Perspective Books

Amid the clutter of life experiences that are published every year, it is heartening to read one that touches the heartstrings and enlightens the mind at the same time. Such a book is Dr. Natasha Hays' "A Toss of the Dice" No book relating the heroic efforts of children, born with brain disorders and disabilities, to try to achieve a normal life can fail to elicit the sympathy of a reader, but this book goes beyond any I have read to tell in layman's terms what is known--and what can be done about these conditions, if the parents begin the necessary programs. And most important, the author accomplishes this without professional pretentions or self-approval. I learned more about what it takes to develop a caring doctor than any number of texts or novels. I hope that anyone who has children or loves young ones, will keep this touching volume close to hand.

After I read this excellent book, I ordered three more copies: one for a friend with a Downs Syndrome child, one for the parents of a boy with Asperger's syndrome, and one for a pediatrician neighbor. The author, an expert on children with developmental problems, from attention deficit disorder to hermaphrodism, uses example after example from her practice to inform and reassure parents, teachers, and anyone who wants to understand difficult kids. Hays's main message is that, no matter what is "different" about your child, something can be done to help if you can face up to the existence of a problem and seek a good diagnosis and informed advice. There are no medical heroics here, just common sense, caring, and plenty of experience from a woman who is both a doctor and a mother.

Controversy about the conflicts between free trade and the environment has been escalating since the 1970s. Indeed, the debate on free trade versus environmental protection threatened to derail the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and has generated concern, dialogue, and criticism about the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Trade and the Environment addresses this now well-known debate with an impressive collection of previously published articles. The editors have assembled 19 articles by respected economists, policy experts and legal scholars.

This collection will prove helpful to scholars - particularly those writing in or across the disciplines of law, economics, and policy. In most cases, scholars working on the questions revolving around fair trade versus free trade have developed their expertise and focus in one of the three fields makes the desirability of such a compilation clear. Reference to the collection can save significant time over the alternatives of individual research. While online databases make entering three different libraries unnecessary, the convenience of a collection of related writings far outweighs the use of online searches to discovering such a cross-section of work. Moreover, reading the articles in conjunction adds dimensions to the works and allows the reader to follow the strings developing concepts.

In the Introduction, the editors provide a readable summary of each of the articles, an explanation of the contribution of the article to the literature of the field, and thoughtful commentary.

The scholarship assembled here begins the process of taking environment values and risks seriously, a process that has been called the "greening" of economics. The works collected in Trade and the Environment highlights the growing interest among economists and scholars in environmental issues and mark the evolution of international policy towards recognition of environmental values. They suggested that environmental regulations do not necessarily impair significantly the competitiveness of countries that implement and enforce rigorous environmental protections. From any perspective, it is wise to attain an awareness of what is the tail and what is the dog in this debate. To the extent that environmental values are allowed to trump free trade, we risk a net loss of competitiveness and market efficiency. To the extent that economics values are allowed to trump environmental values, we risk more: our physical well-being and that of the planet upon which we all depend for survival.

Irma S Russell Cecil C Humphreys School of Law, University of Memphis, Tennessee, USA

This book is a terrific collection on these issues, indispensible for researchers. From my perspective, the legal section is the most helpful, although all parts are illuminating to the issue as a whole.

From an Illinois Parent -- The author's poetic style and the illustrator's pink-toned pictures portray a wonderful affection between parent and child. I highly recommend this lovely adoption story.

This whimsical book leads the reader from a discussion of how an adopted child has two birthdays to the more serious topic of what it means to be adopted. Beth waits and waits for her "real" birthday, the day she was adopted, but her mother explains that everyone has only one birthday, and that birthdays aren't really that important. What matters is how people feel about one another. Beth's mother says, "I don't love you because you're adopted. I love you because you're Beth." Beth responds by creating a heart-shaped card for her mother. Her picture is on one half, her mother's on the other. Beth says, "Together we make a heart. Together we make a family. Every day. That's what being adopted means." The light verse and simple vocabulary will engage young pre-readers and older readers will enjoy and identify with the story. The open exchanges between Beth and her mother can be a starting point to encourage dialogue between children, parents and members of the extended family.

I wholeheartedly agree with what has been said so far about this book.
Here is an intensely intelligent author who takes us in a meticulously detailed way into those hidden inner processes that need to be formulated if we want to escape the pull of the past and life our full potential.
He has a gift to translate european hermeneutic theory (that seems almost to be formulated NOT to be understood) into a concrete common sense language.
The result is a potent package designed to bring you a few steps further along the way in understanding yourself. And as Gadamer seems to have said: Understanding is ultimately always understanding YOURSELF.

Stern has created an amazing, breathtaking, thorough, and convincing reinterpretation of the unconscious and the phenomena associated with it. He brings a deeply assimilated knowledge of Gadamer, James, Merleau-Ponty and other hermeneutic and phenomenological thinkers to bear on the perennial problem of unconsciousness. Although the first chapter of this book is a bit turgid, Stern soon gets in his groove and before one knows it is radically, joltingly, and astoundingly shifting one's root ways of understanding the unconscious. Stern moves the locus of the psychoanalytic unconscious from the realm of actuality to that of possibility, showing how motivated unconsciousness is not so much the elimination of an actual experience from consciousness as it is the shutting down of particular possibilities of experiencing. Unlike other phenomenological thinkers who have suggested this (May, Boss, etc.) Stern actually works out in a very meticulous and careful way how and why this sort of "shutdown" can happen. He clearly shows how our experience of possibilities is every bit as psychologically important- if not more so- as is our experience of actualities. And when we recognize this, our whole conception of psychoanalysis and the unconscious is turned upside-down! This book is a must read for all those interested in psychology and psychoanalysis. It is able to explain all those nagging, ambiguous, contradictory things about the unconscious that keep you awake late at night.

Not a long book, but really takes me back to when SF short stories were fun to read, enjoyable, thought-provoking - worthwhile; not that psychological pretentious stuff you find today. Not a throw back - a triumph for good story-telling!

Although different from Secret Enemies (which was great) this book will stand as a testament to short stories. A clever blend of original works and classic pieces, this book gives the reader a glimpse into a great contemporary literary mind. It's refreshing to see classic works handled with such obvious love and care. The selected pieces blend so well with the author's original works, the piece is seamless.
Highly recommended...add this to your classic sci-fi collection!

Most of the edited, multiauthor texts available in the medical marketplace avoid repetitive coverage of specific topics by design, if not always in practice. For instance, a typical book on ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) would include one chapter on epidemiology, one on diagnosis, one on treatment, and so on. The series Perspectives on Critical Care Infectious Diseases, of which the present volume represents the fourth contribution, is quite different in that any given subject is discussed by more than one author or group of authors. As stated in the preface by the series editor, Jordi Rello, MD, this was a calculated plan meant to present"...the different management perspectives for these controversial and evolving topics." Dr. Rello goes on t specify that two guest editors are chosen for each volume, one from Europe and one from North America, thus further guaranteeing a more international perspective. After reading Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia, it is clear that such an approach has many advantages for the sophisticated reader but presents a significant challenge to the novice.
The book begins with two discussions of diagnostic strategies for VAP, as presented by Jean-Yves Fagon and Jean Chastre (presumably, the European experience) and Michael S. Niederman (presumably, the North American counterpart). The editors clearly chose their authors wisely, since one could hardly imagine two more opposite viewpoints. the first advocates invasive, quantitative culture techniques while the latter maintains that a "clinical and empiric approach" makes better sense. Both chapters marshal considerable supporting evidence from the literature, but neither can cite definitive randomized controlled trials providing unequivocal evidence of the superiority of either approach. The reader is still left with the essential controversy unresolved. While the empiric view may be easier and more convenient, a diagnosis that relies on "a new or progressive infiltrate with at least 2 of the following 3 criteria: fever, purulent sputum, or leukocytosis" can hardly be specific when other common intensive care syndromes can and often do, duplicate these findings. On the other hand, quantitative culture techniques may lack sensitivity, particularly in the case of early infection and may be prone to false-negative results, especially when performed after antibiotic treatment already has been started.
The remainder of the book seems far less controversial. The prevention of VAP is covered by two different authors, the pathogenesis of VAP (including the putative roles of the oropharynx and digestive tract) is covered in one chapter, and the treatment of VAP in Europe and North America is discussed by representatives from those respective medical communities. The text concludes with two views on the emergence and control of resistant organisms, and with a brief chapter further discussing some of the controversies existing in the VAP literature (as exemplified in the previous chapers). This last chapter provides a degree of summation and resolution for the opposing opinions presented earlier in the book, but it could have been more comprehensive in that regard. Also, this particular chapter contained numerous grammatical and typographic errors that interfered with readability. There is much repetition present throughout the text, mainly among the chapters on treatment and antibiotic resistance, but this is certainly unavoidable given the central premise of a book that seeks to present differing opinions on identical topics.
Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia serves the needs of a more restricted audience compared to other texts. Since it presents varyng points of view on many topices, it is not particularly suitable for medical students, residents, or fellows who are new to critical care medicine and who will have difficulty coming away with a unified "game plan" for VAP management. Rather, this book is a usefull tool for the experienced critical care, pulmonary, or infectious disease clinician or researcher, who can interpret the material presented in light of his/her own experience and knowledge, and perhaps alter an already mature practice style accordingly.
Lee K. Brown, MD, FCCP, Albuquerque NM, bookshelf

A rollicking good yarn: Fast-paced and tenacious, it'll hold you to your seat, work you up a good sweat, and never fail to dissapoint. Had me jumpping at shadows at some points, and crying myself to sweet sleep at others. In short, a must-read!

Very good book, wishing I found it years ago! I graduated from a public school and now coach at a christian school, I found this book this past season and it helped the transition SO much! It has the history of Volleyball, drills, devotions and every volleyball skill there is! I would recommend it to any coach, player, or volleyball enthusiast!!! An easy read that's full of information!!!

Years ago, when I was a new and struggling volleyball coach for a Christian school, I felt discouraged as I attempted to teach the players. The drills I came up with weren't gamelike and didn't promote team unity. Enter Don Casey, volleyball coach extraodinaire who played under greats like Marv Varonee and Bill Neville. I attended a few of his clinics and started to finally understand how to teach and coach effectively. He is also a strong Christian. My team went on to win state. Now all of Don's wisdom including some excellent devotionals taken straight from volleyball are in this 377 page volume. This book will make any coach, athlete or player better at volleyball and at life.

What a wonderful book. Taking a look at it lease one chapter a week has really up lifted by spirts and my faith. A wonderful lifting book. I would highly recommend it.

I was deeply struck by the very accessible and often raw emotions that inspired the author's poignant and celebratory book. Her humility and compassion are beautiful companions to the insights she has gleaned from a plethora of challenges and the "Aha" moments in her life. My life has been transformed by how she reframes everyday experiences into meaningful lessons on the simplicity of living with faith. Even when one's foundations have been shaken by the trials of life, the messages will have clarity if one is open to them. The opportunities for metamorphosis into joy become apparent. It is very user-friendly. The weekly "Focus" brings a relevant link to her chapters as do the scriptural readings that are suggested for further development of the themes. There is a universality to her wisdom with which Christians and non-Christians can identify that gives the book wide appeal. Chapters like "The Master Gourmet," "God and Dogs" and "Moths Don't Know Any Better" are examples of how she raises the mundane and ordinary to exciting and provocative lessons for the reader. The book's central theme reminded me of a quote from the late Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross: "Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms, you would never see the beauty of their carvings..." Her thought-filled essay on "Christmas Traditions" moved me to celebrate my friends and loved ones this year by choosing a gift for them of something with a profoundly different and unique slant on life, its joys and its trials, and how we can be positively and beautifully shaped by them....this book!

I found this book to be very moving.It makes you feel as though you are right there with Gary and his fellow firefighters as they try to save their neighborhoods.I found the book to be very hard to put down and found myself thinking about the book during the day.At times, I was brought to tears as I read about the homes that were destroyed and the pets that were displaced by this awful fire. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys real life adventures.

I am new to living in the Arizona mountains where Gary's story takes place. I have driven through the area of forest where blackened trees still stand and sensed the gothic eeriness of this sad event, and now I know the details of that terrible fire. Gary's story is a page turner and the witness of one volunteer fire fighter's experience. As a former librarian I would highly recommend this book for youth and adults. And you don't have to live in Arizona to appreciate this tale of a volunteer who found himself helping to battle the largest wildfire in the history of the State of Arizona.

Mr. Paul's wonderful story is a clasic. I enjoyed every page, every story. As hard as it was to read, the truth has open my eyes to a better understanding of the remarkable life of the Micmac people. I encourage everyone to read it.

Daniel Paul's book is a refreshing and accurate account of the injustice that the aboriginal people have endured since European contact. I recomend it to all. It is thought provoking and very intellegent reading