C-Section Books

I loved this book. As a person who had a cesarean that I thought was necessary, and one that I thought I had mostly come to terms with, I wasn't sure what this book would offer, but the experiences of the other women were able to put in writing really spoke to me. It spoke to the core of my experience, and the frustrations, fear, and sadness that I experienced.

This book is great for anyone out there who doubts themselves about their birth experience. You are not alone, and this book is comforting that complex emotions are valid following a cesarean section. Unique, to my knowledge.

Should be read by every expectant parent, and by everyone who may ever come into contact with a new mother-to-be. This books shows why cesareans aren't 'just another way to have a baby.' They're major surgery. They're often emotionally devastating- and the things that new mothers hear most ('All that matters is a healthy baby') often belittle the emotional impact of birth on recovery and bonding.

Straight out of the mouths of the women who have been cut. We're all supposed to just be happy that our baby is healthy. But it does matter what women go through. It affects parenting, confidence, future health. Cesarean Voices is raw and emotional, watch out, it may turn your world upside down.

If it weren't for stories like these, I don't know how I would have survived that first year after my c-section. I desperately needed to know that the unexpected feelings I had about it were not unusual. Not everyone has negative feelings about their c-sections, but for those who have doubts that they can't quite put their finger on (like I did), this is a landmark book. I also found it to be a very helpful tool in explaining my experiences with other people.

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I throughly enjoyed this book - most likely because I spent the majority of my life in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately a good unbiased viewpoint is very hard to come by, so I relished the opportunity to fill in a few gaps in my understanding. The flip side of this is that it appears that the authors let a few characters off lightly, on both sides.

The issue I believe is that the situation is very fluid in that part of the world, and events often come to light that change perceptions of various characters. The famous 'They haven't gone away' remark from Mr Adams isn't mentioned for example, and this casts him in a rather different light than is presented in the book.

I do applaud the authors however for not glossing over the lowpoints of Northern Ireland's recent history. Whilst sometimes painful to read, it does help dispel the fairytale fancy of those who have been led to regard murderers as 'freedom fighters'. I just wish that the authors hadn't given their apologists such a light hand.

All in all, if you are new to the area I'd highly recommend this one. This book is a great startpoint but shouldn't be your last read on the matter.

I found this book to be a little bit dry at times, though on the other hand, the descriptions of the violence at the hands of both the IRA and other republican groups and by the Unionist/loyalist groups were quite graphic. Still, it was quite easy to keep up with who was who and who was on which side, something that can sometimes be a problem in a history book. The authors gave a pretty balanced perspective--I do think they were a little more on the Catholic side, but overall, it was balanced. I do wish they had gone more into the background. Why did the British send the Protestants to Catholic Ireland in the first place, and how did the two sides get along before the 20th century? This is glossed over, though I guess what information is given is sufficient. It does whet my appetite to know more, however.

David McKittrick and David McVea present a thoughtful, excellent overview of sectarian strife in Northern Ireland since the 1960's, giving a balanced look at both the Protestant and Catholic communities. They begin with a superb brief historical sketch on the origins and early history of Northern Ireland, chronicling its major events from its inception in 1921 through the 1960's. They offer many fascinating portraits of prominent British, Irish and Northern Irish politicians and terrorists, ranging from the likes of diehard Protestant minister Ian Paisley to former IRA member Gerry Adams. This is quite simply one of the best books I've read on recent Northern Irish history and may be the best historical overview on the origins and current state of "The Troubles".

I read this before a trip to Northern Ireland this summer, where I met with politicians, community leaders and artists. After reading the book, I felt very comfortable with the main themes and events of the Troubles, and several people commented that I seemed particularly well-versed in the history of the conflict (I knew next to nothing even a year before my trip). The book is well-written and balanced, and gives a thorough introduction to the troubles. I recommend reading it after a brief overview of general Irish history (such as "Modern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction") and, of course, as much Joyce as time allows.

This book is an excellent resource for the "just in case" situation. It is very detailed! Great buy and easy to read/understand.

Very handy format! Loved the sections entitled WORDS FROM THE WISE and TALKING POINTS! This book has great "zoom-in" capability with a focus on the most important considerations in make a decision on whether or not to have a C-section. A must-read for every mother-to-be. Thanks, Rita Rubin!

I purchased this book and found it to be a fact-packed and easy ready, full of helpful but not preachy information. I also happen to work with Rita, so I know first-hand that she brings trusted expertise to the topic. Valuable reading for any pregnant woman about what to expect, the risks and benefits of the procedure, and how to face recovery.

Even though more women are having c-sections than ever before, I'd prefer not to have one. But, until I happened to come across this book, I didn't think there was much I could do to avoid having a c-section. I found a lot of good advice in this book about what I can do now, early in my pregnancy, to raise my chances of delivering my baby vaginally next summer. And if I do end up needing a c-section after all, I think I'll be better prepared for having read What If I Have a C-Section?, because it goes into a lot of detail about the operation itself and recovery.

This book proved more helpful than I could have imagined! I ended up having an emergency C-section and was glad that I had reviewed this book in advance. Afterwards, I didn't have a lot of free time to read, but this book proved succinct and easy to reference with my "now what?" questions.

This is NOT an etymological reference work (for which I recommend Ayto), but rather a mentally stimulating 300 pages for browsing.

Don't expect to find a particular word and don't try to read it all at once. Instead, keep it by the bedside or in the car and read a page or two when you have a spare minute.

It's a bit dated, and some entries are obscure or unfamiliar, but Harry Potter fans will delight to find such words as basilisk and mandrake.

There are many such non-academic books on the stories of word origins, but this one among many has somehow captured my preference. The balance of etymology and history provides many delightful little ah-hah! moments of new insights and connections.

This is best illustrated by example:

I just now randomly opened the book to page 58, where we learn that the bird 'canary' is indeed from the Canary Islands, which are so named in Pliny the Elder's account of the journey, in 40 B.C., of Juba, the Mauritanian chief, through the Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar Strait) to an island overrun with dogs which he named Canaria, Latin for 'Island of Dogs' (canine).

In the next 3 pages one learns (in much greater detail):

The Latin 'cancelli', for lattice, gave us the word 'cancel' from the appearance of hash marks in the days before erasers (whose usage gave us the noun 'rubber').

Roman candidates for public office wore white as a sign of purity (like brides today), so 'candidatus' (clothed in white) gave us candidate, candor, and candid.

When Christopher Columbus landed in Cuba, the people explained they were Canibales, a dialectal pronunciation of Caribes, from which we get cannibal and Caribbean.

'Canopy' comes from the Greek konops, mosquito, for the purpose of the net it held.

One 'canters' on a horse when riding leisurely toward CANTERbury Cathedral for a picnic at the grave of Thomas a Becket, who was murdered in 1170 by his pal, King Henry II.

'Canvas' comes from the Latin for hemp, cannabis.

'Caper' and 'caprice' describe the antics of goats, the Latin for which is 'capra' (Capricorn). Elsewhere he explains how the leap of a goat, cabriolet in Latin, gave us 'cab', with taxi (like tax) indicating the necessity of paying a toll.

That's a summary of just three pages. A different sort of example from page 203 describes the amphibian once called an efeta and still today called an 'eft' in some regions. By tonal similarity, this became eveta. Since v and u were written the same, it became eueta. Just as 'due' sounds like 'dew', it became ewta, then ewte. Finally, the 'n' migrated, so that 'an ewte' became 'a newt'.

If you've read this far and enjoyed it, you'll like this book. Otherwise, forget it.

It's uncanny how often these factoids subsequently turn up in conversation or on Jeopardy the very same week you read it.

I reviewed this book a few years ago but now that I have lived with it I think it is interesting and fun to read. The origin of many idioms and phrases is entertaining.

Today I again wished I still had access to THEREBY HANGS A TALE. I had read most of it years ago while staying with a friend and have missed its delightful insights into how our language grows and changes. Each word's origin is explained with great humor and insight. This time, however, instead of just feeling blue for not having it, I searched Amazon.com [bless them and their search engine] and by golly, Ollie, I found it. I can't wait to lay eyes and mind again on its wondrous pages. If you don't already love words and their deeper meanings, this may stimulate you into a grand new experience with one of life's simple pleasures.

I have always loved to explore word origins, which is why I love this book. While many of the origins are what you would expect, there are a few gems whose origin is most unusual. The word origins also show what a mongrel the English language is, with words developed using input from every corner of Europe, the Islamic areas of North Africa and Asia and even as far away as British India. It was fascinating to learn how so many of our words had a different form in one language and was altered two or three times before reaching the final form that we know today. I strongly recommend this to anyone interested in word origins or who just wants to learn something while doing some recreational reading.

These are wonderful books and very thorough. This book is full of beautiful old New Orleans mansions, the pictures are small, but every discription of a home has a requisite photo. The text is highly informative and the book is well researched. New Orleans is blessed with so many beautiful mansions and many reside in this section of the city. Reading this book, reminds me how special and unique this city is, as well as how beautiful the city can be. Highly recommended.

I have read several volumes in this set and this one (vol. VIII - 1997) is the best.

This is more than merely a coffee table ornament. It is meant to be a poweful tool for equipping people to actively work for the preservation of the South's most architecturally rich and complicated city.

It is difficult to imagine a finer work of this size and scope.

First, the publisher (Pelican of the suburb of Gretna, LA) has spared no expense. Cover to cover, all 215pp. are packed with the highest quality photographs, maps and illustrations. The paper is glossy, sturdy, 8.5 x 11.

Second, the writing is uniformly precise and compelling, and moves at a good pace. rarely dry.

Third, the scope is manageable and makes good sense. The University Section, as conceived here, consists of the area around Tulane and Loyola, and extending south to the river. Thus Audubon Park, Hurstville, Bloomingdale, Burtheville, Marlyville, Greeneville, Friburg, etc. are all included. This includes from Lowerline and several streets west of the Park to Joseph and Arabella in the east, and from the river up to Clairbourne.

Fourth, the archtecture history is woven into the general history of the neighborhood and of New Orleans. Someone with no interest at all in the architecture would still glean much about the lager developments of the city, and of Uptown in particular. Politics, environment and social history are included.

Fifth, the maps and photos (hundreds of them) are used well to illustrate and make sense of complicated trends in the neighborhood. They are arranged in a very helpful and easily understood manner.

Hundreds of the homes are displayed, from the humble to the opulent, arranged by street address. Further, a chart is provided with the dates, architects, etc. of dozens of these homes and buildings.

An index is accurate and fairly thorough.

I have to really strain to identify any criticisms.
1. Wish there was a simpel modern map at the beginning showing the precise boundaries of this University Section, and all other sections in this series.
2. P. 16 shows a detail of a map from an Atlas of the City of New Orleans, leaving teh reader to wonder about the date of that work.

I would recommend, as a companion and supplement, Lloyd Vogt, New Orleans Houses (1985). Vogt gives even more exacting architectural detail, but does not provide nearly as much on the broader historical context.

This volume in the N.O. Architecture series by the Friends of the Cabildo is, in my opinion, the best of the entire series. Perhaps it is because this is the section of the city in which I spend most of my time, a place to which I've become rather attached. Anyone who enjoys architecture will probably like this book, not just New Orleanians.

Growing up in this section of New Orleans, I was pleasantly surprised to see several homes of my childhood friends. No other city in the U.S. has such distinct and diverse neighborhood architecture. Another great volume in a GREAT series.

I bought this book before travellin for one week to New York City. It enlightens the never-been-before traveller and gives a great scent of the city, dividing it into themes. I like most of the stories and even the ones that don't sound so amazing will teach you something! great buy :)

This ia great book which explores the vast reaches of the city. Its written by a group of great story tellers who are masters of their craft.

Welcome to Editor Constance Rosenblum's "New York Stories: The Best of the City Section of the New York Times."

Scattered across four sections, forty stories are poised, waiting to be set free. Free to voice a singular truth. Free to join a chorus of commonality.

From exploding homes, to pickup basketball as culture, readers are spirited to central park: an island of calm amongst a sea of chaos. Then sip latté ala Starbucks that serves up not only foamy caffeine, but also temporary living space for chronically pigeonholed apartment dwellers. Don't look up, as spiraling heights await degree-wielding window washers, while far below, ocean-spawned breakers seduce urban surf hounds shoreward. Nowhere else, but this land of improbable realities, is it feasible to imagine a hopeful, newly licensed driver who could bake her birthday cakes under the combined heat of forty-plus candles.

Readers of all slants may pluck strands from this fabled city's Golden Fleece; yanking urban myths from whispered shadows into unflinching light. Meet the Collyer brothers who appear, not merely as compulsive collectors, but as fellow human beings lured down a tragic path. Pass by the King of Slugs, a man who cheated the subway, but eventually paid in full. Then chance upon an indiscernible man of the streets and discover he has more than a handful of change; he has a name. Finally, after diving for sunken treasure, sit vigil with a young nurse over a boy who, one day, fell from the sky.

New York, larger than life? No. It is life.

On occasion, I read two books at about the same time which are an "odd couple" indeed. For example, this book and Dale Maharidge's Denison, Iowa. As editor, Constance Rosenblum focuses on the "glories, frustrations, and peculiar appeal" of New York City and the same can be said of Maharidge's perspectives on Denison. Although there are many stunning differences between the two cultures, both exemplify the best and worst of what is often referred to as the "American Experience."

With regard to this book, Rosenblum has assembled a selection of articles which first appeared in the Best of the City section in the Sunday edition of the New York Times. In quite different ways, they reveal what she calls "the essence of one of the world's extraordinary places." The material is organized within four Parts: A Sense of Place, Moods and Mores, New Yorkers, and City Lore. Articles are grouped accordingly although several could be included in several of the four. The variety of subjects and points-of-view seem especially appropriate to New York. For example:

In "The House on 11th Street," Mel Gussow reflects back three decades to when young radicals blew up an elegant brownstone house in Greenwich Village, sharing "echoes of the past" which continue to linger.

In "Nothing But Net," Thomas Beller describes "a patch of asphalt" in a West Village playground which seems like an "empty page in the urban landscape" because it needs players "to give it meaning."

In "The Allure of the Ledge," Ivor Hanson explains why the window washer is "the ultimate risk taker, the ultimate voyeur" while "working close to the clouds."

In "The Ballad of Sonny Payne," Steven Kurutz explains why one panhandler on the F Train, "the man with the white beard and gentle eyes," is so popular, indeed loved.

In "My Neighborhood, Its Fall and Rise," Vivian Gornick discusses the West Farms area of the Bronx, "dreary" in the 1950s and "desolate" in the 1970s, which is beginning to recover.

In my opinion, it would be a mistake to assume that only New Yorkers or those who once lived in New York will fully understand and appreciate the material in articles such as these. On the contrary. To be sure, New Yorkers (i.e. residents of any of the five boroughs) have a distinctive style and personality. At least in Manhattan, the pace of most human activities is often frantic. Yes, some people can seem competitive and perhaps confrontational. Throughout almost 50 years, my own experiences suggest that most New Yorkers can be -- and often are -- friendly and helpful when treated with courtesy and respect. That said, they are far more diverse and complicated than facile stereotypes presume to suggest. Nor can any single volume such as this one do full justice to the nature and extent of their shared culture. Credit Rosenblum on her skillful selection of articles. Credit, also, their authors who explore the "glories, frustrations, and peculiar appeal" of a city unlike any other.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Writing New York: A Literary Anthology, edited by Phillip Lopate and available in a paperbound edition. Also the aforementioned 110 Stories: New York Writes After September 11 edited by Ulrich Baer, also available in a paperbound edition.

Richard S. Dunn examines the British colonialization of the West Indies. Dunn considers numerous colonies, but Barbados takes early preeminence. Dunn discusses the adventurers of the first twenty years, mostly small-scale farmers; the cavalier-planters of the 1640s and '50s, Royalist exiles who fled the English Civil War; and the slaves who became a majority of the population in the period Dunn considers.

Dunn offers a detailed contrast between the lives of the planter elite and the enslaved majority. This is a landmark work in the history of plantation agriculture in the West Indies.

The work should also interest readers of Southern history. Dunn compares the rise of a cavalier elite in Barbados to the same development in Virginia. Planters from the West Indies, especially Barbados, dominated the early years of the colony of (South) Carolina.

Other works on this period of West Indian history are Richard Sheridan's Sugar and Slavery and Gary Puckrein's Little England. Works by Hilary Beckles examine the lives of women and Blacks in this period of West Indian history.

Dunn does an excellent job of explaining the planter class in the West Indies. His research is excellent and his writing style is clear and devoid of that crazy academic jargon so often found in history books. This is my first book on planters and it gave me a good fund of knowledge on the histories of Barbados, the Leeward Islands, and Jamaica, and it outlined in detail how the planters made or lost money. For me, it's Dunn's careful unraveling of the planters' financial arrangements and entanglements that made this book absolutely hard to put down!

In "Sugar and Slaves," Richard Dunn shows not only the brutality of the West Indies slave trade that revolved around sugar, but also how slave owners "created a society...radically different from the one they left at home." He notes that while these planters brought with them to the islands their laws, church and social institutions, these settlers early on "developed their own lifestyle...bent by their eager embrace of African slavery." (46) Dunn persuasively argues that European planters who came to the West Indies traveled literally and figuratively "beyond the line" of normal, British social conventions, and created a world in which "everything goes," particularly the exploitation of slaves and natives in the creation of a dominant master class. These rapacious men, he argues, quickly adapted to harsh climatic conditions by abandoning the use of lower class but white indentured servants in favor of exploitable, controllable Negroes once the sugar boom created a demand. "The rape's progress was fatally easy," Dunn notes: "from exploiting the English poor to abusing colonial bondservants to ensnaring kidnaps and convicts to enslaving black Africans." (73) Unlike his Chesapeake or Lowcountry counterpart, the West Indies sugar lord produced nothing but his staple crop, and relied instead on imports for all other necessities. "In short, the English sugar planter was more strictly a businessman than the senhor de engenho of Brazil." (65) This was a marked difference from other English settlement and colonization patterns, which Dunn concludes is evidence of the atypical class of planter the Caribbean islands fashioned.

Mary Buckles develops a great relationship with life on the Sound and shares it so gracefully with the reader. There are so few books available about the Sound, and hers is one of the best.

I met Mary Parker Buckles 20 years ago and immediately fell for her. Articulate, witty and graced with the style of a native Southerner, she enthralled me. After reading her book on Long Island Sound, I just fell for her again. It's an articulate, witty and graceful look at all that grows along and in the sound.

This is a beautiful and enchanting book. Mary Parker Buckles initiates the reader into the teeming vitality, ceaseless creativity, and mesmerizing wonder that is Long Island Sound. The familiar, but oh so strange world of owls and ospreys, barnacles and crabs, bivalves and boats, are engagingly explored by Mary -- a true natural scientist, but with a poet's eye. I cannot recommend this book enough. It is superbly well written, and in her elegant, imaginative, playful, even rapturous style Mary helps the reader to discover the magic that lies hidden in plain sight throughout this natural habitat. Mary seems to pour her soul into the Sound, and what emerges is a lyrical voice that speaks of wonders too fair for words.

John R. Walsh and Thomas Bradley are a pair of expert history and religion teachers. They draw upon their considerable expertise in A History Of The Irish Church 400-700 AD, offering the reader a straightforward overview of the 300 year time span that characterized a true golden age in Irish art and an era when Ireland earned its lasting and justifiable reputation as a land of saints and scholars. A deftly researched study, narrated in a style as completely accessible to non-specialist general readers as it is to history scholars, A History Of The Irish Church 400-700 AD is a welcome and recommended addition to Irish History and Christian Historical Studies supplemental reading lists and library reference collections.

There have, over the past several years, been many texts highlighting the unique contribution of the Irish church to the preservation of the church, culture, and general literacy and administrative strength to Western civilisation. This book by John Walsh and Thomas Bradley fits well in this genre, exploring the history of the Irish church from the years 400-700, roughly corresponding to the time period from the fall of Rome to the beginnings of medievalism in Europe.

During this period, Ireland was saved much of the trouble caused during the general collapse of the Roman Imperial establishment and way of life across Western Europe, as such Imperium had never been established in Ireland. Even the Christianity that was brought over assumed a different character pastorally, academically and liturgically from its British and Continental sources. Walsh and Bradley begin with a brief chapter on Christianity prior to the advent of Patrick, and then devote three chapters to looking at Patrick, the great apostle to the Irish, in terms of who he was, his mission and its setting, and the Church at Armagh.

Following this, Walsh and Bradley look at Irish monasticism, its origins in France and Britain, and the way in which monastic structures came to rival the more traditional diocesan pattern of church authority and administration. Different theories are advanced, including the possibility of plague and the fact that Ireland lacked the secular Diocletian-instituted settings of administration the Continental church co-opted. Walsh and Bradley also look at the character of Irish monastic life liturgically, architecturally, administratively, and from a day-to-day living basis. Many leading Irish thinkers and saints came from the monastic tradition, and many of these leaders are highlighted.

Of particular note for Walsh and Bradley are Colum Cille, an Irish monastic who worked in Britain, and Columba, who saw as his mission field the areas of Continental Europe. Colum Cille was the first great Irish missionary abroad. Colum Cille might have had royal positions had he not turned his attention to the church instead. His upper-class connections likewise might have provided a respectability for the church among the royal and aristocratic classes, and ultimately providing it with an authority beyond simple moral authority. Colum Cille continued as a monastic to be involved in secular affairs, perhaps even being the cause of battles and strife such that he was driven into exile, where he established the community at Iona, famous to this day, and mother monastery to other famous places, such as Kells.

Columba is a very accessible person, having been a prolific writer who established communities and schools with libraries across the continent. Columba's missions took him all across Gaul, and into Italy and Germanic territories. His influence went even further afield, as did that of Irish monasticism generally, as people from Britain and the Continent decided to be trained and educated in the monasteries in Ireland, and then return to their homes with such influence as would be gained there.

Walsh and Bradley conclude by exploring issues such as the Easter-dating controversy and the wider issues it raised for local autonomy and diversity over against central authority and uniformity of practice, and by looking at the unique character and qualities of Celtic art as expressed through Irish Christian artists. Celtic crosses and illuminated manuscripts are but a few of the magnificent productions of this period.

Overall, this is a well-written and engaging book, meant for the casual reader as well as the general scholar. It includes a few endnotes with each chapter, and a bibliography arranged with general titles as well as resources specific to each chapter and topic covered. There are several basic but useful maps highlighting locations in Ireland, Britain and Continental Europe of monasteries, missions, and other important landmarks.

Columba Press (name for St. Columba, 'the dove of the church') is a growing press based in Ireland, begun in 1985 with three titles relating to religious and spiritual themes. Since then, they have grown substantially and now publish across a broad range of areas, including pastoral resources, spirituality, theology, the arts, and history. With over 200 books in print, they add another 30 or so each year. Additionally, they are the British/Irish/European distributors for many other titles in the same fields.

If you're interested in the future of journalism, as a reader or writer, this is a book you will want to own. A broad overview of how the power and appeal of human stories, the impact of historical events, and online media are molding America's new front page. Backed by impeccable research and compelling examples, this book is guaranteed to stimulate conversation, provoke new ideas, and change how you look at the news.

This book is highly thoughtful and extremely well written. It is unusual for an academic book to be so interesting and thought-provoking. The argument is true and provides a keen observation into the narrative that is the modern media. Buy this book!