something!) is something companies can't forget.
And the vision of a set of product's as not only one offering, but as one containing a platform and its pre-planned offerings, with pricing strategy, is essential to get profits for a long time.
It is full with examples, specially from the software arena. Recommended.

This book offers a study of the strategic options for high tech firms. The coverage is wide and detailed. This is a great book.

A big number of business examples, and good explanation of concepts. A deeper vision could be found in another books about this subject, so in my oppinion this book could be a good starting point, not recomended for advanced IT product managers.

I love this book: the concept of a "vector" for product
development is a terrific way to think about competition.
IMHO, this book is a must-read for all product managers,
product marketers and people involved in strategic decisions,
i.e. all senior executives.

That said, speaking as a five-time startup engineer, the advice
and examples in this book seem geared towards the core product
lines in larger companies, where you can credibly talk about
"two years from now" as opposed to wondering if you'll even be
in business, which is also the problem for new product lines at
large companies. The experience for the book comes from the
PRTM consulting firm, which was made famous for their work with
parallel product development at Intel. We hired them in the
early days at Inktomi, and found mixed success with their
process because we were terrified of immediate failure, and
they wanted to talk about version 3. Obviously, there's a
successful middle ground because Inktomi was a huge success in
the short term, but ultimately lost its strategic direction.

Mr. Penley gives personal details that review his life on the prarie such that reading this book made me feel I knew him. He included facts and opinions about the history of the area that will help document for years to come what took place in that area. His ability to show emotions with words and his willingness to be vulnerable with the details made this a very interesting book. I read his other book too, and highly recommend it as well.

In Rivers of Wind, Gary Penley crafts a vivid and absorbing recollection of his youth on a remote Colorado cattle ranch in the 1950's,where strong and loving family bonds were forged amidst the isolation, hardship, and danger of life on the high Plains.
Using his extraordinary writing skills, Penley creates a powerful narrative by weaving his passion for the land, and all the forces of nature which shaped it; with a poignant, often humorous, description of his family life -- his Mom, brother George and a resolute, larger-than-life pioneer grandfather, whom he calls Dad.
Foremost among those forces of nature with which the family must contend is the omnipotent, often capricious, wind. At times, dependable, nurturing "rivers of wind" drive the machinery that pumps life-sustaining water to the surface of that arid countryside; at other times, manifesting itself as the embodiment of death and destruction in the form of tornadoes, blizzards, and monstrous dust storms.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Rivers of Wind. It is not only a touching and inspiring story, but also a valuable historical record for its detailed portrayal of life at the end of the pioneer era in the American West.

Rivers Of Wind: A Western Boyhood Remembered is the autobiographical story of how Gary Penley's growing up on a ranch in the plains of Colorado, the influence and example of his grandfather, his mother, and a yesteryear of ranch life that is gone now. Interwoven memories of the people, the geography of the land, the animals, and the climate of the high western plains, Rivers Of Wind is a kind of "window in time" that will engage the reader's rapt attention from first page to last. A tribute to a time and place now found only in memory, Rivers Of Wind is unique and enthusiastically recommended reading.

I enjoyed this book, sent to me by a high school friend, as I went to the same consolidated high school in Lamar, Colo. as the author (but 2 years ahead of him)and recognized many of the features of that time and place which he describes so well. I was a town kid instead of a country kid but it helps understand better the kids I went to school with. Gary is a great story teller. I hope he didn't stretch it too much in a few places (I don't remember rattle snakes when my friend and I were hiking outside of town--but maybe it was winter). And no, the Great Plains are NOT flat but rolling praire with great views to the horizon sometimes. It's BIG SKY country and I miss though it has been years since I've been there. Thanks, Gary.

I am an avid reader and this book, Rivers of Wind, was absolutely great. An easy and smooth book to read and every page was enjoyable. The author painted vivid pictures and I could see it like a movie. One of those books that you really hate it when you finish. I could have read it for a month. Thanks, Gary, whoever you are.

Tom Desaulniers
Leeds, AL

I just recently drove on Route 66, through New Mexico and Arizona. When I got home I reread ROUTE 66: THE TELEVISION SERIES 1960-1964. I enjoyed the book even more the second time! It is a fun look back for me and the other "baby boomer" fans at the television series ROUTE 66. The show featured excellent writing, acting and it was filmed against the backdrop of America. It was a show about the varied people of our country and that is what made the series so unique. Buz Murdock (George Maharis) and Tod Stiles (Martin Milner) were handsome, appealing characters who were concerned and caring men. The Corvette represented a "sense of independence and a spirit of adventure."

Jim Rosin's book contains many interviews with the two stars - Maharis and Milner, guest stars Anne Francis, Nehemiah Pursoff and Nancy Malone, Media Historian Mark Alvey, Production Executive Sam Manners, and Directors Arthus Hiller, James Sheldon and Alvin Ganzer. Their comments are smoothly mixed with text information. I especially enjoyed the photographs and behind-the-scene snapshots.

Rosin certainly did his homework by including a Biography section of all the actors, writers, directors, and production staff highlighted in the text. Some of the other books I have seen on vintage television series may have been a bit more in-depth, but I like the simplicity of this book. Enjoy the ride with Tod and Buz!

Thoroughly enjoyed this trip down Memory Lane. For Route 66 fans or anyone who enjoys those breakthrough TV series of the 60's, this book is a Must-Have. Comprehensive with summaries for every episode, commentary from stars and many (surprising) guest stars, and many others behind the scenes. Lots of pics! Enjoy the memories!

Wow...talk about your trip down memory lane.
Even if you don't own a Corvette you can reminisce about your favorite TV Series, Route 66 with Jimmy Rosin's new book. Tod and Buz didn't need cash to have a great experience and neither do you when you read this well organized, artfully crafted book. A treasure trove of information for Route 66 fans all over the world. TV at its best and reading at its bestest!

I enjoyed reading Route 66: The Television Series 1960-64 by James Rosin and found it to be a nice companion book to the recent DVD release.

It is full of interesting commentary from series stars Milner and Maharis plus others, which include directors, producers and several guest stars. It also contains lots of promotion and still photos that reproduce nicely, and a good bio section at the back that includes all the people associated with the show that contributed to the book. The plot summaries for all 116 episodes are one page, and fairly concise and to the point. It looks like some were written by Rosin and some were drawn from studio press releases when he might not have been unable to see the individual show. I noticed that in some of those, there were minor plot details that differed from the completed show I watched. Maybe they were revised during filming or left on the cutting room floor, but in no way did they detract from his overall summation and my understanding of the storyline (and again they seemed minor). While there may be some who would prefer more analysis and review of each episode, I actually prefer to read the story outlines and decide which ones I would like to watch and get into. This book allows the reader to do that. It's an easy read and a nice little book for your coffee table.

It is indeed high past time that "Route 66", possibly the finest drama ever produced for the medium of television, had a book devoted to it just as many other classic television series have had. However, while author James Rosin has finally filled that long-empty niche, his effort somewhat falls short of what one might have hoped for.
While Rosin does give us an excellent introductury essay, full of useful background information and utilizing a plethora of quotes from a variety of sources, this term-paper length chapter (along with a very nice photo section) pretty much consists of the sum and parcel of the entire book. There is an epsiode guide with detailed plot summaries for all 116 episodes, but Rosin appears to have copied this verbatim from Columbia/Screen Gems promitional material. Since those original materials were based on shooting scripts and story outlines and not on the actual on-screen results, many contain inaccurate plot details and plot elements unpresent in the actual episode. Rosin acknowledges this when he gives notice ""A conscientious effort was made to ensure that each episode summary was as accurate as possible. However, in some instances, minor plot details and descriptions may have been revised that I was unaware of." Huh? Has Rosin seen all the episodes or not? One would expect an author writing an in-depth study of a television series to do the following: (1) Attentively watch each individual episode of that series, (2) Write their own episode summaries for the book and not just copy them from pre-extant sources, and (3) provide their own observations and critical commentaries on each individual episode. This is what good televsion scholars such as Marc Scott Zicree, Ed Robertson and John Kenneth Muir do with their respective highly-polished and thorough books on various television series. Rosin's book comes out looking very deficient when compared with one of those three authors.
I don't wish to be to terribly negative as I am excited that there is ANY book out there devoted exclusively to this marvelous and unjustly-neglected program. However, I felt it incumbent upon me to point out the relative lack of substance it contains. I've read an as yet unpublished manuscript of a book on the series by another author, and that one does a much better job of analyzing each individual epsiode and the cultural impact of the series as a whole. This particular Route 66 fan can't help but wish that that one had been the manuscript issued between the professionally printed covers instead.

SEA AND POISON by Shusaku Endo

Reading Shusaku Endo's Sea and Poison was such a delightful experience I was reluctant to close the book. Granted, it is sad to read about cruel and heartless experiments on living human beings but that is not what the book is about. From the vantage point of Japanese/Christian culture Endo courageously shines his compassionate light into the dark crevices of our souls and makes us confront our own demons nesting there. In doing so he helps us become better persons. Robert Wright in his often quoted The Moral Animal points out that "Human beings are a species splendid in their array of moral equipment, tragic in their propensity to misuse it, and pathetic in their constitutional ignorance of the misuse." Endo does us a service by diminishing our "constitutional ignorance of the misuse" [of our moral equipment]"

Endo traces the inner development of his characters with such a deep understanding of the human condition that I was astounded and moved to tears and joy. He placed two aspiring medical doctors, Toda and Sugura in a University hospital in southern Japan now seemingly under the control of the military establishment. The end of the Japanese/American war was quickly approaching. Daily bombing of the nearby city flattened the city and killed thousands of civilians and gave rise to implacable hatred directed towards two enemy airmen the military captured and brought to the hospital for experiments to determine how much could be surgically removed from a person before the person died. Toda and Sugura are assigned to assist the chief medical doctor who controls the future of the two aspiring doctors. Endo explores how Toda and Sugura deal with the conflicting demands of society, the medical establishment the nation and their conscious. Endo gently opens a window into their souls and allows us to witness the mighty clash between the demands of self preservation and the importuning of their conscious.

Endo writes so evocatively, with such elegance and grace and without a trace of judgment or preaching it was like reading a book length haiku. I recommend that the readers read Bushido the Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe, (it's in the public domain and several sources allow a free download). Reading Inazo gave me a deeper and broader understanding of Endo's perspective and I intend to return to reading his books.

My compliments to the reviewers who have contributed to the further publicity of this harrowing and psychologically complex novel, an exploration of those who have denounced their spirituality in exchange for social acceptance, and the consequences they have to suffer. I would like to just add one side note. There is an excellent film adaptation of SEA AND POISON, directed by Kumai Kei in 1986. Because of the controversial subject matter, no major studio would finance the film and it took Kumai years to finish it. (It would certainly not be made in today's Japan, considering the strength of revisionists and glorifiers of the imperial past) This movie has also been nearly completely neglected in the US, no doubt due to its unflinching realism, thoroughly unexotic visuals and political content, something we do not expect from the country mostly known to us through bubblehead animation, Power Rangers and Godzilla. Please do seek it out, if you have wherewithal to do so, and show it to as many Americans (and Chinese, etc.) as you can. I believe the US distrubtor in 1987 was Gates Films.

Obedience to authority and power leads people to harm others, and not being able to resist authority of someone higher is human weakenss. It seems that the Intern named Toda is the one Endo wanted to emphasize upon. The charactor of Toda remainds me of Albert Camus's "The Stranger," and Dostoevsky's "Devils," and it can also be related to other charactors Endo draws in his other novels. Can people feel guilty without punishment of the society? What is morality? What is "right" and "wrong" in such an absurd world like today?

There is a sequel to The Sea and Poison. I do not believe that it is published in the United States, but it is about Dr. Suguro's later life. People judge him and punish him under the name of "democracy" and its "justice." Dr. Suguro ends up hanging himself. Can people judge and punish others? If judging and blaming are the meaning of justice, how does it differ from what is unjust?

I am Japanese, and I personally think that Endo is the best writer from our country. I strongly recommend all his work to Americans.

This short, dark, psychologically gripping novel is an indictment of militarism and its corrupting effect on the individual and society. The old, the young, the innocent, the pure of heart, caregivers, families, traditions, institutions - all will be degraded if not destroyed by it. It is, for me, Endo's most important and accessible work; it is also that rare thing, a Japanese artist's unsparing summation of the worthlessness and hideousness of The Fifteen Year War.

Edmund Burke would have agreed with Endo's novel "The Sea and Poison". Although a short novel, it is one that delves into some very deep issues about morality and the ethics of passively accepting evil in one's presence.

Contrary to another review, "The Sea and Poison" is not based on the activities of Unit 731 in Manchuria at all. The novel is based on the vivisection of 8 B29 crewmen at Fukuoka Imperial University. These experiments involved removal of lung tissue, puncturing hearts and other experiments, while the airmen were alive. None survived the experiments.

Returning to the novel, Endo focuses on a medical intern, Suguro, and his friend Toda. Both characters represent very different responses to the proposal to vivisect the airmen. Toda feels no guilt or remorse, and has no issue with taking part. It is not even matter of justifying it to hinmself: he just has little response in his conscience. Suguro, on the other hand, is flooded with doubt, ethical problems, and his own conscience. Shown to be a basically kind man, the novel reinforces Burke's suggestion that all evil needs is for good men to do nothing.

A burning look into the morality of the passive, "The Sea and Poison" will challenge and provoke. Despite its brevity, it packs a punch, and will leave you thinking for long after you have turned the last page. As usual, Endo has written a fantastic novel with real weight.

I ENJOYED THIS BOOK VERY MUCH AND THE AUTHOR FOUND SOME NEAT SILENT FILM PERSONALITIES TO TALK WITH. GOOD INSIGHT INTO WHAT THOSE EARLY YEARS WERE LIKE BUT FOR WHAT I PAID FOR IT I FEEL THE BOOK SHOULD AT LEAST BE RELEASED IN HARDCOVER. STILL, IT WAS ENJOYABLE.

I have been a cinema fan quite while, silent films more recently as I research. Finally, I see a book on the market where the author actually sought out former stars and interviewed them!
We get a sense of their personalities and the whole era through this book;
I recently bought SILENT PLAYERS, thinking it a similiar book but many of the subjects were dead before the author wrote it and those who are quoted have little or nothing to say. The chapters are one page at most.
I hope for more good reading. It is sad now but I imagine all the silent players are gone. Are there any still alive? If so, who are they and have they been interviewed?
Another good read is the new bio of Valentino. He must have been quite the loverboy!

Mr. Villecco interviews 12 former silent film players and a director Andrew Stone. We learn about the early scandals and first Academy Awards and early working conditions. It is fascinating. These pioneers really worked, often under undesirable conditions. As far as sex, drugs and rock and roll, the 1920's were no different. Read the chapters on Baby Peggy, Anita Page and Pauline Curley! It's also amazing that Villecco was able to even locate living silent stars. Are there any left?
I rate this book 5 stars-the photos and filmogs are also wonderful.

"Silent Stars Speak" is a superb book! This is a treasure chest of information about Hollywood's roots. Tony Villeco's interviews with the 12 stars are facinating. He's done a marvelous job, giving us a glimpse into the past. Since many of these stars have now passed on, he's captured wonderful memories and a bit of history as well. It was a joy to read, as well as informative and insightful. The book is full of beautiful, vintage pictures that truly take the reader back to the magical era of silent films. Tony Villeco has created a work of art, in this wonderful book. One can only hope to read more from him future! Bravo!

Tony Villecco writes articles on silent and sound films for CLASSIC IMAGES magazine and he has assembled twelve of his articles for this book. Subjects range from clild actors Baby Peggy Montgomery and Jean Darling to major stars like Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and even a director, Andrew Stone. The book has very detailed filmographies of each person profiled, except for director Stone. This book is a fast read, and it would be a great introduction to someone who is new to silent films. Many of the people profiled in the book had long careers in sound films also. The best parts of the book are when he interviews some little know people like director Stone, actress Pauline Curley, and actress Priscilla Bonner and they actually talk about their careers and filmmaking. Sometimes the subjects just give us a list of the many people that they worked with and don't give us much detail about their experiences. In fairness to the author, his subjects were all very old at the time and may not have been able to remember that many details. If you are really interested in interviews with silent film stars, Kevin Brownlow's THE PARADE'S GONE BY and William Drew's AT THE CENTER OF THE FRAME are much better. Baby Peggy's story is told much better in hour autobiography, HOLLYWOOD' CHILDREN.

I loved this story. A story of what happens when you don't forgive is given with such humor and wonderful, leap-off-the page characters. This story is longer than the other debut effort but equally as witty and innovative.

Ms. Walker gives us the story of the Church Mother, Mother Pray Onn who thinks she knows God better than anyone and just-arrived-on-the-church-steps, Sister Connie Fuse; a woman who has been involved in numerous religions trying to find God. The premise is that Mother Pray Onn asks Sister Connie Fuse to take her grave layaway payment to the They All Dyin To Git Here Cemetery and Sister Connie Fuse (con-fused) mistakenly places it in the mail slot of the We'll Haul Your Ashes crematorium. That little mistake sets off a series of hilarious attempts at payback by Mother Pray Onn. All she needed to do was accept Sister Connie Fuse's apology, but no, Mother Pray Onn decides to get back at her.

I love the character Ma Cile, Deacon Laid Handz and Rev. Knott Enuff Money characters. I also love the idea that the children bring about an understanding that the spiritally-challenged members of the Ain't Nobody Else Right But Us-All Others Goin' To hell church couldn't begin to understand.

Like her other story, Sister Betty....I would love to see this story on the stage or in any visual setting.

I read where Ms. Walker has been signed by a major publisher. I'm sure this will be just the beginning for this very talented writer. July 03 cannot come fast enough for me.

We had a Sister Connie in our church growing up. All of the teenagers would just watch her in her struggle to please the Mothers of the Church. We could also hear them just tear her apart while she did this. Ms. Walker took me back to a time that I so lovingly remember, i.e. being seen and not heard. I highly recommend this one for a journey back to the Youth Choir rehearsals and BYPU meetings, you know what I'm talking about! Kudos to her!

I read the first book about Sister Betty and thought I would cry from laughing so hard. But Sister Connie Fuse had me doubling over. What a great way to give a message about forgiveness. First of all I'd like to know how the author came up with the idea of someone accidentally taking a grave layaway payment to a crematorium instead of a cemetery and then have a story where the church members got together like they were going to a boxing match between Mother Pray Onn and poor Sister Connie Fuse.

I love the way the author took the innocence of children and made the adults re-examine their behaviour of bickering and unforgiveness.

I must see this on the screen. Miss Walker's writing is so vivid and her dialogue unforgettable. I particularly loved the character of Ma Cile who's favorite food is a pigfoot fajita and only has one eye. All the characters from Rev. Knott Enuff Money to Deacon Laid Handz were written with such individuality that the author never had to say who was saying what. That kind of writing takes skills and this author has them.

I thought I was a fan when I saw her perform, I'm definitely one after reading these two books.

The author, Pat G'Orge Walker, has created some of the funniest characters I've read about and placed them in some hilarious situations. In between laughter so hard it makes your face hurt, you get a powerful message. Make no mistake, the author is biblically sound in her writings and even more, there are people who really act this way. I think Sister Betty and Connie Fuse would make great movies.

If you are looking for side-splitting humor, Sister Connie Fuse Makes A Grave Mistake, is a short stress-relieving read. Not only are the characters memorable, you may know the real-life versions in your local church. Pat G'Orge Walker does a wonderful job of tickling the funny bone and revealing the true essence of what it means to be a Christian.

Don't miss, Sister Betty! God is Calling You, the first short story in this collection of adventures of the "Ain't Nobody Else Right But Us - All Others Goin to Hell" congregation. Sister Betty makes an appearance in this story along with some others.

A thousand roses to Heather Summerhayes Cariou for a superb perspective of a sibling of a seriously ill child. In unflinching, yet lyrical prose, Ms. Cariou details a childhood and early adulthood as the sister of Pam, who suffered from the genetic, chronic and fatal illness of Cystic Fibrosis. While their parents fought with no break for Pam's life in a daily routine involving hours of physical intense care, they had little time nor energy for Heather, two years older, and her two younger brothers, one of whom was also CF patient, albeit much less symptomatic.

As Pam's lungs failed to pump enough oxygen, Heather starved for attention from her overworked, wrenched parents. As one of Pam's lungs collapsed, Heather's future was imploding as she made a series of life and career decisions to stay close to home. Starting with giving up on a boarding school of ballet as a pre-adolescent, Heather continued to make sacrifices while Pam lived into adulthood and Heather compromised her acting career.

There are many books describing the grief of parents who've lost children and the bereavement of spouses over their departed soulmates. Few, though, have dealt with the grief of a sibling who grew up in the shadow of death, a shadow whose long cast followed Heather in the minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years that it took her to grow up. Ms. Carious has now chronicled that life with sensitivity and superb artistic skill. She is unafraid and unapologetic as she details how the constant fear of her sister's dying created anger, confusion, guilt and frustration that mixed with her deep love. Impossible to contain all that in her young heart, the emotions exploded in years of bad temper and daily outbursts that further drained her parents who had no more emotions to spare.

"Sixty-Five Roses" was the words a child learned to pronounce "Cystic Fibrosis." May the disease remain out of the realm of readers, but any lover of literature will enjoy embarking on this journey of love.

Reviewed by LuAnn Morgan for RebeccasReads (4/08)

Pam Summerhayes was four-years-old when she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF). She had health problems since shortly after birth, but in the 1950s testing was ambiguous and it wasn't the norm to suspect a devastating illness in one so young. The focus was more on polio than CF.

With diagnosis came attempts at survival, even though that was rare. Many children died by the time they reached age ten or eleven. In Pam's case, the doctors told her parents not to hold any hope. She would survive perhaps a few months.

Yet, Pam had a will to not let her disease get the best of her. Determination showed itself right away, even in her honesty with strangers. "I have sixtyfive roses," she told people.
She fought strongly and bravely, living until just past her twenty-sixth birthday. As she struggled for her final breaths, she told her older sister Heather to write their story. The result is the book "Sixtyfive Roses," a memoir of a life growing up in a family facing the eventual loss of not only their daughter, but a son as well (Pam's younger brother Jeff was also diagnosed with CF).

Heather Summerhayes Cariou did indeed write their story. She tells the reader what they dealt with on a daily basis as they struggled to keep Pam alive, how her parents founded the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the brave face they put on for those outside the family.

She also tells about the deep love she shared with Pam, the fun they had growing up together and the pain she felt watching CF ravage her little sister.

Heather tells her story with an honesty and brutality that is rarely found in a book of this type. And she goes beyond the love to the hatred she often felt toward her parents, and even Pam, as she fought for a place in a family that was typically too busy dealing with the disease itself to notice she also needed attention.

I particularly appreciated Heather's candid approach to a subject that is often difficult for many to express in words. She doesn't pull any punches as she tells about how each individual in the family dealt with CF. "Sixtyfive Roses" is a book that should be read by anyone facing a similar situation. It would be especially important for families faced with the eventual loss of a child, not only for what to expect, but to understand how it affects their other children.

This book would also be an excellent read for the sibling who is struggling to find his or her place in a world where support from the parents is often rare because they are so busy dealing with the sick child in the family. In that type of situation, it's often encouraging just to know "you're not alone" in your feelings, doubts and fears.

I rarely find a book I can describe as one of the best I've read. "Sixtyfive Roses" is one of those books. It's more about life and survival than it is about death and I would recommend this book to anyone who asks for a suggestion on what they should read.
It's an absolutely marvelous read.

As a parent of a 20 year old son with C.F, I eagerly read anything I can on C.F. Especially, people's true stories. This book touched me like no other had. It was so real! You felt like you were there with the two sisters, going through their loving but painful journey. I reread the book so many times and it stayed with me. This is book I will never lend out because I want to make sure I will always have it. I will TREASURE IT!

Sixtyfive Roses is a mesmerizing book. With a writing style that is fluid, graceful, and natural, Heather Summerhayes Cariou's memoir reads like a novel. She perfectly balances the heartbreaking events with a warm sense of humor. Often in memoirs where a specific illness plays a large role, the writer forgets that the audience is not so much interested in reading about a disease, they are interested in reading about people who are dealing with a disease. Summerhayes Cariou expertly shares with us a family story where I care so deeply about every one involved; she let's us understand that Pam's fight with cystic fibrosis was not just her own - it was a family battle. Many times throughout the book I shook my head, realizing just how young her parents were as they dealt with crisis after crisis. The way that she so carefully recorded and crafted her sister Pam's thoughts and reflections gave me a strong awareness of who she truly was. But then again, I felt that way with all her family. Her ability to make the reader feel a part of her life - as if we are living at 16 Brier Crescent, or sitting on the wishing rock with her, baking cookies in faded-colored bowls, or shuttling back and forth to the hospital, is a testament to her descriptive writing abilities. Truly, the entire book flashed through my mind like a movie. The way she put her own life out there - her foibles, her vulnerabilities, her shortcomings - is incredibly brave and what makes us, the reader, love her all the more. She reminds us that no one gets through life without obstacles, without pain, without struggle. We find her extremely relatable in regards to our own wounds and issues. It makes us cheer for her. I would often read for hours, not wanting to put the book down. I think I held off on reading the last 40 pages or so, savoring it; one of those books you don't want to end, but can't wait to finish.

This memoir will give you a glimpse into this family's daily struggle with a life long illness, called Cystic Fibrosis. You will find that not only does the illness affect the person born with CF, but each family member as well. When Heather, at the age of six is told her four year old sister has CF, little did she know how her sister's illness would come to affect her. It wasn't until she had matured into adulthood did she fully understand that her outbursts of anger and resentment through the years stemmed from her fear that her sister would die.

Heather shares with her readers how her sister, Pam, comes to terms with her impending death, casually voicing her thoughts and feelings. Pam gives the lead in opening up for discussion, death and dying, making it easier for Heather to voice her fears. Death and dying, a sensitive subject openly discussed here may help others who find themselves in a similiar situation.

A thousand roses to Heather Summerhayes Cariou for a superb perspective of a sibling of a seriously ill child. In unflinching, yet lyrical prose, Ms. Cariou details a childhood and early adulthood as the sister of Pam, who suffered from the genetic, chronic and fatal illness of Cystic Fibrosis. While their parents fought with no break for Pam's life in a daily routine involving hours of physical intense care, they had little time nor energy for Heather, two years older, and her two younger brothers, one of whom was also CF patient, albeit much less symptomatic.

As Pam's lungs failed to pump enough oxygen, Heather starved for attention from her overworked, wrenched parents. As one of Pam's lungs collapsed, Heather's future was imploding as she made a series of life and career decisions to stay close to home. Starting with giving up on a boarding school of ballet as a pre-adolescent, Heather continued to make sacrifices while Pam lived into adulthood and Heather compromised her acting career.

There are many books describing the grief of parents who've lost children and the bereavement of spouses over their departed soulmates. Few, though, have dealt with the grief of a sibling who grew up in the shadow of death, a shadow whose long cast followed Heather in the minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years that it took her to grow up. Ms. Carious has now chronicled that life with sensitivity and superb artistic skill. She is unafraid and unapologetic as she details how the constant fear of her sister's dying created anger, confusion, guilt and frustration that mixed with her deep love. Impossible to contain all that in her young heart, the emotions exploded in years of bad temper and daily outbursts that further drained her parents who had no more emotions to spare.

"Sixty-Five Roses" was the words a child learned to pronounce "Cystic Fibrosis." May the disease remain out of the realm of readers, but any lover of literature will enjoy embarking on this journey of love.

Reviewed by LuAnn Morgan for RebeccasReads (4/08)

Pam Summerhayes was four-years-old when she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF). She had health problems since shortly after birth, but in the 1950s testing was ambiguous and it wasn't the norm to suspect a devastating illness in one so young. The focus was more on polio than CF.

With diagnosis came attempts at survival, even though that was rare. Many children died by the time they reached age ten or eleven. In Pam's case, the doctors told her parents not to hold any hope. She would survive perhaps a few months.

Yet, Pam had a will to not let her disease get the best of her. Determination showed itself right away, even in her honesty with strangers. "I have sixtyfive roses," she told people.
She fought strongly and bravely, living until just past her twenty-sixth birthday. As she struggled for her final breaths, she told her older sister Heather to write their story. The result is the book "Sixtyfive Roses," a memoir of a life growing up in a family facing the eventual loss of not only their daughter, but a son as well (Pam's younger brother Jeff was also diagnosed with CF).

Heather Summerhayes Cariou did indeed write their story. She tells the reader what they dealt with on a daily basis as they struggled to keep Pam alive, how her parents founded the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the brave face they put on for those outside the family.

She also tells about the deep love she shared with Pam, the fun they had growing up together and the pain she felt watching CF ravage her little sister.

Heather tells her story with an honesty and brutality that is rarely found in a book of this type. And she goes beyond the love to the hatred she often felt toward her parents, and even Pam, as she fought for a place in a family that was typically too busy dealing with the disease itself to notice she also needed attention.

I particularly appreciated Heather's candid approach to a subject that is often difficult for many to express in words. She doesn't pull any punches as she tells about how each individual in the family dealt with CF. "Sixtyfive Roses" is a book that should be read by anyone facing a similar situation. It would be especially important for families faced with the eventual loss of a child, not only for what to expect, but to understand how it affects their other children.

This book would also be an excellent read for the sibling who is struggling to find his or her place in a world where support from the parents is often rare because they are so busy dealing with the sick child in the family. In that type of situation, it's often encouraging just to know "you're not alone" in your feelings, doubts and fears.

I rarely find a book I can describe as one of the best I've read. "Sixtyfive Roses" is one of those books. It's more about life and survival than it is about death and I would recommend this book to anyone who asks for a suggestion on what they should read.
It's an absolutely marvelous read.

As a parent of a 20 year old son with C.F, I eagerly read anything I can on C.F. Especially, people's true stories. This book touched me like no other had. It was so real! You felt like you were there with the two sisters, going through their loving but painful journey. I reread the book so many times and it stayed with me. This is book I will never lend out because I want to make sure I will always have it. I will TREASURE IT!

Sixtyfive Roses is a mesmerizing book. With a writing style that is fluid, graceful, and natural, Heather Summerhayes Cariou's memoir reads like a novel. She perfectly balances the heartbreaking events with a warm sense of humor. Often in memoirs where a specific illness plays a large role, the writer forgets that the audience is not so much interested in reading about a disease, they are interested in reading about people who are dealing with a disease. Summerhayes Cariou expertly shares with us a family story where I care so deeply about every one involved; she let's us understand that Pam's fight with cystic fibrosis was not just her own - it was a family battle. Many times throughout the book I shook my head, realizing just how young her parents were as they dealt with crisis after crisis. The way that she so carefully recorded and crafted her sister Pam's thoughts and reflections gave me a strong awareness of who she truly was. But then again, I felt that way with all her family. Her ability to make the reader feel a part of her life - as if we are living at 16 Brier Crescent, or sitting on the wishing rock with her, baking cookies in faded-colored bowls, or shuttling back and forth to the hospital, is a testament to her descriptive writing abilities. Truly, the entire book flashed through my mind like a movie. The way she put her own life out there - her foibles, her vulnerabilities, her shortcomings - is incredibly brave and what makes us, the reader, love her all the more. She reminds us that no one gets through life without obstacles, without pain, without struggle. We find her extremely relatable in regards to our own wounds and issues. It makes us cheer for her. I would often read for hours, not wanting to put the book down. I think I held off on reading the last 40 pages or so, savoring it; one of those books you don't want to end, but can't wait to finish.

This memoir will give you a glimpse into this family's daily struggle with a life long illness, called Cystic Fibrosis. You will find that not only does the illness affect the person born with CF, but each family member as well. When Heather, at the age of six is told her four year old sister has CF, little did she know how her sister's illness would come to affect her. It wasn't until she had matured into adulthood did she fully understand that her outbursts of anger and resentment through the years stemmed from her fear that her sister would die.

Heather shares with her readers how her sister, Pam, comes to terms with her impending death, casually voicing her thoughts and feelings. Pam gives the lead in opening up for discussion, death and dying, making it easier for Heather to voice her fears. Death and dying, a sensitive subject openly discussed here may help others who find themselves in a similiar situation.

Very engaging. Written so well you don't realize you're reading a book about the airline industry.

My Mom flew for Pan Am during the glorious 60's/beginning 70's and she was based in Berlin. As from my childhood on I was fascinated from Airlines/Aircrafts. So one day I thought that it would be nice to read more about 'the' american Airline my Mom worked for - and to learn a little bit more from the time which has passed. So I went into a bookstore and ordered this book. What shall I say - it was very impressive to read so many facts about the airline. I also questioned my mom and she told me that many things were the way as they are written in the book. The book is very easy to read (even for people that can't speak/read english that well) and written in a very interesting way. What I missed in the book is a map with all the destinations Pan Am was flying to on a regular base. It would also be interesting to know what happened to all the employees that stayed with Pan Am till the last day and so on. I can really recommend the book.

A nostalic look at one of the world's premier airlines. During my younger days, I flew Pan Am to several of its world wide destinations such as London, Frankfurt, West Berlin, Montivideo, Buenos Aires, Miami, and New York Kennedy. I always liked this airline because of its exotic destinations, but at that point the planes were really old.

The book is a great read detailing the early starting of Pan Am by Juan Trippe and others. It progresses with Trippe being a visionary in the fifties/sixties with the 707 and 747. These planes really revolutionized the way the public traveled. Along the way, the author tells the story of the Skygods, old flying boat pilots who flew their planes any way they wanted. Sometimes they crashed their planes, and after a series of accidents, Pan Am instituted safety procedures that resulted in the company becoming one of the safest. After Trippe retired,
Pan Am's CEOs became just plain bad, and flew the airline into the ground. The book does answer why Pan Am went Tango Uniform
(bankrupt). Some of the reasons detailed in the book:
1. Purchasing National Airlines at an inflated price and then
moving National's personnel up the pay level to Pan Am's
level.
2. Unfair advantages by foreign carriers for passengers
(landing rights, government assistance, and other fees).
3. No domestic network in the sixties and seventies, even
though the domestics were expanding with international
routes. This is where the Federal Government was
responsible by tying the hands of Pan Am.
4. Poor leadership

The last portion of the book details how Pan Am was sold piecemeal to satisfy the creditors, and then the failure in 1991 after the sale of the remaining European routes to Delta.

Gandt is a former pilot with Pan Am, and throughout the book, he details the fall of the Skygods. His story includes many personal ones which add interest to the story. Pan Am may not fly anymore, but it is not forgotten. This is a great read for anybody interested in the airline business.

Great book for aviation enthusiasts. Fascinating story of the demise of PanAm and the bad management decisions that led to the fall. Also full of stories and anecdotes about PanAm operations from the pilots viewpoint. Follows a group of newly hired pilots from the '60's until the end. I read this book in two days, could not put it down.

I am a pilot for American airlines and think this is a must read for anyone in the airline industry. If you think your company couldn't fold, you need to read what happened to Pan Am.

Its also an entertaining read. I highly recommend this book.