The book Nantucket Summer should be brought back for all to read. When I was going through an emotional time in my life as a young girl, I ran across this book 17 years ago about this young girl finding herself and beleiving in positive things again. The book was so intriguing I have read it aleast 8 times. I have to recommend this book because if I write anymore I will end up telling the whole story of this book. So young girls who feel lost "PLEASE READ"..Take care Charlotte

Thanks to Kelly, the previous reviewer, I found the book I have been looking for! I too read this book in school and was searching to re-read. I was unsure of the title and if it wasn't for the review, I wouldn't have found it!

Excellent book. Even though quite some time ago, I remember it well!

This was my first book. I was eleven years old, and my teacher assigned this book to read. I ordered it again because as I remember, it was rich with adolescence, and the story of a young girl going away and finding herself. That was twenty-three years ago, and I am eager to get my hands on it, so I can read it again and re-live all the wonderful memories of Nantucket Summer.

As a pediatrician interested in general pediatrics and palliative (end of life) care, I have received no training during my medical education about death in children's lives. Dr. Silverman's book combines her three plus decades of research with a multitude of family's stories to make a book that should enter the "must read" list of anybody working with children who face a serious loss. Her sensitive and concise writing was so engaging that I read the book in three days. Who would ever think that a subject as difficult as this could be presented in such an inspirational and accessible way?

"Phyllis Silverman fills these pages with the words and stories of bereaved children and parents and lessons she has learned from them. We cannot protect children from the realities of dying and death. Grieving is for them, as for us all, a life-long process of relearning how to be and act in a world profoundly changed by death. Children, too, can learn to carry the hurt of missing someone and to hold them in their memories and hearts. They do best within the empathetic embrace of their families and communities. Buy this book for its wise and compassionate advice about helping grieving children and nurturing the great resilience within them."

Phyllis Silverman' book about children and death combines scholarly excellence with a readable style. Most importantly, it is the work of a caring morther and grandmother who brings into her professional life a deep care for others. It covers the views and needs both of children and their parents after the death of a significant person. I have made it required reading in my Children and Death course.

Everyone dreams, but few raise them from the subconscious level to reality. Fewer still manage to finagle a working model while leaving reality simpering, hog-tied, and banished to the dunce corner. Bursting with wit, On the Road to Rarotonga provides glimpses into a South Pacific, almost-paradise discovered (or rather made) by adventurers Jack and Phyllis Varney.

The shifting narration may puzzle the mind initially, but the minor adaptation efforts prove beneficial to the overall effect, which yanks the reader into the banter and recounted fray. "Phyllis was closest to the pyrotechnic display as it erupted, and suddenly developed the ability to levitate by rapidly sucking in volumes of air and wildly flapping her arms about. Jack leaped sideways from his chair, rolling across the floor, nearly taking the kitchen table and window curtains with him." Every so often the voices seem to blur and meld together, making it unclear who has spoken; but far from being a glitch, the quirk endears. Uninvited, multi-legged houseguest tales and further escapades with electricity veritably buzz along, bolstered by the unusual style.

A little something for all exists buried within the pages-trekkies, giant spider lovers, and politician-loathers included. Scattered bits of criticism-or observations-about the modern societal mess, sneaks upon the enthralled only to leave them blinking and sputtering confused, enlightened, or indignant. In the end, readers may secretly wish /they'd/ thrown the dart at the map, abandoned career, trotted off to Rarotonga, met delightfully interesting people, and fried the VCR /first/.

ON THE ROAD TO RAROTONGA

A hearty "well done" should go to Jack and Phyllis Varney, a Nurse/Survival Instructor team, for their adventure story "On the Road to Rarotonga". How refreshing that a successful couple in this day of materialism should give up their affluent modern living for the more primitive and intimate living on a small South Seas island, especially to help other people. Their appealing tale makes the remote Cook Islands come alive. The fascinating people, both local and international , the sexotic insects, the local lingo and customs make Rarotonga appeal to a lot of us city dwellers.

Well written , amusing and informative, this book is a must read for all who long to get away from the rat race of modern American life. We look forward to their next great adventure and its accompanying entertaining and informative story. A great number of people should soon be Varney fans.

Barbara Grimm The Kalia Book Club Honolulu

This book will not leave my library. Friends and relatives will just have to buy their own copy! On the Road to Rarotonga is a unique, exciting, real-life adventure narrative liberally sprinkled with wit, humor, drama, strong opinion, and detailed personal observation. The writing style might be considered a tad unorthodox, but it is clear, crisp, and wonderfully refreshing. The authors were able to pull me into their story almost immediately. I felt as though I was living the journey right along with them. The is definitely a fun, entertaining, and informative read!

Elizabeth Hamster Honolulu, Hawaii

In "The Power of Touch", Phyllis Davis has written an extremely useful guide book on a topic rarely discussed in serious terms. Her informal, anecdotal, and very personal style belie the research and scholarship of her work. Though an "easy read", it is a book with a message for the medical and behavioral sciance professional as well as the general public. In addition to research and personal and professional anecdotes, Ms. Davis has included exercises that may be used with a loved one, or in therapy sessions.

If "touch" is in itself, as powerful a tool for health as Ms. Davis's research shows us, then it is sadly underused inter-personally and medically in our society. I hope that the lessons of this little book will be broadcast far and wide.

As a managing editor working in the field of human potential and spirituality, I have been privileged to read the marvelous insights and practices of hundreds of authors. This incredible body of work has expanded my knowledge and understanding of what it means to be human, but none of these others works has ever touched me as deeply and helped me to transform myself and others as much as Dr. Phyllis Davis' The Power of Touch.

Dr. Davis addresses a painful, aching need for society and individuals: "skin hunger," the need to feel human touch, a desire that she says "runs much deeper than the desire for sex." This need-largely unfulfilled during the ages of more traditional lifestyles-will increase by many orders of magnitude, I fear, as we choose to immerse ourselves in an information technology-driven world where our main involvement with others rests with e-mail and "reality shows" like Survivor and Big Brother.

In The Power of Touch, Dr. Davis examines all aspects of our world-families, friendships, intimate relationships, and the workplace-to reveal the painful results of touch deprivation. In a world where so many people are living without the validation and self-assurance that come from touches and hugs, or a simple caress, it is no wonder that the movement toward increased spirituality in the workplace has faltered. Too many people have never experienced the power and the magic Dr. Davis attributes to touch, but they are hungering to do so.

A few years ago, after one of my first readings of The Power of Touch (in its first edition), I put Dr. Davis' ideas to the test. I was then working as a media relations specialist for a Fortune 500 company in Los Angeles. At a City Hall reception one evening, I saw a company executive who earlier in the day had completed his first broadcast media interview. "How did it go?" I asked, standing a comfortable "businesslike" distance from him. He replied in what can only be described as an engineer's technical monotone (he is an engineer). I then proceeded to "bubble over" as I expressed how proud I was of him. Without thinking (and I did not know this executive particularly well), I touched his arm and his back in a brief, but friendly hug. An electric jolt could not have changed this man's outward expression more. The stern lines of his face melted. A huge, almost boyish smile came over his face. He became animated and the rush of words were quite a departure from the monotone a moment earlier. His eyes glistened. He was human. He was happy. All because of a touch.

I just finished reading The Power of Touch by Dr. Phyllis K. Davis. I was immediately impressed by the author's voice that seemed as warm, and inviting as it was wise. The more I read of the book, the more I wanted to read. The content seemed well researched, without sounding clinical. What really amazed me was how many of my roles Dr. Davis addressed: wife, mother, daughter, teacher and even volunteer to Alzheimer patients. By reading her book I have learned why I wouldn't let go of my husband's hand during all six hours of childbirth labor, or why my teen age son loves to have his mom give him foot massages or why my students are more attentive to my comments when I put my hand on their shoulder, or why my widowed mother seems to cling longer to those goodbye hugs. In my volunteer work, I now take my elderly friends by the hand while we talk and walk together. I only wish I had had Dr. Davis's book when my sons were babies. My mothering techniques would have included considerably more tactile stimulation. At least it will impact my future approach to grandmothering. While The Power of Touch affirms so many of my natural inclinations about touch, it also challenges me to use more of its potential, especially for its impact on healing. The central idea that I will carry with me from this book is really summed up in the title. I will never feel as ineffective in interpersonal communication because I know that I can rely on the power of touch to communicate where words are inadequate. Intriqued by the title, my husband has asked questions about the book, leading into much discussion, and now drawing him into reading the book as well. I look forward to the impact it will have on him and on our relationship. Thank you Dr. Davis for your impactful book, The Power of Touch.

A teacher from Okemos, Michigan

it's an astonishingly helpful book. It has so many useful things in it that it's just amazing. I've helped myself deal with more than a few health issues with this book. Highly Reccommended!

This work is a superior rendition on specific modalities which
relates vitamins and nutrients to specific disease processes.
The beauty of the work is that specific dosages are quoted in
daily milligrams or international units. Nutrients are ranked from essential to important to helpful. There is good coverage
of the various antioxidants i.e. the ACES-Vitamin A,
Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Selenium
The book provides detailed recommendations and helpful
considerations on virtually every disease process. The author
provides a list of Health and Medical Organizations throughout
the USA, as well as a list of important manufacturers and
distributors of vitamins, minerals and other supplements.
This book is a good supplement to your existing vitamin and
nutrient regimen. In addition, it's a good literature source
to provide background information so that you can interface
intelligently with your own physicians and local medical
providers.The book is valuable in handling common health
problems; such as, osteoporosis, allergies, infectious
diseases and the more elusive cancers. The work is a worthy
investment for any personal library.

I have been buying these updated books for as long as I can remember. I found this book to be the queen bee on detailed info on all nutritional supplements. I learned an incredible amount of information on how important nutrition is to your body. Missing certain supplements in your body can cause all sorts of undesirable diseases and problems. It describes in detail what diseases/problems occur (most likely) when you are lacking certain supplements. This book has been truly helpful in the building of my site (parentingnaturally.net) and has shed a lot of light on nutrition.A must have!

My 2-and-a-half-year-old son asks me to read the "Poppa turned the key" book. This is one of those books that's so fun to read, you don't mind doing it a bazillion times. Your mouth gets happy as those crazy sounds come out, and the illustrations are so entertaining. You can just spend time looking at each picture and seeing the little details of the pastoral scenery, oh I love the sheep and chickens. It's quite an adventure!

The simple concepts of trying and succeding while chipping in and showing initiative are given class A treatment in this book, one of the most charming and enjoyable on our shelf, and one that our 3-and-a-half year old has loved it for a year now. The great cast of characters and the charming if decrepit old car are very appealing, and the wonderful rhymes and catchy phrases make it a winner all around. Try not to smile when your kid says: "razzleberry dazzleberry fudge delight" a dozen times a day...

Phyllis Root's books always read like music, but this one in particular is like jazz. I've just heard her read it, and the sense of rhythm is extraordinary and catching -- a book that almost sings itself. It's a perfect read-aloud for a hot summer's day!

Al leer las primeras paginas quede encantado con su sencillez, organización y excelente información. De verdad ayuda a quienes nos dedicamos a sanar con medicina natural y claro para sus pacientes. Primero da una explicación de cada padecimiento, en segundo lugar los nutrientes estan divididos como "esenciales, importantes y provechosos", tambien recomienda hierbas de diversas tradiciones americana, china y ayurvedica y por ultimo menciona recomendaciones para tener en cuenta. Es un tesoro indispensable.
Algunos nombres de plantas permanecen en ingles tal como primero se edito el libro, así que adquiera un buen diccionario Ingles/Español por si acaso.
Sería bueno traducir los otros libros de estos autores.

Yo traduje al español el libro "Recetas nutritivas que curan" y, por lo tanto, conozco a fondo su contenido. Este libro cuenta con sólidos fundamentos científicos, y versa sobre cerca de trescientas dolencias y la manera de prevenirlas y tratarlas a base de una nutrición balanceada y de suplementos naturales que se consiguen prácticamente en cualquier "health food store". La sencillez y claridad del idioma hacen de su lectura una experiencia interesante y grata. Recomiendo altamente este libro, que sin duda será de gran utilidad para la población de habla hispana de Estados Unidos.

Este es un libro completo..explica de forma clara las diferentes condiciones de salud, sus causantes y la forma de combatir la enfermedad de forma natural...lo recomiendo al que le gusta todos lo relacionado a la medicina natural o al que quiere obtener mas información de algún padecimento.

I thank the authors, Thomas and Phyllis for this great book. Because of this book, I was able to connect my gr grandmother Lillian May (Ryerse) Fergus and the rest of her family. I now know a little more of who I am and where my ancestors came from. The book is very interesting to read and has made me very proud of my Ryerse ancestors. I would recommend this book to anyone they definitely will not be sorry. Thanks again Thomas and Phyllis.
George C. Olson, Jr.

Tom Ryerson & Phyllis Ryerse have made family history come alive with this extraordinary book. Not only has their painstaking research paid off in an easy-to-follow genealogy of the Ryerse-Ryerson Family, but this book should serve as a model for all those interested in chronicling their family history. The Ryerse-Ryerson Family tells the 400-year history of one of the oldest Dutch families to settle in the US using rich text, pictures and maps. Far from the dry recitation of facts found in many books of this ilk, Tom and Phyllis have written a book that is both informative and entertaining. For all genealogy or history buffs, this book is a "must read"!

I was never so happy to receive a book, as this one. Through all the hard work and many years of reseach, the authors, Thomas Ryerse and Phyllis Ryerson, connected the rest of my family line with my 4th great grandmother, Eleanor Augusta Ryerse. The book is wonderful, with pictures of family, maps, headstones, stories of the past telling how life was for them. Makes your family come alive again. I rate this book five stars! Debbie Dixon Cade

I became interested in "Ten Sisters" when I noticed that the story took place in my home state of Illinois, but specifically central Illinois. I just graduated from EIU which is located in Charleston and just next door to Mattoon. Reading about the Waggoners in those towns was such a joy, but meeting nine of the sisters was an even greater honor. They signed my book at the mall in Mattoon and were extremely gracious at my interest in their stories. I wasn't able to finish the novel before I met them, but even so, reading the chapters after I had met the authors gave the book a personal touch. I was in disbelief at some of the personal trials they went through. It is amazing that any of them survived so much heartache and uncertainty! My favorite aspect of the book is how Jenny and the older sisters wrote about the same period of time, but by the time you get to Vera's, Audrey's, and Doris' chapters, you are set in a completely different timeframe with completely different lifestyles. It is amazing how so many different stories come out of one very close, very special family. They told me that they will be coming out with an audio version of the book and they'll be featured in a popular women's magazine in Nov. or Dec. I'll be sure to check it out, and you should too!

I really don't like to read...let alone do a report on something that I have read! I don't know why, but I actually like doing it for this book...... It has some really funny, sad, and just odd things in it. I mean who would have a pet goat as a kid? I am in Highschool and lots of my friends and teachers were all dying to read this book. I would sit in class and read bits and pieces and the kids around me would always want to hear more...it was weird! Stuff like having a boxing ring in the front yard, or ten sisters sleeping in one bed not knowing who wet the bed in the morning...for some reason that sparked their interest???? Then there was the sad stuff in the book that was described in detail. It really made me learn a lot more then I already knew about these ladies, it's like stepping into their shoes (although they didn't wear them too often) I really like the book, after I read it there were just soo many things to tell about it in the report I did for my sophmore English class that it ended up getting an "A"...which is odd for me! :) This book is great...there are just soo many things to like about it, so many stories. The part I really like about the book though was that sometimes the sisters had different view points about the story, it was kinda neat to see what each one said about certain things...if they remembered or included it. And living in Iowa, it was a big highlight of my life...not many things can do that here! thanx-AM

Courage comes at an early age... these women had it in 1942 and even today display that same courage. As I know each one of these women personnally, my review may be a bit biased...but anyone that reads this work will see that I am only telling the facts. Each sister is a remarkable work of art. This book is a true "Love story" about "Family" and the meaning it gives to our lives. "Divided" as a family at such an early age has given great meaning to "togetherness" as each sister worked their way from mid 20th Century to present day.... Their style of writing is free and bold as they tell of perceptions and feelings. Just to get ten sisters to sit down and author a book together is almost fiction. Yet again their spirit of "one for all" won out, and I, a reader won too. This book is "true LIFE" at its worst, and best

Cindy Crosby offers fresh glimpses of grace in this beautifully written meditation on life. But it's not the sweet, syrupy kind of life that most Christian authors seem to think we all have (or should have). Rather, it's about the life most of us live, full of hills and valleys, dark clouds and sunshine, birth and death.

Like Crosby, I'm an avid gardener. Though I've never lived in the Midwest where most of her essays take place, she brings alive the mysteries of the life cycle in her descriptions of the tall-grass prairies--ecosystems, really--as they ebb with the flow of life, death, and rebirth. Her prose sings with the wonder of nature.

Likewise, reading of her hike into the Barataria wildlife preserve near New Orleans, a place I, too, have visited, brought back all the sights, smells, and general spookiness of southern swampland. Her deftly modulated prose conveys the awe any thoughtful encounter with the natural world yields, and for Crosby this world is full of spiritual and personal insight. I say "insight" rather than "lessons," because she is careful not to reduce the glory of creation to a simple one-liner from God. No simplistic "thou shalts" or "thou shalt nots" here.

Crosby infuses her book with a deliciously appealing Christian spirituality, weaving it in with a welcome light touch uncharacteristic of most religious writing.

Cindy Crosby finds glimpses of God through flora and fauna. While struggling with a severe depression, she found solace in the rhythms of life she saw in the natural world around her. The cycles of darkness and light reaffirmed the fact that while this world is a fallen one, it is also one in which God provides hope and redemption.

Like nature writer Annie Dillard, Crosby is a keen observer of the environment, and her garden and the local arboretum provide much of the raw material for her reflections. The controlled burn of a prairie fire stimulates questions of human suffering. The birds squabbling at her feeder provide a lighthearted portrait of the church. A sleepless night reminds her that even the darkest hour brings hope of morning.

What is most refreshing is that unlike much contemporary devotional literature, Crosby allows the metaphors to speak for themselves, without belaboring the spiritual point. The voice she writes with reflects the Voice she hears through creation - subtle, gentle and profoundly stirring.

I liked the way this author balanced her experiences in life, sharing both ups and downs. I liked her writing style which really draws you into what is happening by the delightful descriptions of her life events. Best of all I found new ways to take hope when things look darkest. I hope she will write more soon!