'In the [19]40s we were raised on B flicks about war, espionage and westerns . . .
didn't care about dialogue or structure. . . . A sub-plot . . . was either a German U-boat
movie, or subsidence at the cemetery. We didn't know from subtle emotions to
pie-in-the-face. Every spy movie . . . used . . . the same actors to play the same characters.
We never got enough of them.' Thus writes Walter A. Atkinson railing against the demise
of yet another sub-culture from 'his good old days of yore.' Forgive Us Our Senior
Moments is Atkinson's first book and he has fun with it. It's one man's interpretation of
America--how it used to be and how it is today. The writing is droll and delightfully
sardonic, with a touch of nostalgic, old-fashioned patriotism thrown in for good measure.
One can almost feel Atkinson's perverse glee as he takes his forty year supply of 'private
gripes and wisdom pearls' and just 'lets it rip.' Truly a volume on senior reflection and
opinionated thought, these essays connect practically every social problem in America
today to a self-proclaimed 'cultural revolution' of the mid-1960s.
Chapters cover ancestors, retirement, sex, music, sports, religion and lots of
politics. On retirement, and a riveting sense of impending doom, Atkinson states, '. . . if I
had my druthers, I'd be shouting the line Anita O'Day was singing with Gene Krupa's
band in 1941, '. . . just let me off uptown.'' He talks of family and friends, and adventures
while growing up in a small Pennsylvania community. A whimsical essay on religion looks
forward to year 3001 and the evolved theology of Presleyanity amid the pomp of a world
class event celebrating the 1,024th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. The religiosity of
all humanity is literally absorbed there in a ceremony of August 16th and a holy pilgrimage
to the sacred city of Graceland, diocese of the Most Holy Apostolic Presleyan Heartbreak
Hotel & Church of America, for the annual observation of Rockabilly Requiem. This
chapter, alone, is worth the price of the book.
The writing is an 'enlightened' citizen's wistful return to the Great Depression,
World War II, and the early Fifties--a journey with roots, so to speak--critiquing now . . .
today, relative to more traditional times when America as a different place made a
difference. Atkinson's message will hit home with thousands of seniors who are living out
final days balancing sacred moments of joy and sorrow from the author's aptly described
blue ribbon years, against his 'inane, do as you please, liberal tripe' of the last several
decades. Most will relate to Atkinson's throwback passion for family, country and God,
and his repetitive query, 'How did America ever get from there to here?'
Naturally, as any thesis with a political slant will do, folks of another viewpoint
will be totally bent out of shape by much of the author's intended wisdom. Liberals will be
particularly upset as Atkinson hammers away with gleeful redundancy on foibles at the
heart of their core beliefs--the first and foremost being: Scare the hell out of old folks, and
keep doing it year after year, after year, after year, ad nauseam. He takes certain notable,
liberal politicians to task, citing, where apropos, their public, decadent personal lifestyles,
as well as their innate inability to fool the people-at-large if ever they should be of a mood
to posture as statesmen in public. As Atkinson states in his preface, 'Where convictions
differ feel at liberty to consider my view a senior moment.'

Atkinson has achieved much with this little book. It's a wonderful collection of essays which harken back to a time when things were different in America. Not for liberals, this book will thrill conservatives of whatever age.

This book is great, especially if you're a hiker, but whitewater rafters wont find info in here on Cataract.

This book is a must-read for anyone who either works in the health care system or is a health care consumer or decision-maker - that means all of us. Bob LeBow sifts through a very complicated problem and makes it clear for any reader. Very simply, we, the American public, have been victimized by the interests of insurance companies, managed care companies, pharmaceutical corporations and other branches of our health system. He presents the problem and offers a solution. His style of writing is engaging and holds the reader's interest. I highly recommend this book.

A passionate account of a health care system that is extremely ill. Written by a longtime activist and provider of medical care to the indigent, this book blends compelling stories of victims of the unfair and fragmented health care non-system in the US with solid data is wrong and how it can be fixed. Health Care Meltdown will light a fire under you.

Dr. LeBow takes the reader step by step through the ways our healthcare system leaves so many behind, not just the poorest of our citizenry, but the middle class too. Why should someone who falls ill be unable to get health insurance? Why should he be forced into bankruptcy, or even homelessness? Why do we believe we have the "best" healthcare system in the world when statistics rate the U.S. worst among industrialized countries by some measures? This book delves into those questions and makes a compelling argument for change.

Them is a great book. Don't get my wrong. I enjoyed it very much and was fascinated by even the characters that didn't arouse much sympathy. But it also took me by surprise. As a fan of Joyce Carol Oates, this book was not what I expected. It's very down-to-earth without many of the gothic elements that can be found in her other novels, short stories, and plays. But that doesn't mean it isn't very dark in places as well. The story starts out in the early part of this century with Loretta - a teenage girl living in the inner city with her carousing brother and alcoholic, widower father. She is concerned mostly with having fun and meeting boys until her brother committs a murder that will change her life and the lives of her future family dramatically. The bulk of the story is centered around Loretta's son, Jules, who struggles with his family and the harsh environment of the city. The pace got a little slow in the middle, but it was appropriate for the lives of the characters. Real life doens't happen at a whirlwind pace for many, and one of the striking things about Them is how Oates captures the mundane nature of daily living even as life-changing events occur around the characters. So if you want to read Joyce Carol Oates save this book for another day and pick up Zombie or Foxfire instead. But come back to it

This is one of Ms. Oates' earlier works set in Detroit.
It is a book of excellence as one generation is rolled into the other. A very true to life book where as the characters advance in reaching their destiny however small, they are always setbacks and stumbling blocks, not allowing them to see the light at the end of the tunnel, reminding us of the pathways we've walked before and are forever walking in. This was a very emotional book for me with great depth to the story line.

It is a long book and should be read with patience in order to get the gist of the Detroit the author penetrates in that century with it's poverty, racial and violent concerns. You won't forget Maureen Wendall who some will empathise with you see her desires and the things she yearns for with all her heart and soul.......and you won't forget her brother Jules either...intelligent and so very intricate you wonder what he is about to do next with that brain that never stops ticking. I cannot help saying what a brilliant writer I have found in Ms. Oates, and I encourage those who love her as much as I do to try THEM. I recommend it to all her favourite readers who haven't read this one as yet.

Nutface
March 2nd, 2002.

This book was somewhat of a struggle for me, though I am a giant Joyce Carol Oates fan. I thought it wasn't possible, but "Them" is more of a brooding, dark, and realistic novel than Oates has pulled off anywhere else in her career. Here is a lot of characters that are in constant danger of falling to pieces, of escaping one another, of realizing their limits as individuals and as a family unit. If you are not a reader who can take a kick in the stomach, don't read this book. However, if you are willing to realize there is a hard edge to life which goes unrecognized each day, pick this book up as soon as you can - Oates creates a world fatalism and human conditions that are at once terrifying, yet beautiful: it is hard to look away. I was held breathless and scared until the last word dropped like a boulder.

Ah, yes, words. the right brains answer to the analytical subconsious forming the 4th quandrant connection in the Jungian alchemey. But the real question is does Neurontin form a limit cycle by shunting inhibition, (by blocking GABA) or neuronal burst oscillation with L-type calcium channel gates. For word people, does Alien abduction have anything to do with the boogey man will get you? Or is it related to Nocturanal Assault Syndrome.

For starters, this is NOT a scholarly book. It's brain candy -- delightful but still brain candy. (From reading the reviews on this page, you'd think it was written by some cutting edge neurologist whose goal in life is to figure out why Neurontin actually WORKS.) Still, it gets 4 Stars from me for having two whole pages devoted to the DS9 episode "Babel" -- in which the entire cast is striken with aphasia. Major Kudos to the authors for differentiating between Brocca's and Wernicke's Aphasias. Subtract kudos for not mentioning the STNG episode "Darmok" where the characters communicate in metaphor. Kudos Regained for their simple explanation of schizophrenia -- it will surprise a lot of readers and is essentially if simplisticly correct. I read Star Trek on the Brain in one sitting. It made me laugh and it made me think. It didn't make any connections I hadn't already made myself. I'd reccommend this book to anybody with a working knowledge of Star Trek who'd like a little "dessert" with their critical studies.

This book was on School Library Journal's Best Books of 1998 List. It was originally reviewed in SLJ's December 1998 issue.

Ive been an EMT for 3 years and I am preparing to go to medic school in the next few months. The book has helped my assessments and thinking outside the box. If the author could pep it up a bit and get away from the dull storyline it could be the perfect tool to increase your assessment performance.

As an instructor in various medical genres as EMT, ACLS and cardiology, I have found this book to be an excellent reference and tool to help fine-tune the art of patient assessment. It was referred to me by a paramedic when I was stationed in Bremerton, WA, and I have subsequently used it over the years not only to help with my own skills, but as a basis for instructing others in pre-hospital and intra-hospital patient assessment. Although I am no longer an EMT, I still used this book frequently in my career as a cardiovascular technician. Sure, the story of the "search for the 60-second EMT" format can be a bit off-setting, yet the lessons taken from the book are ones that can be readily used in the field and can be of tremendous assistance in trying to sift through those obscure or complex situations. A great addition to any home medical library!

The 60-second EMT is a great book to use as a refresher or to reinforce what the textbooks and classroom have hopefully taught you. The book emphasizes the important and sometimes elusive signs and symptoms that our patients may present with in an easy to read format. The author's story-telling approach is(not a list of tables and endless paragraphs like a textbook)addresses each type of patient (respiratory, geriatric, chest pain, pediatric, abdominal pain, toxicological, etc.)and then offers a practical "60-second assessment" approach for each one in both ALS and BLS treatment algorithms/modules. I encourage every EMS professional to read this book. Whether you are new to the field or have "put in a few years" I think you will find that you learn something new or remind yourself of something you haven't thought of in a while. Enjoy!