Living-with-AIDS Books

Anyone with hearing loss will identify with the content of David Myer's book. Very inspirational!

This book is very nice and a valuable source. However, there are some things you ought to know before buying it.

The book is very subjective in the sense that it is written in diary form. The author basically tells you about his experiences with hearing loss. Fortunately, he does have insightful comments with regard to hearing loss.

This book both made me sad and happy at the same time.

The account of this guy made me very happy that there are others out there who do understand what I'm going through, like I'm not alone or just antisocial. Deaf IS an important issue when communicating and relating to others.

Sad because for the first time I fully realized how real this is for me. I just can't keep ignoring it. I need to understand that there are things I must do to become more functional out there as a hard of hearing person.

Why 4 stars?

Well, the book isn't exactally written by a professional advisor on hearing issues. He is a psychologist who happened to be hard of hearing. And as far as I know he does not have a speciallity in hearing therapy or such. What I'm saying is that you should read the book as a valuable testimony from someone's experience, not as a professional help source.

It is important to have this kind of book, because there are people who need to know there are others going through similar experiences. Yet, it is very important you understand this is still a very subjective book.

He also mentions that he is a teacher and all the big time problems he has in his class and conferences. It sure most be hell for him, still what about people who hadn't even had an education to teach and who need to work in even way more demanding (for the hearing impaired) workplaces because they had not had other choices.

Again, the book is good, but keep in mind it is just the very personal account and not a professional source to help you overcome deaf or hard of hearing problems.

This book is wonderful and useful in a variety of ways. It deserves all of the praise it has earned. The chapter "Aids and Advice" contains a helpful subsection, "Advice for Friends and Family Members" that is invaluable. Tips such as "invite us to a quiet place," "get our attention," "face the light and face us," "rephrase," "create a context," and "speak slowly" are essential for successful communication with people with hearing loss since, for many people with hearing loss, lip-reading is necessary or at least desirable.

Wearers of hearing aids become particularly vexed by, for example, noisy restuarants. This is because most hearing aids still amplify all sounds without prejudice - the words you want to hear (the signal) along with the crash of dishes three tables away (the noise). Add curtainless windows, uncarpeted floors, background music, and ever-increasing decibel level of voices competing to be heard, and you get a very noisy place. Myers explains this in good detail. He then shares his wonderful fantasy : respite from the "noisy world" of most restaurants and coffee shops via a chain of acoustically thought-out tea rooms and coffeehouses named "A Quiet Place." He quotes various studies and surveys that have shown that a great many restaurant patrons object to excessive noise.

Myers offers some great trivia, such as the fact that umpires' hand signals were invented in 1892 by William Hoy, the major leagues' first deaf player. In addition, Myers cites the works and writings of others (whom he names) - Oliver Sacks, linguist William Stokoe, Alexander Graham Bell, for example - leading his reader further into this interesting field, should one wish to read on. He also mentions, though not in much detail, some current research and developments, using lay person's terms. There is an appendix of resources for the hard of hearing, and an index. No bibliography, unfortunately.

A great book and thoroughly worthwhile.

This book has so much to offer for the hearing-impaired and their families. I almost skipped over it because it is the author's story of losing his hearing as an adult. My son was diagnosed at age 4 1/2. I am so glad that I decided to read it! Myers offers a wealth of technical information along with an impressive list of internet resources. Perhaps the most important aspect of the book is the emotional insight in dealing with hearing loss. I definitely learned to be more patient with my son after reading this book. I visited the author's website and emailed him about his helpful book. He even emailed back with more suggestions for my son!

If you have loss of hearing, the prose and memoirs by Dr. Myers will be profoundly familiar. You will find yourself sitting and listening to this friend as he shares secrets you seldom discuss with anyone. The author offers rich experiences in roller coaster rides of emotion. He is insightful, humorous, sensitive, revealing, encouraging--and often painfully honest. You feel his torment and elation, and through it, not only come to know the author, but clearly more about living with hearing loss.

An excellent recommendation for those with hearing loss, and professionals who desire to learn more about the experience.

Dr. Myers leaves you anxiously waiting for his next book. . .

Richard Carmen, Au.D. Clinical Audiologist, Sedona AZ rcarmen27@yahoo.com [and Editor/Author, "The Consumer Handbook on Hearing Loss & Hearing Aids: A Bridge to Healing," Auricle Ink Publishers, 1998]

The man who wrote this is my uncle and this book brings tears to my eyes and it's beautiful. I reccomend it to everyone!

This is one of the best books I have ever read...not only was it based it my hometown and I know some of these people, but it gives you the kind of compassion not ordinarily given to someone you've never met. I hope this book has been an inspiration to reach out to those with AIDS, or for that matter, anyone with a physical problem that needs someone to be there when no one else will.

This book was the most painful reading experience I have ever encountered! David was a remarkable person. His life and death will move you beyond belief. It will rip your heart out, and at the same time, teach you volumes about life, loving, friendship and death.

This short book of compiled letters reads well. Full of personal and profound information regarding Fr. Arpin's life and formal dual recognition of his integrating HIV/AIDS status and sexuality into his personal, professional, and prayerful life. Some of the information the good Father writes about is clearly dated, but that also adds to the charm and character of this book. Truly inspirational and a perfect gift for any Catholic living with HIV/AIDS.

I bought that book because I had the opportunity to know the writer in one of his phases when he was a student at a Quebec Seminary in the 60's. I must say that he never disappointed me in the past nor was I disappointed in reading his book. He is a man of courage and humility, and his story is moving. He knows how to deal with tragedy, torn between duty and his nature his is threading a fine path between his faith and his truth. Is he less of a priest for having admitted he was gay? For me he is more of a man and a greater priest because he is telling the truth. I admire his courage, pray for a lessening of his sufferings, and wonder if we change that much when life and its adventures come to change us. The young collegian I knew was inhabitated for the same passion for truth. He never betrayed his callings. God bless him wherever he is. This book is a great humane strong book, it inspires me, great luck was on my way when I bought it.

I had bought this book about six months ago, and it had sat on my shelf until about three days ago I pulled it down and began to read it. It couldnt of came at a more needed time in my life. But anyways, this book is really moving. It teaches us to take a wider more open-minded look at the people around us. I've heard the saying ''taking one day at a time", but Father Robert Arpin really shows us what it means. ...such a wonderful book.

This book is comprehensive and clear for both the Chinese Medical practitioner, and for the HIV patient.
Misha Cohen has done amazing work and research with HIV and Chinese Medicine, and we are fortunate to have this information neatly organized and at our fingertips.

This book provides such a great wealth of information concerning Eastern views of medicine and health. It is written in plain language, in order for the reader to understand the different aspects of Chinese medicine and how it relates to the HIV/AIDS virus.

A person who is not sold on Western views of treating HIV/AIDS will definitely like the alternative therapies and ideas presented in this book.

Chinese philosophies of healing fit so much better into "balancing" the body. So many Western doctors feel that prescribing pills is the only effective way to combat HIV and AIDS. Chinese medicine teaches a person to examine the "systems" of their body, and how to keep them in check. By modifying your lifestlye, and practicing "body balancing" you can empower yourself and your body for the battle against the HIV virus.

People with HIV and AIDS should start listening to their bodies, and not to Western medicine dogma!

This is a warm touching story of a Christian dying from AIDS and how his faith prevails. I could not put the book down and have reread it several times. He transformed others lives as he struggled to live and die with AIDS. I would recommend this to anyone trying to come to terms with AIDS in their life or with interest in working with and helping those with AIDS through an AIDS ministry.

While this book is from the point of view of the author, his experiences are those of thousands who have lived with AIDS, whether Christian or not.

An easy read in an afternoon, each chapter is a vignette unto itself, that taken together enable the reader to get inside the mind and heart of a person living with AIDS. The world, with its many discriminations and frustrations for persons living with AIDS is understood through the eyes and ears of such a person.

The book is a must for the library of anyone who knows someone living with HIV/AIDS or who is dealing with any terminal illness.

Living With HIV/AIDS: The Black Person's Guide To Survival by Dr. Eric Goosby (former Director of the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy in the U.S. Department of Health and Human services) is a helpful and informative guide for the non-specialist reader -- and most especially for African American men and women seeking to maximize the quality of their lives and/or the lives of their loved ones when having to deal with an HIV infection or AIDS. This informed and informative text especially focusing on the unique challenges for African Americans coping with HIV/AIDS. Living With HIV/AIDS covers the basics of what HIV/AIDS is and how to prevent it; the latest modern treatment options; the diseases particular impact on African American women; how to handle the disease's emotional burdens as well as physical and financial difficulties, and so much more. No health center or community library collection can be considered complete without the inclusion of Dr. Eric Goosby's Living With HIV/AIDS.

This book reviews the natural progression of HIV in an individual patient , from an African American perspective. It gives excellent advice on signs and symptoms as well as laboratory work up of a given medical problem associated with HIV.
It also goes into great detail on how to deal with the stress and anxiety of being newly HIV positive and what to expect with the use of the new antiretroviral medications.
Dr. Goosby is clearly very knowledgable in the care and treatment of HIV infections in African American people

Living with the Unexpected is an interesting attempt to examine the continuing volcanic emergency on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, which began in 1995, within the twin contexts of the latest developments in the social theory of disasters and sustainable development. Anja Possekel was awarded a doctorate from the University of Hamburg in 1998, and Living with the Unexpected represents a development of ideas contained in her thesis.

Following an introductory section, in Chapter 2 the author provides a fine and detailed overview of hazard theory. Some of the material has a familiar ring as the author discusses issues such as: the distinction between hazards and disasters and differing approaches to hazard research. Here a well-known cast list of authors makes an appearance as the author contrasts the approaches adopted by the 'founding fathers' of hazard research (e.g. Burton, Kates and White), with more recent development associated with such authors as Hewitt, Susman, Blaikie, Mitchell and Palm. Since much of this material is probably well known to potential readers, much more severe editing could have been carried out, without any sacrifice in clarity. A welcome innovation is that the author also and for the first time in context of volcanic hazards, examines recent developments in complexity and uncertainty theory and links these to a discussion of chaos. For the present reviewer, this section provided an excellent primer to these increasing prominent themes in disaster theory and of itself would justify library purchase of this volume. Chapter 3, which is devoted to strategic planning in disaster zones, also has a theoretical hue. Again the quality of the reviewing is exemplary and, what is particularly noteworthy, is the careful discussion of both the potentials and possible pitfalls of scenario planning. The latter as many practising hazard analysts can attest are often forgotten.

Much has been written about the 1995 eruption of Montserrat, but much of this literature is located in specialised journals and unpublished reports. Anja Possekel is to be congratulated for compiling and editing this material so effectively. Entitled, Montserrat - A Complex System, Chapter 4 first examines Montserrat before the volcanic crisis using notions of certainty and uncertainty as a framework, the author goes on to look at the severe impact of the disaster on the island and, in Chapter 5, outlines various strategies for reconstruction and recovery. A real and welcome innovation of Possekel's work is that her discussion does not conclude at this point, but continues and examines recovery scenarios through a number of workshops attended by both local citizens and decision makers. The author concludes (page 262), that in the context of Montserrat 'resilience is the normative goal of sustainability, whilst sustainability is the process that eventually leads to resilience'. More specifically what us required is a scenario to: 'reduce vulnerability; improve the quality of life, especially with reference to the environment, education, economy and social health care; encourage the partnership between .... individuals, the private sector, NGOs and governments; (and to) blend planning and management'. The author suggest a scenario to achieve these goals, which is acceptable to local people.

Unlike many academic texts, I enjoyed reading Living with the Unexpected and, indeed, read most of it in one session. Although probably too expensive for purchase by any but the most affluent academic, Anja Possekel's book is an essential library purchase for institutions of higher education and government departments. It is a ground breaking work of applied scholarship and is highly recommended.

This carefully written, 287-page hardback book illustrated with many photographs, maps, and charts - a factual book which will appeal particularly to those with a professional, academic, or personal interest in Montserrat's economy, geography, and future development, as well as to people who may be involved in preparation for other potential disasters elsewhere. I don't think it is possible to find a better comprehensive summary of Montserrat's current situation anywhere.

It opens with three chapters which set the stage, rather than being focused on Montserrat specifically. These are of more interest to professional geographers, social scientists, or economists. First, it places Montserrat in the context of the United Nations' International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. The second chapter outlines the theoretical basis of the study, discussing the principle of sustainable development, the nature of complexity and uncertainty, the uses of systems theory, and the tasks of hazard management and hazard planning. Chapter 3 discusses strategic planning in general, and the use of the scenarios in this - the heading to this chapter quotes Pericles: "It is less important to foresee the future than to be prepared for it" - a dictum which would serve everyone well who lives in areas at risk of hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes, and floods!

The fourth chapter gets into the meat of the subject of Montserrat, starting with a comprehensive description of Montserrat. It quotes Davy (John Davy from 1854? The reference is not included in the bibliography):

"No island in these seas is bolder in its general aspect, more picturesque and I think I might add without exaggeration, more beautiful in the detail of its scenery - indeed might be tempted to say considering its fortunes, that it has the fatal gift of beauty".

The settlement, geological, and ecological maps of Montserrat are excellent, and the summary of Montserrat's history from pre-Columbian times, through a detailed description of the recovery from Hugo, up to the present, is very informative - it includes details and histories of the social, demographic, economic and political structure of Montserrat which are summarized better than I have ever seen elsewhere (where else can you find a diagram of the political structure of Montserrat, with the names and village of origin of every senior civil servant and the location of the 23 departments under the four ministries?). This chapter, like much of the book, also reports the findings of surveys and interviews conducted with a substantial number of people in Montserrat.

The chapter gives a blow-by-blow (or should I say flow-by-flow?) account of each stage of the volcanic crisis, with reproductions of every one of the series of risk zone maps produced by the MVO, together with an account of the economic, social, and political upheavals, and several photographs by the author, Doug Darby, David Lea and others. For anyone who wants a review and summary of the events, this must be the best account yet, and it combines on-island and off-island sources in a very useful way - with quotations from interviews with ordinary people, lyrics by Arrow, Cupid, and Rachel Collis, poems, and charts to boot!

Chapter 5 sets the scene for the author's "scenarios" methodology in hazard management, and Chapter 6 starts by describing a "dry run" of this methodology using a group in Hamburg, before it gets down to the nitty-gritty, exploring the different development scenarios envisioned for Montserrat by a varied group of Montserratians who were convened for the purpose. The scenarios included such varied vision as Montserrat as "the small Caribbean Jaguar", "Business as usual" (if only that were possible! It is accompanied by a drawing of taxi drivers playing dominoes by the War Memorial) and "Sustainable Development". Political scenarios, including independence or closer integration with the UK are also explored.

I'm not a geographer, an economist, or a planner, so I don't feel equipped to pass judgement on this book in any way. I'm left with the feeling that there are some great techniques and great ideas out there, but that the powers that be in Montserrat - and indeed the people as a whole - are just going to "muddle through", and that without deciding on even one of the possible scenarios or road maps outlined in this book, Montserrat will just flounder, economically, politically, socially, and environmentally. If a country does not know where it wants to go, it is unlikely to get there, and I see no sign that there has been much thought to where the country wants to do, all the platitudes of the Strategic Development Plan notwithstanding. A book of this sort does not have the immediacy or focus of something as specific as the Wadge report, but that makes it no less important, but I think it will be relegated to the same dusty shelf as the Wadge report was, and with the same kind of consequences.

As a Critical Incident Stress Management team member, this book reveals many details that can assist in the overall management of stress in the emergency services (medical, fire, police) workplace. Ray sheds light on both the big and little details tht help us survive and flourish in this type of work. We use this book often in the debriefing and stress management work that I'm directly involved in. A great book to have and refer to often. Do yourself and your department a favor, get this book.

This book was the perfect, short-attention-span type of book for preschoolers. It was not a story, just good information. It mentioned eating whole grains, where grain grows, MyPyramid, and serving sizes and amounts. Great whole-page real-people pictures. I bought the whole set of food group books.

What a great book! This book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand cultural and social conditions of HIV and AIDS. When it was published it stood as a record of the first large scale arts projects to tackle these issues. The writing is clear and concise, the information is well organized and it sets a standard for clear knowledgable presentation. The contents will be of equal interest to artists and medical personnel alike, for social workers or family members of people affected by HIV and AIDS. Alongside all this the photoworks and writings are both touching and informative, produced by a range of people who participated in the clearly ground breaking project - BUY IT!