End-of-Life Books

I loved this book so much I'm buying one for my church library and some for friends. I witnessed my own glimpses of heaven through my grandparents and if those won't make you believe in God, nothing will. If you have suffered the loss of a loved one, this book will provide great comfort for you.

Glimpses of Heaven was incredibly comforting. I lost my mother 2 years ago and this book seemed to help put it all into perspective for me. The stories were heartwarming instead of sad or devastating. The writing was excellent, you almost felt like you were right there with the characters. Excellent book if you are struggling with understanding death in the elderly and how you can help them to make that transition when the time comes.

This book was very heartwarming. The people that work in Hopice are angels. This book really helped me understand what a family member is going thru. Death is not an end just, another beinning.

As a former hospice nurse, and now pastor, this book was an affirmation of all of the experiences I have also been blessed with in both vocations. Trudy Harris HAS written a book full of vignettes that provide hope and peace for the natural process of death...and a wonderful glimpse of the Life yet to be!

This is a must read. I couldn't put it down. The stories are very moving and really touches your heart. It really gets you to thinking of how things will be for us. I have hope through this book. Look forward for a Vol II.


God Bless,
Linda

Having children myself - this book really hit home. So many truths and anecdotes for a new mom. I've made this my staple in every shower gift I give.

This book is full of wisdom and humor, in bite-sized pieces that even the most harried new mom can find time to enjoy. The advice is full of understanding from the author's having "been there" and every new parent will find themselves in this book's pages. This is an excellent gift for new parents. And don't forget to buy an extra copy to donate to your local library!

This book is an amazing mix of humor and inspiration and easy to read in those few free moments as a new mom! A perfect shower gift for new mom's!

Awesome book. Easy to read and very sympathetic to us hubbies. Great format. Made me laugh a lot!

$10.20 plus shipping doesn't do this precious book justice. Open the pages and with each entry, inhale the wit and charm and love. It's all TRUE. These smart words not only apply to new moms, older moms like me relish the memories. Gift yourself and every woman you know with this tender and insightful bible.

This was one of the most moving Christian testimonies I have read. It is the amazing biography of Ernest Gordon, a British POW in Japanese occupied Thailand. The book is more than that though. The personal and historical account of To End All Wars provides the reader with tremendous hope born in the midst of suffering. In the same spirit as Corrie Ten Boon's the Hiding Place, this work writes about the difficulty of finding and protecting the value of human life through the power of God's love and forgiveness. Such was the key to Ernest Gordon's end to the war and for many of his fellow inmates, and it is a message that is repeated throughout the account. There are many moments when such self-sacrificing love is put to the test. One defining moment was when the prisoners administered aid to wounded Japanese soldiers who were previously their captors at the very end of the war. The title of my review comes from a quote from Mr. Gordon taken from this event. The book itself is a testament to the grace and mercy of God, which offered these defeated men a restoration of their souls through forgiveness rather than maintain in their hearts the bitterness of hatred despite the cruelty they suffered. A truly powerful and soul-stirring book!

This is one of the best books I've read so far... Though it may appear repetitive at times (there's really little else the author could write about beside what's happening in the POW camps along the Kwai), the reflection on the human condition and the supreme virtue of self-sacrifice in the footsteps of Jesus Christ is written with much poignancy and profundity. The epilogue is a tour de force for its penetrating criticism of the 'civilised' society the author returned to after the war. The reverse culture shock he experienced is a haunting reminder of how that still small voice can be so easily drowned out in the cacophony of modern society.

My wife and I had watched the movie a couple months ago (be warned: it is incredibly brutal) and been moved by the power of the story. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the book and the move are not the same story. In fact, other than the similarity of the major premise (a British officer in a Japanese POW camp during WW2), they had almost nothing in common.

However. . .

That was only disappointing insomuch as I kept waiting for certain events from the movie to show up. The movie had colored my expectations for the book, which meant I couldn't take the book on its own merits. Which is too bad, because, upon completing the book, I would say it is as powerful as the movie, perhaps even more so. But you have to let the book speak for itself. The story is truly miraculous, as this band of prisoners devolve into a wild bunch of animals at the hands of their captors, only to be transformed by the Spirit of Christ into a true Community of compassion and care. Somehow, in the midst of hell, these men found the power to love each other, to care for each other, to even forgive their Japanese tormentors. When people ask "Does Christianity work?", the story of this book says "absolutely!" And in a day and age of spiteful attacks, divisive language, polarized religions and selfish money-grubbing politicians and religious leaders, there is a real lesson here about what being a True Follower of Christ is all about.

It's a difficult, but true message. The author takes an unflinching look at the evil that men are capable of through his own personal experience in Japanese prison camps and carries you through the experience on to the brilliant hope on the other side of his own personal pain. The underlying truth you discover is the genuine potential to be found in one man's selfless, sacrificial care for another. It's an excellent read.

Formally published as "Miracle on the River Kwai" and renamed to coincide with a new movie. This book was written by Ernest Gordon a Scottish Army officer who served in the South Pacific During the war.

Back Story
During that time the Japanese advanced on Singapore, and Gordon and a few other officers try to escape on a chartered sailboat. After being captured at sea, he was incarcerated and sent to a work camp in Thailand, building the infamous railway of death, where nearly 80,000 prisoners lost their life in a little over a year. This railway and the Chungkai prison camp are the real back story to the Oscar winning film "Bridge On the River Kwai."

What the classic movie doesn't tell you is the horrific condition and constant death that the builders of the bridge met with on a daily basis.

The Book
The story is a recount of Ernest Gordon's experiences at the camp and his witness to that camps transformation from what he called "the worst that man could be" to the "best that man could be."

The book starts with Gordon laying in the hospital at Chungkai, called the "Death House" by the prisoners as there was very few he came back from the hospital. Gordon then flashes back to what led him here, and then continues from that point and tells of the camps transformation. Before Gordon wound up in the hospital the camp was very much "every man for himself" animal instinct and the law of the jungle dictated who lived and who died. During Gordon's stay at the hospital while he was suffering and near death with Beriberi, Tropical Ulcers, Malaria, and Amoebic Dysentery, he propped himself up, void of hope, and penned a last letter to his parents. That was his low point. He was nursed back to health by two other POW's Dinty Moore, and Dusty Miller. Both bartered for food and medicine, cleaned his ulcers, massaged his legs to reverse the atrophy and gave him encouragement to give him the hope he needed to recover. These two men became an inspiration to the rest of the camp, and like Ernest Gordon, many started to emulate their kindness willingness to help others. Dusty Miller a devote Christian also read the bible to Gordon which inspired him. Gordon then started to hold bible studies with other in the camp; they often shared bibles that men had smuggled in. This led to a spiritual revival of the camp, where men helped each other to survive. The camp changed from a group of individuals to a community that served each other with the same love that Christ had shown them in the bible. Many more survived the wrath of the Japanese as a result of the selfless acts of the camp members, in one part of the book one enlisted soldier, admits that he stole a shovel (which he didn't) just to save the lives of his co-prisoners, that soldier was immediately beaten to death, but his sacrifice as well as others, were what changed to mood of the camp.

The Legacy
This spiritual revival, not only led to many surviving the camp, but transcended into their life after the war. Gordon's epilogue was probably the best part of the book where he paints his perspective against the backdrop of the post-war error.

"We returned to a world divided by hatreds. We thought we had come home to a world at peace; instead we found a world already preparing for the next war. Having had as much reason to hate as anybody, we had overcome hatred."

"We had seen a vision of far horizons and caught a glimpse of the City of God in all its beauty and this vision seemed to be part of a different world."

Summary
Overall the book is very interesting, and is an intriguing story of suffering and hope. Gordon's style is very easy to read, almost like he's sitting next you telling the story. The descriptions of the people and the camp are genuine and I had no problem understanding and even "knowing" many of the characters in the book.

Editorial
It's one thing read about the word of God and the acts of Jesus, it's an entirely different think to witness it first hand as Gordon does and writes about with stunning detail. If found this to be an inspiring story of the grace of God that is given, by giving up selfishness. I have learned a lot about what true Christian's look like after reading this book. If you want my opinion, Christ looked a lot more like Dusty Miller and Ernest Gordon, than the face of modern evangelical minister today.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to see the how God's Grace can transform the most desperate situations

If I could, I would thank Winonah LaDuke in person for writing such an important, informative and engaging book on the travesty that is the North American government's view of native land and those who inhabit it. The numerous tribes who make the land their home are forced to co-exist with the insensitive, selfish and literally toxic decisions made by government and corporations who dump tons upon tons of toxic pesticides in their water and on "abandoned" land. These lands are also subject to divebombings from military jets. These are illegal decibel levels that drive those within hearing range to points of mental instability, as well as potential hearing loss.

One of the most important quotes from this book that I remember (since I read this book a couple of years ago in a Native/African-American Women's Studies course) was from a Seminole leader who said, "Selling your land for a price is like selling a piece of your mother." [I paraphrase this.] I couldn't agree more. When I remember that quote, I think about all of the animals, vegetation and tribes (consisting of families and friends) who have lived off of the land of the United States, as well as Canada. How can one possibly put a price on something that can't truly be owned by anyone and is its own autonomous entity. Even if people have the illusion that they can occupy land as territory (because of treaties, as an example) does not mean that it is ever their to keep. LaDuke makes several strong examples of this in the book. We can't continue to pollute, abuse and neglect land without paying a price environmentally or in terms of human quality of life and mortaiity. I believe everyone should read this book, regardless of occupation, national origin or territorial location. We need to face the damage done before more of it goes unacknowledged. Thank you, Winonah.

Spoon-fed news by large media corps, few were aware that Winona LaDuke ran for the vice presidency under Ralph Nader in the 2000 elections. Even fewer know that she is also a Native American eco-philosopher with a critical perspective on the health and future prosperity of America. All Our Relations is particularly instructive, in that LaDuke surveys the entire American landscape (and by landscape, I am not merely referring to the political landscape), showing the deep connections that exist between local cultures, their environments, and the corporate-governmental giants that often compromise their health. Although LaDuke has specifically focused on Native American communities, the stories are engaging and instructive for Americans in general. Informative, powerful, and transformative, LaDuke here provides an antidote for our increasing alienation from the land and biota that sustain us. A must read for any conscious American.

ALL OUR RELATIONS by Indigenous Activist Winona LaDuke is a must read for everyone who cares about our earth. LaDuke presents the state of the environment focusing on several land, treaty rights and toxic exposure struggles on reservations across North America and in Hawaii. Since I met Winona when she was an economics student at Harvard, she has been at the heart of struggles and gains made by indigenous communities, always bringing a keen intellect, diligent research, unswerving commitment, and a broad vision of the whole circle to community and tribal issues.
Because I've known many of the people involved in the essential work LaDuke describes in ALL OUR RELATIONS, it was a personal pleasure to read this book and catch up with what Susannah Santos and her cousins are doing on the Columbia River, be updated on Luana Busby and Melani Trask and the Hawaiian indigenous movement and to get the inside details of the complex political fight Winona's son's father and his people are up aqainst at St. James Bay. But this book will fascinate anyone who cares about our earth, families and communities. It is one to read from end to end, then keep around to re-read again and again.
LaDuke calls the work these tribal communities do to protect their people and landbase from pollution and corporate greed, "soul-retrieval." It is work that we all need to do whatever our ethnic background, since as LaDuke's reportage on the presence of PCBs in mother's breastmilk in the Northeast attests, everyone is affected by what we are doing to the earth. Winona is a mother who has no illusions about how the choices we make as consumers affect the earth and our communities' health. What is most inpiring about LaDuke's writing and life is that she offers solutions. Each chapter not only outlines the problem, but it talks about solutions that are being implemented and suggests others that should be employed. Winona walks her talk. LaDuke has been a strong proponent of wind energy and has worked to engage major corporations like Ben & Jerry in developing wind energy projects on Indian Reservations in South Dakota. Native Harvest and White Earth Land Recovery Project have reclaimed White Earth land and developed sustainable reservation businesses that employ and train White Earth tribal members. Winona LaDuke would be a great President because she is the only public figure who has a sensible plan for economic self-sufficiency, the clarity to explain it to the American people, and the discipline and steadfastness to enact it.

Winona Laduke ran as vice president alongside Ralph Nader. It would be truly amazing if this woman had become our vice president (for many reasons). It is my hope that some day she will be our vice president (or president). Her views on the environment and its effect upon animals and people (particularly babies, children and pregnant/nursing mothers) are exactly how I feel. She expresses these views eloquently in these quotes by Lil'wat grandmother Loretta Pascal, "Where did you get your right to destroy these forests? How does your right supercede my rights? These are our forests, these are our ancestors."(p.5), by Ted Strong, "If this nation has a long way to go before all of our people are truly created equally without regard to race, religion, or national origin, it has even further to go before achieving anything that remotely resembles equal treatment for other creatures who called this land home before humans ever set foot upon it...."(p.5), and by Katsi Cook, "Why is it we must change our lives, our way of life, to accommodate the corporations, and they are allowed to continue without changing any of their behavior?"(p.12). Reading this book you will feel sorrow, and be inspired to action. Most of what was said in this book I already knew a little about, but through this book I understood the depth and complexity of all the factors. I can not recommend this book enough. She tells the truth of our world with a powerful clarity. She tells the stories of many Native American Tribes throughout North America (Canada and the United States, including a chapter on Hawaii). She ends the book with the optimism that it is possible for us to make change, but it is up to us.

To think this woman could be our Vice President today. Most people don't even know that Winona LaDuke ran for Vice President on Ralph Nader's ticket. An articulate and passionate writer, LaDuke presents an awareness of the plight of America unsurpassed by any other. She knows what's wrong. She knows what needs to be done. She knows who is doing the work, how and why. She presents her advocacy as human, heartfelt and real. I learned things about what is happening to this country that I would never have known otherwise. You certainly don't see it in the news, and you don't learn about it in school. We're in trouble, folks, and it's not too late to do something about it. With more power she could have made such a difference! But she continues to work on the issues, and it is so important that more people are aware of her work. Please, please, please read this book. It is the most important book you will read all year.

If you are trying to be healthy and believe you need divine intervention to make this happen, this book will be a helpful guide. It is an easy read and highly motivating. Even without a structured diet plan, the discipline techniques presented will help improve your health. I have read a lot of health motivational books, and this is my favorite.

EXCELLENT BOOK. DAILY GUIDANCE;EASY TO FOLLOW. LEARNING TO TURN CONTROL OF YOUR EATING OVER TO GOD AND NOT RELYING ON YOUR OWN WILLPOWER. I LOVE THE BOOK TO HELP ME TO REMEMBER I DON'T JUST HAVE AN EATING PROBLEM BUT ALSO A SPIRTUAL PROBLEM AND I NEED GOD'S HELP. THIS BOOK SEEMS TO BE HELPING ME ALREADY EVEN AFTER THE FIRST WEEK!

My church is using this paperback for a Bible Study. The only thing is the Bible Study is during the day. I checked out the book, and decided it was something I could do on my own. I used it for 40 days during Lent. The book instructs you to make a notebook for notes..journal writing, prayer, scripture, food for thought. I recommend you do this also. Each of the 40 days you work through this book (which only takes about 10-15 min. a day) you will learn something new or come away thinking about what was stated that day. I have since ordered a copy of this and The Dieter's Prayer Book for each of my Bible Study ladies (and a few close friends) They have all enjoyed it. Buy this book! You will love it! Once I finished the book, I just started a second round.

This is a really great book for a healthy, spiritual way to lose weight. It really challenges you to focus on surrending to God and stop relying on your own strength. I highly recommend it!

We're using this book as a guide for a spring Bible study at our church. It has been a great resource for our lively discussions of diet, discipline, and discipleship.

This is a unique work! Very insightful and easy to read. I was blessed tremendously by this book and it helped me move on from an unhealthy relationship. Your loved ones always want you to 'get over him (or her)' but it's not always that easy! Love hangover offers great and easy to remember (and apply) hints! Thanks to both the authors for such a helpful book!

I thoroughly enjoyed "Love Hangover." I highly recommend this book not only to those who have experienced a tumultuous break up, but also to Christian singles who are looking to venture down relationship lane. Although I was not going through a bad break up, I was able to relate to many of the feelings, situations, and dilemmas expressed by the authors. "Love Hangover" offers insightful scriptures geared towards opening the readers eyes to qualities and characteristics that should be evident in a healthy Christian relationship. In addition, the "medical perspective" offered by Dr. Hawkins was an excellent enhancement to this well written book. Kudos to both Shewanda and Germaine for providing me with a resource that I will most definitely reference in the future as a check point to confirm that my relationship building blocks are in order!!

"Love Hangover" has many helpful suggestions for those who are suffering from heartache. It is a well-written book that is delightful to read. I especially appreciate the Christian perspective which grounds the material in righteousness. As a fellow physician, I value the analytic perspective offered by the authors.

Love Hangover is a must read by every single person that has experienced or is experiencing a break-up. Shewanda Riley and Germaine Hawkins explains in detail the steps that are needed to "Get Over" that lost loved one. The steps are realistic and practical, such as recognizing signs of suffering and tips for recovery. Adding substance, Shewanda creatively uses Bible verses to accentuate the book's mission. Love Hangover will appeal to the individual who is looking to mend a broken heart as well as the devot Christian who believes that God will supply all of their needs.

I have been through a lot of things in my relationship and this book really help me understand WHY!! That question is asked a lot when you have been lied to or cheated on and you just want to know WHY me! This book really help me relate back to my bible and help with my feelings. I have come to realize that sometime you have to let go and put God first and he will work things out for you. It take two people in the relationship to really try to work things out and keep God first!

Well done to Nancy Greenspan for this book.
Max Born was a jewish scientist who was expelled from his job at a German university when World War 2 broke out. A friend of Albert Einstein's, he like many, fled from the NAZIs and headed west.
This book gives a sound and very readable account of his life. It's well written and interesting and I certainly appreciate the writer's efforts as I value such a biography on the life of any scientist.
I also have two books actually written by Born, one of which is "The Restless Universe" and is a delightful script on concepts of Physics. It shows a super sharp mind of Max Born. Though he was quite a heavyweight in Atomic Physics it seems he was always underated. Hopefully this work will set the record straight.

This is a good, easy-to-read biography of a well known yet not quite household name physicist who was pivotal in the early days of quantum mechanics and beyond.

This book is mainly a biography of the man and less so of the science. It is very good in that respect and shows how Born fit into the history of those times. Due to the fact that he was a Jew in Germany before WWII lends well to an interesting history.

The science is in here yet quite useless to the layman and the language the author sometimes uses is confusing to the physicist. The physicist will want to see more of the physics and mathematics but you will not get it in this book.

Many will see that Max Born was a person not too much different than a university educated person nowadays in his beliefs, morals, and ethics. Since mine are opposed to his, I personally did not find his life to be much of an inspiration (with such quotes as "For the belief that there is only one truth and that oneself is in possession of it, seems to me the deepest root of all that is evil in the world").

Of course, the book just made me jealous of his brains, but most biographies do that to me.

Although the physics in this book has been criticized, I noticed only a couple of errors. They did not seriously degrade the book. Be sure to read Born's reaction to his student Oppenheimer on page 146. ("My soul was nearly destroyed by this man.") I was a little disappointed that there was not more about Jordan - the Nazi who collaborated with Born for many years. Also, it would have been nice to have put in a little about Born's granddaughter - the singer/actress Olivia Newton-John.

The title of the book clearly is to be taken two ways. Relating to the development of quantum theory where the calculations of the most basic quantities such a position and momentum of a particle yield fundamentally inexact quantities, probabilistic distributions rather specific numbers. Also relating to the end of the relatively tranquil and to an extent predictable, world of well to do professional and academic Jews in Germany as the result of a horrific anti-Semitism. That story, the far more poignant of the two, makes the book, unexpectedly, a page-turner.

The origin of matrix mechanics and wave mechanics appears here directly connected to the individuals involved, their personalities including Born's often openly exposed. The book is a wonderfully detailed history of the scientific events described, paper by paper, as they happened. The author has done a wonderful job. The book is very thoroughly annotated. The personal biographical information is sometimes very revealing. I'd read the published Born-Einstein correspondence and was aware of Einstein's understandable refusal to find acceptable Born's move back to Germany, pretty explicit in one letter. Einstein though probably understood and so will you if you read the book.

I've been reading steadily about the physicists from the same time period as Einstein up through and including oppenheimer and Feynman. My training in science is mostly neuroscience and cell biology, but I've been teaching a lot of chemistry lately at the local community college. This means I have to teach about the atom and what is now known about electrons and basic atomic theory. I've always been very curious about physics, especially physics that deal with atomic particles and light. Einstein has always been one of my favorite people to read about and quote, so it was natural to me to start reading about the people he came across, and those who helped build on his work through work of their own. Besides, it has always driven me batty trying to separate all the names and the countries of these guys. So many were German, and if they were not German, they went to German schools of physics for their training, or were deeply involved with the German school of physics. I was always getting Born and Bohr mixed up...so I decided the more I knew about these guys the better able to explain their work.

This book is first rate. I cannot comment on the accuracy of the physics, but there are many physics concepts that Greenspan elucidated because they were Born's ideas or discoveries, and from reading this book, I certainly understand these ideas much better than I did before. Just as in reading David McCullough's books on John Adams, where you cannot separate the man from his political beliefs about individual freedom, neither should you read a book about a man such as Born and expect to get through without being introduced to the work of his lifetime, which was explaining and proving parts of atomic theory through mathematics. I enjoy reading the science, even if I have to go back and read it more than once to gain an understanding of it. Even more thrilling is reading the work of these men and being able to better explain these concepts in my classes.

I admire greatly theoretical physicists and mathematicians, even if I am incapable of doing this work myself. As Einstein once stated, he wanted to know these things because he could better understand the 'work of God.' I find that the more I read from the physicists of this period of time, the more I understand. It's difficult to fathom so many great men (and a few women) who lived at one time period and worked together to bring the world to an understanding of physics as we know it. It makes you wonder why we have no outstanding physicists now (except for Stephen Hawkings) and it makes me wonder how limiting our education is, that not only the U.S. but Europe and Asia seem not to be able to produce the great men that we saw so many of during the first 50 years of atomic physics (say from 1890 to 1950). What happened, and where have all these magnificent minds gone? Why can we not produce men and women like this now...these are the questions that educators should be asking themselves.

Born's life with his family and friends, the escape from a rabidly anti-Semitic Germany, the life spent in Scotland, all of which were entwined with his work is absolutely fascinating. Greenspan did a beautiful job not only of research but of editing, and placing in her book, the important letters and research. I've only seen biographies like this from one other person, and he dealt with the great men from the Revolutionary time period in America. This is definitely a book worth buying and reading, and one that I recommend highly to my students and those interested in this time period. Warning to readers, this is a heavy duty book, and not one to be undertaken lightly!

Karen Sadler

Este libro me parece un mensaje muy especial para los Dejados atras. No solo te da pistas de lo que sucedera si no que te dice que los dejados atras tienen otra oportunidad, mucho mas dura y catastrofica pero oportunidad de estar al fin con nuestro Dios.

ESTE NOVELA ES IMPRESIONANTE, ES UNA NOVELA APOCALIPTICA COMO NO LA HAY, TE ATRAPA DESDE EL PRIMER MOMENTO NO PODRAS DEJAR DE LEERLA UNA VEZ QUE EMPIECES (UNA NOVELA DE DESASTRE COMO NO LO HA HABIDO EN LA HISTORIA Y QUE PRONTO SUCEDERA) SUPER RECOMENDADA (Y SUS SECUELAS NO SE QUEDAN ATRAS SON IGUAL DE INCREIBLES) NO DEBES DE PASAR ESTE ESTE LIBRO, EXIGE SER LEIDO

Si alguna ves tuviste dudas de como es eso del ARREBATAMIENTO DE LA IGLESIA aqui te lo narran. Si eres nuevo en Cristo y no te queda claro que pasa o si llevas varios años jugando al "Cristianito Dominguero" este libro te va a sacudir. Aunque es ficción, esta lleno de verdades Biblicas que han de cumplirse, nadie sabe el día ni la hora pero podrías estar viendo un montón de ropa en el lugar donde estaba tu amig que te hablaba de JESUS... No puedes dejar de leerlo, dia y noche, comiendo y en el baño, un excelente inicio a la serie de DEJADOS ATRAS, corre por el siguiente libro: COMANDO TRIBULACION.

Encuentro facinante ciertos pasajes de este libro. Nos narra como los creyentes desaparecen y otros miles se quedan.

Que Dios nos da una segunda oportunidad o debiera decir tercera para aquellos dejados atras.

Un mensaje de Dios de misericordia.

Esta novela ha hecho que piense en el juicio final y las consecuencias que tendremos que afrontar y ademas de hacerme muchas preguntas y buscar respuestas a lo que puede ser ese juicio final. Ademas que nos deja ver que DIOS es tan maravilloso que da una segunda oportunidad para aquellos que son DEJADOS Atras. Es un libro fascinante y dificil de soltar. Definitivamente es un libro que exige leer los libros subsiguientes.

Notes from the Waiting Room provides an unflinching view of death in a hospital. Having experienced "almost death" at and by many hospitals, it is a wake-up call for baby boomers about what they face in years to come. I hope they are more willing to look at the issues with hospitalized dying than my personal experience has lead me to believe.

The most compelling sections for me dealt with the act of dying and the poor treatment of both family and patient by hospital institutions and providers. The "hair-splitting" by the treatment team was horrifying. Bart has also provided us with some new language to use when describing the hospital team, the services they do and don't provide as well as a goal - dying on our own terms.

I learned from Notes from the Waiting Room and, as a result, will hopefully be better prepared when I face the inevitable with my family.

I finished this superb book with tears in my eyes and a smile on my lips, a fondness for the author's family, a blessing for him to come to peace with his memories, and a grand thank you for all he has given us. I hope others will have the same good learning experience as I had from his generosity.

Every chapter begins with an overview and ends in action steps. More importantly, Windrum provide suggestions, solutions and proposals for moving forward. Calling the medical profession on its lapses in fulfilling its promises and duty is fine -- the lapses occur and we all know their impact. Yet Notes balances criticism by understanding providers' huge problems and with praise for what they do right.

Notes from the Waiting Room has motivated me to finally attend to our end-of-life responsibilities so my survivors' load can be as light as possible when I pass on. What better result from any book?

An advocate of natural, compassionate health care, I read "Notes from the Waiting Room" for two reasons: my parents are aging, and I am aging too. I found Bart Windrum's experience and research to be valuable and meaningful for planning a dignified, peaceful end-of-life transition. "Notes from the Waiting Room" provides clear instruction for choosing a hospital, working with hospital personnel, and managing legal aspects at this sensitive time-if hospitalization is your choice. I commend Windrum for going further, showing us how to avoid institutionalization and hospitalization, a pathway he's named "The Option to Die in PEACE." This book should be read by every hospital staff person, every hospice worker, and every caretaker of the sick and elderly. "Notes From the Waiting Room" is a useful tool in a time of crisis-or better yet, for advance preparation for a unique and irreplaceable time of life. (I would give this book 4-1/2 stars, but Amazon doesn't have half-stars.)

Notes from the Waiting Room is an excellent resource for those with aging relatives and is an inspiring motivation for all of us to realize that it's never too early to think about our own health care delivery choices. The author's personal experiences and clearly-stated stories and examples remind us that the most opportune time to address these issues is well in advance. This book can be utilized as a gentle way to broach end-of-life decisions with loved ones and ensures that the reader won't overlook any important subjects. The fact that the author has lived through these experiences with both of his parents gives him credibility and authority and the time and effort he has devoted to researching his subject matter is evident. Notes is easy to read and is written in a way that the average person will easily comprehend. Bart Windrum has done us all a great service by sharing his experiences and his expertise with the goal of making our inevitable journey down this path much easier.

Published studies have demonstrated marked shortcomings in end-of-life care in the hospital including untreated pain, insufficient communication and support around difficult medical decisions, and high financial burden for families. Notes from the Waiting Room is a powerful and important book. It eloquently personalizes one family's repeated journey through the all-too-common chaos and distress associated with end-of-life hospitalizations. Notes provides both practical suggestions for patients and families. Equally important, it challenges the medical profession to find better ways of ensuring "care" when "cure" is no longer possible, and highlights the importance of the emerging field of palliative care.
Daniel Johnson, MD
Palliative Medicine Physician
Director, Life Quality Institute

I'm going to meet this guy some day and laugh as loud with him as I did when I read his book. Yet, it's almost satire. Penetrating, poignant and schizophrenic. I loved it.

Seldom does a theological work that is full of depth in its scholarship bring gut wrenching guffaws that cause my husband to actually ask me why I'm laughing so loud. Rathbun's work is as easy to read as it is poignant in its message. This is a must read for anyone who has ever wondered, "What's up with that whole Christian thing?" A Christian reader will never again be so steady nor so sure nor so quick with all the answers. This is a book that reminds us of the core of Jesus' message, "Love as you are loved."

I guess this book has been out for awhile and I'm probably behind the times (or maybe the author was ahead of his time). I underlined a lot in this book. Here's one of my favorites:

"After all, what takes more faith - to believe that God can save you and offer personal fulfillment and comfort, or to believe that God can reorient the whole world from one of hate, greed, fear and personal gain, to one ruled by peace and justice? A world where there is Good News for the poor, releases for the captives, the recovery of sight for the blind - where the oppressed are free, and all live according to God's good favor. What takes more faith - to believe that God can save you or that God is going to save the whole world and wants you to help?" - pg. 86, Rev. Lamblove (aka russell rathbun)

The best line is on page 110, but don't skip ahead. You gotta read the whole thing, then the punchline will blow you away.

I hope it's not too late - I want to join the revolution!

Russell Rathbun has just raised the bar for Christian fiction. Post-Rapture Radio is fiction - forget for a moment the adjective Christian - at its very best. It is inventive, humorous, shocking, provocative, philosophical and at times quite depressing. It's almost existential. Rathbun has a message, to be sure, and it's directed at Christians. However, unlike most "Christian novels with a message," the message does not weigh the writing down.

In the book, the narrator discovers a box containing various writings of "unknown crazy preacher" Richard Lamblove. The writings include sermons, journal entries & miscellaneous scribbled notes by this man, whose only proof of existence appears to be the documents in the box. Most of the book consists of these various writings, interspersed with notes by the narrator, who is trying to make some sense of the writings. Lamblove is at odds with what he perceives as the "Contemporary Christian Church Conspiracy" that surrounds him and it's either driving him crazy, or driving him sane. Or perhaps both.

There will be a number of people who simply "don't get" the book, which to me only shows how brilliant the book is (all great books are not understood by the masses). Some will hate it because it pushed various buttons, and we all hate when our buttons get pushed. Many will love the book, just because it's so well-written and relevant. My reaction, however, was that I began to identify so closely with Rev. Lamblove that I experienced moments of near despair (a near existential moment - another sign of a great book).

The only shortcoming of the book, in my opinion, was that the Lamblove character is a pastor. The way the book resolved (I won't give the ending away) was fine for Lamblove, but what about the majority of people in the church? What options are open to those trapped in their own Contemporary Christian Church Conspiracy, but without the resources and opportunities of the leadership (not that he gave any specific answers there, either)? I need to ask Rathbun ... perhaps he'll write a sequel.

Ouch!! Once I got his literary device, his satirical critique hit home with both humorous and distressing poignancy! The sad truth is that many leaders in desperate need of updating of their methods and models will fall victim to a wholesale exchange of contemporary style for contextual substance. Russell Rathbun's critique of ultra-modern Christianity is a must read poking fun at our attempts to contemporize ministry without the accompanying and necessary spiritual depth, character, and authentic (and ancient) substance of the gospel. Ouch, ouch, ouch!!!