A Time for Listening and Caring: Spirituality and the Care of the Chronically Ill and Dying

Book Description

This book is a thoughtful, informative, and practical guide for anyone involved in caring for the seriously and chronically ill or dying. The connection between spirituality and medicine has been receiving a lot of attention in both the scientific and lay presses recently, but research and anecdotal evidence all indicate that spirituality is central to the care of the chronically ill and dying. It is therefore critical that healthcare providers who interact with seriously ill patients know how to address their spiritual needs. This book presents current thinking on how spiritual care can be integrated into traditional caregiving. Part one discusses aspects of spirituality, such as presence, ethics, and relationships. Part two delves into a number of specific religious and theological traditions. Part three offers practical applications and tools, including storytelling, psychotherapy, dance, music, and the arts. Part four focuses on patients' stories and reflections. The book concludes with appendices that have sample advance directives for Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim patients. Volume editor Christina Puchalski is the director of the George Washington Institute of Spirituality and Health. She is also an associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University Medical Center and an active practicing physician and medical educator. Dr. Puchalski is nationally and internationally recognized as a pioneer in the integration of spirituality and healthcare. Chapters are authored by an impressive group of medical and religious experts, and patients' stories also appear throughout, offering real-world examples. The book features a foreword by the Dalai Lama.

Customer Reviews:

an useful and exciting reading.......2007-07-24

This is a mandatory reading for people who want to know more about themselves, mainly regarding to spiritual aspect.Health professionals will get important orientations about how they wil can improve the relationship with their patients, using spirituality and religion. Christina M. Puchalski, through A Time for Listening an Caring:Spirituality and the Care of the Chronically Ill and Dying have teaching us that patient's belief and faith, take fundamental role at the process of patient's recovery. The book content brings to us many researchs showing outcomes from using spirituality in health care.
I recommend this book.
Ademar Ribeiro
From Brazil

Anybody who works in palliative care will be enriched by reading this book........2007-01-10

Reproduced from the Newsletter and Bookshop of the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) at www.hospicecare.com

This is my Palliative Care Book of the Year!

`The relationships we form with our patients, clients, and colleagues are born out of a compassionate connection and call to service. From this connection and call comes forth the healing that is so necessary in all of our lives, whether we are currently ill or not. We are not mechanics, taking care of people's broken parts. We are partners with our patients in a therapeutic relationship from which brings forth potential for healing. That healing may manifest itself as a peacefulness, acceptance, better coping, happiness, or contentment. In the end, a life that may be shattered from illness and stress becomes whole again. By our presence, we serve others and walk with them in the midst of suffering and joy. This is why spirituality is essential to health care.'

This book explores all aspects of the spiritual dimensions of medicine in the management of patients who may be chronically ill or dying. Five of the 24 chapters were written by Puchalski, the others by experienced clinicians, chaplains, caregivers and educators. The first part of the book describes the role of spirituality in the healthcare of adults and children, the ethical aspects of integrating spirituality into the care of patients, and the spirituality of the caregiver. Part II describes the theological implications of spiritual care at the end of life from a number of different perspectives including Buddhists, Catholics, Protestants, Hindus, Jews and Muslims. The third part is about practical tools that can be used in clinical practice--spiritual histories, honoring the patient's stories, grief and bereavement, and the role of art, music and dance. The chapter on music therapy is by Michael Stillwater and Gary Malkin who created the wonderful Graceful Passages and Care for the Journey CDs that were reviewed here last year. The closing section presents the stories and reflections of two of Dr Puchalski's patients.

Anybody who works in palliative care will be enriched by reading this book. Although we nod and agree that spiritual care is an important and integral part of holistic palliative medicine, dealing with problems related to spirituality in more than the most superficial way is not easy for many palliative care workers, particularly if their job is busy. If you want to learn about all the other things you can or should be doing at the bedside, read this book. Being able to practice the spiritual dimensions of palliative care will be of benefit to your patients, more of whom will die in peace, with dignity. And it will quite probably enhance the professional satisfaction you get working with the dying.

Thank you, Dr Puchalski.

Roger Woodruff,
Director of Palliative Care, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia

To Everyone's Best Health.......2006-07-21

The importance of this book is reasonably judged by the fruits in the lives of the patients of Dr. Puchalski. She has been my primary care physician for four years and, by the quality of life which I enjoy as a result, she has every right, every reason to preach about what she practices.

The book is all about wholeness of life. The fact that she is dispensing that to her patients every day in her practice leaves one not surprised to find it defined, described and enthusiastically recommended in this book.

It is a book, not just for healthcare professionals -- although everyone in their care would benefit from their reading it -- it is also for all the rest of us who are healthcare practitioners. After all we practice caring for our health every time we choose a meal in a restaurant or walk to the store rather than drive. We can never receive too much encouragement to make the right decisions.

The subtitle "Spirituality and the Care of the Chronically Ill and Dying" in the end describes all of us. It has been said that being born is a terminal illness. In my case it is easier to recognize as I am 85 with wandering blood pressure readings, skin cancers and prostate cancer.

Dr. Puchalski responds to these bumps on the road with sensitivity, humor and spiritual insights in addition to her professional competence. She dispenses quality of life as she breathes. While I may leave her office with all of the mixed bag I brought with me, the load has shifted because it is now more clearly shared. The book clearly demonstrates how everyone can both practice and enjoy better health and true wholeness of life.

The Publisher has done an excellent job of editing and producing this fine book. It deserves a very wide audience who will benefit greatly from its many treasures.

And a Time to Die: How American Hospitals Shape the End of Life

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Be informed
One of the most valuable books I've read this year
Circles, But Never Lands
A powerful book for students, caregivers, and families dealing with end of life stages
Sobering examination of the "end of life" issues many of us are likely to face

And a Time to Die: How American Hospitals Shape the End of Life
Sharon R. Kaufman
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743264762

Book Description

Most Americans, when pressed, have a vague sense of how they would like to die. They may imagine a quick and painless end or a gentle passing away during sleep. Some may wish for time to prepare and make peace with themselves, their friends, and their families. Others would prefer not to know what's coming, a swift, clean break. Yet all fear that the reality will be painful and prolonged; all fear the loss of control that could accompany dying.

That fear is justified. It is also historically unprecedented. In the past thirty years, the advent of medical technology capable of sustaining life without restoring health, the expectation that a critically ill person need not die, and the conviction that medicine should routinely thwart death have significantly changed where, when, and how Americans die and put us all in the position of doing something about death.

In a penetrating and revelatory study, medical anthropologist Sharon R. Kaufman examines the powerful center of those changes -- the hospital, where most Americans die today. In the hospital world, the deep, irresolvable tension between the urge to extend life at all costs and the desire to allow "letting go" is rarely acknowledged, yet it underlies everything that happens there among patients, families, and health professionals. Over the course of two years, Kaufman observed and interviewed critically ill patients, their families, doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff at three community hospitals. In...And a Time to Die, her research places us at the heart of that science-driven yet fractured and often irrational world of health care delivery, where empathetic yet frustrated, hard-working yet constrained professionals both respond to and create the anxieties and often inchoate expectations of patients and families, who must make "decisions" they are ill-prepared to make.

Filled with actual conversations between patients and doctors, families and hospital staff,...And a Time to Die clearly and carefully exposes the reasons for complicated questions about medical care at the end of life: for example, why "heroic" treatment so often overrides "humane" care; why patients and families are ambivalent about choosing death though they claim to want control; what constitutes quality of life and life itself; and, ultimately, why a "good" death is so elusive.

In elegant, compelling prose, Kaufman links the experiences of patients and families, the work of hospital staff, and the ramifications of institutional bureaucracy to show the invisible power of the hospital system itself -- its rules, mandates, and daily activity -- in shaping death and our individual experience of it.

...And a Time to Die is a provocative, illuminating, and necessary read for anyone working in or navigating the health care system today, providing a much-needed road map to the disorienting territory of the hospital, where we all are asked to make life-and-death choices.

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"Most Americans, when pressed, have a vague sense of how they would like to die. They may imagine a quick and painless end or a gentle passing away during sleep. Some may wish for time to prepare and make peace with themselves, their friends, and their families. Others would prefer not to know what's coming, a swift, clean break. Yet all fear that the reality will be painful and prolonged; all fear the loss of control that could accompany dying. That fear is justified. It is also historically unprecedented. In the past thirty years, the advent of medical technology capable of sustaining life without restoring health, the expectation that a critically ill person need not die, and the conviction that medicine should routinely thwart death have significantly changed where, when, and how Americans die and put us all in the position of doing something about death. In a penetrating and revelatory study, medical anthropologist Sharon R. Kaufman examines the powerful center of those changes -- the hospital, where most Americans die today. In the hospital world, the deep, irresolvable tension between the urge to extend life at all costs and the desire to allow ""letting go"" is rarely acknowledged, yet it underlies everything that happens there among patients, families, and health professionals. Over the course of two years, Kaufman observed and interviewed critically ill patients, their families, doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff at three community hospitals. In...And a Time to Die, her research places us at the heart of that science-driven yet fractured and often irrational world of health care delivery, where empathetic yet frustrated, hard-working yet constrained professionals both respond to and create the anxieties and often inchoate expectations of patients and families, who must make ""decisions"" they are ill-prepared to make. Filled with actual conversations between patients and doctors, families and hospital staff,...And a Time to Die clearly and carefully exposes the reasons for complicated questions about medical care at the end of life: for example, why ""heroic"" treatment so often overrides ""humane"" care; why patients and families are ambivalent about choosing death though they claim to want control; what constitutes quality of life and life itself; and, ultimately, why a ""good"" death is so elusive. In elegant, compelling prose, Kaufman links the experiences of patients and families, the work of hospital staff, and the ramifications of institutional bureaucracy to show the invisible power of the hospital system itself -- its rules, mandates, and daily activity -- in shaping death and our individual experience of it. ...And a Time to Die is a provocative, illuminating, and necessary read for anyone working in or navigating the health care system today, providing a much-needed road map to the disorienting territory of the hospital, where we all are asked to make life-and-death choices. "

Customer Reviews:

Be informed.......2006-09-29

Think you or your parent don't need a health care proxy? Think again, and use Sharon Kaufman's AND A TIME TO DIE to help you realize just how important it is to determine the direction you want your life to take at its conclusion, and to have someone who understands your wishes and can speak for you.

It's not a pleasant subject, but it's one that healthcare professionals deal with every day. I can certainly agree that the cases depicted here are unvarnished in their presentations, completely accurate. I've watched some of these same scenarios play out over and over again--only the patients are different.

The text maintains a certain distance from the patients and their families. There is not the in-depth interviews and emotional content of some other books of this type. However, I appreciated stepping back from the patient in order to see how the system had succeeded or failed in each case.

The author does a good job at showing just how we arrived at this current state of affairs, and why dying in America has become driven by treatments rather than by compassion. Medicare reimbursement is at the heart of some of the problem for the elderly.

If you want to change the system, to have compassion for the dying, to practice better medicine, or even to have a peaceful end for yourself when that time comes, this is a good place to start in understanding how we've come to this place, and to think about what we can do to create change.

One of the most valuable books I've read this year.......2006-07-21

I am a medical ethicist, and as I read Kaufman's "And a Time to Die" I found myself thinking back to the hospital case consultations I've been involved in. Her observations and conclusions helped me to piece together a much more detailed picture of what's really going on in those situations. Her discussion of pathways, time pressures, reimbursement concerns, and the use of language all ring true. Those who are familiar with hospital settings will recognize much of what Kaufman has observed (a fact that another reviewer objects to), but I believe that she is able to take a "bird's eye view" of these issues in a way that organizes and extends our understanding.
This book is a must-read for families who are facing end-of-life decisions, and for those in the health professions who try to help families through this process.

Circles, But Never Lands.......2006-05-22

The author of this book goes inside the modern American hospital system as an anthropologist, and reports what takes place there when the system is confronted with a terminally ill patient. She examines what cultural imperatives are being brought to bear there to make this an increasingly problematic and decidedly "unnatural" process.

You will get a few definite insights from this book. The author includes interviews with a variety of patients and their families. And she sits in on hospital conferences as all the people treating and speaking on behalf of a dying patient wrestle with the problem of what measures to take to prolong the patient's life, or less euphemistically, to prolong his dying.

There is also an interesting chapter on specialty care units that are either attached to some hospitals or that are hospital owned, but exist in their own removed compounds. These units maintain patients who only survive with the aid of artificial/mechanical aids. Some of them are in a vegetative state. Some are conscious to varying degrees. Most of the public still isn't aware of the existence of these adjunct facilities, despite the movie Coma - which featured a sinister version of such a high-tech "warehousing" center. The actuality, as Kaufman describes it, is infinitely more benign. The staff at these institutions sincerely care for their patients.

A few good summary points emerge from Kaufman's treatise. Insurance has largely shaped our medical care system by mandating that hospitals treat specific conditions in order to justify a patient's stay there. So generic old age can't be attended to. A patient must receive a diagnosis of something like "superlobar emphysema" and must be put on the pathway of aggressive treatment for that condition, if the hospital expects to be compensated.

Another point: Our system of so-called choice makes it difficult for the dying and their families. People don't know "what to want" in these life-and-death situations. The onus is on them to say when to pull the plug. Choice has replaced nature.

Kaufman explains how our far-reaching, albeit still limited, control over nature has left us without any way to anchor moral decisions. Whereas we could once let a person die "naturally," now we have transformed and become nature, so the decision can't be left outside ourselves. This is perhaps the main thesis of the whole book, and should have been stated at its beginning to orient the reader a little better.

In general, this book is five times longer than it needs to be. It's like a bird that circles and circles, riding the lofty currents of air, without ever swooping down to make a catch. At the end of the book's 300+ pages, we really don't know much more than when we started. Most of what Kaufman writes in between interviews is abstract and obvious.

Kaufman might have considered going beyond her passive role of anthropologist, and might have envisioned some more substantial solutions to the problem of medicalized dying if she had incorporated the works of philosophers such as Ivan Illich (author of Medical Nemesis) in her thinking. Illich approached the problem of our entire medical care system as a problem of glut and hubris. Just as we demand too many goods in this society, so we demand too many services. We insist on being serviced to the hilt, and institutions abound to sell us service, service, service. These institutions then take on a life of their own, and there's nothing any of us can do, client or provider alike, but go along for the ride. Kaufman's need to maintain cordial relations with hospital staff and patient families in order to conduct her research may explain some of her lack of critical perspective in this regard though.

As it is, her book is worth reading as rehearsal for what each one of us might face some day. But I would speed-read it, in order to avoid prolonging the process.

A powerful book for students, caregivers, and families dealing with end of life stages.......2006-03-27

This is an excellent book about a difficult subject: The ambivalent attitudes and approaches to dying in the culture of US hospital settings. Sharon Kaufman is professor of medical anthropology at the University of California, San Francisco.

Kaufman observed that time was the factor which most influenced many of the interactions and experiences of the participants in the drama of dealing with serious health challenges. Institutional pressures on the staff demanded that care be provided in the most efficient and economic manner. The staff were constantly faced with decisions around the timing of interventions and the pacing of the therapies and their effects and consequences. Staff had to deal with obstacles to the most efficient provision of care and with the timing of death. Patients were often unconscious, leaving relatives to have to make extremely important and difficult decisions - ones that they would have to live with for the rest of their lives, and ones that might set them in conflict with other family members who could not be present at the time.

The control that modern medicine has over the timing of death brings the patients, staff and families into discussions and negotiations over physical, psychological, relationship, moral, ethical and religious issues and concerns. When there is no living will/ directive, an urgent situation is created in which decisions of major consequences must be taken.

Much suffering seemed incredibly unnecessary, like octogenarians with living wills discovered after the fact, or aggressive surgeries on debilitated and chronically ill people who had not a fighting chance of surviving these insults.

This powerful book should be read by every student and caregiver dealing with seriously ill patients, and by families with people who are approaching the last stages of their lives. It would make an excellent focus for caregiver discussion groups.

Sobering examination of the "end of life" issues many of us are likely to face.......2005-07-28

"And A Time To Die" is definitely not light summer reading. Instead, it is a serious and revealing look at the way people die in this country. Fifty years ago most people died at home. For a whole host of reasons detailed in this book this is no longer the case. The simple fact is that most folks find themselves ill-prepared when faced with life and death decisions involving themselves or close family members. Author Sharon R. Kaufman has done us all a great service. "And A Time To Die" brings the reader up to speed on the issues, the terminology, the technology and the players involved in various end of life scenarios. Just what is meant by the term "persistant vegetative state"? What are the advantages and drawbacks of CPR? Is hospice care really a better alternative to a conventional hospital for many of these patients? What happens when the patients wishes are at odds with the wishes of the family? And just what role does religion play in the life and death decisions people are forced to make? These issues and a great many others are presented in clear, concise and easy to understand language.
Sharon Kaufman, a professor of medical anthropology at the University of California, spent two full years observing and interviewing terminally ill patients and their families. She also spent considerable time speaking with doctors, nurses and hospital staff who must struggle with these issues on a daily basis. She presents the stories of 27 patients who find themselves in ICU's (intensive care units) or in other specialized hospital units. To be honest, a good many of these stories are downright disturbing. One cannot imagine what many of these patients and their families are forced to endure. And what is so frustrating is that the structural deficiencies of the American health care system are largely responsible for so many of these problems. Reading this book will surely convince you that there is so much that needs to change.
Admittedly the issues are complex and the subject matter is not particularly pleasant. But as a practical matter, it is extremely important for people to get up to speed on many of these issues. I can only conclude that I found "And A Time To Die" to be a very worthwhile use of my time. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to you as well.

Help for The Hard Times: Getting Through Loss

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Help for the Hard Times
For All Ages
Get This Book for the Grieving Teen in Your Life
Thank you to Earl Hipp
Great for adults too!

Help for The Hard Times: Getting Through Loss
Earl Hipp
Manufacturer: Hazelden
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1568380852

Book Description

Earl Hipp addresses loss from the perspective of the heart. He discusses young people's experiences with loss and helps them figure out ways to continue functioning after loss. You will provide students with tools to grieve and ways to keep their losses from becoming too overwhelming. This book, along with the Caring Circle: A Facilitator's Guide to Support Groups and Thirty-Eight Great Handouts are all part of a complete curriculum to use in developing broad-based support groups for young people ages 12 and older. Other books that can be purchased that are part of this program to help teens in specific areas are: -Feed Your Head (Self-Esteem) -Fighting Invisible Tigers (Stress) -Understanding the Human Volcano (Violence) ·Training is also available -- call 1-800-328-9000 for details.

Customer Reviews:

Help for the Hard Times.......2007-09-24

This useful book is sure to offer wonderful help to its readers. It offers just the right strategies and approaches as it prepares you to move forward from hard times to happier times.

Bonnie Collins
Life Coach

For All Ages.......2006-12-31

I found this book to be written in a simple, straightforward manner that applies to all ages.
I especially liked the chapter on supporting those who are in a state of grief. The book is beautifully written and uplifting for all ages. My wife of 33 years recently died and this book gave me more aid and solace than the more sophisticated writings recommended by my grief support group.
I would advise any person from adult teen to older adult to purchase this book.

Get This Book for the Grieving Teen in Your Life.......2002-12-15

I work with grieving teens and whenever possible, I give them a copy of this book. Every page has a gem that can help them sort through their feelings and experiences. All of the children have told me this book really helps them. It is written in large print with pictures, poems, and sayings throughout making it extremely accessible for a grieving teen (or adult, for that matter). It is one of the very best books written for grieving teens. I recommend it highly.

Thank you to Earl Hipp.......2000-05-18

I just wanted you to know that both my teens have read your book, "Help for the Hard Times". It was the only book on loss that really made them feel like it spoke to their true feelings. I can't thank you enough for writing such a wonderful book. I am recently widowed, and until I discovered your book, I was desperately searching. I bought an extra copy and donated it to my school district. I am a MSW graduate student at Fordham University. I eventually hope to work in the public school system. You can bet your book will be on the shelf along with my other resources.

Great for adults too!.......1999-01-13

I recently read the book, Help for the Hard Times, Getting Through Loss." I am a divorced mother of two great kids 13 and 18. I was divorced after 21 years of marriage. I went looking for a book I could give to my kids to help hem deal with their own issues of loss revolving around the divorce. I went through my own hard times, and in fact am just now after 3 years reaching the healing times. Unfortunately, my kids grief is just now showing up in ways that until now went unrecognized by them or me. I have to say that this book was very enlightening to me and therefore just can't loose with my kids. I will read it together with my 13-year-old, and give it to my 18-year-old to read on her own. This kind of nuts and bolts help can be very helpful to people of all ages, not just the kids. Sometimes we have to go back to the basics in order to heal an overloaded loss pot, and recognizing the stages is a great start.

Book Description

Martin Conway comes from a family filled with heroes and disgraces. His grandfather was a statesman who worked at the US Embassy in London during WWII. His father is an alcoholic who left his family. His sister is an overachieving Ivy League graduate. And Martin? Martin is stuck in between--floundering.

But during the summer after 7th grade, Martin meets a boy who will change his life forever. Jimmy Harker appears one night with a deceptively simple question: Will you help?

Where did this boy come from, with his strange accent and urgent request? Is he a dream? It's the most vivid dream Martin's ever had. And he meets Jimmy again and again--but how can his dreams be set in London during the Blitz? How can he see his own grandather, standing outside the Embassy? How can he wake up with a head full of people and facts and events that he certainly didn't know when he went to sleep--but which turn out to be verifiably real?

The people and the scenes Martin witnesses have a profound effect on him. They become almost more real to him than his waking companions. And he begins to believe that maybe he can help Jimmy. Or maybe that he must help Jimmy, precisely because all logic and reason argue against it.

This is a truly remarkable and deeply affecting novel about fathers and sons, heroes and scapegoats. About finding a way to live with faith and honor and integrity. And about having an answer to the question: What did you do to help?

Customer Reviews:

Are two stories better than one?.......2007-10-03

Other reviewers observe that London Calling is part problem novel, part historical fiction, and part time-travel adventure. Despite the author's skill at creating vivid locations, as a whole, I think the story suffers from this mixture of stories more than it benefits.

Martin hates his school and his life, but the revenge he seeks against classmate Lowery, grandson of the WWII hero, seems small and unsatisfying. That's because the story morphs into that of the relationship between Martin and his alcoholic father. But that's somewhat underwhelming too, because the story also is about helping Jimmy, his time-travel friend from 1940, and Jimmy's father.

I had difficulty hanging in there long enough for Martin to get to the real issues in all three stories-- just past halfway in the book. I think I would have preferred a straight story of any one of the elements rather than all three weaved together. And of them, the story of Jimmy and his father has the most potential for development on its own.

Is it fantasy? historical fiction? time travel fiction? Yep.......2007-08-29

It never fails to surprise me how certain books will turn out. You start a book, and you think you have its number. You say, "Book, I know exactly who you are and where you are going." Many times, you are right. But therein lies the joy of discovering a book that adds to your life. Edward Bloor is one wacky guy. He comes up with original plots, but he is also a very good writer. In Story Time, his protagonists went to a private school where the students sat in windowless rooms, taking standardized tests, and drinking noxious shakes blended to keep the students chained in their educational prisons (Yes, down with standardized tests!). With many authors, they are good at only one aspect of writing (plots, characters, pacing). Bloor has all of these elements of writing nailed down, plus he creates characters that will touch your heart.

In London Calling, Bloor again shares his loathing of private schools. Our protagonist is Martin Conway, a bright, unhappy 12-year old with little drive. He is a self-proclaimed hermit. He lives in the basement, where his crazy uncle once lived, and his dad used to live before he set the place on fire. Martin's nuclear family consists of an alcoholic dad that works for an airport steakhouse chain, an unhappy mother who works as a secretary at the school so that Martin can attend (She thinks he will have better opportunities.), and a sister who is a genius and works at an encyclopedia company as a fact checker. See what I mean? You have to be pretty creative to make this stuff up.

Martin has only two friends at his private Catholic school, which appears to be run by the Lowery family. The Lowery family claims that their ancestor, Hollerin' Hank Lowery, was a World War II hero. They have some money, and so the school kowtows to that family.

The current reigning Lowery loves to pick on the weak, and he makes regular sport of picking on Martin and his friends. On one such occasion, Martin's friend, Manetti, takes a piece of concrete and chucks it at Lowery's head, causing Lowery to whine like a little girl. It also, unfortunately, breaks off a chunk from a statue the school is getting ready to unveil for the Hall of Heroes. The school, in a guise of a fair trial, rules that Martin and his friends are completely responsible, suspending Martin from school.

At the same time, Martin loses a family member. His Grandma Mehan, his mother's mom, passes away. Grandma Mehan is another wacky family member. She believes that she came back from the dead while in hospital. No one really takes her seriously. Martin, however, is quite fond of Grandma Mehan. When she passes away, she gives Martin a vintage radio from the 1940s.

This is where our story elements come together. Martin begs his mom and principal that he be allowed to remain on regular suspension. In lieu of attending school, he asks to do a home study about the radio his Grandma gave him. He gets permission, but Martin has a secret agenda. The radio is actually a time travel device. When he sets it to a frequency that receives static, Martin is transported back to 1940s London, where he meets a Jimmy Harker. Jimmy says Martin has something he needs to do, but he doesn't know what. Martin reluctantly follows Jimmy on several late night adventures, involving blackouts and Germans bombing London. Martin suspects he is going crazy, but this is where his sister comes in. As a fact checker at an encyclopedia, she can verify or deny the facts he records from his travels.

Martin discovers he does have a mission to fulfill, and it will impact not only the Harker family, but his own family as well. Martin is asked repeatedly, "What will you do to help, when the time comes?" Martin finds out that he, yes, even he, a 12-year old boy, can make a difference. He also learns to hope again, and his family receives some healing.

I just loved this book. Any book that causes me to shed a tear is usually a winner for me. There was also a lot of talk of a higher power; that we can't do things on our own without the help of a higher power. In addition, this story had so many elements. It was historical fiction, and it was also fantasy. It had the adventure and purpose that boys crave, and it had relationships that would appeal to girls.

I would recommend this to teens that love historical fiction. I would also give it a fantasy fan that has to read historical fiction.

Almost 5 Stars.......2007-08-15

I picked this up because I loved Tangerine, by the same author. I decided my boys are all going to read Tangerine when they get a bit older because it is a great story and I loved how the main character takes on the bully in his life.

This book will also be on my list of reads for them, but for a different reason. It's also a great story and once again there is an obnoxious bully who needs someone to stand up to him. But there is also a message. I know, kids don't like message books, but it's really just a small part of the story and it's a good message. I think I read a similar sentiment in a Margaret Frazer book, where she wrote something like, "it will be asked how you spent the time you have been given." Here, it's "what did you do to help?" Either way it applies to the hero here. At the beginning he is spending his summer sleeping - he doesn't do anything. No interests, hobbies, nothing. He is very unenthused about life.

And then Martin's grandmother leaves him an old radio that transports him to 1940s London. The story gets sort of Sixth Sense-y, but it is a very satisfying story.

A fast-paced adventure.......2007-02-13

Is time travel really possible? Many people wonder about that. That's also the question this book asks. As for the answer, you'll have to read this book to find out.

Martin Conway is confused. His grandmother has been calling him late at night, telling him he has to help "the boy". At first, he doesn't know what she's talking about. When she dies, however, and leaves him her old antique radio, he's transported to World War Two London, and the adventure begins.

Edward Bloor's fourth book really tells Martin's story in his own voice. This story is about redemption and courage. It's really interesting to see how the whole story comes together, and when it does, you're left with a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Anyone who likes historical fiction will love this book. I know that I did. London Calling is a dramatic journey that you'll want to ride. Trust me.

-Paul Brandt

A bully, a mystery, time travel, and redemption.......2007-01-16

I liked this book and Martin from the very beginning. The story has a religious backdrop without being too denominational, schmaltzy, or preachy. Martin's father is an on-the-edge alcoholic. Martin hates his school, All Souls, where he is treated as a second class citizen. Martin has to deal with the school bully, Hank Lowery. Lowery is not just the bully, but the darling of All Souls whose great grandfather is supposedly a revered WWII hero. After suffering a humiliating run-in with Lowery Martin refuses to return to All Souls and is on his way to developing agoraphobia (literally fear of the marketplace, fear of going out in public) dubbing himself the Basement Dweller. He drifts through his life like a zombie. This all changes when his aunt sends him an antique radio, a Philco 20 Deluxe. He falls asleep listening to the radio and is transported back to World War II where he meets Jimmy who needs his help.

I would have given this book five stars, but I felt it was just a little bit predictable and ...I don't want to give away the ending. Also, I'm not in a medical field, but I'm pretty sure the medical establishment doesn't use the term "petit mal" seizure anymore. All in all it was a very enjoyable read.

Life and Death: Grappling with the Moral Dilemmas of Our Time

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Life and Death: Grappling with the Moral Dilemmas of Our Time
Louis P. Pojman
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0534508243

Book Description

This single-authored, brief text explores the moral dilemmas in our lives from a philosophical point of view. Society is deeply divided on the matters of life and death discussed in this book: the sanctity of life versus the quality of life; the meaning of death and dying; suicide; euthanasia; abortion; artificial procreation such as in vitro fertilization and cloning; the death penalty; animal rights; world hunger; and war.

Average customer rating:

Not as Good as the First Two, But . . .

The Underwood See (Withern Rise)
Michael Lawrence
Manufacturer: HarperTeen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0060724838
Release Date: 2007-03-13

Book Description

Eight months ago, during the depths of a snowy winter, Alaric and Naia Underwood switched realities. Then in June, as floodwaters surrounded their two versions of the house called Withern Rise, they met again, and tragedy struck.

It's autumn now, and Naia is feeling haunted. She's seeing things that shouldn't be there, and an unseen hand draws her into a tangled forest, where she meets an Alaric who lives like a savage. Here, in this dying reality, are the answers to so many questions—if she can only reach the man who calls himself Aldous U.

Life-changing resolutions are in the air in the worlds of the Underwood See.

Customer Reviews:

Not as Good as the First Two, But . . ........2007-03-28

After reading the first two books in the Withern Rise trilogy, I was quite excited to read the third. I bought it the day it came out and read it in two nights. But while I certainly enjoyed it, it was not as good as the first two.

What I mostly didn't like was that it lost the spirit of "A Crack in the Line" and "Small Eternities". In these two, there was more of a plot. The characters were trying to figure out what was going on, and you speculated along with them. They also seemed more realistic. But "The Underwood See" loses a lot of these qualities. Too much of the book is given to Aldous U.'s explanations of how the realms work. The plot takes a backseat. There are so many realities and characters (some of them different versions of the same person) that it can get confusing. Also, the book loses the realism that the first two had. It starts using alternate realities as explanations for things like UFOs, and it just gets a little too incredible, a little too sci-fi. This would be fine for another book, but it doesn't fit the mood of the first two. The author tries too hard to explain his thoughts on realities, and doesn't let the characters (or the readers) ponder them for themselves.

Still, it was an exciting conclusion, and the theories the author present leave you with a sense of awe. They're fun to think about, and they can freak you out a little (but in a good way). And the ending is good. All in all, I would recommend "The Underwood See", just don't expect it to be as good as the first two.

Average customer rating:

Better than the first by jordan

Small Eternities (Withern Rise)
Michael Lawrence
Manufacturer: HarperTeen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060724803
Release Date: 2005-09-20

Book Description

Four months ago in the snowy depths of winter, Alaric and Naia, two teenagers who'd never met, discovered they were living almost identical lives in different versions of Withern Rise, their riverside Victorian mansion. One day, they accidentally stranded themselves in the wrong realities.

Now it's summer, and heavy rains have caused the river to overflow. Withern Rise's grounds are under water when Alaric and Naia find their separate ways into an earlier reality -- a small eternity -- and meet a boy called Aldous. Aldous Underwood.

But who is this Aldous? Is he the old vagrant Naia has met in the present day, or an Aldous destined to die very soon, under mysterious circumstances? And will their meeting change Underwood history?

Customer Reviews:

Better than the first by jordan.......2005-11-18

It's four months after Alaric and Naia switched lives and things are going all right. Everything is flooded and one day alaric and Naia are just sitting in the tree when they both get blurred back in time to 1945 the year of Aldous Underwood's death.(If you read the first book you'll know who he is.)

Anyway the mystery unwinds and Alaric learn's who caused Aldous who would have been there great uncle if he hadn't. Alaric is given chances to prevent the death when in another small eternitie erupts and Aldous still lives.

Small eternities is a thought provoking book that you'll love if you liked the first.

I reccomend this book to hard core action packed sci-fi/fantasy fans.

Also reccomended:A crack in the line

The Compass

The subtle knife

The amber spyglass

and for the heck of it: all Harry Potter books.

Read the first one A crack in the line then read this one.

Never start in the middle of a story.

Average customer rating:

The Time Capsule
Read this very good, very sad book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Interesting Story
i know!!
A Story to TOUCH your soul

The Time Capsule
Lurlene Mcdaniel
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Twins | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0553494317
Release Date: 2005-05-10

Book Description

In first grade, twins Alexis and Adam wrote down what they wanted to be when they grew up and put it in their teacher’s time capsule. Now entering their senior year in high school, they are surprised to find out what they wrote: Alexis wanted to “help people” and Adam wanted to be a fireman. But that was before Adam got sick and their family fell apart. Adam’s leukemia is now in remission but, sadly, so is the twins’ family. Their mother and father are always working—not only don’t they have time for Alexis and Adam, they don’t have time for each other. Alexis can’t even convince them to take a weekend off for one last family vacation to Disney World.

No one is prepared when Adam gets sick again, but this time Alexis is not alone. Adam’s illness reunites the family. And Alexis discovers that the time capsule predictions weren’t so far off the mark.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

The Time Capsule.......2007-01-03

I usually don't read this kind of a story line, but when I was at the book fair I was drawn to this book. When I started to read this book I counldn't put it down. At one point a was reading through tears. Both Alex and Alexis insipered me to never let down hope even though it might seem like there is no way you can get out of it.

Read this very good, very sad book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2006-11-07

Time Capsule is about twins, Adam and Alexis, who are in their senior year of high school and get invited to a reunion were they went to kindergarten when they were little. When Adam was in kidagarten he wrote that he wanted to be a fireman and Alexis wanted to help people, they put these in A time capsule, which they opened at the reunion. Their family is falling apart because of Adam's leukemia, and never really see each other. It's even worse when Adam gets sick the second time! Read this book to find out what happend to Adam and how it affected his family and friends.

This is the best book I have ever read, even though it is very emotional and made me and my other friends that read it cry. It has a very good plot and it is very heartwarming. I would recommened this book to everyone.

Interesting Story.......2006-06-09

Time Capsule follows the Senior year of a set of twins, Alexis and Adam. Their lives are going as smoothly as possible, even though their mother is never home and Alexis suspects her father of having an affair, until Adam collapses from the leukemia that had plagued him in the past.

This was an interesting book, though not quite a "wow"er. I can't say the sad part was effective enough for me, since I didn't shed a tear (which is unusual for me). However, still a great book and I reccommend it.

i know!!.......2006-02-27

i know i know i cried!!!and i am a drummer i am not supposed to cry!! it is sad !!! veryy good tho :)

- drummer dude

A Story to TOUCH your soul.......2006-02-24

This story brings you into the life of two twins, Alexis and Adam, high school seniors.They have common lifes except for a haunting past for Adam. He had leukeima when he was eleven.
The twins parents are always at work, and it seems like a divorce is possible. Alot is going on for these busy teenagers and Alexis is so whirled up, she doesn't see the signs.
Adam is losing weight. Adam has bruises. Adam is in TROUBLE. With the truth of a relapse sinking into Alexis's brain, life spins out of control.
Alexis and her boyfrined split. There are no future signs of recovery in view for Adam. Alexis just wants things to be the same, before Adam ever had cancer. But how can that happen when your brother for eighteen years is hanging on by a finger for life?

The Saddest Time (An Albert Whitman Prairie Book)

Average customer rating:

cathartic for kids and adults
Sensitive exploration of a child's saddness and grief
The Saddest Time

The Saddest Time (An Albert Whitman Prairie Book)
Norma Simon
Manufacturer: Albert Whitman & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0807572047

Customer Reviews:

cathartic for kids and adults.......2003-11-10

This is a really useful book for children and the adults who share their lives with them. We have lost a number of relatives over the past few years, and of all the books out there on death, this is the one that my kids keep going back to. Appropriate for most ages, it covers several of the ways that children can experience loss (death of a relative or friend; result of an accident or illness; deceased as a young person or an old person), giving this book something for everyone (such as it is). It is very accessible, and for parents who are reading it aloud to younnger children or using it as a segue to discussion with an older child, it isn't annoying after you have read it over and over and over.

I highly recommend this book for any child dealing with the death of a loved one or just death as a concept.

Sensitive exploration of a child's saddness and grief.......2001-06-17

This book tells three separate stories about children's experiences with death. The first tells how a boy deals with the death of his uncle. The second, how students deal with the sudden death of a classmate. The third tells of a girl who is at the bedside with her family when her grandmother dies. Each one deals with the sad feelings surrounding death, but also celebrates the life of the deceased individual. Each story ends with how the children cope and come to terms with loss. Before and after each story are poems that connect death with the celebration of life. These explain that endings and beginnings are all connected. I was particularly impressed with the sensitive way that the author deals with a child's sadness and gently shows ways of coping. She notes that the sadness may never completely go away, but that eventually it is outweighed by understanding and new forms of mastery.

The Saddest Time.......2000-07-11

The Saddest Time is a great resource to use with children that are dealing with both the potential and eventual loss of someone they care about. There are three short stories in this book. The first one deals with the loss of what appears to be a middle aged uncle, the second the unexpected and accidental death of a young child, and the third the dying and death of an older person, in this case the grandmother. The first story includes the anticipatory grief phase that the child experiences. Trying to make conversation with someone who is terminally ill. It addresses the fear associated with the possibility of losing parents. It also addresses the grief after the death, and attempts to help and comfort the family. The second story is about an accidental death of a classmate. The children in the classroom are given the opportunity to remember and discuss their feelings. They are also encouraged to send the family cards and letters, writing about special times they shared with their friend that died. The third story is about a child's grandmother who is dying and actually dies when the family is present. It discusses the feelings of sadness and anger that the child feels. It further discusses in simple terms, the funeral and the support provided to the grandfather. It also encourages the child to reminisce. Overall, this book really encorporates death as a normal part of life. The emotions experienced because of death are normalized and expected. It addresses feeling experienced. Discusses feelings and common funeral rituals as well as the support that is shared with friends and families after a loss. People, including children experience grief in their own way. This is an excellent book,as it encorporates anticipatory grief as well as the grief experienced after the death of a loved one. It also addresses three different experiences that are common in life. I feel it could help adults and children alike. This book would be great a great resource for the community and should be included in school system, public libraries. We are including this in our hospice library for our community to use.

Average customer rating:

nothing like a good book
Saddest story ever
Outstanding Impact
Ashley's review
Amazing,touching read best book ever!

A Time for Dancing
Davida Wills Hurwin
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0140386181

Customer Reviews:

nothing like a good book.......2007-04-08

well any book that makes me cry I consider to be pretty good, and this book had me crying. It's a sad story, but it's beautifully written.

Saddest story ever.......2006-12-29

This book was one of the, if not the, saddest books I have ever read. The characters and plot are very deep, and the book keeps you hooked all the way to the end. I cried. a lot. Very sad, but highly recommended.

Outstanding Impact.......2006-12-20

I think this was a very good book. It teaches morals about how to deal with life. Not just normal day stuff a girls goes through, that along with having cancer. It shows how important it is to have a best friend, and what it is like to be a good one. I like how is portrays the two young girls life, it makes it so you can relate to them more. I like how it changed the side of the story, from Sam and Julie. It showed how hard it is to have cancer, but than also how hard it is to have your best friend go through it also. It takes the negatives of the book (cancer) into a positive impact on life. Too live your life with not regrets and to live life to the fullest. It is a very touching book. I almost cried. This book seems similar to the books by Lurlene McDaniel. I suggest this book to anyone who likes sad, life changing stories, who is also about 12 or older due to bad language. Even with that to though, it shows what the girls lives were like and gave more emotion to what was happening in there lives. This is definitely a must read and to add it to you collection, or school library!

Ashley's review.......2006-12-19

I liked this book a lot the first time I read it, but not so much the second time. When I read it the first time, I didn't know what was going to happen so it was a surprise. However, when I read it the second time I knew what was going to happen, so it was kind of boring. I did like it a lot though because it was a really sad book and I love sad books.
Sammy and Julie were the best of friends. They loved to go to parties together, they loved to dance together, and they loved to all around spend time together. They are in the middle of a dance class when Julie all of a sudden feels really sharp pains in her hip and back. Her mother has to take her to the hospital but they are no help at all. Julie goes through 13 different doctors before she even knows whats wrong with her. She then finds out she has a really bad cancer and it is spreading very fast. Julie has to drop out of school and dance class just to recover. Sammy is really upset that she can't see or talk to Julie! Julie gets worse and worse over time until one day she goes into a coma. Shortly after Sammy gets a call from Julie's mom and rushes over to say good-bye. Shortly after Julie slips away!
I recommend this book to teenagers that love sad books like me. This book is really sad!

Amazing,touching read best book ever! .......2006-12-12

This book made me cry! I think everyone should read this book. It is touching, upsetting, and happy. language is beautiful. Note: for children under 10, has lots of bad words.LOVED IT!

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