Billings Books

The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children was a very informative book for educators that address the aspect of culturally relevant teaching. The author, Gloria Ladsen-Billings, talks about the relationship of pedagogy and how to fulfill the needs of African American children. Ladson-Billings also addresses seven critical points that many educators have brought up, which include: a case for separate schools, the growing educational and anthropological literature in ways schools can be made to be more compatible with all of the students' cultural backgrounds, the way that a classroom's social interactions are structured in a critical aspect of culturally relevant teaching, the teachers' conceptions of themselves and others, the teachers' conception of knowledge, the teaching of elementary literacy and mathematics, and ways for improving the academic performance and the school experience of African American students.I am only going to discuss three points that I agree with most which include the case for separate schools, how education literature is allowing the schools to be more compatible with a student's cultural background and how teachers teach elementary literacy and mathematics.
The first critical point that the author brings up asks if there is a case for separate schools. It does tell us that there is a growing isolation of those that are African American with the type of education that the children receive today in public schools. I am inclined to disagree with the case for separate schools because many teachers do have a growing disaffection towards African American students, as well as students of other minority status which is not discussed in this book. I am also sure that teachers do have a stereotype towards African American children as well because if they are not experienced on how to handle teaching their students of another race, they will be less likely to focus on them in class.
The author also discusses how educational literature is growing in ways that schools are able to be much more compatible with their students background. When I did an internship at an elementary school, I could tell that many of the teachers and principals showed interest in making sure their school was diverse. I do disagree in the fact that I have heard from others and also can see where they are coming from in that there definitely is a lack of literature of the African American experiences taught in class. It is rare to see a classroom in which the African American culture is taught, and it is something that should be considered.
Another critical area was how the teachers taught elementary literacy and mathematics. The teachers focused equally on those who were illiterate and literate as well as those who did or did not excel in math. I can definitely see why the teachers handled this because I have seen first hand at how some teachers do not cure and just continue teaching. Taking the time to make sure a child understands what they are learning in school; especially an important area such as reading is very valuable in their education. Making sure that children can read and add is very important and something that should not be ignored. However, I do disagree on how teachers taught elementary literacy and mathematics, I believe how they went about it was completely wrong. For instance, I think a child who is struggling in a certain subject should not be pulled out of class during the time that subject is taught. In addition to the class time, the student should have extra tutoring. Pulling them from class is not the best solution.
The quality of the book's argument convinces those who are likely to see things differently. She expalins in detail what is culturally relevant teaching. She also describes her observations and the components and results that had occurred throughout. Finally, she was successful in questinoning the teacher's views of how African Americans are schooled. The reasons that the author gives support the main argument in great detail. I believe that teachers are fully capable of allowing these students to succeed if they are willing to do so and give it their best effort.

Author Ladson-Billings (1994) book "The Dreamkeepers", gave me valuable inside on examples of various challenging and rigorous classrooms, and the emphasis the author put in presenting the cultural and social aspects of schooling when framing education as a whole, was evident. However the author makes the problems of African American children the main issue at stake in her book. Therefore I was presented with a fact and a different point of view based on statistics while conducting my research: One cannot lobby to change the system for one type of minority, to be successful at change. One has to see the "spreading tumor' per se, as a culturally diverse illness, affecting all of us. We, as a diverse society cannot try to make only one minority the beneficiary of our input, improvement, and educational reform. According the U.S. Department of Education (2004) NCLB (No child left behind) report, it showed that among the reading and math proficiency levels of performance for 4th graders in 2003, African American children were slightly lower, by one to five percent, under performing the Hispanics, meaning Hispanics proficiencies in reading and math are slightly better, just slightly, but this does not justify viewing the problem of minority children as being only an African American one. To be successful at change, one has to be more objective and start change for all minorities, why is it so vital to start with only one? I know poverty and lack of social skills are a major factor, but imagine how difficult it is to learn with a new language too.

Changes need to apply to all minorities, if one starts with only one minority, one is not addressing one method of change but only one perceived suitable application for one race. It just seems logical to improve all problems minorities face with the same vigor and dedication in order to truly make changes. I just do not see why is it that African Americans or any race should be the starting point. We are all culturally diverse, aren't we? Unless we are seeing this from the historical point of view again, and we are only to consider the many challenges one race has always faced historically in the U.S. school system, but that still does not justify starting -subjectively speaking- with a minorty that could have, or perceivably so, has been least served.

My two cents...SUSAN WILDBURGER

Though Ladon-Billings leans towards idealism constructing a perfect model of societal bliss, this book does show the underlying lack of knowledge many people have regarding educational issues. Those who say that the African-Americans' educational problems are their own fault show incredible short-sightedness to the truth of history. Have we forgotten that the Africa diaspora of colonialism was a forced migration to this country that treated blacks as inferior, and thus that it was a waste of time to educate them? In order for racism to stop, people have to recognize that there is no one race better than any other. All races have value and thus all races should be celebrated. God created them all. An understanding of this will lead to advances in the educational system which often has curricula that have no connection to many of its students. Ladson-Billings book, though primarily focused on African-Americans, is still an important blueprint toward removing some of the blinders people wear when it comes to historical truth. This book is for those who have ears to hear.

The author of Dreamkeepers makes the argument that African American children can be successful in school if changes are made by the education community. Gloria Ladson-Billings advocates for "culturally relevant teaching" which she believes will allow children to achieve academic success while maintaining a positive African American identity. By examining historical inequalities and the poor state of current education and achievement of African American children, the future may appear bleak or even destined for failure. Ladson-Billings offers examples of teachers, teaching methods, and ideas to keep the dream of education and success alive for African American children today. The focus of the book is the roles teachers have in helping children find success and examples of how teachers of African American children have been successful in this role. The way children should be taught is also discussed because she claims that the way children are taught is often more important than what they are taught. Ladson-Billings believes that these ideas could be used to get teachers, parents, and community members to redesign schools to better meet the needs of African American children, and after considering her reasons and evidence provided I am inclined to agree with these ideas.
The study was done in a predominantly low income African American community. To find successful teachers of African American children, Ladson-Billings asked parents and community members and then principals. When she had gathered a list of possible names, she chose only the names that had appeared from both groups. Ladson-Billings notes a distinction between excellent teaching and teachers because she does not want the examples to be dismissed as a cult of personality. Current problems in education will not be corrected if findings of success are viewed as exceptions, so she offers the examples in hopes that they can become the typical educational experience of African American children.
Through teacher interviews, classroom observations, and personal reflections the author develops the idea of culturally relevant teaching. To demonstrate how culturally relevant teaching might improve education, she describes three programs that are used in educating African American children. The first is to ignore differences that exist. It is designed to remediate or accelerate progress without attending or acknowledging to students' social or cultural needs. The second is the idea that problems are rooted in pathology and children need to be removed from it, so African American children are socialized into mainstream behaviors and values while teaching them basic skills. The third is culturally relevant teaching, where differences are seen as strengths. The concept of culturally relevant teaching is the cornerstone in Ladson-Billings' argument to improve the educational experience for African Americans. Student learning is facilitated by capitalizing on students' own social and cultural background. The broad nature of this concept is a strength to its usefulness because teachers can accomplish this using many ways. Culturally relevant teaching is valid teaching style because it does not expect teachers to follow certain steps. Pedagogy that tells teachers to follow specific steps like teaching is a recipe is unrealistic and useless. Culturally relevant teaching practices can be used in countless teaching styles and curriculum because the underlying theme of appreciation of culture and differences will create a better learning environment and better results for African American children.

The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children
By, Gloria Ladson-Billings

Gloria Ladson-Billings starts this book by posing this question, "Do African American students need separate schools?" She concludes her studies by saying, "What African American students need are better schools." Her main argument throughout this book is that culturally relevant teaching practices would be a huge part of creating these "better schools." Ladson-Billings suggests that there are many key characteristics of culturally relevant teachers. Some of these consist of the teachers seeing themselves as an artist and teaching as an art, they believe that all students have the ability to succeed, they demonstrate a connectedness with all of their students, and they help students develop necessary skills for their lives. These are just a few of the many characteristics that have to do with culturally relevant teachers.
In order to find out more about culturally relevant teaching, Gloria Ladson-Billings conducted a study to find and examine culturally relevant teachers. She started out this study by asking parents and community members for the names of some teachers who were very successful at teaching African American students. Next she asked the principals of area schools to provide a list of successful teacher's names. Once eight of the same teacher's names appeared on both lists, and those teacher's agreed to participate, she stared her investigations. She combined classroom observations, interviews, and personal experience to come up with her argument for culturally relevant teaching.
Ladson-Billings' argument for culturally relevant teaching came about because she saw negative effects on students whose culture and history did not appear in their textbooks or in their lessons. She believes that African American students need to achieve academic success while still maintaining a positive African American identity. She believes that it is the teacher's responsibility to help the students want to choose academic success. In her study she had multiple teachers who were just like this. They did not care where these students were or what other people had said about these students, they knew that they could succeed and that they would succeed with their help. They, many times, would work with them on an individual level to help them in whatever way that they could. In the end, all of the students who were thought of as being difficult or not intelligent enough to learn certain skills, ended up learning what they needed to know and sometimes more. That is what made these teachers such great teachers.
Personally, I agree with these reasons to support culturally relevant teaching. I think that if students do not see their cultural history correctly displayed in textbooks or in lessons in the classroom this could cause the children to see themselves as insignificant or inferior to those of a different cultural or racial background. I also agree that African American students should and can achieve academic excellence while still maintaining a positive African American culture and identity. I think that it is a wonderful teacher who can do both of these things, help them achieve academic excellence and maintain a positive image of themselves and their background. I hope that I can be one of these wonderful teachers who can do that.
I also believe that Ladson-Billings' evidence for culturally relevant teaching is both convincing and relevant. Most of her evidence is given through her classroom observations and her interviews with the teachers. She shows that when a teacher is culturally relevant, the students end up learning more and in many cases the students like that class more. In situations where the teacher is not culturally relevant the children do not learn as much or as easily and do not enjoy the class to the same extent as the other students with culturally relevant teachers. In the final chapter of this book she talks about one of her student teachers who is too impatient and does not bring in any cultural relevance when trying to teach three sixth graders math. That teacher ended up sending those students back to their seats with homework that they had no idea how to complete. This would be an example of a teacher who is not culturally relevant. The result was that the students did not find it interesting and did not learn anything from the lesson.
The one problem that I do see with her study is that she only examined eight teachers. I think that is hardly enough to base a whole argument off of. I do think that is definitely a great start but it may be more helpful so study many more teachers. She also only studies African American students. She does not even begin to look at any other races. I believe that culturally relevant teaching would be a wonderful idea for both African American students and students of any other race.
Altogether, I think that Gloria Ladson-Billings makes a wonderful argument for culturally relevant teaching. Her main point is that students will learn better and will enjoy learning more if the lessons are culturally relevant and if the teacher is also. The only weakness that I saw with this argument is the amount of people that she studied. Overall, I think that this is a good argument and was a great book for a future teacher to read.

This book was expensive, and for the price, I thought I would be getting a quality published book. The book looks like the pages were photocopied, and the book's pages are printed on one side only. Admittedly, the information in the book may be invaluable, but for that price, the book itself should be a higher quality.

Mr. Coslick needs to tighten up his publisher. While it isn't always fair to judge a book by its cover, our human nature causes us to do exactly that. I returned it because in principal I could not see paying that high a price for information I can get in books that are a lot less expensive and better made.

Insurance companies have stacked the cards against the medical practice owners. Endless payment delays, denials, requests for extra documentation to prove medical necessity, payment rule changes, under-payments, reductions of allowed amounts, post-payment audits - these are the familiar symptoms of a methodical approach to keep health care provider's money. To get paid in full and to be able to focus on patient care instead of administration, practice owners often look for professional outsourced solutions. To succeed as an outsourced billing solution vendor, you must develop solid billing processes, hire and educate talented follow up personnel, acquire powerful technology, and market your service to practice owners. This book outlines a complete business plan for setting up your own medical billing business.

Yuval Lirov, Practicing Profitability - Billing Network Effect for Revenue Cycle Control in Healthcare Clinics and Chiropractic Offices: Collections, Audit Risk, SOAP Notes, Scheduling, Care Plans, and Coding

This book is exactly what new medical billing business owners need! I obtained extensive training through medical billing and coding courses, however nothing in those courses touched on all the all-important aspects of running the business like this book, and others by Mr. Coslick. This book is a necessity if you are thinking of starting a business in medical billing. It is thorough, easy to understand and will really help you take that final step to actually start your business!

If you need someone to tell you that you will need a phone line to start your business or ten paragraphs telling you to buy business cards,then this is the book for you. I can honestly say the advice in this book was common sense. There was only one piece of information that I didn't already know. Horrible! Horrible! Horrible!

If you have common sense and want a book that will actually help you, then buy "Start Up Your Own Medical Claims Billing Service" by Entrepreneur Press and Jennifer Dorsey. It was really helpful and 1/5 of the price.

This book was useless in helping me start a MEDICAL BILLING service. It did an ok job on showing me how to START A BUSINESS, but NOT a Medical Billing business. Except for 30 so pages specfically about Medical Billing, this could have been ANY business. "How to start a hot dog stand", could have been written with this book by replacing those 30 pages. And those 30,pages with some Medical Billing info, were BADLY PHOTO COPIED PAGES OF FORMS. With NO explination of purpose or how to.

If you are looking for a bookm on "How To Start a Medical Business", DO NOT buy this book...If you are looking for a book on "How to Start a Business", do NOT buy this book, there are far better books.

Ironically, the quotes on the back of the book ARE TRUE, I.e., "Want your business to success? (Their mispelling) Then get Merlin's book. He has helped us build our home-based business every step of the way, answered our ever question, provided a wealth of information that we couldn't find ANYWHERE else and has coached and guided us..."

True, but useless.

I've never written a review, but if I can save 1 peron these $50, it was worth it...

Just get a GENERIC book, "How to start a business", money better spent...

I have been an RN for over 15 years and an English major. I have read the book. I not only found the book a must for everyone thinking of getting into this business I found it a necessity. I did not find grammar errors (which other reviews stated). I think when people nit pick a book they have nothing better to do with their time. I think the CPT and ICD sections were nicely put in perspective which is what the author tried to do. Anyone that can be critical of this book needs their head examined as I have read it three times and went through the training that they offer which was incredible.

I am a Registered Health Information Administrator with 7 years experience in health care. I found Medical Billing: The Bottom Line to be poorly presented. There are many grammatical and arithmetic errors. The coding explanations are difficult to follow and many other explanations are poorly sequenced. I do not recommend this book.

I made the sad mistake of buying this book. Most of chapters in the book describe principles that would apply to ANY business (and do a poor job at that). For example, Chapter 2 - obtaining financial help, Chapter 3 - The Business Plan, Chapter 5 - writin a business plan, Chapter 6 - Getting started and networking, on and on. These chapters have no information (or very very little) relating to the medical field. In chapter 21, she finally says "Let's Get Technical". But she is still very shallow on medical billing details. Unless you know nothing about the medical field, this book will be little, if any, value to you.

This is an awesome book, I don't think I will ever get rid of it! Great resource tool for the Newbie Medical Biller. Out of all the books I have purchased this is "the Best" Hope she comes out with another book.

I would not recommend this book. Too many mathmatical errors and not enough information. Little to folksy for the image that a professional would want to present. I recommend Understanding Health Insurance by Rowell.

Dear Ms. Billings,
This novel came at a point in my life when I could really relate to the challenges of aging with health issues. I could never put into words my fears of having a hysterectomy. You have done an excellent job of portraying a fairly common issue for middle age women of color and how we associate our femininity and sex appeal to our womb. Thank you for helping me to understand and make my loved ones understand.

I ultimately ended up having an alternative surgical resolution to my fibroid issue. But it taught me about faith in God in all circumstances. He helped me build strength within myself, and my marriage. I thank you sincerely for telling my story. I will look for your novels because I simply like your style. Merry Christmas and may God bless you richly. Warmest regards, Robbin

If you're looking for drama and suspense, keep going. This book will not hold your attention. On the other hand, if you're looking for a little something to pass the time, this one may do the trick.

The main character receives the news that she has fibroid tumors and may need surgery. Fibroids are so incredibly commonplace among African-American women that I had difficulty taking seriously all of the drama the ensued as a result of her diagnosis. One would think that she had received news that she had a life-threatening illness. But minimal drama in a solid, God-fearing household is something of a literary anomaly these days. Adding to Lynnette's struggles with her health, is the sudden need for the comfort of her birth mother, who deserted her when she was very young.

A good, solid, clean novel. A sarcastic thanks to BayBBlaze for managing to ruin the entire story with the second sentence of her review. Please be more considerate of folks who are just looking for an opinion on the story/novel, without revelations of critical storylines.



DYB

I'm sorry to say but this book is really really boring. I guessed from the 15th page that Rose was Lynnete's mum because the book is so damn predictable. Therefore, u guessed it- it's a perfect little ending. I don't think that Lynnette reacted deeply to her tumours as she should have. I know she cried a little but i'm sure the author could have focused on her sorrows a little more. Um.. Joshua and Miranda were a little too sweet and perfect for my liking. I know they had thier litlle story line gonig on there but soon they still returned to their perfect little world. In fact the whole family before the news about the tumours was so perfect they would reach distinction for an audition to be on the front of a cereal box. I really hate authors who skip time periods for like 3 months at a time beause it doesnt explain what has happened in that time period. And when Simone had her car crash, the author didn't focus on the impact of it. I mean I know it was only small but a car crash must be a daunting experience and the writer didn't even express that. Simone was supposed to have had a change of heart but but because the car crash wasn't written in depth, the whole change of heart didn't seem genuine. I mean the whole car crash scene lasted for only a page!!!!
Because I am only 14 people must think that I don't know a good book from a good book but i have read nearly all the books in the african/carribean section in the library so I'm criticising for a reason, u gemme! London stand up TALL!

I wish I had read the reviews before I bought this book. I am just on page 23 and already Lynn has gotten on my nerves so bad with her constant whining and feeling sorry for herself. I probably will not finish this book.

Unfortunately, I didn't find this book as inspiring as others here. In the first chapter, Lynn is informed by her doctor that she has fibroids. And understandbly her initial emotions are of fear, anxiety and worry . However, after the 3rd chapter I just couldn't take anymore of her whiney, self-centered attitude and her constant complaing. She continually takes her frustration out on her VERY supportive husband, Robert.

It's obvious that Lynn doesn't have faith, so I assume the "measure" the author here is referring to is NULL. I say that because she is so focused on the fibroids and the negative outcome of it and all the "what ifs??". I found myself arguing with Lynn at times saying "Didn't the doctor said that there MIGHT be a chance of this" or "There COULD be..." I wanted to just shake her and say "Girl! You're a child of God! You need to quit acting like this and focus on God and confess the word and stop letting Satan rob you of your healing!!"

I can say this because I had a fibroid tumor removed in April. And there were people who will actually talk fear into your life "Aren't you worried?" or "What if they remove your uterus?" or "If I were you ..." Instead of saying "You are more than a conqueror.." or "No weapon formed against you..." GIVE ME SOME FAITH TO HOLD ON TO PLEASE!!

In fairness, the author has wonderful writing skills! But this character (Lynn) portrayed such a negative attitude I just couldn't relate - the kind of person that makes you want to put your head in the sand and give up all hope.

There are other plots that develop throughout the story but I'll let you discover that on your own. Happy reading.

Very good book for when you are trying to conceive. This book was recommended to us when we were trying to conceive our first child. It truly worked on the first try, and we were both amazed and shocked to have gotten pregnant with him so quicky. Good buy.

Dr. Billings' book is quite repetitive, which for some people may help them grasp the important concepts of the method (it is the most important concepts that are repeated over and over and over again). I found the question-and-answer format of one of the larger chapters made it difficult to locate the information relevant to my situation.

This book provides enough information to use the method, but I found Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler to be more comprehensive, easier to read and understand, and easier to refer back to.

I was interested in natural family planning before, but the birth control pill seemed like an easier method as a newlywed. Well, after an unplanned pregnancy (while on the pill) that ended in miscarriage, I could not bring myself to go back to using the pill. My husband and I wanted a birth control that would be safe and reliable for us. I started researching the Billings Method, saw that it was highly effective and totally natural, but didn't find much information on how to use the method. Then I purchased this book.
I learned so much about my own cycle--about reproductive health in general. The biggest thing I learned is that by simple everyday observations, a woman can know her own times of fertility, in order to either achieve or prevent pregnancy. Dr. Billings describes exactly how to use the Ovulation Method, and after reading the book I was confident about using this as our brith control. Everything was explained clearly, and I keep the book on hand if I have questions. So far, this has worked out well for us, and we are happy.
I recommend this book to anyone who has had trouble with other forms of birth control or is looking for a natural alternative.

Within one month of implementing this method to avoid pregnancy we were pregnant. We followed my cycle for a full 6 months without having intercourse - very difficult but important since we were not ready to have children. As a scientist, I fell for all of the evidence listed in the book, but unlike a scientist, I failed to question it. There is a lot more evidence out there that this method does not work. Be on guard, do your research, and be prepared!

This is a great resource for really getting to know your body and cycle. What I love is that it includes all the scientific research and studies it's based on, so you can objectively judge the evidence yourself.

My only issue is that it seems written more from the perspective of preventing pregnancy- if you are trying to conceive, it doesn't give any clues as to how things change if you DO conceive. All in all, great resource and a very easy method to follow. Only took about an hour to read the main portions too, so it's not like it takes intense studying and measuring.

The first few chapters are the definition and statistics about entitilement written by Dawn Billings. If this is the information you need, you might like it. It was interesting but these first few chapters just went on and on and I found myself yelling, "Okay, you already said that, okay, get to the point!" Once I got through those parts Jim Fay's half is about what we can do to stop entitlement and prevent it. This is what I am interested in and Jim Fay is such an excellent writer. For this half, the book is well worth it!

A must read for all parents leaving the hospital with their newborn. Or at least given to all parents registering their child for kindergarten. A lightbulb moment every page I read. This philosophy and perspective has nothing to do with money, income or things.

Another great book from the Love and Logic people. Much of this book is about identifying how poor parenting and our self absorbed culture can mix to create kids with a sense of entitlement that can eat a child alive. I felt that this was largely a rehash of previous love and logic books, yet directed on one particular area where good parenting can make a huge difference. If parents could see this entitlement tragedy coming, they may be able to work against it. I love the scripted responses to typical kid attacks. Sometimes I need someone to tell me what to say and to remain calm. It's not easy. All my kids are teens now and suffer from different degrees of entitlement. Not too long, full of stories and examples.

This book was purchased with hopes that we would gain insite to our daughters difficulties. Only to be enlightened to a whole other world of possibilities, HELP
Boy did we get a crash course in Entitlement and great sage advise as well.

I highly recommend this book for anyone dealing with the gimmies of any age.

If you are new to Love and Logic, this is a great book. If you are not, then all of the "techniques" are redundant; however, I loved all of the information that basically describes how this disease of entitlement came about in the first place (but I think you'd probably get more in depth information from Dawn Billings book Entitled to Fail, Endowed to Succeed, which is quoted heavily in this book.

I have read literally dozens of Kennedy biographies and Lem Billings is always a shadowy character. Whether it's a book about JFK, or RFK, or Jackie or even Christopher Lawford, Lem is mentioned often but never in depth. After a while, one begins to wonder, "who was that guy?" This book answers the question. It's an affectionate and detailed portrait. His relationship with President Kennedy was a close one, emotionally intimate, and it lasted 30 years. His relationship with the Kennedy Clan spanned generations and lasted until his death. Pitts, an author who puts a gay perspective on this story, maintains that JFK was the unrequited love of Lem's life. Just because Lem was gay, I can't make that assumption. I wonder if he could have virtually lived with JFK and Jackie if he was romantically in love with Kennedy. I think another spin is just as moving and just as powerful, they were each other's best friends and loved one another that way. It was hard on the Billings family because over the years, Lem became more Kennedy than Billings. It was daring and brave of Kennedy to remain loyal and unapologetic of his gay friend in the less tolerate 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. And it was extraordinary for the very Catholic Kennedy women to accept Lem as completely as they did, knowing he was homosexual. The book ends with Eunice Shriver's eulogy of Lem, "Heaven is Jesus and Lem and Jack and Bobby loving one another." What a moving, and inclusive, tribute that was.

This might have been an interesting magazine article. There was certainly not enough material to fill 250 pages. The author repeats himself constantly and pads sentences with redundancies and facts that he has already established in previous pages.

As for Lem Billings, it's too bad he didn't have a life of his own.

An interesting if not a compelling read.

David Pitts offers a view of John F. Kennedy which is seldom found in the multitude of other books on JFK. The author had access to new material especially from the Billings material at the JFK library. However, considering all the assistance he acknowledges I can only wonder how a reference to the King of England in the late 1930s would be to "George V". Still, a book worthy of being read for its insight into aspects of JFK often overlooked.

I enjoyed reading Jack and Lem.

Due to my age, I don't have first hand remembrances of Jack Kennedy - his life or presidency. I was a good student so I do have a learned historical perspective. Also, I am politically aware and involved so Teddy is a presence and Jackie was too.

While I was familiar with many of the events of Jack's life through other reading, David Pitts made these seem new (I guess seeing them through different eyes - Lem's) and helped keep my interest. I thought Lem was presented as a compelling character. His devotion to Jack was very moving and important to reveal. I don't think the friendship could have continued for 30 years if Jack hadn't had a similar regard for Lem. I think the theory was proved that Jack had great character in keeping Lem as a friend. And Lem had every right to make that claim too.

I know there have been questions about a biography of a behind the scenes individual. Since we cannot all be the great one, the one on whom the spotlight shines, I find it helpful to know who is (was) in the background. David Pitts performed a valuable service researching this book - the letters between Jack and Lem reflect on Jack as much as Lem.

Obviously, not every fact or event can be included in any one work. While there seems to be a long-standing rapport between Lem and Rose Kennedy, the limited references to her (absent during Jack's illness while he was a Choate and not attending Kathleen's (Kick's) funeral) make me wonder whether Lem liked her.

There appears to be an error on page 116. The photo credit is 1945, but the pages that precede the photo indicate that Lem went to the South Pacific in 1944 and while the war ended in 1945, it wouldn't be until 1946 that Lem was able to return home. He could not have been in Palm Beach in 1945.

There are a few instances of David Pitts using his authorship to editorialize. These appear in parenthesis. As a resident of D.C., I agree with one of these (the District of Columbia is without full representation). Another is a reference to Tony Blair, (as the current prime minister). These parenthetical statements are temporal so if we - when we - get representation and a different person holds elected office they will date the book. Instead of editorializing, it would have been reasonable to stick to the facts only.

Jack and Lem included some very touching recollections of these two men's lives, separate and together, and made me think about and better understand life in another time. I found "The Sea Change (1933 vs 1973)," the penultimate chapter, very interesting. I have sometimes wondered how much earlier I would needed to have been born to not feel comfortable today as a gay man. Most of my adult life I have been out to my family, co-workers, and neighbors. I'm also not confusing comfort with safety. I'm not naïve. Far too frequently there are press reports of hate and violence against not just gay people (the nooses of late are appalling). But not from the people I am fortunate to be surrounded in my world. I owe much to people in the generations before my own who "fought" for acceptance that I now enjoy. Again, my age limits my first-hand knowledge of events of 1969 and before. I'm grateful for the placement of this concise chapter that provides context to Lem's life and times.

David Pitts gives readers a big hint about what to expect in his introduction to this story of JFK and his lifelong best friend Lemoyne Billings: Pitts wanted to write a book about JFK but realized that it would be hard to stand out in that overcrowded field. Then he learned about Lem Billings and thought that the "untold story" of America's randiest president and his gay best friend would be the ticket.

Yes, I'm a little cynical after reading this book. It is remarkable that from the 1930s on someone like JFK (Catholic, image-conscious, arguably a bit too interested in sleeping with every attractive woman he met) could sustain and value a friendship with a gay man. I didn't assume that JFK would have thrown over anyone who could potentially be a liability or who just wouldn't help him get what he wanted, but the depth of the friendship does present JFK in an interesting light.

It's not an exactly untold story. I've read one other book about the Kennedys and Lemoyne Billings was a major source and character in that book. He wasn't exactly outed in it but it didn't take much reading between the lines to understand that he was gay. Pitts does offer new details about the start of the friendship but his focus is on JFK all the way.

Which was quite frustrating for me. Sure, JFK was a congressman, a senator and then president and that's interesting stuff but could Pitts have spared more than a single paragraph about Billings' job? He had one. He was in advertising for decades but he might as well spent the entire time delivering newspapers for all the attention Pitts gives his job. Nor do we get a sense of Billings' romantic life. Was he in a relationship at any time? Or was he required to be the house eunuch to keep his room at the White House?

Worst, when JFK is assassinated we don't get the story from Lem's perspective we get it pretty much as any American alive at the time would have found out, from television reports. His best friend is murdered and Pitts gives us nothing to understand what it meant to Lem. We just read that the next few years were tough for him. Maybe he lost himself in his work and Pitts didn't want to bore us with the details.

Suddenly it's 1970 and don'tcha know, things have changed for gay men. Will wonders never cease! A whole chapter on how things have changed. Except Lem wasn't exactly throwing the first rock at Stone Wall so ... what did it mean for him? Did he come out to his colleagues at work? Did he move in with the love of his life? Did he wear louder ties? You won't find out here.

Nor will you find out the details of Lem's descent into drug and alcohol addiction. Was Lem already an alcoholic before he started spending significant amounts of time with the younger generation of Kennedys? Did he lead tragic David Kennedy astray in a misguided attempt to recreate his lost friendship with JFK? Did they lead him astray? Was it more complicated than that? Pitts just mentions the "problem" in one line and that's it.

In short, you won't find out much about Lem Billings. This is not a joint biography and that's a shame, in my opinion. There was a real opportunity here to contrast the lives of these two different yet similar men but Pitts gives Billings short shrift every time. If you want to learn a bit more about Lem Billings, read The Kennedys by Peter Collier. It's the book that inspired me to read this one. It's not exactly a sympathetic portrait of Billings but it's far more indepth.

The book was helpful; but if you really want guidance from Mr. Coslick or anyone in his organization, all I can say is GOOD LUCK.

This book is an obvious effort to cash in on anxious beginners looking to start their own medical billing practice. Most of this book has copied forms from other companies that sell billing software and pages of glossary terms.There is very little meat here and little effort I believe to actually help the beginner. The object here I believe is, to make a quick buck.

I have purchased several of Merlin Coslick's books and have found all of them to be extremely helpful. The sample forms included in this really show you the day-to-day operations of running a medical billing business and were extremely helpful to me. They alone answered so many questions I had that were not covered during your standard training for this business. I don't know where else I could have obtained the information that is contained in this book. Highly recommended for anyone in this field. I also would state that the author responded immediately and thoroughly to me when I inquired to him directly regarding a question I had. He was very prompt, thorough and helpful.

After being in the medical field over 5 years, and working for such doctors as Family Physicians, Orthopedic Surgeons, Neurosurgeons, OB/GYN, and Nephrologists, I have come to know the mind of most doctors. Male, female, surgeon or family physician, doesn't matter because they really do have quite similar ways of thinking and functioning. Merl Coslick's books are right on the money. As I read the first one I thought, "wow he really knows how it is behind those clinic doors". I also think he hits very key points for general marketing. If you need to market to doctors, read his books.

I was excited to locate a book that targeted exactly what I was trying to achieve. Medical Billing Marketing. Not just marketing, but Marketing for my business. So I ordered it, even paid the extra $10 to get it here STAT!

Once I got it it appeared to be an owners manual of some sort...but "dont judge a book by its cover"

Once I opened it, I began to read, many of the Only 33 pages on marketing. The information was redundant, and spent telling you how a doctoers office works??? Than not to follow up with prospects???? Than to just walk in drop a card, and hope that someone remebers its around if they are ever in the market????? That was the worst sales/marketing advice I have ever been given! Finally hitting home the newest concept of Electronic billing, which is not new in my neck of the woods. So also outdated!

The next 10 or so pages are a glossery of very basic terms we should all be aclimated with.

The final pages are them trying to sell you more informative products..

In short, go to your local bookstore and find the book, "Making Friends with Big Bird and the Sesame Street Gang" It will be more informative, and you can also share it wioth the kids!

A great book which shows both Yellowstone and tetons in a good balance of pictures.

The first thing you notice about this book is the beautiful photographs by Michael H. Frances. May you take a single photograph in your visit that is as gorgeous as any of these!

Wilkinson provides a few pages of information about each of the charismatic megafauna in the parks: bison, wolves, elk, cougars, lynxes, and so on. These "chapters" are easily accessible and written at about a middle-school level. The book as a whole is very kid-friendly, though it wasn't necessarily written that way.

The book has very good advice for how, where, and when to spot mammals in these parks. The section on each animal concludes with "where to find bighorn sheep" (or whatever). We've successfully spotted most of these animals, initially relying on the advice here, though we now have a few secrets of our own.

Our favorite charismatic megafauna are bears, wolves, and cougars. We haven't spotted a cougar yet, and we haven't read as much about them. We do have a Wolf Freak in the household, though.

I found the book to be very helpful. Especially paired with "Scenic Driving in Yellowstone & Grand Teton". Other than the cats, we where able to get out early and find the wolves, grizzly, moose etc.

After buying many books like this I would suggest checking them out of the library for the length of your visit. We did not see the animals in this guide to back up the information and the locations but found it good for basic information about the animals and their habitats etc.

The animal descriptions are very brief and basic. This book might be good for someone with little knowledge of wildlife but doesnt go into much detail on any animal. It also spends too much time on animals that it even states are rarely found in Yellowstone(ie Lynx) and says almost nothing about more common, although less exciting animals(various bird and small mammals).

I already knew I wanted to start my own medical billing business before buying this book. It has some great hints and tips for getting a business up and running. I plan on trying them!

I found this book to be an excellent reference for starting your own medical billing service. It's much easier than I anticipated, and cheaper too. This book tells you step-by-step how to do things, it couldn't be any easier to follow.I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to start their own business.

This book is awesome for anyone starting a Medical Billing Business. I gives you everything you need to know to get started. I'm following it to the letter.

Thanks

This book served as a general overview of the billing from home business, but does not give details on getting started. Not a good book to rely on if your looking to start your own business.

Gerber's E-Myth theory works well for billing and claims processing startups: most billing services fail because billers are "technicians" with little knowledge about how to manage successful business.

Billing is an especially difficult business because it must succeed in an increasingly adversarial environment, where billing complexity creates opportunities for providers to commit fraud and for payers--to benefit at the expense of the providers. A naive outsourced billing office owner is helpless against insurance companies armed with significant resources devoted to denying reimbursement and including professionally managed processes and leading-edge technology.

Read two books before deciding to start your own billing service:

1) "Start Your Own Medical Claims Billing Service"
2) Gerber's E-myth

Yuval Lirov, Practicing Profitability - Billing Network Effect for Revenue Cycle Control in Healthcare Clinics and Chiropractic Offices: Collections, Audit Risk, SOAP Notes, Scheduling, Care Plans, and Coding