"Come Home"

I enjoy women's fiction and Lisa Scottoline takes the genre to a deeper level. In this novel she poses the question: can you you stop loving someone just because they are out of your life? I agree with the author's conclusion; that you do not stop loving those just because they are not in your daily life any longer.

The main character of this book is a pediatrician who is living a busy, happy, fulfilled life when her past comes crashing back at her. She survived a divorce and suffered through the alienation of her ex-husband's children whom she had loved as her own. When that ex-husband dies under mysterious circumstances the issue of what it means to be a mother becomes a major issue in her crazy life.

Do we ever "unlove" someone we previously loved? A great question investigated with Scottoline's customary aplomb. One can see why Lisa Scottoline is a leader in women's fiction.  My favorite quote from the book is " a mother is only as happy as her happiest child." A mother's love, definition of family, and the eternity of love are powerful themes in this great read.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

The author of "Seabiscuit" superbly tells of story of an Olympic runner who survived internment in a horrifying Japanese POW camp. He started life as a bit of a hellion, until his brother got him interested in running. He went to the Olympics in Berlin and from there his life was on a collision course with the evil that man can inflict upon his fellow man.

He got shot down in the Pacific theater and he and two others survived adrift, with almost no rations, longer than anyone else in the world had to that point. It was his misfortune to finally hit land occupied by the Japanese. From there his luck went from bad to worse.

His story is inspiring and uplifting even in spite of all the horrific events he endured. He reaffirms what I have heard from every ex-POW I ever had the privilege to hear speak or to meet. They endured through torture and deprivation not because of a love of life for themselves but for the following reasons: a love of country, a love for their fellow man, and a love of God.

The first former POW I ever met was a speaker at a church youth group in 1983. He survived years in Vietnamese prison camps and it strengthened his love of all three: country, fellow soldier and God. I was surprised that after returning home to a post Vietnam world that he chose to stay in the service. One would think that he would have gotten as far away as quickly as he could. Perhaps it was because the general public was so anti-military at the time, that he chose to stay in the service to be with those who understood all he had sacrificed; instead of managing a hardware store somewhere in Maintown, USA.

In 1987, when I was out at Ft. Sam Houston, TX my grandmother insisted I call upon a former colleague and friend of my deceased grandfather. I was just a young second lieutenant and I felt awkward calling a general officer and introducing myself. I was so glad I did however, he and his wife were charming and hospitable hosts. He survived the Bataan Death March. In the 1980s he was suffering from many medical issues that were a direct result of his internment as a POW. Powerful stuff for a young Army nurse to hear, and it certainly provided meaning to the job.


Some stories stay with you because they are so true and so powerful. The truly powerful lives are not ones that are led for one's own glory, but for others. Louie Zamperini returned to the States and after more hardship served as a guide for at-risk youth, which is what he perceived himself to be before his life got formed. An inspiring story about an inspiring man.

Last Call

Income tax was instituted by the prohibitionists because prior to that time, 71 percent of our country's revenue came from taxes on alcohol. (Yes, we even fought wars with just this income: the Revolution, the War of 1812 and even the Civil War.) The 18th Amendment prohibited alcohol, the 21st Amendment to the Constitution repealed it. But new taxes never go away, and the income tax was here to stay.

Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent portrays America and its love/hate relationship with alcohol. Okrent reminds us that the Puritans loved their alcohol. John Winthrop's ship arriving into Massachussetts in 1630 had "more than ten thousand gallons of wine in its hold and carried three times as much beer as water."  (Okrent, p.7)  Our country was founded by lovers of a good drink apparently!

Speaking of founders of our country, George Washington attributed his first unsuccessful run for political office due to a lack of drink. He had run for a seat in the Virginia House of Burgesses at the age of 24. On his next attempt at the same office he provided his voters with an average of half of a gallon of rum, punch, or hard cider---"he floated into office" (Okrent, p.47) It was not illegal to cover your voters saloon bill.

Not just our heroic forefathers were tied to drink. Even the iconic folklore hero Johnny Appleseed was involved in supplying America's thirst. "In rural Ohio and Indiana the seed scattered by John Chapman-"Johnny Appleseed"' produced apples that were inedible but, when fermented, very drinkable. Virtually every homestead in America had an orchard from which literally thousands of gallons of cider were made every year." (Okrent, p.8)

As our country prospered, our menfolk continued to frequent the saloons. Being an addictive substance, some of our men spent the bulk of their wages in the saloon, while their families suffered. The Prohibitionists allied with the Suffragist movement and women got the right to vote, and alcohol was prohibited. The aforementioned income tax took the place of the alcohol taxes. The country, now including women voters, repealed the 18th Amendment. The income tax was here to stay however. Just like a person who likes his booze too much, the USA becomes dependent on every new instituted tax...even if it overindulges.

As you pay your income taxes this year, at least do so with my favorite alcoholic drink recipe, the  Chocolate Martini!

Soldier Dogs: Saving Lives and Capturing Bad Guys

    Cairo, a dog--specifically a Beligian Malinois, was probably the last dog Osama Bin Laden ever saw. If he even had a chance to see this soldier dog, as a stealthy Special Forces operation took him down. I had missed this news item last year but read of this dog, and other amazing dogs assisting all branches of the Armed Forces in  Soldier Dog: The Untold Story of America's Canine Heroes by Maria Goodavage.

    Dogs have been accompanying soldiers since war began. During the American Revolution at the Batttle of Gemantown in October 1777, a little terrier was found between American and British lines. He was wearing a collar that identified him as belonging to the British general, General Howe. George Washington, called a cease fire and returned the dog to the enemy general, with a note attached to his collar. "Howe was so impressed by Washington's honor that he began to take a more compassionate view of the colonists, and eventually resigned his post." (Goodavage, 224)

    The author of this amazing book shares so many fascinating stories and facts of amazing military war dogs. Dogs have provided more than just companionship to soldiers in the field. Their amazing noses (some 10,000 to 100,000 times more sensitive than our own) are instrumental in detecting the horrific IED explosive devices that are unfortunately all too common in war zones. The US Armed Forces deploy many dogs who have saved countless lives with their special skill sets. There are even CTD dogs, that can detect not only the explosive but follow the trail of the scent left by the insurgent (up to four days old) and actually identify the insurgent that placed the explosive! Amazing! 

   The dog's fellow soldiers, particularly their handlers, have a deep respect for what these dogs accomplish. Unfortunately with all the budget cuts, the war dog training programs are in danger of being cut. How can that be, when one dog detecting an explosive saves so many human lives? After Vietnam these military working dogs were left behind, these days there is an adoption program for these heroic dogs to live out their retirement days on a couch in a loving home. Dogs are considered equipment by the military, but to the soldiers whose lives they save on a daily basis they are considered fellow soldiers in arms.

   Dogs and their handlers have died, and even been targeted by insurgents, while performing their life saving missions. They have saved so many civilian and military lives doing their job for the love of their handler and the opportunity to play with a Kong toy or tennis ball after they find their quarry. Handlers will shave their dogs front paws while in the field, because they will work themselves to the point of death from heat stroke. The dog will be carried to shelter and  life saving IV fluids started by their handlers. 114 degree working conditions on burned paws while wearing a fur coat is not a walk in the park.

   The stress of war is not just felt on the humans. Dogs, too, can suffer from PTSD . Some breeds suffer disproportionately, ie. labrador retrievers. It is estimated 5-15 percent of dogs suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. The breed that was involved in the Special Forces raid on Bin Laden is less prone to suffering from PTSD, and this and German shepherds have formed the bulk of the dogs that are patrolling (not just sniffing, as other breeds). Countless human lives saved by man's best friend; clearly mankind has gotten the better end of the relationship.

   

The Hunger Games

The movie has been released based on the best selling book by Suzanne Collins. I always try to read the book before seeing the movie, and this is supposed to be a good one. So, I figured I would pick up the book prior to this week's release of the movie. I had first heard of the books a year ago but the story line put me off. Who would want to read about starving teens forced to fight? I read the first book, "The Hunger Games" and the following two books within forty eight hours.

This powerful mix of familiar themes makes quick reading for a wide range of audiences. There is familiar coliseum style fighting (to the death sponsored by a corrupt government) as in "The Running Man" movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The heroine of the book is a strong 15 year old female, and there is a love triangle as in the "Twilight" series. Reality show programming, and the jaded, well fed, couch sitting American public oblivious to the world's problems is a deeper theme. All put together, it just works superbly well in the hands of author Suzanne Collins.

Homeless to Harvard

The injustice we do to people when we label them, even while well intentioned is harmful. Before I return this book to it’s owner I must commend the author on her story and her life. Liz Murray is the author of Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and my Journey from Homeless to Harvard, a story of a harrowing childhood in a home plagued with mental illness and drug abuse. She became literally homeless and a student who was truant, defiant, and lost. She pulled herself up by her proverbial bootstraps after the death of her mother, enrolled in an alternative school (while still homeless) and was accepted to Harvard in spite of all this and more. The teachers at the alternative school inspired her but gave no slack (knowing nothing of her living conditions); while several teachers at her prior high school who did know some of her trials and tribulations felt sorry for her and nudged her along.

She said that when she was labeled as truant or a disciplinary problem “I saw failure in their eyes, then I was one….capable, then I was capable.” Even well intentioned teachers who “saw me as a victim-despite (her) good intentions-that’s what I believed about myself, too.” (p. 286) She dropped out of high school in her sophomore year while being labeled a victim, after nursing her mother through her last dying days. She returned to school, homeless, and overcame so much.

She did not let the label, victim of unfortunate circumstances, become a self-fulfilling prophecy. She graduated from Harvard in 2009 and today is a motivational speaker and runs a company that helps others fulfill their destinies. A truly amazing story of a truly amazing woman.

Confessions of a Surgeon

Confessions of a Surgeon is a book best read at home, not as a gift in a get well basket for any recovering family members or friends. An eye-opening read of health care systems (past and present) and the flaws that exist due to surgeons being human and health care systems being systems. The road to becoming a surgeon is a long and painful one resulting in a God-like complex in many a surgeon.  This surgeon defends his kingdom while shedding light on the problems inherent in such deification.

Your insurance company, your hospital, and your government know more about the skills of a surgeon than you will know in the present system. All of these bodies tabulate figures on outcomes because bad outcomes cost more money. The likelihood of success of one's surgeon would be desirable for a patient to know going into a prospective surgery, but this data is not available to the general public.  (This information is provided quarterly to all surgeons, however.) The best advice the author can give is to ask your prospective surgeon what his/her complication rate is on the procedure you require (and then hope to compare it with the national average for the same, if you can obtain such a figure.)

Surgeons being human, there are good ones and bad ones. Nice ones and mean ones. Lucky ones and unlucky ones. They all worked very hard to get where they are today.  But you probably don't want the brand new one, or the one who all of his/her colleagues know should have retired ten years ago. And remember, the ones with crappy bedside manner may have the best technique in the world. 

This author does not want to see increased regulation of his practice, and is an unabashed old school kind of guy. A bit of a male chauvinist brought up in the residency days of working with no sleep for days on end he has little patience for the next batch of surgeons coming up the ranks. But as he points out with burn-out being so high from the rigors of the job one can only hope that they are quick learners as more surgical services are needed for an aging population. You can pick your surgeon to the best of your ability for your elective surgery. But in the middle of the night when an emergency requires surgical intervention it is a crapshoot .  Whomever is on call will provide your services to the best of their ability, with the best equipment provided to them by the hospital (and allowed by the insurance company), with whatever sleep they managed to get before your procedure.

 An interesting read for any persons involved in health care as an occupation or as a prospective patient. The reader will appreciate surgeons more for what they have endured and endure on a daily basis. The reader will also wish for a more transparent system to provide for the safety of the general population after reading some of the stories contained within these pages.