Suicide Books

It all starts with a one-of-a-kind baseball card and ascends from there into a wild ride piloted by one Connor Samson. Along for the ride are a nympho, an ex-NSA ninja woman (NSA?), a giant black bodyguard, a bunch of Yakuza heavies and many more colorful characters. The plot is simple -- everybody wants to get ahold of the baseball card -- and proceeds at breakneck speed. The book is like a James Bond novel, outrageous, but not so outrageous that it is silly. Gischler does a yeoman's job keeping everything under control. Wild as it is, Gischler has penned a disciplined, enjoyable book. Definitely four-stars and I'll throw in a fifth for sheer creativity.

I really wanted to like this book. His cast of characters sounds interesting, a marginal repo man, Yakuza, a NSA super-SWAT women (yes NSA, the author doesn't know any better) and various others. But to my mind the characters just didn't come together to build an engrossing tale. I was able to put the book down for days at a time come back to it and read a few of the very short chapters, then put it down again. It took me over a month to read and that's unusual. I can't point to any one thing and it's not a horrible read it just never drew me in. I will say it was a lot better than the author's Gun Monkeys which I really disliked. I didn't dislike this one, I just didn't care.

but don't worry, you'll have fun as the author metes out justice with a dark humor.

Conner Samson thinks of himself as a failure in life. And he is absolutely right. He blows a college sports scholarship, a chance at being a pro player. You name every good break that wandered into Samson's life and he could tell you how he blew it. Bad luck, he would say.

Now he can't afford to pay for a dollar beer at the bar, his latest inspired bets having failed. He owes Rocky Big, the local crime chieftain, $2,500 in lost wagers. He knows that Fat Otis, Rocky's enforcer, a 6' 5" black man will soon be looking for him to collect. (As it turns out, Otis and Conner are old buddies so Conner knows he has a tiny bit of wiggle room before his bones are broken.)

Desperate for a quick paying gig, Conner winds up plying his occasional trade as a repo man, this time looking for a sailboat.

The sailboat belongs to Teddy Folger, another loser in the game of life. Folger has divorced his life, hidden his assets, burned down a strip mall shopping center for the insurance and is about to sail into the sunset with a young woman half his wage. The woman, though she, when in financial need, accepted a thousand dollars to spend a night with Teddy now wants nothing to do with him. Teddy is dejected, but he still has his hole card: literally. Teddy has a baseball card signed by Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn Monroe and Billy Wilder who directed the star in "The Seven Year Itch," the movie with the famous scene of Marilyn's skirt billowing upward.

Teddy thinks the card is worth a million dollars, which will fund his life of sybaritic ease.

Across the continent and the Pacific Ocean, Ahira Kuriska is locked in private conflict with Hito Hyatta in their race to accumulate world class collections of, well, collectibles. Kurisaka is a billionaire, his fortune rooted in his earlier life (which he hasn't quite left behind) as a feared member of the Japanese underworld Yakuza. Kuriska is always one-upped it seems by Hyatta. Kuriska is convinced that Hyatta is seeking to acquire Teddy Folger's rare baseball trading card. Kuriska is determined to beat his rival.

And thus the stage is set for a riotous and murderous romp across Florid and Alabama as corpses pile up and a case of weird characters make their appearances (and often exits) in Victor Gischler's charming, endearing and very funny novel.

There's Tyranny Jones, eccentric artist and nymphomaniac (oh wait, Tyranny's therapist reminds her that she is not a nymphomaniac, but a sex addict) and sort-of long time lover of Conner Samson. Sort-of lover because Tyranny, who hops into bed with everyone including a dragooned delivery driver, won't committ the deed with Conner. Professor Dan, Tyranny's artsy husband accepts his wife's special needs. There's Rocky Big himself, a criminal colussus who is really quite a sophisticated, caring fellow . . . when he's not having people disappear or their bones broken. JoEllen Becker, late of the NSA, is there, fueled by murderous memories of her owwn failures and better days ahead.

Gischler has written a wonderfully comic novel of murder, mayhem and the destiny of losers who are destined to lose. "Suicide Squeeze" may or may not be a masterpiece, but it is a marvelous read. Conner Samson will remain in mind for a long time.

Jerry

It's tough not to like a novel with Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe at the center of the plot. Even tougher when you've got characters like Fat Otis running around "turning strong, healthy men into little, mashed-up heaps of bone and flesh." And then there's bookie Rockie Big, an adulterous nympho girlfriend named Tyranny, a fat Japanese billionaire Yakuza boss, and a busted ex-NSA agent, all playing backup to our hero, the broken-down would-be ballplayer, hard luck gambler, sometimes repo-man and all times lovable Conner Samson.

If like me you'd never heard of Victor Gischler, fasten your seatbelt and lock in for the whacked-out spawn of the mating of Carl Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard, an in-your-face trip through Florida's panhandle while Samson tracks down a deadbeat's boat and a legendary baseball card. Gischler's prose literally rips across the pages, too fast for poetry, too lean for embellishment, bouncing from one-liner to six-shooter as thick with black humor as it is with fresh corpses. And give Gischler extra credit: nowhere in his cast of misfits and miscreants is there a single Russian mobster, the seemingly obligatory feature of every thriller written in the past couple of years.

If you're looking for an irreverent read straight from the hip, fast and furious with not an ounce of social redeeming value to distract you, Victor Gischler and "Suicide Squeeze" marks the end of your quest. "Just do it."

A little over four years ago I found this book in a bookstore in Hobart, Tasmania. Since I teach high school English, I asked the owner of the store what high schoolers were reading and loving in Australia; without pausing, she walked down an aisle and stopped at this book.

I started reading it on the long plane ride back to the United States and finished it in less than two hours. I'll never forget my kids asking me what was wrong when I finished it, as tears were streaming down my face, and I didn't even know it.

That spring it wasn't being published in the United States yet, but I had to "test" it on my freshmen at the private school where I work, so I ordered a class set from Hobart. Even though it is a "girls' book", my male students easily took to it. It was the perfect book to teach before beginning my poetry unit, too, as we discussed the many awesome poems that Brugman includes. Since then, it has been, hand's down, the most memorable book that my freshman read each year. I even have them find the "Perdita's" in their grade and spend a week reaching out to them as part of a personal project that is shared with no one but me. There is no better book about the importance of being AUTHENTIC, even when it is not the popular thing to do.

I bought this for my daughter as required reading for English and it ended up being her favorite book.

Walking Naked is a good book. The protagonist Megan kind of annoyed me though. Her character and sense of judgement of Perdita is totally wrong, and it's obvious because of the group of friends she hangs out with. They chant, "FREAK! FREAK! FREAK!" at Perdita when she walks past them. Wtf? Megan, in my opinion, was a somewhat typical stereotype of a teenage girl who is all about being in the clique and everything, but acts mean to the ones who are weird.

This novel is based on a teenage girl named Megan Tuw who goes through the troubles of a popular girl in high school. She was one of the leaders in the crowd along with her best friend Candace. Everything was fine untill she got into detention with the freak, the outcast, Perdita Wiguiggan. As time past Megan had become a little distant with her best friend and thought Perdita was pretty interesting. But if she choses to become friends with Perdita, her reputation would be ruined and the whole school would be against her.
I had to read the book for Literature circle and it was one of the books that I actually finished.(teachers don't check if you read it or not.) I love the book because it was very realistic and well written. Definitely worth a read, especially to teenagers. It would teach people a lesson and to think before they act.
This book lost a star because I didn't understand the poems. Since this is mainly a teen read, the poems seemed as if it was to be read by older people. But don't worry, there arn't many poems and they don't affect the way you read the book.
If you havn't read it, I suggest you pick up the book today.

Walking Naked is a excellent book. Its about Megan whos popular befriending the school outcast Perdita. Megan is soon faced with a choice to chose between her friends in the cool crowd or being an outcast with Perdita. That is one part in the storyline were Perdita acted like a lunatic in front of one of Megan's friends. The ending is shocking and sends a wake up call to Megan. I loved this book. Any teenage girl between the ages of 13-19 should definetly read it.

I am giving this book 5 stars so as not to drive people away. I want people to read it. Its an important book. However, I have a problem with its ideology. While it gives a nod to "free-thinkers", this book clearly has a pro-life agenda and derives some of its beliefs from the religious right. As a person with a disbility, I was enthralled to see a book connecting the euthanasia of the past with today's "physician assisted suicide" movement. I am also glad that they take exception with Peter Singer who for some reason is all over the media as a moral ethicist when he promotes the euthanasia of severely disabled children. However, the chapter on the Netherlands loses me. The book stating that the Netherlands legalizing marijuana and prostitution, two commomn sense measures to get rid of victimless crimes lead to their recent laws allowing the euthanization of disbled children just doesn't hold weight. The Nazis were not exactly propopents of sexual freedom so I don't believe that creating a freer society automatically leads to physicians being allowed to decide whether a person has the credentials to be worthy of life. Rather than a pro-choice take on the subject I'd like to see a book focusing on the disability perspective and that many people with newly acquired disabilities who at first believe that life is not living gradually accept their life and move on. However, for pointing out that the euthanasia movement began in the U.S. and not Nazi Germany and that some of the people that Dr. Kevorkian murdered (yes murdered) were people who had depression and not a terminal illness or severe untreatable pain, I commend this book. Its just that by taking a "pro-choice" stance this book alienates people who might otherwise take a stand against this widening threat to people with disabilities.

Bioethicist Wesley J. Smith pierces the emotionalism, fear mongering, and euphemisms that are the standard fare of the assisted suicide movement to expose its attempt to strip the sick and disabled of their dignity. Far from a compassionate answer to suffering, assisted suicide is a new form of oppression.

Forced Exit offers chilling evidence of just how powerful and dangerous the death culture in America has become. Smith makes a compelling case against legalizing assisted suicide and takes a close look at the truly humane and compassionate alternatives, challenging us to maintain morality in medicine and protect the most vulnerable among us.

Smith recounts his entry into this debate after a close elderly friend committed suicide. This friend relied upon materials from the Hemlock Society, a pro-euthanasia advocacy organization encouraging people to see suicide as a joyous act of deliverance. Using books with titles such as "Let Me Die Before I Wake" or "Self-Deliverance with Certainty," Smith's friend found the tools and encouragement she needed to plan and carry out her death. The self-killer was instructed on proper technique and then, in an ineffectual disclaimer, warned that the information was only to be used for "self-deliverance from a terminal illness." Smith's friend had no such illness.

Explains theologian Richard John Neuhaus, "Thousands of ethicists and bioethicists, as they are called, professionally guide the unthinkable on its passage through the debatable on its way to becoming the justifiable until it is finally established as the unexceptional." It is precisely this arc that Smith urges our culture to stop as regards euthanasia. To that end, Smith offers sobering evidence that the right of the terminally ill to "die with dignity" will lead to involuntary euthanasia, or selective medical treatment, and perhaps even forced death apart from terminal illness.

Smith treats with compassion those who long to commit suicide. He recognizes that the euthanasia issue arose because people watched their loved ones writhe in pain after receiving inadequate medical care. He realizes that many support euthanasia because of a very reasonable fear of being victimized by our money-driven, dehumanizing, and increasingly impersonal health-care system. The unraveling of communities and the breakdown of families has also contributed to a system of malaise and despair within society, giving many fewer reasons to live or value life. While Smith does not deny the valid emotions driving the euthanasia movement, he recognizes that euthanasia is not the solution to these problems, but is rather a surrender to them.

This is the first book I have read that deals exclusively with the subject of euthanasia but Wesley J. Smith's compelling arguments have ensured that it will not be the last. The statistics in this book about the Netherlands alone are horrifying and yet, unfortunately, not especially surprising. Once you have crossed the line between forbidding and permitting physicians to kill, how can you prevent them from believing that they know best regardless of the guidelines that are supposed to prevent them from ending their patients' lives even against the explicit wishes and fears of those patients? As euthanasia enthusiasts push their agenda in the media, it is important that people like Smith reveal the true nature and consequences of their arguments. In spite of assurances to the contrary, even cautiously starting down the path to the death culture will lead to inevitable nightmare consequences like those seen in the Netherlands. To the "death fundamentalists" there is nothing particularly troubling about that; to the rest of us this horrifying example should be enough to halt us all in our tracks.

This is a revision and expansion of his earlier work of 1999. In it he brings up to date recent developments in the euthanasia wars. But the same concern for where society is heading, and the same call for action is found in this volume.

Smith argues that modern medicine is undergoing a seismic shift, as is that of the surrounding culture. Whereas societies and their medical practitioners once believed that saving life and protecting life was our highest and most noble calling, they have now come to see that killing in the name of compassion is both justified and necessary.

What has brought about such a radical shift in values and priorities? Smith argues that a number of inter-related causes can be mentioned. There is the "moral Balkanization" of Western culture, with a loss in moral absolutes and religious convictions. Then there is the elevation of personal autonomy as the highest virtue.

Also there is a very sophisticated political machine pushing the euthanasia agenda. Backed with big bucks and extensive marketing research, it has become adept at selling euthanasia. With plenty of euphemisms, misinformation and scare tactics, it is managing to convince many that death is desirable, and life is not.

And then there is the bottom line of money. The huge blowout in medical costs for the elderly makes the euthanasia alternative seem very tempting indeed. It is a major savings to bump off the elderly instead of treating them.

The hazards of legalizing euthanasia are many. Suffering would increase, not decrease. For example, the funding and research on problems like AIDS could easily be cut, with the idea that it would be better for these people simply to die. Pain relief, hospice work, and palliative care would also face major cutbacks and social undermining. Why bother, after all, when a quick lethal injection would be much cheaper and easier?

Smith examines some of the recent decisions made concerning end of life care, noting a slippery slope in action. In March of 1986 an ethical advisory panel of the American Medical Association declared that food and fluids provided by feeding tubes were no longer to be considered basic humane care, but medical treatment, and could therefore be withheld. Previously hydration and nutrition, even by means of tubes, were considered to be mandatory and necessary care.

This led to another momentous decision in 1994, when the AMA declared that foods and fluids could be withdrawn even if a patient was not terminally ill nor permanently unconscious, something that before was a requirement.

Smith points out that such steps along a slippery slope are not new, with a very similar incremental approach occurring in Germany early last century, leading to the final solution of the Nazis. A 1920 book written by two German professors, Permitting the Destruction of Life Not Worth Life became the cornerstone of Nazi practice which saw 200,000 helpless people deliberated killed by German doctors and nurses between 1939 and 1945.

The Dutch experience with euthanasia is another example of the slippery slope. First terminally ill patients were allowed to be killed. Then came the chronically ill, then the depressed, then even children. Once you accept the legalised killing of a patient is allowable, soon any and every sort of patient will become a candidate for the lethal injection. And the euthanasia virus is contagious. Belgium, a southern neighbor of Holland, also legalised euthanasia in 2002, making it the second nation in the world to do so.

The details Smith provides of the Dutch experience make for chilling reading, but they act as a sober warning to other nations. Prior to 1960 there was no push for euthanasia in Holland. But the 60s cultural revolution unleashed a host of liberalising trends, in many fields, be it sex, drugs, or the life issues.

A 1973 case saw the quasi-legalisation of euthanasia there. In 1993 guidelines were issued. But as Smith shows, these guidelines were a chimera, and euthanasia simply got out of hand. The guidelines were meant to keep euthanasia rare, only for the hard cases. But over time doctors interpreted loosely the guidelines, pushed the boundaries, and in effect ignored their intent.

Various reports have documented this slippery slope. The 1991 Remmelink Report found that nearly 9 per cent of all deaths in Holland were due to deliberate actions of doctors. And half of those were involuntary. And a 1996 study found that half of Dutch physicians took the initiative by suggesting euthanasia to their patients. Other research has found that it is usually families, not patients, who push for euthanasia. And a 1997 report found that doctors kill 8 per cent of all infants who die each year. And some 300 infants die each year because of medical neglect.

Teens suffering depression are also being bumped off. The list goes on and on. The Dutch experiment proves that once the door is opened, it does not close but simply gets pushed open even wider.

Taken as a whole, this volume makes for a worrying read. The trends in different parts of the world described here show us that we in the West have abandoned our respect for life, and have embraced the culture of death. Smith closes by noting that we have two options: we can choose the option of care and inclusion, or the option of death and exclusion. The sort of society that we become will be determined by the choices we make in this area.

No major change comes quickly. Little compromises are made that slowly but surely lead to a major, sometimes horrifying change. Such is the case with euthanasia.

Smith is a very readable writer and well informed on the issue. Yes there is some emotional content but that is not a bad thing. This is an emotionally charged issue. It is also a disturbing issue for many and far to many have fallen for the ready platitudes of the so called �Death with Dignity� crowd. When the lies and sweet words are stripped from their word though a very harsh and frightening reality is left.

As one who has had to fight this beast (we lost the battle and our loved one, the war goes on) I can tell you he is spot on to the problem with this book and his other writing on the topic. He has recommendations as to the direction of the solution but the action to reach it lies with you and I.

I�m in are you?

And a lacking middle. The middle drew on, slowed the pace of the book and more or less ruined it for me. That is not to say that this was a bad book. It just wasn't a good one either.
For a book that left the plot to the beginning and ending, it had terrible characters to sustain it through the slow middle. No one was particularly likeable, and almost all of them seemed completely unreal. Any moments of reality captured didn't include any of the characters.
Female characters were particularly lacking in this novel. They had weak motivations and no real, clear voice.
I felt like some of the "minor" characters were lacking in having their portion of the story told. All in all, this was entertaining enough, but it just wasn't they type of thing that I would say is a must-read, or even a if-you-have-the-time read.

A beautifully rendered story such as this reminds me why I love to read. Simply one of the best books I have ever read. I was so involved with Jack Owens, and his pain. I'm not afraid of other people's pain, having had several losses in my own life. I find a book like this honestly validates how painful life can get, and how we all, universally, ruminate over our choices, our losses, wondering how things might have been different if only...
I eagerly await for a second novel by Jamie Saul! Well done, sir.

If you are a parent (as I am), you may find it painful to read this book because it focuses on a man's reaction to the death of his 15 year old son and the mysteries surrounding that death. I nearly rejected this book because of the story itself, one that touched on my deepest fears (the loss of one of my children).

I'm glad I went ahead and read this one because this book is simply one of the best I've ever read and it is hard to believe it this author's FIRST novel, as it is written with a clarity and style that seems confident and sure. For those who are grieving or who have experienced grief, this one will ring absolutely true, as Jamie Saul has managed to capture the nuances and variations of a parent mourning a dead child, as well as the guilt and questions that surround the fact that death. I don't want to give anything away but there are mysteries and surprises to be revealed as the story unfolds and the reasons for this death are ones that aren't predictable- or expected - and I was riveted by the details as they unfolded.

The book starts out slowly, revealing background info about the small town of Gilbert, Indiana and about Jack Owen, a professor at the local university. He is in his office, finishing up some last bits of work before going off on vacation with his son when a detective arrives and tells him that the boy, Danny, is dead and, even more shocking, that he seems to have committed suicide.

Jack's immediate reaction is confusion and, of course, grief, but as time goes on he is forced to confront painful realities and questions. Could he have prevented this? Were there any signs that his son was depressed? Did Danny actually commit suicide or could it actually have been a murder?


Jack also has to face his past and the painful memories of his ex- wife, a woman who abandoned the family when Danny was only 6 years old, perhaps scarring the child forever. Past, present and future combine into an intriguing mix, but if you think you can figure out WHY the death occurred, think again...there is a shocking development that took my breath away. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Saul's books and hope that this book finds the readership it deserves, as it is haunting, memorable and finely crafted.

This novel is a humble masterpiece. I felt blessed just to hold it in my hands. In the most beautiful, elegant, flawless writing the author tells a tale of love, loss, grief, abandonment, and fathering with such delicate precision you know immediately you are in the presence of a genius. An artist with words, the author leads you slowly into a father's pain and agony. You will read it once for the story and then again for the appreciation of every finely crafted sentence. And then you will be haunted for days wondering what happens next, after THE END because you will care, deeply, for this father who has been so wounded.

LIGHT OF DAY by Jamie M. Saul
August 13, 2005

Rating: 4 ½ stars

Earlier this summer I read a wonderful book titled LIGHT OF DAY by Jamie M. Saul. One of my favorite books this year so far, it is the story of a man, Jack Owens, who must come to terms with his 14-year old son's suicide. As the book begins, Jack is in his office at the college where he teaches, and is waiting to get a call from his son. Instead, he receives word from a detective that his son has been found dead of an apparent suicide.

LIGHT OF DAY examines a parent's grief of the death of a child, but more than that it focuses on whether a person can be counted responsible for someone else's suicide. As Jack looks back on their lives, starting from his courtship with Danny's mother, Anne, their marriage and breakup, and finally Jack and Danny's life together in this small college town, Jack grapples with the idea that he could have prevented Danny's death.

Jack, as well as the reader, will begin a journey into Danny's life, and it isn't until the very end of the book that one understands Danny's angst, and why he did what he did. LIGHT OF DAY brings to mind some ethical and moral questions, including "what is the right thing" in terms of one's decisions in life? Is loyalty more important than morality? Is it more important to stay true to oneself? These are the questions that Jack ponders every day, (as does Danny) as he tries to put together the puzzle to Danny's suicide.

I really loved LIGHT OF DAY, for its focus on character and heavy moral and ethical questions that will have one question the same issues. I still do not know whether Jack did the "right thing" at the end of the book. It's a book that had me thinking for days after I read that last page.

Things Left Unsaid by Stephanie Hemphill was a very unique and interesting book. Overall, I thought the best thing about it was the way I was written in poems. This made me think a lot more about the things that were going on and forced me to think more about what I was reading. Other than that, I think that this book portrayed peer pressure in a very realistic way. Sarah, the main character, is a great student and friend at the beginning of the book, but as soon as she meets Robin, all of this is lost. This shows that other people can definitely shape you as a person, as seen by Sarah, even in a negative way, and this is a very valuable life lesson. Because of this book, the readers will probably think twice before changing themselves for other people. The readers will realize that being your own person is the best way to be. Thankfully, in the end, Sarah chooses to be her own person, not the person Robin wants her to be, and she is happier. In conclusion, I think that this book was very good. And that is all.

Sarah has always been a good girl, being everything her parents and friends want her to be. So when she meets Robin, she's instantly intrigued. Robin is everything Sarah isn't -- bold, brave, different. Sarah is drawn to her energy, and they become friends. True, Sarah's parents aren't thrilled with the friendship, but Robin has taught Sarah that parents aren't always right. Her time spent with Robin makes her other friendships fade into the background, but Robin is all that Sarah needs. For once in her life she is daring, and she likes it. She hardly even notices that the others -- girls who used to be Sarah's friends, are scared of both her and Robin. When Robin's sullenness and attitude takes a drastic turn, Sarah realizes how truly destructive she is, and how maybe being bad isn't more fun than being good. Told in free verse, this friendship tale is moving, realistic, and powerful.

Told in first-person poetry, Things Left Unsaid chronicles a school year in the life of Sarah, who is suddenly feeling itchy in her own skin. She finds herself being critical with her own friends and family members, and although they are there for her, she needs something else. Just what that something is, she doesn't know, not yet.

The book jacket makes the story sound as though it is the typical "bad friend" tale - a good girl falls under the influence of her new friend - but it is more than that. It is Sarah's search for herself, not just for a new friend or for attention. After befriending the bold and seemingly unafraid Robin, Sarah retains her old friends. She tries to figure out what is important to her, not to others, and she never does things simply to fit in. She learns from her own missteps as well as those of others and emerges a little older, a little wiser, a little sadder, a little happier.

Kudos are due to the writer and the character she created. Sarah's voice sounds authentic, and that made the story all the more enjoyable. Though I prefer prose when forced to choose, I love poetry and I enjoy poetry novels, and even I forgot that I was reading poetry - that's how real her voice is, how engrossed I became in the story. This story impressed me. You should read it, especially if you like Sonya Sones or Alison McGhee.

I read the book called Things Left Unsaid. It was about this girl named Sarah. Sarah was the girl that did all the right things. And one day she met a girl named Robin. Robin made Sarah become a bad girl. If you read my paper you will know Robin turned Sarah into a bad girl.
Sarah used to be a good girl, the one who always had her hand raised in class, always obeyed her parents. Once Robin came into the picture, Sarah's life changed. The way she use to dress, she does not dress like that any more, and her good grades become something, and to be seriously avoided.

I read the book called Things Left Unsaid. It was about this girl named Sarah. Sarah was the girl that did all the right things. And one day she met a girl named Robin. Robin made Sarah become a bad girl. If you read my paper you will know Robin turned Sarah into a bad girl.
Sarah used to be a good girl, the one who always had her hand raised in class, always obeyed her parents. Once Robin came into the picture, Sarah's life changed. The way she use to dress, she does not dress like that any more, and her good grades become something, and to be seriously avoided.

Dr. White's book is a neccesary read for all clinicians but is most important as a textbook for graduate psychology students. As practitioners, all of us realize that academic training in this vital area is lacking. Dr. White's book has consolidated the state of the art and then formulated the components needed for a thorough assessment process which also provides potential legal protection for the clinician. This is not a self-help book for the suicidal and depressed, it is not a therapy guide, it is an evaluative process description that serves very well in real world applications. My graduate students will be better prepared to handle the assessment of suicidal people by the time we have finished the book and course.

I found this resource to be a comprehensive review of etiology and prediction. Thoughtful, concise; a good resource for Court testimony and the implications therein.

For mental health professionals who work with suicidal individuals, there is no worse feeling than wondering if you've made "the right call"--especially if you've sent the client home with very little other than their promise not to hurt themselves. The book Dr. White has written and the HELPER model he developed broadened my understanding of suicidal people and provided me a sound/defensible system for making decisions regarding the treatment/management of suicidal individuals. I strongly recommend this easy-to-read, practical book to all who work with suicidal individuals in clinical practice.

Dr. Tom White offers a persuasive view in how to properly evaluate suicide risk by using a systematic approach. As a former colleague of mine, I expected Dr. White to write an excellent book on this topic; because, as part of his job, before he retired, he reconstructed what led up to inmate suicides in the North Central Region for the U.S. Department of Justice/Federal Bureau of Prisons. Therefore, he, more than most, was able to see what was missed by the evaluating clinician and other staff. His book was interesting, well-written, and useful. It serves to remind the evaluating clinican to cover all the bases when conducting a suicide assessment.

As a public health professional and father of a recent suicide attempter, I find this book a slap in the face to all those troubled with suicide.

First, the book treats suicide as an "occupational hazard" to health care providers (p. 2 and see other reviews), without showing any empathy or understanding of the real pain that leads to suicidal people to suicide.

Second, the book provides no empirical studies to suggest that the "systematic" approach proposed is accurate (sensitive or specific). In fact the author includes a clear disclaimer (p. iv), stating, "the assessment system presented in this book should be considered only as a guideline".

Third, the book offers no objective way to convert data about a person into an assessment of suicide risk. The Chapters on data collection are long (pp. 23-110), but the chapter on turning the data into conclusions is short (pp. 111-121). Moreover, many of these pages are spent on more disclaimers (pp. 111-116). The author suggests classifying risk into a few levels, but only based on very subjective criteria. Then the book returns to describing how to report the data and legal liability issues for the health care provider (pp. 123-159).

If you are a malpractice lawyer looking for a case, find someone who used this book to assess a patient as low risk, where the patient shortly thereafter committed suicide. Note that the author encourages the assessor not to "overestimate" risk (p. 119). Note the issues 1st thru 3rd issues raised above. Then file your case, and collect big time from the author and the person who assessed the risk.

Professionals who rely on this book to sleep better at night (as the author and reviewers suggest) should carefully consider the author's disclaimers and recognize that this book offers no emperical evidence that it will help you do what the title promises. The book offers no evidence that its use will "identify suicidal people".

"My Feet Aren't Ugly," guides the young reader to understand and gain self-esteem through affirmation and self-reflection. Debra's book allows space for the reader to get to know themselves better through journaling and self-reflection. The young reader will develop skills in areas such as creative thinking, positive thinking, understanding the importance of their health and goal setting. An excellent read that is also a great tool for all parents, teacher's and counselors.

Michelle Rossi author of All About Me
Contributing author in Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul2
Contributing author in Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul
Contributing author in Chicken Soup for the Child's Soul.

This book/journal is designed to boost the self-confidence of teen girls and I think it does a very good job. Every girl teen suffers from other teen girls gossiping about them and this book helps you to just ignore those things. Also, it helps you learn to overcome your fears and worries; it tells you why you fear those things and gives you tips on how to overcome those fears.

It gives you clear advice on how to avoid drugs and there is also a chapter about teen suicide; if you are on the edge of suicide, it gives you a telephone number and websites that will help you overcome your suicidal urges.

This book makes you feel good about yourself and helps you stop focussing on all the negative things.

Excellent book for bright young readers. Gives a message to improve self with a positive image.

For over a decade, Debra Beck has served as a mentor for young girls, doing workshops and working with girls' groups to provide them with positive and supportive guidance. Drawing upon her own experiences as both a woman and a mother of two daughters, she's combined that with the real-life experiences of the girls she's worked with to write MY FEET AREN'T UGLY. This is a self-help, interactive book designed to help girls love all aspects of themselves.

Broken down into nine main parts -- Let's Learn to Like Ourselves, What Are You Afraid Of? Oh, the Dark. Me too!, Are You Creative? Yes, Everyone Is!, Being Healthy - Both Physically and Spiritually, Who is Doing Drugs?, Kids on the Edge - Teen Suicide, Becoming a Woman - But I'm Still a Kid!, Sex! Is There a Price to Pay?, and Have You Started the Healing Yet? -- this is a guide to growing up, and taking control of your thoughts and actions.

Ms. Beck manages to provide guidance without sounding preachy, and providing opportunities for internal dialogue and "journal" space to work through scenarios that girls will find easy to relate to. This is a great guide for both pre-teens and teenagers, and would be a great gift for any girl in your life.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

Author Debra Beck shares her experience in serving as a mentor to teenaged girls in My Feet Aren't Ugly: A Girl's Guide To Loving Herself From The Inside Out, a self-help and self-esteem guide written especially for young women. Chapters cover choosing friends that treat a girl right; looking after one's physical health by eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep; the problems of drug abuse and teen suicide; the heavy price one pays for engaging in sex; and much more. "Is there a price to pay [for sex]?? YES!!! Pregnancy or getting a sexually transmitted disease (STD), having to tell the man you love and want to marry that you have had many sexual partners, that you have a sexually transmitted disease that he is going to get, and that you'll both have it for the rest of your lives! And then there's living with an STD. Absolutely there is a price to pay. Sexuality is big! It is such an important link to our self-esteem." A handful of black-and-white illustrations, as well as "think it over and journal" sections where girls can write down their thoughts on blank lines round out this helpful and encouraging guide.

I read the book Pitch Black by Melody Carlson. This story is about a girl named Morgan who has a big problem. Her problem is her best friend Jason commits suicide by taking an overdose of Tylenol. Morgan also thinks about committing suicide like Jason did and being with him where he is. She and two other friends from the suicide pact decide to do it together at Morgan's house but her grandma shows up and the whole plan is messed up for that night. Then Morgan starts to go to church and has second thoughts on committing suicide. You will have to read the book to find out the shocking but realistic secret about Jason's death that changes Morgan's thoughts about the suicide pact.
The lesson to learn is that you don't need to follow others because you could end up hurting your self, that's in the book but you have to read the end to really get it. There is one connection I have and that is that Morgan's mom and my mom both got re-married. I think they should have put more information in about Morgan and Jason's fun times so that I could get to know him better. The author got my interest by saying," Did you hear about Jason." No one under 11 should read this book, because it could give them bad thoughts.

Pitch Black is a book about a girl named Morgan. After her friend commits suicide, she and some of her friends try to follow in his footsteps. She tries not to chicken out until her grandma shows up. Morgan starts to see God's work even through bad situations. Hopefully, her friends will think the same thing.
The theme of the story was bad things happen, but you can get through it. The theme came to me when Morgan was trying to convince her friend that it's not worth killing yourself. The suicidal pact in this story really caught my attention. Teenagers should really read this book because many of them are faced with the same problems.

I really wish I had read this book a couple months ago.
When I tried to kill myself no one understood why I was in the hospital so long and why I was so sick. I overdosed on tylenol just like Jason did in the book. And just like Jason, I waited too long for my stomach to be pumped.
The whole story was very accurate and brought me back to that night. When she said that Jason had stomach pains and was sweating and his face was flushed... that's what tylenol does. It takes a long time but eventually the symptoms kick in.
Suicide is very serious and I think every has thought about it at one time or another. But it does get better. You just have to take life day by day and remember that God is always there.
This is a really great book and I wish it wasn't labeled Christian so that more people would read it because I know a lot of people who would benefit from it.

In this fourth installment of her TrueColors series, Melody Carlson focuses on the feeling of being lost --- to a point where suicide seems a viable option to alleviate the debilitating emotional pain. In the opening section of this story, Morgan Bergstrom just wants to be left alone. Not only does she have to contend with an out-of-touch divorced mother who's dating a man almost half her age (and whose plans to wed in Vegas over the weekend have Morgan in deep distress), Morgan also must cope with her kleptomaniac drug-addicted brother, an absentee dad, and a grandmother who took off to sow her wild oats in her later years.

Nothing about Morgan's life seems to be going according to plan or improving with time, which is one reason why she decides to ditch the youth group scene, attending church and speaking to God. At a standoff, Morgan believes it's useless to continue praying for "good things" to happen when it appears life just keeps getting more out of control.

Relishing a good pity party, Morgan doesn't realize that her current life's woes will seem small in comparison once she receives the devastating news that her good friend, Jason, committed suicide the night before. It takes some time for a stunned Morgan to realize that the news is true. Considering that Jason seemingly had it all together, Morgan wonders (along with her high school class) what chance the rest of them have.

In response to this event, an emotionally devastated Morgan and two other students desperately make a suicide pact with actual plans to carry out their joint suicide together. Thankfully, they are interrupted by the unexpected appearance of Morgan's grandmother, whose recent conversion to Christianity provides some steadying influence and a whisper of hope to Morgan. Through a series of mishaps, Morgan ultimately realizes that choosing to live --- even in the face of horrific pain --- is the most courageous decision she can make.

Trying to deter her fellow students (whose numbers begin to swell) from following through on their suicide pact is more daunting. Yet Morgan's newfound sense of hope in Christ and His ability to stand alongside others, even during the most dire tragedies, is contagious. She is able not only to thwart her peers' plans, but also joins them in establishing a "pact to live."

Though the storyline might at first glance appear trite, Carlson's ability to capture the emotional highs and lows overcomes any weakness in plot. Another excellent and practical inspiring text from this author.

--- Reviewed by Michele Howe

I hope no one has ever experienced the death of someone close to them. Unfortunately the majority of people have. It's even more sad when you know someone who's committed suicdie. As the 2nd most common form of death among teengers, it's very rare to go to a high school that has not experienced the effects of it. Even more scarier are the number of teens who have considered the thought of taking their own lives.

Pitch Black, book 4 in the True Colors series, takes a look at teen suicide, a sensitive yet important issue. Morgan's best friend has taken his life and she and two friends are struggling to figure out why. They come up with the solution that it is best to join him and they make a suicide pact. As Morgan finds out what really happen, she decides to rethink her stance and help others realize that it's not worth it to end your life.

I feel that this was a very good book that teens should read. What I found interesting is that Jason tried to kill himself not for the sake of his peers' attention but for his father's. Imagine the guilt his father will now face the rest of his life. The essay about the effects of Tylenol overdose was very informative and should be made more public. I also appreciated Carlson's aknowlegement that Christian teens sometimes shy away from situations they are uncomfortable in handling. When Morgan found herself questioning God, her youth group and even her best friend distanced themselves away from her. Those are the times when they should have been there for her the most.

I feel that many teens believe that no one would care if they died and everyone would be better off if they were gone. I know that because I used to feel that way myself. This should not be the case. Suicide is a topic that many Christians are afraid to bring up. Churches and youth groups need to be aware that even their members are struggling with this idea. I hope that more people, teens and adults, read this book and understand that there needs to be more attention brought to this issue. It might even save a life.

This is the first Alan Russell book I've read. It was a fast read, with a flawed, unlikely hero, and good character development. I agree with most of the other reviews, so see them for details. What I wanted to point out was why I gave the book 3 stars, instead of 4 or 5.
There was one event in the book that was so implausible and far-fetched, it almost made me throw the book down in disgust. I'm glad I didn't as the book was pretty good.
The event in question was when Will Travis was chained to a tree after being beaten up. The author spent 8 pages detailing how Will gnawed through the tree (albiet hollow)! I guess he is part beaver! He did chip a tooth and get a sore mouth out of his efforts, but he actually (fictionally) did it.
Anyway, once I put that out of my mind, I was able to finish the book.
It IS a good read.

... that will stay with me indefinitely. I nearly stopped reading during the Prologue, thinking it dry. I'm glad I didn't. The alternating 1st & 3rd person narrative jarred me at first, but it works well for the story line. Russell's humor shines in Will Travis. I thoroughly enjoyed his powers of observation -- couldn't get enough of those passages. I got lost a bit with the evil thug boogeyman's agenda, though. It just never seemed to click with the politics. The romance, although developed & revealed gradually, never did resonate with me -- although it had nothing to do with the portrayal of Will Travis; probably due more to my own personal/political biases than any flaw in the work. All in all, I consider this title well worth the time & price of admission. I'll be reading more of Alan Russell.

This is great. Good story, interesting people, wonderful dialog. People we can identify with. What's not to like?

I rate 8-10 books a month, of this genre, based on a 0-5 scale. This book rated Characters: 4.25. Realism: 3.00. Descriptions: 3.00. Ah Ha: 3.50. The Read: 4.25. Overall, it rated #40 out of 359 books.

Russell has the incredible ability to teach me a lot-the hospitality industry, West Point and the military, personal history of presidents, dueling, and more-while telling great story. Travis was a wonderful character. His descriptions of the Washington D.C. area are excellent. Even though it definitely bogged down at the end, I started in early in the morning, read it at lunch and finished it when I came home from work. I really enjoyed this book.

This is one of the best books I have read this year. Russell grabbed my attention on the first page and kept it for the remainder of the book. His use of McArthur's Farewell speech in the early part of the book softened my heart and reminded why I spent 31 years in the Army Reserve.

Russell's use of a flawed hero makes the book real to all individuals. Everyone thinks like the main character from time to time. Russell's dry wit and knowledge of politics, as well as scandals in DC, is well rounded and is important in understanding the tenor of life in the capital. I highly recommend this book as one of the best of the year.