Book Reviews - The books below John read and found helpful during his illness:

• By Title
• By Author

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By Title:

• Anatomy of an Illness. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1979. Company, 1992.
• Confronting Life Threatening Illnes.Ann Arbor, Michigan: The Pierian Press, 1992
• Directory of National Helplines. Ann Arbor, Michigan: The Pierian Press, 1990.
• Final Gifts. New York: Bantam Books, 1993.
• Going to Omaha. Simon & Schuster Audioworks, 1989. Head First-The Biology of Hope. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1989.
• Healing and the Mind. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1993. Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1989.
• Life After Life. Covington: Mockingbird Books, 1975. Light Beyond. New York: Bantam Books, 1988.
• Light Beyond. New York: Bantam Books, 1988.
• Love, Medicine & Miracles. New York: Harper & Row, 1986.
• On Death and Dying. New York: Macmillan, 1970.
• Reflections on Life After Life. St. Simons Island: Mockingbird Books, 1977.
• The Complete and Easy Guide to Social Security and Medicare. Charlotte, VT: Fraser Publishing
• The Healing Power of Humor: Techniques for Getting through Loss, Setbacks, Upsets, Disappointments, Difficulties, Trials, Tribulations, and All That Not-So-Funny Stuff. Los Angeles:
• The Living Trust. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1989.
• The Road Less Traveled. New York: Touchstone, 1979.

By Author:

• Abts, H. W., III.
• Callanan, Maggie, and Patricia Kelly.
• Cousins, Norman.
• Klein, Allen
• Kübler­Ross, Elisabeth.
• Moody, Raymond A., Jr.
• Moyers, Bill.
• Peck, M. Scott.
• Pierian Press.
• Siegel, Bernard S.
• Jehle, Faustine F.
• Whitacre, John D.

Abts, H. W., III. The Living Trust. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1989.

This book discusses estate planning with the emphasis on the living trust as the recommended way to pass along your estate to your heirs. Included in the book are complete discussions of other legal documents such as a will, living will, durable power of attorney, the process of probate, and much more.

Callanan, Maggie, and Patricia Kelly. Final Gifts. New York: Bantam Books, 1993.

The authors present a series of case studies of people and families dealing with terminal illness. The case studies show why remaining time for the patient and family can be used to share treasured moments of living and how the patient and family can be helped to live more fully until he or she dies. The studies explain why this can be a time for personal growth for all involved. The book has a useful section on practical ways for family and professionals to deal with the terminal person.

Cousins, Norman. Anatomy of an Illness. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1979.

Anatomy of an Illness is the story of Norman Cousins and his successful fight against a crippling disease. It is the story of a partnership between a physician and a patient in beating back the odds. The doctor's genius lay in helping the patient use his own powers-laughter, courage, tenacity. The patient's talent was in mobilizing his body's own natural healing resources-in proving what powerful weapons all the positive emotions can be in the war against disease.

Cousins, Norman. Head First-The Biology of Hope. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1989.

After ten years as a communicator and researcher in the medical community, Cousins describes his exciting quest to find the proof-or help create it-that positive attitudes are not merely "moods" but biochemical realities. Medical research has shown that panic, depression, hate, fear, and frustration can have negative effects on human health. This book presents the rapidly mounting scientific evidence that hope, faith, love, will to live, purpose, laughter, and festivity can help combat serious disease. Most important, such attitudes can enhance the environment of medical treatment.

Klein, Allen. The Healing Power of Humor: Techniques for Getting through Loss, Setbacks, Upsets, Disappointments, Difficulties, Trials, Tribulations, and All That Not-So-Funny Stuff. Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1989.

Klein centers on the theme that humor is a key to the control and reduction of suffering in life. You may not be able to avoid pain but you can reduce suffering through humor. He provides techniques for getting through loss, setbacks, upsets, and related challenges. The book is written in good humor and will make you laugh.

Kübler­Ross, Elisabeth. On Death and Dying. New York: Macmillan, 1970.

This book is one of the first clinical works on the study of death and dying. Kübler­Ross includes sections on the fear of death, personal and societal attitudes toward death and dying, and the stages of dying: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance, and hope.

Moody, Raymond A., Jr. Life After Life. Covington: Mockingbird Books, 1975.

For this original book, Moody studied more than one hundred subjects who had experienced "clinical death" and been revived. The book provides a narrative of their experiences. Aspects of the different experiences are summarized and grouped according to similarity, such as a feeling of peace and quiet, unique noises, a dark tunnel, out of the body, meeting others, the being of light, the review, the border or limit, and coming back.

Moody, Raymond A., Jr. Light Beyond. New York: Bantam Books, 1988.

This companion book to Life After Life and Reflections on Life After Life expands and consolidates Moody's studies of the Near-Death Experience (NDE). At the time this book was first published, Moody had studied more than a thousand case histories of adults and children who have clinically reached the point of death and survived. He again includes a summary of stages or elements of the near-death experience, a section on child experiences, how the experience changes lives, why NDE intrigues us, and who the NDE researchers are, plus more information on NDE.

Moody, Raymond A., Jr. Reflections on Life After Life. St. Simons Island: Mockingbird Books, 1977.

In this companion volume to Life After Life, Moody includes more evidence that suggests life after death really exists. He expands on the stages or elements of the death experience of patients from his previous work, provides historical examples, and answers questions generated by readers of his previous book.

Peck, M. Scott. Going to Omaha. Simon & Schuster Audioworks, 1989.

This audio cassette deals with the meaning of death. It also discusses Kübler­Ross' six stages of dying and why the stages are experienced for any traumatic event.

Peck, M. Scott. The Road Less Traveled. New York: Touchstone, 1979.

Confronting and solving problems is a painful process that most of us attempt to avoid. The very avoidance, however, results in greater pain and an inability to grow both mentally and spiritually. Drawing heavily upon his professional experience, Peck, a practicing psychiatrist, suggests ways in which confronting and solving our problems-and suffering through the changes-can enable us to reach a higher level of self-understanding. Peck discusses the nature of loving relationships: how to recognize compatibility, how to distinguish dependency from love, how to become one's own person, and how to be a more sensitive parent.

Other topics Peck discusses pertinent to the patient with life-threatening illness are how the possibility of death brings meaning to life and how it can be a motivator to live life to the fullest. Peck bridges the science of psychology and religion with his philosophy of life expressed in this book. He equates mental growth with spiritual growth and defines love as the acts of an individual in doing the hard work of expanding his or her own or another human's spiritual self.

Pierian Press. Directory of National Helplines. Ann Arbor, Michigan: The Pierian Press, 1996.

This is a directory of national toll-free helplines for various services and information. It is updated annually. The current directory includes information on more than 600 services. It includes toll-free and fax line phone number as well as web addresses for a growing number of resources.

Siegel, Bernard S. Love, Medicine & Miracles. New York: Harper & Row, 1986.

Siegel is a surgeon and teaches at Yale University. This book takes note of the mind/body connection in dealing with disease. Siegel provides examples of how patients have defied the convention that a biopsy and prognosis are the determining factor in an individual's future survival and health. He also describes techniques he utilizes to identify the mind/body connection of his patients and how he educates them concerning the characteristics of exceptional patients.

Jehle, Faustine F. The Complete and Easy Guide to Social Security and Medicare. Charlotte, VT: Fraser Publishing Company, 1992.

This handbook will help the reader solve the mysteries and practical necessities of Social Security and Medicare. Social Security disability benefits are discussed. Instructions for stating your claim and how to appeal a Social Security decision, and examples of many of the required forms are included. This excellent reference book is updated each year.

Moyers, Bill. Healing and the Mind. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1993.

Healing and the Mind investigates the link between the mind and the body. The questions "What is health?" and "How are wholeness of self and fullness of life promoted in the patient?" are addressed. Fifteen medical practitioners are interviewed about the art of healing, healing from within, the mind-body connection, and other subjects.