2024-08-19 I read this book in the early 1980s and was able to interact with the author at some Libertarian Party events where he spoke. I really like2024-08-19 I read this book in the early 1980s and was able to interact with the author at some Libertarian Party events where he spoke. I really liked the book and his philosophy - very much in tune with reality....more
2023-09-20 I'm about 60% into this and it is very riveting. Of course I have seen several times, the movie "The Miracle Worker" which is based on part 2023-09-20 I'm about 60% into this and it is very riveting. Of course I have seen several times, the movie "The Miracle Worker" which is based on part of Helen Keller's story with her great teacher Ms. Sullivan. So I have wanted to read this autobiography for a very long time (>50 years), but not made time to do so till now.
The story is proving well worth the time to read it, and quite insightful in several ways: - how deaf & sightless individuals can be taught with minimal - no extra technologies - how important motivations are, as well as early memories of sights & sounds - how crucial a parent's love and touch can be to help a child
2022-08-09 Finished reading this yesterday morning. Absolutely a GEM!!!!!!
Can't wait to collect my notes, highlights and offer you some good reasons wh2022-08-09 Finished reading this yesterday morning. Absolutely a GEM!!!!!!
Can't wait to collect my notes, highlights and offer you some good reasons why this book might be way more than worth your time to check out.
2022-07-28 Restarted rereading this book last night and could hardly stop. It is soooooo good and sooooo damning of the FDA. But the language is totally reasonable. The examples are incredibly gripping and relatable. The history is spot on, and highlights exactly what people need to know about this agency, that my wife calls the Federal Death Agency.
2021-12-03 I read some of the chapters in manuscript and it is dynamite! I have hosted the author to give two talks on the subject of the book - excellent. Only thing stopping me from finishing the final version of the book right away is my lack of speed in reading and dealing with other issues of living.
Highly recommended.
LOVE the cover art/graphic! Perfect take-off on Escher's hand drawing piece and the problem of the FDA rejecting itself. Worth the price of the book and much more itself.
With the importance of drugs during this Covid era, and just the info about them, this book is even more crucial....more
2021-04-05 Finished this a few days ago and am still warm from the glow.
What a treasure of a book.
There are so many prescient insights, observations a2021-04-05 Finished this a few days ago and am still warm from the glow.
What a treasure of a book.
There are so many prescient insights, observations and tips for leading a better, more thoughtful and happy life. Not an easy thing, to lead a happy, meaningful life.
Many psychology and other studies cited, very appropriately. Each chapter has endnotes to see the details.
Excellent books and authors quoted and summarized to back up his points.
Many autobiographical references that endeared his personal struggles and triumphs to this reader.
I had heard the author speak a couple different times at the annual FreedomFest.com conference, via the recordings of the sessions, I believe multiple times each. Then when I realized that he lived only 30-40 min. away, I called him and asked if he would like to speak to a local group I run - a chapter of the BastiatSociety.com and he agreed, and did in Jan. 2020, where I found out about the book and got a copy then. I attempted to read parts during the terrible 2020 Covid lockdown siege, but was unable to concentrate on it. Finally started it again in earnest last month. This time I was ready and could hardly put it down.
But it is not a book to read all at once. It was best (at least for me) to savor it - in bite-sized bits. A nugget here, then reflecting on that, integrating it into my thoughts and actions. Then later moving to the next section and repeating the process.
There are so many really helpful ideas and tips in the book, that I know I will return, probably many times, to savor again, to reflect anew and to implement further modifications of my habits and testing of new things.
A couple nits with the book: 1. No Index - Especially for a physical book (as opposed to eBook) this is a problem for me - because it makes it tough to go back to find parts in the book I want to read again.
2. The Table of Contents only lists the Chapter Titles, without the subchapter headings, which would have been extra helpful, especially due to the lack of an Index.
But other than that - the book is beautifully done: - The cover has a very intriguing picture of a unique stone stack & another strip picture of something mysterious. - The paper and binding quality are excellent - this book's paper will last and not yellow. - Just some of the greats, who's insights he weaves into his book: Aristotle, Ben Franklin, Martin Seligman, John Gottman, Nathaniel Branden, Roy Baumeister, Haim Ginott, etc. - Repeated summaries and critiques of the bad effects that Jean Jacques Rousseau has had on our culture. - The cool chart of Aristotle's Deficiency (Vice), Balance (Virtue) and Excess (Vice) traits/items. - How in-touch the book is with reality and private voluntary (market) actions vs. the pernicious and coercive behavior of governments.
I'll end with the endorsement quotations on the book's back cover by: - John Mackey, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Whole Foods Markets: "Happiness can be an elusive goal. Victor Frankl would say that we can't pursue it directly, but rather that happiness ensures by following our conscience. In the Virtue of Happiness, Joel Wade shows just how interconnected our happiness is with our virtues; but also gives specific ideas and tools for how to actively pursue both our virtues and our happiness. Highly recommended." and - Jon Butcher, Chairman of the Precious Moments Family of Companies, founder of Lifebook. "Dr. Wade's book is the most enlightened exploration of happiness I've yet encountered. In it, he proposes a simple but radical premise; happiness is not a matter of luck, or goal achievement or simply lack of pain... A truly happy life is an accomplishment of epic proportions - one that requires virtue, discipline, passion and courage to create and maintain. Highly recommended!"...more
I read some (~1/3) about 2019, but was not able to finish. I liked much of what I read, but got overwhelmed by the details and trying to help with my aI read some (~1/3) about 2019, but was not able to finish. I liked much of what I read, but got overwhelmed by the details and trying to help with my aging Mom and Dad.
But the ideological bias of the author rubbed me the wrong way - she was just too statist for my taste. That is, she thought the government should pay for all sorts of things, never hinting that taxpayers are the real payers and government is just a VERY expensive intermediary, that screws up all sorts of incentives, costs, ethics, etc.
So, the practical advice was good (as far as I got) but the ethics and worldview was not quite Kosher with me and I bet many people who would think about it carefully....more
2020-01-13 - Wonderful book. Not for those with delicate language sensibilities, but otherwise I recommend it to most any adult. Very funny. Very inform2020-01-13 - Wonderful book. Not for those with delicate language sensibilities, but otherwise I recommend it to most any adult. Very funny. Very informative. Breezy, yet serious too. If you want an intro into why "democratic socialism" might be worth being careful of this campaign season, this book is for you. Great little descriptions of the key features of such socialist countries as: Venezuela Cuba North Korea and the former socialist countries: China Georgia (in the Caucasus mountains next to the Black Sea, not the US State) Russia Ukraine and the never socialist, though highly welfare statist & high taxing: Sweden.
Oh, the book ended with a visit to a major socialist convention...
in the USA - perfect.
I loved the mix of travelogue, history, drinking & eating, economic theory and more. The references to key people and ideas was just about right for this intro-level book. I read it in less than a week, which is pretty darn quick for me. I listened to part of the Audio book and read other parts on my Kindle, due to my schedule and love of both. The professional narrator, John Pruden, was excellent.
Highly recommended for those who have not closed their mind on the subject of socialism (or the free market alternatives). If you think you like the idea of the promises of socialism, give this book a shot. If you like the idea of seeing what travelling to some exotic and talked about places in the news, this could be the ticket.
Great place to start a reasonable journey toward clearer understanding and how to create an actually better world....more
6 Jan. 2019 - Wow - what a book. I read this book because my folks are 89 and having difficulties, plus many aunts, uncles and pretty close friends die6 Jan. 2019 - Wow - what a book. I read this book because my folks are 89 and having difficulties, plus many aunts, uncles and pretty close friends died this last year and another friend wrote a very short, but very compelling review here on Goodreads (Reena Kapoor - Thanks Reena). This book was DEFINITELY worth reading for the reasons I mentioned above. But reading it, I found many more reasons why it was worth spending the time to savor it. Here are just some of the reasons, even though I know this is a fairly long list:
- The opening description of the author's contact with his first patient... and first death - an incredibly "gripping" in more ways than one description of a heart attack.
- Amazing prose. The author has a fantastic style of writing. REALLY good.
- Seneca quotation on suicide - excellent. Wise relevant words from this ancient philosopher.
- Personal, intimate additional descriptions of various deaths that explain what was medically going on. His descriptions were indeed shocking, but not like a slasher movie. They were clinical but also very compassionate. Hard to describe how he did it, but you will probably be amazed and impressed and enlightened too.
- One of the biggest reasons why he wrote the book, and what I was hoping to get out of it, which I did, is that he tried explicitly to explain the facts about what actually happens to people and their loved ones, as well as doctors and nurses while people die. This knowledge can turn into power, since it takes away the terror of the unknown! Think about this. Isn't the terror of the unknown what many people are so frightened about? When they learn about the facts of what actually happens, they become stronger and more able to deal with it.
I remember how anxious I was about cataract surgery before I went through it. Well, the Dr. who operated on my eyes was fantastic about realizing this, not just for me but for most of his patients, so he wrote a book about: - all the details about how to prepare, - what is actually going to happen during the operation and - what happens afterwards! Bingo - that did the trick. It lessened my anxiety (if not fear) about the operation at least 50%. He also put some extra info and videos of actual operations and diagrams, etc. on his website that I (and other patients) could view, answering even more questions I had that the book could not quite do the job on. Those lessened my remaining anxiety even more. All this was in addition to the verbal descriptions of everything from him and his assistants. Fantastic. That is partly what this book does too for dying people and their loved ones who care so much about them.
-More information about sepsis and how deadly this can be - But I still need more info on this.
- The compassion the author shows toward the dying and their loved ones and medical staff - AND how this did not get in the way of his being ruthlessly honest about some motivations of some doctors and the reasons why they may act the way they do. Very insightful and helpful for all. Not always right, but I will explain my critique a bit later.
Some questionable things about the book: -------------------------------- It was written in 1994, so quite a few things have changed since then, technology, medicines, techniques, procedures, mores, economic conditions such as the general wealth of society, etc. He gave his readers an update in the edition I read's final "Coda" chapter, and that helped a lot in clarifying what he thought was important to change, what did and did not change and some specific things that put his philosophy in more clarity than in the rest of the book. And for the most part, I was MUCH more disappointed about his values and lack of insight or foolish ideas on economics, and what can and does make conditions better for medical patients in general and on many specifics.
- Economics is about acting man/woman and their choices - it is NOT just about $ and cents. It is NOT just about capital and companies. Because the author was ignorant of basic economics, he misstated some very important problems and his "solutions" were well off the mark and some actually more harmful than helpful. Despite his wonderful economic insight when stating: "that perennial solvent of reluctance, a handful of dollars." he was far from consistent about his economic statements. He far too often showed a very nasty bias against private voluntary economic incentives and benefits, especially vis a vis coercive government involvement. He seemed almost totally oblivious to coercive government mandates, licenses, regulations, subsidies, etc. as the cause of so much wrong in healthcare. He conflated some bad reactions in the private sector with those government causes. Sure they do appear to be all mixed up and interrelated. But there are primary causes and secondary reactions. Confusing the two certainly creates harm by making things worse.
- I really liked much of the author's philosophy on dying and suicide, but I think he equivocates on some specifics and acts a bit 'holier than thou' in his scorn for some individuals and organizations. That is not to say that his cautions for action on assisted suicide are not genuine and important, they seem to be. But he also seemed to fudge certain issues in my mind.
- his statistics and discussion of guns/gun control was very sad and not well done - especially in light of the situation these days, when so many foolish and counterproductive laws are being proposed and/or passed about guns.
- I am not sure about this statement: "suicide—a very large proportion of the elderly men and women who kill themselves do it because they suffer from quite remediable depression. With proper medication and therapy, most of them would be relieved of the cloud of oppressive despair that colors all reason gray, would then realize that the edifice topples not quite so much as thought, and that hope of relief is less hopeless than it seemed. I have more than once seen a suicidal old person emerge from depression, and rediscovered thereby a vibrant friend. When such men or women return to a less despondent vision of reality, their loneliness seems to them less stark and their pain more bearable because life has become interesting again and they realize that there are people who need them. " I need more information on this. Does a "very large proportion of the elderly" that commits suicide actually "suffer from quite remediable depression" - or are they just being more realistic than Dr. Nuland thinks? Is this statement true or just showing his arrogance at how realistically depressing some situations actually are?
- His history of the Flexner Report and the government controls, licensing and involvement that it recommended and which came about from it showed the worst part of Sherwin Nuland's philosophical, historical and economic understanding. This was probably one of the worst things to hit the American public, the opposite of what Nuland believes. But to understand why would take quite a bit. So other books and articles are needed.
I have much more to say about this book, positive and negative, but I have gone on too long as it is. I bet you can tell that I recommend the book pretty highly. But don't read it without some caution, since he slips in some significant errors that can be harmful from time to time. As Hippocrates said: "First, do no harm."
If the book had no Coda chapter, I probably would have given it 4 stars, which is usually my highest rating. But since the Coda chapter brought out so many errors in the philosophy political/economic, if not moral, by the author, I really can't give it more than three stars, despite how good all the book before that was (except for some select little parts).
Here is the author on why he wrote the book, and the biggest value I got out of it, though I got more of this too, and really appreciated all: Early in the book: "I have written this book to demythologize the process of dying." and about half-way through: "Accurate knowledge of how a disease kills serves to free us from unnecessary terrors of what we might be fated to endure when we die. We may thus be better prepared to recognize the stations at which it is appropriate to ask for relief, or perhaps to begin contemplating whether to end the journey altogether."
2024-01-14 edited fairly lightly for clarity....more
2021-05-12 Finished this a couple days ago. Excellent. Incredibly eye-opening and realistic about just how bad the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) 2021-05-12 Finished this a couple days ago. Excellent. Incredibly eye-opening and realistic about just how bad the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is when it comes to "protecting us" from deadly, harmful, or ineffective drugs.
The death toll for what they, the FDA, have done, primarily due to the Kefauver Amendments of 1962 to the original FDA law, is HUGE - in the 10-20 million range! These amendments, passed just AFTER the Thalidomide drug tragedy occurred in Europe, but was stopped here, have nothing to do with actually protecting us from Thalidomide type problems, even though the Amendments were passed because of the Thalidomide scare. The book covers the Thalidomide issue very clearly and thoroughly, to hopefully help put that canard that keeps people in awe of the FDA, and fear of the marketplace for drugs, to rest. The book covers the "American thalidomide" incident that kills 10-100x more people than Thalidomide, as well as many other deadly decisions and enforcements by the FDA that have been and continue to kill hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people most every year.
From simple violations of free speech that prevent knowledgeable professionals from passing on crucial new information to key medical or other important people who we rely on, to stopping the discovery or development of nutrients, drugs or even techniques that could save us all years of misery or even life itself, the FDA is responsible for harming us, NOT saving us.
This book is written by a very long-time friend of mine, who happened to have been a research scientist for 19 years at a premier drug company, since absorbed into a larger one since she left that was later absorbed into an even larger one... partly due to the logic and implementation of "the Amendments." So she has great understanding of the science involved, but is an excellent communicator too, so she does not get the reader bogged down in technical jargon, but uses just about the perfect mix of technical and lay-person's explanations. Her style of writing is very engaging and very well done.
Her gripping explanations of the multi-faceted and incredibly numerous, horrendous incidents of the FDA's: - intimidation tactics - outright law-breaking - favoritism/corruption/cronyism - causal death toll - etc. etc. will make you wonder why the Amendments were not repealed LONG ago. But she shows how the FDA bureaucrats play the political game along with the ignorance card of the general public, that they do their very best to ENFORCE.
The odds for repeal of these heinously murderous Amendments are indeed stacked against us all, but many individual, targeted victories have been made, so it just takes someone or a small group with the knowledge, the drive and the courage to make it happen. Perhaps that someone might be you? ...more
2020-10-19 - I really loved this 2nd book in the High Ground series by Doug Casey and John Hunt. Not sure why I waited the year or so to get to this r2020-10-19 - I really loved this 2nd book in the High Ground series by Doug Casey and John Hunt. Not sure why I waited the year or so to get to this review. Somehow I just got busy and then forgot about reviewing it, till noticing the 3rd book coming out a week or two ago.
The setting for this book is about 7 years after the first book, so the main character Charles Knight has had time to process the adventures in the first episode, mature a bit and is now ready for a new challenge in life. This new challenge, comes in the form of a new profession, that of Drug Lord,... but not the usual type.
This series of books is highly provocative right from the get-go, just considering the titles. In the first book, the term "speculator" is given a vastly more real, nuanced and positive meaning than is commonly understood. The same kind of thing is achieved in this book with the crucial exploration of: - just what the drugs actually do, - the motivations for certain people in government positions to outlaw certain drugs, - the methods of their production and distribution - in contrast to other drug lords' operations So the ethics of this particular drug lord, his organizational compatriots and enemies are key. But also figuring out just who the bad guys actually are is a major part of the plot suspense and then of course who is going to win out and how.
As with the first book in the series, the authors have a really fun and breezy way of talking about controversial subjects and injecting great little words of wisdom about a hugely varied number of topics.
Here are a few to just give you a little feel:
"The first rule of FDA was Send It Back. It was the easiest course of action, and it also served to test the mettle and sincerity of the filers. After a few such returns, the pharma execs would get testy, but what could they do about it?"
"Washington’s Union Station into the autumn air of a city defined by lost potential...But Charles had grown up, and the city, although awesome, was no more benevolent than a mass of intestinal worms that thrived by consuming most of a body’s nutrition."
"emitted lies the way a hill of burning tires did acrid smoke."
"She said, with resignation, “They really should rename it the Federal Death Authority. I don’t doubt that they kill more people every year than the Defense Department does in a typical decade.... Charles broadened his usual smile for a flash. They were on the same wavelength. “I read that 7,800 lives have been saved by the FDA’s expanded regulatory authority that began in the 1960s. But then those very same regulations caused the early deaths of 4.5 million people, deaths that could have been prevented by drugs that the FDA only approved after years of delay. That’s 4.5 million deaths compared to 7,800 lives saved. They have about the worst safety record imaginable. The FDA should ban themselves.”
“This business ain’t clean. Blood flows in this world.” Charles knew that. “Drawing blood doesn’t bother me. Drawing first blood, unprovoked, does bother me. In my own life, I don’t initiate force or fraud against anyone. I’ve found if I live by that, and work with people who do the same, then things go well for me. If I cheat on it, things go bad. So it’s my one overarching rule.”
Some gems for our current COVID lockdown and BLM times now:
"safety allows for existence, not for life."
"Racism exists mostly as a matter of class and culture, but has its biological roots as well. Most small primitive tribes called themselves “people” in their own language, while using a different word for outsiders—a word that made outsiders seem somewhat less than human. It made sense from an evolutionary point of view. Those outside your group had to be viewed as a potential threat—intent on stealing your property, or worse. Thus humans have been genetically programmed for hundreds of thousands of years to discriminate based on superficial indicators such as skin tone. Higher cognitive functioning was usually required to overcome such biological programming. Such higher functioning could be found in individuals, but not in groups. Racism still had some survival value, but its origins lay in groupthink and collectivism."
"People who crave power over others flock to Washington."
And their ever pertinent:
“Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance."
Sooooo many more I could add.... but I won't, since if you have read this far, what's keeping you from reading the book?
Oh, book #3 is even more controversial, with a ton of great material and fast paced action, plot and all around amazing stuff. But perhaps it goes too far...? (edited this sentence after 2.5 years)...more
22 April 2019 - Having met and gotten to know Mary Ruwart in the 1980s, I was fortunate to read this book in manuscript shortly before it was first pu22 April 2019 - Having met and gotten to know Mary Ruwart in the 1980s, I was fortunate to read this book in manuscript shortly before it was first published in 1992. I have referred back to the published version many times since, because it is a very good reference on many issues. The author is highly knowledgeable about libertarian theory and the practical issues she deals with in the book.
I especially liked the section on government regulations and the FDA in particular. The author has intimate knowledge of that agency, having been a research scientist at Upjohn Corp., a large pharmaceutical company, for many years, and how Upjohn and herself were greatly affected by the policies and administration of the FDA. The very real harms that the FDA, if not all government agencies, cause to consumers is well laid out in the book. Her subsequent book "Death by Regulation" goes into even more details. Also highly recommended, especially now, after the covid disaster, to a large extent caused by the FDA, CDC, etc.
This book is an excellent intro or intermediate book on libertarian ideas and how they deal with real issues in the world, and can hep set you free....more
2013 - VERY, VERY highly recommended. All about a surgeon/researcher/innovator, who struggles against time, politics and bureaucracy to save a patient2013 - VERY, VERY highly recommended. All about a surgeon/researcher/innovator, who struggles against time, politics and bureaucracy to save a patient with a new procedure.
Anyone in the medical profession or anyone concerned about the growing takeover of it by government, SURELY should be able to relate to this story.
More broadly, anyone concerned about the difficulty of leading a moral life will find this a 'can't put down' read. You might think by that statement that the book is "preachy." By no means. It just lets real-world type situations play out that involve life and death, action and inaction.
LOTS of nifty dialog that really skewers the ulterior motives and methods of the governmental system of regulations, politics, interest groups and power plays vs. the private doctor-patient relationship. It really gets the reader into the issues, and there are many issues covered, without long speeches, or slowing down the fast pace of the tense plot.
On a personal note, I thought the first 20-30 pages were a bit too contrived, not my style. So I put the book down... for a year or more. My mistake.
When I finally picked it up again, I found after getting past the beginning, the dialog, plot, characterization, and setting to be fantastic! Very uplifting. Extremely gripping. The book caused me to confront just how scary and just how bad our actual system has been getting over the years, especially the last several. The next few years, with the coming of Obamacare, could make this book quite a terrible prophesy.
But the potential for a happy ending can be greater if sharp, principled people read, get inspired by this book and then take action.
Read this book and see for yourself. You may be like me and want to recommend this to every doctor, nurse or any person involved in or concerned with the future of medicine....more
2020-05-18 - I read this play a week or two before I saw a performance of it at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a regional repertory theater in Ashla2020-05-18 - I read this play a week or two before I saw a performance of it at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a regional repertory theater in Ashland, Oregon in 2012. Loved them both. Really fun, funny, wise and wonderful. The translations were excellent in terms of conveying the ideas and reading/hearing well. Considering the play is almost 350 years old, that's pretty good!
The play performance however, took some liberties (their right I guess), and put in some ridiculous references to global warming - sooooo politically correct. Sad. But even those foolish parts did not come close to ruining the whole performance, since the play had such great wit to it and the actors did such a great job too.
The play and the festival are both highly recommended....more
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