For many years I have visited the sick and the dying in nursing homes, hospitals and their own homes. Dr. Diamond's understanding of sickness and dementia, as presented in this book, has helped me to realize that although these patients may not be functioning members of society, they are nonetheless aware at a very deep level of what goes on around them. In particular, their creativity is often not affected by their deteriorating physical condition, and it is through this window of opportunity that we can reach them - and, maybe more importantly, learn from them.

The small group of singers and instrumentalists with which I visit nursing homes has actively adopted Dr. Diamond's philosophy concerning the importance of the creative arts, particularly music, and staff and relatives are frequently amazed at the improvement in the condition of even the most severely debilitated patients that they observe following our visits. There is no doubt in my mind that Dr. Diamond's approach has far-reaching consequences in terms of the treatment and care of patients with Alzheimer's disease and other ailments involving dementia.

Dr. Diamond is one of the world's great innovators, as anyone who has read "Life Energy" or "Your Body Doesn't Lie" will know. But "The Veneration of Life" is a deeply personal statement. He wrote it shortly after the death of his mother - she died of Alzheimer's disease - and he recounts this moving and inspirational experience to the reader. As the dementia progressed he was able to see more and more her truly loving nature that she had never so clearly revealed before. "She radiated the pure essence of life," he writes.

This is an incredible book - extraordinarily insightful and deeply inspiring at every moment. It is essential reading for anyone with the prospect of dementia in a parent, and for anyone who would like to see both illness and life in a more positive light.

Quoted on the back cover, Bryan Hubbard calls it "A holy book by one of the world's few true healers." That it is!

This book completely changed my point of view on death and life and the sufferings of age and disease, inspiring me to try to see these in a much deeper, more spiritual fashion - on a level quite beyond the gerontology studies I had done in college. The way Dr. John Diamond draws on his experiences in clinical settings, within his own family, and with the music outreach programs he has led for many years, and shares it with the reader, is truly beautiful. Through his down-to-earth prose (and also through his poetry) he touches the heart of the reader. This book will bring consolation and inspiration to all who face age or death for themselves or in their family.

This is a fascinating collection of poems: some well-known, some not at all so, but all written with a particular flow or lilt that confers a sense of comfort and well-being to the reader. Dr. Diamond has selected these poems with precisely this quality in mind, and the layout and punctuation of each poem have been chosen to highlight this effect.

Hint: to get the most out of this book, choose a place where you won't be disturbed and read the poems aloud. Or better yet, take turns reading them aloud with someone else!

I live in New York City. And when I came to work, I found out about the attacks. Reading the poems in this book helped me to find the meaning of that day.

Cantillation is a state in which we feel totally loved by all things in the universe. And while many spend years trying to achieve this state, Dr. Diamond found that some individuals communication will put others instantly into this state.

All of Dr. Diamond's books since 1986 resonate with this ability. But the poems of Dickens, Kipling, Doyle, and Blake have even more power to do this.

I find that it is best to read these poems aloud, or still better, to invent a melody and sing them.

This is the last of the books that Dr. Diamond has devoted to papers and examples drawn from his own clinical experiences working with music and musicians. (Of course, it is by no means his last word on the subject of music!) As in the previous volumes, the individual papers are short, but each contains an idea or poses a question that could yield almost unlimited consideration. I have read this book several times - and I still gain something from re-reading these essays. The writing is though-provoking, philosophical - maybe even spiritual, but based on real people and their experiences. From the concrete it extends to ... wherever you want to take it!

In this book Dr. Diamond continues his exploration of the pre-eminent role that music plays in our lives, whether we class ourselves as musicians or not. He takes examples from his own clinical experience (and I take great comfort from the number of "normal" people who have the same problems and difficulties as me!), and describes how he is able to use music as either a diagnostic tool, or as a remedy - or, frequently, as both. Again, we are made aware of the truth of Dr. Diamond's statement: "As in music, so in life."

This book is the perfect antidote to the left-brain fixation of music pedagogy. In a series of beautifully written aphorisms (mini-poems), the author explores the nature and origins of music (from the Lullaby) along with its true purpose (to heal). A central part of the author's philosophy is that intention is more important than technique, and for this reason, potentially anyone can use music in this way. A truly heartening book that presents, in a totally original way, a new perspective on music and how we can use it.

I have enjoyed many of the books of Dr. John Diamond, but there is something about this book in particular that makes me smile with pleasure. A handful of short essays sets up the context for Diamond's poems (or "aphorisms," as he calls them) on music - and each poem by itself packs as much wallop as a full-length essay! Perhaps it is the delightful concision of these haiku-like statements that brings such lightness and humor - and poignancy - to this book. It is a book for all who love music - and even for those who think they don't, for it is about creativity and relationships and family and so many topics. A good example of everything I am saying about the book is this excerpt: "Marriage therapy?/ Sing duets." What a world of thought-provoking, heart-inspiring power lies in such a lovely little "haiku."

This is a beautiful, heartfelt book by one of the pioneers of complementary medicine. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who is involved in any kind of healing work, whether professional or otherwise. I have personally found it a major inspiration for my own work.

This book has changed the way I think about my home, myself and my life. The style is lovely and clear ... the poems concise and down-to-earth ... and the prose just as fine! Dr. John Diamond's discussion of the concept of "sanctuary" touched me, making me cry. And his views on the healing power, waiting to be released in all of us and everything, inspire me. The book is also nicely produced (as with Dr. Diamond's edition of Blake's poems, the cover of this book is a thing of beauty by itself.)

When we're babies in the womb, our mothers are our whole world. The only things we're aware of come from her or are communicated through her. It seems unlikely that with the severing of the umbilical cord this intense, all-encompassing bond is suddenly broken. This book look at many of the ways in which we are still attached to our mothers (despite our protestations of independence and adulthood!), and suggests helpful exercises and meditations that allow us to grow into truly independent adults with a sense of our own individual identity. An essential part of this identity is for each of us a deep sense of gratitude to our own mothers for all that they once were - and all that they still are.

All of us, wish we could love our mothers as fully and deeply as possible. This book does nothing short of show us how to do this, by helping us overcome universal hate and fear. For if mother gave us birth, she is our God and God is all.

The methods in the book are workable and this is, to date, Dr. Diamond's most practical book.

This book is the only one I've found that includes the whole battery of medical options for patients and doctors alike. Dr. Diamond's insights are original and well developed--this is not way out there medicine, but rather thoroughly research cutting edge healing. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in changing medicine for the better.

I arrived at the teachings of A. H. Almaas through Ken Wilber's books. "The universal message of the Diamond Approach," Almaas explains, is that "when we learn how to invite our true nature to reveal itself, it will guide us toward realizing our spiritual ground and, at the same time, actualize our potential in all walks of life." John Davis, one of Almaas's first students (p. xi), now teaches "Ali's" Diamond Approach to human potential here in Boulder, a practice that integrates the ancient spiritual wisdom of Gurdjieff, Sufism, Vajrayana and Zen Buddhism with modern psychological theory (p. 10). "The aim of the Diamond Approach," he writes, "is to live fully and deeply" (p. 3), and like a diamond, the practice is "durable, valuable, precious " (p. 17). In a way that is easy to understand, Davis surveys the main concepts and methods of the Diamond Approach, including teachings on inquiry, the soul, space, essence, self-realization, and pure Being. The practice itself, however, is more challenging. Writers including Wilber, Jack Kornfield, and Tony Schwartz have all recognized the value in the Diamond Approach, and in his book, Davis provides his readers with an introduction to Almaas's Diamond teachings that, well, glitters.

G. Merritt

This book looks at a wide variety of avenues of the baseball world. There are chapters on umpires, women in baseball, deaths related to baseball, international baseball, the music and literature of baseball, baseball during wartime and other baseball related subjects. The book is written in such a way that I found that the chapters do not have to be read in the order they are presented. The book is full of history, interesting to read and a must for any baseball fan.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW: "A lively caper of the tough-guy school, with lusty humor, a machine-gun style, and a Grand Guignol finish."

LOS ANGELES TIMES: "A wildly ribald yarn....Absolutely nothing's barred."

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: "Minahan's clipped dialogue is unprintably funny and his thumbnail descriptions have a marvelously malicious quality."