Washington Books

Terrific! This is a thoroughly researched body of work. It contains great insights into the development of American medicine, and I highly recommend it to those interested in American and presidential history. Furthermore, its examination of legal, political, and moral issues make it a must-read for those in the medical profession.

Ludwig Deppisch is a medical doctor who has an interest in medical history, and out of that interest he has given us a book that sets out the fascinating story of the doctors who, from the time of the founding of the republic up through the modern era, have served as physicians to the Presidents. This story is doubly fascinating because it not only traces the historical progress of medicine through time but it also reveals how medical practices, sometimes in conjunction with political subterfuge, can impact the presidency itself.

The first part of the book, which covers the practices of the best doctors of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries - the doctors who treated Presidents - exposes the shortcomings of the medical profession in those years, even as medicine itself was becoming more professional. Thomas Jefferson wrote about his friend doctor Benjamin Rush, a greatly influential figure, that the doctor had "done much harm" with the practice of bleeding patients to treat illness. Indeed, calling on the aid of a doctor did not guarantee a cure; just the opposite could be the case. President James Garfield, who lived in a somewhat more advanced medical period, when shot by an assassin had his wound examined by doctors with hands so dirty that, according to the author, the doctors themselves likely caused his fatal infection. Still, a physically tough old President like Andrew Jackson could have a bullet removed from a dueling wound years after the duel and emerge much improved from the surgery.

But it is as the story moves toward the twentieth century, while medical knowledge seems to be progressing, that we see another compelling issue begin to emerge, and that is how political and medical subterfuge can be employed to deceive the citizenry about what is going on in the health of a President. Grover Cleveland had a secret operation, for example, on board a private yacht, to remove a cancerous growth in his mouth. In the event the operation was a success and the public never became aware of what had taken place. Woodrow Wilson, however, had a stroke of such massive proportions that he probably should have left office but he did not. His physician was complicit in keeping Wilson isolated and the public misinformed about his true condition. FDR's health was so badly failing at the end of his third term that he should never have run for a fourth. But we were in the midst of war. His actual medical state was concealed and the reelected President died a short time into his last term. President Eisenhower had a series of serious medical problems which were interpreted to the public through rose tinted glasses. Never the less, Ike was popular, he completed two terms, and what Americans were told about the President's health likely gave them the reassurance most of them were looking for. Finally, it should be noted that JFK deliberately misrepresented his awful health facts to the American people throughout his political career with the audacity of Harry Houdini making an impossible escape. We might admire the audacity, but was it the right thing to do?

The author also raises some related and interesting issues about using psychiatry as a tool both for evaluating the mental fitness of a President and as a mode of treatment. Hindsight suggests it might have been useful to know more about the mental health and psychological makeup of Richard Nixon before he was elected. But would it have been possible, we wonder, to get an objective and non political pre-election evaluation of Nixon's personality? By the same token, Senator Thomas Eagleton was forced off the Democratic ticket as a Vice Presidential candidate in 1972 when it was revealed he had been treated for serious depression. Was this action appropriate? And how would the American people react if they learned that a President was undergoing current psychiatric treatment? These are worthwhile questions to ponder.

All of this leads us to note that there is some useful discussion in this book about the place of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment when it comes to dealing with the ramifications of any severe medical impairment of a President. And while this constitutional amendment was specifically passed to provide guidelines should a crisis occur, we have unfortunately seen, as in the shooting of President Reagan, that when a crisis does occur key officials can still be caught flatfooted in the immediate aftermath as to what to say and do. Moreover, the question of whether a President is medically fit to continue in office places the White House Physician squarely in the cross hairs of decision making. Thus, relevant officials in any new administration need to discuss and understand all of the protocols to be followed and all of the attendant constitutional and medical implications well in advance of any medical emergency. Deception of the public will probably no longer be tolerated as it has been in the past.

Lastly we should note that, like a good novel, this tale contains some rich characters, strong personalities like Dr. Cary Grayson, Wilson's physician, who can color the story and influence the plot. And we see the potential for conflict when there are many doctors involved in treatment, a few of whom may have large egos. Kennedy had a wide range of treating doctors and his titular head physician, Dr. Travell, was shunted aside while the President received secret and controversial treatments from Max Jacobson, the Manhattan doctor known as "Doctor Feelgood" because of the injections he gave the rich and famous, injections that contained amphetamines and steroids.

All in all, it would be fair to sum up that the author has given us a book that is not only rich in scholarship, but one that tells a tale which is fascinating on its own merits. Moreover, this is a book that is a significant resource of information for any doctors or officials who are newly being called to serve in an administration and who might have to grapple with a replay of history sometime in the future. For them it might be essential reading; for the rest of us it is just a darn good read.

G. F. Shirley

This is a well crafted, researched and comprehensive treatise, yet it is an entertaining and fluid "read". I did not expect that the topic could be presented in such an interesting and entertaining manner. The book succeeded in educating me not only in the specifics of the various actors, but in the evolution of the roles and responsibilities of the President's physicians. I had assumed that the provision of medical care to the President had been static over the decades; it was fascinating to learn just how much and how recently it has changed. This book not only deals with presidential physicians, the evolution of presidential medical care (including political overlap), but also provides fascinating insights into presidential history.

"The White House: An Illustrated History" was published in cooperation with the White House Historical Association and includes an introduction by the current First Lady, Laura Bush. No wonder this is a first rate look at the most famous building in America. Catherine O. Grace not only looks at the history of the building but also behind the scenes at what it takes to run a mansion with 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 12 chimneys. Regardless of whether you are old enough to remember Jackie Kennedy taking television viewers on a tour of the White House or learned most of what you know about the Executive Mansion from watching "The West Wing," you will find this a fascinating look at the home that is also an office, a museum, and a ceremonial stage.

Grace interviewed current staff members, such as the chief usher and president's photographer, and throughout the book these people are profiled in Faces & Voices sections. The book is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1, Rooms with a View: Building the President's House, looks at the history of the building century by century, including a cutaway of the White House and a look at the Visitor Center located near the mansion. Chapter 2, "Working at the White House," looks at key parts of the White House such as the West Wing, Oval Office, Cabinet Room, and Residence. Chapter 3, Celebrating at the White House, covers everything from state dinners and rose garden ceremonies to celebrating the arts and various holiday traditions. Chapter 4, A White House Tour, Room by Room, looks at what you actually get to see when you visit the WHite House, starting with the library and ending up in the state dining room, with the China Room, East Room, and others in between. Chapter 5, Living at the White House, looks at the family quarters, famous White House pets like Millie and Socks, and what various first families have done there.

By the end of the first chapter I knew this was a great look at the White House. I like the history aspects more than the decorating, but even the latter gets pretty interesting (the paintings in the Red Room include Gilbert Stuart's portrait of Dolley Madison). The back of the book has an Epilogue: A White House Album, which looks at what each president from George Washington to George W. Bush has done about the White House. There is also a Selected Bibliography, Internet sites where readers can go For More Information, and Other Media about the White House. You also learn where to write (or fax) the president (or first lady). If you are looking for something specific the Index at the end will be of help as well, but the Table of Contents will certainly get you in the ballpark.

There are over 200 photographs and other illustrations showing both the people and the events that mark the history of the White House. You will find a painting of First Lady Abigail Adams watching a servant hang laundry in the East Room, a photograph of the White House when it was gutted during the Truman administration, and a diagram of some of the trees planted by presidents and first ladies. There are several shots of the model White House built by the Zweifels on a scale of one inch to one foot, a photograph of President Eisenhower cooking burgers, and Amy Carter carving a jack-o-lantern with her friends in the China Room (on a white sheet to protect the concert). There are also five special double pages that open up for a close up look at the amazing building through a 19th-century painting of Washington, D.C. or a shot of the Oval Office.

This is a great book for children and adults alike. It is filled with fascinating details and beautiful illustrations about our nation's most important residence. The book artfully covers the long history of the White House and offers behind-the-scenes insights into how it lives, breathes, and operates today. I particularly appreciate the Epilogue, which features vignettes about the influence of each President (and First Lady) and gives readers a real sense of the house's evolution. Also enjoyable are the interviews with White House staff, such as the director of student correspondence and the pastry chef. After reading Catherine Grace's delightful volume, I can appreciate John Adams' benediction, now carved in the State Dining Room mantlepiece: "I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and on all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof."

I wanted this book because I have read about the different rooms in the White House, but I couldn't visualize where they were in relation to each other. I'm very pleased with the book, in that regard.

This book had a cutaway, so you could see the interior rooms from the outside perspective. If I ever get to visit the White House, I want to study it well before I get there. This even shows you where the tour starts and the route it takes through the White House rooms.

I got this book as a gift; it looked at me from a corner for about six weeks. I finally gave in and picked it up...what a ride!
Read this book and be transported. The writer lures you into a fantastical tale, into a world that is truly beleiavable;Characters so carefully drawn you can smell them. I will be reading more of Maryse Conde.

Outstanding novel. One of the most original, riveting, well written books I have read in a long time. Had a little bit of everything in it.

.

I'm on my second reading of this book, and I agree with all the positive statements written in the editorial reviews above.

The book is "Excellent"!!

Many thanks to Nancy Arbuthnot and Cathy Abramson for their marvelous book Wild Washington, a great combination of art and poetry and a creative collaboration of two intellectual minds. Through Nancy¡¦s lovely poems and Cathy¡¦s beautiful illustrations, I journeyed through Washington neighborhoods filled with amazing wildlife sculptures. I was amused when reading the poem entitled Vietnamese Ox as the authors may not realize that one still exists here in California (I was born in the year of the Ox-º). I definitely recommend this collection to all!

Wild Washington is a wonderful guidebook and keepsake. Cathy Abramson has rendered some excellent illustrations of animal sculptures that are found in Washington, DC, and Nancy Arbuthnot's poems will delight every reader. The book provides photographs of DC's animal sculptures, the artists and their locations, along with some insightful information that makes a tour of Washington one to remember. Great for everyone who lives near or plans to visit our Nation's Capitol, this book would be of special interest to families with children. Wild Washington is a must have!

This book is a wonderful treat for both kids and their parents. The kids will enjoy the beautiful illustrations and text. Any who live or visit Washington can use the map for a treasure-hunt adventure, where they search for the animal monuments. Parents will be thrilled to read and explaln the poems to their children. Buy it!!!!

This book is undoubtedly the best recent publication on De Kooning. Very complete, it encompasses the entire career of the artist with beautiful reproductions and a text partly written by one of the most sensible art critics of our time, the late David Sylvester (whose other writings on American Art I strongly recommend too). It was a catalogue for an exhibition held at the National Gallery in Washington in 1994, which, to this date remains a reference.

This is probably the best book about Willem De Kooning on the market. Along with a multitude of color plates David Sylvester offers historical, technical, and philisophical insights about Willem De Kooning and his life works. The large format makes viewing the artists works very enjoyable. The reading is not overly complicated as it paints a full portrait of the artist, his accomlishments, his techniques, and also offers an approach to understanding the significance of his work. A must have for any De Kooning, or Abstract Expressionist enthusiast.

One of the New York action painters, abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning was born in Holland almost a century ago. He began as a portrait and figure painter, later becoming "an artist who makes ambiguity an hypothesis on which to build."

This gloriously beautiful retrospective of his work was published in conjunction with the first major exhibition devoted exclusively to his paintings at the National Gallery of Art. With 80 color and 50 black and white plates, exhibit curator Prather, art historian Sylvester, and art history professor Shiff offer commentary on 84 of de Koonings's paintings which span five decades of his career.

Beginning in the 1930s with the earliest series of paintings of men and women to the 1980s when the artist's style became more abstract, this superb volume is testimony to de Koonings' life and oeuvre.

A contemporary of Rothko, Kline, and Pollock, Willem de Kooning's works are sometimes taken as metaphors, dynamic with shapes and colors splayed across the canvas. He is one of the most influential artists of our generation. This splendid catalogue is apt tribute.

I got my copy my first year in college from a classmate who did not need it. It is the one book from my college days I still use regularly. In fact a co-worker saw it today a wondered where he could get one.

I am now ordering my third copy of this book since was originally publish in 1964. Each copy is used until the pages turn yellow and it falls apart. I wish it would be published in in hardback with quality paper.

It seems only fitting that Amazon misspell one of the authors of a spelling book's names, Ruth Gleeson Gallagher. I have never had a problem using words. I just can't spell them. Before my first word processor, "Words Most Often Misspelled and Mispronounced" was my only spell checker. I wouldn't have put up with computers for the last 14 years if it hadn't been for spell checking. I still haven't found a spell checker as good as this book. If you are like me, "spelling impaired," you need this book. It doesn't waste space on definitions or the words you already know how to spell. I can't remember the last time I couldn't find the word I needed in it. Who can say that about ANY spell checker? Please someone convert this book into a spell checker, NOW! This book will even tell you how to correctly spell the authors' names.

We had several family members who were trying to decide whether to undergo genetic testing. We were intimidated by the complexity of the subject. This book was a life-saver! It explained things in clear, simple language and raised questions that we hadn't even thought of. I can't recommend it highly enough. It's not just for people who are religious, but for anyone who is trying to figure out what to do about genetic testing.

This is a really useful book for those who are considering genetic testing or those just interested in it and wanting to learn more about our genes and our choices. It looks at the real choices that people face, using a question-and-answer format. It also provides actual cases to help readers figure out what could be the best thing to do in difficult situations in which decisions about genetics cannot be avoided. I can see why noted reviewers call it the best comprehensive book in print on ethics, genetics, and the Christian faith.

One of the few book on genetic testing presented in every day language for the average non-scientific reader. This book deals with the most asked questions and fears of those trying to cope with new opportunities to know our genetic future The limitations as well as advantages and detrimental efects of testing are clearly presented. A must read for persons considering testing. Presents moral, ethical and scientific viewpoints.The secular problems of insurance discrimation are also raised and counsel offered.

The author really took me there with him in his experiences. This is an older book, and I wish there were something more current like it. I know that things have changed since it was written. Also, being a woman, I would wish for something similar from a woman's cultural perspective and reality.

This book is wonderful -- it paints a vivid picture of modern Sampi, of both the landscape and the people. As well as the bugs and mice and smoke and wind. It is full of rich details and captivating anecdotes. It is never dull, never dry, but always beautiful and human. I loved every page.

This is a well written account of a thoughtful outsider's experiences and observations of the Sami reindeer herders. Dr Beach participates in the culture and gains insights into Sami ways and the problems they encounter. A great story of the realities and hardships of a culture under great pressure to change their way of life. The author did his research in the field and it resulted in excellent data unobtainable through other methods. Very enjoyable reading, I recommend it highly to those interested in culture in the far north.

A great many Jewish holidays and practices in their earliest understanding reflect the great innovation of Biblical religion which placed the emphasis on "historic events" in contrast to other ancient Near Eastern religions which stressed nature. As Abraham Joshua Heschel noted, faith is memory. The observances of Jewish holidays and of various Jewish practices ritually articulate theological ideas reflective of a collective Jewish memory.

That being said, one might assume that Jews and Judaism naturally place a great emphasis on the history of the Jewish people. Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi in his work Zakhor: Jewish History and Jewish Memory, however, argues that what has been understood as history in Jewish circles from the Biblical era until fairly recent times is considerably different that what the modern reader might expect in light of the importance of and emphasis placed on memory. Until recently as Yerushalmi notes, a general lack of interest in historical events that were disconnected to the theological concerns of the Jewish community existed, so much so that an interest in history was as Solomon Ibn Verga writing in the Middles Ages, seen as a "Christian" custom.

The seeming disconnect between memory, history, and histiography according to Yerushalmi is surprising given the fact that beginning with the Tanakh, an emphasis, or better said a command to remember is given. For Yerushalmi, the principal goal of Zakhor is to understand the relationship of Jews to their past and the place of the historian in that relationship. What Jews remembered, or chose to remember is the subject of Yerushalmi's quest. As he notes correctly, the actual recording of historical events has been anything but the primary vehicle through which the Jewish people have preserved their collective memory. Yerushalmi highlights the distinction between Jewish memory and Jewish histiography.

Herein lays one of the weaknesses of Zakhor. Yerushalmi does not sufficiently compare the nature of non-Jewish histiography during the various periods he addresses. While it is sufficiently clear from Yerushalmi's review of Jewish attitudes and the apologetically natured tone of many "Jewish historians" when introducing their works that general history was at best something interesting, but of little real value, the manner in which "general" history was perceived by non-Jews is a much needed comparison. He does not provide a view of how Frenchman, Spaniards, Italian, etc. understood their own sense of history.

Yerushalmi divides his study of Jewish history into four broad eras. The first is the Biblical and Rabbinic eras reaching until the early medieval period. The sources here include Biblical texts and selections from rabbinic literature through the redaction of the Talmud. Yerushalmi points to a variety of Biblical texts (e.g. Deuteronomy 25:5-9; Deuteronomy 6:10-12; Joshua 4:6-7, etc.) to note that while the Biblical texts are focused on remembering the "historic" acts of G-d's providence on behalf of Israel, they are nevertheless often connected to the lives of individuals in all of their fullness.

This reflects a seeming contradiction of the Biblical text and of a Biblical worldview and supports Yerushalmi's assertion that Jewish memory is selective, where kings and great events do not necessarily merit attention. This stands simultaneously with so much of the Biblical text that focuses on none other than great events and great individuals presented in historical narratives.

For Yerushalmi, the nature of Judaism's uneasy relationship with history is further seen by an almost wholesale dismissal of historical works after the writing of Josephus' Jewish War and Jewish Antiquities at the end of the 1st century of the Common Era. Yet here Yerushalmi does not address the very process of canon formation which in part might explain the paucity of certain historical events being retained among the sacred texts of Israel.

While he briefly mentions the three Jewish rebellions against Rome, he does not I believe sufficiently address the trauma these unsuccessful bids for freedom produced. Yerushalmi notes the almost wholesale dismissal of "the comings and goings of Roman procurators, the dynastic affairs of Roman emperors...even the convolutions of the Hasmonean dynasty...were largely ignored." The intensity and ramifications of the destruction of the Temple and in particular Bar Cochba's failed revolt surely dictated the manner in which many events were to be understood and remembered, out of a political necessity if nothing else. Here the significance of the events that Yerushalmi notes as being ignored may instead reflect pressures stemming from issues internal to the Jewish community as well as concerns stemming from Roman hegemony. He does not sufficiently address the fact that the "dismissal" of these events may lay instead in an agenda to place at a distance any memories such as the Maccabean struggle (where Yerushalmi notes, the Talmud places emphasis on the miracle in contrast to the battles) and other events of Jewish history that might lead to future disastrous consequences. Neither is the possible concern of Roman oversight of such documents mentioned.

The second era is primarily focused on the Middle Ages. The source material here largely consists of penitential prayers, fasts, the observance of "Second Purims," and memorial books. What follows in the realm of "Jewish history" until the early Middle Ages are largely composed of various works attempting to establish the legitimacy of the chain of tradition dating back to Sinai, or the challenge of "striving to interpret it [the history bequeathed to them] in terms of their own later generations." Here again, the lack of comparison with other contemporary non-Jewish attitudes on history are insufficient.

The third era of concern is that following the Expulsion from Spain and a flurry of texts written on Jewish history, many of which were influenced by the hope of messianic redemption. The last deals with Modern era from its roots in the Haskalah and more importantly in the rise of the "Scientific" study of Judaism beginning in Germany and spreading throughout academia. It is perhaps the last section which stands out as one of the most meaningful of Yerushalmi's book. In short, for Yerushalmi, the scientific study of Judaism and Jewish history has seen history replace Scripture as the arbiter of Jewish ideologies.

To understand the reason for the disconnect between history and memory, Yerushalmi contends that part of this may lie, in the complicated nature of history as drawn from none other than the Greeks, with Herodotus credited as the father of history. Yet the Greeks themselves appear to have failed to achieve a sense of the meaning of history as a whole. Herein lays, according to Yerushalmi, the great contribution of Jews to the subject of histiography.

The meaning of Jewish history, then, is Yerushalmi's principal concern. Yerushalmi argues for the inextricable nature of Jewish religion with memory, and yet its simultaneous selectiveness in what events it records. Yerushalmi argues for the delineation between meaning in history, memory of the past, and the writing of history. In contrast to the Greeks who were inspired to "know" if for nothing else out of curiosity, the sacred text of Israel establishes the religious imperative of remembering to the entire Jewish community. This I believe is the most important contribution of Yerushalmi's work. It is perhaps a simple statement, but reinforces the difference between "Athens and Jerusalem" on yet another point.

This book enjoys a well-deserved reputation as a classic in the field of Jewish studies. The author maintains that "Only in Israel and nowhere else is the injunction to remember felt as a religious imperative to an entire people." What follows is a brilliant discussion of the meaning and selectivity of memory in Jewish religious tradition. Yerushalmi then shows how secularization radically transformed the meaning of memory and history for Jews. Writing of the rise of Jewish historiography in early 19th century Germany, he notes: "For the first time it is not history that must prove its utility to Judaism, but Judaism that must prove its validity to history, by revealing and justifying itself historically."

This work has four major chapters each of which deals with a certain period of Jewish history, and its approach to Jewish Memory. In the first chapter Yerushalmi explores the Biblical and Rabbinic Foundations for writing history, and remembering it. This is the stage when the process of remembering is connected with the recording of, and participation in history.
In the second phase, the Middle Ages Yerushalmi outlines the major division which dominates the work, between processes of collective memorization through ritual and religious practice which are not connected with everyday historical happening- and between the writing of history which is connected with historical happening. Yerushalmi says that from the time of the fall of the Second Temple and most especially in this period of the Middle Ages, the Jews remember without remembering historical events. The 'collective Zakhor' or command to collective remembrance ( which he says distinguishes the Jewish Religion) is done without writing the history of the people. The history of the people is avoided. The writing of history is considered by Rambam a low form of intellectual endeavor. The process of collective remembering is done through the living of the Jewish holidays each of which connects up with some historical memory. It is done through Memorbuchs of communities which have suffered in the Crusades.
In the third period which comes immediately after the expulsion from Spain i.e. in the beginning of the sixteenth century there is somehow a return to looking at the actual events of contemporary history but this by framing them in world- historical narratives.
The last period Yerushalmi writes about is the modern one in which there is a return to attending to the events of Jewish history. Here the writing of history, what he calls 'historiography' becomes once again a subject of Jewish interest. And this as certain other processes of collective memorization are breaking down i.e. as the Jews are moving away from being a 'faith- community' in the fullest sense of the word.
Yerushalmi here does not go into the question of conflicting narratives of Jewish history. And the very interesting question of the way different kinds of Jews today construct different kinds of narratives of Jewish history as a whole.
This work has a brilliant introduction by Harold Bloom.
The work itself is recognized as a classic of modern Jewish scholarship.
I conclude with one small piece of Yerushalmi 's writing.

"When I spoke earlier of the coincidence of the rise of modern Jewish histiography and the decay of Jewish memory, I had in mind the specific kind of memory of the past, that of Jewish tradition. But hardly any Jew today is without some Jewish past. Total amnesia: is still relatively rare. The choices for Jews , as for non- Jewsis not whether or not to have a past, but rather-what kind of past shall one have."

This book blew me away. It is worth every cent even if all you do is look at the pictures. This book inspired me to become a geologist.

The study of Mount St. Helens is detailed and easy to follow. My friend got this book and now I am going to for a college resarch project. It provides the graphics and information necessary to get a good look at such a fantastic event of nature.