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Book reviews for "Nolletti,_Arthur_E.,_Jr." sorted by average review score:

Out of Darkness
Published in Paperback by In the Light Press (2002)
Author: Arthur C. Buchanan
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Out of Darkness
Wow! What a book! Tells you how to get from point A TO B with ease. This is a landmark for Mental Illness! A book that finnally tells it like it is! Everyone in America needs a copy of this book!

Out of Darkness
Arthur Buchanan's book will make you laugh, make cry, but not forget him and his unsual sense of humor, making such a touchy subject seem almost like a walk in the park, when we all know it's a living HELL!

Out of Darkness
Out of Darkness is no ordinary book, It's like Alice in Wonderland only on a mental health sort of way! As Arthur falls through the looking glass from the real world to the dark side, the tale begins. We see a life of pain, a world so cruel, yet the charcters so real. The wicked King of Doctors trying thier best to destroy this young mans life. How Arthur is trapped in a world of the mental instittutions with only three pawns left on the board! Will he make it out of Blunderland. You'll have to see for yourself how or if Arthur finds the magic entery way back to the real world, and defeats the MASTER OF DARKNESS or will he seal him doom! THIS IS A MUST READ AND A GREAT BOOK ON MENTAL ILLNESS, well done arthur for your couragous fight!


Overcoming Depression: Using Cognitive Therapy for Taming the Depression BEAST
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Harcourt Brace TherapyWorks The Psychological Corporation (28 April, 1999)
Authors: Gilson Freeman, Arthur Freeman, and Mark Gilson
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An expertly fashioned manual for overcoming depression
Review by Kenneth B. Matheny, Ph.D., ABPP, Regents Professor and Co-director, Counseling Psychology Program, Georgia State University. Phone (404) 651-2550, FAX (404) 651-1160 Overcoming Depression is an expertly fashioned manual for clients suffering from depression, dysphoria, or sub-clinical mood disorders. Mark Gilson, founder and director of the Atlanta Center for Cognitive Therapy, and Arthur Freeman, chair of the Department of Psychology at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, bring their considerable expertise to bear on the treatment of depression. Both authors have made major contributions to the cognitive therapy literature in the past, and their current volume promises to give hope to clients who have had the sunlight in their lives dimmed by the heavy clouds of depression. Readers are taught that there are specific reasons for their low mood states that can be identified and changed through concerted effort. This volume, like David Burns' Feeling Good Handbook, guides the reader through a series of self-examinations that are critical to the understanding and treatment of mood disorders. Although the clear conceptualization and the highly readable nature of the writing allow the work to be used as a stand-alone self-help manual, the authors encourage readers to seek the professional assistance of therapists. In addition to championing the use of cognitive therapy for the treatment of depression, the authors also present responsibly the merit of psychopharmacology as an adjunctive treatment. The book is replete with practical examples that clearly demonstrate the recommended treatments are simply and elegantly offered. To audit the reader's mastery of the content, brief review quizzes are presented at the end of each chapter. The theoretical background for the volume is drawn from the cognitive therapies of Aaron T. Beck and Albert Ellis. Gilson and Freeman acknowledge the multifaceted nature of the causes of mood disorders and suggest a holistic approach to its treatment. The acronym BEAST, is used to explain the components of the approach: B is for body; E is for emotion; A is for action to be taken; S is for stressful situations; and T is for thoughts. The primary focus is placed on aspects of wellness such as nutrition and exercise (the B for body) and thinking (the T for thoughts). The authors discuss three factors involved in creating and sustaining depression: The Cognitive Triad, cognitive distortions, and self-sabotaging schemas and assumptions. The cognitive triad refers to negative views about oneself, the world, and the future. Cognitive distortions refer to the self-defeating response sets or perceptual sieves that are not validated by others. And schemas are described as hierarchically arranged, coordinated sets of abstract ideas about self, the world, and relationships. These schemas are said to underlie and maintain one's belief system and automatic thoughts. The meaning of schemas is decidedly less distinct than the meaning of cognitive distortions or cognitive triad, but the concept seems to be used in a manner similar to the way in which Piaget used the term, to the manner in which Bandura used the concept of "rule governed behavior," and to the manner in which social psychologists use the term, attributional style. Such schemas are said to be formed in early life and can be up-dated through the process of accommodation, Piaget's concept for the learning, through experience, of new mental templates of the world. This concept of schemas appears to interface nicely with the use of unconscious dynamics by analytic therapists. This volume should prove especially helpful to cognitive therapists in their efforts to correct the irrational beliefs and distorted perceptual processes of clients. The reading of selected portions of the volume from week to week would likely prepare the client to profit more fully from the content of therapy sessions. Clients who dutifully complete the thought monitoring exercises will greatly assist their therapists in understanding the faulty beliefs, cognitive distortions, and underlying schemas that are responsible for their depression. Moreover, it seems to me that these exercises, so appropriately prescribed for uncovering the hurtful content of the client's thinking, could be complemented by the mindfulness exercises of the consciousness disciplines and the use of awareness continuum by Gestalt therapists. I salute Drs. Gilson and Freeman for adding another powerful tool to our repertoire of aids for clients suffering from depression, dysphoria, or undiagnosed mood disorders. I plan to own multiple copies for use in prescribing home expansion exercises for my clients.

I plan to own multiple copies for use with my clients.
Review by Kenneth B. Matheny, Ph.D., ABPP, Regents Professor and Co-director, Counseling Psychology Program, Georgia State University. Phone (404) 651-2550, FAX (404) 651-1160

Overcoming Depression is an expertly fashioned manual for clients suffering from depression, dysphoria, or sub-clinical mood disorders. Mark Gilson, founder and director of the Atlanta Center for Cognitive Therapy, and Arthur Freeman, chair of the Department of Psychology at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, bring their considerable expertise to bear on the treatment of depression. Both authors have made major contributions to the cognitive therapy literature in the past, and their current volume promises to give hope to clients who have had the sunlight in their lives dimmed by the heavy clouds of depression. Readers are taught that there are specific reasons for their low mood states that can be identified and changed through concerted effort.

This volume, like David Burns' Feeling Good Handbook, guides the reader through a series of self-examinations that are critical to the understanding and treatment of mood disorders. Although the clear conceptualization and the highly readable nature of the writing allow the work to be used as a stand-alone self-help manual, the authors encourage readers to seek the professional assistance of therapists. In addition to championing the use of cognitive therapy for the treatment of depression, the authors also present responsibly the merit of psychopharmacology as an adjunctive treatment. The book is replete with practical examples that clearly demonstrate the recommended treatments are simply and elegantly offered. To audit the reader's mastery of the content, brief review quizzes are presented at the end of each chapter.

The theoretical background for the volume is drawn from the cognitive therapies of Aaron T. Beck and Albert Ellis. Gilson and Freeman acknowledge the multifaceted nature of the causes of mood disorders and suggest a holistic approach to its treatment. The acronym BEAST, is used to explain the components of the approach: B is for body; E is for emotion; A is for action to be taken; S is for stressful situations; and T is for thoughts. The primary focus is placed on aspects of wellness such as nutrition and exercise (the B for body) and thinking (the T for thoughts).

The authors discuss three factors involved in creating and sustaining depression: The Cognitive Triad, cognitive distortions, and self-sabotaging schemas and assumptions. The cognitive triad refers to negative views about oneself, the world, and the future. Cognitive distortions refer to the self-defeating response sets or perceptual sieves that are not validated by others. And schemas are described as hierarchically arranged, coordinated sets of abstract ideas about self, the world, and relationships. These schemas are said to underlie and maintain one's belief system and automatic thoughts. The meaning of schemas is decidedly less distinct than the meaning of cognitive distortions or cognitive triad, but the concept seems to be used in a manner similar to the way in which Piaget used the term, to the manner in which Bandura used the concept of "rule governed behavior," and to the manner in which social psychologists use the term, attributional style. Such schemas are said to be formed in early life and can be up-dated through the process of accommodation, Piaget's concept for the learning, through experience, of new mental templates of the world. This concept of schemas appears to interface nicely with the use of unconscious dynamics by analytic therapists.

This volume should prove especially helpful to cognitive therapists in their efforts to correct the irrational beliefs and distorted perceptual processes of clients. The reading of selected portions of the volume from week to week would likely prepare the client to profit more fully from the content of therapy sessions. Clients who dutifully complete the thought monitoring exercises will greatly assist their therapists in understanding the faulty beliefs, cognitive distortions, and underlying schemas that are responsible for their depression. Moreover, it seems to me that these exercises, so appropriately prescribed for uncovering the hurtful content of the client's thinking, could be complemented by the mindfulness exercises of the consciousness disciplines and the use of awareness continuum by Gestalt therapists.

I salute Drs. Gilson and Freeman for adding another powerful tool to our repertoire of aids for clients suffering from depression, dysphoria, or undiagnosed mood disorders. I plan to own multiple copies for use in prescribing home expansion exercises for my clients.

An important addition to the field.
Gilson & Freeman's "Taming the Depression BEAST," a client workbook, will be an important addition to the field. Easily readable, it communicates complex concepts in an understandable manner, and the take-home message- that depression is a treatable illness- comes through clearly. It provides accurate information to clients about both cognitive therapy and antidepressant medications. There is no doubt that this manual will be helpful to many clients and their families.


Pharmacist's Guide to Medicinal Herbs
Published in Paperback by Smart Publications (15 December, 2000)
Author: Dr. Arthur M. Presser
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Scientifically Credible - Editorially humorous
As a chemist with more than 18 years in research and 4 years studying nutrition, I have reviewed and researched many books on the medicinal properties of herbs. I find this book to be one of my favorites. It contains enough information to satisfy my appetite for the pharmacological composition of herbs while being extremely pleasant to read. Dr. Presser has a unique wit and manner of writing. As an owner of two health food stores I find myself recommending this book above all others for anyone asking for additional information on herbs and their medicinal value. Definitely a must have!

Possibly the best herb book on the market!
As a nutritionist and natural health educator, I highly recommend Pharmacist's Guide to Medicinal Herbs. It's well-researched, fun to read, and easy to find what you're looking for. Dr. Presser has managed to present scientifically credible information while maintaining a style of writing which is not only easy to read, but clearly reflective of his wonderful sense of humor. Furthermore, Pharmacist's Guide to Medicinal Herbs is especially important at this time since we currently live in an age of self-prescription regarding herbs. Up-to-date information is extremely important to help consumers make educated decisions. Dr. Art Presser's book is just what the doctor ordered. As a matter of fact, doctors who are interested in integrating herbal medicine into their practice should read Pharmacist's Guide to Medicinal Herbs too.

information with a touch of humor
Dr. Presser has taken a subject that can be a bit boring and injected humor here and there which makes it not only enjoyable to read but very informative. I find myself looking forward
to reading another chapter much the same way I look forward to reading a novel.

Clearly Dr. Presser has a unique and refreshing way of delivering
information that could otherwise be quite boring.

I look forward to any forthcoming books from Dr. Presser.


Physics
Published in Paperback by Addison-Wesley Pub Co (1982)
Author: Arthur Beiser
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Great undergraduate physics textbook
I agree with the previous review. This is a good book for the serious student of Physics or Engineering. The amount of math is just right, and the physics is presented lucidly. Lots of solved problems, and even more problems for you to solve. If you are a physics student and would like to see a second (much more idiosyncratic) opinion on one of the "classical" topics (up to the Sixties), consult the Feynman Lectures. These two books will give you a thorough grounding for everything else in Physics.

The best 1st year university physics book in print!
The book I am reviewing ("Physics" by Marcelo Alonso and Edward J. Finn. Harlow, England. Addison-Wesley (1992). reprinted 1995-96. 1138 pages. ISBN 0-201-56518-8. paperback) is in my opinion the best first year undergraduate book (thankfully!) still avaliable in the US. Strangely, even though written by two American professors - one from The Florida Institute of Technology and the other from Georgetown University - this book became more famous abroad, especially in Europe. It was translated in several European languages including Dutch, Italian, German, Swedish, as well as Spanish and Portugese (i.e. also used in Latin American countries).

This book was originally published under a longer title: Fundamental University Physics (Reading, Mass., Addison-Wesley (c) 1967-68). It was divided in the following three hardback volumes: volume one: Classical Mechanics and Thermodynamics; volume two: Waves and Fields; volume three: Quantum and Statistical Mechanics). It was reprinted for several years until a new edition came in in 1980-83. This new edition left the book's strenghts essentially unchanged, and simply updated the earlier edition. The same way, this current textbook (Physics, 1992) leaves essentially untouched the classical as well as moderns strengths of its original predecessors. It is up to date up to 1992 - for example the chapter on space exploration has a lucid discission of the VEEGA Galileo mission based on information available at that time.

The strengths of this classic book are primarily classic themselves. First of all the book is characterized by consisting of a central backbone of mathematical equations that have been rigorously and carefully derived . Where other books say "it is obvious that eqn. 117 transforms into 121..." the authors here derive the fundamental equations of current physics from first principles as much as possible. It is obvious that rigorous analysis of physical models, systems, and empirical data requires the use of integral as well as differential calculus. While other authors either rely little on calculus, or never bother to use it at all, Alonso and Finn make effective use of calculus as the need arises. (Actually, there are physics texts out there that are not even calculus based... three hundred years of mathematical power and elegance ignored simply because college students today do not have a workable knowledge of basic calculus)

The organization of the book blends classical topics with modern ones in as natural a fashion as possible. For example, in Chapter 7 which deals with the the applications of the laws of motion, the fundamental concepts that govern rocket propulsion are laid out. In chapters 19-20 the special and (less so) general theories of relativity were discussed followed by an exposition of the pronciples of modern high energy and particle physics. One whole chapter is devoted to Statistical Mechanics (which no other introductory book dares or cares to include). This chapter then sets the stage for applications in transport phenomena, thermodynamics, etc.

In other words, the field of Theoretical Physics blends with that of Experimental Physics in this book. The 41 chapters cover the standard material (classical and modern physics) taught to bright students in their first year of university studies. This may seems both laborious as well as intriguing for the young but bright student (i.e. not below 1300 SATII). Once familiar with the basic anatomy of the book, the user should be able to locate modern physics material spread in the 1100+ pages. The book actually ends with a discussion of the attempts at unifying the forces, the success of the electro-weak theory, as well as future GUTs (Grand Unified Theory).

The number, nature and topics of exercices and problems are traditional and well chosen. This helps make the book compact; truly in its 1100+ pages it conveys more information more effectively than 1600+ page books (like the current book's original edition). Actually, pictures have been reduced in size as compared to the first two editions, and they are incorporated in-text, making the book heavily packed with standard physics information.

Naturally, the things that turn off a nontradionalist will turn on the tradionalist when choosing a book for a course or reference or other purposes. This book includes the "standard" information that should be contained in the first year of a physics major's curriculum. It spends proper time explaining key principles. For example it does not attempt to derive a form of Schrodinger's Equation but it uses quantum mechanical principles to illustrate the problem of the particle/s in a variety of wells (primarily in 1D). The in-text problems chosen to illustarate and emphasize physical principles are mostly classical, standard problems. Many have several parts which are designed to "bring up" the reader from first principles all the way to the ultimate applications in physics.

Further, the nontraditionalist may note that this thoroughly black and white paperback lacks the glamorous, color illustrations of current textbooks such as those from Beisner, Serway, Sears, Fishbane, Pasachoff, Giancoli, Halliday, Lea, Hecht, Rex, Nolan, etc. etc. (note: I am listing the above books based on a simple query on physics textbooks on amazon. And not all of the above texts are equally poor or dumbed down! Some, like Pasachoff are actually reasonable texts to teach or learn from).

Followed with a semester in mathematical physics (using texts such as the book by Mary L. Boas), the student of Alonso/Finn will be ready to compete against any students trained in fundamental physics by other authors. The student can make use of this book well after the first year, especially when reviewing general physics material for the GRE Physics Subject Text. Other advanced undergraduate books that are as comprehensive and pedagogically effective for the brighter students include the series on Theoretical Physics by Walter Grenier (e.g. Classical Mechanics II, Electrodynamics, Quantum Mechanics, Statistical Mechanics & Thermodynamics). This certainly seems to be the level of preparation of generations of European graduate students.

A vigorous Physics Treatise without glossy pictures
As Physics should be! Alonso and Finn provide a vigorous treatise of the subject with a great deal of calculus. That is not necesarily bad as--contrary to the belief of fresher students--physics is about mathematics. Alonso and Finn's book has certainly made it into the category of Classical Physics Textbooks as much as the "Therory of Relativity" by Albert Einstein. It is ashaming that in the US the book did not seem to get the right credentials, but given the many translations of Alonso and Finn's book into European languages, this side of the Alantic the book has had a very positive resonance indeed. And just take a look at the very extensive list of reviewers of the book: This list tells the potential buyer of the book that really great minds have been working on it: Professor Tomas Bohr (Copenhague, Denmark), the late Professor Karl Luchner (Ludwig Maximillian University Munich, Germany), Professor William Poon (University of Edinburgh, Scotland) etc. etc.
All in all a very satisfiying book for first year physics students and beyond.


The Physiology of Taste, or Meditations on Transcendental Gastronomy
Published in Paperback by Dover Pubns (2002)
Authors: Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin and Arthur Machen
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The standard English edition of a landmark eccentric classic
The standard edition of this work in the US, and a lively one. Jean-Anthelme de Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826) is known for this book and for pithy maxims like "Adam and Eve sold themselves for an apple. What would they have done for a truffled fowl?" (That of course in the days when the truffles that most people heard of were real ones, not chocolate candies that look like them; and also when the real ones were much more plentiful and less expensive.) Memorable are the wonderful anecdotes of the kindly old priest and his "austere" meatless menu ("The Curé's Omelet," with "theoretical notes" afterwards) and of Brillat's scheme at a country inn to enhance a humble dish. This wide-ranging book established its author as an original and knowledgeable voice in French food writing, to be compared with Carême and Grimod de la Reynière.

Brillat-Savarin, among other roles, was the basis of Marcell Rouff's _The Passionate Epicure,_ a fictional book gently combining food and sex (naturally, as a friend of mine remarked, since it's French), which was widely read in English when the translation appeared in 1962. Marcella Hazan and (I believe) Julia Child cited it in their cookbooks. In his preface to the 1962 Rouff, Lawrence Durrell (himself a fashionable author at that time) explained that many in the Brillat-Savarin family "died at the dinner table, fork in hand" and that Brillat's sister Pierrette, two months before her hundredth birthday, spoke at table what are to food fanatics easily the most famous last words ever: "Vite! Apportez-moi le dessert -- je sens que je vais passer!"

Fisher's translation and notes are a lively part of this edition of Brillat-Savarin (happily reprinted recently). Some booksellers offer newer editions by different English translators; I don't know why. This semi-scholarly translation and editing, executed in France during the post-war period described in her autobiographical _Two Towns in Provence,_ was the work that established Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher among US gastronomic writers. Her later status as Official Food Celebrity encouraged journalists to cite her automatically (whether they had read her work or not), but at least this time, publicity and merit coincide.

Provides a timeless discussion of French food
Physiology Of Taste is an unabridged photomechnical reproduction of a classic 1925 edition and should be on the shelves of any serious and dedicated gourmet cook. Physiology Of Taste provides a timeless discussion of French food and cooking written in 1825 by a master at both culinary insight and writing. Whimsical reflection mixes with serious food insights in a most satisfying manner.

MFK's is the better translation
I noticed that the exact same 2 reviews are listed for both MFK Fisher's translation and the Penguin Classics edition. Let me say that I own both, and MFK Fisher's is by FAR the better one. It expresses Savarin's personality so well in English. Even though I am not a fan of her writing in general she is a first-rate translator of French! She captures the humor and poetry and makes it much more the book so many have read and loved. I've tried but I just don't enjoy the colder, more academic Penguin version. I am grateful to MFK Fisher for bringing this document to new life.


Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street, the Life of the World's First Consulting Detective.
Published in Hardcover by Wings Press (1995)
Author: William Stuart Baring-Gould
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Wonderfully speculative!
I first read Baring-Gould's biography back in 1975, and it was my first REAL exposure to The Game -- the treatment of Sherlock Holmes as a living person and the art of speculating about The Master's life from the clues dropped by Watson in the original stories. I'm delighted that this book is still available.

Baring-Gould presents as good a chronology of the Doyle tales as anyone, and he "fills in the blanks" delightfully. (Imagine Holmes fighting a prehistoric bird in hand-to-talon combat on the deck of a freighter! It's true!!)

Baring-Gould obviously had a damn good time writing this extraordinary, and definitive, biography of Sherlock. And if you've already devoured the original 60 stories, dive into this book. Then set it alongside your copies of the Doyle books. It deserves a place there.

The real biography of the world greatest detective
Baring-Gould is the greatest chronicler of the Holmesian canon. His annotated version is a must for every enthusiast. Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street is the biography of the man, put together from the many stories. "It was the year in which Henry David Thoreau wrote Walden...."."Unaccountably, the Almanac fails to list perhaps the most memorable event of that same memorable year. It was the birth, in the early hours of the morning of Friday, January 6, of a third and last son to Siger and Violet Holmes, at the farmstead of Mycroft in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England, a district famous for its horse-breeding stables and its wind-swept--"wuthering" - heights." You will read about the birth of the man, his family, his brother, etc. You will enter with him into his friendship with Watson (also Watson's youth) and their adventures. Please bring this book back in print. It is a must.

A brilliant bit of Sherlockiana.
W.S. Baring-Gould's classic biography of Holmes is brilliant from start to finish. Arguably the greatest Sherlockian scholar ever, Baring-Gould assembles the details of Holmes's life from isolated references in the canonical stories and indulges himself in some inferential reasoning as to some of the missing information: he contends, for example, that a certain well-known U.S. consulting detective is actually the child of Holmes and Irene Adler. (Some of his speculations on other matters have been borne out by the discovery of a lost manuscript published by Nicholas Meyer under the title _The Seven Per Cent Solution_.)

Readers of this work will also want to find a copy of Baring-Gould's masterly _The Annotated Sherlock Holmes_ if possible. These kids writing Holmes pastiches today just don't know what the hell they're doing :-).


"Where Did I Come From?": The Facts of Life Without Any Nonsense and With Illustations
Published in Hardcover by Lyle Stuart (1997)
Authors: Peter Mayle, Arthur Robins, Paul Walter, and Arthur Robbins
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the best way to learn about yourself.
If you dont know how to answer your kids questions then you need this book. My mom gave it to us at an age that we already knew, but it gave a new look at how we got here and we passed it on to the rest of the kids in the family. Now I need one for my own children. I strongly suggest this book if your children, whom you think are too young, are asking questions and you cant or dont know how to answer.

The best book for teaching children about the facts of life
My mother gave me this book when I was young and now I bought it for my daughter. She is 8 years old and has already read it many times. She has asked honest, intelligent questions about reproduction and we have had many wonderful and informative discussions about the subject. This book is a wonderful tool for any parent. I recommend it highly.

This book is great!!
My parents gave me this book as soon as I learned to read, and it was an amazing tool. Thanks to it, I never believed any of the lies and speculations that went on in elementary school, and I was never tempted to experiment sexually, because I saw making love as a tool to achieve reproduction. (Naturally, my parents explained the rest as I got older!) I recommend this to any parent who is nervous about how to approach the "birds and bees" with their children!


Whiplash Injuries: The Cervical Acceleration/Deceleration Syndrome
Published in Hardcover by Willowood Pr (1995)
Authors: Stephen M. Foreman, Arthur C. Croft, and Sidney Albert Fox
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The Best Textbook on Whiplash Ever
A Tour de Force! Is there going to be a Third Edition? Let us hope so, given Arthur Croft's ability to consume, digest and make palatable to us the most recent research on the topic of whiplash. Fortunately, Dr. Croft is still writing (see his articles in SPINE with co-author Dr. Michael Freeman), and still at the forefront of the profession. As a chiropractic physician, his contributions are all the more important in the medical world, which often borrows from alternative health without crediting it. Not so with Croft, who is credited in medical circles worldwide. A thoroughly readable, well-referenced and enjoyable textbook which will open your mind to a syndrome (group of injuries, really) so misunderstood.

Any physician without this text on his/her shelves should not be treating persons injured by whiplash.

Bar None - The best there is
If you are a physician who treats whiplash patients, or an attorney trying to understand the hows and whys, this book is the absolute BEST there is. 'Nuff Said.

The True Encyclopedia of Whiplash
Croft and Foreman are to be greatly commended on this work, the BEST in the field of whiplash traumatology. Apparently, there will be a 3rd edition coming soon.

The nonsense coming from Canada this year, including the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) Cassidy study (April 2000) and anything that Robert Ferrari has written, and is likely to write (Whiplash "Encyclopedia"), is an utter shame. The author of the recent NEJM study (Cassidy) has been accused of falsifying data (Emma Bartfay, PhD vs. Cassidy), and the views of QTF and Ferrari on chronic whiplash have been refuted over and over again.

Research in this field is of two types, with one out-weighing the other exponentially: insurance company-sponsored stuff such as Cassidy's, the "Quebec Task Force" or "QTF" study(1995), and much of the Ferrari literature IS VASTLY OUTWEIGHED by the other 95% of the university-based and engineering research that refutes it.

This book, especially in its new edition (pending), is and will be the definitive treatise on whiplash-related injuries. It is not written for the layperson, and covers complex medical topics. However, for physicians and health care professionals working with the whiplash-injured, it is indispensable.

When all the hubbub surrounding the latest weak studies from Canada subsides, Foreman and Croft's work will still be standing tall and unscathed. And that is because these two authors understand the difference between a strong study and a weak one. It is NOT true that you can use the research to prove anything. For example, the April 2000 NEJM study by Cassidy et al. states that when you remove the tort system, whiplash-injured persons miraculously heal faster. But upon closer inspection, it turns out that the authors of this study equate "recovery" with "return to work". They did not report on the physical exam findings of their research subjects at the time of claim closure (so-called "recovery"), so we do NOT really have an honest study.

With Ferrari, he is just so out in left field that one cannot imagine how he survives. The only answer must be that insurance company money is paying for his "research". Is it? Ferrari has been refuted over and over again by Croft and Michael Freeman, DC, PhD, MPH in the literature (see SPINE 1998 and 1999). Ferrari is actually on record as saying that chronic whiplash pain is from a psychological disturbance.

The 1995 QTF study is on record as saying that pain "is not harmful". These are doctors?

Of course, if you have had a brain injury and have been diagnosed with MTBI (mild traumatic brain injury), which is often permanent, there is psychological disturbance. But this is not what Ferrari argues. He basically believes that the millions and millions of chronic whiplash sufferers world-wide are all faking it.

Nikolai Bogduk, one of the top, if not the top, researchers in the world in the study of pain, has conclusively proved that whiplash injuries, even at VERY LOW SPEEDS (less than 5 mph) do damage the cervical zygapophyseal (facet capsules) or "z" joints of the neck, and that those injured in this way have chronic pain, and often full (actually too much) range of motion in their necks. The recent excellent crash tests by Ono, Kanno, Siegmund, Brault, Croft himself, and many, many others all confirm Bogduk's findings in a very conclusive way.

The fact that "researchers" like Cassidy, Ferrari, Russell, and now the NEJM never cite these authors, who are the most respected in the field, is certainly suspect.

I look forward to the next edition of this book, which should address all of the misinformation being propagated by the insurance industry and its representatives (do they fear an even larger class-action suit than big tobacco? You betcha!). Then we can all know the real science, well-written and more thoroughly referenced than any book on whiplash to date.


Reunion
Published in Paperback by Noonday Press (1997)
Authors: Fred Uhlman and Arthur Koestler
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Haunting. The ending will stay with you for a long time.
I read this novella after I saw the film on Bravo. As good as that was the book is a hundred times better. Uhlman depicts a beautiful friendship between to young men that is ravaged by the insane hatred that was so prevalent during the Third Reich. In such a short work Uhlman is able to create characters that are entirely fleshed out, entirely real. The ending is a killer. I highly recommend this title.

6 stars are needed for this book
I read some of the other reviewers' comments before buying this book. I thought: 'come on...! it cannot be that good'. I was wrong, Reunion's even better than that. The book was a delight to read, but the ending devastated me like no other book in 30 years of reading has even come close to. I cannot think of anything (Tolstoi's Hadji Murad, Kafka's Concerns of a family man, Shakespeare's Lear) that has the same emotional impact of this little book. I know, I know... It's too much. Well, read the book and see.

ONE BOOK A DAY, DURING 60 YEARS...
and Reunion is the most perfect, delicate small great jewel I have ever found ( Only 120 pages and Prologued by another genius )
It delves deeply into the moral aspects of the human soul, while weaving a unique friendship among 2 worlds represented by 2 teenagers in the pre Second War World, in Dusserldolf: A jew and a German...
If you aprecciate deeply the delicacy and talent of a friend...make him/her this amazing gift of love


Touched By The Jacksons
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Spirit Publishing (1998)
Authors: Phoenix and T. Arthur
Amazon base price: $15.95
Used price: $11.90
Buy one from zShops for: $11.91
Average review score:

Fantastic!
Two thumbs up for "Touched By The Jacksons!" An impressive tribute to the name that defines entertainment... JACKSONS!

MY CHOICE for Oprah's Book Club's "Pick of the Month!"
An awesome book! Phoenix has captured the distinctive magic that only the Jacksons possess in all their glory. Their life story is truly an American Dream come true! Phoenix does a wonderful job intertwining the Jacksons career into his own life, and unravels a new appreciation and admiration of the Jackson family.

"Touched By The Jacksons" is a "Triumph!"
Read it and you'll know why. You won't be able to put it down! Phoenix gives a front seat view of the Jacksons road to success. A phenominal retrospect of their entire career. Five stars for Phoenix!


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