change Books

David Viscott was a blessing to the mental health field...just a great mind...PERIOD. With brilliant deductions and perception, Viscott delivers again with more discernment and clarity than any other author on the subject. I have yet to read one book or listen to one tape by David, that i didn't grow from. He was a great man and will be sadly missed. This book is a great addition to your emotional health library. A must for every person who wants to understand a little more about human nature and the motives behind action.

Heard EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE, written and read by
Dr. David Viscott.

The book suggests a way of life, in which we can communicate
more freely with the people we love without baggage from our
past . . . Viscott discusses the forces that block feelings,
and he presents useful techniques for overcoming the obstacles
that can create unhappiness and unnecessary tensions in
our lives.

In some respects, listening was probably better than reading
EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE because it felt almost as if the
author was speaking to me in a one-on-one therapy session.

Among the many insights that I gained were the following:
* Express your pain the minute it occurs.

* Guilt has no purpose.

* People will love you because you're human, not because you're
perfect.

* What you avoid imprisons you.

And these do's and don't at the conclusion:

* Stop trying to prove yourself.

* Be kind to yourself every day.

* Find something to be grateful for.

* Don't try, just be.

* Don't try to change or fix others.

* Don't expect the person who hurt you to apologize.

* Don't expect people to be nicer to you than they
are to themselves.

* Don't expect others to understand you.

+++++

Do you know what these are?

(1) Lie.
(2) Try to change or fix others.
(3) Expect the person who hurt you to apologize.
(4) Expect others to recognize your goodness or accomplishments.
(5) Wait for permission to do what is best for you.

These are 5 truths of things NOT to do to change and heal your life. They are found in the brief last chapter of this book by the late Dr. David Viscott, a well-known psychiatrist. There are 8 more of these don'ts. As well, there are 14 truths that you should do to heal and change your life. (This makes for a total of 27 "Dos and Don'ts.")

This book is a kind of handbook to successfully get through the emotional bumps of life that everybody encounters. Viscott explains more eloquently:

"This book is designed to help you achieve and preserve your emotional resilience, so you can face the difficult threats of the present and manage them effectively without being drained, feeling bad about yourself, or second-guessing your actions."

This book centers around three main concepts:

(1) Natural Therapy: refers to the spontaneous process (that this book advocates) that enables healing and change to occur.

(2) Emotional Debt: the condition of withholding feelings. This works on the principle that when feelings are not expressed, a condition of tension is created. Thus, emotional stress is the pressure of unexpressed feelings. What you want to strive for is to limit emotional debt.

(3) Toxic Nostalgia: the intrusion of past feelings into the present that bring up fear, anger, or hurt. These past feelings are stored in emotional debt.

Finally, this is a surprisingly easy book to read. There is no tedious psychobabble to contend with and you will begin learning right away.

In conclusion, read this book and resolve what's bothering you and getting in the way of your sense of freedom and happiness right now!!

(first published 1996; acknowledgments; introduction; 14 chapters; main narrative 355 pages; index)

+++++

This is the first book I have read which zoned into the actual method to have complete emotional freedom from past hurt. The truth in this book is so divinely guided that people may not want to become that clear, as you will feel resistance when you read the first few pages as your illusions come crashing down. Keep going and experience freedom - finally! To live your life the way you want to and not be dragged through live through unconscious sabotaging thoughts, which you will become more aware of through this book. May all be blessed.

Have read and re-read and re-read again over the years. Such a good book I've rcmded to others and even bought it for someone. Though a lot of material/content (not pages) it is told in such a manner that makes it easy to read and very revealing, helpful. He is a great author and conveys points easily. Would consider reading his other books.

After devouring this book on first publication (literally camping out in a vest pocket park in London to finish it after getting off a transatlantic flight), I was curious to see whether I would still find this intellectually rich, superbly organized and artfully written work as groundbreaking as I felt it was four decades ago. Again savoring each vignette and prognostication, the answer was a resounding "yes".

Toffler was not the first intellectual to amass, synthesize and extrapolate vast data and opinions on a variety of subjects of interest to the body politic - think tanks had been quietly going about that very work for years - but he was the first to popularize the whole process and make it accessible to the lay person. "Future Shock" not only became its own buzz phrase but set off a veritable cottage industry of crystal ball gazers that remain busy at work to this day - some of them intellectually rigorous, some of them decidedly so-so.

"Future Shock" has stood the test of time due to its probing analysis of trend lines, how they might play out and their likely concomitant effects; Toffler's batting average on that score is quite high. His detailed observations about what we now call the Internet was light-years ahead of its time, and he also plumbed numerous other topics (long-distance commuting, the breakdown of top-down organizational structures, increasing societal mobility and the growing impermanence of "community") with great foresight.

It is in the area of democratic governance, however, that time has not been overly kind to Toffler, not because Toffler's understanding of the need for more effective long-term debate and planning was misguided, but because our elected leaders, most especially at the federal level (where Toffler's comments about a disconnect between the body politic's opinions and public policy development seem most directly aimed), do not possess or care to exercise the leadership necessary to make hard choices.

When the author suggests an approach of "anticipatory democracy" centered on a variety of forums and "what if?" scenarios in which a wide variety of Americans can express their opinions about what kind of country they want, he's on to something. Nearly 40 years later, the body politic has access to a dazzling array of methods to express their informed or semi-informed opinions: national polls, town hall meetings, focus groups, letters to elected officials, etc. Yet for all the data and all the public input our elected officials can mine, all but a few (abetted by endless election cycles and a horde of lobbyists) seem constitutionally incapable of arriving at more than an incremental solution to the big problems of our day. Repeatedly slapped in the face by energy shortages, high gasoline prices and rogue, oil-rich states, our reaction is to endlessly debate North Slope drilling, the windfall profits tax and CAFE standards; meanwhile, the "early adapters" (still fewer than 5 percent of the US population at this writing), vote in the marketplace by buying hybrid vehicles. Similarly, the crisis enveloping Social Security is met with a series of "bipartisan commissions", and the mind-numbing issue of bioethics is sent to a cabal of academics/presidential advisors for analysis with no national debate whatsoever. The late, great Daniel Patrick Moynihan got it right: if you want to address a serious public policy issue, be prepared to invest at least 30 years in the process. No one should fault Toffler for the inability of others to take up his crusade.

"Future Shock" remains Alvin (and Heidi) Toffler's finest accomplishment and one of the most intellectually stimulating non-fiction works of the 20th Century. Let's hope the last chapter of this seminal work - the one on anticipatory democracy - finally gets the audience it deserves.

I read Future Shock immediately before reading Alvin and Heidi Toffler's latest book: Revolutionary Wealth. I am fascinated with thoughtful predictions of the future. Knowing the accuracy of the predictions he made about the future in Future Shock (which was first Published in 1970) would provide a good indication of how accurate
I found the book extremely interesting, insightful, and well researched. It was scary at times, but upbeat at others. It discusses where we are headed as a society (from a 1970 perspective), and what lies ahead. It covers subjects such as: the throw away society, the fractured family, education of the future, the diversity of life styles, the origins of over choice, cloning and much more. Many of these topics are today's headlines...not bad for peeking into a crystal ball back in 1970!

At times I caught myself thinking "there is nothing new here; Toffler is just eloquently describing today's society." Then I realized when the book was written.

Toffler has an amazing ability to look at the very beginning of trends and then extrapolate a future out of those trends. His predications come from interviews with many world experts. Toffler then uses his critical thinking skills to integrating everything he has learned. From this knowledge he constructs a vision of the future. Not only that, he provides options we should consider to create a positive future for ourselves.

It is amazing enough to predict the future relatively accurately. By providing us with options, Toffler completed this masterpiece of writing.

Some of the predications Toffler made didn't come to pass. That's to be expected. There are so many that have come to pass that it makes this book a powerful work.

Flash forward:
When I read Revolutionary Wealth I paid close attention to what is in store for us in the next 30 years. Once again Toffler hits a home run. The future will be amazing and we have more control than we think to make it great!

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

Revolutionary Wealth

I had to read this in high school, thought it was interesting and maybe possible (people not being able to handle rapid change), but now it's 38 years later...well, where are all the people coming apart at the seams cause of technological change? We seem to handle it no prob, and plenty of people still lead simple lives if they want to, it just didn't happen Alvin, sorry, but you keep on self-promoting, this is America after all..

Toffler's Future Shock is something similar to what science fiction writers have discussed many times. What happens when you throw advanced technology and concepts at a more primitive people (human/alien/mineral/vegetable) or whatever.

Here he is talking about us, and the seeming increasing pace of change, and the general inability of people to keep up with it. While this may be true for some, being in his 35 years ahead future now, with all the people on the planet wandering around with mobile phones, is this really the case for mankind in general?

After reading The Deviant's Advantage, Media Virus, and a little bit of what Faith Popcorn wrote I wanted to find the source of their wisdom. Aside from personal experience, where do a lot of our ideas come from? I think one of those sources is a visionary named Alvin Toffler.

Even though this book was written in 1971, it is still totally relevant. I you want to know where society is headed you need a thorough understanding of where we came from, where we are currently, and what the best in the field once predicted where we will be. Even though Toffler wasn't completely accurate, his trajectory of foresight was both accurate and enlightening.

Future Shock provides a model for the future aspiring Futurist. His theories merge physics, math, and sociology(acceleration, and growth of society); sociological architecture (designing society for the short term but making it adaptable for the future); an extremely accurate parallel to Douglas Coupland's Generation X (transient youth and the resulting political apathy); I could just go on - Future shock is a treasure trove of insights.

What I loved the most was his prediction of "neural devices that increase sensitivity to texture..." Faith Popcorn made the same prediction - a FULL 30 years after Toffler! Even Faith seems to borrow from a 30 year old book.

This book has something for every one interested in the humanities, business (Marketing was my reason), or just reading interesting books.

This is a must read. It really tells it like it is and we need this kind of information to get the job done. I wish every parent and teacher could read this book. It is now a handbook that I keep close.

Bishop Spong has undertaken an almost impossible task: he seeks to remain Christian while systematically dismantling the entire foundation of Christianity. He finds historical precedence for this enormous conceptual shift in the Exile of the Jews to Babylon. The foundations of Jewish faith were destroyed by the Exile and the Jews had to give up the core of their beliefs or else lose their faith entirely. And so Bishop Spong calls himself, and others who no longer hold to the Christian Creed, "Believers in Exile".

The Christian Creed is examined phrase by phrase and nearly each one is demolished by our modern scientific knowledge, and by simple logic. Is God "the Father"? Is God "Almighty"? This man who has spent his adult life in service to the Episcopal Church rejects these ideas as sexist, paternal, and observably wrong. The age-old Problem of Evil refutes the assertion that God is Almighty. I cannot possibly do justice to Spong's careful and powerful arguments, so I recommend to all those interested to simply read what he has to say. It's quite well written and approachable.

This book is not written for sincere believers, comfortable in their faith. Instead it is written for every thoughtful person who is having trouble reconciling the detailed knowledge mankind now has of the natural world with Christian faith as practiced in the modern world. Bishop Spong has found a Christianity that is beyond theism, as strange as that may sound. Yet his beautifully organized and detailed arguments make this choice quite reasonable, at least as reasonable as any other belief based on faith.

Whether or not you agree with Spong's views on religion, every Christian should at least read this book for an enlightening perspective on their faith. It's very well written and easy to read.

Bishop Spong is a retired Episcopal bishop has a simple point of view. Christianity, to him, is defined by the most aggressively illiterate and anti-modern types of Fundamentalist Protestantism. It is anti-science. It is anti-evolution. It takes a rigidly literalist view of the Bible. Christianity, in short, is against reason and it is against the modern world. Thus, it is dying. The only way to fix it is to radically change it, to make it into a religion of love, instead of one of judgment.

With all due respect, Bishop Spong is simply wrong, about every single aspect of this.

First, as Spong should know, there are many kinds of Christianity. Yes, there are churches which arguably fit his description, particularly if viewed in an uncharitable way. However, as an Episcopalian he should have at least basic familiarity with Catholic teaching. The Catholic Church is not, and never has been, anti-reason, anti-evolution or anti-science. It has never taken a literal view of the Bible. The Episcopal Church once upon a time considered itself very close to Rome, in theological terms. While the Episcopal Church has recently had a long series of very public fights with the Catholic Church, and with the world Anglican Church, over, first, the ordination of women, and, second, the ordination of gay priests and bishops, most Episcopal priests and congregations still pride themselves on being well-educated. It is, frankly, bewildering to have an Episcopal Bishop say that he can not see any difference between his own Church and the most illiterate form of hardshell fundamentalist. I honestly do not know what he thinks he is talking about. One can criticize the Episcopal Church for many things, but excessive Fundamentalism and overly-strict Biblical literalism are not features that any sane, competent observer thinks characterize the Episcopalians.

Second, as a practical matter, it is the liberal churches which are dying not the fundamentalist ones. Every liberal church has shrunk dramatically in the last genertion. Every staunchly conservative church has grown in members. One can like this or not like this, but it is simply a fact that it is the liberal churches which are dying, not the other way around. It takes willful blindness, a stubborn refusal to face basic facts, to deny this. (One can see this, among other places, in the differing fortunes of the Episcopal and the Catholic Churches in America. The two were quite close, in many ways, fifty years ago. The Episcopal Church, however, has gone from being "the Republican Party at prayer", as it was a century ago, to being perhaps the most liberal Church in America today. The Catholic Church, while it has flirted with liberalism, has basically stood fast to its historic teachings. The Episcopal Church has lost nearly half its members and has far more priests -- gay, straight and female -- then can possibly find pulpits. The Catholic Church has grown steadily and faces a severe priest shortage, so pressing is the call for them.)

Third, when Spong says that the Church must be transformed, he advocates nothing new. He wants a Church based on reason and love. Here is an idea for you, Bishop. Go read St. Augustine. Read St. Thomas Aquinas. Read Luther. For that matter, go read Cardinal Ratzinger's Introduction to Christianity. Read John Paul II's Theology of the Body. Read some Edith Stein. Acquaint yourself with the classics of the literate Church, both historically and in the our era. You will find tht the "new" church you want is not new. You will find that all of the values you advocate have always been in the Church. What we need is not radical newness, but leaders who actually read and understand the tradition.

Is Bishop Spong truly ignorant of the Theology 101 reading list which I just ticked off? It is possible, in which case it is truly appalling that the Episcopal Church made such an illiterate a priest, never mind a bishop. But I do not think so. Something tells me that Spong has heard of Augustine and Aquinas. I think he ignores the classics of the literate Church, deliberately, because he has a different agenda. He basically wants to turn his back on the Bible, and make Jesus Christ into a pitchman for the extreme left wing of the Democratic Party instead. It is certainly his right to believe as he wishes. LIke so many other Episcopal leaders, however, he is not unable to draw any firm line between where religion ends and politics begins. As a result, what he teaches is basically a muddled form of left-wing political ideology. The voice of the Gospels, the voice of the Apostle Paul, the voice of Moses, these are voices that Bishop Spong is not listening to any more.

Having jettisoned the need for a bodily resurrection of Jesus in Resurrection: Myth or Reality? : A Bishop's Search for the Origins of Christianity, Spong is now ready to jettison the theistic conception of God. Why the Christianity he want to leave behind must die he is not clear about: he may underestimate the desperation of those whose reactionary beliefs mask hysteria. What Christianity will change into he seems to be still struggling with ... and it is not up to him alone, of course, to determine what the new Christianity will be, as he is aware. It is to "believers in exile", those who have similarly rejected supernaturalism, that he turns to enlist the help of.

As earlier in Resurrection: Myth or Reality? : A Bishop's Search for the Origins of Christianity and later in A New Christianity for a New World: Why Traditional Faith is Dying & How a New Faith is Being Born, Spong continues to hold tightly to his image of Jesus. Although he appeals to Paul, his image of Christ also derives closely from his reading of the Gospels, such that he does not in this book dive deeply into Paul's theology. Indeed, in Resurrection: Myth or Reality? : A Bishop's Search for the Origins of Christianity most of his discussion related to Paul's letters is confined to one ten page chapter and in this book the two chapters with "Christ" in their titles mostly cover Christ as implied by the Jesus found in the Gospels. Although Spong points out that Paul "wrote that he was not concerned to know Christ from a human point of view (2 Cor 5:16)", it seems quite important to Spong to speculate, using the Gospels and his assumptions about the impact Jesus had on those who knew him, just who that personal Jesus was.

So anchored in the Jesus he believes he has met, Spong is ready to let go of the bodily resurrection and now the theistic conception of God and of the supernatural heaven and hell, requiring a new understanding of prayer, the basis of ethics and what eternal life might mean.

Spong is searching and inviting you to join his search so that what seems sacred can remain alive. He seems to be struggling but it seems a worthwhile struggle and one that his long role within the church, his long love of Christianity and his integrity equips him well to be a guide for.

I've seen detailed reviews by Frank Mobbs and Brent Hardaway and looked over many here, so I realize no further opinions need to be expressed except from a bona fide atheist.

The author does a great job in the first half of the book making the case that atheists will see as brilliant and obviously true. And, unlike atheists, the author is polite and respectful of religion while doing it. Too many atheistic works are disrespectful of the believers at best and filthy-language rages at worst. Here then is an excellent work.

But then he spends the second half talking mumbo-jumbo nonsense, trying to set himself up as a messiah of sorts, bringing in a new view of Jesus and God.

I am certain that deep down, his logical self believes the first half but his superstitious half refuses to accept the logical end-conclusion: life on earth (or anywhere) is a process which occurs naturally and has no meaning or significance. Period. There is no purpose and there is no afterlife.

As a result, he tries to make a weird version of Jesus so he can still say he still worships Him and is thus still a Christian.

Poor deluded sole. I feel more sorry for him than I do for the people who find fault with the first half of the book.

I would give the book 5 stars for the first half (good reading for beginner atheists) and zero stars for the second (not good even for mystics). He should have published a smaller book entitled "Why Judeo/Christian Religions are False".

And his final conclusion: If you don't do things his way, Christianity will die, is completely wrong. Ignorant and superstitious people will exist forever and thus no religion will ever die unless replaced by one with even more fanatic zealots who kill all those who disagree. That's why we don't worship Zeus.

An enjoyable and inspiring read!! I loved this thoughtful and honest account of the struggles of building a successful career that incorporates a contemplative practice. Great wisdom and advice runs throughout this memoir - and I return to it frequently as I try to balance all aspects of my own life.

I highly recommend this engaging memoir, which is an inspiration and fast read. Charles Halpern graduated from Harvard and Yale, and parlayed a legal career into the first public interest law firm and law school. Upon discovering meditation, Mr. Halpern, incorporated his practice into his life's work. As a result of Halpern's efforts, oil pipelines were put in Alaskan soil sustainably, DDT was banned, public interest lawyers found their needed education, and graduates started influential environmental groups such as EarthJustice. The ripple of Halpern's positive wave continues, and you can catch it by reading Making Waves and Riding the Currents.

No matter what your political persuasion or your profession, this book is a great source of wisdom and insight. Beyond a fascinating history of the birth of public interest law, Charlie Halpern provides a deeply personal and affirming account of how to pursue one's ideals in a way that is nurturing of our deeper selves and respectful of others. A key lesson of this book is that it is not just what you stand or fight for, but who you are and how you act as you do it. By cultivating an awareness that allows a deeper wisdom to emerge, Charlie points to ways we all can contribute to the world in a way that contributes to far greater tolerance and balance, without compromising our effectiveness. And in the process, we also become healthier and more loving and also create a world that reflects this.

Making Waves and Riding Currents is a book that everyone should read. No soft tale here but a journey not unlike rafting white waters. Charles sees the real and the ideal, the what "could be and is not yet", takes time to grasp the whole, sees the way and then takes it. He combines courage, a genuine interest in life and a willingness to "live and learn" both on a professional and personal level. This is a story of major entrepreneurial ventures that impact our own lives, created and co-created, experienced and shared in ways allowing every one involved to learn, use their experience, as well as to question and relinquish old patterns, recognize blocks and crack open into wider realms of understanding and living that center on Wisdom. This book documents changes in thinking that have make our society more humane and just. This is not your usual "lawyer" story. This is speaks to everyone's potential to develop wisdom, played out large, and saying: Come on, you can do it! I can't stop thinking about what one life can do.

From the beginning of this tale of Charles Halpern's remarkable accomplishments, it was obvious that he was an intelligent, effective individual with many skills. But competent doesn't necessarily mean wise. Fortunately for us readers, interwoven with the story of his doing is the story of his psychological/spiritual development -- the story of his growth in wisdom and the integration of that wisdom into his many activities.

Halpern had the courage to place himself in a wide variety of challenging, often uncomfortable, growth-fostering situations. Too many to recount here, they included a winter camping adventure in the Adirondacks, a week-long vision quest based on Native American traditions that included many hours in a sweat lodge, and a five-day mindfulness meditation retreat led by Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. This last was a watershed event, about which Halpern wrote: "The experience of extended meditation practice...awakened my interest in exploring the connection between meditation and wisdom. Could I undertake to practice wisdom, living the wise life that would generate wise actions and decisions? Could this be a new way to approach activism, to start from the place of wisdom and compassion rather than the place of anger and insistence on legal rights?"

Meditation became a central focus in his life, and numerous retreats followed. To some extent facilitated by the Nathan Cummings Foundation of which he was now President, he met and got to know many of America and the world's foremost spiritual teachers. "Longtime meditators and respected teachers," he wrote, "gave me a new model for a way to be in the world--committed to serving others, cultivating wisdom, being open to changing themselves, and exposing their own vulnerability." Currently, Charles Halpern is Chair of The Center for Contemplative Mind and Society.

MAKING WAVES AND RIDING THE CURRENTS is a truly inspiring and uplifting book. It is the tale of a life marked by great accomplishment and developing wisdom, told with an engaging frankness about his own vulnerabilities by the man who has lived it.

A sourcebook that has daily implications. Used and read on a daily basis. I dont think you will outgrow the concepts available for you to try it on yourself and anybody else.

Each element is relevant and challenging, complete in its description and yet flexible enough for you to experiment. I plan to have it as a constant companion.

the author's other book, "the user's manual for the brain" (1st volume) is much better for NLP learners.

I find this book immensely helpful as a resource for the 77 NLP Patterns, and also because of the NLP introduction at the beginning.
L.M.Hall outlines the different levels at which we process information highlighting the truth about sub-modalities. He then goes on to describe, "The Mechanism of Change" and how the magic works.
With each pattern he provides an explanation of when to use it and precisely how.
An excellent resource for those who, like me, need all the patterns in one book.

Those of you who missed the 1st edition of this excellent book, there is now a second chance to pick up this modern classic.

The premise of the work is that many NLP books are available that contain, within extensive "padding", only a few patterns, some books just one or two. Hall achieves his goal of separating the wheat from the chaff admirably with all the objectivity of a Haynes car manual leaving this pragmatic work refreshingly academic yet accessible. Like a cookbook it is reference driven allowing the practitioner access to these powerful patterns without the contingency of having to wade into battle against the author's literary aspirations.

What are these patterns?
Most of these patterns are primarily action orientated, simple exercises to be run through step by step with regard to specific ends. The other few are, more fundamentally, explanations of NLP assumptions, such as the principle of well formed outcomes.

Hall begins by introducing the reader to an overview of NLP and levels-of-processing that is indispensable, as within the instructions to the patterns he falls back on a few technical concepts with out further explanation, such as "test and future pace".

Then we come the patterns themselves, organised roughly according to their level of processing, the book allows you to easily select a pattern for your goal. Included patterns are; collapsing anchors, resolving internal conflict, chaining states, becoming intentionally compelled, responding to criticism, healthy eating, spinning icons.....

The second edition adds to the first; some simplification of the procedures and a little more detail as to the cognitive / behavioural mechanisms used in the patterns, and a deserved revision of the introduction. In the first (and second) edition Hall asserts that there may be as many as 200 distinct patterns and surely some that haven't been invented (or should that be discovered?) yet. So I was expecting some new patterns in the 2nd ed. but it's the original 77.
I don't know how I would start to define the distinction of a unique pattern (as opposed to a variant) anyway. I find it unlikely that at a computational - cognitive level there are 200 modes of action, so it's safe to assume the all of the building blocks are here for you. Hall hints that, a list of patterns touted as "exhaustive", would promote dogma and stagnate inventive development, through his legitimate assertion that all the patterns are largely prototypical and are easily extended and adapted.

Without being overly complex, this book is dense.

I bought this book recently, and even working on the first pattern, I noticed a significant mental shift, when I ran the pattern through my own neurology. I have used that pattern many times, and just feel very calm. It could also be called the Law of Attraction pattern.

A complaint of many NLP books is that they are difficult to read or the concepts are difficult to grasp. I can assure that this book is not difficult to follow, if you have a basic grasp of NLP. I highly recommend it.

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This is an excellent view at a most interesting time in our history. While some may not follow the level of detail, anyone who has experience within the healthcare arena (patient, provider, payer) will find this overview very interesting and thought provoking. A great 'must read' for those seriously thinking about how to improve healthcare in this country.

The chapter on chronic conditions is a very interesting read--as is the author's argument that we need to identify people with these conditions (based on better data) and intervene before their conditions progress to a higher cost state--chronic disease costs the health care system a fortune. The problem with this chapter (and a central argument in this book) is that it has already proven to be unworkable and untrue. The Congressional Budget Office analyzed the watershed of literature on disease management and concluded it does not lead to savings. The interventions the author speaks of are often not successful, nor cost saving. Indeed, if the argument were true, the own author's health plan--which rigorously practices case management and disease management--would have already seen the cost savings. The fact that the health plan's costs (and premiums) are no lower--and in some cases are higher--than the industry average is a strong counterargument. Moreover, the author himself--a self acknowledged heart attack patient is yet another example of why early interventions for chronic disease patients are often not successful. An overweight patient with high cholesterol can visit his physician--who may prescribe diet, exercise and cholesterol medication...but then, it in the patient's hands to follow doctors order and modify his or her lifestyle accordingly. Many do not. How to not only encourage--but ensure--high risk patients purse lifestyles that include healthy eating and active living may be the central challenge facing medicine--and our county--today.

Halvorson has initiated a public conversation about health care in the United States. Halvorson postulates that adequate healthcare can be provided to everybody without increasing the cost of care. He would take advantage of the following:

* A small minority of the health care consumers use the major portion of health care dollars. The bulk of this is attributed to chronic illness that goes untreated until it becomes an acute (and expensive) crisis.

* The multi-provider model of health care currently in the market is extremely inefficient, especially when coupled with paper medical records.

* Cost shifting as the uninsured present to hospitals or emergency departments where they cannot be turned away. This is the most expensive care possible. These costs are shifted to private insurers.

Halvorson designs the idea of an IV or Infrastructure Vendor. The IVs will create medical record systems allowing individual providers access to all the information they need for a patient's total care. Reminders for tests and treatments for chronic illness will come up.

Halvorson sees that one primary problem with the American health care system is a badly incented market. Financial incentives exist for treating illness, not for securing health. His solution is to capitate payments for chronic illness so that the providers have more incentive to keep their patients healthy.

Finally, Halvorson would require health coverage for everybody so that no cost-shifting occurs. Halvorson embraces the "six sigma" concept for health care providers adhering to best practices and evidence based medicine.

Halvorson's reliance on medical information systems to help solve health problems is wishful thinking. The system deployed by Kaiser has been described as implemented in a way that fails to fulfill the requirements that Halvorson raises. One employee told me that she could order a vasectomy on a woman without raising any errors or flags.

Another problem is Halvorson's failure to address the roles of line workers. While he cheers for 6-sigma, he ignores the wisdom of Total Quality Management or other programs designed to allow worker input to help solve system problems. Again, this is a complaint of Kaiser employees who have some influence in corporate processes, but are mostly ignored when it's time for the big decision.

Still, Halvorson has good ideas, which ought not to be totally discounted. Providing preventative health care for chronic conditions CAN drastically lower care costs. Kaiser is one of the few insurance systems that provides full chemical dependency care at no extra charge, thus saving the costs of liver transplants, heart failure, pancreatitis, and other drug and alcohol related problems.

Think of this book as a conversation starter ... a point of starting a national dialog to move national health care forward.

I wanted to read this book to learn more about Kaiser's electronic medical records system. I had read about Kaiser's HealthConnect project to convert paper files to an electronic medical records system in a Wall Street Journal article about a young Kaiser employee, a whistleblower named Justen Deal; Mr. Deal wrote in an email sent throughout the company that Kaiser (headed by Chief Executive George Halvorson, the author of this book), was wasting up to 1.5 Billion Dollars every year on projects, primarily on the HealthConnect system.
Overall, I was disappointed to find few interesting new ideas in this book, and little concrete evidence as to how electronic health records have actually improved health care.

Exceptionally well written book with excellent, easy to understand, and timely problem definition. Obvious the author has significant experience, knowledge, and understanding of our health care system - and it's good and bad sides. A prescription for change is well founded and argmented Solution, well solution is neither that simple nor obvious. Universal Coverage Solution based on the reports from all countries, which have such coverage today, appears to leave quite a few open questions and unacceptable results. Could Universal Coverage be made acceptable and suitable to this country? I take the authors invitation for building a national consensus about the shape and form of the Universal Coverage for Health Care in our country very seriously and as a major contribution and message of the book. A stepping stone in building a just right health care system we all need. A book worth reading..Health Care Reform Now!: A Prescription for Change

Fun book for any Catholic who is interested in saints and their individual stories and origination. Who would have ever thought there was a saint for gall bladder problems!!!

I bought this book as a gift for a confirmation student and I loved it so much I'm going to order another. It has short stories about many patron saints and then it has color prayer card images for each one! The stories are easy for the students to understand and it's a great way to learn more about the saints. I would definitely recommend this one for any Catholic.

I had tried to order this from my book club, but they could not get it in. Thank you AMAZON again for granting my wishes and granting them promptly. The book itself is dear to my heart, and it is just as beautiful and endearing as I knew it would be.

I wouldn't call this a page turner, but it is full of fun history and meaningful stories.

This is one of the best books on leadership that I've ever read. If you want to get better results in any area of your life, use this book as your compass. Woodward and Brady are the ultimate servant leaders and true inspirations for those of you who want to leave a legacy long after your gone.

Excellent Team Leadership book, great to have it in kindle format. The authors combine many leadership traits into this one book. If you only have time to read one leadership book, choose this.

What a great book on leadership! It is an interesting read about leadership in every area!

Launching a Leadership Revolution is awesome and outlines very well "Leadership". The authors, Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward, have had great success at not only developing themselves, but also at helping others to do the same! A proven track record. A great book for working on and developing yourself personally, as well as increasing your influence with others. Before you can begin to change yourself you have to know where you are at. This book helps with both! But you still have to be willing to learn and change. Learn then Do and then you will Have!! Exciting adventures are ahead! Good Luck on your Leadership journey!!!!

The authors of this book run a "successful" pyramid scheme (well, it is successful for them if not for their followers). They don't know anything about leadership and they are just putting together a collection of random ideas on leadership gleaned from other sources. Don't believe the other reviewers - they are all probably from the same "Team" organization that the authors own.

This little book is a quick and great read. It gets down to the point and brings encouragement to "busy" people working for God - and lets us know that there is more to it than busy-ness, and that it is an adventure and our gifts and talents are the key to enjoying the journey.

Growing up in a church, it's easy to "go along" with everyone else's ideas of who you should be as a Godly woman. Somehow the stereotype seems to be: quiet, submissive, kind of fading into the background, busy with motherhood but little else. While those traits may be valid at times, Godly womanhood includes other roles, duties, and yes --- even attitudes.

Lynne Hybels has written a powerful little book about how to escape from the trap of other people's expectations (even when well-intentioned) and discover the woman God created you to be. Easy reading -- but you'll find yourself setting the book down often, just so you can think about and process what Lynne is saying.

Extremely well written --- buy this book for your college-age or older daughters --- or other young women you know and love. Readers of all ages will discover truth in a new way. Thanks, Lynne!

Lisa & David Frisbie
The Center for Marriage & Family Studies
Authors of 8 books, including Raising Great Kids on Your Own: A Guide and Companion for Every Single Parent

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. My husband and I read it together and had many meaningful sometimes teary conversations along the way. I recently bought 8 copies for some of my friends. All of them loved it. They don't want to be nice girls anymore either. This book is powerful and honest. Thanks Lynne, for honestly telling your story. It's given me the courage to do the same.

What I liked most about this book is that it motivated me to get moving. Over the past year, I've been on a journey of self-discovery and this book helped me verify a lot of important issues, the main one being that my voice does matter! It's short and so simple to read, yet filled with life long lessons. Who wants to watch life pass them by? Not me and obviously not Lynne Hybels either. I'd strongly suggest this book to read alone or in a book club. It's not set up for discussion, but there's no doubt that you'll have plenty to talk about. So, get moving!

Lynne Hybels writes with great insight and vulnerability. I truly appreciate her willingness to share the wisdom she has gained with her journey. O that young girls would be taught these truths early on by their mothers, and especially their fathers, and be able to hold onto their unique, God-given sense of self throughout their lives.

All that creative energy and intelligence unleashed...well, it would change the world.