FEMININE MISTAKE, THE: ARE WE GIVING UP TOO MUCH?

Book Description

Women are constantly being told that it's simply too difficult to balance work and family, so if they don't really "have to" work, it's better for their families if they stay home. Not only is this untrue, Leslie Bennetts says, but the arguments in favor of stay-at-home motherhood fail to consider the surprising benefits of work and the unexpected toll of giving it up. It's time, she says, to get the message across -- combining work and family really is the best choice for most women, and it's eminently doable.Bennetts and millions of other working women provide ample proof that there are many different ways to have kids, maintain a challenging career, and have a richly rewarding life as a result. Earning money and being successful not only make women feel great, but when women sacrifice their financial autonomy by quitting their jobs, they become vulnerable to divorce as well as the potential illness, death, or unemployment of their breadwinner husbands. Further, they forfeit the intellectual, emotional, psychological, and even medical benefits of self-sufficiency.The truth is that when women gamble on dependancy, most eventually end up on the wrong side of the odds. In riveting interviews with women from a wide range of backgrounds, Bennetts tells their dramatic stories -- some triumphant, others heartbreaking.The Feminine Mistake will inspire women to accept the challenge of figuring out who they are and what they want to do with their lives in addition to raising children. Not since Betty Friedan has anyone offered such an eye-opening and persuasive argument for why women can -- and should -- embrace the joyously complex lives they deserve.

Customer Reviews:

Please read this book.......2007-10-03

I am a female attorney who has been practising family law for 26 years.
When I first started out, I represented many women who were married in the 1940's, 50's and 60's, when society felt that every woman's place was in the home. As a result, many "displaced homemakers" suddenly found themselves facing poverty in their old age. My own generation (the baby-boomers) all seemed to gravitate towards careers, so the displaced, poverty-stricken homemakers would be a thing of the past, right?
Wrong.
I am stunned to discover how many women in their 20's and 30's (the so-called post-feminist generation) are opting to become stay-at-home moms.
What is the problem, you ask?
In one word - DIVORCE.
And don't say it'll never happen to you. After all, I'm sure you buy smoke detectors, don't leave matches within your children's reach, don't leave candles or a stovetop unattended - but I'll also bet you also have homeowner's insurance, in case the unthinkable happened and your house caught on fire.
I've known so many women who tried so hard to be terrific wives, great mothers - and still found themselves divorced. Making sure you always have marketable skills so that you are able to support yourself and your children is like buying homeowner's insurance.
Of all the divorced SAHM's I've known, very very few are able to return to the workforce and earn enough money to support their families in the same lifestyle they enjoyed during the marriage. Sure, you can always get a minimum-wage job as a sales clerk or a waitress, but it will not buy you a middle-class lifestyle. Well-paying jobs will go to either a) recent college graduates, with newly-learned marketable skills or b) people who have spent the last 5, 10 or 15 years working their way up the ladder.
This book is a must-read, especially for young SAHM's who are confident that their marriage will last forever and that they will have no trouble re-entering the workforce any time they choose. I do have two criticisms, though: one, it is repetitive (one needn't repeat the same thing over and over to make a point) and it focuses almost exclusively on upper-middle class women, who are only a minority of the population.
Actually, upper-middle class SAHM's often suffer the worst, financially and emotionally, from a divorce, since they tend to have the most unrealistic expectations about the workplace (especially those who never worked outside the home at all) and they experience the biggest drop in lifestyle.
The men, on the other hand, tend to do very well after the divorce, simply because they have always had a well-paying career, without interruption, and after the initial financial hit (splitting the assets and paying child support) they keep on earning a high income, year after year.

Use of Ancedotal Evidence Left Me Frustrated and Confused.......2007-09-27

I would not recommend this book. It's a shame really, b/c I think Ms. Bennetts has a good message. Unfortunately she seems to base many of her points on ancedotal evidence. The writing style was a bit choppy and I couldn't figure out if Ms. Bennetts simply chose the wrong ancedote each time or if she truly wants women to not only support themselves, but to drive fancy cars and live in fancy houses.

Her apparent emphasis on material wealth repeatedly seemed to undermine her intentions. And the use of ancedotal evidence just compromised her authority. Perhaps I should have been tipped off at the start of the book when she used her mother as an example of a woman that was able to balance family and work successfully without reprocussions. (Too bad she doesn't emphasize the fact that her grandmother provided the childcare.)

Another example is when she put down a stay-at-home mom for driving old cars in order to live in a wealthy neighborhood with a good school system. Ms. Bennetts seemed to imply that the mother should go back to work so her family could afford new cars and other such luxuries. Surely this wasn't her point, or was it?

I was looking for a book that would support my decision to remain a working mom; however, examples like these throughout the book left me questioning the true message of the book and left me frustrated.

SAHMs Beware.......2007-09-27

Women do bash each other too much, but that's probably because we are all trying to be good at so many contradictory things -- and are afraid we're failing at all of them.

This book has jumped right into the "mommy wars," and been bashed accordingly.

Even though young women want to do life differently than their mothers did (who - trust me - wanted to do life even more differently than THEIR mothers did), we all keep circling around the same problem: We want our families to flourish. We just don't want to become penniless and futureless doing it.

This highly readable book argues that combining work and motherhood is tough but possible and even rewarding. Bennetts contends that depending on husbands to earn all the family money is very risky, and she is quite believable when she describes the many ways that this way of life can go wrong.

Bennetts is also not buying many of the "reasons" that have become fashionable for mom's total surrender of jobs, money, and benefits. She is at her most entertaining when she dissects today's version of the weary cult of motherhood, in which only mom's incessant hands-on attention is presumed to create conditions in which an infant can even survive.

Entertaining and thought-provoking.

Wise Counter Argument to Stay at Home Mom Phenom.......2007-09-10

As far as this topic goes, I've always been a live and let live kind of woman, although I would personally not be comfortable totally relying on a man to support me financially. All the women in my family have worked. I grew up with a working mom, who was a stay at home mom, until she found herself widowed with an 11 month old daughter. When I would hear those "I didn't even know where the checkbook was" stories from women who had either been abandoned or did the abandoning, I always thought...where the heck was your brain? Even if you are a housewife/full time mother, you are and ADULT in your home and should share in the responsibility of guiding your family's financial future. I have a very dear friend who is a stay at home mother and home schools her children. She does part time sales, but guess what..she does the books! Her husband wouldn't dare make a financial move without her and it works for them. Conversely, I have friends who also have husbands who earn a good living, but they work, because they feel they are able to contribute more. As a single woman, it is sometimes daunting to think that I am fully responsible for my financial future..but after reading this book, it reminded me that even if I were married, I would still be fully responsible. I'm also a fairly conservative person, but I have to say, I've seen the church and conservative politicians try to hammer home that the BEST solution for families is to have the mother at home while the father worked. But even GOD allows for personal choice, and if I remember my Bible correctly, the Proverbs 31 woman worked both inside and outside of her household. To me the best solution is to do what works for you. If you feel that you should stay home, then stay home. If you feel that you should work, then work. Each choice, like most choices, comes with its pros and cons. However, whatever your choice, in life, you should always make it a priority to educate yourself and develop a skill.

A Relevant Warning to Women.......2007-09-07

This book serves as a warning to all women who have children or are thinking about having children, that you can't always depend on a man to support you. For women who are thinking about dropping out to raise children they need to think of the long term consequences of their future earning power.

The End of the World as We Know It: Scenes from a Life

Average customer rating:

Most moving book I've ever read
Best autobiography I've ever read -- searing, honest,
Sad But True
Sad but beautifully written
Eye opening

The End of the World as We Know It: Scenes from a Life
Robert Goolrick
Manufacturer: Algonquin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1565124812

Book Description

It was the 1950s, a time of calm, a time when all things were new and everything seemd possible. A few years before, a noble war had been won, and now life had returned to normal.

For one little boy, however, life had become anything but "normal."

To all appearances, he and his family lived an almost idyllic life. The father was a respected professor, the mother a witty and elegant lady, someone everyone loved. They were parents to three bright, smiling children: two boys and a girl. They lived on a sunny street in a small college town nestled neatly in a leafy valley. They gave parties, hosted picnics, went to church—just like their neighbors. To all appearances, their life seemed ideal. But it was, in fact, all appearances.

Lineage, tradition, making the right impression—these were matters of great importance, especially to the mother. But behind the facade this family had created lurked secrets so dark, so painful for this one little boy, that his life would never be the same.

It is through the eyes of that boy—a grown man now, revisiting that time—that we see this seemingly serene world and watch as it slowly comes completely and irrevocably undone.

Beautifully written, often humorous, sometimes sweet, ultimately shocking, this is a son's story of looking back with both love and anger at the parents who gave him life and then robbed him of it, who created his world and then destroyed it.

As author Lee Smith, who knew this world and this family, observed, "Alcohol may be the real villain in this pain-permeated, exquisitely written memoir of childhood—but it is also filled with absolutely dead-on social commentary of this very particular time and place. A brave, haunting, riveting book."

Customer Reviews:

Most moving book I've ever read.......2007-09-07

Words escape me. Thank God they didn't escape Goolrick. I'll remember this book until I die.

Best autobiography I've ever read -- searing, honest, .......2007-08-24

Sometimes I look back at my own little girl, abused and neglected in the corner, but Goolrick has constructed that image, written about it, and in doing so has purged his demons. At the same time, he captures an era of American History with such clarity and viciousness that no history book could ever convey. And he never lets on what happens, until you are punched in the stomach with a grief so hard you cry for him, for yourself, and for everyone like him. His bravery is so unbelievable -- he wrote this book ONLY because he wanted to save other children from his fate -- that I believe he deserves a Pulitzer. Or a Nobel. It is that good.

Sad But True.......2007-06-11

Beautifully written, very sad story of a life marred by narcissism, dysfunction and alcoholism. Not what you'd call "light reading," but well worth the melancholy trip if you love it when the music of words rings true.

Sad but beautifully written.......2007-06-11

You really need to be ready for this book. It is touching and made me very sad for this man. Some people come out of horrific situations and some people drown in them. The writting is beautiful and I enjoyed reading this book. I think it is brave to put himself out there.

Eye opening.......2007-06-08

This was a very quick read for me. I found it sometimes humorous. But over all a serous book about serious issues. I am a Therapeutic foster parent of troubled children. I certainly have a good understanding of the issues my children face. However this book will not only give you a better understanding, it will allow you to get into his life. It really brings it home. Definitely a must read.

Why Can't We Get Along?: Healing Adult Sibling Relationships

Average customer rating:

Why Can't We Get Along

Why Can't We Get Along?: Healing Adult Sibling Relationships
Peter Goldenthal
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Clinical Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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Conflict Management | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Siblings | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

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Sibling Revelry: 8 Steps to Successful Adult Sibling Relationships
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Make Peace With Anyone: Breakthrough Strategies to Quickly End Any Conflict, Feud, or Estrangement
My Sister, My Self

ASIN: 0471388424

Book Description

Praise for Peter Goldenthals previous books:

"[Dr. Goldenthals] techniques...are presented with insight and clarity. This is a unique and valuable book." âWilliam B. Carey, M.D., Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

"Peter Goldenthal gives us new insights.... This is a must-read book." âMyrna Shure, Ph.D., author of Raising a Thinking Child

Hasnt it gone on long enoughÃ-the rivalry, the jealousy, the pent-up anger, and the grudges rooted in the past? In this book, renowned author and family psychologist Peter Goldenthal offers proven prescriptions for brothers and sisters who want to break through old, destructive patterns and create a richer, more loving, and more rewarding relationship with their adult siblings.

Using dramatic case histories drawn from his own clinical practice, Dr. Goldenthal helps you understand why adult siblings fight. Warmly and insightfully, he presents practical techniques to:

Communicate withÃ-and listen toÃ-your sibling
Free yourself from past resentments
Cope with your siblings selfish or inconsiderate behavior
Support and comfort a sibling who suffers from mood problems
Manage a siblings difficult personality
Help your children avoid sibling problems

Dont let old hurts and destructive behavior patterns overshadow the love you feel for your sibling. Read Why Cant We Get Along? and find the key to establishing warm and loving sibling relationships that will last a lifetime.

Customer Reviews:

Why Can't We Get Along.......2002-04-02

Even adult siblings sometimes can't break long-standing rivalries or anger. Instead of turning your back on the relationship, read this book, and turn a new leaf. The author gives practical communication tips that will free you from the past and allow you to look to a brighter future with your sibling. For anyone looking to improve his or her sibling relationship, don't miss this book.

We Shall Not Sleep: A Novel (World War I)

Average customer rating:

I did go to sleep
We Shall Not Sleep
Honor, loyalty, betrayal, heroism, good and evil on the large canvas of world war
The End
A page turner

We Shall Not Sleep: A Novel (World War I)
Anne Perry
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

War | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

At Some Disputed Barricade: A Novel
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ASIN: 0345456602
Release Date: 2007-04-10

Book Description

Anne Perry’s magnificent Victorian mysteries established her as one of the world’s best known and loved historical novelists. Now, in her vividly imagined World War I novels, Perry’s talents “have taken a quantum leap” (The Star-Ledger), and so has the number of her devoted readers. We Shall Not Sleep, the final book in this epic series featuring the dedicated Reavley family, is perhaps the most memorably enthralling of all Perry’s novels.

After four long years, peace is finally in sight. But chaplain Joseph Reavley and his sister Judith, an ambulance driver on the Western Front, are more hard pressed than ever. Behind the lines, violence is increasing: soldiers are abusing German prisoners, a nurse has been raped and murdered, and the sinister ideologue called the Peacemaker now threatens to undermine the peace just as he did the war.

Then Matthew, the third Reavley sibling and an intelligence expert, suddenly arrives at the front with startling news. The Peacemaker’s German counterpart has offered to go to England and expose his co-conspirator as a traitor. But with war still raging and prejudices inflamed, such a journey would be fraught with hazards, especially since the Peacemaker has secret informers everywhere, even on the battlefield.

For richness of plot, character, and feeling, We Shall Not Sleep is unmatched. Anne Perry’s brilliantly orchestrated finale is a heartstopping tour de force, mesmerizing and totally satisfying.

Customer Reviews:

I did go to sleep.......2007-08-23

Anne Parry's series set in WWI began as an enthralling tale of murder and espionage. Unfortunately, there is only so much mud and blood one can absorb before interest lags and the tale becomes repetitive and tiresome. Her four part series could easily have been shortened to three.

We Shall Not Sleep.......2007-06-01

Anne Perry used all five books in this series to paint a multidimensional portait of the Reavely family. I mourn their parting. I especially loved Joseph Reavely who desperately held onto the threads of his faith, even while facing the worst situations humankind could throw at him. He was humble and authentic and did not leave anyone to die alone. Anne also painted a portrait of our world during this uncelebrated and mostly forgotten era. I enjoyed every page.

Honor, loyalty, betrayal, heroism, good and evil on the large canvas of world war.......2007-05-30

With war finally coming to an end, leaving millions dead and the landscape of Europe forever changed, Anne Perry concludes her World War I spy/mystery saga. This five-book series paints the themes of honor, loyalty, betrayal, heroism, good and evil on the large canvas of world war, but it also develops storylines of daily life on the battlefields and at home.

It is now November 1918, years into a war that was only supposed to last months. And the war is coming to end. Members of the Reavley family --- Joseph, the army chaplain; his brother Matthew, the Secret Intelligence Service officer; and their sister Judith, the ambulance driver --- are together under dire circumstances as they strive to unmask the Peacemaker. They now have the means to find out exactly who he is and bring him to light. The Peacemaker has already cost them their parents, friends and others of importance to England.

A messenger dressed as a Swiss priest comes to see Matthew with news. They now have an ally against the Peacemaker in Germany. This man, Manfred von Schenckendorff, is willing to come across enemy lines to London and expose the Peacemaker to tell the Prime Minister. His own country will be betrayed by this decision, but he hopes his defection will help with the peace process. When Matthew is asked where Manfred should come through on the Western Front, Matthew sends him to Yrpes where Joseph is stationed. When Matthew tells Joseph what he knows, Joseph can hardly believe it and questions if it's true.

The Peacemaker has big plans for England, Germany and Europe. He has argued that the greater end justifies the smaller ugliness of his means. And he reminds the war reporter Mason of just that point when he visits. Mason takes this philosophy to mean that the Peacemaker had used means that he despised, which allows Mason to continue to sympathize with him.

Mason has been a supporter of the Peacemaker's plans because of the horrors they both experienced in the Boer War. Mason returns to the Western Front to report on the end of the war and renews his acquaintance with Judith Reavley. He has come to realize that the Peacemaker is an armchair warrior using other people's blood for his own purposes. In this case, the Peacemaker's plan is one of domination of the Western World by governments who believe as the Peacemaker does.

Meanwhile, Manfred arrives in Ypres with a bayonet injury to his foot. As Joseph and Matthew wait to take him to England, a nurse is murdered. She was a flirt and not well liked; anyone could have killed her. Was it a German prisoner? Or one of their own soldiers?

A civil policeman investigates, and the commanding officer requests Joseph's help. However, when Matthew is arrested for her murder, Joseph and Judith work together to find the real killer. In their race against time to get Manfred to London, they find evidence that frees Matthew --- only to have Manfred arrested. As they dig deeper, the private lives of the nurses and troops lead them to uncover the murderer.

With the murder solved, the three Reavleys, along with Manfred and now Mason, borrow an ambulance in order to catch a boat for London. Perils await them as they make the trip, but they arrive to see the Prime Minister. They have the necessary evidence, testimony and knowledge to identify and make their case against the Peacemaker.

Anne Perry has honored this time in history with her series. The struggles portrayed by the characters --- both those of impeccable character and those who are flawed --- are memorable. The overall series mystery of the Peacemaker's identity keeps readers on the edge of their chairs all the way to the end. The underlying tensions of a world at war bring to the audience an awareness of the costs of war, government decisions during chaotic times and the toll on humankind. WE SHALL NOT SLEEP (along with the entire series) will stay on this reviewer's shelf and is definitely worth a yearly read.

--- Reviewed by Jennifer McCord

The End.......2007-05-25

And so it ends; the book, the series, the war. With some element of drama, this book was one of the better ones of the series. Very soon, we will be marking the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI. Accordingly, we will be finding a good deal more works of fiction and non-fiction about the Great War. For the readers of popular fiction, this series will be marked as one of the better ones.

A page turner.......2007-05-22

A wonderful ending for this series. Ann Perry kept you guessing throughout. The series on the whole was excellent...and I read all her books.

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda

Average customer rating:

Compelling
Will really let you see into this tradgedy.
The Heartbreak of Hate
Excellent Book
Heartbreaking stories from Rwanda

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda
Philip Gourevitch
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

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Central Africa | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

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Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0312243359

Amazon.com

"Hutus kill Tutsis, then Tutsis kill Hutus--if that's really all there is to it, then no wonder we can't be bothered with it," Philip Gourevitch writes, imagining the response of somebody in a country far from the ethnic strife and mass killings of Rwanda. But the situation is not so simple, and in this complex and wrenching book, he explains why the Rwandan genocide should not be written off as just another tribal dispute.

The "stories" in this book's subtitle are both the author's, as he repeatedly visits this tiny country in an attempt to make sense of what has happened, and those of the people he interviews. These include a Tutsi doctor who has seen much of her family killed over decades of Tutsi oppression, a Schindleresque hotel manager who hid hundreds of refugees from certain death, and a Rwandan bishop who has been accused of supporting the slaughter of Tutsi schoolchildren, and can only answer these charges by saying, "What could I do?" Gourevitch, a staff writer for the New Yorker, describes Rwanda's history with remarkable clarity and documents the experience of tragedy with a sober grace. The reader will ask along with the author: Why does this happen? And why don't we bother to stop it? --Maria Dolan

Book Description

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction.In April 1994, the Rwandan government called upon everyone in the Hutu majority to kill each member of the Tutsi minority, and over the next three months 800,000 Tutsis perished in the most unambiguous case of genocide since Hitler's war against the Jews. Philip Gourevitch's haunting work is an anatomy of the war in Rwanda, a vivid history of the tragedy's background, and an unforgettable account of its aftermath. One of the most acclaimed books of the year, this account will endure as a chilling document of our time.

Customer Reviews:

Compelling.......2007-09-22

My prep for going to Rwanda was reading this book. This is a snapshot of the state Rwanda was in during the 100 days and the aftermath. However, much has been done to repair the damage. This is a time of reconciliation and healing. Go to Rwanda and see for yourself. It will change your life.

Will really let you see into this tradgedy........2007-05-29

What a great book. Such insight and it really helps you understand what happened in Rwanda. Especially the history of all the long ago violence and things that have happened over the years. Great book and a must read for everyone.

This could happen everywhere or anywhere in the world. Can really open your eyes into how much we all could be killers or saviors at any one time.

Highly recommended.

The Heartbreak of Hate.......2007-04-10

Gourevitch's jarring telling of the atrocities of hate hit with an imact of severe sorrow. The overwhelming scale of the murders in Rwanda are incomprehensible. It is sad to realize that in this age people allow hate and propoganda to rule their lives.

Excellent Book.......2007-03-27

This book was very well written and informative about the genocide that occurred in Rwanda.

Heartbreaking stories from Rwanda.......2007-03-19

This is a superb book, a collection of interviews and incidents from the genocide in Rwanda. There are portraits of unimaginable betrayal, brutality and horror, but also of heroism--the owner of the Hotel Rwanda, for instance. The description of the conduct of the "refugee" camps is particularly useful as a warning on what is likely to happen in the next crisis, and should force us to re-examine our ways of providing relief for people in distress across the world.

Ready or Not... Here We Come! The Real Experts' Cannot-Live-Without Guide to the First Year with Twins

Average customer rating:

Good Plane read
A cute, informative resource
Loved it!
Marriage venting not advice
more for entertainment than for advice

Ready or Not... Here We Come! The Real Experts' Cannot-Live-Without Guide to the First Year with Twins
Elizabeth Lyons
Manufacturer: Finn-Phyllis Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Love, Sex & Marriage | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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Motherhood | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

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Everything You Need to Know to Have a Healthy Twin Pregnancy
The Parent's Guide to Raising Twins: From Pre-Birth To First School Days-The Essential Book For All Those Expecting Two Or More

Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers
Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0974699004

Book Description

Uncertain where to start, how to coordinate endless double feedings, or how to control the whirlwind? Don't worry -- Elizabeth Lyons and her "multiples" sorority will get you through. For real-world strategies on coordinating endless double feedings, getting the babies on a schedule (preferably the same one), and appearing to have it (and them) under control while out and about, Ready or Not...Here We Come! is the hilarious, tell-it-like-it-is resource no parent of twins should be without.

In her first humor-packed guide to raising twins, Elizabeth Lyons highlights the experiences and strategies of a group of friends who met in a multiples birthing class, and survived their pregnancies and first year with twins together.

Lyons provides the all-important feeling of camaraderie that will keep expectant and new parents of twins smiling and optimistic, and remind them through it all how blessed they are (even when they feel as though they haven't slept in weeks). Ready or Not...Here We Come! combines strategies that Lyons has gleaned from friends, doctors, nurses, and even perfect strangers to form one concise guide that will undeniably prepare those expecting twins as well as new parents of twins to complete that all-important first year.

Topics include:
- Preparing the Lair: Mandatory Gear for Babies and Mom
- Getting Organized: The Key to Success
- Getting Those Babies on a Schedule -- Preferably the Same One!
- Out and About with Twins: Methods of Appearing As Though You've Got It (and Them) Under Control.

"Ready or Not...Here We Come! is the advice you need in the short, funny format your sleep-deprived mind can absorb. Elizabeth Lyons tells it like it is in a laugh-out-loud look at the uncertainty, craziness, and absolute of your first year with twins. An absolute must-have for every mother who wished there were two of her to keep up with the two of them." - Lisa Earle McLeod, author of Forget Perfect

"Elizabeth Lyons' humorous yet realistic perspective provides new parents of twins with a great starting point from which to embark on that all-important first year." - Dr. Bob Covert, Leading Chicagoland Neonatologist

"Elizabeth Lyons tells it like it really is. From helping you survive back-to-back feedings, living with the stereophonic crying, and coping with a double round of diaper rash, she tells you what to do, what to buy, and what to ignore. My twins are now teenagers, and as a woman who felt like she was the only one coping with double Mommying, I would have sold my soul for practical, supportive advice like this. There is a light at the end of the twins tunnel, and Ready or Not will help you find it. Where was Elizabeth Lyons when my twins were little?" - Kristy Lucariello, President of Performance in Practice and mother of teenage twins

"Finally…a humor-filled, solution-packed, tell-it-like-it-is guide to the first year with twins!" - Betty Jean Young, BSN

Look for Elizabeth's second book, Ready or Not...There We Go! this summer.

Customer Reviews:

Good Plane read.......2007-05-29

I think this book is great; I enjoyed all of the anecdotes about the multiple society. Very good read although not very technically informative.

A cute, informative resource .......2007-04-11

I've read several books on life with twins, and they've all been at least a little helpful and funny. But this is the first I've read where the author already had a toddler before the twins came, and so it was nice to get her perspective and understand what that reality will be like for me. I like that the author really did have some good ideas and based on diverse experiences (she did breastfeed, and then switched to formula, so she understands pros/cons and strategies of both), and she has her circle of moms-of-multiples friends whose experience she draws on and shares as well.

One thing I noticed missing from the book was reference to or strategies for handling life with babies while they're stuck for a time in the NICU. I was looking forward to understanding how we might manage NICU visits with a preschooler at home.

I realize that there is no magic answer on how to deal with life with twins, but in my opinion, this book does indeed do a good job. If you're looking for another similar book to read, I'd also recommend Twinspiration by Cheryl Lage, especially if these are your first babies and you don't have other children at home. Also, for general multiples-pregnancy info, I highly suggest buying When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads by Barbara Luke.

Loved it!.......2007-03-21

This is a good book that I would recommend to anyone who is expecting twins or more. The author definately has a since of humor. This book gives you some good advise. It is also light hearted and fun to read at the same time. There were definately some laugh out loud moments while reading this book.

Marriage venting not advice.......2007-02-04

The author seems to spend the more time complaining about what her husband doesn't do then giving real advice. I was very disappointed it the book.

more for entertainment than for advice.......2006-12-15

As others have said, I read this while I was pregnant and it didn't mean much to me -- then after the babies were born, I found myself scouring it for anything that would help me cope. I found that it contained mostly comic relief, rather than practical advice, but that's useful too. One of my few memories from the foggy "fourth trimester" is of reading parts of the book out loud to my parents, laughing at how completely she hit the nail on the head. I agree that she gives breastfeeding very short shrift, so if you are already BF or determined to do so, don't follow her advice -- get a good book like "Mothering Multiples" and a good lactation consultant. Contrary to a previous reviewer's claim, she does, however, tell you how to go to the supermarket, though I still recommend waiting till DH gets home and then going by yourself (or napping on the couch while he goes!).

How We Love: A Revolutionary Approach to Deeper Connections in Marriage

Average customer rating:

Hits the nail on the head
This book saved our marriage!!
love styles
Their overall message is resoundingly hopeful and their belief that people can change
Where is the hidden camera?

How We Love: A Revolutionary Approach to Deeper Connections in Marriage
Milan Yerkovich , and Kay Yerkovich
Manufacturer: WaterBrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Marriage | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

How We Love Workbook: Making Deeper Connections in Marriage
The Secrets Men Keep: How Men Make Life & Love Tougher Than It Has to Be
Lose It for Life
Every Woman's Marriage: Igniting the Joy and Passion You Both Desire (The Every Man Series)
Healing is a Choice Workbook: 10 Decisions That Will Transform Your Life and the 10 Lies That Can Prevent You From Making Them

ASIN: 1400072980
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Book Description

Are you tired of arguing with your spouse over the same old issues? Do you dream of a marriage with less conflict and more intimacy? Are you struggling under a load of resentment?

The key to creating a deeper bond in your marriage
may lie buried in your childhood.

Your early life experiences create an “intimacy imprint”–an underlying blueprint that shapes your behavior, beliefs, and expectations of all future relationships, especially your marriage. In How We Love, relationship experts Milan and Kay Yerkovich help you pinpoint the reason your marriage is struggling–and they reveal exactly what you can do about it.

Drawing on the powerful tool of attachment theory, the Yerkoviches identify four types of injured imprints that combine in marriage to trap couples in a repetitive dance of pain. As you discover how your relationship has been guided by these imprints, you’ll gain the insights you need to stop stepping on each other’s toes and instead allow yourselves to be swept along by the music of a richer, deeper relationship.

Customer Reviews:

Hits the nail on the head.......2007-09-14

I've read books before that "categorize" your personality type, etc, and I have never heard anyone describe me... until I read this book. They nailed my personality or "love style", based on how I was raised. It really gave me insight into WHY I do things the way I do. And not only that, but it showed me HOW to work on those areas that need work. Great book... I am buying a copy of the book and workbook for some friends who are getting married. What better way to start off marriage, than to understand yourself better, before trying to understand someone else?! This book has also helped me understand my husband better too and be more compassionate and understanding of him. :)

This book saved our marriage!!.......2007-09-03

Being married for 29 years might prove our commitment to one another, but it by no means reveals the turmoil and hurt that has been exchanged. After seeing several counselors and reading a plethora of marriage/relationship 'self-imrovement' books, we could not seem to find the missing key to unlock the destructive patterns and 'dances' that had so encumbered our marriage. I heard Milan Yerkovich on the radio talking about this book and its accompanying workbook. I checked it out, purchased it, and we are now working through the workbook together (we each have our own copy). It has completely changed the way that we relate to one another, even after all these years. We are taking our time going through the questions, sharing with and learning things about each other that we would never have known otherwise. The change, especially in my husband, has been nothing short of amazing.

I would HIGHLY recommend this book and workbook to all couples. If more couples would use this book before going through with a divorce I dare to say that they wouldn't choose to divorce. The information contained in these pages will truly change your life!

love styles.......2007-08-29

"How we love", is an excellent book that helps you look at your styles of loving. It sheds light on why you might be having conflicts in your marriage or relationships based on the comfort you both did or did not receive as a children. It also looks at your different learned styles of emotional love and how these may clash with your spouses.
I've found it very enlightening, and plan on using the workbook soon as well.

Their overall message is resoundingly hopeful and their belief that people can change .......2007-06-06

Husband and wife Milan and Kay Yerkovich have compiled an intriguing body of counseling scenarios detailing their imprinted love styles. Thoughtfully presented, the text breeds understanding and compassion between spouses who are struggling to make their marriage work. The authors base much of their material on the premise that adults continue to live out in patterns of communication and intimacy largely based upon what they learned and experienced in their childhood home. Thus stated, the Yerkovichs offer lengthy case studies and examples of what each "love style" looks like and how it conflicts with others.

Between the two of them, this professional couple has over 25 years of pastoral counseling experience (Milan's) added to 13 years of marriage and family counseling (Kay's) --- not to mention the fact that they've learned a lot firsthand through the ups and downs of their own 33-year marriage. For openers, the Yerkovichs offer a single question upon which the foundational principle of the book is based: "Can you recall being comforted as a child after a time of emotional distress?" During the first 18 years of life, every person needs deep emotional comfort extended through meaningful touch, empathetic listening that validates feelings and some sort of soothing relief. If any of these elements are missing, then real comfort is lacking.

The authors write that roughly 75 percent of adults they surveyed did not have a single memory of receiving comfort from a primary caregiver as children. Thus, the answer to this key question will determine in large part how one responds in marriage when life gets tough. If a person was comforted early on, then they seek relationships as safe havens during times of trial. Conversely, if an individual lacked meaningful emotional comforting during childhood, reaching out for help from a mate will not come naturally. Hence, the birth of an impasse between the majority of married couples.

According to the Yerkovichs, there are five harmful love styles.

- The avoider doesn't place a lot of stock in feelings or in being comforted. He prefers space, autonomy and is highly task-oriented.
- The pleaser recoils from rejection and criticism. He moves quickly through any conflict and dreads emotional distance from his spouse.
- The vacillator is overly sensitive. Fluctuating between being angry or disappointed with others, he often feels conflicted.
- The controller responds to disorder by dominating people and situations through anger and intimidation.
- The victim takes a passive role to protect against pain yet is inwardly resentful and angry.

Following a thorough examination of each love style, the authors provide a section on the damage that results from these marriage "duets" when not properly recognized and addressed. Readers will find the various combinations both fascinating and grievous, as they observe the inner pain that both partners unwittingly unleash upon one another. In the final segment, solutions are presented through carefully constructed patterns for emotional growth and health. Individuals first must become aware of their own love styles and that of their mate's, learn to engage safely and lovingly, and then explore via active listening for eventual resolution to problems.

The Yerkovichs supply thought-provoking, if sometimes painful, exercises for couples to engage in, yet their overall message is resoundingly hopeful and their belief that people can change through this methodical system is convincing.

--- Reviewed by Michele Howe

Where is the hidden camera?.......2007-04-29

After reading just a few chapters of How We Love, I got the distinct impression that someone had been following me around, reading my mail, and using me as subject material for a book. Milan and Kay show great insight into the intricate "dance" of our relationship with our spouse. Although much of the information in their book is gleened from other sources, they have woven that information, their personal experiences, and examples from therapy sessions into a wonderful tool to improve the relationship between a husband and wife. Reading this book has prompted new conversations relating to our past, and our family relationships.

Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps: How We're Different and What to Do About It

Average customer rating:

Isightful
Same Old Stereotypes, the author thinks we're idiots!
What a great book
This Book is Amazing!
Katie's Opinion

Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps: How We're Different and What to Do About It
Allan Pease , and Barbara Pease
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Interpersonal Relations | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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The Definitive Book of Body Language

ASIN: 0767907639
Release Date: 2001-06-19

Amazon.com

Ever wonder why women can brush their teeth while walking and talking on various subjects while men generally find this very difficult to do? Why 99 percent of all patents are registered by men? Why stressed women talk? Why so many husbands hate shopping? According to Barbara and Allan Pease, science now confirms that "the way our brains are wired and the hormones pulsing through our bodies are the two factors that largely dictate, long before we are born, how we will think and behave. Our instincts are simply our genes determining how our bodies will behave in given sets of circumstances." That's right: socialization, politics, or upbringing aside, men and women have profound brain differences and are intrinsically inclined to act in distinct--and consequently frustrating--ways.

The premises behind Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps is that all too often, these differences get in the way of fulfilling relationships and that understanding our basic urges can lead to greater self-awareness and improved relations between the sexes. The Peases spent three years researching their book--traveling the globe, talking to experts, and studying the cutting-edge research of ethnologists, psychologists, biologists, and neuroscientists--yet their work does not read a bit like "hard science." In fact, the authors go to considerable lengths to point out that their book is intended to be funny, interesting, and easy to read; in short, this is a book whose primary purpose is to talk about "average men and women, that is, how most men and women behave most of the time, in most situations, and for most of the past."

Why Men Don't Listen, therefore, deals largely in generalizations, and this is bound to alienate some readers. "We don't beat around the bush with suppositions or politically correct clichés," the Peases claim. Those up for an irreverent and unapologetic take on why men and women just can't help themselves sometimes may just decide to read on. --Svenja Soldovieri

Book Description

Have you ever wished your partner came with an instruction booklet? This international bestseller is the answer to all the things you've ever wondered about the opposite sex.

For their controversial new book on the differences between the way men and women think and communicate, Barbara and Allan Pease spent three years traveling around the world, collecting the dramatic findings of new research on the brain, investigating evolutionary biology, analyzing psychologists, studying social changes, and annoying the locals.

The result is a sometimes shocking, always illuminating, and frequently hilarious look at where the battle line is drawn between the sexes, why it was drawn, and how to cross it. Read this book and understand--at last!--why men never listen, why women can't read maps, and why learning each other's secrets means you'll never have to say sorry again.

Customer Reviews:

Isightful.......2007-06-27

While the title is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, I found the authors' approach both balanced and well thought out. The fact it is written by a couple helps credibility, but it also prompts thought towards further investigation through additional resources.

There are multiple points of humor that added to the book's charm and entertainment value.

Same Old Stereotypes, the author thinks we're idiots!.......2007-05-24

The differences between men and women is a sexy topic and I was definitely interested in reading about it, but I felt like I'd been duped after reading this book. It stinks of gender bias and old stereotypes. The book describes certain behavior- such as making decisions based on facts and reading maps- as being "masculine" and other behavior- such as nuturing the group and listening- as being "feminine". There wouldn't be anything wrong with that proclamation in itself... but as a basis for an entire book? Come on!

The first chapter goes into detail about how if a man behaves differently from what they define as "masculine" traits and vice versa, we should overlook these little differences because the book deals with overall trends. Please. Even I could write a book based on my general observations and claim that any discrepancies should be disregarded. I could even call myself an "expert" to sound credible. Well hey, what a coincidence! It turns out that the author isn't even a doctor or psychologist, just a self-proclaimed "expert".

The worst thing about the book is that it seems like the author/s are on a personal crusade to pound their personal OPINION into reader's heads by masquerading them as "facts". Most of these "facts" are based on primordial human behavior and evolution, which is obviously guesswork drawn from a lot of theorizing rather than from concrete evidence.

What a great book.......2007-05-18

One of the best books, explaining typical differences between male and female. Helps avoid totally unnecessary problems in communications and expectations. It gives great insights into why people behave the way they do (and not how we expect them to).

This Book is Amazing!.......2007-04-19

I learned so much from this book! It has amazing facts about how men and women are born different with pre-hardwired patterns regardless of how you are raised. Read this book! Also check out my new site on my upcoming book. DanArdebili . com

Dan Ardebili

Katie's Opinion.......2007-01-12

I think this is such a good book everybody should read it. It is not just about boy girl relationships in the traditional sense that you think of. As a mother of a 25 year old son, I wish I had read this book 25 years ago. I would have been far more understanding on some issues and more patient. Remembering my teenage years I could certainly see why I acted the way I did as well. I apologized to my son for some things, said a prayer to my Mom and bought a copy for my son and his girlfriend and for my sister and her daugher. I think it is a must read for all adults.

Average customer rating:

The wrong message
Read this book
Life As We Knew It
Well....
Great look at that thoughts of a young person in criss

Life As We Knew It
Susan Beth Pfeffer
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Adventure & Thrillers | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

General | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

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

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Dairy Queen

ASIN: 0152058265

Amazon.com

It's almost the end of Miranda's sophomore year in high school, and her journal reflects the busy life of a typical teenager: conversations with friends, fights with mom, and fervent hopes for a driver's license. When Miranda first begins hearing the reports of a meteor on a collision course with the moon, it hardly seems worth a mention in her diary. But after the meteor hits, pushing the moon off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, all the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town; and Miranda's voice is by turns petulant, angry, and finally resigned, as her family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options. Yet even as suspicious neighbors stockpile food in anticipation of a looming winter without heat or electricity, Miranda knows that that her future is still hers to decide even if life as she knew it is over.

Veteran author Susan Beth Pfeffer, who penned the young adult classic The Year Without Michael over twenty years ago, makes a stunning comeback with this haunting book that documents one adolescent's journey from self-absorbed child to selfless young woman. Teen readers won't soon forget this intimate story of survival and its subtle message about the treasuring the things that matter most—-family, friendship, and hope.--Jennifer Hubert

Book Description

Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.

Told in journal entries, this is the heart-pounding story of Miranda’s struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all--hope--in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world.

Customer Reviews:

The wrong message.......2007-09-27

What should you do if a sudden natural disaster - an asteroid hitting the moon - causes tsunamis to drown both coasts, destroying our electrical and communications grid, and provoking new volcanic eruptions that obscure the sun? Should you band together with others to distribute available food and fuel to the needy and find alternative ways to grow food? Not in this book, at least. Here the heroine mom thinks to clean out the food stores before anyone else realizes the extent of the disaster. She retreats to her home with her wood stove and denies food from her well-stocked pantry to anyone other than her immediate family. While she thinks the country's president, who has been evacuated from the flooded Washington D.C. to his "Texas ranch" (wink, wink), is an "evil jerk," she hunkers down in her home waiting to be bailed out by the government that he heads; failing that, she will starve, or die of disease. If this happens to you, make sure to be entirely selfish while you're waiting for government handouts (while simultaneously despising the hand that feeds you). What sort of message is this for teens, or anyone else?

Read this book.......2007-08-25

I am an adult who sometimes reads good young adult fiction. But only when it is outstanding do I reread the same book. I have read this book twice even though I only have had it since June.

Parts of this reminded me of Anne Frank's diary. The last section reminded me of what Anne would have written had she been able to keep writing in her diary until later on. But the ending of "Life as We Knew It" is a more hopeful one.

It is the story of an ordinary family and how they showed extraordinary courage.

It is a story about growing from self centeredness to maturity, from girl to young woman, and a story of becoming strong and how being compassionate is a way of being strong: perhaps the best way.

The story had a reality to it: I could almost believe that it was truly happening.

Then I thought about how there may be families in various parts of the world who are struggling for survival: due to war, or drought, or disasters, and realized: that it IS happening. And that we need to show kindness and reach out to each other.

And like other readers, yes I went to the supermarket and stocked up on canned food. (:

I look forward to the sequel, "The Dead & the Gone", and hope that it continues the story beyond the time frame of "Life as We Knew It" because there are some questions:
Was the flow of food temporary, and are people still going to starve?
Will normal life really return in May, as the President promised?
If the volcanoes were continuing, how can there be any hope for life on earth: won't people still not be able to grow food, or are they using the Texas oil reserves to grow food in greenhouses? Are there areas, such as near the equator,but inland, where the normal climate is hot enough that agriculture can continue? I hope though that this sequel will have different things to say than "Life as we Knew It", or else there will be no point in HAVING a sequel: there are so many series, such as "The Shadow Children" series by Haddix, where the first book was great, yet then she stretched it out to more and more books that did not have the same power or freshness.

In "Life as We Knew It", the author has built a world that I CARED about and wanted to hear more about.

If you are interested in what if books about the future, or even just in books about courage and survival, read this.

Life As We Knew It.......2007-08-15

I am so glad that I read this book. It was a real eye opener, about what life could really be like. It makes me realize how many things I have... the option to go to school, to walk down to the store and buy a Snickers bar, and even being able to leave my house and get some fresh air. Not to mention the internet and TV and the radio... all good things that I can't really imagine living without. But this book lets me see what a sad life it would be without these simple luxuries.

I cried almost nonstop towards the end- although some of it might have been PMS. Still, this book was fantastic. I probably wouldn't read it again, but it was definitely something I'd recommend to others.

Well...........2007-08-14

What do you say about reading possibly one of the most depressing books of all time? I was very intrigued to read this, but at so many points it was very hard to turn the pages. Of course, I was amazed at what Miranda and her family proved themselves to be capable of, following what could have possibly been "the end" -- of everything. There is a point in the story where Miranda (bear in mind she is like 16) is completely on her own, forced to do everything in her power -- including forgoing sleep and food -- to keep her family alive through the night (and for several days afterward). As you read, you begin to rejoice in the small miracles that occur, such as their very heartwarming Christmas celebration, a long awaited phone call or letter, the treat of eating a "real" dinner, or the return of their beloved cat, Horton. I think that it is very true that people surprise themselves with how they find ways to adapt and triumph over adversity -- and in this case, worldwide catastrophe.

Great look at that thoughts of a young person in criss.......2007-08-08

Life As We Knew It I believe was intended to be a book for young readers. However, the point of view of a girl keeping a diary to record her thoughts, hopes and fears has great meaning for all of us. This book I think should be required reading for students and adults alike. The way the author keeps you hooked by keeping the reader guessing on what will happen next is very rewarding. Instead of keeping the reader updated with what is going on in the rest of the world like in most disaster (end of the world) books the author keeps you focused emotional on one family and their stuggle to stay alive.
The ending is open but gives us hope that everything might just turn out ok.

Why We Get Sick: The New Science of Darwinian Medicine

Average customer rating:

What's for dinner?
Really great read
A fresh and innovatrive approach
EVOLUTIONARY MEDICINE
Outstanding introduction to a perspective on health you won't get from your doctor

Why We Get Sick: The New Science of Darwinian Medicine
Randolph M. Nesse , and George C. Williams
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Personal Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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Family Health | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0679746749
Release Date: 1996-01-30

Amazon.com

Is our tendency to "fix" our bodies with medicine keeping them from working exactly as they're supposed to? Two pioneers of the emerging science of Darwinian medicine argue that illness is part and parcel of the evolutionary system and as such, may be helping us to evolve towards better adaptation to our environment.

Book Description

The answers are in this groundbreaking book by two founders of the emerging science of Darwinian medicine, who deftly synthesize the latest research on disorders ranging from allergies to Alzheimer's and from cancer to Huntington's chorea. Why We Get Sick compels readers to reexamine the age-old attitudes toward sickness. Line drawings.

Customer Reviews:

What's for dinner?.......2007-09-02

"If you are starving in a rain forest, eat the camouflaged frog that is hidden in the vegetation, not the bright one sitting resplendent on a nearby branch."

At first glance, this quote from WHY WE GET SICK wouldn't seem to be relevant to the topic. But since the hypothesis of the book is that evolution and natural selection govern the senescence of aging and the physiological responses to diseases and mortally competitive environments, the fact that the gaudier frog has evolved with potent internal poisons that (should) signal "danger" to any potential predator makes the connection vis-a-vis both the amphibian's toxin and the starving hiker whose internal defense mechanisms may at least cause vomiting and diarrhea if frog's legs make it onto the dinner menu.

As authors Randolph Nesse and George Williams summarize:

"First, there are genes that make us vulnerable to disease ... Most deleterious genetic effects ... are actively maintained by selection because they have unappreciated benefits that outweigh their costs ... Second, disease results from exposure to novel factors that were not present in the environment in which we evolved ... Third, disease results from design compromises, such as upright posture with its associated back problems ... Fourth, ... natural selection ... works just as hard for pathogens trying to eat us and the organisms we want to eat. In conflicts with these organisms, as in baseball, you can't win 'em all. Finally, disease results from unfortunate historical legacies ... the human body must function well, with no chance to go back and start afresh ... Susceptibility to disease ... cannot be eliminated by any duration of natural selection, for it is the very power of natural selection that created them."

Under the umbrella of natural selection, the authors include everything from the obvious and non-arguable, such as fever as a mechanism to kill invading pathogens with heat, to the less obvious and perhaps debatable, such as the instinctive desire of small children to remained unweaned from mother's breast, which serves to prolong lactation and ensures that Mom won't become pregnant with a potential rival. Other examples fall into the category, Gee, Why Didn't I Think of That, including the morning sickness of pregnancy, which serves to prevent Mom from ingesting toxins during that vulnerable period when the unborn child is experiencing peak organ formation, and the causative agent of gout, uric acid, the build-up of which also protects the body from the aging effects of oxidative damage. Then there's cancer, which wouldn't be a problem had we not tissue cells that grow and regenerate. And did you know that premature ejaculation in the male is ostensibly selective, in an evolutionary sense, for those men that can get the gene transfer job done, so to speak, and then flee before the female's alpha male partner shows up to brain the interloper with a knotty pine cudgel?

Nesse and Williams lucidly present an unconventional paradigm of medicine, a different perspective from which to view disease and aging, that's only accasionally preachy. They rue the fact that it's not part of the mainstream, and argue for its inclusion in the curriculum of the country's medical schools. They fail to mention what I think is the more practical route to widespread acceptance, i.e. when it can make the medical industry lots of money.

Hey honey! How about some frog legs for dinner? I see a bright green one with yellow and red speckles perched in the carrotwood out back!

Really great read.......2007-01-09

Anyone in interested in how evolution impacts their day-to-day lives should read this book. It's not only informative, but also an enjoyable read.

A fresh and innovatrive approach.......2006-03-22

Insightful, progressive, meaningful, and comprehensive coverage of the field. I learned a lot from the book. Few minor points that can be improved. One, the figures in the book (there are only a few anyway) are vague and don't add much to the content. Two, there are many sentences in the book that are either out of context or they don't convey what the authors have in mind. Third, the book could have benefited from a bibliography. Alphabetical bibliography is easier to use to look the sources up than to struggle to find them in the Notes section at the end of the book. But, overall, a great book.

EVOLUTIONARY MEDICINE.......2006-02-26

Why we get sick is great for explaining evolutionary medicine for first timers. It's great for students, classrooms and anyone interested in Evolutionary medicine.

Outstanding introduction to a perspective on health you won't get from your doctor.......2006-01-02

This is a very readable, intelligent introduction to a perspective on medicine that is very useful for those of us who recognize that we have to manage our own medical care. It provides us with a basis for asking questions about the recommendations that doctors make. Those recommendations can be short-sighted. Most medical schools have not provided doctors with a useful evolutionary perspective on disease and medicine. The evolutionary perspective is simple enough for an intelligent lay person to grasp and use and novel enough to give insights that most doctors will not be able to provide.

Together with some knowledge of psychosomatic medicine (also neglected in most doctor's education) evolutionary medicine can give a patient sound footing to formulate a holistic perspective on health that few doctors will provide. Unlike holistic perspectives based on, say, Chinese medicine, this kind of perspective is more directly and obviously scientifically based. Accordingly, it is more likely to help a patient earn the respect of doctors that is needed for them to accept the patient as a full partner in the diagnosis and healing process.

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