effect

I usually don't write reviews, but I really likes this book. I've read it twice now and the information contained in "Saturn in Transit" explained so much of what I have experienced, mostly in 7 year cycles (when Saturn adversly affected a 4 planet stellium I have). I've studied astrology off and on for a few years and knew there had to be a reason for the drastic changes, but until I read this book, I didn't connect what or how to deal with it..So now I am prepared for 2006! LOL. The book shed light not only on my craziness, but on the actions and feelings of lots of my friends too!

In Saturn In Transit: Boundaries Of Mind, Body And Soul, Erin Sullivan draws upon astrology, mythology, and psychology to reveal Saturn's useful and developmental influence in our daily lives as a source of divine discontent. During its transit around the zodiac, Saturn assists the modern hero and heroine by destroying the old and outmoded within, and throwing us periodically into chaos, thereby invariably generating creative transformations of purpose in our lives. Saturn In Transit is an impressive and highly recommended addition to personal astrological reference collections and metaphysical studies reading lists.

Every so often one comes across a quality astrological book that really stands out from the crowd and stands the test of repeated reading over time. "Saturn in Transit" is one such book. I have continued to read and re-read this over the last few years. In the best possible sense, it is a Saturnian treatment of the transits of Saturn. There is also a great deal of other high quality non-Saturn astrology here.

In addition to her obvious extensive experience as a practising astrologer, Erin Sullivan draws extensively on depth psychology and classical mythology to portray Saturn's developmental influence on our lives. The fourth section of the book, "The Personal Heroic Journey" stands out for me. Here the journey of Saturn around the birth chart is illuminated profoundly and accessibly. Sullivan begins the cycle at the midheaven and tenth house stage, "The Call To Adventure" as she terms it, in contrast to the more conventional viewpoint that places the ascendant and first house at the beginning of the cycle. From there on she comments on Saturn's movement round the chart and the various inner and outer lessons it has to teach us.

Countless practical examples are referred to throughout, with two contrasting case histories at the end showing how different but essentially similar each individual's "heroic quest for meaning" can be. As befits a book on Saturn it does all get a bit heavy going at times but is well worth the effort!

Although you would never know by the title, or cover, this book is for Mac users and for version 7.x The information seems to be laid out well. If you don't own a Mac - don't bother bying it like I did!

A greenhorn strolls into the first session of an Illustrator class, level one. No one warned her. Photoshop is "deeper", they all said, as if Illustrator would be a relaxed little jaunt . Only it isn't, and only Tom Reed's underappreciated "An Illustrator Guide To Type Effects and Logo Building" taught her the program from its own genial, detail-fixated vantange point. Reed uses type and logos as his trojan horse: almost anything a newbie or intermediate Illustrator user needs is in his self-published, pun-spilling tome. She got the how-to's, via relaxed, conversational English. She got the "why bother with this or that how-to", mainly via Reed's tempting array of teaching exercises and bell-clear illustrations. Reed is gifted with a singular, smart, wry voice as a writer, a voice his graphic gifts have as well. Don't let an underestimated graphics program --Adobe's Illustrator -- or a should-be-infamously-famous author --Tom Reed -- slide by you. The newbie didn't , and now she's a full-fledged Illustrator beginner. When the answer to a tool or pallette puzzle lurks in Tom Reed's book, she's always glad that's the book with the information and the inspiration. A little twisted, but a punk-and-bloat filter can be a beginner's best friend.

I am the graphics curriculum coordinator for the New School Computer Instruction Center in New York.

I am very familiar with Tom's book from the many students who have taken Tom's classes and used his book.

This book focuses on EXACTLY the type of things most students are looking to do in Illustrator. Not to create huge artistic illustrations of scenes, but to create small, single-focused artwork--especially having to do with type, logos, or iconography.

Are you a book cover designer and would like to add a little whiz bang effect to the title of your book. Perhaps make the type look old, or 3D, or rough, or something. Tom's book is exactly what you want.

Are you an art director looking for a cool logo treatment for your client's new product. Maybe something to make the name seem more sleek, elegant, futuristic? Again this book is for you.

This is a focused book that is right on target.

Bonnye Matthews has obviously worked very hard to bring us this summary of biochemical science and medicine research on the topic of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). For people with MCS or who want to learn about it strictly from the point of view of the biochemical system in the research-outcome model, this is an invaluable book. If your priority is the much over-rated "scientific proof" that MCS is real and not psychosomatic, because you can't think outside that box, or perhaps more importantly, if you need that sort of documentation to present to people who think that way and only that way, this book will speak to you. There is much of value, I would imagine, for someone attempting to navigate the system for medical benefits, disability, or for other legal situations.
However, as a practitioner who specializes in the SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT OF MCS, I found this book wearisome and depressing. I was hoping to find some cutting-edge theory. There is little theory in this book, and nothing ground-breaking, inspiring or exciting. In fact, it is extremely depressing. There is nothing here to challenge the mainstream view that MCS is untreatable. As usual, Medical Dieties decide if they can't treat something then nobody else can. Certainly MCS is tantamount in pointing out the errors of "better living through chemistry" thinking. If a person can't handle exposure to chemicals and the only medicine you can offer is CHEMICALS, it should be glaringly obvious that the medicine will not only fail, but will make the person sicker. This is one of the many reasons why natural medicine is so practical, and has withstood the test of time as well as tremendous efforts at total eradication of said medicine. There is no mention of natural medicine in this book, however.
Probably the most worthwhile part of the book for someone who is NOT trying to prove that MCS exists to the narrow-minded is the personal element. The show of compassion for people with MCS in this book is moving, when you can find it. I found Ms. Matthews' personal story at the end of the book to be utterly heartbreaking and infinitely frustrating, as the system set out to crush her case and set a precedent of denial and lies to avoid responsibility and of course, payment. For a person in her state of health to create and publish this book must have been a gargantuan effort, and truly a labor of love. I do hope this book has helped people to accept MCS as a reality and helped people gain support from the system they have paid into on good faith. I wonder on a personal level what has become of Matthews since this book was written, and can only hope that she has found a way to heal and not just survive.
End note to those with severe MCS: My copy of this book does not have a strong smell, so if you're sensitive to such things you may be able to tolerate this book on a sensory level.

Highly recommend it! It is evident that special interestswillnot like it as it is not within their financial interests! Nowwith new emerging evidence it becomes the issue of emerging credibility!

This book comparing to trashy campaign published disinformation campaign sponsored by special interests ... is undisputed MASTERPIECE! WHAT ELSE ONE CAN SAY?

Only works of Claudia Miller, Mohamed Abu Donia, Marc Cullen, Grace Ziem the MDs scientists and researchers could be rated any higher!

Together with other jewels and masterpieces such as: Chemical Exposures: Low Levels and High Stakes, 2nd Edition; Claudia S. Miller, Nicholas Askounes Ashford the readers can get full accounting of the magnitude of informations available today from first hand witness of the suffering.

To add to credibility to this book read scientific review by Alexandra Golub a DOD scientific review sponsored under PENTAGON and DOD programs on Gulf War illness research... demonstrates that there is clear the connection between neurological injury and MCS. Only by reading such first hand accounting and documented evidence one can get full image of the magnitude of legal deception by any and all means!

The recent findings in reference to heavy metals and specificaly mercury toxicity and neural sensitisation, as the cause of developing heavy metal allergy suported by the newest MELISA (memory lymphocyte immuno-stimulation assay) tests with the study of metal-induced neural neurotoxic sensitization tests

could beef up the splendind factual accounting by this the autor first hand of the mysery of injured by neurotoxic agents.

As far as discussed treatment it is difficult to treat what is not yet fully explored there for elimination and avoidance is what must be first considered.

The NEW emerging scientific evidence only adds credibility and supports this book. The recent findings of brain damage in Gulf War Veterans, as well as ethiology of allergy and asthma ...reported on May 18, 2000 with new evidence that the ALLERGY NERVE GROWTH FACTOR NGD was linked to NGF proteine.

"Hopkins allergy researchers took to the trail of NGF for several reasons. First, Koliatsos, who is an expert on the use of NGF in experiments to treat nerve and brain disorders, informed the allergy researchers that using NGF to treat Alzheimer's caused patients excessive pain. NGF, found naturally in the body, is a small, potent molecule that helps maintain certain nerve cells and prods other nerve cells to grow and communicate with others. "It looked like the pain syndromes we saw in these patients shared many of the same mechanisms with respiratory allergy," says Koliatsos. "

The new evidence clearly demonstrates a valid what previously was unknown missing links: "Hay fever and asthma now seem to derive from events not only in the respiratory system, but also from a nervous system that is overreacting to stimuli," says Vassilis Koliatsos, M.D., an associate professor of pathology, neurology and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine."

God bless autor for excellent account of factual presentation of the REAL WORLD of what I will plainly call "QUACKERY and fraud in medicine".

A Must READ!

"Defining Multiple Chemical Sensitivity" is a carefully documented story, written to establish knowledge and truth based on scienfific method. The first chapters cover some of the latest work in biomarkers for demonstrating chemical poisoning. This poisoning may occasionally be followed by the complex of symptoms called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome (MCSS). Biomarkers (medically verifiable tests) include measurable changes in molecules, biochemistry, or cells from human tissue or fluids. Included here are auditory and visual evoked (or "event-related") potentials (ERPs), SPECT scans, acute intermittent porphyrinuria, and changes in levels of cytochrome P-450. These papers go a long way towards providing an understanding of why the chemically poisoned experience such brain fog and react to so many things. There is information on how to prevent/counter attacks. Donald Dudley's chapter, "MCS: Trial by Science" shows how the influence of the olfactory system has been quite underestimated in medical science. 20 MCS patients (under Cullen's definition) were exposed to substances like formaldehyde, MEK, perfume, diesel, a whiff of felt pen... - all chemicals having 6 or fewer carbon fragments in their volatile component. Neurotransmitters from the olfactory system (like glutamate and NMDA), also have molecules with this structure. It is thought that the 6-or-less carbon chemicals act as agonists for the glutamate and other amino acids. And these are the same amino acids which are implicated in brain cell injury - eg stroke, pain, depression and degenerative brain disease. In the study, stimuli were given to eyes and ears - a changing checker board and clicks, before and after the chemical exposures. Electrodes measured how long the brain took to react and how much brain reaction there was. The findings were dramatic. Gunnar Heuser's chapter covers SPECT brain scanning; pictures of the brain which show how the oxygen-carrying blood flow is impaired in the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes in people with exposure to neurotoxic chemicals. This hypoperfusion is further decreased on exposure to, for instance, perfume. Mathematical tasks did not light up the appropriate areas of the brain. He suggests possibilities to explain these findings. These kinds of brain affects were actually detected in a study on DDT in 1966; this research was never followed up. However progress is being made - I liked Eileen McCarty's first chapter parting shot: "A cosmetic salesperson related her poorly adhering nail polish to the lessening of formaldehyde in the formula...". The book has lots of interesting "bits". Porphyrias are deficits of certain enzymes required for the production of heme. Heme is used to produce haemoglobin (for carrying oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood), and cytochromes (for breaking down such things as steroids, drugs, pollutants, mutagens and natural plant and animal products. Prozac and aldehydes have been shown to inhibit cytochrome P-450. Porphyrias were an extremely rare hereditary condition (remember "The Madness of King George?") usually with a single enzyme missing. But specific testing (through the Mayo Lab) shows how a chemical exposure can cause a multiple enzyme deficit. Bonnye Matthews, in this chapter, gives a clear explanation of the process. She demonstrates that for the first time a model of MCSS is possible. Some Gulf War veterans have also tested positively for toxic-induced porphyrias. The information in this chapter on the substances which can set off an attack is vital. Though there is a great deal of common sense in this book, it's not a light read - there's necessary information for medical professionals - GPs, neurologists, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, occupational health physicians, allergists, immunologists, cardiologists, gastro-intestinal specialists, anaesthesiologists... in fact it should be compulsory reading at medical schools and for all practising doctors, such are the wide-ranging affects of chemical poisoning. Bonnye unravels the medical detective story that is behind MCS Syndrome - the unethical and incompetent research and papers and medical assessments which were designed to deny compensation by showing MCS as psychosomatic. (The spinoffs are that these papers are now used in countries like New Zealand to deny claims based on MCSS.) But the book's not a witch-hunt - more of a plea for justice and open-mindedness in establishing facts. Bonnye Matthews also tells her own story - because she was (unwittingly at first) in the thick of it as a research subject and recipient of workers' compensation (for a while anyway) in Washington. Her unecessary medical procedures - the methacholine challenge, the venous punctures, even being forced to attend appointments downtown against the advice of her treating physicians are horrifying in their consequences. And loads more including a legal section which shows how a scheme which was intended to be no-fault insurance for work-related individuals has become an adversarial process (and this is Washington, not New Zealand). The measured title of this book belies a gripping read which may make you feel outraged and sick. Please read this book.

If I wanted to paint something metallic, this would be the book I would go to for instructions . If I hadn't just bought a bunch of other interior decoration books, I would have bought this one. The projects were very creative and inspiring and surprisingly untacky. This book would be a fun addition to any design junkies library.

Pluses:
It has a wide variety of projects, easy to understand technical info, instructions and tools listed in great detail.

Bonus:
Several pages of color swatches for every type of paint effect and metallic color imaginable.

Minus:
If you were expecting 70's metallic wallpaper, don't buy this book.

Recommendation: Buy this book!

Kerry Skinner's The Gilded Room: Decorating With Metallic Effects, From Metal Leaf To Powders, Pastes & Paints offers do-it-yourself interior decorators twenty innovative projects for walls, floors, furniture and accessories incorporating traditional and contemporary techniques for decorative metallic effects ranging from water-gilding to decoupage. Each project is profusely illustrated with clear step-by-step instructions and enhanced with the color photography by Tim France. The Gilded Room is a very highly recommended addition to any personal or professional interior design reference collection.

Though I have numerous books about decorative finishes, this is the only one that focuses on metal effects. It is packed with fresh ideas and techniques not seen elsewhere. While many other books focus on cute floral or antique looking interiors, there are many projects here with a clean, modern, metallic look, along with classical styles as well.

There are over 15 projects including a faux-gold wall, aluminum wall paneling, metallic-effect patterned floor tiles, mesh lampshade with metal accents, Moroccan-style shutters, a steel-effect column and an incised gesso plaque. Each project includes a materials list, and step-by-step instructions accompanied by photos. A discussion of the project and large photo of the finished design is included as well.

Technical information is included in the back. There is a photograph of just about every tool and material you will use. The author also guides you seamlessly through preparing size and gesso. The details of water-gilding, gilding with oil and acrylic size, finishes, metal patination, and painted metallic effects are also shown. There is also an awesome section spanning nine pages that shows swatches of over 70 special effects including painted patinas, metal-leaf patinas, and patterned metallics.

If you love the look of metal then you need to buy this book. With so much information and so many inspirational ideas you won't be disappointed.

In my eyes, this is a very good book. I suggest you spend a week or two to read it. You will feel better after you read is. It makes me wonder my this wasnt a hit instead of Dune. They are both outstanding books and this book gets my gratitude.

I feel that people everywhere should read the Pandora series. It mixes action, love, literature, and culture into an action packed yet down to earth book. I feel that Frank herbert, and Bill Ransom have created a marvelous Series that shows how people are nto what they seem.

Unlike Dune, this series has been out of print for some time. Shame! No one does it better than Herbert but Dune-Mania has left too much of his best work unread and unknown. Dune was a masterpiece, no question. But the series devolved into action novels - the work of creating his universe did not have to be re-done so the rest was just what happens next (and as Brian continues the series, what happened before. The Voidship series is different. Beginning with Destination: Void, which establishes the premise, each novel must reestablish the world in which it is set. Each set of characters has very new hurdles and new forms of intelligent life(? at least self-awareness) to deal with, each with their own world view. A good marketing bet would be to reintroduce these novels in paperback, capitalizing on the popularity of the Dune series. Let the new generation of sf readers discover the other worlds of Frank Herbert.

I essentially picked up this book because I was interested in learning more about the experiences that children of gays and lesbians face while growing up.

I learned of Ms. Jakii and her autobiography on the Ananda Lewis show addressing the issues on Gay & Lesbian Parenting. I was eager to learn more about Ms. Jakii's childhood because 1, she is an African American female and 2, she was raised by a lesbian. Even though Ms. Jakii's opposition on the show for Gays and Lesbians to parent were weak, I still thought I would give her book a chance. I'm glad I did.

For the most part, I found 'Like Mother Like Daughter?' to be an excellent read; probably one of the most inspiring books one would ever come across who've ever experience a similar background. Ms. Jakii does an outstanding job in recounting her tragic childhood and the healing process she had to endure in order to forgive her mother and to love herself. This book is definitely a tear-jerker! I would encourage anyone who is trying to heal from childhood abuse to pick up this book.

But there is a 'But'...

Even though this is a wonderful read it falls short in one major area:

On the surface, it appears that Ms. Jakii's primary purpose in writing her book was to give personal insight on how children of Gay and Lesbians are negatively effected by their parent's sexual orientation. In my opinion I feel the reader is mislead into believing that Ms. Jakii's childhood was LARGELY ruined by her mother's lesbianism. But if you're smart enough to look past Ms. Jakii's (well understood) bitterness, hatred and homophobic attitude toward lesbians, you're able to see that her mother's sexual orientation is (relatively) circumstantial.

I don't mean to undermine Ms. Jaskii's experience with having a lesbian mother (she seemed to suffer greatly) but, her childhood seemed to be largely impacted by a loveless, irresponsible, hurting mother who, herself, had also suffered at the hands of her parents.
Like any dysfunctional family, the cycle of abuse, neglect and lack of responsibility was the underlying cause of Ms. Jakii's unhappy childhood. This is what I found prevalent in her story. Her mother's sexual orientation and frivolous lifestyle heighten that suffering and even made Ms. Jakiis' childhood painful. But for Ms. Jakii to place blame solely on her mother's sexual orientation grossly simplifies the events in her childhood and in the end, only adds to the misrepresentation of Gay and Lesbian parents and their children.

Even though I wouldn't recommend this book to other Gay and Lesbian parents (...Unless I knowingly believe they are a spitting image of 'Dorothy') I do, in some respects believe Gay and Lesbian parents could take heed to Ms. Jakii's story. There is some validity in her approach.

In the preface, Ms Jakii speaks about the hardships that children of Gay and Lesbian parents have. She goes on to explain that "there is always a certain amount of shame and gender identity questions which linger in our hearts and minds...The homosexual community may never admit it, but the damage stemming from their actions can be profound..." I think Ms. Jakii was right on point. Gay and Lesbian parents do have a greater responsibility to their children--as do any parent whose children will face prejudice and prosecution due to being "different". The shame that Ms. Jakii speaks of can be conquered with (honest) continuous education, lots of unconditional love and affection, and a willingness to be the best progressive parent possible.

I essentially picked up this book because I was interested in learning more about the experiences that children of gays and lesbians face while growing up.

I learned of Ms. Jakii and her autobiography on the Ananda Lewis show addressing the issues on Gay & Lesbian Parenting. I was eager to learn more about Ms. Jakii's childhood because 1, she is an African American female and 2, she was raised by a lesbian. Even though Ms. Jakii's opposition on the show for Gays and Lesbians to parent were weak, I still thought I would give her book a chance. I'm glad I did.

For the most part, I found 'Like Mother Like Daughter?' to be an excellent read; probably one of the most inspiring books one would ever come across who've ever experience a similar background. Ms. Jakii does an outstanding job in recounting her tragic childhood and the healing process she had to endure in order to forgive her mother and to love herself. This book is definitely a tear-jerker! I would encourage anyone who is trying to heal from childhood abuse to pick up this book.

But there is a 'But'...

Even though this is a wonderful read it falls short in one major area:

On the surface, it appears that Ms. Jakii's primary purpose in writing her book was to give personal insight on how children of Gay and Lesbians are negatively effected by their parent's sexual orientation. In my opinion I feel the reader is mislead into believing that Ms. Jakii's childhood was LARGELY ruined by her mother's lesbianism. But if you're smart enough to look past Ms. Jakii's (well understood) bitterness, hatred and homophobic attitude toward lesbians, you're able to see that her mother's sexual orientation is (relatively) circumstantial.

I don't mean to undermine Ms. Jaskii's experience with having a lesbian mother (she seemed to suffer greatly) but, her childhood seemed to be largely impacted by a loveless, irresponsible, hurting mother who, herself, had also suffered at the hands of her parents.
Like any dysfunctional family, the cycle of abuse, neglect and lack of responsibility was the underlying cause of Ms. Jakii's unhappy childhood. This is what I found prevalent in her story. Her mother's sexual orientation and frivolous lifestyle heighten that suffering and even made Ms. Jakiis' childhood painful. But for Ms. Jakii to place blame solely on her mother's sexual orientation grossly simplifies the events in her childhood and in the end, only adds to the misrepresentation of Gay and Lesbian parents and their children.

Even though I wouldn't recommend this book to other Gay and Lesbian parents (...Unless I knowingly believe they are a spitting image of 'Dorothy') I do, in some respects believe Gay and Lesbian parents could take heed to Ms. Jakii's story. There is some validity in her approach.

In the preface, Ms Jakii speaks about the hardships that children of Gay and Lesbian parents have. She goes on to explain that "there is always a certain amount of shame and gender identity questions which linger in our hearts and minds...The homosexual community may never admit it, but the damage stemming from their actions can be profound..." I think Ms. Jakii was right on point. Gay and Lesbian parents do have a greater responsibility to their children--as do any parent whose children will face prejudice and prosecution due to being "different". The shame that Ms. Jakii speaks of can be conquered with (honest) continuous education, lots of unconditional love and affection, and a willingness to be the best progressive parent possible.

What's it like for children to be raised by a gay parent or gay parents? How do these children feel? What effects does the homesexualtiy have on them? Written by a woman who was raised by a lesbian mother, this book gives the reader a unique look at a growing cultural movement.

Enfield's book has a very impressive sounding title but compared to The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes (Christopher James), or Coming Into Focus (John Barnier), it falls far short of being "A Complete Guide." This book is a nice introduction to some of the techniques a beginning student, interested in the subject, might investigate.

Photo-Imaging is beautifully written and illustrated--an essential volume for anyone interested in alternative photographic processes. The writing is clear and simple. Jill Enfield makes it easy to experiment with new photographic techniques. There are lots of helpful tips and hints based on Enfield's extensive experience with alternative processes. I particulary like the detailed supplier information she lists.

While I sometimes wished she had included additional historical and chemical details, it's a minor quibble because this book has carefully distilled the essential information needed to get up and running with each process. This book is a great value considering the low cost and the extensive information included. No fluff or filler--just concise information.

Photo-Imaging by Jill Enfield has received the 2002 Golden Light Book Awards Best Technical Book Award. The award is sponsored by The Maine Photographic Workshops, The International Film Workshops
and Rockport College. A panel of distinguished jurors reviews books and selects those that make a significant contribution to the art and literature of the medium. Submissions are judged on qualities such as writing, editing, photo reproduction, design and printing, and the contents' overall importance to their perspective mediums. The Jury, which reviews all entries, is comprised of several renowned photographers, filmmakers, publishers, writers and editors.

This book is selling for $27.99 at Barnes and Noble as of 2/24/04 - that's over $20 less than here!

This book is the most concise, and comprehensive book I've seen on the subject of producing a 2D animated cartoon. While several other books focus on the art of animation, Mark Simon focuses on the nuts and bolts of "getting it done". Topics flow from planning, visualization, character design to storyboarding, audio recording and animatics, through editing, rendering and even distribution options. The sample CD-ROM has a huge assortment of demo programs to help you "work along" with the book. It is by no means the ONLY book you need to embark on animating a cartoon, but it is an essential one for any prospective cartoon filmmaker's library. Interviews with several industry professionals are included and add a perspective from the talent buyer's view. All in all a very handy resource for someone who knows what they want to do, but need guidance to realize their vision.

hey, i bought this book for 35.00 yesterday at Barnes and Noble
( brick and mortar)
(39.95 - my 10% discount)
Why is it 48. here?

My father passed away two years ago after a ten year battle with cancer. While he did receive excellent care during his time in the hospital, he was later moved to a nursing home. Again, the care was adequate, but with such a vast number of residents, there was little time for hand-holding or explanation of what to expect as the disease worsened. While the doctor explained the disease, treatment and possible side effects of treatment, very vaguely I might add, there was little information given on what to expect in the years or months remaining, other than he would be kept "as comfortable as possible." Trying to pin down answers from doctors whose case loads were already stretched far beyond the limit was like trying to catch a feather in a wind storm. I began to wonder how many others were left in this same position.

While this book is not the most extensive one written on the subject, it is a good place to start. It is written in a straight-forward manner by an author who is well qualified in her field. With cancer, it is difficult for the lay person to know and understand what to expect, what symptoms are caused from the cancer itself and what symptoms are caused from the side-effects of treatment and medication. Cancer is not an illness which affects only the patient, it is equally as devastating for the family, particularly when the prognosis is "terminal." "Living with Cancer" answers many questions and concerns expressed by both patient and family. The emotional and physical changes are like taking a ride, blindfolded, on the world's largest roller coaster. You cannot see what is ahead, nor do you know when the highs and lows will hit, and there are generally far more lows than highs - suddenly, in a split second, they hit with relentless force. "Living with Cancer" covers topics from initial diagnosis, medical/natural treatments and side effects to hospice care and living wills. It is a good basic book, but I do wish the topics had been expanded upon in greater detail.

This book is the still the only one that is so easy to read, direct and completely reassuring. It just helps to have a place to look up the symptoms and be able to gauge how bad it is and when to call the oncology nurse. It tells the reader the words to use to describe the problem when making the call so that the problem is heard!

A big plus is the discussion with every symptom of non-conventional remedies.

This book is for anyone with any cancer and even their friends and family to explain what is going on and what to do.

This book is a must have for every survivor!

This is a truly wonderful book. It alphabetically lists every effect & side effect of cancer and cancer treatments, and gives in depth suggestions on how to deal with these effects. It discusses the medical point of view, and goes all the way to holistic ways, and natural herbal remedies. I found that reading this book from cover to cover gave me a fantastic overview about what I could expect to see my Mom go through as she struggled with cancer, and it enabled me to help her with good suggesstions to increase her comfort and appetite. If you don't want to be clueless, you'll probably like this book.

When you buy a book that's thin and expensive, you expect it to
be very good. Not so with this book. Even worse, it contains
wrong rhetorical concepts, and you don't have to read very far
to realize that. In the Introduction, the author, to "clarify"
a point shows two sentences(Hundreds of shore birds fell victim
to the oil spill. Their feathers were covered with thick sludge.), and then combines these two into one sentence with an
absolute construction(Their feathers covered with thick sludge,
hundreds of shore birds fell victim to the oil spill.). And then
Kolln tells you that the sentence with the absolute construction
"focuses the reader's attention on the feathers in a way that a separate sentence would not." That's precisely the opposite! If you want to call attention to the feathers you have to set the idea off in a separate sentence. The absolute construction is
subordinate, so the attention moves to "fell victim." In chapter
two, the author praises the effectiveness of the "There is"
construction! This -- and many other examples in other parts of
the book -- shows that Kolln isn't RHETORICALLY prepared to the
task she embarked upon. Stay away from this book. You'll be better off with a style manual such as "The Little, Brown Handbook."

Rhetorical Grammar, by Martha Kolln, is a great way to get a grasp on the grammatical intricasies of the English language. But, in order to enjoy it and get something out of it, you have to be willing to do the exercises, at least the even ones, and work with the book. If you don't give the book a chance you won't like it.
Kolln lays out a very effective method of teaching grammar. Her method is so effective, in fact, that top linguistics and English graduate/undergraduate programs, nationwide, use this book. What Kolln does is explain grammar in a way which doesn't involve sentence diagramming, the most difficult part of many grammar classes. She explains how grammar controls the language.
Kolln has a way of explaining grammar that will help anyone struggling in the subject to become a better writer. The best thing about this book is that it's written in a way that writers, college students, graduate students and even high school students can understand and learn from. This is one book I'll never regret having bought.

As a lawyer, I spend considerable time revising my own writing. Professor Kolln's lessons on grammar helped me learn how to write more efficiently and with more confidence. Like most people, I often relied on the "... just sounds better that way ..." technique of editing my sentences. Kolln explained how to make deliberate choices of grammar, focusing on the needs of the reader. She also explained how to control the rhythm of sentences. She helps the student learn techniques for making sentences stick together (cohesiveness), so the reader doesn't get lost or frustrated. Slightly over 250 pages, Kolln's book is short enough to be reviewed again and again. Her system of "rhetorical reminders" is a set of tools, valuable to writers of all levels of proficiency.