Book Reviews
Healthcare History
Review: Pox: An American History
by Michael WillrichPenguin BooksCopyright (c) 2011ISBN13: 9781594202865Page Count: 422 pagesGenre: Non-fiction, history of health When did the current controversy about vaccines really start? According to Willrich’s history, the controversy about vaccines started all the way back with Jenner’s discovery of vaccination. Although smallpox once killed thousands of people each year in America, vaccination against smallpox was still controversial. A small fraction of people had adverse reactions, including death. Obviously, this scared people. It especially scared…
Writing-Communication
Review: The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing
by Mayra Calvani and Anne K. EdwardsTwilight Times BooksCopyright (c) 2008ISBN13: 9781933353227Page Count: 190 pagesGenre: Non-fiction, reference Have you ever been frustrated by the lack of quality of book reviews on Amazon.com? So many “love it” or “hate it” comments, but so little who tell you why this book meant so much to them… I desire to change that in my writing, so I bought this book to learn to write book reviews better. Mayra…
Healthcare Software-Technology
Review: Deep Medicine
How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare HumanCopyright (c) 2019by Eric Topol The author, an innovative medical school president in California, is one of my favorites on the topic of computing in medicine. He sees the medical landscape wider than most scholars, and he is a true humanist at heart. He surveys the field of artificial intelligence and sees how it could apply to modern medicine. Most of the described projects are pipe dreams now, but…
Management-Business
Review: The Art of Social Media
Power Tips for Power Users by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick Copyright 2014 Social Media entered our cultural landscape when I was in medical school. Although I dabbled in Facebook at the time, its birth surpassed me. I have been catching up ever since then. I have recently switched to Twitter and am happy with that change. I’d like to figure out how to use it, particularly for personal marketing and network, and this book…
Writing-Communication
Review: How To Write a Simple Book Review: It’s easier than you think
How To Write a Simple Book Review: It’s easier than you think by Allyson R. Abbott My rating: 3 of 5 stars I picked up this book in an attempt to master the art of writing book reviews further. This is a hobby of mine, and I like to practice it in combination with my “day job” of computer programming. This “indie” author provides an introduction to book reviewing. It reads conversationally – in a…
Management-Business
Review: Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World
Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is essentially about how to promote yourself in the world of the Internet generally and of social media specifically. If you are not comfortable with self-promotion, I would recommend against reading this book. If you want to learn how to have a bigger voice in the world, this book is for you. In particular, those interested in…
Fiction-Stories
Review: Cry, the Beloved Country
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton My rating: 5 stars This book tells the story of apartheid in South Africa. It tells an eye-opening and beautiful tale in succinct and beautiful English. I read this 300-page book in about 24 hours because I enjoyed it so much. I appreciate Paton’s short sentences that communicate well through good verbs. The book is divided into three parts, each with its own focus. Written in 1948, it…
Fiction-Stories
Review: The Handmaid’s Tale
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood My rating: 4 of 5 stars This dystopian story tells is exceedingly odd – which Atwood turns into a strength of the book. In it, the entire legislative and executive branch is killed in a mass execution on Presidents’ Day. The Constitution is suspended, and the country is transformed into a country called “Gilead.” Pollution reigns, and women are oppressed into being valued only for their sexual organs. Sexual…
Poetry
Review: The Song of Hiawatha
The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book, spanning almost 200 pages, is one large poem. It is divided into chapters and memorializes myths from Native American tribes in mid-western North America. It is entertaining and, like much of Longfellow’s poetry, highlights the unique nature of the United States. It portrays America as a land overflowing with natural resources and with a history that is also deep…