MD

Reads like a novel! The basis for the television show "Homicide: Life on the Street", an excellent non-fiction book that reads like a novel. BALTIMORE SUN reporter David Simon rode with the Homicide cops for a year and profiled the gritty reality of solving murders in a major urban center. One of the best true crime books I've ever read!

This is an amazing book. Two people picked this out of my "To Read" list as their suggestion for what I should tackle next. Interestingly enough, I had already started it. I had heard about this book originally on a private list that I'm on, but never saw a copy at any bookstore that I went to. Then I heard that there was a TV show based on it, but I still couldn't find a copy anywhere. Just as I was about to give up, I passed through Powell's Books in Portland, and found a first edition hardcover for cheap--and it was worth three times that amount.

Simon spent an entire year observing a squad of Baltimore homicide detectives. The result is an incredible page-turner, filled with humor, pathos, stupidity, politics, brutality, and, through it all, death. This is not Hill Street Blues, and especially not Barney Miller. As realistic as Hill Street Blues tried to be, it really can't touch the mundane uniqueness--the singular exciting boredom--that is the job of homicide investigation.

To parody Dr. Seuss, "Ah, the things you'll see!" This is a travel book as much as any trip to a foreign land--an exploration into the world of police procedures and life. It's not a place many of us would choose to live in, much less visit. I much prefer to read about it.

Here's a book that gets into the minds of homicide detectives like no other. The author is insightful and thorough, but his writing style is a celebration of brevity. Working within the law and sometimes around it or even in spite of it, the detectives are revealed as all-too-human but praiseworthy individuals. Read this with Randy Sutton's "True Blue : Police Stories by Those Who Have Lived Them" and you'll have the best writing on cops and crime available today.

This beautiful, touching and life- altering book is without doubt one of the best books I've read. Dr.Remen captured my mind, heart and soul from the very first page. The stories she tells about herself, her patients, her family and friends are told with amazing honesty, beauty and grace. This book is about Life with all its different facets, phases and seasons. As a physician, reading this book has made a lot of impact on how I view my role and how I communicate with my patients. I now think of myself not as a "doctor" but as a healer, and know that there is much more to my work than diagnosing diseases and prescribing medicines. I read this book many times, and every time I laugh and I cry and I am inspired and touched. This book is truly one of a kind; it is worth a million stars!!

In KITCHEN TABLE WISDOM Dr. Remen reminds readers that the true heritage of medicine is to "serve life." She says we serve life "not because its broken, but because it is sacred." The stories in this book come from her experience not only as a physician but as a patient with a long term chronic disease. Dr. Remen illuminates the differences between curing and caring, between fixing and healing. Her voice offers hope that the true spirit of medicine can survive

When I'm feeling really bad about my chronic illness or other things in my life, the stories in this book help me keep going. Dr. Remen is a wonderful story teller and an amazingly creative healer. She uses guided imagery in skillful and loving ways to help clients and readers see the meaning and strengths in their lives.

I admit to bias. Rachel Remen wrote the blurb for the back of my book, The Art of Getting Well: Maximizing Health When You Have a Chronic Illness. But I was a fan of hers before and since, too. Her other books are also excellent.

David Spero RN www.davidsperoRN.com

This is the best book I have ever read in regard to the way Rex Russell explains the science behind God's instruction on what we should and shouldn't eat. Finally, I understand why God gave me the commands He did, and no longer have to tell myself "just because God said so". Dr. Russell puts the reason to God's authority and in so doing, explains the medical science behind it. I recommend this book to everyone, and especially those who are searching for a healthier lifestyle and an end to their medical complaints.

The word diet derives from the Greek diaita, which means "a manner of living," or lifestyle. Dr. Russell's book is the first of its kind to step back from the subject of food and see it for what it is - a blessing designed by the Almighty to aid in our service of him.

In a day and age when our culture looks at food as trendy, or as something to be addicted to or to be avoided, Dr. Russell uncovers what the Bible says about food. He does it in a way that can be easily understood and applied.

As a former chef from a 4 star restaurant and as the head of sales at a food equipment company I wish everyone, from food consumers to food producers, would read this book and apply its principles. It might cause me to have to look for a different job (one of the biblical principles that Dr. Russell rediscovers is that of eating food in as close to the form that God gives it to us in - not processed with equipment!) but it would improve peoples "manner of living" enormously!

If anyone reads the book and agrees, I would welcome their contacting me. I would like to start an association of those who support the principles that Dr. Russell has rediscovered.

Are you eating and living the way you should? The Bible gives us instructions on how we are to live and be well. What the Bible Says About Healthy Living is a great book that shows us how we are to live and what foods are better for us. It describes how the Creator or Great Designer gave us certain foods to keep us healthy and live for many years to come.

By giving you the foods that you should and should not eat, as well as the reasons why, the text incites a positive reaction by all who read it. By presenting the information to you, a guideline is formed so that you can see what is good for you and what is not. Also, by following the principles within the book, you will start feeling better about yourself both physically and spiritually.

This book is for those that are looking for a great eating plan to maybe lose weight or to overcome a sickness. Because a physician wrote it, there are a lot of medical facts included as well as scriptures to back up what he is saying. This book provides answers to many questions.

Let me start with my own qualifications for reviewing this invaluable book: 25 years' editing and indexing of professional medical texts and reference books; 20 years of creating "translations from the medicalese" for the rest of us; 3 years as consulting reviewer for an online health publication.
In this work, I use both the "senior" Merck Manual, which is written for professionals (though many nonprofessionals have been referred to it by librarians and such), and this recently developed "home" version, which I can't praise highly enough. It is literally the first text I have encountered that provides essential medical information in terms the average educated person can understand, WITHOUT writing down to people. It covers all the basic diseases and conditions and many unusual ones, including prevention where prevention is possible. Clear, understandable charts cover such topics as common blood and laboratory tests. The index is superb, so finding things is easy, whether you are coming at the topic by way of some medical jawbreaker your doctor has mentioned (myocardial infarction) or by way of what most people call it (heart attack). Any household would benefit from having this reference on its bookshelves. Even as a professional, I look in this edition first and tackle "Papa Merck" or a specialized textbook only if I need more than the basic information.

This reference book is easy to use and understand. When I first leaned of this home edition version of the Merck manual I was hesitant. Over the years many books have been published that are medical in nature, some published by doctors, but the content is watered down or so vague that a layperson doesn't derive much information from it. Some books are actually condescending in attitude, some patronizing. So many books briefly skim symptoms and then caution to call a physician for more information.

Recently my son was diagnosed on the phone by our pediatrician with chicken pox and it was made clear that they did not want to see him for a physical exam. I was given a tiny bit of information by the office staff but was still curious for more information. I spent over an hour surfing the Internet looking for information but found watered down information, repeated many times over on multiple websites, including some written by physicians intended for laypeople to use. I looked at my parenting books written by doctors (one titled "The Portable Pediatrician", no less) and was still lacking any substantial information. When I consulted the Merck Manual home edition, (which I had forgotten I bought recently and had not yet used), I was surprised at the level of information given. There are many details that I had not found elsewhere, such as number of days from exposure to outbreak, how long it takes the pox to change from first appearance to crusted over, about how long the infection lasts, and treatment suggestions. Reasons why some children have a mild outbreak vs. a severe outbreak were even provided, something I had not found anywhere else.

The information here is not dumbed down in that it is not so vague that it is not useful. There is a lot of information here but it is written in a style for the layperson to understand. I appreciated the writing style, which presents information to the non-physician without putting on airs.

Anyone who, like me, prefers to gather information and learn about things rather than making a call or office visit to their doctor to get just one opinion will appreciate owning this book. At about 1500 pages it covers many illnesses and ailments. If you are interested in this book I suggest you buy it so that you have it at your fingertips 24 hours a day, for whatever may arise. I am not suggesting this take the place of a doctor, but I know from working with physicians that there are certain calls that are non-emergent in nature that are not appreciated when the office is closed!

If you are looking for a book about children's ailments that encompasses not only western medicine but lists an array of other treatment methods, I suggest Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child: A Practical A-To-Z Reference to Natural and Conventional Treatments for Infants and Children by Janet Zand. I found this to be an excellent companion to the Merck manual, home edition. The Merck manual gives more information about the disease or ailment itself through a Western medicine viewpoint while the Zand's books' specialty is sharing treatment options grouped by category (herbal, homeopathic, western, etc.).

This book is cheaper [on] AMAZON than the one I bought at my warehouse club. I'd buy it for twice list price if I did not already have a copy.

The text is marvelously complete, yet devoid of fluff and fillers despite its 1500+ pages. The illustrations are very helpful, as is its exhaustive index.

If I have a medical problem in the house, this is what I grab first, even before logging onto the net. It's that good.

All that being said, it is not a complete medical library, you can get more detailed info by visiting a medical library, buying more specific books on the condition that interests you, and be spending hours researching a subject on the net.

If you want to understand something medical in a hurry, reach for this first.

If you can read this book and not think twice about your next meal- you must be dead. John Robbins, in his most convincing book yet, spells out all the reasons even the most avid meat eater can't dispute.

Have you ever tried one of those new diets like the Zone or the famous Atkins plan? John Robbins explains exactly why they don't work and why they're dangerous- with life long results!

Children and adults alike are less able to fight off infections, the medical profession blames it on overprescribing antibiotics- but did you ever think it could be because of the food we eat? Oh yes! John tells all about how the meat and dairy industry insists on using antibiotics on the animals- why? Because they are so crowded, abused and sick from mistreatment- that a huge percentage carry deadly illnesses to pass onto the dinner plates! Do you want to risk that?

In details, reports, interviews, personal experiences, and scientific and medical backup- Mr. Robbins provides all the fact, mental visual horror, and life long compassion that everyone should have before they eat their next meal. James Cromwell from the movie Babe turned Vegan after his encounter with the factory farms.

I began with his book Diet for a new World, this new book helps me explain why I won't eat or buy any animal products-ever!

And do you know the result? I lost weight naturally and I feel amazing! I can look at animals in peace knowing I won't be causing them death or harm.

Force the factory farms to change. Make them be humane in their practices. More importantly- buy this book!

When you've read it- pass it on or buy friends and family their own copies. One person at a time, one family at a time- we can change whats going on. A huge thank you to John Robbins! Support his work- buy his books!

I find John Robbins to be one of the most caring, loving, compassionate human beings alive today. In his book he gives detailed information about the food we eat and how our choices affect the whole world. The well-researched and documented information he gives us is just TOO COMPELLING TO IGNORE. I was unable to put the book down once I started reading it; I finished the whole book in two days, and I am forever changed. There are so many things that most of us simply are not aware of, until someone comes out and tells us the truth, and that is exactly what John Robbins does. He boldly stands up and tells us all the things that our food industries spend millions of dollars to keep secret. If you want to be an educated consumer, if you care about your health and the health of your family and friends, you owe it to yourself to buy this book and read it. Then give copies of it to everyone you know. You will be glad you did!

I read John Robbins's "Diet For A New America" many years ago and have been passing it on to friends ever since. I had been a vegetarian for almost 10 years when I read "Diet," but it wasn't until I read Robbins's book that I understood why. I had a basic feeling that it was wrong for animals to suffer, but I had never really educated myself about what that suffering entailed. Moreover, I had very little understanding of the nitty gritty of the other arguments for vegetarianism/veganism. "Diet" absolutely shocked me when I read it, and it shocked my meat-eating boyfriend when I gave it to him to read; we both became vegan [basically] overnight. ...Fabulous though "Diet" is, it's wonderful to have an updated resource, given everything that has changed since it was published. "The Food Revolution" covers all the basics of gmo crops, mad cow disease, and the health, animal rights, environmental, and human hunger arguments for eating less meat and dairy products. I would highly reccomend this book, both for meat-eaters and committed vegetarians/vegans alike. I have taken to asking friends and family to read "Food Revolution" as their birthday or Christmas present to me. It's a fast, compelling read, with enough anecdotes to keep you going and plenty of great pull-quote type statistics. And most importantly, I really believe this is a book that can change lives. If you only read one book on vegetarianism, it should be this one! If you only give friends and family members one book on vegetarianism, it should be this one!

A grandfather's blessings have evoked in Rachel Naomi Remen a wisdom in the service of life. This book is filled with stories, anecdotes and reflections which will help readers to recognize and bless the wisdom in themselves and in others. At a time when Orthodox Judaism is in the news, this book will go a long way to dispel cliches and to advance a positive appreciation of the spiritual wisdom at the heart of all authentic religious traditions and personal experience.

My partner and I received Grandfather's Blessings as a gift a few weeks ago and read one short story in the morning before work and one in the evening before bed. What an inspiration these stories are. They really make you think about what's important in your life and, to steal a phrase, count your blessings.

Believe all of these 5 star reviews and buy this book. You won't regret it, and more importantly, you will help inspire Rachel Remen to continue sharing her work with us!

I am impressed by how wonder-ful this book is. The book provides brief and easily-read vignettes which can be reflected upon over several hours, and which make excellent points of focus for meditation or for prayer. One can see the blessings follow Dr Rehmen throughout the book. She begins as an appreciative young child who is blessed to spend time with her beloved, wise, and cherished grandfather. She uses her grandfather's advice as she travels through adolescence, through her studies in medicine, and then through her teaching and healing years. One can follow the advice of her grandfather and her character development too, and how important love and wisdom are to a person at any stage of life. The love and wisdom spoken of here are not something she owns or acquires, but are something which she participates in, adds to, and then returns to the source.

I think you will find this a loving and wise work, and that you will be happy you have shared with her.

Here is straight, knowledgable advice based on science and research and respect for what women feel! Thank you Dr. Vliet!!I highly recommend this book for anyone out there who can't get straight answers on balancing hormones. The problem that I encountered in the plethora of literature that I read was that books on "natural" normonal balance never discussed any negative side effects that can occur in a woman. This book is honest and easy to understand. A must for every woman's library!

If you are a woman and looking for answers then this book is for you. Dr. Vliet covers everything imaginable for women's health. I HAD to be seen at her clinic after reading her book and finding answers to all of my questions that no other doctors had been able to answer. I had been previously misdiagnosed with so many things, I was beginning to lose all hope of ever feeling good again after I had a hysterectomy. Now, just 6 months after first visiting Her Place, I feel great, have more energy than I have since I was 20, weigh 115 pounds, and my sex life is now awesome! Don't miss an opportunity to change your life. Read this book and find confirmation for what you have suspected all along. This book can truly change your life!

When we told friends about our teenage daughter's poor health, they recommended we read "Screaming to be Heard". We bought the book the next day and within a week had scheduled an appointment with Dr. Vliet. We credit Dr. Vliet with turning our daughter's health, and her life, around. She's a new person! We highly recommend this book.

I am teaching my son to read with this book. The book has twenty lessons each about 20 pages. We are on lesson seven and he is showing real progress now. This book is all a good reading program should be. You can open it on any page and you know exactly what to do. It is reasonably priced for the quality, which is very high indeed.

What is so different about this book is that is not a "how can I teach my kid to read" book. Instead it is really a course with lessons that are goal-oriented. At the same time, it is not boring for the child. The pages are beautiful to look at and the drawings on every page are very cute. My son likes to color the pictures. We do about 3to 4 pages a day and that can take about 20 minutes. Sometimes the going is slow but everything is clearly expalined in a few words at the start of the lesson without making it too complicated or rigid. Little symbols under the letters and combinations such as "sh", "th" and "ea" help him to remember the sounds which are taught at the begining of the lesson.

The book covers phonics and sightwords. Each lesson has key words that child need to know. The stories are just 4 to 6 lines which is just exactly right for a six year old.

All in all, I am glad I found this lovely book. It one of those rare books that is actually better than it seems from its description. Dr. Levin and his wife have done a good job and I am sure you will feel the same way.

My grandson Luke, age 6, started to learn how to read this past year in kindergarten. I wanted to help him increase his skills over the summer and found "The Reading Lesson" on the internet. There were 2 chapters to download to see if you would like the book. I tried them out on Luke and he loved them. We are now on Chapter 5 and Luke's skills have skyrocketed! We also got the companion CD. I use this as his reward for finishing a chapter. The CD reinforces what you learn in the book. It is very pleasing to a child, with easy to understand word exercises and games. One of Luke's favorites is the fishing boat game on the CD. This book is an excellent tool for very early readers or a great companion for beginning school readers. If your child is ready to read, this book is a must! It has everything you need to help your child learn to read. I also think this book would be excellent for teaching adults to read. Can't say enough about the book. GREAT!

I bought this book for my daughter who is 4 and a half because she has shown an interest in learning to read. Teaching her to read has definitly not been "easy". I have actually not been this strung out teaching her something since toilet training. But just like potting training, seeing my daughter read is extremely rewarding so I am going to keep on preservering even though sometimes I feel like giving up. I would say my daughter was a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10 when it came to being motivated to read. Based on that and the reviews on this site I decided to order the reading lesson. I also tried the first two lessons on their website for free and both my daughter and I found them to be easy and enjoyable. Let me tell you, it is right at chapter three, the one they don't provide, that things get hard. On the first day we did a lesson my daughter did all of chapter one in one sitting. I thought that at that rate I would easily have her reading fluently by kindergarten. Now we are at chapter 5 and it is literally a struggle to get her through two pages a sitting. I have to bribe her with gummi bears and other asssorted goodies to get her through. She can do the work but it is slow and requires a level of concentration she has never had to exhibit before. I do think this is a good program but I just want everyone to know that your child will not learn to read in 20 easy lessons. The book is 20 long chapters and it will take many, many lessons and a strong committment on the part of the parent for your child to learn to read. I think it would be nice to have had a few more work sheets in the book to break up the lessons a little more. I try to maintain my daughters interest by having her draw pictures next to the words she reads. You can also have your child color the pictures in. On the plus side the stories are as intresting as three and four letter word stories can be. My daughter actually likes to read the little stories when we get into them to see what happens next. The chapters are filled with lots of little animals which she enjoys immensly. This is the only reading program I have tried and it is working but slowly. One other point I would like to make is the book does not come with a cd rom. I was a little confused about this until I got the book. The cd rom is an additional $30 and I am seriously considering getting it to see if I can jump start the reading process a bit. My daughter loves the computer so this route my appeal a bit more to her than just the book. I am going to stick with the book through the summer until the start of kindergarten. It will be intresting to see if it clicks at some point and maybe goes a bit smoother. At this point she has seen the word "the" it seems a hundred times and she still tries to sound it out. At the end of every chapter is a list of sight words you are supposed to go over with your child until they have them memorized. Even though my daughter can sound out all the words in chapter 5 we are still on the previous chapters sight words. Lastly one other thing I did do was supplement the reading lesson with the bob books. They are enjoyable and also complemet the reading lesson well.

There are times that I think my life was or still is hard. Well, I'm a black female who grew up in a middle-class home with two teachers as parents. College was as automatic as sleeping and eating. But, for these young men in the book "The Pact", college was as uncertain as winning the lottery. I always knew that our young black boys growing up in the inner-city had it super hard, but this book allowed me to see another side of our young brothas. They all have dreams as little kids, even though they don't see anyone in their neighborhood to emulate. Somehow, someway, Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt and George Jenkins all found the determination to succeed and become doctors. Their positive story is proof that just one person can make a difference in a kid's life. Everyone needs someone to look up to; someone to follow.

We all have gifts we can share. Read this book and feel blessed that someone in your life took the time to mentor you and be there for you; not everyone has that in their lives. I am so proud of these young men! Not only are they smart and positive, but they are cute too! What a great combination! God has truly blessed them and their family.

What a refreshing book. Thanks to Tavis Smiley for recommending it on the Tom Joyner Show.

"The Pact" is an incredible book! I just finished reading the remarkable journey completed by Drs. Sam Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt. It's an easy, quick read ~250 pages.

If you're not familiar with their story, they are 3 young, African-American men from Newark that establish a pact at 17-years old to become doctors. Over the years, they run into many obstacles (peer pressure, arrest, finances, and family issues) that tend to dissuade so many young people from pursuing their dream. With the "I got your back" support of each other, mentors they encountered throughout their journey, and God they become doctors despite how many people had presumed their future would turn out.

Dr. George Jenkins, probably the most focused in the group, knew at a very young age that he wanted to be a dentist. In high school, the three friends attend a college presentation offering full scholarships to minority students interested in the medical field. Knowing that neither he nor his friends could afford college THIS OFFER would be their ONLY way to attend college...the formation of the pact.

Surprisingly, after completing college and med school, Sam and Rameck were still unsure if they wanted to be doctors. Sam saw business/management as his future and Rameck wanted to be an actor (he'll settle on being a rapper). (If I didn't know the outcome, I would have been in suspense until the bitter end waiting to learn if they became doctors.) The death of an important person in each of their lives confirmed that medically helping others is what they were meant to do in life.

If you're in the education field or work closely with children in your community this is an excellent book to pick up when you...

- feel like what can I do to get through to this person
- need a testimony that success is not by luck but achieved through faith, perseverance, and support from others
- need a roadmap to better mentor a person in need

"The Pact" is an amazing story of inspiration and motivation to get (primarily) black teens to see beyond their environment, current situation, and look ahead with a plan for tomorrow. "The Pact" also displays the need for adults to begin mentoring children before they reach their teens. The book concludes with the doctors providing the "how-to's" to make a pact work.

I was pleased to read a book about three African-American men, from disadvantaged backgrounds, who'd beat the odds.They supported each other through thick and thin, and fulfilled their dream of becoming Doctors.They remained humble and are giving back by helping people who are at a disadvantage. They are positive, beautiful, and successful young men. God has truly gave the three Doctors a great annointing. I wish more people would read this book.I was upset when I read the last page. I did not want the book to end! The Doctors are a true inspiration. May God continue to bless them.

The book is great.
But it's full of spelling mistakes all over the place; they really need to look at that for their next edition.
And I also I hate this:
When they tell you to look at certain page number or figure it's always the wrong figure number or page number that its there for you to look at?
Why are they so disorganized with that...?
I like the book tho it's got some consistency throughout...
And it's a lot better then the levinson for you to read; I mean just the information that you need for micro is in there. Levison book is got too much info and it's sort of outdated on its didactics format for the student to read...
Especially now that the other guy died
Make sure you get something for immunology tho cause there is nothing there for it to learn
For the immunology part you can you the levison book I guess.
Thereza M.Melo.
Recife,Pernambuco
Brasil.
IMG
UPE/FESP

Full of misplaced figures and pg# and spelling mistakes...

The book is very concise, very complete. The nemonics are great to remember. I used it for the microbiology course, and I did great. Now I'm using it to prepare for the boards. I really sugest it as the best board review I have found till now.

This is a good source to help make microbiology easier. The words are easy to understand, to the point, and clear. It is refreshing since it is not boring to read. Actually, it keeps your attention and makes studying more fun.
In addition, I also used Microbiology Study Guide: Key Review Questions and Answers by Patrick Leonardi. This study guide helped prepare me for the type of questions that were asked on my microbiology exams in med school. I even used it to study for my USLME Boards. I passed the boards the first time. This says something about both these books.