Note: I bought this book to try to learn as much as possible about depression, and about the ECT's that my friend was about to receive.
I found the several points that the doctor had to make about depression, as well as the anecdotes he used to illustrate them, mystifying, to say the least. At one point he tells of a woman who is brought in to an emergency room in a psychotic state and he promptly prescribes a course of ECT's for her. It turns out the reason she was psychotic was because of side effect of the cancer medication she was on. Not only didn't Dr. Mondimore say "Whoops, I guess I blew that diagnosis", when he learned later that she was taking medication which caused the depression /psychosis she was suffering from (aren't doctors supposed to ask what medications your taking?), but actually patted himself on the back for making her feel more like her old self, for the last few months of her life. Way to go Doc!
Unfortunately, my friend's experience with her psychiatrists has been similar. Medication after medications, which haven't helped, only made her worse, and ECT's which were of no help either. But I digress.
Please check out the books by Peter Breggin, and Elliot S. Valenstein for valuable information you probably won't get from most doctors, and leave this book on Amazon's shelves.

This is a great resource book. It is very useful for someone that is has just been diagnose with depression. It tells about every thing you need to about depression. Such as the treatments,causes,and a overview of depression. Mondimore wrote this book splendidly for people that dont understand the jargon of depression. I would highly recommend it for someone just diagnose with this terrible disease.

I have had several episodes of severe depression. Although I am a nurse and have the advantage of being around psychiatric healthcare providers, I had a hard time accepting that it was happening to me. This book really gave me insight and helped me to understand the disease. It is written so the non healthcare worker can understand it. The case scenarios brought the theoretical to life. I recommend this book to anyone who has depression or who is trying to decide if you do or if you have a significant other who has depression. The book also explains the medications which are used and why different ones are used at different times. It describes how important the psychiatric community is to helping you deal with this disease. Having someone who really understands depression and the medications will save you time in feeling better.

I'm new to the Healy novels. I haven't read all of them, but I've always been pleased. But this is the most interesting of the ones I've read. (Staked Goat, Rescue, Invasion of Privacy, The Only Good Lawyer).

The most interesting thing about this novel is the way the plot turns and you don't notice. By the time you reach the end Healy has taken a whole new route to the conclusion and turned the story on it's ear. When John Cuddy is hired to discover the background of a woman's boyfriend, he gets more than he bargained for. The mob is involved, but there is also a suspicion group of townhouses. When you reach the conclusion you've had, but it's a fun ride. Healy's talent is growing. Keep an eye on him. This series refuses to get stagnant. Try Spiral as well.

Healy serves up a genuine mystery, sure to keep readers off-guard. Unlike that other Boston PI, Healy's book packs more twists, characterization, and realism into this one book than I've read in the last decade's worth of Parker's books. If you're looking for a mystery that doesn't insult your intelligence and keeps you guessing, this is it.

I have read all but the last 2 books in this series (and those are sitting on my shelf), and ever single entry is excellent and intelligently written. Cuddy is honorable, tough and smart (although a bit too sanctimonious) and the other characters are always vivid and believable. The mystery here is first-rate; I was shaking my head in amazement after all the pieces came together. Healy deserves to be a lot better known and successful.

I've read all of the stories in this Batman TPB, and while the Bat-Mite and Poison Ivy tales are OK, the first tale, "Blades" by Robinson and Sale, is spectacular. If you're a fan of "Starman" or anything else by Robinson, buy this quick. If you like great storytelling and great art by Sale, buy this quick!

I especially liked the story with Bat-Mite! HE is so cute and funny. "Hothouse" is a little confusing though, but I think I pretty mush got it down.

"Blunt Darts" is the first novel in Jerimiah Healy's John Cuddy private detective series. As such it's a good effort. I am a huge fan of private detective novels and this was my first Cuddy effort. I would rank it in the middle of the pack among such novels. It has some elements that make these novels great. The hero is world weary and lonely, having recently lost his wife. The story has some good hardboiled elements and the ending takes shome shocking turns. On the downside is Healy's use of two overused elements, The Rich Family with Dark Secrets, and The Corrupt Small Town Police Force. Quite frankly, a lot of private detective writers seem tohave a pathological dislike for rich people and small town cops. Overall, this isn't a bad start to the series, but here's hoping that later stories are more intersting.

This guy reminds me of Robert Parker's work, especially his boston work, but he's developing into his own.....

San Francisco politics. Bridge politics. Egos clashing and crashing. The original "Survivor" saga, this book has all sorts of people intrique. Strauss is definitely the book's Richard. If the two of them ever sought out the same goal....yikes!! Strauss cut deals with everyone from whom he could benefit, and he axed out those "friends" as soon as he was finished 'using' them. The designer, Ellis...out, and it was three years before he could find another job in the depression 30s. O'Shaunassy, as SF's city engineer, was right in there swinging from the start. Michael was voted out by Strauss, and cast aside. (He did finish the Hetch Hetchy project for the city.) Strauss created a string of bodies as his ego forged ahead to be known as "Mr. Bridge, designer, builder, ......" of the Golden Gate span. Well, he was none of these things. Unfortunately, the text is quite weak on providing the engineering details of the span.The few pictures the book has are interesting, but not sufficient to acquire a good idea of the supurb engineering that went into the structure. You'll have to go to another book for that!

The book is one of the few books that I've ever read twice. And I find that I've continued to tell other people about this book from time to time. I would characterize the book as a thriller or, at least a drama, for and about engineers. The book is highly location-conscious. After reading the book, you'll be able to relate how the Golden Gate Bridge is related to engineering companies in New York City, to fund-raising efforts in the northern counties in California, to engineering professors in the mid-west, to a theater designer of the 1939 World's Fair on Treasure Island, to professors at U.C.Berkeley, and to a certain humble bascule bridge that continues its unsung day-to-day chores in an obscure part of San Francisco. To repeat, I really liked the author's interconnections, that he related in the book. The book deserves to be back in print, and it deserves to be in every gift shop in the City. The book is highly fact-based (it is not laced with fanciful commentary), and yet the book is difficult to put down. Perhaps the most striking and sad part of Van Der Zee's book, is that the engineer responsible for most of the innovations of the bridge was left off of the plaque (for political reasons), which is mounted on the Golden Gate Bridge.

A lot of growing info and what does not work, but some good ideas make this book worth while reading. Wish it had more on the art of selling the plants. Bought Secrets to a Successful Greenhouse and Business, after this one and do highly reccomend it. Love my greenhouse so much!

Plants For Profit: Income Opportunities In Horticulture is a unique, authoritative, original book written by a world renowned expert in the field of ornamental horticulture specifically for readers interested in engaging in commercial horticultural ventures. Plants For Profit shows how to find a good job working with plants, how to start, operate, and finance a horticultural enterprise. F.X. Jozwik provides a concise overview of marketing and plant culture with a wealth of practical and insightful advice that will save the aspiring commercial horticulturist thousand of dollars and maximize return on capital investment. Jozwik shows how to grow trees, plants, and flowers profitably, which plants are in demand, even how to find a good job in horticulture so that you can earn while you learn. If you are a gardener, horticulturist or farmer considering an expansion into raising and selling ornamental plant, begin with a thorough reading of Plants For Profit.

You or I wouldn't stop to help a stranger.
On the side of the road?
With a flat?
Never.
Admit it.
Be real.
It isn't practical, it isn't safe and it is a mishmosh of complications waiting to entangle you.
We, you or I, wouldn't do it.
John Francis Cuddy did.
What happens after that is exactly why we wouldn't have stopped to begin with----it gets very IMpractical...it becomes very UNsafe and the hodgepodge of complications unfold so intensely that Cuddy regrets a spur of the moment promise made to an insignificant child, made after brief eye contact that held then flickered....a promise only half-heartedly ventured.
A promise that comes back to haunt him.
What happens when you feel an obligation to 'live up' to expectations? What happens when it is your expectations of yourself that you have to 'live up' to?
It gets complicated.

RESCUE could be the first Cuddy mystery you read( I hope not but it could be) and you would still be involved, committed and interested. This story is topical, current, and thought provoking while at the same time highly entertaining.
Read RESCUE. Read it---then ask yourself; the next time you bypass a stranded motorist, how you feel now?
Promises, promises.

This was my first John Cuddy mystery, and it was definitely a worthwhile read. Healy shows off his hero's code of honor in this book, as Cuddy promises to help a young boy and then comes through. The novel is entertaining, a few of the murders gruesome, and the finale, well done. There are a few incidents where it seemed the author had backed himself into a corner and needed a bit of a overwritten solution with one of the characters (not to give anything away). Overall, a fun read, a decent villain, and just a plain good PI novel. Not his best, but not bad either.

This was a great novel, as each chapter rolls along, there is a revelation. The revelations upon revelations is very reminiscent of the old Ross Macdonald, which is high praise indeed. Healy's John Francis Cuddy, like MacDonald's Archer, also has the uncanny ability to get people to talk to him. Cuddy is likeable, but a bit of a goody-goody.

Of course, Cuddy is taken to NJ along the way, and let me tell you, dear reader, NJ is nothing like this. But hey a fun novel all around. Give it a shot. The novel revolves around an airplane crash, a dead furniture salesman, and a missing niece. Everything is wrapped up quite nicely, but is still difficult to figure out. A good whodunit.

Burglar Bill is an interesting story for me as it shows a profession which is usually stereotyped, in a different light. Bill eventually reforms his bad habits, but even when he is at his thieving worst he is portrayed sympathetically. Bill take showers attention on the little baby, perhaps to make up for attention he himself missed. I suppose some people might object to this book on the grounds that it makes light of such a serious matter. For me however it simply points out that everybody who commits a crime is not a demonic monster. I think this is helpful as those who never consider themselves as potential criminals, never consider the ways to return to a lawful lifestyle. Three strikes and you're out. Burglar Bill is a perfect metaphor for the bad little boy in the class. He is not the little devil that adults and other children often imagine him to be. In many ways he has an admirable personality, it is just that he does things which get him into trouble. Most of the things Bill steals are hardly worth the effort. Why would anyone want to steal a can of baked beans? Likewise most of the things which a teacher or parent might class as naughty, are just ridiculous. It is the fact that someone else is getting hurt which adds gravity to the situation. Perhaps he just hasn't been able to imagine himself in the place of the other person. He needs it pointed out to him. This is exactly what happens to Bill. It is not until he himself is burgled that he can see that what he is doing is wrong. Noticeably Bill does learn from his mistakes, perhaps the naughty little boy can too.

Excellent publication for anyone interested in learning about how the wonderfull world of electronics got started. This publication goes through the who, how and why we have computers and electronic devices in our world today. I have used this publication as an "educational gift" for many of my customers. It will never go out of date!