Editorial Review

Lia Lee was born in 1981 to a family of recent Hmong immigrants, and soon developed symptoms of epilepsy. By 1988 she was living at home but was brain dead after a tragic cycle of misunderstanding, overmedication, and culture clash: "What the doctors viewed as clinical efficiency the Hmong viewed as frosty arrogance." Read more

Reviews (166)

Well written...but some conclusions are just wrong!
This was a fascinating book.I enjoyed it and I learned a lot. I think the author didn't come to some conclusions which were painfully obvious. She continued to keep the theme of a culture that was impenetrable and would not change, even after thousands of years of persecution.What about after a few years of commercialism?It is only a matter of time before 2nd and 3rd generation Hmong will be completely assimilated into American culture.You could already see the signs when Fadiman described what the Lee children were doing now.Soccer, medical school, western music.It is inevitable.It is easy to keep a culture untouched for so long when you live in obscurity in the mountains with almost no interchange with the outside world.But when you put a TV in your house, the whole world is right there everyday.Now, the parents may not understand the language, but the kids sure do, and it will affect them.Twenty years from now, the shaman will be in the phone book and you can hire them perform at a kids birthday party, or there will be a class at the local community center on "Reconnecting to your Hmong Roots, all you need to learn in 8 weeks", just like the Native Americans, or learning hula dancing.When society is so connected by technology, you cannot live on a cultural island.I just don't believe it can happen.
I grew up in Merced and had no idea about this
I grew up amongst the sizable population of Hmong immigrants in Merced during the time the Lees were going through this ordeal.
just beautifully written
so all the praise i can possibly say about this book has been, so this will be short. all in all, even if i wasn't reading it for the subject matter, Fadiman's storytelling is amazing. not only is this book damn informative and perceptive-changing, it is also VERY ENTERTAINING. almost like a novel, it grips you at parts, makes you feel a gamult of emotions... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. California    2. Case studies    3. Ethics    4. General    5. Health - General    6. Hmong American children    7. Hmong Americans    8. Medical / Nursing    9. Medical care    10. Medicine    11. Minority Studies - General    12. Social Science    13. Sociology    14. Transcultural medical care    15. Popular medicine   

Reviews (7)

unplugged: reclaiming our right to die in america
unplugged delves into timely and essential subject matter with an entertaining, informative, wondrful style of writing.colby's insight to this pertinent topic is beneficial universally, as we all must confront these circumstances at some point in our lives.

The right-to-die debate is once again tackled
The right-to-die debate is once again tackled; this time by a lawyer who represented Nancy Cruzan in the first right- to-die case heard by the Supreme Court. While Nancy Cruzan's struggles were chronicled in a prior book by Colby, Unplugged: Reclaiming Our Right To Die In America offers a broader perspective on the topic, moving beyond Cruzan's struggle to offer answers to legal, ethical, medical and personal issues involved in the debate. Court records, interviews and the authors' own experiences lend to the discussion of current laws, proposed changes, and their effects on society.
A Book for Everyone
"Unplugged" is a book everyone who is going to die should read.It tells you what you need to do to make sure your wishes are respected when it comes to end-of-life decisions.Doing that will spare your loved ones unnecessary anguish.This book, believe it or not, is an engaging page turner and my 90-year-old mother just read it.We took its advice, talked about her wishes, and she now has a notarized health care power-of-attorney, giving us both much peace of mind.All this thanks to Colby's wonderfully written, timely, important book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Death & Dying    2. Ethics    3. Life and death, Power over    4. Medical / Nursing    5. Medical Law & Legislation    6. Moral and ethical aspects    7. Right to Die    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. Terminal care    11. Coping with personal problems    12. Euthanasia    13. USA   

Reviews (1)

A Great insight
I see this as a clear and well written book that gives wou a great insight to the american legal system concerning medical pratice espcilay if you are an IMG who has no knowledge of the legal process... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Administration    2. Allied Health Services - Medical Assistants    3. Ethics    4. Legal status, laws, etc    5. Legal status, laws, etc.    6. Malpractice    7. Media & the Law    8. Medical    9. Medical / Nursing    10. Medical laws and legislation    11. Medical personnel    12. United States    13. Medical / Allied Health Services / Medical Assistants    14. Nursing & Ancillary Services   

Reviews (2)

Concise, yet comprehensive sytematic approach to bioethics
Dr. Jonsen is one the nation's germinal thinkers in the field of bioethics. Through his experience and associations at several of the renowned medical academic institutions in this coutnry he sets forth aclear systematic approach to problems in bioethics. This includes a reviewof his "4-box" method for approaching ethical problems and thenreviews basic ethical principles as well as legal definitions.Hisapproach to clincal dilemmas provides a refreshing analytical process fordilineating issues and conflicts.

This is an excellent resource for those in medical settings.
The authors suggest another method of evaluating ethical dilemmas.They suggest one examine the situation in light of medical indications, patient preferences, quality of life, and contextual features. Because the approach is clinical, rather than theoretical, some of the medical details presented are somewhat technical.This is a book for those working in a medical setting or otherwise engaged with medical ethics. I read the book based on the recommendation of a bioethics lecturer.It was further recommended recently by the Director of the Program in Medical Ethics for University of California, Irvine. --Mary Kay Buike, MSW, ACSW; Oncology Social Worker and member of a hospital Bioethics Committee ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Case studies    2. Ethics    3. Ethics, Clinical    4. Medical    5. Medical / Nursing    6. Medical ethics    7. Medical / Ethics   

Subjects:  1. Anatomy    2. Ethics    3. Forensic Medicine    4. History    5. Medical    6. Medical / Nursing    7. Dissection    8. History of medicine    9. Medical / General   

Subjects:  1. Children    2. Culture    3. Drug use    4. Medical / Nursing    5. Psychiatry - Child & Adolescent    6. Psychiatry - Psychopharmacology    7. Psychology    8. Psychotherapy - Child & Adolescent    9. Psychotropic drugs    10. Social aspects    11. Child & developmental psychology    12. Medical ethics    13. Psychology & Psychiatry / Child Psychology   

Subjects:  1. Ethics    2. Medical    3. Medical / Nursing    4. Medical / Ethics   

Reviews (12)

I hope every nurse reads this
I was inspired to become a nurse by stories of the "lady with the lamp" but it took more than 30 years before I found this book and learned just why Florence Nightingale deserved to be my inspiration.The pictures alone are worth the price of this book, and the story too is well told.

Profound and inspiring
Dr. Barbara Dossey, founder of the American Holistic Nursing Association, has written an inspiring and insightful biography of Florence Nightingale that has much to teach us about being bold, tough minded, task oriented, creative, passionate andcompassionate.Nightingale conscientiously developed the strongly focused conceptual, organizational and networking skills that contributed to her formidable accomplishments in the fields of nursing, housing, sanitation and statistics and did it all despite chronic illness, criticism, sexism and other major life challenges.Most of all, we learn that Nightingale was a visionary and mystic, whose life story challenges all of us to know, accept and realize our God-given purpose in this world.

A Most Inspiring Book
I knew of Florence Nightingale's nursing activities before reading this book but had no idea of the extent of her self-discipline, dedication and accomplishments.She was a systems analyst, administrator, networker and mystic who devoted her life to doing God's work.She was also a prolific writer of books, lay reports, pamphlets and thousands of letters.The author provides a wealth of background material describing the historic times and placesassociated with Florence Nightingale. One of the things I appreciated about this book were the many maps and photographs appropriately placed near the text about the person or places. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1820-1910    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. England    7. Medical - General    8. Medical - Nurses    9. Nightingale, Florence,    10. Nurses    11. Nursing (General)    12. Nursing - Management & Leadership    13. Women    14. Biography: political    15. Medical / Nursing / Issues    16. Nursing    17. Social forecasting, futurology    18. United Kingdom, Great Britain   

Subjects:  1. Ethics    2. General    3. Health & Fitness    4. Health/Fitness    5. Medical / Nursing    6. Medical ethics    7. Medical laws and legislation    8. Medical personnel    9. Moral and ethical aspects    10. Professional ethics    11. United States    12. Social law   

Subjects:  1. Bioethics    2. Ethics    3. Ethics & Moral Philosophy    4. Medical / Nursing    5. Medical ethics    6. Philosophy    7. Bio-ethics    8. Philosophy / General   

Reviews (3)

Decoding the Ethics Code : A Practical Guide for Psychologists
I found this book very easy to read. It described each code very well and provided examples both what is right and what is wrong. Great way to learn the ethics code and become familiar with it.

Essential reading for psychotherapists
Decoding the Ethics Code is must reading for psychotherapists from all the mental health guilds. Celia Fisher was a member of the APA committee that drafted the 2002 revision of the Ethical Code, and there is nothing like going to the source. The book is readable and informative, and helps to make sense of the new HIPAA regulationsNo ethical practitioner can afford to be without this resource.

Ethics Made Easy!
This book is amazing!It helps the reader understand what is required of psychologists in simple but comprehensive terms.It also provides invaluable information about HIPAA laws that I found very helpful. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethics    2. General    3. Moral and ethical aspects    4. Professional ethics    5. Psychologists    6. Psychology    7. Psychology & Psychiatry Profession - Ethics    8. Psychotherapy - Counseling    9. Education    10. Practical & applied ethics    11. Psychology & Psychiatry / General   

Subjects:  1. Ethics    2. Ethics Committees, Research    3. Ethics, Medical    4. Institutional review boards (Medicine)    5. Management    6. Medical    7. Medical / Nursing    8. Nursing - General    9. Research    10. organization & administration    11. Research & development management   

Editorial Review

The plans of Adolf Hitler and the German Nazis to create a Nordic "master race" are often looked upon as a horrific but fairly isolated effort. Less notice has historically been given to the American eugenics movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Although their methods were less violent, the methodology and rationalewhich the American eugenicists employed, as catalogued in Edwin Black's Read more

Reviews (15)

War agaisnt the weak, proves that we are no longer weak
Edwin Black writes books, that not only move you emotionally, but educate you with page turning energy. This is a book that will not only scare you and tell you about the horrors of what mankind can think of but how this type of horror can become "commonplace" in a society that goes mad. This book is relevant today as never before, as we are facing a crisis of war against the "infidels", which in its own wayis a war against the weak, or the politically correct who refuse to acknowlege that we are fighting a war of terror, under the guise of religion, and one party choosing who lives and who dies. This book is well researched, documented, and filled with facts. Bravo to Edwin Black. Now if only the State department could reead this.................

History as Pop Culture
"War Against the Weak" takes American history as a facet of pop culture. While factually based, Black undermines the historical importance of eugenics and the debate. Black, a journalist by nature, is not a historian and his book should not be taken as a solely historical text. While he does cite his evidence, Black only touches the surface of Eugenic history. Ultimately, "War Against the Weak" was written for popular reading and is an adequate basis for those with no knowledge on the subject

Horrible history - important book
Black is researched and sourced to the point his index requires its own hardcover publication. His book is somewhere between straight reporting and a cry for justice, but Black is no drama queen. This is a well documented, studiously researched and well-written journal of how American eugenics gave nod to mass murder in Europe. Black is nothing if not deliberate in his sourcing and is as learned on the subject of eugenics as anyone. Well worth the time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Conspiracy & Scandal Investigations    2. Ethics    3. Ethnic Studies - General    4. Eugenics    5. Government policy    6. History    7. History: American    8. Human reproduction    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Social Science    11. Sterilization (Birth control)    12. United States    13. Ethnic studies    14. Population & demography    15. USA    16. c 1900 - c 1914   

Reviews (2)

Concise
This book is the text for a biomedical ethics class I am now taking.I have worked as a biomedical scientist and the authors address the issues faced by researchers and clinicians very well.Each topic is presented in context and then viewpoints of several (opposing) authors are used to illustrate the different aspects of the dilemma.This book is very helpful for all medical professionals who are interested in doing the right thing when faced with a predicament.

Textbook for my bioethics class
Excellent source of information - used for my bioethics class.Very comprehensive, and a must have for bioethics students out there. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethics    2. Ethics, Medical    3. General    4. Medical / Nursing    5. Medical ethics    6. Philosophy    7. collected works    8. problems    9. Philosophy / General   

Reviews (1)

Not All Ethics Texts are Created Equal
I thought I read every ethics text throughout my close to ten years in higher education.Obviously, this one was left out.This is an excellent text, easily readable, engaging, practical, and down to earth.I look forward to picking it up and continuing on each day.This text should be used in every ethics class and by every professional in the field of human service.Incredible job by the authors.Definitely recommended to every practicing clinician. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Clinical Psychology    2. Counseling    3. Counselors    4. General    5. Moral and ethical aspects    6. Professional ethics    7. Psychiatric Ethics    8. Psychiatry - General    9. Psychology    10. Psychopathology - Compulsive Behavior    11. Psychotherapists    12. Psychotherapy - Counseling    13. Psychotherapy - General    14. Counselling    15. Medical ethics    16. Psychology & Psychiatry / Psychotherapy    17. Psychotherapy   

Subjects:  1. Ethics    2. Hospitals    3. Information storage and retrieval systems    4. Management    5. Medical    6. Medical records   

Reviews (36)

Eye-opener
As a physician, John Abramson explains his experience and his research on the subject of pharmecuticals, using good medical and common sense, along with professionalism to investigate the overuse of prescription drugs. There are methods that should be followed for approval of drugs which aren't always followed; drugs are partially tested, information is slanted to cut time, laziness and time constraints contribute, faulty and partial information, all weave their way into the story of how the dangerous overuse of drugs harm consumers. Many doctors trust the medical journals for accuracy and current information on prescription drugs. Unfortunatly the journals get caught in the web of bad information by not verifying their sources. This book offers the medical field and patients in an eye-opening read on the real story behind the overuse of certain popular drugs and the process that goes on behind the scenes - along with a hint that once again, corporate America's greed stands to gain at the cost of the uninformed consumer. His daunting task to untangle this web and make it readable to a wide audience is well done.I'm appreciative for people such as John Abramson for taking the time and efforts to inform the public.

There will be no solution to the health care crisis until we understand the foundation of the problem.
The lengthy title of this book sums up the question of "why are Americans, whose health is at the bottom of the developed nations, are paying so much more for that distinction?" Read this book. It will tell you why. There will be no solution to the health care crisis until we understand the foundation of the problem, and Dr. Abramson clearly explains why and how the current system benefits corporate profits, but not much else.
Everyone should read this book!
This book wouldn't be so frightening if I didn't believe all of it was true.You know how it is when you buy a new car and then you see that car everywhere?Just in the last couple days while reading this book there have been a couple of newspaper articles about medical researchers being paid thousands of dollars by big pharma when working on drugs that they are in charge of approving or rejecting.It makes you look at the medications you might be taking in a whole different and more critical way.Everyone should read this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Consumer Health    2. Ethics    3. Health Care Delivery    4. Health Care Issues    5. Health Care Policy    6. Medical    7. Medical / Nursing    8. Pharmaceutical Industries (Economic Aspects)    9. Public Health   

Subjects:  1. Administration    2. Ethics    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Health/Fitness    5. Institutional review boards (M    6. Institutional review boards (Medicine)    7. Medical    8. Medical / Nursing    9. Medical Ethics    10. Reference    11. Research    12. Health & Fitness / Reference    13. Medicine: General Issues   

Subjects:  1. Caring    2. Ethics    3. General    4. Medical    5. Medical / Nursing    6. Nursing    7. Nursing - Issues    8. Nursing - Nurse & Patient    9. Nursing Care    10. Nursing ethics    11. Philosophy    12. Reference    13. Health systems & services   

Reviews (3)

Textbook only
This is an excellent book on a terribly important subject area; however, I would not recommend it as anything other than a textbook.It is not poorly written; rather, it is terribly academically written.This book will be quite enlightening if you have a class and professor with whom to discuss your reading.If you have the slightest degree of dyslexia, ADHD, or migraine aura -- you will probably spend your semester rereading and rereading until your face is the color of the cover, so I suggest asking your professor for some supplemental reading that is more easily digested.It will not make reading this book easier, but it will greatly increase your understanding of the subject matter.

Outstanding Text
This is the most recent edition of a first rate textbook on the difficult topic of medical ethics.The authors' approach is neither to attempt to derive a set of guidelines from abstract moral theory nor to be completely empirical in the sense of simply assessing what clinicians and researchers do when dealing with moral issues.The approach of this book is to extract a series of important principles from the best aspects of practice and then to generalize these principles.The 4 basic principles set out by the authors are respect for autonomy, non-maleficience, beneficience, and justice.The book is divided into a series of well written and integrated chapters covering the basic rationale for the authors' approach, each of the principles, professional-patient relations, and concluding with a set of chapters covering basic moral theories and how the authors' approach fits in with moral theory and competing approaches. You CAN Tell a Book by its Cover
Book Review PRINCIPLES OF BIOMEDICAL ETHICS Tom L. Beauchamnp and James F. ChildressRead more

Subjects:  1. Ethics    2. Life Sciences - Biology - General    3. Medical    4. Medical / Nursing    5. Medical ethics    6. Medical / Ethics    7. Philosophy | Ethics & Moral Philosophy | Biomedical Ethics