Ready or Not... Here We Come! The Real Experts' Cannot-Live-Without Guide to the First Year with Twins

Ready or Not... Here We Come! The Real Experts' Cannot-Live-Without Guide to the First Year with Twins
Average customer rating:

Good Plane read

A cute, informative resource

Loved it!

Marriage venting not advice

more for entertainment than for advice

Ready or Not... Here We Come! The Real Experts' Cannot-Live-Without Guide to the First Year with Twins
Elizabeth Lyons
Manufacturer: Finn-Phyllis Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Love, Sex & Marriage | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Parenting & Families | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Motherhood | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Parent & Adult Child | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Twinspiration: Real-Life Advice From Pregnancy Through the First Year (for Parents of Twins and Multiples)

When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads, Revised Edition: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy

Double Duty : The Parents' Guide to Raising Twins, from Pregnancy Through the School Years

Everything You Need to Know to Have a Healthy Twin Pregnancy

The Parent's Guide to Raising Twins: From Pre-Birth To First School Days-The Essential Book For All Those Expecting Two Or More

Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0974699004

Book Description

Uncertain where to start, how to coordinate endless double feedings, or how to control the whirlwind? Don't worry -- Elizabeth Lyons and her "multiples" sorority will get you through. For real-world strategies on coordinating endless double feedings, getting the babies on a schedule (preferably the same one), and appearing to have it (and them) under control while out and about, Ready or Not...Here We Come! is the hilarious, tell-it-like-it-is resource no parent of twins should be without.

In her first humor-packed guide to raising twins, Elizabeth Lyons highlights the experiences and strategies of a group of friends who met in a multiples birthing class, and survived their pregnancies and first year with twins together.

Lyons provides the all-important feeling of camaraderie that will keep expectant and new parents of twins smiling and optimistic, and remind them through it all how blessed they are (even when they feel as though they haven't slept in weeks). Ready or Not...Here We Come! combines strategies that Lyons has gleaned from friends, doctors, nurses, and even perfect strangers to form one concise guide that will undeniably prepare those expecting twins as well as new parents of twins to complete that all-important first year.

Topics include:
- Preparing the Lair: Mandatory Gear for Babies and Mom
- Getting Organized: The Key to Success
- Getting Those Babies on a Schedule -- Preferably the Same One!
- Out and About with Twins: Methods of Appearing As Though You've Got It (and Them) Under Control.

"Ready or Not...Here We Come! is the advice you need in the short, funny format your sleep-deprived mind can absorb. Elizabeth Lyons tells it like it is in a laugh-out-loud look at the uncertainty, craziness, and absolute of your first year with twins. An absolute must-have for every mother who wished there were two of her to keep up with the two of them." - Lisa Earle McLeod, author of Forget Perfect

"Elizabeth Lyons' humorous yet realistic perspective provides new parents of twins with a great starting point from which to embark on that all-important first year." - Dr. Bob Covert, Leading Chicagoland Neonatologist

"Elizabeth Lyons tells it like it really is. From helping you survive back-to-back feedings, living with the stereophonic crying, and coping with a double round of diaper rash, she tells you what to do, what to buy, and what to ignore. My twins are now teenagers, and as a woman who felt like she was the only one coping with double Mommying, I would have sold my soul for practical, supportive advice like this. There is a light at the end of the twins tunnel, and Ready or Not will help you find it. Where was Elizabeth Lyons when my twins were little?" - Kristy Lucariello, President of Performance in Practice and mother of teenage twins

"Finally…a humor-filled, solution-packed, tell-it-like-it-is guide to the first year with twins!" - Betty Jean Young, BSN

Look for Elizabeth's second book, Ready or Not...There We Go! this summer.

Customer Reviews:

Good Plane read.......2007-05-29

I think this book is great; I enjoyed all of the anecdotes about the multiple society. Very good read although not very technically informative.

A cute, informative resource .......2007-04-11

I've read several books on life with twins, and they've all been at least a little helpful and funny. But this is the first I've read where the author already had a toddler before the twins came, and so it was nice to get her perspective and understand what that reality will be like for me. I like that the author really did have some good ideas and based on diverse experiences (she did breastfeed, and then switched to formula, so she understands pros/cons and strategies of both), and she has her circle of moms-of-multiples friends whose experience she draws on and shares as well.

One thing I noticed missing from the book was reference to or strategies for handling life with babies while they're stuck for a time in the NICU. I was looking forward to understanding how we might manage NICU visits with a preschooler at home.

I realize that there is no magic answer on how to deal with life with twins, but in my opinion, this book does indeed do a good job. If you're looking for another similar book to read, I'd also recommend Twinspiration by Cheryl Lage, especially if these are your first babies and you don't have other children at home. Also, for general multiples-pregnancy info, I highly suggest buying When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads by Barbara Luke.

Loved it!.......2007-03-21

This is a good book that I would recommend to anyone who is expecting twins or more. The author definately has a since of humor. This book gives you some good advise. It is also light hearted and fun to read at the same time. There were definately some laugh out loud moments while reading this book.

Marriage venting not advice.......2007-02-04

The author seems to spend the more time complaining about what her husband doesn't do then giving real advice. I was very disappointed it the book.

more for entertainment than for advice.......2006-12-15

As others have said, I read this while I was pregnant and it didn't mean much to me -- then after the babies were born, I found myself scouring it for anything that would help me cope. I found that it contained mostly comic relief, rather than practical advice, but that's useful too. One of my few memories from the foggy "fourth trimester" is of reading parts of the book out loud to my parents, laughing at how completely she hit the nail on the head. I agree that she gives breastfeeding very short shrift, so if you are already BF or determined to do so, don't follow her advice -- get a good book like "Mothering Multiples" and a good lactation consultant. Contrary to a previous reviewer's claim, she does, however, tell you how to go to the supermarket, though I still recommend waiting till DH gets home and then going by yourself (or napping on the couch while he goes!).

Teaching to Change Lives: Seven Proven Ways to Make Your Teaching Come Alive

Average customer rating:

Common Sense
My changed life
Great information
Basal Book from an Evangelical Icon
Hendricks hits a homerun - must read for every teacher

Teaching to Change Lives: Seven Proven Ways to Make Your Teaching Come Alive
Howard Dr Hendricks
Manufacturer: Multnomah
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Seven Laws of the Learner: How to Teach Almost Anything to Practically Anyone (Seven Laws of the Learner)
Living By the Book: The Art and Science of Reading the Bible
Creative Teaching Methods
Creative Bible Teaching
Learning Styles: Reaching Everyone God Gave You to Teach

ASIN: 1590521382
Release Date: 2003-05-07

Book Description

One of the most effective and influential Christian teachers of this century reveals how all teachers -- from parents to Sunday school leaders, from pastors to professors -- can make the most of their priceless opportunity to inspire, to instruct, and to permanently impact lives for the kingdom of God. Based on seven proven, easy-to-grasp laws any teacher can apply, Howard Hendricks's classic teaching manual is a must-read for anyone who wants to teach with power and passion, excitement and excellence.

Download Description

This insightful book conveys the author's passion for communication and gets to the heart of how to do it. Discover the thrill of applying the seven proven concepts and seeing the results! Also contains sample lesson plans.

Customer Reviews:

Common Sense.......2007-06-09

While Hendricks knows what it takes to teach effectively, I was disappointed with this book. If you are looking for a book to learn how to effectively communicate well with students, this book will be helpful. If you already have good communication skills and common sense in how to connect with students, you'll find this book to be mostly review without any exciting new insights. Please don't let this discredit Dr. Hendricks' other books. Make sure to purchase a copy of Living By the Book by Howard and William Hendricks.

My changed life.......2007-05-09

Dr. Hendricks is a master at taking a rather serious subject and making his book about it irresistible. From beginning to end, his wit and insight to the student made this book an easy read about a very challenging undertaking. I appreciated over and over again his reminiscent writing about when he was a boy and his perspective of teachers and likewise his students and how he interacted with them. This book is now invaluable to me as a teacher. Wish I had known about it sooner. It is worth the effort to discern a person's "learning curve" and engage them accordingly. It's worth the challenge, especially if you're teaching them about the Lord. Thank you, Dr. Hendricks.

Great information.......2007-02-12

I used this book as a training tool for Sunday School teachers in a small church. We found it to be excellent material. It is to the point and doesn't pull any punches about the fact the teaching is a committment. Should be required reading for everyone who wants to teach.

Basal Book from an Evangelical Icon.......2006-12-08

Howard Hendricks is something of a Conservative Evangelical icon, a teacher of teachers, who for more than forty years shaped the teaching ministries of students at Dallas Seminary. Regardless of what one might think of Dispensationalism, it is undeniable that Dallas Grads are formidable teachers. More than any other figure, the credit for that reality goes to Howard Hendricks.

Using the acronym "TEACHER," and basing his approach on Gregory's "Seven Laws of Teaching," Hendricks seeks to outline the basic skills, attitudes and characteristics of good teaching and of the good teacher. Clearly he seeks to transform not only the teaching but also the teacher. He does this by devoting one chapter to each of seven characteristics , in an anecdotally- and wisdom-rich format.

Chapter One - The Law of the Teacher-- Stop growing today and you stop teaching tomorrow. He begins by emphasizing that the teacher can only teach as he/she continues to be a learner. When the learning stops, the well runs dry. In addition, people will become conformed to the image of the teacher. Therefore, a teacher must take care to be worthy of imitation, especially in the area of character. For Hendricks, the best candidates for the role of teacher are faithful, available and teachable. Other people need not apply. The teacher must be developing in the intellectual, physical [practical], and social dimensions.

Chapter Two - The Law of Education--How people learn determines how you teach. People are only candidates for learning when they know they don't know and when they care about that. After Maslow, Hendricks speaks of four levels of learning : unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, and unconscious competence. Our job is to help our students to see themselves in this continuum and to get them moving, and this will often involve exposing them to their ignorance in a motivational manner. Then we must be alert to "teachable moments." Then, by precept and example, we must teach people how to think, to learn and to work, and develop in them four master skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. All of the foregoing components help assure that those who sit in our classes will truly learn rather than merely observing.

Chapter Three - The Law of Activity--Maximum learning is always the result of maximum involvement. Over and again in his book, Hendricks decries passivity and dependency: we are working to make our students active and independent or at least interdependent [thank you, Steven Covey]. That being the case, students will learn best as they are most active in the process. They need to be guided in their practice, taught to properly evaluate their experience, and learn not by repeating their mistakes but by doing the right things. Hearing is the most inefficient means of learning--people only retain at the most ten percent of what they hear. But they will retain up to fifty percent of what they see and up to ninety percent of what they do.
In the doing department, one must make sure that the activities are meaningful--providing direction without dictatorship, stressing function and application, having a planned purpose, and concerned with process ["the why"] as well as product ["the what"]. And, as much as possible these activities should involve solving realistic problems, if possible, those arising within the experiences of the student. .

Chapter Four - The Law of Communication--To truly impart information reguires the building of bridges. This means really knowing one's students, which in itself means spending time with them outside the classroom. Communication will be more effective to the degree that it is something the teacher deeply knows, feels and does. Therefore a breakdown in any of those three components will vitiate the teaching event. Words are important as teaching tools, but cannot be apart from personal investment and example. Then the teacher must prepare, even over prepare, and then guard his delivery from poor enunciation and poor use of the voice [vary your pitch and speak loudly enough to be heard in the back of the room!]. One must also seek to eliminate distractions, as in poor attentiveness to the teaching space and equipment, and provide for feedback that insures that teaching will be on target and ever-improving.

Chapter Five - The Law of the Heart--Teaching that impacts is not head to head, but heart to heart. Referring to Plato's triumvirate of ethos [character/credibility], pathos [compasssion] and logos [content--note the alliteration!], Hendricks treats them like a pyramid, where each is dependent upon the previous. Without the foundation of character/credibility, there will not be the confidence in the teacher which is foundational to the implicit contract between teacher and student. Second, the student needs to know that the teacher cares about him [I question this], and third of course, is content. All learning is in the direction of change, and needs to be motivated by felt need. Finally, to sum up, in order to be a person of impact, a teacher must know his students, earn the right to be heard, and be willing to be vulnerable with his students.

Chapter Six - The Law of Encouragement--Teaching tends to be most effective when the learner is properly motivated. Having hinted at motivation in the earlier chapters, Hendricks treats it more directly here. Primary is developing a strong sense of felt need: people will not learn what they have no felt need for, and will invest themselves in learning that for which they do have a felt need Having created that felt need, the teacher, if administering training, needs to honor the time-honored cylce of telling, showing, supervised doing, and unsupervised doing.

Chapter Seven - The Law of Readiness--The teaching-learning process will be most effective when both student and teacher are adequately prepared. I very much see Bobby Clinton of Fuller Seminary, another master teacher, in this chapter, as he insists on this kind of approach, giving students much work to do to prepare for each class session. In accord with this philosophy, Hendricks believes in giving students the right kind of assignments, since they precipitate thinking, develop a background for class sessions, and help develop habits of independent study. He then concludes this chapter with some practical suggestions for dealing with either unprepared or over-zealous students.

This book should be required reading for all clergy and teachers, especially in the field of Judaeo Christian religion. It provides a foundational orientation to a spiritually significant and competent teaching ministry. Above all, this is a wise book, and as the Book of Proverbs tells us, it is only fools who despise wisdom and instruction.

Hendricks hits a homerun - must read for every teacher.......2006-06-26

The great Dallas Theological Seminary professor Dr. Hendricks shares with others his basic principles for passing on to his students the knowledge and passion for God's Word. Basically the book can be boiled down to one primary principle - you must have passion for what you know to transfer what you know to others. The book was originally released as The Seven Laws of the Teacher, but has since been repackaged and re-released under this new title with a new cover and design - but the truths shared by Hendricks are timeless and powerful - and should be read by EVERY teacher!

The first law of the teacher was the best, in my opinion - if you ever stop growing today, you stop teaching tomorrow. Dr. Hendricks challenges the teacher to remain a student, to always continue learning, pursuing truth and knowledge - and to pass that thirst on to their students - far more important than any particular lesson or tidbit of information is the thirst for knowledge and truth - and that is something that is modeled for students in the lives of the teacher. If the teacher is stale, the lessons and information can't be fresh!

The Seven Laws of the Teacher are as follows:
* The Law of the Teacher - if you stop growing today, you stop teaching tomorrow.
* The Law of Education - the way people learn determines how you teach.
* The Law of Activity - maximum learning is always the result of maximum involvement.
* The Law of Communication - to truly impart information requires the building of bridges.
* The Law of the Heart - teaching that impacts is not head to head, but heart to heart.
* The Law of Encouragement - teaching tends to be most effective when the learner is properly motivated.
* The Law of Readiness - the teaching-learning process will be most effective when both student and teacher are adequately prepared.

Facing Codependence: What It Is, Where It Comes from, How It Sabotages Our Lives

Average customer rating:

Parenting (and Re-Parenting) 101
If you know you're not crazy but at the same time you think you are ....
General tips aimed at a specific problem.
a great start to unravelling
MUST READ

Facing Codependence: What It Is, Where It Comes from, How It Sabotages Our Lives
Pia Mellody , Andrea Wells Miller , and J. Keith Miller
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Codependency | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Codependency | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Breaking Free: A Recovery Workbook for Facing Codependence
Facing Love Addiction: Giving Yourself the Power to Change the Way You Love
Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself
The Intimacy Factor: The Ground Rules for Overcoming the Obstacles to Truth, Respect, and Lasting Love
Codependents' Guide to the Twelve Steps

Accessories:

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0062505890
Release Date: 2003-04-29

Book Description

Pia Mellody creates a framework for identifying codependent thinking, emotions and behaviour and provides an effective approach to recovery. Mellody sets forth five primary adult symptoms of this crippling condition, then traces their origin to emotional, spiritual, intellectual, physical and sexual abuses that occur in childhood. Central to Mellody's approach is the concept that the codependent adult's injured inner child needs healing. Recovery from codependence, therefore, involves clearing up the toxic emotions left over from these painful childhood experiences.

Customer Reviews:

Parenting (and Re-Parenting) 101.......2007-10-04

In what may be one of the best books ever written on functional parenting, Mellody and the Millers have tackled the single most common psychiatric phenomenon of our time, deconstructed it into language most can grasp, and set forth a means of recovery that can produce results outside the 12 Step group structure.

Moreover for mental health professionals, this may well be one of the best books available for patient (with sufficient ego strength) and/or family education of Meissner or Preston Level One and Two Borderline Personality Disorder, as well as for family education with regard to pretty much the entire spectrum of borderline, narcissistic, passive-aggressive and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders.

I have read at least a dozen lay and professional books addressing the topic of "codependence." While Beattie's and Evan's work, and the Codependents Anonymous and new Adult Children of Alcoholics "big books" -are- terrific stuff, FC may be the single most accessible, research-grounded, and tool-delivering of the lot. (Anyone seriously set upon recovering from the problem is well-advised, however, to read them all.)

Owing possibly to the input of the Millers, FC is the more of product of modern "patient education" or "psychoeducation" theory (see Rankin and Stallings) than the other books currently available. It may be the work of three minds, but it's anything but the hodgepodge of useful data developed by committee in the two afforementioned 12 Step groups, and is more through-composed in the fashion of Vygotskyan "scaffolding" than Beattie's more famous or Evan's more narrowly targeted books.

Beyond that, however, the progressive, level-upon-level organization of the book -- not to mention the concrete examples of both functional and dysfunctional parenting -- make FC hands-down one of the finest guides to raising effective, pathology-free children ever published. If it were up to me, this would be required reading at the college freshman level.

If you know you're not crazy but at the same time you think you are ...........2007-07-30

When a few month ago a person who I felt and thought was most important to me came into my life and my husband disagreed, I was thrown into a huge personal crisis. Little did I know much less understand that the heart of the problem lay in my co-dependence. I was very lucky because through friends of mine I found a therapist who knew about and taught me about co-dependence. Suddenly all of the contradictions - which seemed to indicate to me that I must be crazy - started to make sense. To supplement and deepen my understanding my therapist suggested reading Pia Mellody's `Facing Co-dependence'.

Pia Mellody herself is a recovering co-dependent and that she knows from personal experience what she's talking about is very evident in her book. In part I she starts by describing co-dependence and explaining very concisely where it comes from. What she calls the 5 core symptoms are: expressing appropriate levels of self-esteem, setting functional boundaries, owning and expressing your own reality, taking care of your adult needs and wants and experiencing and expressing your reality moderately.
In part II she explains what she thinks are the five natural characteristics of children and how functional homes deal with them. While functional parents will help their children to develop these characteristics properly dysfunctional ones will not. I don't have children but still I found it very interesting and helpful to read Pia's description of how a child will be treated in a functional home. It's a very helpful part of the book no matter whether you use that information to compare your own childhood experiences to what it should have been or could have been or whether you use it as your guideline to treat your own children functionally or for both.
Dysfunctional parenting forces the child to defend itself against painful or threatening experiences by developing dysfunctional behavior patterns that are often continued into adulthood because (a) they worked so well when they were needed and (b) these children were never taught to behave functionally.
In Part III Pia describes many forms of abuse and explains how they relate to her understanding of co-dependence. It's amazing how many of our acceptable parenting techniques are detrimental to our children rather than pedagogically valuable.
When reading this part of the book I again felt very strongly that even if you are not a co-dependent it cannot hurt you or those around you for you to become aware of the information in Pia's book. You may save a life or two!!!
Part IV is about recovery. And the key to recovery is to acknowledge the parts in ourselves that never grew up and to assume the role of a functional parent and do what our parents were unable to do: show ourselves the fallacies in our thinking/feeling and offer alternatives. We have to be our own parents.

Pia says that even after working as a therapist for as long as she has, she still isn't 100% healthy 100% of the time but she measures success by how long it takes her to recognize dysfunctional behavior/thoughts in her life and the amount of time it takes her to deal with them in a functional way. I've found this honest assessment encouraging and also discouraging at the same time. It's encouraging because it let's you easily and quickly see progress but it's also discouraging because the fantasy of every being completely free of this disease is squished. *sighs* Oh, well... I matter! I am enough! I don't have to be perfect. Not even perfectly functional. (lol)

So, who should read this book? Everybody! That's my answer to that question.

General tips aimed at a specific problem........2007-07-15

The good thing about this book is that it identifies a problem that few popular selfhelpbooks target indepth. The only other book that comes to my mind is Robin Norwoods bestseller: "Women who love too much". It deals with a certain aspect of codependency, although Norwood doesn't use the word codependency as far as I know.
The thing I liked less is the authors personal approach. She wrote this book from her own perspective. It has fire because of that, but I feel it lacks objectivity, statistics, links to other empirical studies. What worked for her need not work for someone else.
The author's emphasis on the belief in a Higher Power as an important part of the recovery process is, to my Dutch atheistic eyes, something that makes the book very foreign.
Pia Mellody gives common sense advice on how to deal with the problem, but the advice is rather general. She often gets listy, offering rather abstract checklists.
All in all, a good book, but it wasn't the one that helped me most. I liked "an Adult Child's guide to What's Normal" slightly better.

a great start to unravelling.......2007-06-30

this is a great book for any who, like myself, want to know not only the "how to" of fixing unhealthy repeatitive themes in our lives, but the "why" and "where" of how it all came to be in the first place. she goes over the various types of abuse that encompass far more than the obvious physical beatings and sexual molestation but emotional, intellectual and spiritual as well, and describes how people who are neglected or abused in these ways develop into adults. for those who are steadfastly seeking healing, an accompanying workbook "breaking free" offers exercises for self-exploration and growth.

MUST READ.......2006-11-30

This is the first book on codependence that really relates to me. It's like reading my life story and it helps to understand why I am like I am. If your childhood was more about taking care of your parents than them taking care of you, this is a must read.

Average customer rating:

Relevant, Nuanced, and Well Thought-Out
Cautious and responsible
Still Useful
Good Book
Still relevant and useful

The LIVES TO COME
Philip Kitcher
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Genetics | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

Ethics | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood (California Series on Social Choice & Political Economy)
The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness
The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness
Healthy Competition: What's Holding Back Health Care and How to Free It
The Dependent Gene: The Fallacy of "Nature vs. Nurture"

ASIN: 0684827050

Amazon.com

We stand at the edge, it seems, of a biotechnology revolution that may change society as fundamentally as has the information age. Philip Kitcher's The Lives to Come explains what biotechnology holds in store and grapples with the seemingly intractable moral and ethical questions that it raises: When should genetic screening be applied? When is abortion based on genetic information permissible? How should individuals' genetic makeup factor into their insurance eligibility? Kitcher is able to achieve a rare synthesis between lucid explanations of genetics as a science and expertly posed and argued questions that attempt to define its appropriate social context. He explains the numerous benefits that genetics proffers, but when it comes to addressing their impact he goes far beyond mere platitudes, thoughtfully weighing the alternatives and making concrete policy suggestions that address the fears--eugenics, economic stratification, privacy--that inevitably surround any discussion of the widespread applications of genetics.

Customer Reviews:

Relevant, Nuanced, and Well Thought-Out.......2006-12-06

Philip Kitcher's The Lives to Come is a thorough, nuanced look at the moral and social issues surrounding new genetic technologies. Kitcher starts the book with clear explanations of the basic science of genes and genetic technology, making the book accessible to non-scientists, and laying the groundwork for the rest of the book. He then addresses questions about uses and misuses of genetic technologies, including genetic profiling, forensics, and gene therapy. He discusses philosophical dilemmas around "playing god", the idea of human nature, and the fear that unveiling mysteries about human biology will diminish our sense of meaning and abolish the notion of freewill. The real heart of the book is his delve into the topic of eugenics, which he calls "inescapable" with our current technology. He disambiguates the general concept from previous eugenic practices in Europe and the US, and lays out guidelines for a system of "utopian eugenics". These guidelines include personal decision-making, health education and counseling, and equal access to technologies. Though Kitcher's book was published almost a decade ago, the issues it explores are just as relevant--and unresolved--today. It remains one of the best explorations of the vital moral and social issues brought up by our rapidly increasing biotechnological capabilities.

Cautious and responsible .......2006-04-30

This is a credible and sober work. Kitcher considers the expansion of gene- testing which is about to come , and its implications. He relates primarily to 'negative eugenics ' and the possibility of preventing disease and human suffering. He does not really speak about the more fantastic kinds of ' genetic engineering ' which would enhance humans.
The work was published ten years ago, and there has been great scientific progress in this time, including the mapping of the human genome. But most of the problems and questions here are still of great importance. And this book can provide valuable insight into them.

Still Useful.......2006-04-24

Published approximately a decade ago, this book remains a clear, coherent discussion of the potential implications of genetic testing. Kitcher concentrates on genetic testing and 'negative eugenics,' the concept that prenatal testing can be used to reduce disease causing alleles. He also discusses other aspects of genetic knowledge, such as employment discrimination and similar topics. To his credit, Kitcher had a fairly realistic preception of the likely consequences of increased genetic knowledge and The Lives To Come avoids some of the more outre topics, such as enhancing human capacity, in favor of discussing more likely outcomes as increased prenatal testing. Kitcher also stresses that much genetic research is driven by the desire to understand disease processes with the hope of discovering non-eugenic, more traditionally medical interventions.
Because of the nature of the topic, he has to discuss emotionally loaded topics like abortion, fetal personhood, etc. He comes down on the side of a carefully qualified program of 'utopian' eugenics which permits access to abortion along with a strong commitment to aid families who decide to avoid abortion, and a good measure of careful public education. His discussions of a variety of topics are generally careful, thoughtful, consistent, and moderate in tone.
Its interesting to read this book in light of recent developments. Kitcher was conservative in terms of estimating what could would be learned about genetics of disease and human genetics in general. Sequencing of human and other species genomes, and the application of this knowledge has proceeded faster than he (and many others) anticipated. If anything, the development of better sequencing methods and other technologies will probably accelerate understanding of human genetic disorders in the next couple of decades. At the same time, there has been relatively little progress in converting this knowledge into more traditional medical approaches. With prenatal and other genetic testing gradually expanding, we are entering the era of eugenics that Kitcher (and many others) anticipated.
The social response, however, has not, at least in the USA, what Kitcher reasoned was appropriate. Kitcher argued well that just use of this technology would probably require some sort of universal health care guarantee, universal access to genetic testing, and a commitment to provision of services to families foregoing testing. Kitcher also had sensible prescriptions about employment and similar issues.
Kitcher probably wrote this book in hopes of kindling some public discussion and planning for the inevitable occurence of eugenics and widespread use of genetic information prior to its widespread implementation. This doesn't seem to have happened.

Good Book.......2005-11-28

I found the book extremely enjoyable to read, though it made me sad a lot and also happy a lot. I cried. Anyways, the person who wrote 18 novels in the previous review should probably be genetically modified into a non-moron.

Still relevant and useful.......2005-01-31

I use this book in a class covering biology and ethics. This is still the only book that I have found that addresses such a range of genetic ethical issues in an accessible way that doesn't overwhelm (or overly bore) students. I occasionally have to give students updates on where some of the technology is now (almost a dacade after the book was first published). In general students find it to be an enjoyable read as well as enlightening. I also thingk it is well written and is especially accessible to those with an interest in genetics who may not have a large amount of background. I wish an updated revised edition would be printed.

When Spirits Come Calling: The Open-Minded Skeptic's Guide to After-Death Contacts

Average customer rating:

Superior qualitative research

When Spirits Come Calling: The Open-Minded Skeptic's Guide to After-Death Contacts
Sylvia Hart Wright
Manufacturer: Blue Dolphin Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Channeling | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Reincarnation | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Parapsychology | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Spiritualism | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Ghosts & Haunted Houses | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Messages & Miracles: Extraordinary Experiences of the Bereaved
Induced After-death Communication: A New Therapy for Healing Grief And Trauma
Afterlife Encounters: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Experiences
There's No Place Like Home: Nine Forms of After Death Communication
Is There An Afterlife?: A Comprehensive Overview of the Evidence

ASIN: 1577330951

Book Description

Two out of five Americans report sensing meaningful contacts with lost loved ones. Such contacts are usually comforting - and surprisingly intense. Most do not involve mediums. And unlike near-death experiences, they come unexpectedly to healthy people going about their normal lives.

Here are moving, never-before-published stories of apparent afterlife communication, told in the perceivers' own words. Comparing today's Western beliefs with those of other traditions, ancient and modern, Professor Wright opens the door to reasoned discussion about this often hush-hush subject.

Customer Reviews:

Superior qualitative research.......2005-08-29

This is an excellent book with superior qualitative research on the subject. I love the interviews! I think this is a must have book for anybody interested in after death contacts.

La Codependencia/Facing Codependence: Que es, de donde procede, como sabotea nuestras vidas/What it is, Where it comes from, how it sabotages out lives (Paidos Saberes Cotidianos)

Average customer rating:

La Codependencia/Facing Codependence: Que es, de donde procede, como sabotea nuestras vidas/What it is, Where it comes from, how it sabotages out lives (Paidos Saberes Cotidianos)
Pia Mellody , Andrea Wells Miller , and Keith Miller
Manufacturer: Ediciones Paidos Iberica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Codependency | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Interpersonal Relations | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Codependency | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Mas Alla De LA Codependencia
Ya no seas codependiente

ASIN: 8449315948

Average customer rating:

Simply a Lovely Book
Charming look into Dame Agatha's other life
Elizabeth Peters / Amelia Peabody Fans Take Note
An easily digested hodgepodge of funny episodes
Come tell me how you live

Come, Tell Me How You Live
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Travel | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Essays & Travelogues | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Autobiography
Absent in the Spring and Other Novels: Absent in the Spring -- Giant's Bread -- The Rose and the Yew Tree (Mary Westmacott Omnibus, No. 1)
A Daughter's a Daughter and Other Novels: A Mary Westmacott Omnibus
They Came to Baghdad
The 8:55 to Baghdad: From London to Iraq on the Trail of Agatha Christie and the Orient Express

ASIN: 0006531148

Customer Reviews:

Simply a Lovely Book.......2007-01-18

Agatha Christie wrote this delightful book of her travels with her archaeologist husband Max Mallowan in 1946. It was an entertaining and humorous back then, it still is. I picked this book up while browsing at a Salvation Army store, where I go often, as I like getting books and things for not much money. I leafed through the book, read the introduction by David Pryce-Jones and was immediately taken with Max. Then I continued on, reading the first fifty pages in that back of that Salvation Army store, among the books. Of course I bought it, you should too, because this is a book that will drag lots of chuckles out of you, will teach you a bit about how an archaeoligist worked six decades ago and to a certain extant probably still works today. Plus, above all, this is an excellent book.

Charming look into Dame Agatha's other life.......2006-06-16

Agatha Christie was a prolific writer who churned out one or more books each year for decades. She was invariably on the Best Seller lists in several countries at any given moment, usually had at least one or more plays running in London and saw several films made from her novels. One would imagine her life as divided between writing her novels in some comfortable English country house or attending various events publicizing her latest work or supporting some worthy cause. Instead of this life in the public spotlight for many years she spent every winter 'season' accompanying her husband, Max Mallowan, on archaeological digs in the Middle East, usually living in primative conditions and assisting him with his work. This book is her description of that part of her life, where she was not Agatha Christie, the world famous writer but Mrs Mallowan, the boss's wife.

This chronicle, written and published against her agent's and publisher's advice was written shortly before WWII broke out and describes life on archaelogical digs in the Middle East. Christie gives us descriptions of areas that figure prominently in today's news, Beruit, Basura, Afghanistan. Events that shape present day headlines are recent events at this time, the Armenian massacres for example. While Christie mentions these larger events her focus is on the day to day lives of those around her, the interactions of Europeans, Arabs, Kurds and others. She describes a time when a twenty five mile trip into the nearest town could take two or more days, and where communication was almost nonexistent. In this exotic location she relates homey little tales of village life such as Miss Marple would know (though without the murders).

As another reviewer has already mentioned these memoirs are reminiscent of Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody novels both in setting and wry tone. For fans of Christie it is a treat to get a glimpse into this very private woman's private life. From time to time a situation or person that has appeared in her stories can be seen here 'in real life'.

Elizabeth Peters / Amelia Peabody Fans Take Note.......2004-06-18

This book has been my companion for a few nights now, just a little amusing reading while I prepare to drop off-- if only those dogs would move over and give me some room!

Christie writes of a Middle East that few now can remember, and she is writing to entertain, not inform. There's a certain careless racism that caused me a little niggle of discomfort but, fear not, the Europeans come in for their fair share of ridicule as she skewers the members of the dig and their staff.

Those who enjoy Elizabeth Peters' mysteries set in Egypt (at admittedly an earlier period) might also enjoy this glimpse into what a dig in the desert could be like.

Just to put things in perspective, Mallowan (Christie's archaeologist husband) had begun his career digging with Leonard Woolley and Christie is writing oh so casually about events that underpin some of what is going on in that part of the world now. The massacre of Armenians and the differences between the Kurds and the Arabs are now writ large in our news reports.

An easily digested hodgepodge of funny episodes.......2002-09-15

Several times Agatha Christie accompanied her husband Max Mallowan on his archaeological expeditions to the Middle East. When friends kept on asking how she lived there, Agatha decided to write her adventures down in this book.

The title, in fact, is a pun on "tell," the Arabic word for hill or mound, which is used in the Middle East to describe the hill-like shapes of buried archaeological sites.

This book is probably the most humorous book the detective writer has ever written. She not only puts her own fame in perspective, but also acts as a keen observer of those little things that make humans such funny creatures. Although you never lose the impression that most of the characters in this non-fiction book are caricatures of real people, it still gives you a plausible impression of how life strolled on in the Middle East at that time.

Do not expect a serious treatise on archaeological excavations, because you won't find any scientific information in this book. What you can expect is a rather messy hodgepodge of all-day situations that may bring a smile on your face. And that's fine with me, because that's all Agatha intended it to be: an easily digested chronicle written with love.

Come tell me how you live.......2002-02-20

When reality surpasses fiction: Every near-eastern archaeologist will love to read over and over again this wonderful book. Almost every situation is still true today.

Book Description

In three brief chapters, Zaleski offers an extended meditation on the encounter with death, the hope for life beyond death, and the vision of last things as distilled in the testimony of near-death experience and the Christian tradition.

Average customer rating:

Come, Tell Me How You Live
Agatha Christie Mallowan
Manufacturer: Dodd, Mead
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B0006DEBII

Come, Tell Me How You Live (The Agatha Christie Mystery Collection)

Average customer rating:

Come, Tell Me How You Live (The Agatha Christie Mystery Collection)

Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
Similar Items:

Sleeping Murder (Miss Marple Mysteries)
The Golden Ball and Other Stories
4:50 From Paddington: A Miss Marple Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries)
Mrs. McGinty's Dead: A Hercule Poirot Novel (Hercule Poirot Mysteries)
Dumb Witness (Hercule Poirot Mysteries)

ASIN: 0553350498

Product Description

Another wonderful Agatha Christie Mystery in The Agatha Christie Mystery Collection.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books