Book Description
By the time most of us meet our doctors, they’ve been in practice for a number of years. Often they seem aloof, uncaring, and hurried. Of course, they’re not all like that, and most didn’t start out that way.
Here are voices of third-year students just as they begin to take on clinical responsibilities. Their words focus on the odd transition students face when they must deal with real people in real time and in real crises and when they must learn to put aside their emotions to make quick, accurate, and sensitive decisions. Their decisions aren’t always right, and the consequences can be life-altering—for all involved. Moving, disturbing, and candid, their true stories show us a side of the profession that few ever see, or could even imagine. They show, often painfully, how medical students grow up, right at the bedside.
Customer Reviews:
The Soul of a Doctor: Harvard medical Students Face Life and Death.......2007-07-27
This is a great book. It tells the story of Harvard medical school graduates and their interactions with patients. Some of the stories are particularly moving and give hope, others remind me of how difficult it must be to become a doctor. Nearly all of the stories are well written. This book would be a great gift for anyone starting medical school, anyone who has an interest in medicine or even someone with a passing interest who watches television shows like Grey's Anatomy.
Ok.......2007-06-24
I have been very interested in becoming a doctor for a very long time, as such, I like to read as many books as possible about individual's experiences as a doctor or while becoming a doctor. I do feel as though some of the experiences shown were very intimate, but overall I just couldn't force myself to maintain interest. I feel as though the students who wrote these accounts received more benefit from writing them thean I did from reading them.
promising book needs some surgery.......2006-07-05
all of the true stories in this book have promise - they are interesting and thought provoking but unfortunately, the writers never follow through with the outcomes. You meet a patient, find out their problem - usually involving some sort of dillema for the dr. - they make their point but the outcome is left out. Did the patient die? They never say. (even a brief update after the essay would make a difference).
A gift.......2006-06-13
Getting to understand someone else's point of view is always wonderful. This book helped me imagine what it is like to be given a gift to heal and then have to learn what that means in real life. This book is not just for medical minded people but for everyone as the lessons these students learn can be applied to all of our lives/works. If nothing else, I am thankful for my health and all the doctors/nurses in my life.
A unique and intimate look into the experiences of physicians-in-training.......2006-06-13
If you ever wondered what it feels like to become a physician, I would highly recommend reading this book. Not designed to be entertaining but is instead an intimate look into the real life experiences of young and idealistic medical students as they move from the classroom to encounter the realities of patient care and the limitations of the health care system. These are very powerful and human stories, sometimes disturbing and heartwrenching and other times more positive. It's hard to imagine anyone reading this book and not be profoundly moved.
Book Description
Terror rocks Grove Landing when a woman is murdered in her home. The victim's young daughter, Erin, witnessed the crime but is too traumatized to give a description. Desperate detectives ask neighbor Annie Kingston, with a background in art, to interview Erin for a composite. But what if Annie's lack of experience in forensic art leads Erin astray? The detectives could end up searching for a face that doesn't exist. Leaving the real killer free to stalk the neighborhood.
Customer Reviews:
Gripping, Chilling, and Downright Entertaining.......2007-07-04
Erin Willit witnessed what no 12 year old girl should: the murder of her murder. The killer is running free, and Erin is the only witness to the heinous act. Erin is so distraught by this event that she can't give the police any help in identifying the murderer.
Neighbor Annie Kingston is a veteran courtroom artist, and the police have asked her to work with Erin to put together a composite sketch of the killer. Annie has recently moved her family to Grove Landing to find some peace and safety. Now she finds herself immersed into a living nightmare as she discovers more about the killer and his motive.
This is the first installment of Collins' Hidden Faces series, and what a way to begin! The story is told from Annie's first person point of view. She juggles the demands of motherhood and a dark family past, all the while striving to find a killer before his trail grows cold. Brandilyn Collins holds her own as a suspense writer and she effortlessly guides readers along as the pages simply fly by. She also effectively weaves themes of faith and purpose throughout that add to the richness of this story. Readers will be encouraged by the spiritual awakening of Annie's character.
This is gripping, chilling, and downright entertaining reading and I'm eagerly anticipating the next installment.
www.kindredreviews.blogspot.com.......2007-04-27
I give this an A+ for suspense and police/forensic details! I do prefer books with more character development (I want to really know what they're feeling, etc), and this one didn't "grab me" that way. Otherwise, this is a great Christian suspense, worth the read!
Brandilyn Collins: The Best Thriller and Suspense Novelist!.......2006-11-27
As a Christian person myself, I love reading thriller and suspense books. Though, other thriller and suspense books are filled with sex, swearing, and excessive gory details. I had no idea that there were Christian thriller and suspense books out there until shopping one day in a local J.O.Y. Bookstore. So, let me tell you what a "thriller" that was for me. So, I picked it up. I must say this the best book I've read so far. She is my favorite author. Her unique style of writing, faith, suspense, and real characters are simply awesome. I was sitting on the edge of my seat until I was finished. I felt like I was right there helping Annie solve this case. I would give this book more than 5 stars if I could. I'm going to buy her other books and can't wait for more. BUY THIS BOOK!!! YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!!
First Impression.......2006-07-18
I've been wanting to read Brandilyn Collins for some time and I must say "Brink of Death" my a five star first impression on me. There is little to not like about this book. The dialogue is tight and the story proceeds at just the right speed. This story has great timing, never dragging but lingering on detail at times to allow the reader to catch up. I look forward to the rest of the novels in the Hidden Faces series.
Riveting.......2006-04-12
One of the best Christian Fiction books I have read in a long time. Lots of suspense, great characters, and a good story. I can't wait to read the others in this series. It is nice to find a book with good suspense, minus the foul language and gory details. Highly recommended.
Average customer rating:
- McFadyen offers up another winner...
- Simply awful....
- THE Best Serial Killer Thriller in Years!
- Serial killing avenging angel
- Another keeper!!!
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The Face of Death
Cody Mcfadyen
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0553804669
Release Date: 2007-05-29 |
Amazon.com
A June 2007 Significant Seven Editors' Pick: Don't let the title fool you. Cody McFadyen's The Face of Death is not just another scary-as-hell serial killer novel (although it is that in spades). Drawing a chilling portrait of a child stalked by a serial killer seeking revenge, McFadyen's second novel is surprisingly moving, standing out in an already packed genre by focusing on victim Sarah Langstrom and her struggle to survive. McFadyen knocked our socks off with his first book Shadow Man, but this arguably better sequel gives readers more time with Special Agent Smoky Barrett (Harris fans should imagine a stronger, more deeply scarred Clarice Starling). Barrett is a remarkable character--a ferocious survivor and reluctant heroine who only realizes her true potential in the face of unspeakable tragedy. Shocking, gruesome, and terrifying as it may be, the big kicker of this second novel is that it may also move you to tears. Easily one of my favorite thrillers of the year so far, The Face of Death is a perfect book for fans of Deaver, Koontz and King. But don't let me convince you, have a gander at the
first chapter and decide for yourself. --Daphne Durham
Book Description
In
Shadow Man, Cody McFadyen took the suspense thriller where other writers have feared to tread. He introduced readers to a heroine every bit as dark and edgy as the serial killers she hunts: Special Agent Smoky Barrett. Now, in his latest novel, McFadyen brings Agent Barrett back to track down a killer who breaks all the rules. Get ready for a shattering confrontation with the very essence of human evil.
“I want to talk to Smoky Barrett or I’ll kill myself.”
The girl is sixteen, at the scene of a grisly triple homicide, and has a gun to her head. She claims “The Stranger” killed her adoptive family, that he’s been following her all her life, killing everyone she ever loved, and that no one believes her.
No one has. Until now.
Special Agent Smoky Barrett is head of the violent crimes unit in Los Angeles, the part of the FBI reserved for tracking down the worst of the worst. Her team has been handpicked from among the nation’s elite law enforcement specialists and they are as obsessed and relentless as the psychos they hunt; they’ll have to be to deal with this case.
For another vicious double homicide reveals a killer embarked on a dark crusade of trauma and death: an “artist” who’s molding sixteen-year-old Sarah into the perfect victim—and the ultimate weapon. But Smoky Barrett has another, more personal reason for catching The Stranger—an adopted daughter and a new life that are worth protecting at any cost.
This time Smoky is going to have to put it all on the line. Because The Stranger is all too real, all too close, and all too relentless. And when he finally shows his face, if she’s not ready to confront her worst fear, Smoky won’t have time to do anything but die.
Customer Reviews:
McFadyen offers up another winner..........2007-10-08
Within the first few pages of THE FACE OF DEATH, one thing became very clear to me: McFadyen is no one-trick pony. SHADOW MAN was an amazing first novel; THE FACE OF DEATH is a brilliant follow-up. Readers are again immersed in the world of FBI Special Agent Smoky Barrett, as she attempts to begin a new life with her goddaughter Bonnie, six months after killing the man who murdered Bonnie's mother, Smoky's best friend. Smoky's hopes for a peaceful vacation with Bonnie are dashed when a call comes in from her team: A sixteen-year-old girl has called the FBI, warning them that she has a gun to her head and will blow her brains out unless they get Smoky on the phone.
The teenager, Sarah Langstrom, has a disturbing story to tell -- one about a deranged killer she calls "The Stranger" who, for the past ten years, has taken away everyone she ever loved, who will stop at nothing to make her feel the utter emptiness of total loss. When Smoky meets Sarah, she's surrounded by The Stranger's latest victims -- her foster family. Using Sarah's detailed diary as a guide, it's up to Smoky and her team to find out who The Stranger is and why he's targeted Sarah...before he kills again.
THE FACE OF DEATH is a shocking, violent, and incredibly sad novel. In my opinion, this second well-written, compelling book (in what I hope will be a LONG series) really makes McFadyen stand out from some of the more prevalent crime writers out there, whose books tend to have a churned-out feel. Both SHADOW MAN and THE FACE OF DEATH are extremely well-written -- literary, almost. McFadyen has a keen sense of timing and a real ear for phrasing. Smoky Barrett is one of the most compelling female characters in fiction today -- and she's written by a man...albeit, one who has an almost magical ability to tap into a woman's psyche. (I picture Holly Hunter as Smoky -- I think she'd be the perfect choice for the role if the books ever hit the big screen). Smoky is just such an interesting balance of tenderness and toughness...and I hope McFadyen continues to peel back her layers as the books continue.
I didn't like THE FACE OF DEATH as much as I liked SHADOW MAN, though, which is interesting: Nearly everyone who has written a (positive) review here seems to have liked this book more. I didn't find this one to be quite as gripping, quite as fresh, as SHADOW MAN. Nevertheless, McFadyen has offered up another winner with THE FACE OF DEATH, and I look forward to Smoky's next case!
Simply awful...........2007-09-28
Cartoon characters at best, stock plotting, poorly written....have no idea how this could be rated even 1 star...you will be wasting your time on this one....be warned
THE Best Serial Killer Thriller in Years!.......2007-09-03
If you're tired of same old serial killer,psychological thriller stuff,read this,you won't be able to put it down. I agree the great reviews I've just read here,and even emailed the author,and,o boy o boy,more of the "Smoky" series are to come.Just loved these two books,now what do I read?? Whatever it is,it won't be as good.
Serial killing avenging angel.......2007-09-01
Cody McFadyen once again using his lurid imagination conjures up another crime thriller overflowing with grotesque violence and tortuous psychological drama in his follow up to "Shadow Man". In "The Face of Death" FBI Special Agent Smoky Barrett, herself subjected to unspeakable duress after her rape and maiming and the murders of her husband and daughter, is called into this latest affair at the behest of the victim.
Barrett and her L.A. based Violent Crimes team respond to a horrific crime scene in the swanky Malibu suburbs. Sixteen year old Sarah Langstrom is found walking around outside bewildered in her blood soaked nightie with a gun pressed to her temple. After being talked down by a sympathetic Barrett, they enter the residence to find a charnel house splattered with blood and the dead bodies of Sarah's foster parents and her beheaded dog Buster. Sarah claims that this slaughter was choreographed by a shadowy stocking masked psycho called The Stranger.
Barrett and her crew with help from a diary that Sarah has kept learned that this wasn't the first time that people in Sarah's life had been slain. At 6 years old her biologic parents has also been murdered in shocking fashion, again apparently by The Stranger. This forced her into the dire world of foster homes and adoption. Sarah's life had been studded with incidents of violence against those that she held most dear.
Barrett was now the adoptive mother of Bonnie, a ten year old daughter of her best friend who had perished at the hands of the Shadow Man. Suffering incredible psychological scars Bonnie, who had come out of her shell in the six months since the murder, was unable to speak. Barrett naturally viewed the now life hardened Sarah as a similar innocent victim.
The FBI team gave the case top priority status and soon discovered that the ghastly treatment of Sarah by The Stranger was based in the past. Their dedoubled efforts strove to detect the identity of serial killing Stranger and stop the path of destruction he was creating.
While "The Face of Death" was without question a gripping page turning thriller, because it followed a similar storyline to "The Shadow Man" it lacked the impact of that novel. McFadyen is a talented writer but I didn't feel any maturation in his writing style in his second offering, just more of the same.
Another keeper!!!.......2007-08-25
The first book -Shadow Man left me with a hunger for more books from this talented new author. The Face of Death proved that his first book was not a fluke and this author is a KEEPER for me.
Another review said it best - this is a male author that "knows how the female mind thinks". I love thrillers, but I need to feel a connection to the characters and watch how they mature and grow throughout a "series" - this author knows how to deliver that and more!!
This book has it all - great in-depth characters, a realistic plot and a great ending! However, in my opinion you must read the first book to fully appreciate this authors ability to create real-life characters their growth and development in what I hope will be a continuing series.
For those of you that have been disappointed with many of your favorite female authors newest books, try this author - I guarantee you'll put Cody Mcfadyen right up there with your "favorite authors" and count the days until you can read more from this talented new author.
Amazon.com
In 1978 Jim Wickwire became the first American to top 28,250-foot K2, the second highest peak after Mt. Everest (for some, his solo bivouac near the summit the same night is an even greater feat). But it is a previous expedition to K2 three years earlier--and the author's unflinching assessment of that trip--which sets the tone for the book. "K2, the mountain that would one day represent my greatest success," he writes, "was in 1975 the scene of my greatest failure. It was a failure not because someone died or suffered a serious injury, but because my obsession to reach the summit helped doom our expedition to disappointment, discord, and, for a time, disgrace." Wickwire's memoir of a climbing life is riveting when he sticks to the mountains--including attempts on Everest, Denali, and Aconcagua--and particularly fascinating for its candid look at the internal machinations of big-time climbing expeditions: the planning, logistics, and training as well as the egos and rivalries that can derail an expedition. The lugubrious details are also here. More than one climbing partner doesn't escape from a crevasse, but it is a price exacted by the mountains, and Wickwire treats both his lost friends and the terrain with due respect.
Book Description
Adventurist Jim Wickwire has lived life on the edge -- literally. An eyewitness to glory, terror, and tragedy above 20,000 feet, he has braved bitter cold, blinding storms, and avalanches to become what the Los Angeles Times calls "one of America's most extraordinary and accomplished high-altitude mountaineers." Although his incredible exploits have inspired a feature on 60 Minutes, an award-winning PBS documentary, a Broadway play, and a full-length film, he hasn't told his remarkable story in his own words -- until now.
Among the world's most intrepid and fearless climbers, Jim Wickwire has traveled the globe, from Alaska to the Alps, from the Andes to the Himalayas, in search of fresh challenges and new heights to conquer. Along the way he accumulated an extraordinary roster of historic achievements. He was one of the first two Americans to reach the summit of the 28,250-foot K2, the world's second highest peak, acknowledged as the toughest and most dangerous to climb. He completed the first alpine-style ascent of Alaska's forbidding Mt. McKinley, spending several nights without tents in snowcaves, crevasses, and open bivouacs. But with the triumphs came harrowing incidents of suffering and loss that haunt him still. On one climb, his shoulder broken by a fall, he watched helplessly as a friend slowly froze to death, trapped in an ice crevasse. Buffeted by storms, Wickwire spent two weeks utterly alone on a remote glacier before his rescue. On two other expeditions he witnessed three fellow climbers plunge thousands of feet, vanishing into the mountain mist.
A successful Seattle attorney, Wickwire climbed his first mountain in 1960 and discovered the wonder of leaving behind the complexities of the civilized world for the pure life-and-death logic of granite, glacier, and snow. Deeply compelled by the allure of nature and the thrill of risk, he pushed himself to the limits of physical and mental endurance for thirty-five years, ultimately climbing into legend.
After more than three decades of uncommon challenges, Wickwire faced a crisis of heart -- a turning point that threatened his faith in himself and his hope in the future. How he reassessed his priorities and rededicated his life -- to his family and to his community -- completes a unique and moving portrait of one man's courage, commitment , and grace under pressure. Addicted to Danger is a tale of adventure in its truest sense.
Customer Reviews:
Great Successes and FAILURES in Mountaineering.......2005-12-07
All too often we read about the awesome success stories of mountaineers. I like how Jim shares his successes and failures on the world's highest mountains. Although Jim's adventures are on a grander scale than my own (see Rocky Mountain Adventure Collection), we both go out of our way to share the "failures." When facing the extreme forces of nature, you can't always reach the summit. There are many times you must choose between attaining your goal, or surviving. Jim had the brains to choose life when faced with many decisions that could have cost him his life. I was pleased to read that we both regard Reinhold Messner as the greatest mountaineer of all! I also enjoyed hearing about Jim's struggles to balance his climbing desires against his family's needs. There is no doubt his family suffered while he was out fulfilling his mountaineering desires. On one hand, he had to climb while he had his health and youth. On the other hand, he lost invaluable time with his family that is forever lost. Even though I've fantasized about devoting years to climbing like Jim did, I realize that you have obligations once you decide to become a husband and a father. My family comes before my "selfish" desires of climbing.
He Can't Explain.......2005-10-07
This is a great book to read if you want to learn more about Jim Wickwire and some of the mountaineering greats of the modern era. If you want a well-written book that makes you feel as though you're climbing a lonely peak in bitter cold yourself, read Krakauer's "Into Thin Air." For all the time Wickwire has spent in amazing and beautiful surroundings, he seems largely unable to describe them. Wickwire's story telling always seems focused on the action and never on the scenery. Half the mountaineering terms he tosses around are only explained in the glossary you find in the back of the book.
It was interesting to me how the writing about non-climbing related aspects of his life are presented in a fairly lively manner while his accounts of his early expeditions seem to have been copied out of his journal without much in the way of revision. This book would really have benefited from a vigorous, professional editing. In fact, his publisher should have demanded it. Wickwire certainly has a story or two to tell and it was irritating to for me to be distracted by his clunky writing.
All that being said, he has led an interesting life in the mold of the classic Victorian gentleman explorer-gone for months at a time, knowing his wife and children (five!) only through the post. People have called him narcissistic, self-centered, and monomaniacal. All true to some degree, I am sure, but how else would you expect him to have accomplished so much? His list of mountaineering accomplishments, included here in loving detail, is astonishing.
Reading this book never answered for me the question of "why?" Why take these huge risks time after time? As someone who has been willing to push myself to the point of hallucination for nothing more than bragging rights and a t-shirt or belt buckle, I should have a pretty good handle on the "why" question, but I don't. That is perhaps why he doesn't really tell us "why" in this book. Maybe he really doesn't know either. Maybe it's just pretty fun to be up on the mountain with a fairly simple set of obligations in front of you: Keep moving. Stay alive.
Maybe it's on the edge of death we finally see what is life. Maybe some of us need that more than others. Maybe Wickwire needed that a lot more than the rest of us.
I suspect that this book was able to come to into being only because Wickwire had retired from serious climbing. I also suspect it was harder for him to write the book than to mount an expedition to climb Everest. Most of the stories have a painful aspect, and he doesn't skimp on the unflattering details. While it's not a great mountaineering book, it was certainly an interesting read. I'm glad he finally wrote it.
What every climber should face.. why am I here?.......2005-08-19
Ok, I was a climber, sort of, well I climbed some of the easy stuff near Seattle. And I realized that in order to keep the thrill of climbing up, as one gets better, you have to keep increasing the danger level. Hence the risk of injury and death keeps increasing until you decide you've had enough via an injury or your life's priorities change and your ice axe becomes a gardening tool.
Wick, well, he seemed to attract more than anyone's share of disasters and this book accounts for that. Why would anyone climb with him? Yet he keeps going and so do others continue to climb with him. It's the climbers lie, "It won't happen to me", "They made a mistake I would never make."
The other great thing about this book is that it should cause every climber to look at your personal relationships and see whether you are being fair to your other life's responsiblities. Wick did not have the same sense of priorites that I have, but then I quit climbing. It's a very personal choice and no one answer is right.
Anyway most climbing books fall into a routine, "the brave set out on a journey", "A sherpa/weak member gets hurt", "We make it/or not" and come home. "Weather was rough but we were tougher". This book looks also at the human condition of why climb at all and for that Wick should be commended for laying it all out. Like him or not, this book was probably one of the bravest things he ever did. Who among us could stand this close scrutney.
Just Awful.......2005-05-08
Instead of a testament to his climbing expeditions, this book might best serve as a testament to what seems to be Jim Wickwire's blatant misogyny and egocentrism.
After detailing how he decided his wife should leave college to support him, Wickwire regales us semi-boastfully with anecdotes relating how he expected his wife to be nothing more than a housekeeper, child-rearer, and "sex object" (his words). After insisting on a large family, and getting offended at a well-meaning priest who gently suggested birth control, Wickwire (by his own admission) proceeds to by-and-large shirk his duties as a father to all five of his children, supporting them only in the economic sense.
We then get to read his thoughts about the innate subordinism of female climbers, and their tendency toward sexual hijinks on the mountains. The brunt of Wickwire's finger-pointing rests solidly on the shoulders of the female climbers he discusses, until he falls "in love" with Marty Hoey, a talented female climber with the sense, it seems, never to have gotten seriously involved with Wickwire, despite his attempts to the contrary. Wickwire seems to read much into incidents like feet (separated by different sleeping bags) accidentally touching in a overcrowded tent. After the reader is forced to endure reading a series of desperate, petulant, and adolescent notes and conversations directed from Wickwire to Hoey, he recounts her death on Everest perfunctorily, for the most part, and in terms of how his wife forgave him for this one-sided indiscretion. All things considered, I'm not sure who should be more outraged: Mary Lou Wickwire, reading her husband's embarassing account of "falling in love" with Hoey (and knowing all her friends and peers will be reading it too), or Marty Hoey herself, to whom Wickwire attributes a number of childish and maudlin love notes, and who is no longer here to defend herself.
To be fair, Wickwire may not be the narrow-minded boor he appears to be as when, in 1985, he sadly acknowledges of the inevitable entry of women into the legal profession (one wonders what rock he was living under, or climbing over, not to know that women entered the legal profession long before then). The book, while also hampered by a ridiculous title, is full of stilted prose and dialogue. In Wickwire's world, climbers never say things like "We've gotta get down the mountain, fast." Instead, they make proclamations like, "We must descend quickly, or we shall perish upon the mountain." If they were climbing in King Arthur's time, maybe; in this day and age, no one speaks like that. As a result, the dialogue sounds stilted and fictitious, even if it had a basis in fact. The prose lingers too long, and clumsily, on Wickwire's relationships with those around him, even though his relationships seem rather shallow. Again, this may be the fault of the co-writer or the source, one never knows.
I would heartily recommend saving your money and time, and reading a more climbing-related and less self-centered and angsty text.
Honest & Riveting Account.......2004-09-18
I liked this book and found it hard to put down. I appreciated how honest Wickwire was in telling about his obsession with climbing. He didn't get defensive in retrospect and pin the blame on others when things went wrong on the climb. He openly admitted his mistakes and weaknesses, as well as his strengths. I think he realizes his self-absorption and even selfishness in undertaking such risks.
Although some will disagree, I thought the fact that he openly wrote about his feelings for fellow climber Marty Hoey was refreshing. I don't think that many climbers who become engaged in a "romantic entanglement" while on an expedition would have the guts to tell about it. Who knows though, perhaps he wouldn't have written about his relationship with Marty had she lived.
Although the guy is selfish and egotistical at times, I still came away liking him. He's human with weaknesses like the rest of us.
I only gave this book 4 stars because it's not the best mountaineering book I've read, but I do highly recommend it as one of my favorites.
Average customer rating:
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Baby Boomers Face Grief: Survival and Recovery
Jane Galbraith
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Grief & Bereavement | Death & Grief | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books | Codependency | Conflict Management | Dating | Divorce | Friendship | General | Interpersonal Relations | Love & Loss | Love & Romance | Marriage | Mate Seeking | Nonmonogamy
Parent & Adult Child | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 141207424X
Release Date: 2006-07-06 |
Book Description
Ninety million baby boomers will, in the next 20 years, face the loss of one or both parents. This book discusses society's lack of acceptance of grief in general and the way past generations have taught us to deal with this life event. "Time will heal.", "They had a good life" are some examples of empty phrases so often used when dealing with loss. The reader is taken on a journey in this book by providing support and understanding of the grieving process. In this writer's opinion this generation, known as the baby boomers, through the sheer force of their numbers, has the ability to make positive changes in the way this and succeeding generations handle grief.
The grieving process is explained; how it differs for all of us; that there is no "right" way to grieve and that the pain of grieving cannot be avoided. Suggestions are offered for managing grief. Ceremonies and rituals surround death and grieving is discussed and suggestions about how to structure a meaningful ceremony to honour loved ones are given.
The book makes it clear that change can occur in our society, with this generation, that will allow people to manage grief in a constructive way; that sharing experience can allow others to be more prepared and more open in dealing with this life altering experience and that people can find comfort in knowing that others have had similar experiences. This book allows a glimpse into what we will all face and some strategies to cope with our loss, in an easy to read, personal narrative format.
Book Description
Ecclesiology (the theology of the church) is a neglected topic in contemporary theology. At a time when the institutional churches are experiencing dramatic decline, says Michael Jinkins, we need a new understanding of what the church is. In this work, Jinkins challenges the church to rediscover its vocation, to follow Jesus Christ even at the risk of its institutional survival. In the face of a variety of perceived threats to its future, he reminds us that the church is most alive and attractive when it forgets about itself and its safety. The ecclesiology Jinkins puts forward is born from a sense of "life in Christ" that can, he argues, face institutional death to recover a remarkable freedom. Without detailing the face of the future church, he asserts his faith that there is indeed life after death for the church as the worshipping body of Christ.
Customer Reviews:
The Best in Postmodern Ecclesiology.......2006-02-04
This is a superb book that basically constitutes a preface to an ecclesiology that seeks to seriously engage the postmodern context. Michael Jinkins has written and excellent book that attempts to take with utmost seriousness the crisis of the church in a postmodern culture. He seeks to truly probe the question of what it might mean for the church to take seriously the possibility of it's own death.
The first chapter the deals most explicitly with this theme involves a close reading of Derrida's 'The Gift of Death'. Jinkins examines and gleans insights from Derrida's account of death and responsibility while showing that only a theological account that takes seriously the fact that Christ does not leave us to die alone, but dies for us so that our death is taken into his own can offer a truly meaningful account of death.
Jinkins also puts together some good chapters on the use of typologies in ecclesiology (such as Niebhur's and Dulles') and seeks to show how ecclesiology must take seriously the concrete life of the church in its particular situation, rather than propound some sort of ideal church.
One of the best chapters in the book concerns the nature of the church as a sacrament of Christ's presence in the world. Here Jinkins does an excellent job of engaging with Jungel's ecclesiology and shows how the church, by virtue of being drawn by the Spirit to participate in the life of the Trinity is a sacrament of Christ's presence in the world.
All throughout, Jinkins underscores how ecclesiology must take seriously the concrete, and often lamentable state of the church. He seeks to put forth an ecclesiology from the trenches that neither ceases to call the church to account for its failures or idealizes the church, imagining it to be some perfect reality. If Jinkins ever follows up this "preface to ecclesiology" with a full treatment, I will be most interested in seeing what he has to say. Highly recommended.
Book Description
This erotic and historical vampire novel is set in America in the years before and during the Civil War and features Madelaine de Montalia, sometime lover of Count St. Germain; General William Tecumseh Sherman; and, in a supporting role, St. Germain himself. Madelaine lives with and studies the native tribes of America, trying to document their culture and knowledge before they are changed unalterably by contact with the settlers new to North America, only to find herself in the middle of some of the most horrifying events of the war. The stubborn and highly disciplined Tecumseh wrestles with his conscience as he falls in love with Madelaine, while the strong-willed Madelaine is torn between her love for Tecumseh and the demands of her nature.
Download Description
Vampire historical horror erotic romance novel. Madelaine de Montalia, beloved of the Count Saint-Germain, comes to America to study the Indian nations, and survives the Civil War in the South, sustained by her decades-long affair with William Tecumseh Sherman. All the color and historical detail, all the wild romantic adventure you expect from a Yarbro novel.
Customer Reviews:
Gratutious and Sketchy.......2006-07-10
I found this book to be one of the weakest in the series, if not the weakest of them all. Madelaine just doesn't have what it takes to be a strong character, or at least we haven't seen it yet.
The style of this book seems like Ms. Yarbo had a lot of information but no way to bring it all into a story. Research on the native American Indian tribes before their ways were lost - mentioned as the reason for Madelaine to come to America but then nothing. Journal entries to cover months and months of time - literary device for plot exposition. Staying in America during the Civil War - just not good common sense.
I don't look for great literature in this series. I like her attention to details and her ability to give the flavor and feeling for the times. But this one was just .. boring. At least Olivia had spirit - Madelaine has ennui.
Something About General Sherman We Didn't Know About.......2005-09-24
Madelaine de Montalia, the former lover of Comte de St. Germain, returns to San Francisco of the 19th Century and finds herself involved with a young army officer named William T. Sherman. They are seperated and, after many adventures in the American West, Madelaine encounters her beau again, in Georgia of all places. I'm somewhat unconvinced that Sherman would have taken a French vampire lady into his bed, but the book is a good read nevertheless.
GREAT HISTORY.......2005-08-13
This chronicles Madelaine de Montalia's life during the Civil War. She has an affaire de cour with William Tecumseh Sherman and is present during Shermans' March to the sea. She is writing about American Indian culture, which necessitates her spending time with various tribes. This is a great book with lots of American history. There are some vivid descriptions about San Francisco and California during the era preceding the Civil War. Sherman visits Europe and reunites with Madelaine at the end. A great historical read spanning many years.
Madelaine returns...........2005-03-21
It is such a pleasure to see Madelaine de Montalia again, and solo this time rather than in counterpoint with le Comte.
She emerges as a unique and complex character all her own, neither Saint-Germain (S-G) in drag, nor Olivia re-born.
Unlike S-G, who appears as a melancholy ex-warrior physician/philosopher/chemist, or feisty Olivia, who would have been in her element running a stud farm (take it as you will), Madelaine is a scholar/anthropologist/archeologist with a burning curiousity about How Things And People Work. This seems to have given her a flexibility and resilience that her seniors either don't quite have, or have lost along the way.
But I did not mean to analyze Madelaine, I meant to review the book.
It reads very quickly, the plot moving along via many entries from Madelaine's journals, differing somewhat from the format of the S-G/Olivia novels. The viewpoint switches between 1st person and 3rd, but the person is always Madelaine. While the story is not quite as deep, dark and heavy as some of the S-G chronicles it is by no means light. The painful and equivocal position of the various tribes, who had their own problems with the United States government, not to mention between their own nations is a factor that most people don't consider. The pathetic bloody aftermath of battle is not lovingly dwelt upon, but it is dealt with unflinchingly. The pain of separation from her beloved and respected friend and lover Tecumsah, all the time knowing there will be the final loss, is a sad note, a quiet undercurrent throughout the entire story.
Ms Yarbro has made her usual good effort at making people real and not dividing them into Good and Evil. An Underground Railroad conductor has a Bad Attitude when it comes to women-any woman. A dedicated, hard-working, abolitionist army nurse has some serious Issues when it comes to skin color, parentage and legitamacy. A Confederate soldier who hates Yankees (and with good reason) is Madelaine's best and most compassionate assistant at French Mill- where ANY wounded soldiers are treated. Even Madelaine is not perfect. She herself makes mistakes, becoming attracted, or 'drawn' as she says, to handsome guys who turn out to be a jerks and or possibly dangerous to her. Madelaine, unlike S-G, however, is more easily able to admit to herself that she was wrong and wonder what was she thinking. She also has the sense to take advice and to get outta Dodge BEFORE the shooting starts...at least some of the time. You can't do that TOO often (or where's the conflict in the story?) but it IS nice to have a heroine who is not stupid.
I like her. I hope there are more books about her.
I read that Ms. Yarbro's publisher thought this book wasn't going to sell as a bound book and she should just sell it via the net. Next time she should just tell her publisher where to get off and to publish the damn book. This lady knows what she is doing.
Not her best work, but readable.......2005-01-12
This is a perfectly readable novel, if you weren't expecting anything extraordinary. If you've been following the entire St. Germain series, you'll want this for the sake of completeness. And if you are already a fan of historical vampire romance, then this is a pleasant book of that kind. Particularly if you are a fan of the American Civil War, the historical aspects of this will interest you. But if you are looking for *very* vampire, this isn't it. It isn't as clever or as detailed as the St. Germain books.
This one features Madelaine de Montalia, whom we first met in Hotel Transylvania, and who has appeared in a few of the other St. Germain books.
Let's look at it from the several different genres it might fit into. It's weakest as a vampire novel, only middling as a romance, interesting as a historical. From the vampire aspect, it follows the St. Germain pattern, of course: vampires are long-lived, can be killed by severing the spinal cord or by fire, are stronger than normal but don't have "supernatural" powers as such - no fading into smoke, turning invisible, etc. For the most part, vampires are (a) rare, and (b) good guys, in Yarbro's universe. They don't necessarily drink blood itself; they absorb a life essence from shared sexual passion, although they *can* drink blood when necessary. So Yarbro's books in general, and this one in particular, do not fall into the evil, brooding blood-sucker vampire pattern. In this book in particular, one might almost not even notice that Madelaine is a vampire - the only aspect of her vampirism that's important to the story is her age. Even when she and Sherman are making love, it's not really important that she's a vampire.
From the romance side of things, certainly an affair with William T. Sherman is a fairly novel idea. Sherman is not, however, as well drawn as we might like - we don't get nearly enough of an idea of him as a person. What we do get a lot of, more than I personally needed, is his agonizing "I can't leave my wife, but I can't resist you; woe is me!" stuff - over, and over, year in and year out. Conflicted is a character trait that can be interesting, but it isn't, particularly, here. Your tastes may vary, however.
As a historical, that's where we get some of Yarbro's best efforts in this book. Not as good as her best, but that may just be because I am less interested in recent history than in ancient history; in the novels that take place before the industrial revolution, more of the cultural aspects are strange to me, and there's more new detail to find interesting. In the 19th century USA, there's not as much new to learn. But again, your opinion may vary, particularly if you like the era. Apart from our glimpses of Sherman's maneuvering, the most important things happening here are the lives of the Native Americans, and nursing/medical practice during the war, including a lot of herbal medicine. I don't know enough about Native American history to judge the accuracy of some of these things; we don't get too much of a look in depth at any one particular culture. Madelaine bounces from tribe to tribe, and I personally would have liked to see more detail about some of them. Oh, and we do get an awful lot of details about Madelaine's clothing, which I wasn't very interested in - but some people are fans of historical costume, and certainly the romance readers should enjoy the descriptions of the gowns.
Most readers will know already how the war ends, no surprises there. That, it seems to me, is also a result of it being from a period that most of us already know something about. Novels set in 10th century Poland or other exotic locales can hold many more surprises for us; we don't know ahead of time how they end.
Overall? Lighter weight than we've come to expect from the St. Germain series, but an OK read if you set your expectations down at "ordinary 300-page historical romance."
Average customer rating:
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The Many Faces Of Bereavement: The Nature And Treatment Of Natural Traumatic And Stigmatized Grief
Ginny Sprang
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General | Death & Grief | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Grief & Bereavement | Death & Grief | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Developmental Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Grief | By Topic | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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