Nursing Books

My second book by Torey Hayden, but definitely not my last.

ONE CHILD is the story of Sheila, a young girl who was abandoned on the side of a highway by her mother. Now the charge of her drunken father, Sheila is wild, sometimes crazy, and never cries.

What follows after her arrival in Ms. Hayden's classroom (following an incident that is truly chilling) is the relationship that grows, in a short period of time, between Sheila and Torey.

A very good but emotional read. I highly recommend it, and also recommend picking up a copy of The Tiger's Child, which is the continuation of Sheila's story.

At age six, Sheila had already endured a lifetime of horrors. Her mother abandoned her on a highway at age four; her alcoholic father neglected and traumatized her. Thus, it was scarcely a shock to anyone when the coarse, hate-filled child attacked a three-year-old boy, nearly burning him to death.

At such a tender age, Sheila's fate seemed inevitable - a lifetime in a psychiatric ward. Yet while the state awaited placement, they decided to put her in Hayden's special needs classroom.

Initially skeptical of a child with such a background, Hayden nonetheless did her best. Quickly, she glimpsed an intensely intelligent child, who longed for love and acceptance.

This wasn't to say it was an easy job. Nor was there any fairy-tale ending. Often, Sheila went into uncontrollable rages, damaging property, once even throttling pet gerbils when she perceived she had been wronged. Yet after glimpsing the inner Sheila, Torey Hayden refused to give up on her.

Then one day, several months after Sheila arrived in Hayden's classroom, the teacher received a call -- the psychiatric hospital was ready for Sheila. Despite having made a breakthrough with the child, would Sheila's life really be taken away before she had a chance to start it?

As always, Hayden's stories about the children with whom she has worked are deeply moving and memorable. By no means does she attempt to portray herself as a miracle worker; she freely admits her mistakes along with her triumphs as she merely dedicates her life to helping turn young lives around.

Readers interested in learning more about Sheila may be interested in the sequel, The Tiger's Child, which picks up when the girl is 13 and recently reunited with Hayden.

I heard about this book during am assembly and needed a book to read for my english project so i chose this book. Im not a huge fan of non fiction but this book was just amazing!! the writing style the author had made me want to read it more and more and it made me be like woah i cant believe this actually could have happened. I recommend this book to anyone!

This book is amazing. It will have you laughing, crying, and everything in between as you learn about a little girl who due to the insight, love, empathy, and dedication of her teacher overcame great odds. It will also introduce you to what a teacher of emotionally impaired students might have to deal.

I have used the book in a speed reading class several times and the students have loved it. I am now going to use it in another reading class to broaden the students' point of view and cultural awareness. Everyone I have shared the book with, has loved it and shared it with others. The read will keep you involved and make you want to read other books by Torey Hayen.

This is one I could not put down. Possibly Torey's best book!

Shelia, a bright 6-year-old girl who tied up a 4-year-old and set him on fire and was put in Torey's "crazy kid" class until a space opened up in the State mental hospital for her. She had a high IQ, was a bed wetter, had an abusive, alcoholic father and was abandoned on a freeway by her mother who kept her younger brother. She was quite a terror, but Tory "tamed" her and became very attached to her. She was cut bad by her uncle who raped her and was in the hospital for a month. She was able to enter regular classes again. Very good book, but left you wondering what happened to Sheila. Have to read the sequel: The Tiger's Child

Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

I passed my NCLEX using this one fantastic book. It is comprehensive in detail and leaves nothing out. The questions at the end of each chapter are as close to those on the board as you can get. The included disk has thousands of questions and various testing and quiz options. After practicing with the "test" mode on the disk I found taking the actual boards easy to handle. If you want to pass the first time then BUY THIS BOOK. Make sure that the disk is included or you will be losing out big time. Good luck to all of you nursing students and recent graduates!!! Think positive thoughts and don't waste time doubting yourself....You Can Do It!

I've only had this book for a few days, but I already love it! I only wish I would have bought this at the beginning of nursing school instead of the end... I just graduated from nursing school, and I'm now studying to take the NCLEX. I can't begin to describe how helpful this book it. It has tons of questions and the reviews are perfect... just enough information without overwhelming you. I would recommend to others to buy this book when you are beginning nursing school, to review concepts & study for the tests. The companion CD is also great. You can choose between quizzes (short) or tests (long) and take practice NCLEX style tests. The review function is also great and tells you how to eliminate answers to get the correct one, and what book to look in to review the concept if it was something you couldn't remember. Good luck to all you nursing students out there, and get this book! It's definitely worth every penny!

I purchased this book on the advice of my neice, an ICU nurse. I was having trouble studying for the tests in my nursing classes because there was so much material. I started using this book the moment it arrived and my test scores bounced up dramatically. I've had this book one month, and my test scores went from a C, to completing the course with a B+. What I love most about this book is that it has a review of all the systems and information in a complete concise manner giving just the information related to nursing, so I don't have to wander through all kinds of narrative to get to the facts I need to study. Best study guide I found.

This was an great help with Hesi test &: ATI's. I love the disk that came with it....it has hundreds of test questions & the book gives a very detailed review for each topic. I love it!!

execellent learning tool. If you want to enhance what you've learned in the classroom this is the book to have.

I am expecting my first baby in July and purchased this book because I plan to breast feed & am doing as much research as possible on everything long before baby comes home. So far, I have only read the introduction & first chapter, which is applicable to someone months away from giving birth.
I agree with other reviewers that the author is definitely biased towards breast-feeding, but, duh! Why would the "Nursing Mother's Companion" encourage bottle feeding formula, especially when it has been proven time & time again that nursing is best for baby AND mother?
I would recommend this book to any of my friends considering nursing.

Of all the nursing books out there, I am so glad that I picked (and I bought it because of the reviews!) this one. There is some really good advice for first time mothers and it was easy to read. I could read it quickly when I needed late night or early morning help. I am now going to buy this book for every baby shower that I go to!!

Thinking about breastfeeding, or determined to breastfeed? Buy this book to learn the benefits and ins and outs of this natural feeding method! Great knowledge and an easy read!

I purchased this book, because I heard that about 80% of women actually struggle at least a bit with breastfeeding. I wanted to make sure that I was ready for any complications and issues that might arise and was informed as to how to correct them ahead of time. There is a lot of fantastic information in this book. I would definitely recommend reading the book BEFORE you have the baby and have to suddenly breastfeed within an hour or so--especially if there are any issues. That way you'll be more prepared as to various things to try to solve any problems rather than becoming overly stressed and giving up too soon.

While this book provides useful tips and encouragements for nursing moms, I found the author quite single minded on what is the right way to feed the baby and not always clear on what's her personal opinion vs. what's well adopted or proven. My advice is that this is a book worth reading, but don't use it as the only guidance for feeding your child.

If you don't want a child who stays in your bed for a long long time or who grows up to believe crying is the way to get attention and whatever she wants whenever she wants it, and if you'd like to bring a happy kid into your life rather than turning yours upside down, go read other books and get second opinions elsewhere.

This is a must have in practice! The NP that I was practicing with during my clinical rotation actually told me to get this and he was correct, you have everything you need in one book!

I am a pharmacist and carry this book with me everywhere. It is small enough to fit in my purse and it can answer questions on dosing, indications, and much more. It is definitely a lot faster to use than the slow computers at the pharmacy!

I use this pocket guide more often than I use my palm pilot for drug doses. My lab coat is not complete without this book. Even when I am on call, I make sure I have one of my multiple copies at bedside so I can look up meds in the middle of the night. Also, I am a preceptor for PA students, and I recommend each and every one of them purchase some version of this guide (and most of them do).

A fast, keep in your shirt pocket reference for drug name, dosing, available dosing sizes, route of clearance and safety in pregnancy or lactation. It is tiny - a centimeter thick and shirt pocket dimensioned. Really great when a patient comes in with some oddball psych med, is found to be pregnant or you get a braincramp somewhere around your thirtieth patient of the day. I use this little gem regularly.

It's great IF the ONLY info you need is dosing information. If you need more information like SIDE EFFECTS, METHOD OF ACTION, etc, 'Clinician's Pocket Drug Reference' from Scut Monkey is far more useful/helpful. At least it was (and is) to me during med school and now in residency.

I've read some reviews and have to repeat what someone else has pointed out: Readers need to keep in mind that this stuff happened in the 40's and 50's. You can't criticize the smoking, because at that time, people didn't know smoking around kids was harmful. Smoking was a very normal activity for many adults. If Marie Killilea had known that smoking might be contributing to her miscarriages and ill health of her kids, I'm sure she would have stopped. People didn't know.

You can't criticize Karen's parents for not creating a cerebral-palsy playgroup for her, because they were the groundbreakers in treating cerebral palsied kids like "normal" kids. They were flying by the seat of their pants. My guess would be that they decided they should raise Karen "normally," and having her play a lot with other handicapped kids would not have seemed "normal"--after all, what they were fighting were doctors and other professionals who recommended placing Karen permanently in an institution FILLED with other handicapped people. This book is not a recent book and it has to be read in the historical context. I mean, schools were still segregated when Karen was born. Geez.

I read this book and "With Love From Karen" when I was in about fifth and sixth grade, after my mother gave me "Wren." Honestly, I never thought much about the cerebral-palsy side of the books. I was an only child, I loved animals, and I thought that Karen was lucky to live in her family. The cerebral palsy was kind of a side issue for me. We didn't go to church, and I didn't understand a lot of the Catholic stuff either, but I loved that the family sounded so close.

I think the concern someone posted about publishing this book when Karen was still young has some validity, but--her mom was desperately trying to draw attention to the fact that handicapped kids were okay. She succeeded in a huge way, through this book. She influenced a generation of people, people who would have looked at her daughter strangely if they ever met her, due to her handicap, but, instead, looked at Karen as practically an angel, because they felt they knew her through this book. And after all, when Marie wrote the book, she would have had no idea that it would end up being in print for decades and read all over the world, and that Karen would still be hounded by fans in 2007 (which apparently she is, when they can track her down).

I guess what I'm saying is, before anyone criticizes Karen's mom, they ought to keep in mind that their opinions about what's right and wrong for handicapped kids were probably shaped by Karen's mom, whether they realize it or not. Our whole society was influenced by "Karen." Yeah, everyone knows you don't keep a kid with cerebral palsy hidden in the basement of your house--but hey, America didn't always know that.

I just found a website where I read that Gloria's two daughters, ages 9 and 7 at the time, were killed in a house fire. I actually cried over this. Although of course I never met any of these people, they felt like my family when I was a kid.

I am 49 now and read this book when I was about 8 years old. (Why a book with curse words was available in the Weekly Reader Book Club for little children to read, I'll never know.) I have never dwelt on any of the negatives that readers are commenting about, with the one exception of the smoking. I do not have CP, but as a child I knew something about me was different. I was premature, late learning to walk, and the slowest runner of all the children - no matter how hard I tried to run faster or how much I loved to run. I had frequent stomachaches & got sick with sinus/allergy/URI's/dehydration regularly every 3 months or so. I almost died at least twice. My ankles turned or twisted very easily. I hated being crowded or hearing loud noises. My legs hurt often, & if I fell on one of my kneecaps, it felt broken because the pain was so horrible. The pediatrician said this was "growing pains", but it wasn't. At the age of 28, I learned that I had "fibrositis", now called Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS or CFIDS). This incurable chronic disease - an autoimmune, muscle, pain, allergy/sinus, urinary, colon, and neurological/cognitive disorder in one - can be disabling. In fact, it has been compared to mild cases of spastic CP. Microscopic tears that grew into huge tears (caused by the FMS) made me need to have major reconstructive surgery of my right knee at 13 and my left knee at 24. So reading about Karen's struggles from a young age helped me to also conquer challenges that my own disability has brought into my life. I presently work a full-time job as an administrative assistant for a global company. I love Big Marie's different writing style. Like today's very popular cable show about the Roloffs of Roloff Farm in Oregon (married dwarves who have 4 children, only one of which is a dwarf), who have the problems and disagreements every family has but struggle as a team to make it in an oversized world, the Killileas were a normal family dealing with a precious child who was labeled "abnormal". I loved that they turned the living room into a physical therapy room and invited the "normal" kids over to watch and join in the fun. I loved that there were gouges in the furniture where Karen had vacuumed, and they didn't care. I loved that Karen was not a little saint - she was human, as proved by the stunts she made her little brother Rory carry out, and the "female dog" term she used to get rid of an obnoxious stranger who invited himself into their house. I loved that Gloria had the maturity, discipline and self-control to wait 7 years for Russ, her true love. I'm not Catholic, but I loved that they regularly went to Mass and had spiritual insights. I loved that they taught Karen to take part in what physical activities she could, such as swimming and horse riding. I loved that Karen dealt with severe pain every day (as I do) and HATE that they put that spreader between her legs at night to stretch her leg muscles - like torture! In short, the best part of "Karen" is that she never limited herself by listening to what doctors and therapists told her she could never do, but she surpassed all their limitations and expectations by victories like walking, writing by hand, and getting up & down off of chairs alone. I'm still inspired by this book today.

I picked up this book in a library toss bin recently and foolishly (not realizing it was out of print) left it on the airplane for the next passenger requiring inspiration. The many 5-star reviews should give an objective reader a clue as to the type of book this is, and the type of writer Killilea was--and that does NOT mean Jane Austen. Because I am something of a 3-star Sally in my reviews, I must add that my usual complaints (poor writing, confusing organization, insufficient editing) are not my reasons for faulting this book. It is fairly well-written (back when editors were editors!), with the insousiance that pervades works by well-fed, country club ladies of the 1950's (Jean Kerr comes to mind) who bore none of the crosses feminism would later burn figuatively on their expansive front lawns.

My beef about this book--please do NOT send me nasty e-mails!--is that I did not find any of the characters, and I include the title character and the author, particularly appealing. As to Karen herself, she was a little girl undergoing a particular education regimen. It was rigorous and stressful, and, being a little girl who, like most little girls, wanted desperately to please those whom she loves, she survived it. But living to tell the tale is not the same as heroism, though nowadays you would never know it, and if Oprah were interviewing Homer about Troy, we'd be listening to the story of Aeneas rather than Hector. I doubt that Killilea's intention was to raise her daughter to a pinnacle, though, and anyone who views the child's story as a triumph over adversity is misreading the book. I believe that Killilea's point was that Karen's story could be ANY child's story, given the same set of favorable circumstances.

So, having attempted to view the author's intentions in a light most sympathetic to me, I sadly must now add that I really didn't like the author ONE BIT. She represents a type of unquestioning, anti-intellectual, rigid Catholicism that makes it hard for other Catholics to be Catholic. Since she flaunts her Irishness, I feel free to whack the ball back into that court by saying that the Italians where I grew up in New York thought people like the Killileas were crazy. I do not know how many Roman Catholics she and her ilk have caused to lapse over the decades; any healthy religion has a spectrum of levels of dogmatism, but this particular group seemed to dominate the Church in New York for a long time (if you think I lie, check the list of bishops in the NYC archdiocese even now).

But I should not air this dirty laundry online! And I should not let my intellectual response to the book be colored by the fact that I now am sojourning in a city that gives full testament to the Catholic Church's exhuberance, wackiness, theological depth, and sensual excess. Killilea was probably an above-average product of her isolated little smoke-filled (literally as well as figuratively!) caucasion world. (I normally make my home in the Baltimore/Washington area, and found quite enlightening her descriptions of the people of color who carried the Killilea luggage on the way to Johns Hopkins Hospital).

Speaking of smoke-filled: Amen to the reviewers who point out the frightening excess of tobacco-dependence. I do believe there was a point in the book in which the author and her husband sit around smoking in the same room where lay their daughter Marie, at that very moment suffering from some type of long-term lung failure. Excuse me? Is there a doctor in the house? (No, wait; the doctors were the ones offering cigarettes.) Maybe just someone with an inquiring mind? (See, it's getting back to the Catholic thing . . . . )

I have read "Karen" a number of times since my teen years, though prior to purchasing the book, it had been at least 10 years since my last reading. This story of a girl born in 1940 with cerebral palsy -- and all the trials, tribulations, and stigma that went along with its diagnosis, treatment, and daily living at that time -- remains intriguing and engaging.

More than simply an eye-opening account of life with a severely disabled child, "Karen" is a window into another era, even another culture (the story takes place in the well-to-do suburbs north of New York City). The Killilea's were a devoutly Catholic Irish-American family. This is before Vatican II and the changes it brought to the Mass and to the church itself. Smoking was socially acceptable, its health risks not well-consdidered. These things all play into the story.

I feel compelled to address Marie's (author/narrator) comment, during her husband Jiimmy's serious illness, that she would sacrifice her children. I believe other reveiwers have mis-interpreted her remark. She wasn't minimizing her love for her children; she was expressing her extraordinary love and devotion to her husband. Again, remember that the book was written in 1952 and should not be judged as if it had been written in 2006. Language, customs, beliefs, and even our culture were significantly different.

In summary, "Karen" is a fascinating story. Should you take everything in it at face value? No, of course not. Is it worth reading? Absolutely, if not for the day-to-day details of life with cerebral palsy, then for the window into life in suburbia in the early 1950's.

It is also worth noting that Marie Killilea was instrumental in founding United Cerebral Palsy, the organization that still advocates for and supports the cerebral palsied today.

I read this the first time as an adult. I had asked a librarian if she could recommend a good heartwarming book, and she insisted this was what I needed to read. It instantly became one of my all time favorites. The main reason I wanted to review it here, is I notice so many fellow readers complaining about the mother's approach to her daughter's disability, etc, and I want to point out,when Karen was born, the world was a different place entirely. 'Political correctness' had not been coined yet.
Smoking was not recognized as the evil we now think of; in fact, it was common for doctor's to smoke in their offices with their patients. Mother's were not told to quit smoking because they were pregnant. I could go on, but my point is, for the time in our history when Karen was a child, there was no Disability Rights Act. The idea to treat a disabled child with dignity and equal rights were sadly un-common, and this is not the fault of Karen's family. Like all of us, they did the best they could with what they knew how to do.
I think all this P.C. talk is taking away from the underlying feeling of the book. It is a triumph of the human spirit and I see that so clearly and am left feeling good about the strength and courage inside of us that we don't know is there, unless we are forced to summon it, or learn about someone like Karen, who had no choice but to live life the best she could.
I am not condoning smoking or other bad choices mentioned in the book. I am simply attempting to suggest that if that is all you are looking at, you are missing the boat.
This is the kind of book that I love most; it makes me laugh and cry and most of all, it is the kind of story that makes me realize how small most of my problems are.
It brings to mind other humbling people such as Helen Keller. It may not be an equal comparison, but the feeling I derive from it is the same.

This was a birthday gift for my son who is the T.B. epidemiologist at the Michigan State Health Department. He loved the gift and I loved the price!

First, buy copy of Harrison's and position on desk so that other physicians can see you are a Serious Doctor. Hope they don't notice the layer of dust it accumulates.

Second, buy this book. Hide it under papers at the other end of your desk. You will use it every day if you know what is good for your patients. It's cheap, buy a second copy and keep it on your bed stand and read it cover to cover.

With this edition, the Merck Manual returns to a more professionally oriented content from the disastrous previous edition. Don't let the reviews here that this is a good text for "lay people" put you off. It is not and only those people who think they can cram 12 years of medical education (not counting experience afterwards) into 30 minutes of on-line Googling will think so.

I am familiar with this book since 1981 and every ten years I buy the most recent edition ,by this I can keep myself updated in various aspects of medicne specaily those outside the scope of specialty.
I think that the Merck Manual is one of the most usefull medical books , for its comprehensive clinical knowledge, excellent and informative tables and diagrams.
I encourage all the doctors to have a copy of the Merck manual , knowing that this book is not a specialty limited text book .

This is a vast medical reference book, written in technical language for practicing clinicians. That, of course, does not mean that it can't be endlessly fascinating and useful for so-called "laypeople" as well.

Always wanted to be a doctor? Grades were never good enough? Couldn't afford it? Not to worry. This book is the wannabe physician's dream, and the hypochondriac's worst nightmare. It covers the entire range of human illness and injury, including symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. No other medical reference book comes close to its exhaustive coverage and scientific excellence. Potential readers should keep in mind that this book is NOT a drug reference, but a manual for general clinical practice. If you want to know the infinite details about your favorite pills, you'll need the Physician's Desk Reference as well.

The book has thousands of tissue-paper thin pages, all filled with text. There are no photographs, few graphics of any kind, and only a few tables. It's a massive encyclopedia. For the curious and well-informed layperson, I recommend this book over the watered-down home version. It's not that the home version is "dumbed down." It isn't, but the real thing is far more scientifically penetrating in analysis, cause and treatment options. The technical language can be a bit daunting without a good medical dictionary (or an M.D. or D.O. degree), but once you learn a few recurring terms you'll find this book to be the best self-doctoring tool you've ever put your hands on. The only thing you won't be able to do is write your own prescriptions! Your doctor will just HATE you for it.

New editions of the Merck Manual come around every six years or so, and sometimes it takes as long as ten, so this edition will be current for at least another five years. I know it sounds perverted, but I bought this book because I enjoy the science behind it. I read it just to learn new fascinating things about the wonderful field of medicine, and you can too! If anything, you'll appreciate how brilliant your medical professionals are.

The Merck Manual has always been a medical gem. The information is timely, authoritative, and beautifully written and edited. It informs but does not overwhelm with esoteric medical-speak. I have been a physician (M.D.)for 47 years and have found The Manual a valuable companion on countless occasions. The section on personality disorders, for example, provides one of the finest explanations of the diagnosis and treatment of these complicated mental conditions I have ever read. The Merck Manual sets a very high standard for medical texts.

All stories from Richard Paul Evans are wonderful and this is no exeption.Read the trilogy is forth it.

The reviews were uniformly quite good for this novel, so I decided to give it a try. The story starts out slowly and takes some time to work up a bit of interest. The central character is a twenties-something working in a nursing home. Not typically the setting for a compelling plot.
A quick read-not one of my favorites.

The old lady is one of the strongest female characters in modern literature. Evans is a very capable writer.

With The Locket, Richard Paul Evans proves once again that when it comes to feel good, sentimental stories that tug at your heartstrings, he has no equal. As with his previous books The Christmas Box and The Letter, he utilizes his unique blend of fiction and inspirational writing to convey valuable messages of love, faith, forgiveness and redemption. His words take us on an emotional journey that leaves us reaching for the kleenex box as well as motivated to incorporate these precepts into our daily lives.

After the death of his mother, Michael Keddington takes a job at the Arcadia nursing home, where he meets parient Esther Huish, a woman who is instrumental in teaching Michael many valuable life lessons concerning forgiveness, overcoming insecurities, second chances and never putting things off until tomorrow.

The Locket of the title is Esthers gift to Michael. It serves as a symbol of the missed opportunities in her life and for Michael represents an opportunity to overcome a myriad of obstacles and begin his life anew.

This warm and beautiful story should kindle the flame of hope that burns in each of us. 4 1/2 stars

This was an excellent book! It wasn't just a typical romance, instead, it focused on what comes after falling in love. Devotion, kindness, and respect were themes in this novel. It was well-written, and kept my attention until the end.

This book is an excellent resource to supplement boards study. I have been very pleased.

I decided to purchase this book as a supplement to the textbook we use in class. You know, you read the complicated textbook and then the supplement next. Not so any longer. This guide gets right to the point. Reading it before class has facilitated my understanding of lectures and comprehension of the required readings.
You don't have to be a medical student to derive value out of this book. I hope it helps you as much as it has helped me.

I ordered this book the first week that classes started and received it the following week. The book was like new as promised and I had no problems with the seller throughout my buying process. I would highly recommend this seller! Thanks~

The book was in perfect condition--brand new, no markings in the text, in tact cover...plus free shipping!

I think this is the best BRS there is. I used this book for course exam prep as well as board review. It is a great tool to highlight important concepts, and it explains things in a simple and effective way with the right amount of information.

Technical informations, personal experiences, history and philosophy put the reader face to face with the end of life aspects. Informations that will help take decisions when death is near.
The magnifying glass over physiology let the reader think about many others aspects of life.

I believe this is a must read book for doctors and patients alike. While not cozy and comforting, it presents the facts in a wholly acceptable and honest manner.

I read this after both of my parents passed away from cancer 10 months apart in an attempt to make some sense of what they endured both mentally and medically. This book provided the answers and a great measure of righteous anger at the attending physicians and their attitudes that somehow they could cure the uncureable right up until the very last moment, depriving everyone of the necessary time to say the things that needed to be said.

This book will tell you that you, as the patient, must seek the truth about your illness as it isn't always handed to you by your physician. For the physician, it teaches how to tell the truth without destroying the time left to terminal patients.

Nuland may have written one of the most poetic and philosophically sobering accounts of the process of dying. As a practicing physician, he is very much in command of his facts. He has a reverance for the human body and acknowledges the miracle of life. He also recognizes how those in his profession can be a hindrance for people at the end of life because everything in their background, make-up, and training makes them want to rescue dying people from their inevitable demise regardless of the pain and indignity their "solutions" might inflict on their patients. Nuland writes movingly of the end-of-life experiences of family members and patients. In HOW WE DIE he achieves a delicate balance of presenting facts and statistics in memorable ways while also sharing profound stories of loss and regret along with stories that offer hope that even the most gruesome of deaths can be meaningful experiences to the dying and their loved-ones. The chapters on specific illnesses (heart disease, Alzheimer's, cancer, AIDS) are worth re-reading before interacting with anyone suffering from these conditions.

Anyone interested in physiology will love this book. Easy to read, fascinating for the lay person as well as any premed student! I've got an 88 yr. old mother and this book explained so much!

Nuland's "How We Die" is, ostensibly, about death and the means by which the great majority of us will take our exit; toward this end, Nuland excels. Nuland also manages, however, to subtly position death's predecessor -- life -- front and center by concluding that "The dignity that we seek in dying must be found in the dignity with which we have lived our lives. Ars moriendi is ars vivendi. The art of dying is the art of living...It is not in the last weeks or days that we compose the message that will be remembered, but in all the decades that preceded them. Who has lived in dignity, dies in dignity." Nuland is a talented writer and he delivers a work that is nothing short of honest, accessible, and insightful. Highly recommended for those preoccupied with life...and death.

I supervise the trauma center in a busy part of Hong Kong for a teaching hospital. I have found this book packed with useful information. It is very suitable for doctors and nurses in a trauma center and is also of considerable use to the paramedics who want to know a little bit more in cervical injuries. I have seen many instances of chiropractic cervical trauma in Hong Kong and was impressed to see that this aspect is well covered in this book as well.

I am a Chief Resident in Surgery with special interests in trauma to the neck. Having read numerous books on the subject I was quite impressed with this handbook. Even though there were no real photographs of trauma, the drawn diagrams were very clear and self-explanatory. The subject matter was covered comprehensively. I have not seen such a wide coverage in any corresponding book. I have found it a most suitable book for Board Certification exams and revisions.

I am a Surgeon. I came across this book through Alta vista and because it seemed good for my current project, I located it in our University Library. I am impressed with the contents. The coverage is comprehensive and the subject is well described in text and in appropriate diagrams. Inter-specialty coverage is excellent and it is this feature which makes this book stand out. The management-plan is easy to understand. I have already ordered this for my hospital library and for my own collection. I can recommend this book to all General Surgical Residents.

This is a wonderful book written in a simple language and in a most informative manner. Multiple visceral trauma of the neck has been described very well. Lacks real life pictures but makes up well with several easy to remember and easy to draw diagrams.

I find this book easy to read and to follow in the complicated area of inter-specialty trauma in the neck. I was searching for material for a case report that I am writing involving the roots of brachial plexus, larynx and laceration of Subclavian Artery in the Subclavian Triangle caused by a gunshot injury. This book supplied me with all the necessary general information and the necessary references to look up for some more.