Stanley Books

I originally was given this book as a gift. After reading it, I bought several copies as gifts to some relatives.

This is a history narrative that should be read by all. It gives information about WWII that is not covered in the "Anglo-centric" history that is taught to our students or disseminated to the American public. It covers how Roosevelt and Churchill allowed themselves to be bullied by Jozef Stalin. They gave away Eastern Europe in order to keep Russia from signing a separate peace with Hitler. It shows how the fourth largest Allied Military force (The Poles), did not have a free country to return to, after the war. The Polish Military was not even welcome in the countries that they defended or helped liberate. By this act of capitulation, Roosevelt and Churchill were in fact quislings. But then, who remembers Vidkun Quisling.

The book reads very easily, and is extensively footnoted to support all data and statistics.

"He who does not study history, will be forced to re-live it."

I was ashamed to learn how, as a proud American, we abandoned the Polish people during and after World War II. They were thrown to the "bear" as both Churchill and FDR sold them out.

If you love aviation, that is the focus of this book. It paints the illustrious exploits of the fine Polish pilots who sacrificed their lives during the Battle of Britain - defending an ally that did not come to the aide of the Poles as the country was overrun by Germany at the outset of WWII.

This also provides a brief overview of the attrocities the Russians allowed the Germans to commit while occupying Warsaw. If you've never heard about the Warsaw uprising, this gives you some insight.

A fairly light read as a history book goes but a thoroughly enjoyable story. You'll have new respect for the courage and commitment of these Polish aviators and perhaps of the Polish people.

KINDLE: On the Kindle edition, the images are a bit harsh but you probably already know about that as a general Kindle issue.

I don't use the word lightly -- but in this case "masterpiece" fits. This is in part the story of a group of extraordinary young men, Polish exiles who contributed mightily to the allied cause as fighter pilots in the Battle of Britain and beyond. The prowess and heroism of those men alone could have carried the book -- or a film, for that matter. But "A Question of Honor" is much, much more -- an epic, really, that covers the bravery of the Poles and the despicable manner in which they and their nation were treated, in 1939 and then in the latter period of the war. As the son of a Pole who was nineteen when the war began, I am very familiar with the story; but I had never seen it laid out so well. Olson and Cloud have produced a book that is both gripping drama and a brilliantly-prepared indictment of the powers that doomed Poland, by their aggression (Germany), their failure to keep their word (Britain, France), their lack of interest (the U.S. -- Roosevelt in particular), and -- in the worst case -- it is about the criminal neglect and barbarism of the Soviet Union, as Stalin prepared to take control over postwar Poland. More than anything, the authors show how realpolitik overran every promise, all good faith, and so many impulses to do the right thing. A brilliant, important book.

This is a great book. It outlines Poland's plight in WW 2 wonderfully. It focuses on the Polish Air Force, but covers politics quite well. The other Polish forces are also described (Home Army, Ander's Army (Italy), Aitborn, and I believe Western/Eastern Fronts). I think it is great coverage of the only nation to fight the German's, in force, on all fronts, from the beginning to the end in 1990's when Poland finally became free again.

I found this book to be a highly entertaining and informative read. The exploits of the 303,in particular, are thrilling. I do feel that some of the momentum is lost when dealing with the political machinations of Churchill and Roosevelt, however less exciting, it is very important that these be revealed. The authors did an outstanding job of this. I've seen reviews that say this is done "out of context". I don't see a problem here. This is the account of intentionally overlooked heroes who fought for all and received nothing, from a world that seemed would rather that they just go away! I take this to heart as I am of Polish descent. My grandfather was born near Zamosc. The family, with the exception of his brother and himself were taken by the Russians to a Siberian gulag during the second partition, likely as suspected insurgents. My grandfather made his way to Amsterdam over a period of a few years and made his way to America by ship around the turn of the century. I've been to Poland, to Warsaw, the old town and could picture the devastation as I walked the streets. I've seen the monument to the uprising and the murdered. All this makes me wonder if this could be allowed today, In our "information age"? What if T.V. and video cameras were everywhere then as they are today? Could Churchill and Roosevelt get away with what they did? Would people remain indifferent as Warsaw was flattened and her allies watched? It's difficult to believe that such a thing could happen in a world that vilified a president for having sex but I do have faith in mankind's ability to forget,just change the channel, or with TIVO, not even watch what it does not wish to see. This is why we need books like this! I hope some one make it into a movie!

* I don't think forgotten is strong enough of a word.

Much has already been said about the quality of the book. I personally find that the book is a due tribute. I also must say that I have not found something on Kubrick of comparable depth.

On the content side, I would have liked to see more info on the projects that were not realized, especially on "Napoleon". And I didn't find a lot of value on the CD, since it's a spoken track instead of some audiovisual material. Nevertheless, as I said before, I haven't been able to find anything comparable to this book on Kubrick. The written material is of excellent quality, as are the pictures and graphics.

I see that Taschen is issuing a new version for it's 25th anniversary. As I understand it, it will be out on Oct/2008.

In conclusion, I am the proud and happy owner of an excellent piece of work.

I have been a Kubrick fan since I was 7 and saw "Paths of Glory" - it was the only film I ever saw that I NEEDED to know who directed it, and, what other movies of his were out there. That was 30 years ago, and I still keep all his films seperate from anything else in my collection! This book is simply INCREDIBLE! Buy it if you can.....no true Kubrick fan should be without this......it is MIND BLOWING! A true work of art covering the work of a true artist. We will not see Stanley's talent and caliber in any other film maker, at least not in my lifetime. Bravo, Stanley!

If it wasn't for its hefty weight, the book is one of the items I'd take with me if my house was on fire - without hesitation. I can't even imagine how long it took for the Taschen team to assemble this incredible book; it tries to do justice to recollect Kubrick's body of work in the form of a portable archive. Seeing this book in person is an experience in itself. The conceptual design is simply impressive: details like the texture of the binding mimicking that of a real archive is a start.

A CD of a rare uncut interview with Stanley Kubrick included in the book is a real gem. The interview takes place during Kubrick's career in its earlier years, and it provides an insight of the director that no other text interview has been able to accomplish - precisely for the reason that you hear Kubrick's voice and his unfiltered opinions. Then, of course, you have a piece of 2001's film strip as an added bonus. It's just too much for a book! And I say that gratefully.

The first part of the book is filled with glossy stills of all the films made by Kubrick. It's nice, and glossy, but the real reason I purchased this book is for part two.

Part two, or "The Creative Process", is filled with a lot of archival materials for each of Kubrick's films - especially pre-production materials: production notes, correspondences, and etc. You learn a lot about how Kubrick prepares for his films by seeing just a tiny fraction (undoubtedly) of what he does before he actually goes into production - it is one of the reasons that explain the long intervals between the director's releases. In addition, the book has an extensive collection of interviews with the director from various sources. But it is little treasures like the former that make this book special.

If you are a serious fan of the master director that is Stanley Kubrick, this is the next thing to have in your possession after the DVDs. Taschen made a serious effort in paying homage to Kubrick's work as a book publisher, and they have succeeded. They could've made a lazy effort in disguise to simply profit off of Kubrick's name, but they didn't, and for that they have my respect.

Amazon now has this book available for pre-order for an October 1, 2008 release date, for $44.10 from a $70 retail cost. Look under 'The Stanley Kubrick Archives [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)'. I would like information on book dimensions as the first print run was on average 40 by 30cm.

Lucky me! I scored a copy of this and I have to say it is the best book on a film artist I've ever seen. The previous reviewers weren't kidding--this thing is huge! Too large and heavy to be read anywhere but on a large flat surface, but that's not a complaint, unless you're lugging it across an airport like I did.

A spectacular book that you'll refer to repeatedly. I pored over it for hours. The first half is devoted to an incredible array of pristine stills from each film. The second half is focused on every film with a plethora of on-set photos and interviews with cast & crew. The book is helpfully tabbed by film.

A stunning look into one of the greatest of all filmmakers. So well designed that my friends were awed by its beauty. And that 70MM film strip--holy cow! IMHO, it's worth the price for just for that.

I enjoyed 7 Practices. It was inspiring, practical and will help in refining a ministry philosophy with my staff.

I was made to read this book as a part of a group I was in. I put it off and thought that it was just another book by a famous preacher's son (Charles Stanley). A few pages into this book, I learned why I was made to read it and that Andy Stanley is not just free riding on daddy's coat tails. This book is great, and I don't know how I ran a ministry without its wisdom.

The book compares ministry to a baseball game through some creative writing during its first half. It then gets technical and explains the principles during the second half. I consider this an essential read for leaders on my team.

The leadership team of my church did a study using this book, and it absolutely transformed our thinking. The material presented by the staff of Northpoint is liberating for those who have become trapped in a mindset of inward rather than outward thinking in church. This is good stuff--simple and powerful!

This book is a breath of fresh air for leadership teaching. I especially liked the "playbook" sections of the book. These sections are real ministry illustrated strategies that were played out by Northpoint church. I like it when church leaders share their failures as well as their successes. The book is open and honest.

I have been amiss in not writing a review of this book. It is a great little book on effective ministry. His ideas of seeking the win are great. Everyone wants to be on the winning team, and churches need to define what a win is. Also, his stuff on reviewing ministry is important. So many congregations do the work every year, but some of the programs are dead, but no one will stop them. His thoughts on narrowing the focus are wonderful. Many churches have followed the mega church model of program after program, that even Bill Hybels admits is not effective in transformation. Then finally his thoughts on listening to outsiders is needed. Most times we ask members how to grow, but really most members do not have a clue. We need to ask those who are not coming, they know why they are not there. This is a great book.

This is definately one of my favorite books I have ever read. My husband recommended it to me, and I had my doubts because it was centered around a high school basketball team, and I am not a sports fan, but it was wonderful. We both love it so much we stopped and had breakfast at the diner in Willow Creek one morning on our way through. It even had the two-seated bike out front. Definately worth buying!

This is a definite must-read book that wraps you up from beginning to end. I got so involved with the characters and their lives that it was nearly impossible to put down, making me very sad to have it end! People of all ages and gender can relate to this book. Stan West's books are on the top of my reading list for sure. I would highly recommend reading anything he has written!! This book has turned out to be my favorite gift to give, knowing that the recipients are in for a real treat.

In our library this is a "staff pick" that readers thank us for recommending. Our literature staff give it a high quality rating.

I read this book for a book club. I would not have picked it up on my own-especially if I would have only looked at the cover. But I loved this book. I loved all the characters. Their stories and lives were written as if they really existed. I am sharing this book with everyone I know. Read it- You will love it!

Stan West is a story teller like no other. He wraps you up and takes you along on some of the most amazing journeys! This is a book that you wish would never end, because after you have become involved with these characters and this story, you only want more. I love the ideas and some of the universal themes that exists in ALL GOOD LITERATURE. Stan West's, "Blind Your Ponies" is no exception. As a Montanan, it was a pleasure to read as well, having visited many of these places. Stan, we want more! And if you read this, stop by Park High as well. I have many students who wish to visit with you!

It is put together very well and easy reading. References are made on just about every page to Life Lessons. There are Answers to Life's Questions throughout. The Life-Changing Principles are incredible. I recordmend this book to anyone who wants to learn about living in todays world.

Although I don't like the NKJV translation at all, this is a very good study Bible. Pastor Stanley's numerous notes, articles and life lessons are very pastoral and insightful. They add more to the text than the usual study notes you find in most study Bibles. This is a fun and informative study bible and I recommend it wholeheartedly. A keeper.

After trying out several other personal study Bibles, I settled on this one as my everyday, go-to Bible. I purchased the leather bound, burgundy one with index. It really has a quality look, feel, and the indexes are a wonderful help in studying The Word. There is so much USEFUL information and marvelous study helps. The Life Principles and Answers to Life's Questions always seem to pop up at just the moment I need them or the Holy Spirit wants me to read them. It is one of the most blessed and blessing editions of the Bible I have ever read. Dr. Stanley can be proud of this legacy work. It will continue comforting/helping people for generations to come. It is that good of a resource for the Believer. I have also used the Life Principles Daily Bible for about 6 months as my morning quiet time/devotional. It is too is awesome.

I enjoy reading this version of the Bible. It offers so much comentary. I am using it for school work so I appreciate the speedy service and delivery.

The thumb indexes are very helpful in finding Chapters easily. The Life Principles included in the Bible are a real plus. The highlites in blue of significant passages are helpful. The other markings by passages are nice to note also. Very satisfied.

I want to congratulate Lise Cloutier Steele, and Mary Anne Wyatt, for this excellent book on the devastating effects of a hysterectomy. Incredibly, the vast majority of women who have a hysterectomy do not receive adequate information about the harmful side effects of their operation before their surgery. The women's stories represent the tip of an iceberg that reveals the chilling effects these surgical procedures have had on the lives of so many women: one in three women over the age of sixty-five in Canada have had a hysterectomy. It is difficult to comprehend the thinking within the medical community that ignores the scientific literature which speaks of the side effects and is responsible for the loss of so many vibrant, intelligent, and powerful women to our society. These are other excellent resources: http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/show_hysterectomy.html and the HERS Foundation in the U.S.
Cathy Woods, Vancouver, BC
(...)

I thank Lise Cloutier for writing misinformed consent book. Many of us women have been hysterectomized and we had no idea of the facts involved, simply because doctors do not tell the facts. I had a hysterectomy several years ago at age 21 at the advise of my doctors. I find misinformed consent to be specially informative for those facing hysterectomy, and informative for the rest of us as well because it indicates many of the side effect of a hysterectomy, which many are suffering with, but are not aware of the source of their problems. I do believe misinformed consent will help many women. Again, thank you Lise.

I felt like I had "come home" while reading Misinformed Consent. I cried as I poured over story after story of these courageous women and their health problems after unecessary hysterectomies. Everything I read validated my own experience and made me see I am not mentally weak, rather, I suffer from a physical endocrine problem caused by surgical menopause. I don't need a doctor to agree with me whether I am, indeed, experiencing symptoms like depression, insomnia, weight gain, low libido, etc. If I say I am experiencing them and if all these women say they are experiencing them, then it is TRUE. Shame on the pharmaceutical companies for making a buck while destroying quality of life for women. In Misinformed Consent, I learned there's such a thing as salivary testing for hormone levels, bio-identical hormone replacement therapy and compounding pharmacists. Thank you Lise Cloutier-Steele and friends, for this very edifying and informative book. If you want to LIVE instead of just SURVIVE and if you are contemplating hysterectomy, READ THIS BOOK!!

I cried when I read Misinformed Consent because story after story validated my own experience with symptoms and doctors.
These courageous women discover it's not mental weakness they're suffering from, it's physical endocrine problems caused by uneccessary hysterectomies. Any woman considering a hysterectomy should read Misinformed Consent. Any woman who wishes to live instead of survive should read this book. Thank you Lise and friends, for Misinformed Consent. In it, I learned, for the first time, about saliva-testing for hormone levels, compounding pharmacists, and bio-identical products for hormone replacement therapy.

The courageous authors of this remarkable book have accomplished the near impossible: They have taken on the medical profession and revealed its LIES AND COVER UPS. These are real stories by real women who TRUSTED THEIR DOCTORS and were BETRAYED, physically and psychologically damaged, and abandoned by those in whom they entrusted their very lives.

I can only imagine the pain and torment these women have suffered through their experiences, and the difficulty they must have endured in reliving and writing this book. WE are the beneficiaries of their heinous experiences. "Misinformed Consent" has unlocked the door behind which the careless, deceptive victimization of women has been well hidden. These women educate and inspire..and I, for one, am eternally grateful for their efforts in giving this book to the world.

"MISINFORMED CONSENT" is THE BOOK every woman MUST read and SHARE with mothers, daughters, sisters and friends.

This book has been a blessing to me. Andy has skillfully used the life of Nehemiah and has interwoven his own leadership experiences, while staying through to the Scriptures.

Every visionary needs to read this book. Every pastor needs to read this book. Everyone who is involved in ministry at some level needs to read this book. Buy and eat this volume, for you will find it sweet to the taste and satisfying to the stomach.

Most leadership books focus on a specific portion of leadership (i.e. competency or character, method or motive, personal or public, etc.) In so doing these books almost guarantee enthusiastic support from like minded persons and criticism from others.

VISIONEERING is more balanced than most. The book's subtitle is very accurate. "God's blueprint for developing and maintaining personal vision." This book is based on Scripture and attempts to follow God's definition of leadership. This book is extremely practical in offering advice on developing and maintaining vision. This book delves deeply into the personal character of the leader. This book offers concrete guides for a vision that yields public impact. In short, this book may not go as deeply as any one person may like, but everyone should accept it. More importantly, every Christian leader should be stretched by it.

SUGGESTION: Because of its balance and ability to stretch people this is the probably the next book I will take our entire church leadership team through. If you are looking for a book to offer to your leaders, this is a good one. I suggest that each pastor buy a copy of this book for board members and take them through it as a small group discussion guide. It will help the board members understand the pastor, support the pastor better, and will also make the board members better leaders in their own ministries.

If you have ever had a dream, a vision that God has placed in front of you and did not know what to do with it, you need this book. As I started reading, it felt that Andy Stanley was writing to me personally. God has place within my heart a vision but I was at a loss as to how to put steel and concrete on it. Andy took the story of Jeremiah and applied it so that it would fit whoever and whatever God has placed within you.
Fantastic book I refer to almost weekly.
I have to be honest and admit that I thought to myself, "What has this young preacher got to say that will help me, a veteran of 43 years of preaching?" I was blessed, he had much to say and kept it all Biblical!

In contrast to many books on leadership, even those written by Christian leaders, Andy Stanley manages to draw out over a dozen key principles from the story of Nehemiah's journey in leading the people of Israel to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. I have appreciated some of those more secular leadership books, including Stanley's "Next Generation Leader," as I have tried to development my own skills, but I found his biblical approach here to be refreshing.

I used the audiocassette version of this book, which was read by Andy Stanley and presumably significantly abridged. So, I cannot attest to the entire text of the book. However, even in bulleted form with the key points highlighted in the audio version, there was much wisdom to glean from Stanley's analysis of Nehemiah.

I highly recommend this leadership book, particularly for leaders within the church, and I look forward to listening to it again!!

Few authors have the skill of presenting biblical truth in such practical dress! Andy Stanley has hit a home run. I have read this book twice, a year apart, and have catalogued over 30 cross-referenced topics from its pages.

From the Old Testament Book of Nehemiah, Stanley propounds 20 building blocks for discovering, articulating, and growing vision in personal life. The book has 18 projects, one following each chapter, most of which were personally helpful.

While being a Bible based book, this work has direct practical application that will fit nearly any kind of vision in any field. It moves to that rare highest category in my library: a five star must read!

This was a really great book. Im in my mid 20's and found it useful. This would be fun for a younger girl too.

I love this book- I've never written a review for anything on this site, but I really feel that I need to share with others how great and useful "The Girl's Guide to Absolutely Everything" is. I've read several other books of this nature, and this one is by far the best. The tone of the book is just right- humerous but not as biting as other books of its kind. It has a useful section on style, and it doesn't overdo it on these subjects as I feel that "Three Black Skirts" does. I love fashion and beauty tips as much as the next girl, but I honestly don't think that anything you read in a book can really help you out that much in this area. That being said, I do think that Kirch has some good pearls of wisdom on the topic that are worthwhile.

I just graduated from college and I am now searching for my first real job and apartment in a new city. The book had some good job search advice, although if you are really looking to learn a lot about this topic I would suggest getting a book based solely on this subject. I feel that the most useful information provided were the chapters on ettiquette, household, and finance. There were honestly so many useful tips in these chapters. I consider myself to be pretty domestically savvy (I was lucky enough to have a mom who's been compared to Martha Stewart) but I still found so much excellant advice in these chapters. I've already got several of the pages dog-eared for easy reference later on.

This book would make a fantastic gift for any girl who has just graduated college and is ready to set out on her own in the real world. If you're planning on buying any book of this kind, this is absolutely the one to spend your money on!

this book is packed full of handy info! haven't gotten all the way through it. came quickly!

this book has about almost everything a girl could possibly need to survive life, tips, information, about everything and anything! it is awsomeness.

This book would be a great gift for most females. I think it might be geared more towards a teenager/young adult, but I'm in my late 20's and enjoy it very much. It really is a guide to everything. It's unlikely you'll think of a topic and it won't be covered in some fashion in the book. It's a book you can pick up and look for a specific topic or read from front to back. There are lots of sidebars and extra comments to make the material interesting. I would recommend this book for almost any occasion.

David Stanley manages to inform and create atmosphere concisely and with speed. The reader becomes quickly aware that Kieran has a troubled past and knows that he will soon become entrenched in further entanglement. This novel promises to be tense. With this in mind we are invited to read on.

For those who desire a good book to treat our modern tastes and sense of our physical awareness, our willingness to explore the previously taboo, then David Stanley's Sleeping with Rachel is it. After reading merely the first five pages. I was salivating, wanting to know what secrets lie in the father's grave and more importantly what relationship does Kieran have with his sister. This book tests the definitions of love and far more significantly, its boundaries. It's nice to know that writers are coming into existence that can finally answer the questions of our generation, all grown up in our thirties, yet still the children of our parent's past, present and future. If you liked Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections, you will love this book.

The opening chapter of this novel is delivered like a well-aimed blow. We're straight into the narrator's world and his point of view with no time wasted. It's clear from the off that we're embarking on a journey that's going to be far from comfortable and yet alongside that clear intention, compassion and humour are as evident in the opening pages of what promises to be a remarkable piece of work, as the sense of unease at the inevitable impending horrors. That's a really hard balancing act to pull off and the author here seems to manage it with style and with ease. I feel myself starting to (figuratively) put my hands over my eyes and peek through my fingers as this story starts to unfold - like the opening of The Lovely Bones (for example), I realise I'm going to be taken somewhere I really don't want to go but will be compelled by the persuasive style and the compelling plot to stick with Kieran.
The characters are surprisingly well realised in such a short narrative space - something I'm finding rather lacking in many of the other stories in this competition. We already see the contradictions in Kieran's character, doubtless we'll see their roots as the story progresses, the black and slightly bitter humour and his wry, brutal detached observations of his wife show him, even at this early stage, to be a fully realised and meticulously drawn character.
This very solidly crafted opening also introduces several principal interwoven strands of plot simultaneously without any hint of clumsiness or recourse to `techniquey' devices - the gift of a great story teller is to make you forget you're being told a story and simply accept the narrative. In the complex emotional and psychological knot that this novel promises to be, we know from the outset that the various strands will be made of horrors, terrors and all manner of taboos but this opening also promises that these will be tempered with sufficient tenderness and sympathy to prevent the novel becoming black and bleak simply for the sake of it. At least I hope so - I think this writer shows exceptional promise and I hope to read more of their work.

Sleeping with Rachel by D. Stanley opens with a phone call to Kieran Park from his twin sister Lisa. She needs him to come round right away, but won't tell him why.

Subsequently there's a moment of PTSD flashback (dead man on the floor) and an interchange with his wife Shona. These paint some circumstances of Harrison's life: haunted by grisly memories and dispassionate about his marriage.

When he lands up at Lisa's, he suspects something awful--rape or cancer--but she shows him an add for a new housing development. The message is clear: they'll have to dig up their father's remains. This was the moment when my curiosity was truly piqued.

The writing is clean and serves the story well. From Kieran's POV we see a man who appears calm both inside and out (for now) though this wasn't likely the case just a short time before. Both his wife and his sister seem concerned with his stability. The author puts forward this one line to really demonstrate Harrison's awareness of other's thoughts regarding his 'fragile' emotional/psychological state:
~'I imitate a sane person I saw once in a shoe store, causing her to laugh. `I'm fine.''

Overall, I found the story engaging. It attracted and held my attention by presenting enough information to make me curious about Harrison's past and present. I wasn't floored by the writing, but it was good and worked well with the story itself.

An acutely disturbing past, colouring the present in errant shades of internal unrest, governs the lives of Kieran and his twin sister, Lisa, and extends outward to Shona, Kieran's wife.

What childhood shames and atrocities brought the twins to this moment? How close is too close in sibling relationships? Can I empathize with Shona's feelings of always being number two in her husband's life, even if she may not have been a good life-partner choice? Did Kieran sabotage his marriage from the beginning through his damaged history and self? How does Rachel's long-ago death find closure? Why do two supposed adults not see themselves and what they have become, through other's eyes?

David Stanley's excerpt raises dozens of questions that demand answers! There are plenty of gleaned potential twists and turns to this story that urges one into wanting to know the full story! I want to see if all the characters ultimately learn something about themselves and if, in the end, they can finally learn let go of their demons and become emotionally and mentally healthy people. Or not. This is definitely a read that I believe deserves the opportunity to voice itself to the world! Publish this book! ASAP please!

This book is a great book on the history of prions. Max easily illustrates how prions are connected to other important diseases such as alzheimers and diabetes. He flawlessly goes from past to present, connecting the two times with the venetian family who has a defective prion gene. It is really amazing that prions don't affect more people. It is also a wake up call for the beef industry in America.

This is a fascinating medical 'thriller', only it's real! it was nearly impossible to stop listening to it and i think anyone who likes medical thrillers or anything related to the medical field, would love this.
The book focuses on prions and their role in disease, especially 'mad cow disease'.

This is a very scary book. The Family that Couldn't Sleep by D. T. Maxd was a very thought provoking study of some of the neurodegenerative diseases that have eluded our understanding. Most of those that the author mentions are truly horrific to the individual who suffers them and to their families. I started my nursing practice on a neurology ward where I encountered many of the maladies the author describes. What was particularly disturbing to me was that years later many of these insidious diseases are as little understood as they were when I first encountered them. The sufferer of ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis--often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease" after the baseball player who died from it--still finds medical science unable to offer much more than they did when it was first described. Huntington's Disease still devastates families that carry the genetic misprint. While the treatment of myasthenia gravis has progressed to some degree, that of Alzheimer's disease (the old organic brain syndrome or pre-senile dementia) and Creutzfeld-Jacab Disease (formerly referred to as Jacob-Creutzfeld's) are still in their infancy. The similarity between the latter disorder and Kuru has been known for years, but understanding and treatment elude us. According to the author, even the prion concept has its detractors. If nothing else the author was certainly able to capture the devastation that such disorders cause their sufferers and their families. In my early practice I met a man who came in with mild neurological symptoms; he received a diagnosis of Huntington's, and within months he became a changed person because of the unrelenting course of his disease. He ultimately ended up in a nursing home, more or less "insane." Worse yet was the fact that both of his children had a 50-50 chance of having the disorder or of passing the disposition on to their own children. The heartbreak of his wife in witnessing his decline and than recognizing the symptoms anew in her son was awful.

By bringing these disorders and the agonies of the sufferers to public attention Max may well spur more intensive research into these many disorders. And it's about time.

This book does a lot to clear up the story of prions, what they are, what they do, how their threat is real. The Italian family who gives the story its title is but one instance of prions affecting human and animal life. The research is impeccable, and particularly interesting is the process by which medical and veterinary sciences came together to begin unraveling the prion mystery. Because, to be accurate, documentation on how livestock has been affected by prion disease had been, until recently, far more complete and detailed than human prion disease.

The author tells the story unemotionally, which is good, but the reading is far from arid or too technical. The human factor -- how scientists competed for the credit, sometimes damaging other professionals' reputations and careers -- makes it even more interesting. All this makes "The Family That Couldn't Sleep" a fundamental work for anyone who wants to understand these proteins better, and also for people curious about the inner workings of scientific research.

You may find yourself staying up all night to finish this fascinating book. Just be glad you don't share the wrong genes with the family of the title.

This account of prion-based spongiform encephelopathic diseases covers a lot of ground: the Italian family of the title suffering from FFI (fatal familial insomnia), the mysterious epidemic of kuru among the Fore tribe of New Guinea, eventually linked to the practice of eating their dead ancestors' brains, the rare genetically transmitted Creuzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD), various animal spongiform encephelopathies, from scrapie in sheep to mad cow disease to chronic wasting disease in deer. All of these diseases share a common feature - they are transmitted by an infectious agent of a kind thought until recently by scientists to be impossible, and the incubation time from infection to manifestation of disease symptoms is remarkably long. The culprits are *prions*, which are a type of rogue protein. The idea that a protein could act as an infectious agent flew completely in the face of scientific received wisdom to date when first introduced and the science underlying this class of degenerative brain diseases is both complex and controversial.

The author's exposition is clear, but ultimately I think he does not do complete justice to the material (which is really fascinating). It may be that his scope is too ambitious - with so much ground to cover, the exposition occasionally lapses into sketchiness. To be fair, there can be no single "right" level of detail that would suit all readers, and D.T. Max generally shows good judgement about what to include to keep the exposition intelligible while moving his story along.

That said, the material related to kuru, cannibalism among the Fore, and the linkage to scrapie, CJD, and mad cow disease has already been presented in the 1998 book by Richard Rhodes, "Deadly Feasts: Tracking The Secrets Of A Terrifying New Plague". I preferred the Rhodes account - his exposition of the science was clearer, and I thought he told a better, tighter story.

However, there's not that much to choose between the two, and Max's book does have the extra material about FFI, which is interesting in its own right. Max does make one misjudgement, in my opinion, which is to include an account of his own illness (he has been diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease which, although it is a neurodegenerative muscular disorder, is neither prion-related nor an amyloid plaque disease). Inclusion of this essentially irrelevant material is a distraction, which just muddies the exposition.

One final criticism is that Max includes an unquestioning discussion of putative geographical "clusters" of CJD cases, based solely on their identification by patients' family members, whom he refers to as "Creutzfeldt Jakobins" (a hideous, tin-ear coinage, which he seems to think is clever). These so-called clusters are almost certainly spurious, based on an incorrect application of the relevant probability models and Max's failure to identify the error detracts from his objectivity as a science writer and contributes to a presentation of disease spread scenarios which are unduly alarmist. The discussion of possible treatment options in the final chapter also struck me as weak, an over-interpretation of what are essentially just anecdotal data. One sees this kind of over-interpretation all the time in the popular press, but I would have expected better from a science writer as experienced as D.T. Max.

However, these are minor criticisms of this well-written account of a fascinating subject.