Death Books

Robert W. Murray drew a very touching picture of what is hidden behind the term JUSTICE in the United States.
It shows you instantly that this could have happened to anybody!
He lets witness us his childhood and the story how it happened that he and his brother Roger were wrongly convicted for a terrible murder.
America is not interested in finding the real killers. Why? read the book! Trials are sport shows in the USA - lawyers and attorneys go to court to win a game and not to find justice.
He shows us that even enclosed in a cave without daylight, he never gave up. Help him and his brother! Buy this book!

I thought this book was great. The subject of the book is sad, but it is thought provoking and should be read by anyone and everyone interested in the death penalty issues in our country today. Robert is a wonderful writer, and while reading this book, you are able to picture what he is talking about and feel what he is feeling, you can feel his heartbreak as he talks about how his brother is living right there and yet he has'nt been able to talk to, see or touch him in many years. People don't often think about our inmates in this country and how they feel, but they do feel and this book illustrates this very well. Anyone interested in the issues this book raises, anyone who is not sure about the death penalty, and for those who think they know all about it, and have made up their minds, you should read this. Insightful and interesting read, grabs you from the first page and keeps you reading.

The author of this book is an inmate on Death Row in Arizona. He writes articulately and thoughtfully on the entire process of capital punishment: arrest, trial, conviction, incarceration, appeal, and the ultimate execution. He demonstrates that it is very difficult to get off of this road once a person is forced onto it. Along the way, he discusses details of life on Death Row. He addresses philosophical questions such as how one survives emotionally from day-to-day, as well as the boredom, interactions with guards, interactions with the legal system, interactions with the prison system, interactions with the medical system, and interactions with the rest of the world via visitors, letters, and television. This reviewer was drawn into the book and came to identify with the author and to even ask how he himself would cope with the prison circumstances. This book should be read by anyone interested in our execution system.

Wow! I keep shaking my head, in fits and starts. Here is the clearest, most erudite document that I've yet read (and there have been many) regarding existence on one of America's death row facilities and the catastrophe of our judicial system. I have a bias here because I am currently watching a close friend undergo the exact same calamity that author/inmate Robert Murray so eloquently captures in this fine, eye-opening book. From drunken lawyers (if you can't operate a vehicle legally under the influence, should you be allowed to defend a man's life while inebriated?), counsel afraid of their clients, juries only selected with a prejudice for a death sentence, political posturing, the list goes on ad infinitum.... I have been searching for a work that explains my utter amazement and horror at what I've witnessed to give to friends and family to help them understand my change of heart regarding capital punishment. This is the finest example to date that I have come across embodying the naked truth of our tax dollars being spent to perpetuate state sanctioned murder (this is the listed cause of death on the death certificate). The only error I found in the entire text is concerning the application of death via the "more humane" procedure of lethal injection. In actuality, it is the norm that when the killing agent is introduced into the bloodstream that a violent convulsing reaction occurs comparable to extinguishment by gas or electricity. But, as Mr. Murray so aptly points out, he wouldn't be privy to such information because nobody ever returns from the death house to tell him about it. As the saying goes, capital punishment means them without the capital get the punishment.

Robert Murray will prpbably spend the rest of his life on death row in Arizona. In his book, hee tells about the days in prison and his feelings and the daily routine.
For a free man it gives a small impression how life is on death row.
That book is very important for anyone who likes to know how men live behind prison walls.
Strongly recommended!

Anyone who will read this book will not just vividly walk with Bill through his "house of mourning," but their own. And, with your own tears and smiles and laughs and questions and a whole lot more, you will come out singing that we matter alot--to God!

Translate the experience of this book into your thoughts and prayers of others you know who are in thier own "house of mourning," and you will be better equipped to "be there" for them.

Read this book slowly! Process it! And share it!

Dr. John R. Hellstern

Bill Hendricks has written a book about death and dying that is full of hope. Perhaps the last taboo in our culture, right up there with discussing our income, death is a subject we prefer to ignore for as long as possible until, as in Bill's case, it comes knocking on our door.

With honesty, insight and practical encouragement Bill walks his readers along the shadowy pathways that lead to "The House of Mourning" and beyond.

At once touching, comforting and unsentimental, The Light That Never Dies will encourage many who are grieving with a message of hope in the midst of sadness and loss.

I highly recommend this book. Get it for a friend or loved one struggling with loss. Get it for yourself and be reminded that God can and will bring light out of darkness.

I read this book after hearing the author speak on a radio program. This was 2 months after my father died of cancer, and 2 months before my sister also died of cancer. So it was timely. I ordered the book and devoured it--it was hard to put down. The author is just so real. It's not a "how-to" book, just encouraging words from someone who's been there. I have purchased at least 8 copies of the book, and it's what I give to people in my life as they experience the death of someone close to them.

Everyone should read this book. Those currently grieving will find comfort and hope. Those that have been there will find words that describe all they have gone through. Many will find helpful insights into thier experience. Those who have not yet grieved over a loved one, will be better prepared for that day.
Bill Hendricks puts into words an experience that is difficult to describe. I felt like I was there with him. He does not pull any punches about the pain, doubts or hard questions. He has been there, but through it all there is hope. The Light never dies, and we can all take comfort in that thought.

The night I read the first chapter, I couldn't sleep. I lay haunted by the sadness of three little girls enduring the death of their mother.
In The Light That Never Dies, William Hendricks guides his reader from the heart-wrenching sorrow of his 47-year-old wife Nancy's lost fight with cancer to his assurance that she is alive with Christ today. Although he professes to write not just for Christians, but "for anyone who knows grief, loss, pain, or suffering," (p. 21) his story is pervaded by the presence of a loving God. It is also pervaded by the presence of those little girls, Amy, Kristin, and Brittany, and their Daddy. How often I looked back at the photo of the family complete with its mother.
The first of the book's two dominant images comes from Margaret Wise Brown's children's classic, The Runaway Bunny. Brown's mother bunny vows to pursue her little one every time he runs away. "The little bunny knows that he will always be the object of his mother's affection" (p. 26). This motif entwines the human theme around the theological treatise. God, the ultimate Mother Bunny, manifests the same loyal love. The author himself displays it, assuring eight-year-old Amy that, "Even though Mommy's gone, Daddy's here, and I'm not going anywhere" (p. 83).
The Light That Never Dies, however, reaches beyond bunnies and their mothers, apt as that image may be. Neither is it only a memoir of God sustaining a family through intense pain, though He clearly does.
Revealing his Dallas Seminary theological training and didactic writing experience, Hendricks uses a second image, from Ecclesiastes 7:2. "It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting." But where was God in the Holocaust, Columbine, and 9-11? In the Challenger explosion and sniper deaths? In personal loss? Why is it better to go to the House of Mourning? From Ecclesiastes come biblical precepts for suffering. Life is brief. Death is not final. God comforts.
A book that might have become unbearably tragic instead brings hope from one who grieves with understanding. Heartwarming moments intersperse with excruciating times to provide stamina to persevere. As serious lessons creep from the story, so a husband's love glimmers in the little mentions, such as Nancy's favorite Earl Grey tea. And in his visual depictions of their special times. "Our surroundings gradually took form as the light intensified, like a Polaroid slowly developing" (p. 29).
With tenderness and candor, Hendricks evaluates his journey from the news of Nancy's diagnosis, through her sickness and death, to his own mourning and recovery. He admits his feelings. "Suffering is an a cappella solo" (p. 13). He declares theological truth. "Evil is real" (p. 39). He offers practical advice for those who console. "Loving care is best expressed in emotions and actions, not theology or philosophy" (p. 136). And he proclaims for our comfort that God is "utterly trustworthy" (p. 132). "His lovingkindness is everlasting" (p.131).
Whether you ache now or seek to understand pain before your own turn comes, I commend to you The Light That Never Dies. The emotions are authentic. The lessons are thought provoking. And the conclusion of the book, an account of 15-year-old Brittany's expression of love, again threatened my sleep.

Learning to live past the death of a child is the hardest moment in ones life. This book helped us! Read it and let it help you! This book is good for ANY Crisis not just the death of a loved one. Any life crisis is covered. Read it and get better!

When my mother faced a battle with cancer over 20 years ago, she sent me this book to comfort me when the inevitable time came. What wisdom. I've given away so many copies to grieving friends that I can't keep my own. I've been told by many of them that it helped them so much that they too gave copies to others. Just knowing you're not alone in your feelings of grief, and that there are ways to work through it, provide such comfort and hope. Buy it now for when you need it later.

This book is great for both people who are experiencing loss (it could be losing your house in a tornado) and for people who want to know how to be a friend to those who are grieving.

I keep giving my copy away and ordering more. This is not a "take a warm bubble bath and it'll be all better" book. The book makes several important points; you go through a whole range of emotions, it takes at a long time, you should take it easy on yourself, not expect too much of yourself, and you shouldn't make any life-changing decisions for at least a year.

But even more significant is that the book gives you permission to grieve in your own way and time -- there is no right or wrong way to grieve. This should also be required reading for well-meaning friends and family and co-workers and the book gives them permission to be tolerant and understanding of the person who is grieving.

It is a quick read, liberally sprinkled with case histories and examples.

I have a slightly older addition, which is why I'm not giving this book five stars. Some of the references are a little out of date.

Overall, this is a really useful book. Dr. Stearns clearly understands the grieving process. She provides a balanced exploration of what happens to to people during times of crisis, and helps readers to cope. I say balanced in that this isn't a typical 'self-help' book, lacking in depth, yet it isn't an overly technical, dry psychology book. The case histories and the overall writing style make the book very read friendly. Her arguments make sense and are backed up by good research. Readers who've read other work on the subject of grief, death, loss, crisis, etc., will find they may be familiar with some of the ideas already, but the presentation is fresh enough to keep this from being a big drawback. If you've gone through a major loss, or if you are personally or professionally trying to support someone who has, this is a great book to pick up.

I came across this book when I divorced. It not only helped me understand and accept the process of grieving, it helped me through other times in my life when personal crisis led me to heavy grief. I have bought it and given it to friends who also have been grieving for one reason or another. This easy to read book is surely a difinitive guide for those searching to heal.

In The Lost Flower Children nine year old Olivia lives with her five year old sister, Nellie, and her pop.Olivia's mother passed away. Olivia is a very smart girl. She's read many books.Olivia's remembers every thing she's ever read. Her sister say's her brains like a sponge. Olivia's pop is always on the road so this summer he's sending them to Aunt Minty's house. Olivia and Nellie have never heard of their aunt and are not looking forward to the long summer ahead. They will be staying with Aunt Minty until the end of August. Aunt Minty used to be a famous gardener. Now she just gardens around her horse shoe garden. Aunt Minty's house is filled with books. Many of them were from close friends and family who's passed away and left them to her. The books are all over, on book cases in every bedroom, and book shelves on the living room walls. One day Olivia found a book in Aunt Minty's room. She relized the garden in the story sounded alot like the one in Aunt Minty's backyard. Olivia went to go ask her about it and she said the writter used to be popular, but not any more because of his old fashioned language. The guy used to own Aunt Minty'

In The Lost Flower Children [...] Olivia lives with her five year old sister, Nellie, and her pop.Olivia's mother passed away. Olivia is a very smart girl. She's read many books.Olivia's remembers every thing she's ever read. Her sister say's her brains like a sponge. Olivia's pop is always on the road so this summer he's sending them to Aunt Minty's house. Olivia and Nellie have never heard of their aunt and are not looking forward to the long summer ahead. They will be staying with Aunt Minty until the end of August. Aunt Minty used to be a famous gardener. Now she just gardens around her horse shoe garden. Aunt Minty's house is filled with books. Many of them were from close friends and family who's passed away and left them to her. The books are all over, on book cases in every bedroom, and book shelves on the living room walls. One day Olivia found a book in Aunt Minty's room. She relized the garden in the story sounded alot like the one in Aunt Minty's backyard. Olivia went to go ask her about it and she said the writter used to be popular, but not any more because of his old fashioned language. The guy used to own Aunt Minty'

I think this is a wonderful book and I recommend it to people who like exciting books. My favorite part of the book was when Nelly and Olivia discover the garden book, the teacups and how they find them one by one. I recommend this book to people under the age of 13. Another one of my favorite parts was how the girls made lots of friends.

In The Lost Flower Children, A mystery is unravelled when 2 unexpecting children are sent to there Aunt Miny's house. When the kids read the story too many things look familiar in the pictures. Follow through this mysterious mystery and be suprised! I reccomend this to people between the ages of 8-12.

I enjoyed this fanciful, dreamy, and yet extremely "down to earth" story at least as much or more than Taylor's Newbury Honor book, Afternoon of the Elves, and felt this one deserved a similar honor. As usual, Taylor does a superb job of towing the line between reality and fantasy, lacing ordinary experiences with little hints of magic that seem so natural and believable that it makes you think twice. Satomi Ichikawa's wistful sketches also provide a perfect compliment to the text. This is a charming book for lovers of gardens or of fairy tales, for imaginative young adults, and for people of all ages who still want to believe in a bit of magic.

Maggie Seeks the Kingdom of God

Finally! A book that has all the answers a child may have regarding End Times prophecy - and more importantly, it's explained in a way they can fully understand! The author has also done a wonderful job of supporting everything with scripture, further drawing a child to their Bible for more! Additionally, this book has some of the best illustrations I've ever seen in a children's book, fully capturing the essence of the little girl as she seeks answers about the kingdom of God from her mother. This book is a 'must-have' for your children and makes a great gift for others.

What an amazing book! Our kids loved the illustrations and asked questions with every turn of the page. My 4-year-old is even understanding the meaning of a mediator and how Jesus serves that role in God's plan. This book will no doubt provoke questions among adults that may be reading this book to their kids, as it is a topic that has been neglected over the years. The Kingdom of God was Jesus' favorite topic, and this book sheds light on just how easy it is to understand if we have the passion that Maggie had to ask questions, study, and learn. Again, an awesome book!

Amazing work! I was happy to receive this book and am excited for others to as well. Consistent with the message of Jesus and geared for a critical audience. The illustrations are wonderful - some of of which I would like to have in my home. Highly recommended.

This is an excellent children's book with gorgeous illustrations. It shares the hope of Jesus's return with kids in a way they can understand.
The pictures are absolutely beautiful and there are nice questions for
discussion with your child at the end

Maggie Seeks the Kingdom of God is dynamite, if read intelligently and with a view to defining the Christian Gospel. Jesus made an intelligent reception of the Kingdom of God (word of the Kingdom, Matt. 13:19) a prerequisite for repentance and being forgiven (Mark 4:11, 12 says it all). Some find this rather shocking. They think that repentance and forgiveness are based solely on Jesus' death and resurrection. But Maggie and all, young and old, need to start by believing the command of Jesus in Mark 1:14, 15. This is Jesus' first imperative, and very much neglected by Protestants who think that Romans is the only place to find the Gospel!
Angela Hays Moore places before the very young the necessary first ingredient in the saving Gospel, the Kingdom of God. I hope that this author will follow up (assisted by her excellent illustrator) with other theological and instructional gems, which will put all the Maggies there are in a position to read the NT with understanding, starting where Jesus and Paul always started, that is, with the Gospel of the Kingdom, the only hope for us individully and for the world.
Maggie will be among the first to start the avalanche of new understanding which will result in an abandonment of all the so called "going to heaven" language used by churches. Maggie will learn rather to define the Christian goal, as Jesus always did, as inheriting the earth and the future Kingdom of God.

This story "The Magic Bicycle", by William hill is lively and helps boost the imagination of anyone who reads it. William Hill has made it sound like a similar version of E.T., as the story consist the main characters of a boy, his bike and an alien it.
This story is about a boy named Danny Chase, who had been born under the black-cloud, and his calico cat, named Murgitroid. Danny's mother and sister have both died in a car accident 2 years before, and his dad doesn't spend much time with him as he is a busy man and he thinks that his son should stand up for himself. He is currently attending a school in Carswell Air Force Base outside Ft. Worth, Texas, where he is left out because of his personality.
It starts off on a negative point in Danny's life after two of his family members died; he is being chased by bullies; Spike, Spike's older brother Rocky, their friends, which are all of built for sports; most of them play football in the junior high team. As Danny arrives at a dead end, he realizes he has no choice but to enter the haunted house. As he explores the house, he finds an alien hidden in the basement. As he saves the alien's life from being sent to the scientists for experiment, the alien gives him a magic bicycle in return as a gift for saving his life.
This is the part of the story where it is truly exciting. As Danny experiments with the bicycle, he realizes that not only can he change the form, status and appearance with his mind, he can also listen to his cat talking English to him wisely and heal the riders of the bike by traveling on it, but he can travel back to the past or into the future, whichever he likes.
I recommend this story to all because it boosts the imagination of its reader; as well as teaching them an important lesson: sometimes doing a good deed can have its benefits maybe not a magic bicycle, but a relieving feeling in your hearts. That is truly a gift for all of us; it is important for everyday life.

I read TMB in a very short time. Not because I am a fast reader, but because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next! This book is always entertaining and thought provoking, you deffinately get a different perspective on cats. The book is unpredicable enough to keep you off guard, but writen cleverly enough to always keep you involved. I am 37 years old, and all I can say is that if this is a childrens book, pass me the Ovaltine!

I previewed this book before sending it to several younger relatives for Christmas. The author may have been targeting the "young adult" but I found plenty in it for us "older adults", too! The book was every bit as enjoyable as William Hill's earlier books and I look forward to more fun reading from this outstanding young author!

Incredibly imaginative. I was struck how so many ages could appreciate this piece of creative genius. I am 40 and I liked it. A 14 year old would love it. I think my grandfather would have appreciated it in that it seems to evoke nostalgic memories from youth about overcoming problems and turning your dreams and desires into reality.. 2 big thumbs up!!!!!!!

TMB is one of the greatest books I've ever read, along with Chasing Time. It holds marvelous truths about our own lives, and inspires one's imagination. Anyone can - and should - read it. It's a wonderful book that allows you to get out of your world for a couple of hours, and return to it wiser. Both children and grown-ups are invited to ride with Danny and Murg on the Magical Bicycle to amazing new places, across time. An unforgettable experience.

You need this book. It is easy to become so engrossed in Kauffman's easy writing style that you will continue reading and lose track of time. Thumb through and stop at any place and you are guaranteed to find a wealth of information. Detractors to the best toxic-free remedies are provided rebuttals--you can learn a comprehensive approach to what and why. Let's make this required reading in medical schools! The only error I found was a typo misspelling of Antiplatelet in the Fig. 1-2 Treatment Meta-Analysis Table (p. 21). Again, this book is so loaded with useful information you will constantly refer to it. On p. 232 and again on p. 254 we read, correctly, how sunblock contributes to cancer by blocking Vitamin D formation--something that Rodale Press in their vast publishings fail to impart. Rodale Press, whom some may consider a leader in preventive health publishing, recommends sunblock to unsuspecting readers.

The hallmark of clinical observations (p2-3) over random clinical trials [RCT] is a common sense approach often missed in the medical literature and is sometimes used to discredit bonafide treatments that elicit positive results. You will learn of the class-action lawsuit against Pfizer regarding Lipitor [still want to ask you Dr. if it's right for you?](p97) and that statins cause cancer (p98).

The section on fluoridation is a must read. "How Antiflouridationists Have Weakened Their Cause," to only non-English speaking countries having the foresight to reject fluoride, to 60% US public water supplies being fluoridated--we get the good, the bad, and the ugly. As fluorides have been shown to increase cancer risks, adding them to water violated the Delaney Clause of the 1958 Amendment to the Food Drug & Cosmetic Act of 1938. So, the Delaney Clause was repealed in 1996 (p.273). Also, adding fluoride violates the EPA policy on drinking water standards (Safe Drinking Water Act) explaining why the 1990 National Toxicology Program on sodium fluoride was "revised" with findings of "clear evidence of carcinogenicity" to "equivocal" evidence. This was necessary to keep the flouridation program legal (p274).

On mammograms, benefits claim lower breast cancer mortality without providing all-cause mortality. Kauffman reminds that this is also a major fault in "major texts in gynecology and oncology" (p217). However, I was surprised to find thermography cast in such low regard, but then this is coming from the American College of Radiology, who cites a false-positive rate of 25% (p.212). Kauffman clarifies this in Addendum 1, on an entire page devoted to Thermography, in which thermography is better "able to detect breast cancer 5-8 years before mammography with vastly fewer false-positive errors" (p.327).

On anti-oxidents in red wine, Kauffman notes no evidence that moderate drinking offers worthwhile health benefits (p.142). What Kauffman calls "sudden enthusiasm for red wine in the late 1990s," reminds of a medical school course in which the professor remarked his telling the grape juice convention promoters that their product wasn't needed--that wine was preferred. No mention was made by the professor of the far superior anti-oxident capability of 1 gram of Vitamin C--in comparison.

There is absolutely no reason that this book should not sell out and go through several subsquent printings. A valuable edition to your medical library or home book-shelf.

In Joseph Conrad's famous novel, "Heart of Darkness," Marlowe, the narrator of the central tale travels to the Congo in search of the enigmatic and elusive Kurtz, a renowned European ivory trader who went to Africa as an idealistic "emissary of pity, and science, and progress." Marlowe finally encounters Kurtz on his deathbed, in a compound surrounded by a ruined fence, the posts of which are capped with shrunken human heads. Kurtz, having succumbed to primitive, destructive forces-- both external and internal-- utters his last words-a withering realization of truth: "The horror! The horror!"

Readers of Joel Kauffman's book "Malignant Medical Myths" should prepare themselves for an analagous journey of discovery. Not only will they learn of the specifics: that taking an aspirin a day may not make you live longer; that low carbohydrate diets are beneficial, not dangerous; that statin drugs, while effective in reducing cholesterol-an irrelevant endpoint-do little to reduce mortality-and then only in a very select population; that high blood pressure is over-treated; that the benefits of moderate alcohol use, exercise, and mammograms are exaggerated; that chelation therapy is unfairly maligned; that fears of radiation are overdone; that cancer cure rates have not changed much in the last forty years.

More important than these specifics is the totality-the picture of the medical establishment which emerges from them. That establishment, like Kurtz, is often seen as a beacon of pity, and science, and progress, but, when examined more closely, seems corrupted by greed, an aversion to truth, and a kind of tribalistic conformity; it seems to lack the structures which would provide an ethical backbone, and promote a commitment to scientific thinking. The hospital compound, with its white coats and gleaming machines is shadowed and compromised by an ominous fence of grievous errors and unpleasant truths.

The first subheading in Dr. Kauffman's introductory chapter is: "You Do Not Have To Trust Your Doctor." The reasons gradually become clear: Doctors' recommendations often rely on information which is "outdated, biased, flawed, and sometimes based on outright fraud."
Drug companies manipulate the results of clinical trials by careful selection of volunteers, by elimination of those who show initial adverse side-effects, by publishing only favourable results, by dealing only with surrogate endpoints, by failing to use placebos, and by failing to provide total mortality figures. Relative risk statistics, which are often highly misleading are used to advantage. Abstracts of medical papers, and hence press releases, may contain selective and hence misleading information. Doctors may not only rely on information given by drug company representatives; they are feted, gifted, and even paid by drug companies. Doctors on decision-making committees and panels often have conflicts of interest because of financial ties to drug companies. Doctors have great difficulty in exercising independent judgement, because conformity to current thinking, no matter how mistaken, is the safest course.

"The horror! the horror!"

We should be grateful to Dr. Kauffman for the research he has done to expose these medical myths, and reveal the corruption which initiates and maintains them. I became aware of Dr. Kauffman's work in 2005, in researching the causes of heart disease. Dr. Kauffman is a former professor of Chemistry at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, and (according to biographical information on the back cover) has now "turned his attention to exposing fraud in medicine."

I think everyone should read this book, but there is no doubt that many will find it troubling. At the end of Conrad's novel, Marlowe meets with Kurtz's fiancee. When she asks what Kurtz's last words were, he responds: "The last word he pronounced was - your name."
He lies, because, in the end, the truth is too difficult. (It is the "necessity" of this lie that is the "Darkness" referred to in the title.) Dr. Kauffman is a Marlowe who has the courage to tell us what really happened.

This was exactly what I was looking for, INFORMATION and while it isn't a book for the beach, I will read and refer to it for many days,months and years. Would not part with this book.

One of the most remarkable examples of herd behavior among humans is their tendency to create and believe lore about medicine. Although biomedical researchers consider themselves above all this, as Kauffman shows, they are not. Without engaging in either inflated rhetoric or florid outrage, Kauffman exposes and dissects conventional wisdom in a careful selection of conditions that affect large numbers of people. Despite the occasional misstep, he puts the evidence and argument out on the table for us to see and judge. We cannot ask for more. When you are finished reading it, send it to your doctor.

If you care about your health, or that of those around you, this is a must read book.

This certainly isn't a book you can simply skim read. It took me a while to ponder about the impact this might have (I'm a medical student). The arguments are very well presented; he puts all the studies in front of you and analyzes them in a relevant manner.

What I consider to be a minor flaw in the book: the author sometimes concludes that certain differences in mortality are "negligible" when I don't think they are negligible. Certainly though, improvements in mortality rate are far easily attainable via fish oil, magnesium and other quality supplements.

I would love to see a new version of this book, further exploring and digging through the literature on various drugs and supplements.

I keep a supply of these books on hand to share with people experiencing one of the life situations dealt with by the author -- hurt, loss and grief. Practical, usable help caringly given.

This is a wonderful little book that helps us to see that forgiveness is a true gift to the one forgiving - whether it be forgiving someone who has hurt you through omission or through death or forgiving oneself. I have given this book to others who need to "mend their hearts" in some way. I always keep one for myself. It is a book that can be read over and over again.

'Mending the Heart' is a gem of a book that really touches the soul. Written by Fr. John Claypool, an Episcopal priest, this book has insight and inspiration about how to deal with some of the crucial hurts in life.

The book is very short, but do not let its brevity deceive. In a mere 68 pages of text, Claypool looks at the wounds of Grievance, Guilt, and Grief. These are primarily interpersonal situations - what happens when someone hurts us? When we hurt someone else? When we lose someone?

'Grievance, guilt, and grief are all part of our human journey from womb to tomb,' Claypool asserts, and as such assume a central importance in our lives. Combining personal stories, parishioner tales, stories from colleagues and other ministers (Frederick Buechner is one of his favourites), as well as a grounding in the liturgical/Book of Common Prayer tradition, Claypool navigates some of the various emotional responses an individual is likely to have due to such situations.

In each instance, Claypool invites us to examine our past realistically, while maintaining a perspective on the present and hope for the future. Claypool does not offer easy fixes or quick remedies, but realistically approaches the fact that some things cannot be repaired or put back the way it was.

With respect to the section on Grief, I have used this many times as chaplain at a retirement centre. Looking at life as a gift rather than a possession, we can gain a perspective in which to give greater thanks for what we have had, and despite the fact that grief is a very real and sometimes dangerous condition, there are periods of inspiration in which God can enter and lead out of the wilderness.

Published by the Cowley Press, this book bears the imprint of Cloister Books, so called as they fit the sense of meditation and slow journey that a monastic cloister can conjure. Despite the relatively few pages, this text nonetheless can take a long time to read, mark and inwardly digest, and is a little book that calls me again and again.

It is a true blessing to read.

After the loss of my brother, it seemed I looked for help in every corner of the world. I did not know what all my brother stood for in my life until he was gone. I did not want to die, but I thought I was going too. This book was given to me about a year after my brother died and I thought, Thank you God for John Claypool. My brother died seeking the affirmation of my parents, I have spent my life trying to get it. My brother died of a broken heart. I will not do so. The day he died I told myself that I was going to make a positive out of this. John Claypool has given me the strength and vision to do want I have wanted to do since that day. I cannot even begin to remember how many of these books I have given to friends, acquaintances, etc. It is powerful. Everyone should read it, no matter what you're situation. Thank you John Claypool.

If there is anyone who is more qualified or more compassionate to write about forgiveness after two chapters on Grievance and Guilt, then I hope to find that person! John starts with his friend Frederick Buechner in the utter despair of living with his Father's suicide. In one of his more recent sermons in Athens, GA. he refers to despair as the ultimate sickness of the soul. This can only be spoken as truth by one who has been in despair! I have heard John tell of his personal despair in the passing of his beloved young daughter, Laura Lue in traumatic years of 1968-1970.

That is his final story in this little jewel of stories. Three others stand out for me...the story of Sam Keen and his Father, his childhood puppy, Jiggs, his friend telling about Charlie's passing. When John repeats these stories in sermons or teaching classes it is like reliving the emotions of those experiences! As he often says it is not simply the experience... "it is the reflecting upon the experience!"

This intimately personal collection of stories makes for an incredible gift to someone in grief or despair! Positively his best yet...from an old friend: Retired Chaplain Fred W Hood

A great book! This is a compilation of short stories representing the author's eight-year career as a Washington DC police officer. This book provided unique insight into a career that many people would shy away from, especially in a notoriously high-crime area such as Washington, DC. The author showed that even though he faced dangerous and stressful situations on a regular basis, he maintained a level head and his hope to help the community. The stories are poignant, allowing the reader to experience a range of emotions along with the author. In a job that often carries a stereotype of big egos and power trips, it is refreshing to see a portrayal of an officer with a sensitive and vulnerable side. I highly recommend this book.

Archer gives you an inside look at what it's like to be a police officer in one of America's toughest cities. He will take you on an emotional journey that many police officer's endure throughout their careers. You will see how as a police officer you see the best and the worst sides of humanity and still try to balance your own life. Overall, this is an excellent book and if you decide to take the journey with Archer, you won't put the book down until it's finished.

Miles To Go...is a quick and enjoyable read. It certainly gives the reader an interesting insight into a police officer's day to day life, as well as a new found respect for what our law enforcement does on a daily basis. More importantly, this isn't just a day to day journal, but an honest account of why the author became a police officer and how he got through his days out on the street, whether it was doing undercover work, or trying to bust down the door of a brothel. I enjoyed the fact that the author could see the different perpetrators as people and could understand and appreciate where they came from rather than just chalking them up to another "collar." I highly recommend it!

As a cop, I know that we don't like to share our emotions. Especially about the things we see or experience on the job. These things are typically sealed in compartments and packed away, too difficult to contemplate or share. Christopher Archer lifts the thin blue line and exposes what his eyes saw, his body felt, and his heart bled with sincerity. You will frequently have to pause while reading this book to laugh, gasp for air, or swallow hard. I wish that the author had woven a common theme through this collection of stories, but perhaps I'm asking too much from someone who has exposed so much.

Christopher M. Archer has written an OUTSTANDING book. Detailing the life of a cop in The Nations Capital. The stories are real and shocking. Each chapter tells you a different story of the daily life of a cop wanting to "Protect and Serve". Once you start reading this book you won't want to put it down. The stories are all true. I know first hand, I had the pleasure of working with him during our RDU days. Great Job Chris!

Readers looking to select a book about death, dying, and the afterlife come in two broad categories--those who have already found answers and are looking for books that reaffirm and don't challenge their beliefs, and those who may have found answers, but are still open to hearing about others' experiences. Readers of the second type--the seekers--will find much of interest in Yvonne Perry's collection of firsthand accounts, More Than Meets the Eye: True Stories about Death, Dying and Afterlife.
Perry's point of view is by no means dispassionate and objective. She writes movingly about her own near death experiences and the spiritual journey that compelled her to study these subjects. No one religious ideology overlays the book. Rather, she shares views and experiences of many people, well-documented in her bibliography.
In "Souls and Ceremonies" (Chapter 4), Perry takes a fascinating look at the rituals of death from a historical perspective--from early Egyptian practices to modern embalming in the U.S. after the Civil War. Particularly interesting and comforting were the true stories of near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, and spiritual visitation.
Perry's honest, straight-forward style is not bogged down by a lot of jargon or diversions that wander from the subject at hand. Seekers will appreciate this book and be glad for the time they've invested in hearing others' experiences with the Greatest Mystery on Earth.

The book touched on some subject that are sometimes considered taboo.
But, very important to look at them and understand them. Liked the book.

This book offers something for everyone. Whether you are new to learning about the near death experience (NDE) or have studied the phenomenon for years, this title holds a number of insights. Filled with multiple personal stories told from several points of view (including friends and relatives of the departed as well as those who've experienced an NDE), the stories are enlightening and comforting.

Many people question what will happen in the hereafter. Perry's book offers reassurance and comfort to those who've recently lost a loved one or are questioning their own existence.

I came upon this book at a time when I was looking for spiritual answers about Life/ Death and why we are here. The book spoke directly to some of the issues I was struggling with as well as areas of related interest. It is written in a manner that is easy to read without being condescending.
I appreciated the stories but even more the information about burial options, living wills and the commentary about how we handle death and the dead in our culture. I found the near death experiences and stories about contacting loved ones on the other side particularly comforting because they come from the experiences of average people, not folks preaching an ideology or trying to make a buck. I was also surprised to find my own experiences and developing beliefs validated by many of them.
My thanks to the author, this is one I'll hang on to.

The book was serendipity. At age 55, I realized that I was on
the downhill slide, and white knuckling it, on the way down.
My fear of death led me in search of reassurance, answers,
and peace. This book gave it to me. The stories were told by
every day people and by the author as well. I felt a great
sense of relief and peace upon finishing the book.
Dale Morrison