Suicide Books

I read this book in high school when I chose to write my term paper on Peoples Temple. I found it again while I was moving and read it again with a much more appreciative attitude. I finished reading it today. This is THE book to read if your simply looking to learn all about the Peoples Temple, Jim Jones, and the tragedy at Jonestown. I have read several other books on the subject, but they lacked the amount of insider knowledge and first-hand accounts of the events that took place. This book is entirely based on FACT, without speculation. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 simply because I did not particularly like the way the book ends. Over all, I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It is the most informative source for Peoples Temple facts that I myself have come across. It is the perfect source for research about the Temple, Jim Jones, Jonestown, or even just cults in general. It gives a great perspective from various Temple defectors who came forward and spoke of what life with the Temple was like. George Klineman deserves a lot of recognition for his work on this book.

I was curious because the writer has the same name as me.
The information itself is excellent. Very heartwarming. You can feel what the writer wants you to see from this story. Small problems with text but otherwise, I recommend for others to see.

I found that it dealt with euthanasia in a very straightforward manner. The subject is a touchy one and the author was not afraid to use the word "suicide". What I particularly liked was the fact that the author was not trying to convert people to his point-of-view, he just presented the facts and allowed the reader to make choices for themselves. The author also discussed making choices for family members who have lost the ability to make choices for themselves (i.e. disconnecting life support, pulling out a feeding tube which is keeping alive a comatose person, killing someone who might choose to die if they had all their mental faculties, etc.) As part of the author's efforts to help readers put euthanasia in perspective, he also provided statistics so that the reader could compare their own opinions to how others feel about the various aspects of euthanisia.

The reason that I didn't give the book 5 stars is that the author uses the book to promote his organization, Hemlock Society. He has devoted a whole chapter to the group and mentions them constantly in the book. I would have also liked a more detailed discussion of euthanasia. I also feel that the book's a little too autobiographical and he repeats the same set of facts too many times.

I consider this to be a great starter book if a person is interested in researching this topic.

Eagles and Angels offers big themes, mutable characters and a narrative voice as punchy as our coke-addled tour guide, Max.
Through flashbacks and dispatches from the present-tense, Max leads us through an intricate story of unrequited love and international intrigue - but proves an unreliable narrator. He's a moral relativist, sometimes cruel, and someone who well understands the power of information, and the fun in hoarding it.
The book's other characters are as intriguing as Max - realistic in their reliance on emotion over logic, the rapidity with which their feelings change, and their ability to be obnoxious. Jessie, for example, often seems a "silly cow" (per Clara's assessment) - and I found myself periodically wishing that I could give Max a good punch in the mouth.
I found this to be a highly enjoyable book - visceral, thought-provoking, ambitious - and recommend it highly.
Last note:...

Swan-Miller writes sensitively and knowledgeably about the impact of the suicide of a family member on the surviving sibling(s). Using her personal experience as a starting off point, she explores a variety of sibling relationships and feelings about the suicide of a brother or sister. Through interviews with sibling survivors she exposes the wide variety of emotions that these survivors go through and the unique aspects of their experiences. Straight-forward prose, well organized chapters and an underpinning of psychological expertise help the reader understand and digest this difficult topic. Clearly there is a need for greater support and understanding of sibling relationships within the family dynamic- especially when there is a suicide. Though I think that a bibliography/list of resources for survivors would have been a useful inclusion, this book is an excellent resource for lay and professional alike.

Essential Papers share anecdotal stories of unique characters and their circumstances, but then some of the writers try to globalize their "findings" to the general population as reasons for self destructive behavior. Since the papers were written in the early 20th century, heavy weight is given to Sigmund Freud's and Karl Menninger's theories. The papers do provide an insight into the "pop-psychology" of the past, and give the reader a better understanding on how far the field of psychiatry has come over the past 100 years. The book's finale is a crown jewel written by Edwin Shneidman, "Suicide as Psychache" wherein the three components of prevention arise: reduce the pain, provide a truncated time for endurance, and offer coping resources.

When i red thid book many years ago,i was planning to commit suicide myself. I dropped that idea after reading Exit House. This book is written thru the last stages of her life,and how her husband assisted in her suicide. This book is wonderfully written,but i want to tell you,that if you ever come to the end of life,this would be a very nice technique,If it really existed in NY like the book describes. I know we all feel the need for dying sometimes,but with me reading it,it gave me a lot of courage to continue my life. This book is just wonderfull! (Tulsa)

This interesting article asks a good question. Suppose one is a journalist who is planning to write a story about female suicide bombers. And suppose one interviews a person who is planning an attack. Should one turn her in? Would it betray one's role as a journalist to become an informant?

Kelly Heyboer asks that question. And she tells about Gregg Zoroya, who did indeed go to Tulkarm, did indeed find a "fixer," and did indeed get to interview a 30-year old who asked to be called Suha, in the presence of her bodyguard.

That's not really enough information to figure out very much, I suppose. But I think we all know what could be done with even this amount of information. One could go to the authorities, and at least tell them about the fixer. With that information, one would at least have a chance to follow that lead to some people who were helping to plan suicide bombings.

Obviously, Zoroya never considered doing anything like that.

Still, Zoroya handed over his story to his editors at USA Today. The paper's world editor, Elisa Tinsley, said that her paper's concern was to verify the authenticity of Zoroya's story. They confirmed the identity of the commander of the terrorist group and his role in ordering suicide bombings. That satisfied USA Today.

I think this is probably marginal information to give to the authorities. But it could be done. Still, Heyboer once again asks what would have happened had Zoroya known who the bomber was, as well as the "date and location of her mission." And she reports that in that case, "top editors" say that their "decision would have been much more complicated."

I find that interesting. Lives are threatened, and reporters are not sure what to do!

As Heyboer says, Tinsley "says she is uneasy about the idea of asking her reporters to hand over information to authorities, even if lives might be at stake." And she has a reason for her unease. "You risk becoming part of the conflict," she says.

Well, I disagree. In such a situation, one is already part of the conflict.

Zoroya did not learn the real name of the woman he interviewed. Of course, he didn't really try to discover it. And Heyboer quotes a senior writer at Slate, who mentions that such recalcitrance to learn additional information is understandable from a reporter. After all, knowing something like that might kill their story. On the other hand, not knowing it might kill all sorts of people!

Heyboer also quotes Fred Brown, cochair of SPJ's ethics committee and a retired Denver Post reporter and editor. Brown says that "The Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics" lists more than 35 things reporters should and shouldn't do. But none specifically applies in a case where a journalist has inside information about a suicide bomber. Brown says, "Maybe we ought to add provisions that deal specifically with war and terrorism."

I think journalists ought to have such provisions in their ethics codes. Moreover, I think that we need to realize that once journalists are privy to such information, they are part of the conflict.

I've been shocked and saddened by the extent to which many Middle Eastern journalists have taken sides in the conflicts there, often on the side of the terrorists. Perhaps if they were clearly ordered to turn over some specific kinds of information to authorities, this would not happen quite so much.

I think Heyboer ought to have pointed out the extent to which cooperation between journalists and terrorists has become a problem, so I'll deduct a star from my rating of her article. But I think she asked some very good questions.

I have read this book and I think it is a true lifes depiction of
what the average small business goes through. If you can just get
past the last failure and stay focused on what's next, need not
worry about the past. In life all you can control is today, yesterday
has past never to come again, and tomorrow is not promised. Your past
failures don't have to be today's failure. Live everyday as if tomorrow
is not promised and you will not have to worry about things like suicide. In closing if you have had a failure or two this is a must read for future and current entrepreneurs

I truly enjoyed Mazy's outlook on life and her presentation. As you start reading it gets better and better, especially if you been down and out sometime in your life... I enjoyed how Mazy inserts many of Woody Allen's wisdom. Enjoy!