I Books

I should have been here years ago writing this review. If there was _one_ book that I could attribute to changing my life in a real and significant way, this would be it. IE Irodov's 'Problems in General Physics' is a Sistine-Chapel, an Illiad or a Mona Lisa - if you will - of Physics. I am disappointed by the fact that it's probably no longer available. More so, there are just under 10-12 reviews on a book that touched millions and millions of high-school/college students every single year (atleast in the Indian Subcontinent and ofcourse, Russia).

The book is a collection of problems. Period. Few of them are easy, most of them are tough and all of them are a joy to tackle. Sometimes it may take you even days to figure out a single problem. I remember going to bed with a problem and waking up in the middle of the night just because I dreamed of a solution that might work. This book (along with Ressnick and Halliday) inculcated in me a deep understanding of the nature of Physics, the beauty in problem solving through rigorous mathematical and analytical techniques. Many problems in Irodov involved not only a good understanding of physics, but also mental alertness. A question in the "Optics" section could just as easily involve an understanding of gravity, electricity and even mechanics.

I hope this book is not forgotten anytime soon. It's a work of art.

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I used this book in my preparation for the Engineering Entrance examination. I loved and enjoyed the compilation of the difficult problems it presented. I was about 16 years old when I used this book. I had it till I finish the high school. I am sure there might be a solution book already out there by now. I would recommend this book for all the physics enthusiasts, young physics minds who want some challenges, I am sure I would use this book when my son grows old. Fundamentals would never change. Great book, and I still carry this in my collection.

I really feel proud to give a review on I. E. Irodov's renowned book tilted Problems in General Physics. I still remember those exciting days back in 95,96 when I used to remain engrossed with some of the mathematically challenging problems in the book while preparing for IIT-JEE .I enjoyed solving each one of the problems I've been able to solve.

But , as some one has rightly commented, it's targetted to a mathematically inclined audience,capable of appreciating the need to quantify physics.

So dear readers,a prerequisite for a successful venture into solving Irodov problems is a good grasp of Vector Analysis and Calculus.

Thanks
Santosh Banerjee
--I still miss those problems :-)

The problems in this book challenges even the best brains in the world. It mostly tests the fundamentals of your knowledge in basic Physics. Some problems may be very tricky and may require the use of principles across two or more topics in Physics (example: electromagnetism and heat). Don't be surprised if I told you that some problems may take a day or more to solve. In the end, this book will prepare you well to take any and toughest examination in the world, in basic Physics. A 'must have' for any Physics lover !!

The classic Irodov problems are daunting in the sense that they are informal and need a thorough understanding of not only a single chapter but a good understanding of all the fundamentals.Some of the problems may take several hours long but don't get bogged down.If you can solve at least 80% of the problems in a single exercise you can rest assure that you have clear fundamentals and also do have the ability to apply them.They are a must for every IIT(Indian Istitute of Technology) aspirant and also comes helps in the olympiads.There are a lot of solution manual in the market(atleast in India) but one should try to stay away from them and have confidence in himself or herself.All in all a class act!

Summary: A comical story of what first appears to be a threatening dragon who the setting's people want to slay. The dragon, however, is of no threat. When St. George is sent to "take care of it" the dragon cowers. When faced with this threat he sullenly, but humorously, replies ". . . Say he can write if he likes, but I can't give him an interview. I am not seeing anybody at present" (page not numbered). The three end fast friends and an uncertain threat is no longer a bother.
The author creates a believable character of a harmless dragon. What usually is portrayed as evil and dangerous, the persona of the dragon generates into a believable story. The twist of the dragon being afraid of St. George adds to the imaginable meaning the writer wants to evolve. Carefully setting the story, the author helps establish the voice of the characters. It evolves into a theme that proves that "things aren't always as they appear."

this is a great kids book. and even i love anything that rhymes. thank you so much.

The original "St. George and the Dragon" story is a frightening tale. Depending on which version you read, the townspeople give the scaly, stinking, vicious, dragon tribute of two sheep per day, and, when they invariably run out of sheep, they begin feeding it their own children. The King is obviously horrified, but what can he do? However, when the lottery selects his own daughter, who should appear but Sir George, (later the patron Saint of England) just in time for the king, if not for the subjects. The daughter worries for his safety, but the knight spears the dragon in its one vulnerable spot, then in a gallant display, borrows the daughter's girdle to drag the wounded dragon down to the town. For his own tribute, George asks only that the citizens become baptized; after this, he cuts off the dragon's head. Not a good ending for the dragon, but then, he wasn't a very nice dragon.

Like others before him, Kenneth Grahame modified this bloody tale for the consumption of the very young, and turned it completely on its head. This dragon would rather sleep than slay, purr than prey, and his true nature is discovered by a tow-headed young boy who gradually becomes friends with the pacifist, poetry-loving beast ("why I wouldn't hurt a fly."). Lay low, he advises him. Naturally, though, St. George arrives, and everyone acts as expected--except for the dragon. He simply refuses to attend his own demise:

"Well, tell him [St. George] to go away," said the dragon. "I'm sure he's not nice. Say he can write if he likes. But I won't see him." The boy, however, understands the underlying social pressures (which echo those of the British class system during Grahame's time) and replies: "But you've got to," said the boy. "You've got to fight him, you know, because he's St. George and you're the dragon."

The dragon, the knight, and the young boy, a person with neither power nor social distinction, make a plan. The plan is simple: Fake it. And so, like one of Vince McMahon's TV "wrestling" matches, St. George and the Dragon have it out, with flames and fury, and, as St. George just barely pierces the dragon in a pre-arranged safe spot. The townspeople, who have brought picnics for the presumed slaughter, were satisfied with the spectacle: "And all the others were happy because there had been a fight, and-well, they didn't need any other reason."

The original story, one of several short studies published in Grahame's "Dream Days" (1898, ten years before Grahame's most famous and beloved work, "The Wind in the Willows") may be found at http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=GraDrea.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=7&division=div1. Grahame wrote "The Reluctant Dragon" long at times, and one sees his concerns with religion and nature so evident in the river adventure scene of Wind in the Willows. Inga Moore takes out most of the slower, descriptive narrative (which might be enjoyed by older readers), and focuses instead on the dragon/boy/St. George relationships and the exciting battle. Compare the following excerpts (the first is Grahame's); this is great abridgement except for the inexplicable deletion of the last sentence, a very funny, modernist touch by Graham:

1. Then a cloud of smoke obscured the mouth of the cave, and out of the midst of it the dragon himself, shining, sea-blue, magnificent, pranced splendidly forth; and everybody said, "Oo-oo-oo!" as if he had been a mighty rocket! His scales were glittering, his long spiky tail lashed his sides, his claws tore up the turf and sent it flying high over his back, and smoke and fire incessantly jetted from his angry nostrils. "Oh, well done, dragon!" cried the Boy, excitedly. "Didn't think he had it in him!" he added to himself.
2. Then a cloud of smoke billowed from the mouth of the cave, and out of the midst of it the dragon himself, shining, sea-blue, magnificent, pranced splendidly forth; and everybody said, "Oo-oo-oo!" His scales were glittering, his long spiky tail lashed his sides, his claws tore up the turf and sent it flying high over his back, and smoke and fire jetted from his nostrils. "Oh, well done, dragon!" cried the Boy, excitedly. "Didn't think he had it in him!" he added to himself.

Moore also displays great taste and talent in her beautiful colored pencil and ink drawings. She draws landscapes and houses in a traditional style with meticulous shading and detail, trees show the undertones of illustration from a 1912 publication. The friendly, easygoing dragon is drawn showing an easy confidence and an engaging smile, but he's actor enough to look ferocious when required. He's drawn in one of the most striking shades of blue since the ceramic in the movie "Diva." Overall, Inga Moore honors the original Grahame story while making the story and pictures maximally entertaining for young children. Publisher Candlewick has done it again; this is an extraordinary book.

Fanciful and charming. I enjoyed reading it to my nephew and he loved it too. The artwork is lovely also. I'm looking forward to reading it again, with or without my nephew.

I bought this book for my future child (due Feb 2006) as part of my growing library. I read it through and thought it was cute, if a bit antiquated (what do you expect for a book that was written over 100 years ago?) Basically, a young boy befriends a dragon. When the townsfolk realize the dragon exists, they call upon a champion to vanquish him, blaming the dragon for crimes that he didn't commit. The boy talks to the champion about his friend and they all agree to stage a fight, rather than fight to the death. Once the play fight is over (the champion only gives the dragon a small flesh wound), it is agreed by all that the dragon will not harm anyone and the townsfolk will stop telling lies about the dragon. Nice moral story.

My only problem with the book is that it has been "sensitively abridged". I'm not sure what that means for "The Reluctant Dragon", but my "sensitively abridged" copy of "The Wind in the Willows" (also by Kenneth Graham) edits out silly things like "splashes of whitewash all over his black fur". If the book has to be so politically correct that it can't even refer to the color of an animal's fur, I'm not sure that I really want to associate with the edition. I'd be curious to compare this edition of "The Reluctant Dragon" with the original text now.

I have enjoyed the MacArthur commentaries I have purchased in the past. I find them accurately in touch with the Word and easy to comprehend. Purchase was good and delivery on time.

a good commentary, however I think it could easily be condensed.

Awesome context, learned alot from it. Recommend it for those who are interested in digging into the book of Romans

As a Bible study leader, Dr. MacArthur's commentaries have been ~invaluable~ in preparing me for study. I have never failed to find the answers to deep and vexing issues within his commentaries. I frequently read from them during our study time. The commentaries are extremely thorough and comprehensive, yet very easy to read. I found I can pick it up and read it like a novel. (Yea, it's that good.)

Dr. MacArthur's exegesis skills are extraordinary. This commentary - Romans - is exceptional. Just about every other page I find myself exclaiming 'Wow, I never knew that' or 'Wow, I never thought of it that way'.

These commentaries are a wonderful value, I am looking forward to collecting and studying the entire set.

John MacArthur is an evangelical Bible scholar who holds to inerrancy and infallibility, and he has spent much of the last twenty years working on a commentary of the entire New Testament. At present, he has completed and published 25 volumes comprising 21.5 of the 27 New Testament books (he's finished and recently released the first eleven chapters of the gospel of John).

Romans is my favorite New Testament book. And this commentary is excellent at taking a position of conservative evangelicalism and defending it. I do not concur with all of MacArthur's views, and one must remember that a commentary is basically one man's opinion of what the Bible says. But MacArthur gives reasons for the faith that it is in him (and we who know Jesus), and his writing is very edifying on the issue.

If you don't have any of his commentaries, this is the one with which to start. If you do and you do not have this particular one, I think you are missing a blessing. He gets right to the point without droning, yet he also addresses controversial issues.

The one problem with the book is nobody's fault: it would be nice for him to take on some of the modern interpretations in movements that have wreaked havoc; for example, the outlandish Word of Faith interpretation of Romans 4:17. Otherwise, it is a very good book.

I simply couldn't put this book down! I found myself laughing out loud, tearing up, and refusing to turn the page until I re-read a passage that simply gripped my heart. I loved getting to know each of those children at the Hogar, and then hearing how their lives unfolded after 25 years. I also found the first hand perspective on Chile's political oppression in the 80s fascinating. This is a book I will read again.

After studying about Chile's dictatorship, one learns about the history and the ensuing events, but from afar. Through writing Santiago`s Children, Steve Reifenberg has done a masterful job of bringing Chile`s complicated history to the reader in an accessible and extremely thoughtful way.

As a US citizen living in Chile, I am grateful he was willing to share his insights and experiences with all of us as he not only gives a much fuller context to today`s Chile, but he also reminds us that we can get as much out of any experience as we give!

Reifenberg does a fantastic job with this memoir. The stories of the orphans he works with are engrossing, and his own story is quite interesting to follow as well. He also writes about the brutal dictatorship in Chile which is very much tied to why his orphanage is so important. I would highly recommend this book, especially for people who are interested in international service.

I read Santiago's Children after returning from a long-term volunteer placement in Latin America, and was thoroughly impressed. This book provides an unusually realistic account of volunteer work in a developing country. Although Steve Reifenberg occasionally sees dramatic results, he also learns to appreciate slow changes and small-scale victories in the lives of the children with whom he works. He depicts Chileans responding to political oppression not with heroic displays, but with quiet acts of kindness, courage, and generosity.

Fortunately, you don't have to be an international traveler to enjoy this well written and engaging story. Its protagonist, the young Steve Reifenberg, is a complex, down-to-earth, and entirely likeable character. Steve offers honest, self-deprecating accounts of his successes and failures, enthusiasm and frustration. His love for the people and places he discovers, and especially for the children of Hogar Domingo Savio, is apparent in every anecdote. He comes away from his experience in Santiago with a universally useful lesson: "I learned to believe that maybe it was not a bad thing to have big dreams, even if sometimes they fell short."

I read Santiago's children coming from two places :

First as an avid reader of autobiographies. This one will remain a gem in my memories. It is seldom that one finds a life story so well written, funny, terribly moving, sad, authentic and yet so humble. Reifenberg takes you from the first chapter to the very last page through numerous simple - yet incredible - everyday life stories in Chile. This book combines epics from the childhood of Chilean orphans, their wonderful "mama", Chilean history and includes Reifenberg's own story in the background. I roared with laughter, was moved to tears, even sobbed and did not want this unforgettable book to finish. A must read for anyone !

Secondly relating to the book as a career counselor. I wish that the choices my clients made could often take this path of self-reflection, as long, thorough and difficult as it may be. But where in the end one senses that the person has found his or her core values, the ones that will enable them a fulfilling career and life. Reifenberg seems to have set the ground for a lifelong self-understanding and calling during those two years in Chile.

So far I've only read the first two of the three stories. (Based on the reviews that I've seen here, I'm looking forward to reading the last one.) It's easy to say that I really liked them, but a bit harder to say why I liked them - but I'll try. With respect to Eric Albert's "Charmed, I'm Sure", it's the combination of real eroticism, a natural cleverness, and a subtle sense of humor that doesn't get in the way of the eroticism. With respect to Greta Christina's "Bending", it's an intriguingly erotic idea taken to a pretty extreme level, but in a way that, although erotic, is also gentle and touching. With respect to Jill Soloway's "Jodi K", I'll have to wait until I read it - but based on the company that it is keeping, I strongly suspect that I'll it too.

"Avrat taldor"could become some household phrase you say to your wingman when you're at the bar and you spot your next victim. They're the words that the protagonist must use so his newly acquired sexual powers over others--and by others I mean everyone and anyone--can take root. Of course musing on how pleasant it would be to have that kind of sexual control, access, and opportunity would suffice as erotic adventure, but it's by far the only hypothesis that unravels. In all the slick sensuality, raw physicality, and relentless humor, there remain newer, deeper philosophical territories that make the narrative richer for the digging. I trusted the author's craft from the start, so I knew the plot wouldn't fizzle out into 'the evil temptress- poor exploited hero' dynamic or become an archaic warning about what you get when you trust a female. The story does beckon to some fairytale genre conventions including a witch and a stone, but uses these conventions in a fresh, upbeat way. In effect, Albert becomes the sorcerer, you, the protagonist, the book, your stone, the words, your presented spell, your unleashed sexual thirst, the ensuing outcome, a formula that will leave you, as it did me, "Charmed, I'm Sure".

I love Jodi K, Jill Soloway's perfect little novella -- it's a slice of Judy Blume, but for adults. Jodi K is funny and completely believable; she somehow manages to be sympathetic even when she complains about her father's obsession with the Holocaust. This book is surprisingly sexy, too, that confusing, vague kind of sexy that hovers over you during puberty, when everything is charged with meaning and longing and esprit sweatshirts. I could listen to Jodi K's voice forever, and secretly wish that Soloway would expand Jodi K into a full length novel or (dare I dream?) a book series.

With Three Kinds Of Asking for It, Susie Bright once again presents us with a collection of erotic novellas that we will want to read over and over.There is a certain indelible thread of earthly spirituality that unites these three superb novellas novellas.All are about transformation and change. For me, the hottest, most memorable and interesting stories about doing IT always include this element and I certainly was not disappointed here.
In Eric Albert's supremely witty,Charmed,I'm Sure, our hero discovers what is under the fine print when he enters into a contract with a very modern witch who accepts credit card payment for her spells. In Bending, beautifully written by Greta Christina, a woman who prefers one sexual position over all others, pushes her sexual envelope so far out she finds a whole new world inside. In Jill Soloway's very wise and very funny Jodi K. we find out what happens when a smart and lovely fourteen year old gets a crush on her best friend's father. All three of these novellas end with a surprise that left me breathless and delighted.
Three Kinds Of Asking For It is a book I want to give to all my friends.
Tsaurah Litzky, author of The Motion Of The Ocean

I'm the author of several books on NeoPaganism. I've also been writing and selling porn stories for about a decade.

In "Charmed, I'm Sure," a dash of magic helps fantasy meet reality, but our hero gets much more than he bargained for. The story is a wild ride, intensely erotic and playful. I couldn't wait to see what happened next. "Bending" is a fascinating journey deep into one woman's very particular kink -- and out the other side. It got me off and made me think. That's all we can ever ask of sex writing.

I wasn't as enamored of "Jodi K," hence the missing star. But the book is worth buying for the first two stories.

Imagine that! Poe actually lived here, and I missed it!
Good read! Glad he's finally settled!

This is a great book. Endlessly fun and insightful and funny. Poe's adventuresome spirit sweeps-up the reader and delivers us to places we may probably never go. He dares to visit the shadow of America as well, and delivers to us the jewels of characters hidden therein. The experiences through which they all live are painted here in vivid, full spectrum color. I would buy and/or read anything this guy writes.

I am not very good at writing reviews, but just wanted to say this is a great book which deserves reading!!!

I became a fan of Poe Ballantine through reading his articles in The Sun magazine. This collection of short stories is just great. They are all autobiographical stories about his stays in different areas of the US and Mexico. The editorial, or maybe confessional, "twist" he puts on each experience is what makes the narrative so interesting.

If life were a greyhound bus, you would find Poe Ballantine out on the front bumper, experiencing it sooner and more intensely than the rest of us. This book is a collection of dispatches from the road, and what they have to tell us is edifying, entertaining, terrifying, and reassuring, as well as utterly authentic. Some readers have likened Ballantine to Charles Bukowski, and certain common themes suggest the comparison, but Ballantine's sympathy, wry understanding, and cheerless optimism have more in common with the themes of Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, and Hank Williams.

An excellent grouping of poems. They each reflect real life circumstances in today's busy world. I am pleased to be an integral part of my grandchildren's lives. As such, this book is quite relevant to circumstances that they could face as they grow up and out into a more independent world. Thanks Vickie for having the heart to tell it like it is. Your sensitivity and talent certainly shines through your work. You help us face and address so many of the current social ills!

Vickie,I will start off by saying your words,language and poetry are simply clear,down to earth and truly has a message.The only reason that I gave you 5 STARS is because there was no 10 on the board! My review may be quite different from your other wnderful reviews and that is because the reason that I said Divinely Awesome is because I do not understand God's Ways or Timing.I now know that He says that all things work together for His Good and purpose.I pray that every child,teenager,parent and also anyone that would like to have hope and press on and accomplish their purpose,would get your book and read it often.I really wish that I had mentors or someone when I was a hurting and confused child and teenager,to guide and direct me.I became a very angry and violent young woman that every poem in your short but very powerful book described with such clarity and humor.My prayer is that many more doors are open for you to help young people,which are our future to know that they will submit to someone for the rest of their lives,that they must develope character and that their gifts can take them but their character must KEEP them.They also will always have choices,there will always be consequences,they can continue to play the BLAME GAME and that they can choose to be BITTER OR BETTER BUT THEY CAN'T BE BOTH.Your words in each poem touched my soul and gave me hope in a way that you will never know on this side.I was the destructive child that grew up in a very violent home;chose all the negatives that lead to many addictions.I am now 52 yrs old,and the author of 'All Cracked Up" and at this stage i began to feel like giving up on my purpose to continue my triology of my books to help the youth,battered men and women,unhealthy relationship addicts,sex addicts,rageaholics,sucidal tendencies and eventually crack addicts.Why? because I became all of the above and more; I didn't have someone like you who cared enough to talk,write or show me the WAY and some how THE DIVINELY AWESOME GOD THAT CREATED ME and knew me before I was in my mother's womb;through all the rain,storms,fire ,trials and tragedies, He directed and kept me to tell my story from experiences to help someone.Now with all the mentors He has provided for me I am proud He added Vickie as a road model and mentor in this 52 year old woman's life.When the road gets hard as it has, I can read "The Trouble I See" and know to hold on,some more Help is on the way.Keep up the Awesome call and purpose on your life Vickie Lynn Wright Wilson!!! Again thank you with all my heart!

I really enjoyed this book and feel it can make an impact on the yougth of today. It is easy to read and in a language they can understand. The book projects prospectives of parents/adults and those of teenagers. The poems demonstrate deep feelings of concern, desires for sucess, christian principles, and provide situations of caution. The book should be promoted for parents and their children. The author has found a tool to make an impact on our society!.

A wonderful book of poetry!!! Ms. Wilson's concern for the well being of all children and her experience as a parent and teacher shine through in each poem. Congratulations on your debut. I look forward to reading your next piece of work.

Reminds us that it is still possible, at a time when irony and
cynicism are so much the fashion, to pay tribute to our greatest
asset 'our young teens', in teaching them to recognize 'failings
and failures', while being properly appreciative of virtues and
victories. If you need to read a single book to help save our
teens, 'THE TROUBLE I SEE' is it.

This book is so helpful and insightful. I wish I had discovered it long ago. This book gave me a tremendous amount of comfort and support and helped me come up with solutions to everday problems. The oreintation clock idea alone was extremely helpful. I STRONGLY recommend this book.

Brenda Avadian, MA, a Caregiving Spokesperson & Author, 12/22/2006
Perfect Alzheimer's Caregiving Book
Brenda Avadian, MA (BrendaAvadian@TheCaregiversVoice.co), Caregiving Spokesperson & Author, December 11, 2006, PERFECT ALZHEIMER's CAREGIVING BOOK FOR THE HOLIDAYS! When overwhelmed caregivers cannot add one more thing to their hectic overburdened lives, Two Simple Words: "I Forget" is this holiday's gift-giving pick for the caregiver in your life. As a fellow author of Alzheimer's caregiving titles, Kane's book is the condensed version of "Where's my shoes?" My Father's Walk Through Alzheimer's. At 77 pages, Mindy Kane's Two Simple Words is a complete page-turning account touching on every step of the journey starting before diagnosis and ending as she remembers the way her late mother was before AD. You will find yourself exclaiming, "Yeah, that's the way my (loved one) is!" A must read, then spread the word!

Also recommended: Also recommended: In Search of the Alzheimer's Wanderer: A Workbook to Protect Your Loved One by Mark Warner, Alzheimer's Essentials by Bretten C. Gordeau and Jeffrey G. Hillier, and Voices of Alzheimer's by Betsy Peterson

My father had cancer and my mother had Alzheimer's and this book was SO helpful in dealing with both of their illnesses. It is short and simple and gives great advise mixed in with the author's own experiences. I would highly recommend this book for anyone dealing with a serious illness in a loved one!

My father was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I learned so much from this book about what to expect with this disease and what I needed to do to prepare for what was to come. This book is sure to be a classic in the Alzheimer's literature. It covers everything from diagnosis, to driving issues, to assisted living, to power of attorney. It has been an invaluable resource of information and I highly recommend it.

This book is fantastic. It tells the "inside story" of what it is like to live in an Alzheimer's family. I'm going to get a copy for all my friends and relatives so they can know what I'm really going through! A must read!

Dr. Holick's work needs to celebrated for revealing an extremely important aspect of the human condition, i.e. we are not exposing ourselves to enough UVB to produce sufficient amounts of Vitamin D. As mentioned previously, this work does not need go into more scientific depth. It is not a work in biochemistry. It is a work which challenges people's thinking and the expectations of a pharmaceutical industry. It is criminal that a professor that has stated his objective scientific opinion would be removed from his position by a biased department chair. Is anyone saying to go out and cook ourselves in UVA all day every day? Are the people defending the pharmaceutical protocol prepared to explain what early versions of sunblock actually did to help INCREASE rates of sun cancer? You can look at this from either perspective, secular or non-secular. We evolved in the sun or this is a system the Lord created. We don't need more talking heads telling us not to do what the DATA supports that we should do. Bravo, Dr. Holick, for your lifetime of work, starting from UW to BU.

Holick's book, and his articles helped me find out why, after staying indoors for ten years, due to depression, MY WHOLE SKELEFeeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Revised and UpdatedTON AND ALL MY MUSCLES ACHED. I went to a MD and found out I had NO vitamin D3 in my body, and over 100 tiny fractures. I'm on D3 therapy (50,000 I.U.s a week). I just purchased a UVB lamp. I feel so good, now. I'll be basking in the sun all year long. Thank you Dr. Holick, and keep fighting the good, and right fight. By the way, the writing is clear, tight, plain, and nicely organized. Dr. Holick, you changed my health and life.

Dr. Michael Holick is considered a pioneer in the field of vitamin D.
I consider the recent advances in vitamin D research one of the major breakthroughs in the entire medical field. Vitamin D is ultimately converted to a hormone that affects the entire body. If you think that vitamin D is only for the bones and you only need 400-600 IU a day as your multivitamin bottle and the US government tell you, then you are still living in the 1950s. Vitamin D has receptors in the bones (increases bone density), muscles (enhances muscle strength and power), lymphocytes (without adequate vitamin D they go wild and attack different organs and tissues, causing autoimmune disorders),
blood vessels (relaxes the arterial walls and lowers blood pressure by ~ 2-4 mmHg), heart muscles (prevents thickening of the heart ventricles), myelin (prevents multiple sclerosis), prostate, breasts, colon, pancreas ... (preventing cancers of these organs)...... brain cells (prevents degeneration of brain cells), skin, hair follicles (nourishes the hair and skin) ... etc. When your vitamin D level is inadequate, the body loads your bones with water (instead of minerals such as calcium and phosphorus(, the result is stretching of your periostium (lining of your bones) which results in excruciating pains in the shins, wrists, ribs, and the breast bones. These nagging pains and aches do not go away with anything except with vitamin D.
When your muscles lack vitamin D, you get very weak and very tired. Your quadriceps muscles become so weak that they cannot carry you without supporting yourself with your hands when rising from a sitting position, you have difficulty climbing stairs, difficulty reaching objects over your head. Elderly people will have constant pains and aches, they have to use walkers, and they lose their balance and fall, since their quadriceps cannot give them a sense of balance.
To add insult to injury, vitamin D level is outdated in almost every lab in the USA, most doctors do not check the level, some check the wrong type of vitamin D (there are 2 types). The new knowledge has not even made it into the curriculum of medical schools, and most medical students are not even aware of it. The US government still preaches the old daily requirement of vitamin D.
The daily requirement of vitamin was recently updated to 1000 IU a day, which is still inadequate.
Dr. Holick's book will teach you how to understand vitamin D for your overall health, how much of vitamin D you need, and how a safe exposure to the sun-without overdoing it- will ultimately give you vitamin D to liver healthier (and even longer).
Dr. Holick's recent review suggests that women who are vitamin D deficient have a 253% increased risk for developing colon and rectal cancer, and women who ingested 1500 mg/d calcium and 1100 IU/d vitamin D for 4 yr reduced risk for developing cancer by >60%.
I have been applying the new vitamin D research studies to clinical patient care in my office since 1999.


Shirwan Mirza, MD

Lightweight introduction to UV and vitamin D. No slight intended to Dr Holick who has been and is a key researcher on vitamin D and is presenting important health information to the public. But this book is like a friendly conversation between a well-informed doctor who is giving essential information to a lay audience, but he assumes they don't want much detail. If you have read a few web-pages about vitamin D, you may already know everything here - vitamin D RDA is too low, many people are deficient, deficiency is associated with a number of illnesses, sunlight exposure will give you what you need but don't get sunburned, supplements can also help but are inferior to sunlight because you need to determine appropriate dosage. The book has repeated information, padding (sentences along the lines of 'countless poets and songwriters attest to the enjoyment of sunshine'), while some things that could have been described in depth - like vitamin D toxicity from supplements (or potentially from diet I guess) - get short shrift. If you don't know much about vitamin D and want a high-level introduction, it's fine. If you wanted more detail or science, skip it.

This is an easy to read book that has scientific research that convinced me that we all need vitamin D to prevent many of the health problems that are prevelant today. The author writes that vitamin D is best absorbed from natural sunlight and shows how this balances with the problem of too much sun which causes skin cancer. There is alot of skin cancer information in this book also. I highly recommend this book!

This is a very moving account of one woman's ordeal with breast cancer. I read it in only a matter of hours; I was impressed with not only her courage and strength, but with the humor with which she dealt with cancer.

Whether you have cancer, know someone who does, or simply are interested in finding a cure, this is a great read on the subject.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 29. Exactly 1 year and almost 2 months ago. Humor is what helped me through my year of hell. I had a masectomy, 16 chemo treatments and 33 radiation treatments. Mt new lift kit is scheduled for next summer. I tell my story to anyone that will listen. Jennie Nash hits it right on the nose. Funny, my name is Jen. Thank you..

As a mother of a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient, I found this book to be extremely helpful in offering me a glimpse into the dynamics of this disease. The emotional and physical pain of the author brings to the forefront how very devastating this disease is to all involved. I have bought this book as gifts for friends who have been diagnosed after a survivor recommended it to me.

I read this book cover to cover. It is very worth reading for anyone facing mastectomy and a choice of breast reconstruction methods. The author had a terrible time recovering from breast cancer surgery, but it is very important to distinguish between the physical difficulties caused by the surgery itself (relatively minor) and the physical difficulties caused by the choice of reconstruction (major). The large abdominal scar mentioned in another review is a feature of her "free TRAM flap" reconstruction, a reconstruction choice that can have excellent cosmetic effects when it works but is very physically costly otherwise. I recommend instead the books on breast cancer by Musa Mayer, who is more thoughtful (and also a survivor) and much more medically informative.

This book, The Victoria's Secret Catalog Never Stops Coming and other Lessons I Learned from Breast Cancer, was just what I needed. I was diagnosed with the dreaded BC three weeks ago. I went through a lumpectomy a week ago. I spent the last 3 weeks pouring over technical medical books, reviewing statistics, researching information on the web and learning as much as I could about the disease. I purchased this book on a whim, thinking it may give a perspective that would help alleviate the stress I was going through.
I laughed, cried and also realized that I was not alone. The descriptions of friends and family mirror my situation as well.
The book is now an all time favorite of mine that I hope others will read and also be inspired to tell their story.