error Books

I did enjoy the book. I wanted to see what these people looked like as I had seen the movie. It was somewhat different from the movie of course. How sad and tragic this story is.

no character development and written in a very dry way that dehumanized the story for me. Would've liked more insight into Sharee. Jerry just came off looking like a greedy loser. I bought this book because I caught half of the Lifetime movie starring Eric Roberts recently and was puzzled by some of the plot points. thought it would be better explained in the book, but the truth was even more convoluted. Like another review said, it was basically transcripts with no emotion.

This book in now a movie on Lifetime TV called: Fatal Desire starring Anne Heche & Eric Roberts, if any of you read the book check out the movie it is one of Lifetime's best movies! It's steamy & sexy! The acting is suberb!

Fatal Error is a good book to read. I think internet stories should be told and this book was made into a movie for TV. Another book titled "Instant Message" (IM) is based on a true story by Barbara Jones and is about a black man and a white woman from alabama who had a relationship from the internet. So over all these internet stories are worth the time.

Sharee Miller is theperson you read aboutin this bok. You think how could one person be this messed up and do this to actual people. I think that to myself everyday she is my ex stepmother. Sharee is the way she seems in the book but the funny thing is she feals no mercy no hurt no guilt for any actions she makes. She has about 20 different lifestyles depending on what she is gonna scam out of you and trust me she dont belong in prision she belongs in a straight jacket.

When you're in the hospital if you think docs are going to do every thing they can to save your life, you're may be dead wrong.

The majority of docs and hospital workers resist every new quality program that can improve outcomes. Look how low the adoption of six sigma is in healthcare. Most of the major quality control programs created in industry are absent in hospitals. Often the programs they have run at such a low level they don't provide much benefit.

Do some research and find out how many errors are made that kill people in hospitals. Estimates range between 100,000 and 250,000 deaths per year, and that doesn't include those that are injured or crippled up.

If somebody makes a mistake in Iraq and 3 soldiers are killed, it's national news and every politician is calling for somebody's head. Kill a 100,000 people in the hospital every year with mistakes, who cares.

Yes, there are a few people who are trying to fix the problems, but not enough are trying. Half the time hospitals don't even know how to measure outcomes, errors and problems. A lot of hospitals use bogus quality programs to tout how they comply with xyz blah, blah, blah, but the truth is these programs have little or no impact on errors, mortality or morbidity.

This book is a good place to start if you're interested in the subject.

60,000 people killed in auto accidents every year, more than 100,000 killed annually in hospital accidents, why aren't the politicians screaming and hollering about those dead bodies? Well, it doesn't get them any votes!

This is a top notch book required for all our first year medical students. It will change the way you think about medical mistakes. Guarenteed to save lives . . .Not only that, but it reads like a thriller novel, so you get all the benifit while it feels like you're goofing off!
Dr. Imber Coppinger, 15 years in medicine

Excellent book for both the medical field and lay people alike.
Great ideas for improving health care in the USA.

Why their way is the best way. I suggest you read What your doctor Won't Tell You. This is a gutsy non self-serving and tell all book that will help you get through our terrible health system

"Internal Bleeding" is a good primer on medical culture. The authors focus on the issues related to medical errors. The book is largely well written, but occasionally the authors resort to hyperbole to make points; terms like "crisis" and "epidemic" are occasionally warranted, but their overuse tends to occlude important nuances within the issues discussed.

I was particularly interested in the analogies the authors made to the aerospace field, and found the cultural comparisons insightful. The discussion of the space shuttle accidents (pp. 49-51) are a proper indictment of NASA management, and makes the argument that in medicine and aerospace as well, taking routinely good outcomes as positive reinforcement of perceived infallibility is asking for disaster. ("NASA had forgotten how to be afraid.") On pp. 88-89 the authors discuss the differences between "slips" and "mistakes" and include a valuable commentary on trapping errors, much like the latest iteration of aviation training attempts to trap errors with "Threat and Error Management".

The authors provide excellent commentary on the makings of master diagnosticians, hypothesis testing, and the applicability of Bayes' theorem to medical reasoning on pp. 110-112 and p.117. This section provides an excellent view into the minds of doctors as they make challenging evaluations in complex cases: although not specifically stated at this point, similar thought processes are used in other highly skilled, tightly-coupled professions, such as aviation. The authors also explain why overreliance on automation and underreliance on physician wisdom is certain to result in bad medicine, despite the utility of computer systems in medicine. ("Any doctor who could be replaced by a computer should be.")

The authors return to their aviation subtext on p.147 in their discussion of pilot selection versus medical school selection; the conclusion reached is that the real-world evaluations given to pilot candidates would be a much better template for medical school applicants than what is currently used. On pp.156-157 the authors discuss doctors as being psychological perfectionists, and provide examples from other professions which tend to validate their hypothesis. The crux of the discussion is the intolerance for mistakes within the profession and within the psyche of individual surgeons, a trait common to pilots. Furthering the discussion of error-intolerance is a discussion (p. 176; p. 366) of one of the most common types of errors in both aviation and medicine: communications and the handoff error, a theme that is common throughout the remainder of the book. The authors make clear that while pilots are lauded for soliciting input from others (it wasn't always so), surgeons are known for being exceedingly inflexible (p. 191; p.222) to the detriment of the patient. When coupled with communication issues and power-distance problems, inflexibility is not a desirable trait in a surgeon. On pp. 222-224 there is an informative discussion of the roles of communications in both medical and aviation errors, concluding with a recounting of the worst aviation accident in history at Tenerife, which was caused largely by communication problems.

All of chapter 20 is laudable as it really distills the culture of safety concept down to the essentials. Notably, pp. 348-349 discusses the potential usefulness of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, a longstanding aviation tool, in medicine, while p. 351 serves to recap the aviation safety from a historical vantage point.

Finally, the authors detail one of the most potentially beneficial changes that could be made in American healthcare (pp. 342-343) where they discuss the advantages of a no fault system of compensation for victims of bad healthcare.

This book is really a study of safety systems in a hospital environment, with relevant discussions of other germane industries (especially aviation) throughout. It is not a dry, academic tome; it is quite accessible to anyone who is interested in healthcare in the US. I recommend the book for safety professionals in any field, to physicians and medical professionals, and to anyone else with an interest in curbing errors in medicine. No book is perfect, but "Internal Bleeding" does cover the most salient points in the dialogue that is taking place (or should be taking place) in hospitals across the country.

This is the best book that I have ever read. What a devastating, yet inspiration story all at once. The tragidy that society placed on minority groups in the past has to be told and this is told so eloquently. This is a must read for every man, woman, and child in our society today. We must never forget the past so that we do not go there again. This tragedy should never be repeated. The story of what life is all about is in this book. It will touch you like no other book has before.

Two stories in one book, the first part about a young man named Lesra (short for Lazarus) and then the full history of Rubin Carter known as the Hurricane, a black American framed for a crime he never committed and wrongfully imprisoned. A third influence which shadows both stories is a group of people known as the Canadians, their motivations are not revealed to the reader yet without the actions taken by these Canadians the stories with happy endings told in this book would not have been possible.

Lesra was 15 when he was hired to work at a lab in Brooklyn as part of an government funded summer program for inner city youth, it was there that he met a group of Canadians who were working at the lab on a research project. He was invited to visit them later for a weekend in Toronto and they were shocked at the appalling state of his education, though in high school he was unable to read or write and had an extremely limited vocabulary, didn't know how to read a map and had never run on grass. Lesra moved in with them in Canada and they took over his education, Lesra eventually went to university and his whole story of being rescued from a ghetto life and realizing his full potential in a different environment is uplifting.

As Lesra is discovering whole new worlds through books he comes across, "The Sixteenth Round" by Rubin Carter, and Lesra begins writing to Rubin in prison. The group of Canadians become involved with the Hurricane and the rest of the book is devoted to the freeing of Rubin Carter, the incredible amount of work it took and the history of Carter's case in the courts of New Jersey.

Though the book was engrossing there is too much left hanging, mainly what is the motivation of the Canadians and who are they really? Also the title is somewhat misleading as we don't hear much about Lesra except at the beginning. Finally, if it is true as suggested in other reviews here that Rubin was having a love affair that went on for several years with one of the Canadians, then that would most certainly be a glaring omission giving quite a different view of the same story.

This story is an inspiration. The idea that good can win over evil. That the poor and uneducated will be taken in and educated and the wrongly accused will be freed is a very nice idea. While I'm sure that many of the gritty details of have been over looked or glossed over, I believe that adds to the inspirational value of the book. Afterall, if this story did not have a happy ending Rubin Carter would still be in jail and we would have all forgotten about him long ago.

I really enjoyed the Ruber Carter biography The 16th Round. Carter is an amazing writer and he has an amazing life story. I figured this book would be sort of a follow up to his book taking us from incarceration in the end of 16th Round to freedom in Lazarus...
Instead of getting to the story like Carter was able to the authors of this book felt the need to give a over done bio on Lesra Martin, who would come to befriend Carter. While it seems their intentions were positive for this kid they tend to paint his pre Canada picture as almost insulting this poor kid because of how he talked and acted, and I found the actual presenting his dialogue in supposed Brooklyn slang to be slightly distracting, and we could have done without the language lesson in "Black English"
Sadly after this intro to the character of Lesra they really fail to mention him much after the story gets going. Lesra is lost to countless stories of trips to see Carter in prison and legal insight.
The authors who are not Americans seem to almost take enjoyment in bashing the American legal system. They offer a very uneducated assumption based point of view on facts and issues I feel they had little understanding of. And while personally I feel Carter was not guilty of the crimes, the authors paint Carter as a tragic hero you should feel bad for, however that is by far over shadowed by their self-righteous telling of the legal battle in which they take the light that is supposed to be on Carter and apply it to them. They seem to want to have the reader view them as these people who are so good hearted and do everything to aide Carter so well that you can't help but love them.

This book is good to get more facts but if you are looking for a follow up to Carter's story it's not here, this is instead an undiverse retelling of Carter's legal battle, less from the point of view of legal experts and more so that of "crusaders" who were out to see Carter free.
I respect what they helped do for Carter but find the way they recall the story to be offensive and at times selfish.

This book is not as well-written as some of the other books out there, but the stories it tackles are certainly interesting.

Rubin Carter, the brash young boxer turned local cop fall-guy, has a heartbreaking story that begins the moment he is taken in for questioning in a murder that he didn't commit, and ends years later, when he is finally exonerated as an older man.

Lesra has an even more heartbreaking story; as a pre-teen, he is in a prison of his own, the prison of a miserably poor life in the ghetto that has deprived his good genes of achieving their potential.

The book tracks the arrest and imprisonment of Carter, and the story of Lesra as he is taken in by a group of Canadian liberals who wish to give him a better chance at life. To me, the story of Lesra was even more interesting than the story of Carter. The most compelling scenes in the book happen when Lesra begins to adjust to his new lifestyle, and to transform from a physically stunted, uneducated boy into a sensitive and articulate young man. It gives pause to anyone who has ever said that those who live in poor urban America just need to work a little harder if they want to get out. The book makes the argument that the environment of the ghetto is so harmful that just being born and raised there creates a version of you that is almost incapable of rising above the more obvious obstacles.

Young Lesra becomes interested in Carter after reading his book, and he and his guardians become involved in trying to achieve justice for Carter. After a long and trying bureaucratic battle, they finally help to free Rubin Carter, whose innocence could not be questioned by anyone remotely acquainted with the facts of his case.

As much as I liked the stories, the writing was not very good, and often impaired my enjoyment. The fact that the authors are Lesra's Canadian friends is treated rather awkwardly, and characterizations of all of the main characters is pretty subjective, with the kindest possible spin given to every harsh word or action.

This contributes to a feeling that the authors are not being completely honest about the story; it's not that I think they're lying, but rather that they aren't willing to evaluate everything with a critical and objective eye. In one sense, the most important sense, the idea of six comparatively wealthy do-gooders taking a boy out of the ghetto and then taking the ghetto out of the boy is noble and uplifting. But another way to look at it, as a group of meddlers playing God with a human guinea pig, is never really addressed. It kind of reminded me of My Fair Lady in some ways. It's not that I disagree with the wonderful gift that they have given to Lesra; it's just that I think there's more to the story of how they came to decide to do that particular good act.

Overall, I do recommend this book because it has a lot to say, and to prove, about race relations and injustice in America. The unveiling of the corruption of those who sought to have Carter imprisoned is absolutely and unequivocally shocking. The difficulties that the innocent Carter encounters are just disgusting; he's not an innocent man in prison seeking to establish his innocence, but rather an innocent man in prison whose innocence is well-documented, and who can't seem to get anyone to listen, despite resources and national attention well beyond what most prisoners have. Lesra is equally exemplary of another serious problem; how can we expect good citizenship from America's urban poor when their environment is so suffused with negativity and animalistic treatment, 24 hours a day and seven days a week? The pull-themselves-up-by-the-bootstraps argument never seemed so hollow.

When I received this little (too little) I was very disillusioned
the phrases do not have anything especial, the book is smaller (than I was waiting)
It doesn't offer absolutely anything!

It's hard to describe, because it's just so funny, and explaining it would ruin the joke. Basically, this book has the funniest, cutest, and most bizarre examples of poorly chosen or poorly translated English phrases that work their way onto shirts, bags, hats and jackets in eastern Asia (particularly Japan). Imagine someone randomly opening any old encyclopedia, or watching some random documentary, choosing a phrase of the correct length, and putting it on a shirt, and you will probably see what The Joys Of Engrish really are.

If you've been to Japan and are missing it, this is the book for you!

This will keep you entertained for an hour or two. I laughed out loud at several of these and even enjoyed sharing this book with friends. Well worth the time!

Steven Caires Creator of website Enrish dot com, has put together a collection of photographs of Japanese signage with either deliberate or mistaken Japanese into English translations. Whilst not the best collection of funny translations out there The Joys of Engrish especially for those who have never travelled (or have not got hundreds of these sort of things from their friends as e-mail attachments) will be a good introduction and probably motivate to find the better stuff out there.
Many international business or international marketing books out there are full of chapters of these funny advertising campaigns, as well as stories (no stories in this book) of hilarious moments through misinterpretation. The Joys of Engrish is a good introduction to this genre but nothing special.

This very small sized book (smaller than I had thought), was a funny read once but that's about it. Maybe I'll pick it up again in 2 years and find it amusing again. Great tiny coffee-table-type book to amuse guests that come by, but I wish I hadn't spent the money on it.

If you are a lover of the English language, this is a great gift for the writer you know.

I already knew most of the words, which weren't that interesting or useful anyway. It isn't a bad book but not my favorite of the genre.

This is not a thesaurus for run of the mill word replacement, but it is exceptional at providing snappy starts or intriguing ending for articles. The key to attracting a reader is capturing him with the opening sentence or paragraph, and the right word can help with this. This book provides those eye catching entries, as well as providing words or phrases that wrap up thoughts and elements in your article body. Well worth the price, I believe it got me a couple of freelance opportunities by spicing up my query letter.

This dictionary definitely has some interesting words and the appropriate definitions, but it is not very comprehensive. I purchased the book last week and several words I tried to look up were not listed: ecumenical, for starters. Please excuse my spelling of ecumenical, because I don't have a real dictionary with me at the moment.
Purchase this book only if you intend to keep it right next to a real dictionary, and in that case you might not need it.

the title led me to believe i would be getting a humorous work. after all, the title had to be tongue-in-cheek, right?

what i got is an idiosyncratic selection of words the author assumes only 'highly' literate people would know, with a few medical and other professional terms thrown in.

it is depressing to think that some, or even most,of these words are assumed not to be known by literate people. heaven knows, standards are slipping, but i've read and spoken most of these words for decades.

perhaps the better companion book to this one would be steve allens _dumpth, the dumbing of america_. because if this book represents extraordinary literacy, we're in serious trouble.

Paul Levine is one of my favorite contemporary authors because he understands human foibles and that life needs a sense of humor. Everytime I pick up one of his books, I imagine the days of variety shows and TV series' like M*A*S*H and Cheers where witty lines were blistering across the stage at light speed. Plus, Levine doesn't play the politically correct angle (see Patterson). It's a dysfunctional cast that functions very ably. His characters seem real, and his dialog is smooth. There's no point in a plot review, just do yourself a favor and read any of his Solomon V. Lord series and you will be satisfied. Good job Paul, keep 'em coming. You can also check out my historical fiction novel called: Jamestown: Journey Back in Time

Strangers write me and say I am the funniest word hack they have ever read. If I had a nickel for every time I've been chastised for making someone spit all over their keyboard, blow soda through their nose and onto their monitor, tumble off their chair, etc... I'd be wealthy and drunk right now on a warm beach.

Soloman vs. Lord makes me laugh. Consistently.

I don't care who you are, man or woman, you cannot help but enjoy these novels. There are four now, and each one is excellent.

One of the funniest writers working today!

Lord and Solomon are back, and with them comes some much-needed humor. The courtroom scenes are entertaining, and are the highlight of this 4th entry in the series. The mystery itself isn't much of a mystery, and gets solved without any great danger to anyone. The focus is on the relationships between Victoria, Stephen, and Bobby. If you are a parent of a little leaguer, you'll especially enjoy the subplot revolving around Bobby's team, and Bobby's efforts to not stink.

Light reading, but a pleasure.

After writing a set of fun books featuring lawyer Jake Lassiter, Paul Levine seemed to disappear for years; finally, a couple years back, he returned with his Solomon vs. Lord books, featuring Steve Solomon (in many ways, a slightly more responsible version of Lassiter) and his lover/law partner Victoria Lord. Trial & Error is the fourth novel in this series and it is as good as the others.

In this novel, Solomon gets involved with stopping animal liberator Gerald Nash out to free a couple dolphins from a water park. It'd be a minor crime except one of the Nash's partners was killed and now Nash is charged with murder. Despite his involvement with the initial arrest, Solomon winds up being Nash's lawyer.

Unfortunately, Nash is related to the State Attorney, so an independent prosecutor is required, and ex-prosecutor Lord is recruited. Neither Solomon nor Lord will back off, so the two lovers are pitted against each other in court. Solomon's aggressive, bend-the-rules approach to trials is completely different from Lord's intelligent by-the-book methods. (In fact, their first contest against each other, in the book Solomon vs. Lord, wound up completely flattening her.)

Though they share the billing, it is clear that Solomon is the central character of these books. As with the earlier books, the formula is essentially the same: two polar-opposite personalities fight over their approaches to a crime until they work together to bring about a solution. It is Levine's strength that he can make this formula repeatedly work, though he will eventually need to develop things further to keep things from getting stale. In Trial & Error, however, things remain fresh and this is an entertaining addition to the series.

(Reviewer's note: As this is the fourth entry in a continuing series, I suggest beginning with the first book, Solomon vs. Lord, and reading your way through. I apologize in advance to those who choose to read on and have plot secrets from the first book and its sequel revealed to them.)

Trial and Error is the first novel in the Solomon vs. Lord to actually pit Solomon versus Lord since the first one, aptly titled Solomon vs. Lord. The actual case is based on the technicality that a murder committed during a crime makes the criminal instantly culpable for the victim's death, even if he or she did not actually fire the shot.

This is how Victoria Lord gets her first big professional case. She hopes it will bring in big money to the firm of Solomon & Lord, but her partner ("in law and in love") Steve Solomon sees it differently and offers to defend the fellow.

This really upsets Steve's nephew Bobby, a 12-year-old Asperger's semi-genius who can speak dolphin and work anagrams in his head -- because Bobby knows the crime, perpetrated under the banner of Animal Rights, was a phony because the pieces don't fit logically.

Trial and Error is author Paul Levine's fourth romantic comedy/legal thriller in this series in two-and-a-half years, and he's finally showing some signs of wear. This entry is the shortest one yet, but at least its size fits its plot better than Kill All the Lawyers's did; this one is a quick weekend read.

Bobby's anagrams, a highlight of others like The Deep Blue Alibi, are weaker here, but this could be more due to the boy's burgeoning interest in baseball (turns out Bobby has a "live arm") than any lack of imagination on the author's part. A lot of the sexiness of the previous novels is also missing in Trial and Error. Levine seems to have cut the story to the bare bones in order to keep the page count down. And the cover art is the most pedestrian of the series so far.

But there's still a lot to love about Trial and Error. The characters are still the familiar ones from before (though Solomon's and Lord's quirky parents -- Herbert T. Solomon is a personal favorite -- barely make a token appearance), and Solomon makes a surprising decision that opens the door for further adventures -- a decision that is both narratively sound and, at this point, just about necessary to keep things going in the right direction.

You have heard of Mike Hammer, Nick (and Nora) Charles and all of the rest of the classic detectives who are in love with the bottle. This story is about a lawyer who is destroying his excellent reputation by snorkling to the bottom of a bottle of gin when he has a call from a movie studio asking him to research and determine the copyright situation for a very popular series that the studio is investing in. It is obvious that the studio want to take advantage of his excellent reputation along with his love for gin to go lightly on his research to issue a statement of Errors and Omissions to allow the studio to proceed. He gets into something deeper and more sinister than just an attemt to steal an author's right for the purpose of enriching the wealthy. Some murder and lots of mahem can be found as the lawyer discovers that there is a lot of excitement to be had outside of a gin bottle.

This is set in modern day, but the ghosts of the bad ole days including the twin Joes (McCarthey and Stalin), Hollywood Black-lists, fake (intellectual) Reds and greedy investors play a major part of this book.

A great Summer afternoon in-the-hammock type book.

"Couldn't put it down"? By about the half-way mark, I couldn't stay awake. After a promising start, the story unfortunately degenerated into a muddled disappointment, leaving me caring little about the characters or the outcome.

The author shouldn't quit his day job.

Awful! Paul Goldstein may be a great professor, but his novel is unreadable. My husband and I are both lawyers and my husband is a stanford alum, so we were looking forward to a great read. Not! The characters are flimsy at best and (without giving anything away) their actions make no sense. The lawyer client relationships are unrealistic and the plot makes no sense. The book simply isn't very good. Boring, unbelievable and never takes you in.
Too bad.

Errors and Omissions is an immensely enjoyable read. It builds into an engrossing page turner - the stay-up-too-late-at-night-to-read kind. Michael Seeley is a complicated and realistic character - very talented and deeply flawed. Seeley's client, a media conglomerate, is desperate, manipulative and dangerous. The book is very smartly plotted, and an unusual and entertaining mix of history (Hollywood blacklist), artists' rights, and copyright law. The writing evokes a strong sense of time and place. I finished the book hoping that there is a sequel, if only to resolve some of the unanswered questions about Seeley's future.

ERRORS AND OMISSIONS has been promoted as a "gripping legal thriller" but I didn't find it particularly gripping or thrilling.

I ultimately found this novel to be a rather slow-moving experience. The main character, middle-aged lawyer Michael Seeley, is not particular likable or well developed. Despite his enormous financial success, Seeley spends a lot of time in this novel pitying himself and engaging in a variety of self-destructive and unprofessional behavior. I found him a tough character to root for.

The plot moves slowly and mainly consists of a series of dialogues between Seeley and a host of supporting characters. Much of this dialogue is stilted and ponderous. This is the type of book where characters give speeches instead of having real-life conversations. Some of the subject matter of this novel is interesting, but it is not served well by the dialogue.

I also found the storyline of this novel to be remarkably convoluted and largely rooted in the past. I was hoping for a more realistic and topical plot, given Goldstein's background as a prominent copyright and IP attorney. That didn't happen here.

In short, I found this book rather disappointing. It's a decently written novel that explores some interesting issues, but the plot and characterization falls short. I also found the ending rather limp and unsatisfying.

For a debut legal thriller that's much better than this one, I would recommend John Hart's KING OF LIES.

I don't know if I can bring myself to read one more Sheppard book or not! I am a forensic pathologist and crime scene reconstructionist. I grew up 50 miles east of Cleveland and remember vividly the headline "Marilyn Sheppard Murdered." I was ten years old. I followed the trial and believed Sam was innocent and continued to believe that until 1977 or 33 years later. It was a very strongly held belief! I had a chance to attend a seminar when Dr. Lester Adelson spoke on the case. I just KNEW I would hear a totally biased presentation. On the contrary, it was completely unbiased while fully enlightening! I can tell you that Sam Sheppard was GUILTY. 1. The house was amateurishly staged to be a burglary. No one who has seen houses that have been burglarized would be fooled by this amateur staging and believe it was a burglary. Burglars choose empty residences if they can. Admittedly, sometimes they do enter occupied houses so I don't count this as a strong point. 2. No burglar would enter an occupied home, see a large man asleep and then pass him to go upstairs when his only exit was blocked by the man. 3. No burglar who disturbed Marilyn would have taken the time necessary to find a weapon and then beat her 23 times. He would hit her once to knock her out and get the heck out of there. 4. Hitting her 23 times indicates incredible rage. 5. No one would remove a T-shirt from an unconscious man to wipe his hands when there were nearby curtains he could grab. Try to undress someone in a T-shirt who is not helping you. It is extremely difficult, to almost impossible, because the neck won't give and you can't tear the seams by hand and I don't care how strong you are! And the murder weapon? 6. There was a phone on Sam's bedside table, presumably for nighttime emergency calls, but there was NO LAMP on that table. Are we supposed to believe he woke Marilyn to turn on the overhead light whenever he got a call at 2 or 3 am? I don't think he did. There are many more points but I am not writing a book here. Those who choose to believe even now that Sam is innocent will not be swayed by what I have written, I know, but I had to lay out some of the facts. AND, I will always feel sorry for Chip.

Really an outstanding book. I am the same age as Sheppard's son and grew up in Ohio and I remember the murder well. Although too young to follow it and later in my college and professional life did not have the time to follow the subsequent trials, it was very interesting to read about it.

If this crime were committed in the last 35 years, Dr. Sam would never have been initially convicted. With the Miranda Act and subsequent advances in DNA and other investigative methods there's no way that a conviction could have ever been obtained, if the trail venue had been changed and the jury sequestered. There was far too much of a rush to judgement by the corner, police, and prosecutor. Being a political animal his ego was bruised and he was out to protect his professional reputation and he showed his pettiness when Dr. Kirk subsequently refuted many of his determinations. There's far too much reasonable doubt to ever convict Dr. Sam. It's shows how the press and the police can railroad a big profile murder case. Not to mention the botched police investigation.

The corner and Dorothy Kilgallen should have Dr. Sam's conviction on their souls. The judge told Kilgallen in a meeting in his chambers before the trial that Sheppard was guilty as hell and that it was a open and shut case. Kilgallen should have disclosed that conversation and the judge should have been removed.

There was a terrible injustice done to the Dr. Sam and his family. It ruined their entire family. His mother committed suicide roughly ten days after the initial trial, and his father died several weeks later. It ruined the lives of his brothers and only child. Also in subsequent trials the prosecutors and police continued to back the conclusions of the police, corner and prosecutor from the original investigation and trial in 1954.

I don't buy the arguments that Ms. Connelly wrote that Sheppard is guilty, which she posted in a review in 2001. It's amazing how the system sticks up for itself.

By the grace of God this terrible injustice could have happened to your or my families. This is a compelling book and a must read if you remember the case. It's hard to put down once you start reading the book.

James Neff grew up in Cleveland during the murder and trials. Those in the Cleveland area believed Dr. Sam was guilty, those living further away were more likely to believe in his innocence (p.xi). Biased coverage by the media can affect people for decades. While this book was being written, the prosecutors tried to commandeer his research (p.xii). The author is a prize-winning journalist and editor, who was a reporter and columnist at the Cleveland 'Plain Dealer'. This very readable book tells about the commercial rivalry between the "Sheppard clan" osteopaths and the allopaths who controlled Cleveland's hospitals. The Sheppard's suburban hospital performed therapeutic abortions, considered as murder to many in Cleveland (p.37).

Part 1 tells of the crime, trial, and conviction of Dr. Sam Sheppard. The county coroner disliked the "Sheppard clan", Dr. Sam was the suspect from the first day (p.16). Marilyn had fought her attacker, she had 15 lacerations on her head and 35 wounds overall (p.18). Important evidence was lost by mistake (p.19). Dr. Sam had physical injuries from a powerful blow to the back of his head (pp.28-29). Dr. Sam's rescue vehicle for car accidents in 1953 had irked the medical establishment (pp.36-37). Stories were leaked to the press to make Dr. Sam appear guilty (pp.39-40). Dr. Sam's family all backed Marilyn when there were problems in their marriage. Dr. Sam had been copying the permissive life style of the rich and famous in Los Angeles (p.48), but Marilyn tolerated Sam's affairs (p.65). There was a trail of blood drops from the kitchen to the cellar, Dr. Sam had no wounds. They was never tested by Mary Cowan, the co-worker and close friend of Coroner Dr. Gerber. People's minds were made up by the stories in the press (p.71). There was no forensic evidence to tie Dr. Sam to the crime (p.91). Possible evidence for an intruder was neglected (p.95)! The local press and court system were convinced of Dr. Sam's guilt (p.127). The prosecutor used Dr. Sam's adulteries as a motive for murder (p.133). The coroner testified that a "surgical instrument" was the murder weapon but there was no factual basis for this claim (pp.142-144). After many days the jury decided on murder second degree (p.166).

Part 2 tells of the appeals to reverse the conviction. Defense lawyer William Corrigan hired Dr. Paul Kirk, the "founding father of criminalistics" (p.174). The prosecution concealed evidence that suggested an intruder (p.175). Kirk found evidence to support Dr. Sam's story (pp.179-184). Coroner Gerber used his political connections to damage Kirk (p.187). The flashlight murder weapon was found in the lake, then neglected by the coroner (p.190). Chapter 22 tells of Richard Eberling's early life. In 1961 Paul Holmes published his book which presented Kirk's findings. Dr. Steve Sheppard was introduced to Francis Lee Bailey, who sued to get Dr. Sam's conviction overturned (Chapter 26). Bailey believed he could win an acquittal (p.242). The Supreme Court overturned the conviction. The retrial resulted in a 'not guilty' verdict because of the blood spatter evidence and the testimony for a third person's blood (p.281); there was reasonable doubt. But Dr. Sam's victory was followed by personal defeats. His surgical skills deteriorated; he also drank. Ariane divorced him, Dr. Sam became a professional wrestler (p.287). His drinking continued until he died of a liver disease (p.289). Chapter 32 tells of the career of Richard Eberling and Oscar B. Henderson. They gained power and influence under one Cleveland mayor. An elderly woman where Eberling lived died form an accident, a fracture like Dr. Sam's (pp.299-300). Later Eberling got a life sentence for murder, forgery, theft, and related crimes (pp.305-306).

Part 3 tells of Neff's investigations. Marilyn's death did not fit the usual profile (p.333). Kirk's old files were found, the blood sample pointed to Eberling, but not uniquely (p.336) Neff explains the "hard facts" why Dr. Sam did not kill Marilyn (Epilogue). [You can look up NY vs Charles Stielow for another example of local prejudice against the facts.]

Mr. Neff certainly did his homework on researching this case. A very interesting book, I could hardly put it down. I had to skim over the chapter on the last trial, but otherwise, it is a very good book.

The Wrong Man is a gripping and provocative look at the sensational murder trial(s)of Sam Sheppard. While in high school in the 70's, I member first reading about the case in F. Lee Bailey's book 'The Defense Never Rests'. Neff's book takes you behind the headlines of this infamous case and moves forward from the day of the crime and through the various incarnations of the case in the state and federal courts. He looks in depth at the participants and suspects in one of the century's greatest 'unsolved murders.' This case is a clear example of a man and a family destroyed by politicians and the press. These folks refused to let the facts get in the way of a good story. Sheppard's life and reputation were lost because the case was tried in the newspapers and television, instead of the court room. Oddly enough, through three trials in a 'search for truth' justice was never served. It is ironic that Neff's objective review of the case as a journalist and a 'member of the press' may be the closest the Sheppard family ever gets to finding the truth and obtaining justice. This is not simply a regurgitation of the headlines but a probing anatomy of an infamous crime and what happens when a 'good story' over takes the facts, a community, and our system of justice. It also shows why our freedoms guaranteed by the constitution (including the freedom of the press) must be jealously guarded against all who would take them away. I could not put the book down once I started reading it and strongly recommend it to any one who enjoys the true crime genre or reading law related novels. Here, the facts are stranger (and more interesting) than any fiction one could invent.

This was the book I needed. It's helped me re-write in view of spiritual reality and turn my own disillusionment into something calmer, and send me back to some more genuine motivations.

There are some problems with the book. Nik Scott is right that the book is messy and swollen with quotes from others (although that is also part of it's value). It's true that worrying so much about enlightenment is beside the point - which is what the book says in fact, but it still never frees itself from the lingering hint of judgementalism implied.

As others have alluded to, this book has an incredible depth. Half of it could stand on it's own as a perceptive survey of different spiritual experiences. I have the feeling I'm talking to someone who has been around awhile, very wise - and cynical, but in a useful way.

We, everyone of us, are currently enlightened. Each guru quoted herein does have a book to sell, a system to further, or their own ego to feed. What are their credentials? Well, YOU wouldn't understand so you need to take it on faith. Frankly, doubt is a better religion. If one is serious about enlightenment, and it okay to be serious about it, pursue it youself. Go to your library, or Inter Library Loan, and read anything by Ramana Maharshi, or Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now, and avoid this bomb. Look into the Four Noble Truths of the Buddha, but avoid the Sutras & Suttas. Enlightenment is less not more, but it is all. You Will Be Amazed. HUTM is a sales pitch for the gurus contained within the book: create a need and then fill it. If you must read this, get it from the library -- there are better books to buy.

Here we've had the greatest mystics through the ages (such as Ramana Maharishi) telling us two main things: (a) time is a total illusion and (b) everybody is already enlightened, therefore the concept is meaningless, everything is already perfect as it is.

Then we get this book which manages to gut-shoot both the above insights right in its title phrase: 'PREMATURE claims to ENLIGHTENMENT'. Well if life is but a dream to begin with, it's no harm no foul. Mountain out of a molehill. And, if this is a warning to stay away from the Jim Jones of the world, there are much better books on the whole anti-cult thing.

This book seems to be reinforcing the laborious duality that the best mystics are trying to sand-blast off of us. Meanwhile, the highlighting of commentaries from certain spiritual celebrities (e.g. Andrew Cohen), commenting on the dangers of this prematurity seems to suggest that THESE (quoted) people, at least, ARE qualified to teach us what's the view like from all the way up the mountain, so there's a kind of unspoken endorsement there, based on nothing at all apparent to me.

But for the sprinkling of cute anecdotes I've generously given it two stars.

Meanwhile, instead of the mountain I think I'll head for the beach.

This book is extrememly helpful for those have been hurt within a spiritual community or for those who are currently involved in one.
It is a must for anyone who is being put into a teaching position; i.e. all the growing spiritual movements especially in california.
This book has an amazing section on transference with students. It is a more psychologically sophistaced book in my opinion not meant for idealists who are still new and wide eyed on the path, nor for intellectuals with control issues such as the above reviewers who would never think to humble themselves to work with a teacher within a spiritual community. Much can be gained by working with a teacher but it is always a risk. One that has been worth it for me fortunately. However, as a therapist I have worked also with many people who have been damaged within spiritual work. This is an excellent book for that kind of work.
THe Book will make the paranoid more paranoid, make the average seeker cautious, and the devotee upset that someone would try to humanize thier teacher. It can also help to heal those who have had thier trust misused by teachers and learn to trust again but being more cautious.
It is a difficult subject to deal with and I think the author has done the best that can be done. If you like this one youll also enjoy Jack Kornfields after the ecstasy the laundry.

I really liked this book. First of all its very readable, at least the dutch translation is. She puts enlightenment into perspective, and also the behaviour of some of the "enlightened teachers". There is a lot about the ego and the non-ego. I have read many buddist books and this is one of my favourites. It makes you think for yourself about what is enlightening and what is a good teacher.

In this day and age it's so important to protect your assets. What you have today may not be there tomorrow and you should do what you can to protect your wealth for your family and children's children. I've read and researched a lot on this topic and one thing I loved about this book was it's easy to understand language and lots of areas for notes. Good luck - it's not an easy road to walk on but so important.

I have read both of Mr. Croke's books and I have found them to be both informative and helpful. In fact, I have given them to most of the senior executives in my company. In virtually every case, they have found data in these books which have led them to meet with their trust advisors and to revise their trusts. My own trust advisor, rated as the best in our area, has reviewed Mr. Croke's books and believes them to be a very helpful addition to the current bibliography. I have also read the review by your customer from Tucson and I have a difficult time understanding his crankiness.

I picked up this book knowing very little about trusts. Its a US book, and I needed to find out about UK tax. So there needs to be a UK edition. Nevertheless it proved very useful in raising potential red flags. It also has white space at the back where I made copious notes and reminders for my family and financial advisor. The book raises lots of questions to ask family members.

If you want to buy a book on living trusts, stick with the Apts book.

It appears that the Winston-Salem attorney (below) may have jumped the gun. Although he has not read the book, I'm not sure why he feels it's his duty to attack the author's credentials. I think the book is professionally written and is a helpful guide for readers who want to think and plan out the needs of their family and communicate those needs to their attorney. Proper planning is a key part of any family trust.

The allegation that the authors lack the proper credentials on the subject matter seems to be without merit. While a "Lexis-Nexis" search is the best way to obtain legal citations, it is not an exhaustive search of business articles, financial filings and can miss information from supplemental "special report" sections of paid journals. Perhaps the reviewer was too busy to refer to his own subscriptions of The Wall Street Journal or Kiplinger's Retirement Report.

Mr. Croke (the author) was cited in both of those journals earlier this year. The April, 2000 issue of Kiplinger's Retirement Report talks positively about his work and his book in a page and a half article and he is quoted several times in the March 7th, 2000 edition of The Wall Street Journal under an article called "Tangled Trusts".