Book Description
Although born and raised more than an ocean apart, Dwight Eisenhower and Winston Churchill—the two titans of the greatest generation—led remarkably parallel lives whose paths would intersect during history's most harrowing days. Through their youth, education, and military training, both men experienced similar triumphs and failures that shaped their lives, though they met only for the first time upon the eve of war in 1941.
Eisenhower and Churchill tells the magnificent story of these two great leaders and their exemplary partnership in war and peace. Through enlivened pages and fascinating anecdotes, author James C. Humes illuminates the human side of each man, who had more in common with each other than a world war. You'll discover the extraordinary stories of how both were born to domineering mothers and failed fathers, both did not qualify for the military academy on the first try, both were traumatized by experiences in World War I, both were talented writers, and both lost a child in the very same year (1921). Remarkably, each man did not warm to the other at first; but as they worked together, their respect for one another grew to become a powerful friendship that lived long after the echoes of war had receded into the past.
As allies, they shared a hatred for tyranny and led the world through the greatest war of the twentieth century. As friends, they shared a sense of trust and cooperation that should be raised as a standard. Containing new research and memorable insights, Eisenhower and Churchill brings to life the two lions of the twentieth centruy.
"Who would not welcome an intimate book about Churchill and Eisenhower, and who is better situated to write it than Professor Humes, who knew them both, and studiously—and ardently—records their careers and their friendship?"
—
William F. Buckley Jr.
"James C. Humes's Eisenhower and Churchill is a wonderful dual biography laced with lively anecdotes, engaging prose, and shrewd analysis. A truly welcome addition to our growing literature on the Second World War."
—
Douglas Brinkley, professor of history and director of the Eisenhower Center, University of New Orleans
Customer Reviews:
A Huge Disappointment.......2005-02-09
Mr. Hagerty, who wrote the prior review of this book, was kinder than I can be. I read David Eisenhower's Foreward and recalled what a fine writer he is - as is his father, John Eisenhower. Unfortunately, Mr. Humes has done a remarkably poor job of telling the story of the Churchill - Eisenhower relationship. I first became uneasy while reading Humes' own acknowledgments, replete with what appeared to be mere namedropping than acknowledgment of assistance in preparing the book. In fact, it appears more likely that the author simply put the thing together relying on faulty memory rather than on independent sources.
I cannot recommend this for anyone who wants to know something about either Churchill or Eisenhower. The factual errors are so many as to make one wonder how the thing got published. I found myself wondering about factual statements I knew to be correct because of all the errors. For the casual historian, this book could in fact prove to be misleading. To be avoided.
"History Lite" is Easy Reading but Error Prone........2002-07-30
For someone looking for very light reading on Ike and Churchill, this may be an appropriate choice. I could envision a high school history teacher assigning this to 16-18 year old students. It is generally enjoyable but it certainly isn't thorough or definitive. It can't be compared to masterpiece works of history,... This, indeed, is "history lite."
But what is supremely disappointing about this book is its factual errors. For instance, at one point in the book Mr. Humes writes of Ike and Churchill meeting in '59, apparently AFTER their respective political tenures were completed, with Ike lamenting JFK's handling of the Bay of Pigs and Berlin Wall crises, and Churchill disparaging Anthny Eden's tenure as PM of Great Britain. But they certainly DID NOT have this discussion in '59. Ike's Presidency lasted until January '61 and our setbacks in Cuba and Berlin didn't happen until later in 1961-62. How could Humes, or more importantly the editor, get this wrong? At another point in the book, he dates the Suez Crisis to 1959 - it happened in October 1956! Earlier he writes of the tragic death of Ike's son at age 3. Hume identifies the baby as Dwight David. His actual name was Doud Dwight, his first name being Mamie's maiden name. He dates Wilson's entry into WWI in 1916. It was 1917, after the 1916 election wherein Wilson campaigned on the "He Kept Us Out Of War" slogan.
If it weren't for these inexcusable factual errors, I could endorse this as light summertime reading for the casual historian... I'm also surprised that David Eisenhower wrote a forward to the book (well done) and that Bill Buckley provided a jacket-cover recommendation. These guys obviously didn't read it - they surely would have noticed the aggravating factual errors I found.
Finally, while I'm an Ike fan and believe he's one of America's finest leaders of the 20th century - both as General and President - I think Humes gives too much credit with the suggestion that he "saved the world" along with Churchill... Professor Humes would be advised to remember,... that other heroes ... deserve lots of credit...
Average customer rating:
|
Night Autopsy Room: Seven Tales of Life, Death, and Hope
Yoshio, M.D. Sakabe
Manufacturer: Cross Cultural Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Medical
| Professionals & Academics
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Short Stories
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Japanese
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0940121204 |
Book Description
The author, a well-known physician, recounts the horror and sorrow of war. Set against the fascinating backdrop of historical events and social conditions in Japan before, during, and just after World War II.
Book Description
Why do some people find and sustain hope during difficult circumstances, while others do not? What can we learn from those who do, and how is their example applicable to our own lives? The Anatomy of Hope is a journey of inspiring discovery, spanning some thirty years of Dr. Jerome Groopman’s practice, during which he encountered many extraordinary people and sought to answer these questions.
This profound exploration begins when Groopman was a medical student, ignorant of the vital role of hope in patients’ lives–and it culminates in his remarkable quest to delineate a biology of hope. With appreciation for the human elements and the science, Groopman explains how to distinguish true hope from false hope–and how to gain an honest understanding of the reach and limits of this essential emotion.
Customer Reviews:
The wisdom of hope .......2007-09-30
In July 1975 Jerome Groopman entered his fourth and final year of medical school at Columbia and joined the surgical team headed by Dr. William Foster. The first patient he encountered was an Orthodox Jewish woman who had lost over one- hundred members of her family in the Holocaust. She was suffering from a very advanced case of breast- cancer. In speaking with her Groopman learned that she had been ill for a long time, had felt pain for a long time but had reported it to no one. She was reluctant to tell him why, but at some point in the course of the treatment she let him know the answer. She felt herself to be a sinner because of untoward thoughts towards her employer. She felt that her illness was a punishment and therefore deserving. Despite her having three children and a husband she was living in total hopelessness. She resisted treatment and in a relatively short time , died.
This incident raised in Groopman's mind the whole question of patients' attitudes, and what part they have in the physician's treatment. He began to sense that this was a neglected area of study and that physicians were not properly trained in fully understanding their patients.
In another case- history later on Groopman working as an assistant for a dedicated physician saw that his employer's technique was to conceal from terminal patients the bitter truth- in order to let them enjoy as best they could the remaining time left. However in one instance concerning a mother and daughter in which the mother was terminally ill, the concealing of the information turned out to be insulting and humiliating to the daughter. Groopman understood from this incident that coddling patients with false hope was also a mistaken way.
In still another incident Groopman saw a doctor- friend of his who all the physicians on the case advised to no longer take radiation treatments as his situation was completely hopeless. The patient insisted on continuing with the treatment and had a remarkable recovery , a 'cure' in which the cancer completely left his system.
In still another case- history Groopman speaks about a courageous patient who without fear rationally evaluated her situation at every stage, was totally realistic in her evaluations, had hope for her recovery and also because of her religious faith, hope for the world- to- come.
In another important instance Groopman talks about his own twenty - year struggle with pain and how he was cured not by a medical treatment but by the wise recommendation of a physician who taught him to move in spite of and against the pain.
All these cases taken together make for complicated understanding of the relation of 'hope ' to 'recovery'- and are valuable not so much because of pointing to some simplistic conclusion and moral but because they show not only the complexity , difficulty, of treating and contending with serious illness but also how central human attitude and wisdom is in facing life's most difficult tests.
A must for any professional in the field of oncology.......2007-09-09
An excellent account of an oncologist's own experience,during his multiple years of training and practice, with a description of actual cases and how the different outcomes of these cases changed the author's approach and understanding of patients with serious and terminal illnesses -mostly cancer-.
This book is the product of the author's emotional journey through understanding how differently patients react to their own diagnoses and circumstances, and why physicians have to treat patients individually, and not as cases of this type or another type of cancer.
It is clear from the stories, that he realized that many patients do not want to hear about statistics, they don't want to know their possibility of survival in 5 years or 10 years in percentages, because all human beings hold on fast to hope, and this is what makes them survive in some incredible cases.
As a physician myself, I recommend this book to all medical students, all students of oncology, and professonals in the field. Please, don't forget that the last thing that a patient loses is hope, and in a background of truthfullness, try to help them hold onto this last resource, which may benefit their immune systems in the struggle against the disease.
Fascinating, Humbling, Inspiring, Educational.......2007-07-13
The Anatomy of Hope is an excellent book that will shock, humble and inspire you. So many books in this genre are thinly-veiled attempts by the authors to push forward their particular view of life (or perhaps more accurately, their view on how life should be led), and quickly become preacher-like and boring. This is not one of those books. It is filled with grim realities, interesting academic observations, tie-ins to what has become the author's take on life and how those facing serious health issue might cope (again, without lecturing), and, in some cases, NOT cope. If nothing else, reading this book will open your eyes to the unbelievable crises a lot of people on this planet face every day, and if you are not one of them, will (should) make you feel very humble and very grateful. On the practical side, the book is inexpensive and a very easy, quick read. Buy it. Although some of the talking heads who do reviews for a living have managed to find areas of the book to criticize (SURPRISE!), you are not going to regret dedicating a few hours of your life to this really incredible narrative. The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness
Enjoyable.......2007-07-11
I like the way Dr. Groopman writes and have always enjoyed his pieces in the New Yorker. This book was no different.
Medicine for the human spirit.......2007-06-09
This is a powerful and illuminating book. It's aim is to reveal and chacaterise the place that hope has in giving patients the will to put themselves through sometims painful therapy or to survive the dark times of illness; to keep going against odds. Groopman is a very intelligent, observant, self-reflecting practitioner, and he has learnt deeply from his mistakes and successes. The book is beautifully written, and is full of gripping and insightful stories about patients and doctors. It's a stirring call for medical practice which goes well beyond mere evidence and professional, technical expertise - embracing the wholeness of the patient in all its complexity.
Book Description
An inspiring and profoundly enlightening exploration of one doctor’s discovery of how hope can change
the course of illness
Since the time of the ancient Greeks, human beings have believed that hope is essential to life. Now, in this groundbreaking book, Harvard Medical School professor and New Yorker staff writer Jerome Groopman shows us why.
The search for hope is most urgent at the patient’s bedside.
The Anatomy of Hope takes us there, bringing us into the lives of people at pivotal moments when they reach for and find hope--or when it eludes their grasp. Through these intimate portraits, we learn how to distinguish true hope from false, why some people feel they are undeserving of it, and whether we should ever abandon our search.
Can hope contribute to recovery by changing physical well-being? To answer this hotly debated question, Groopman embarked on an investigative journey to cutting-edge laboratories where researchers are unraveling an authentic biology of hope. There he finds a scientific basis for understanding the role of this vital emotion in the outcome of illness.
Here is a book that offers a new way of thinking about hope, with a message for all readers, not only patients and their families. "We are just beginning to appreciate hope’s reach," Groopman writes, "and have not defined its limits. I see hope as the very heart of healing."
Customer Reviews:
Gross Anatomy.......2007-08-07
Dissection is the act of "disassembling something to determine its internal structure and the function and relationships of its components."
Dr. Groopman tries to understand the source of hope by dissecting the doctor/patient relationship. The challenge of his approach is that his subjects are still warm and breathing. And the doctor attending to this surgery is also the object of the inquiry. Groopman succeeds at transparency but fails at impartiality and the resulting discussion feels more like a vivisection - painful and of limited value.
Groopman's heart is in the right place and his case studies are exquisite dioramas of people struggling to make physical, emotional and intellectual sense of confusing and complex diseases. And to communicate their hopes, dreams and fears to one another about that process.
Yet, Groopman betrays his bias by closing his book with "science, to my mind, is one of our greatest sources of hope." So it turns out that "how people prevail in the face of illness" is that science gives them that courage. No wonder alternative medicine, healers, roots, herbs, supplements and the like have gained favor in an American public sick of an ivory tower approach to wellness. For Groopman, it's as if there is only one path to health and it runs straight through the lab.
Humility or faith, to my mind, is one of our greatest sources of hope. Science hasn't figured out how to dissect and bottle that magic elixir. For a physician like Groopman, that's clearly the hope that still springs eternal.
Help When Needed.......2007-03-21
I read this book while I was going through chemo - it helped keep my spirits up, and my thoughts positive. I'm cancer-free for two years now.
a doctor who is not afraid to step outside the box.......2005-12-11
OK, so hope sounds too pollyanna for "serious medical students and stiff doctors". I'll tell you about hope. It's deeper and more complex than all the so called "only we know what is good for you, you peon." attitudes put together. All I could think about while reading this book was thank God a doctor with deep compassion had the courage to write it. Here we have a doctor who is not afraid to step outside the box to spend years thinking about the single most important part of any illness, in particluar cancer: hope. I've learned a lot about hope. Granted at 20 years old it was probably the last thing I was thinking and probably thought I had all the knowledge I needed. Now at age 62, I have lived longer than expected, and am a living example of hope. I've lived over three years with lung cancer (the last two as stage IV). I found a doctor with great skill whom I admire for his medical knowledge as a great doctor who does in fact treat people everyday with traditional medicine, but every time I am in his presence I feel an energy of profound hope. You can call it whatever "pop" name you want, it just shows you are not really in the trenches. I survived because of my good doctor and because of hope. Near the end of my life, I learned the greatest, most important and enduring things in life are the most simple, yet somehow complex, with hope being at the very top of the list. I can tell by reading Dr Groopman's book that he is a compassionate human being and knows the true meaning of life, and of hope, and was drawn to it by the title: The Anatomy Of Hope. I wish there were more doctors like my doctor, and like Dr Groopman.
Meaningful and Honest.......2005-11-09
I found this book to be both meaningful and honest, and was glad to see that it avoided so many of the pitfalls of the 'Self Help, Will YOurself to Get Well' books. One of the big messages from Dr. Groopman is summed up in a note on p. 220: 'There is no perfect or single way to provide clinical information to all patients under all circumstances - there is no one size fits all approach...In general, I follow the patient's lead..."
What a important observation; that each patient is an individual, and that it is the doctor's responsibility to impart information, as well as provide care, on an individual basis.
My one concern with the book is the use of the pronoun 'he' to describe each a patient, although half of the patients he speaks of are women. I would have preferred the use of 'he or she' or referring to patients in the plural when not speaking of a specific individual, or to sometimes refer to any patient as he, sometimes as she.
Still, the book is well worth reading.
Let Hope Live!!!.......2005-09-05
I was thrilled when I came across this book. I established a foundation with this name to do just that, keep hope live - called, "Let Hope Live!" My son had a brain tumor and what we faced was constant words of death and literally no possibility of hope anywhere. Aching and searching for hope and possibilities anywhere and everywhere. Everyone was negative.
A famous painting in London, titled Hope, depicts a woman obviously full of despair clinging onto one frail strand, a note of hope. Something to refect on, help the day know some sunshine. This book helps others bring that note to those so in need of hope.
The book is excellent and full of truth. Life's reality is sickness is a reality. I never realized how many sick children there are in the world until we entered the pediatric ward. Few do. Yes that reality is depressing, but this book offers a way to help transform this. My son was not one of the lucky ones. He needed help keeping hope alive. Not sympathy and help dying. Everyone needs the ammunition to help them win the battle... I encourage everyone to read this book. Please pass it on to anyone going through a difficult time. Help them know there is a possibly and they have a reason to fight. Make sure you make that personal visit even when its depressing for you. That medical visit of friendship as Dr Groopman so aptly wrote could save there life. Encourage your children to do this too. I do this as much as I am able with our visits and the children, I call warriors. I do not want anyone to ever experience what my son and I experienced. The prevailing attitude cancer means death needs to be eliminated. The Anatomy of Hope will be highly recommended reading to all I know as well as on our web site.
Thank you Dr Jerome Groopman for helping, "Let Hope Live!"
Kyle Bryce Andrew's mother
Book Description
An inspiring and profoundly enlightening exploration of one doctor’s discovery of how hope can change
the course of illness
Since the time of the ancient Greeks, human beings have believed that hope is essential to life. Now, in this groundbreaking book, Harvard Medical School professor and New Yorker staff writer Jerome Groopman shows us why.
The search for hope is most urgent at the patient’s bedside.
The Anatomy of Hope takes us there, bringing us into the lives of people at pivotal moments when they reach for and find hope--or when it eludes their grasp. Through these intimate portraits, we learn how to distinguish true hope from false, why some people feel they are undeserving of it, and whether we should ever abandon our search.
Can hope contribute to recovery by changing physical well-being? To answer this hotly debated question, Groopman embarked on an investigative journey to cutting-edge laboratories where researchers are unraveling an authentic biology of hope. There he finds a scientific basis for understanding the role of this vital emotion in the outcome of illness.
Here is a book that offers a new way of thinking about hope, with a message for all readers, not only patients and their families. "We are just beginning to appreciate hope’s reach," Groopman writes, "and have not defined its limits. I see hope as the very heart of healing."
Customer Reviews:
The Role Hope Plays in Sustaining Quality of Life.......2004-03-13
I have read this author's books before, and I genuinely like his descriptions about the medical profession. This book particularly explains the tensions that physicians face in the conflict between being frank with patients and yet not taking hope away from them, even in serious circumstances. I believe it's easy for people, when they are well, to say that they would fight an illness with no holds barred, but when reality strikes, that dedication may falter or fail. This book does not gloss over the trials of cancer and other debilitating illnesses, but helped me understand in many ways why different patients react in radically differing ways when facing a crisis of their health. As so many baby boomers are aging themselves or facing the crises of aging parents, this book can be a godsend. But it's not just for those of us who are older. It's a wonderful read by a very interesting, compelling writer.
Book Description
Featuring the very best recipes from her weekly Seattle-Post Intelligencer column “Fresh from the Garden,” Ann Lovejoy's newest book consolidates her passion for gardening and cooking into a year-round celebration of fresh, organic ingredients. Organized by season, her simple, uncluttered recipes emphasize bright flavors, aromatic herbs, and an abundance of fresh produce — from familiar favorites like raspberries and zucchini to more exotic items such as garlic tips and dandelion greens. Recipes include Lavender Lemonade, Grilled Prawns with Pumpkin Seed Salsa, Garlic Turkey with Green Peppercorn Gravy, Cress and Fennel Soup, Ginger-Berry Shortcake, and many more. Lovejoy offers a wealth of advice on selecting and growing specific varieties of produce, and her time-tested organic gardening tips are designed to help readers make the most of their growing year.
Customer Reviews:
Great for Northwest eaters.......2007-09-26
Ann Lovejoy, better known as a gardening writer, writes a weekly food column for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and this cookbook draws from her columns. The cookbook is organized by season, and recipes rely on foods that can be grown or bought in the west-of-Cascades Pacific Northwest (both vegetarian and not). She believes in local, organic food where possible; she is careful about sodium and fat (but maybe carbohydrate-heavy for diabetics); most recipes are for 4 servings (2 adults and 2 teenage boys) and many are vegetarian. Flesh recipes usually rely on chicken and seafood rather than beef and pork. She encourages experimentation.
The book provides seasonal recipes and menus and includes growing tips for home gardeners. Recipes we like include Asparagus with Shallot, Thyme, Parsley and Lemon Sauce (spring) and Hot Chicken Noodle Salad (also spring). Page numbers are in the outer page margins, which makes recipes easy to find, but the index gives them under main ingredients rather than recipe titles.
We have tried dozens of Ann's recipes, both from the book and her columns since she wrote the book. (She is one of the few food writers I collect every week.) I like some of her recipes and don't like others, but I recommend the book in spite of personal reservations about specific recipes--there is probably something here you will like or can adapt. Our typical complaint when we don't like a recipe is that it isn't highly seasoned. This book might not help someone in Minnesota, but it does work well anywhere with a Mediterranean-type climate, and ideas can be adapted to local foods.
The book is in print in Sept. 2007. It is worthwhile if you can get fresh ingredients and are willing to experiment with seasoning.
Books:
- Elizabeth I (World Leaders Past and Present)
- Ettore Sottsass Ceramics
- Eva Hesse Drawing
- Every Man Will Do His Duty: An Anthology of Firsthand Accounts from the Age of Nelson
- Everything you want to know about TM, including how to do it: A look at higher consciousness and the enlightenment industry
- Exhibiting Experimental Art in China
- Explorers and Artists in the Valley of the Kings
- Faberge & the Russian Master Goldsmiths
- From Schongauer to Holbein: Master Drawings from Basel and Berlin
- From the South Seas
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Smart Couples Finish Rich: 9 Steps to Creating a Rich Future for You and Your Partner
- Easy Origami
- Winning Through Intimidation
- 101 Signs of Design: Timeless Truths from Genesis
- Applying UML and Patterns: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design and Iterative Deve
- For Whom the Bell Tolls
- Creatures of Empire: How Domestic Animals Transformed Early America
- All Fishermen Are Liars: True Tales from the Dry Dock Bar
- Wiley CPA Examination Review 2004, Business Environment and Concepts
- Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams: Volume 3
Dr. America: The Lives of Thomas A. Dooley, 1927-1961 (Culture, Politics, and the Cold War)
A Commonwealth of Hope: The New Deal Response to Crisis (The American Moment)
Confessions of a White House Ghost Writer: Five Presidents and Other Political Adventures
Jim Crow Moves North: The Battle over Northern School Segregation, 18651954 (Cambridge Historical Studies in American Law and Society)
