* Me: I'm someone interested in serious, semi-academic books about Jewish history. I'm not someone looking for a James Michener book, but I'm not some equipped to critique Pollak's scholarship. * The book: This is a wonderful, well-written book that seems to discuss every old reference to the Jews of China in just about every language. It seems to give every known detail about the lives of China's Jews. Because China's Jews were one of the peoples of the "Silk Road" (the collection of ancient trade routes that linked China with Europe for many centuries), the book is also a pretty good introduction to the history of the Silk Road. * Who for: I think this book might be especially useful to anyone interested in Central Asian history; Jewish history; or extreme Jewish genealogy (i.e., the DNA testing folks). It could also be the basis for a pretty fine martial arts movie.

This book is really a compilation of academic papers on the various psychological and social aspects of narcolepsy. Each study goes into great (technical) detail about its methodology and its results -- however, what I found to be most interesting (and valuable) are the conclusions drawn by each researcher and his/her discussion of the implications of their findings that end each chapter. The book covers many aspects of narcolepsy -- quality of life issues (i.e. self-esteem, depression, social distance, etc.), issues in managing symptoms of narcolepsy (i.e. the role of prescription drugs, napping, psychological counseling, etc.), and political and legal issues -- that I have not read about anywhere else. Although you have to sift through a bunch of academic mumbo-jumbo at the beginning of each chapter, it is these concluding sections that, in my opinion, make the book a valuable addition to the library of anyone who is living with and/or (like myself) struggling to get a better handle on his/her narcolepsy.