health Books

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this really works !!
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i am a night owl that needs 9 hours sleep.
even daylight savings time messes up my body clock.
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you may be one of those people who jets around the world and has no problems. good for you. but if you do suffer from jet lag this book will show you how to prevent it.
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we used this book when we took the kids to europe for their graduation.
6 time zones away and i was in sync within a day and had no trouble keeping to their time zone for the full two weeks.
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forget the scoffer and skeptic here who claims it is just anecdotal.
it works. and he cant prove that it doesnt. all the other folks here , giving the book 5 stars , who actually used it are proof that it does.
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who you gonna trust - your own body or someone who never tried it?
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it would be nice if it had a shorter version to just do it , without reading all the theory. but you can skim the background info and just do what it says to do without a lot of effort.
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we have used this book and the method for more than 20 years - with children from infant to adult age! You actually start following this method 3 days before your departure. It truely works!
The first few pages explain how your body works, how caffein works, and how that can be used to overcome jet lag. The next 80 same pages you look up the individual time zones that apply to your trip. That's where you find the diet schedule for your personal trip. In the back you find several pages of food items and sample menues, that allow you to put your diet together according to your own tastes. Overcoming jet lag with this guide is EASY. No other supplements are neccessary!
I'm buying several books, so I can give it to our international visitors!

We have followed this Jet Lag diet for about 5 years now. We combine it with the NO-Jet Lag homeopathic remedy. We never have more than one day of slight jet lag. Interestingly, the airlines seem to use the jet lag diet strategy in the meals they serve on the plane--at least in business class.

Concise yet detailed book outlines a highly effective program to beat jet lag, no matter how many time zones you may be crossing, no matter what time of day or night you are traveling.

Basic theory behind the program is described well, but most of this nice, short book is a full how-to for every possible flight... time zones involved, direction of flight.

Reader simply looks up the schedule that best describes upcoming flight, and follows the instructions. But don't do this at the airport the day of the flight. Diet must be altered three days in advance of travel.

My family and I have been using this for 15 years, and we swear by it. The only time it hasn't worked for me is when I've tried to cheat the system (watched an in-flight movie when the book said I was supposed to be sleeping, that sort of thing).

Unfortunately, most airlines do all they can to keep passengers stuck in their departure time zone (ensuring days of jet lag for all), but this book shows how necessary it is to board the plane and get right into the arrival time zone. It does take a sense of discipline to follow the program while in flight. In general the flight is not particularly enjoyable if you're following the program and are therefore out of sync with all the other passengers, BUT if you are a business traveler or don't have the luxury of wasting several days, you will find that the short-lived discomfort is insignificant!

A highly useful book for the international business traveler... would make a nice gift for someone going off on a round-the-world or other long flight. (But give it well in advance of the travel)!

I have used the program detailed in this succint little book for 10 years now, beginning with a trip from Los Angeles to Thailand. After following the program and flying for what seemed like days, I arrived at midnight. The following morning I was fully functional and alert at 10 am and suffered no symptoms. I recently used the program for a trip to London and back with no appreciable jet lag. The book explains in very simple terms how our body clocks work, and how modern studies have learned how to reset them quickly and easily with a minimum of deleterious effect. One starts the program from 1 to 3 days prior to travel, and much of the book is filled with detailed instructions for each time zone interval. It does take discipline to adhere to the program while on the plane, but with a little effort it can be done and the result is definately worth it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who travels by air. It will make your journey far more enjoyable and you will have more time to enjoy your stay instead of recovering from jet lag for days. A must read for business travelers as well.

Amazing detail and written instruction for those wishing to pursue Pilates in any shape or form, from the mat to the various machines used. It is very in-depth about the importance of the body's posture and alignment, and about how to prevent and strengthen/heal injuries.

I very nearly bought this book for its cover, which is beautiful in its simplicity. But instead, I read the reviews, all the reviews. THEN I bought the book. And, when it arrived, I discovered that I had bought one of the most thorough books ever written, about any exercise, ever. I'm going to try to avoid talking about what other reviewers have already written.

First, this book is thorough. Very thorough. There are generally two types of exercise books: those that provide lots of pretty (or, manly) pictures but little explanation and those the provide endless explanation but few illustrations. This book, like those by Sue Luby (no, we don't know why Amazon doesn't carry her yoga and fitness books; they're excellent) falls neatly into the center: just enough photographs and just enough discussion. Even more critical is that, unlike almost every Pilates book I've seen, the author provides photos from various levels, including those from above, to show, for example, how far apart your feet should be in various positions and explains what and where you should direct your concentration.

The book is divided into twelve chapters. The first three, which are ABOUT Pilates (Enhancing the Mind and Body; Alignment, Posture, and Movement; and Powerful Pilates Practices) are not only informative but also deeply inspirational. If you don't feel like hitting the empty spot on the floor (assuming you have one; we're certainly running low on emptiness) and opening up every joint and muscle in your body, send the book back because you won't be happy with the rest. Chapters 4 through 11 detail exercises on various bit of equipment. Chapters 4 and 5 cover mat (chapter 4) and Reformer (chapter 5) routines. The next six chapters cover other pieces of equipment, ranging from the most expensive (chapter 6: Cadillac) through the Wunda Chair (chapter 7), Barrels (chapter 8), Ped-a-Pul (chapter 9), Arm Chair (chapter 10), and the magic circle (chapter 11). This division by equipment is quite useful. If you don't happen to have the Cadillac (or the several thousand dollars it's takes to buy one), just skip that chapter. I have found, however, that many exercises usually performed on more elaborate equipment can be modified using simpler equipment. For example, I am daily impressed with the extraordinary range of exercises you can do using a simple resistance ball.

Finally, Chapter 12, provides an excellent set of "Sample Exercise Routines" for mat, reformer, and cadillac, further organized by time and skill level. In this chapter, the photographs from various angles are used to greatest effect.

In sum, I think this is a perfect Pilates book. And I say this as a long-time addict of Moira Stott's various books and videos. I think just about everyone can get something out of it. It's certainly worth giving it a try.

Wow. This is one thorough treatment of Pilates. Whether you're a beginner who needs to start out with the basics, or an experienced practitioner who needs some of the more advanced moves, it's all here for you. You can use this book for mat work or for the various types of apparatus work. You get a basic idea of which muscle groups get worked by the various exercises, and the proper visualizations to get you where you need to be. A very well-written, easy to understand, easy to follow guide. I highly recommend this book.

No other book this comprehensive can beat the price of Rael's Pilates book. This is a good book for people who practises pilates in various ways including the cadillac. It is a step-by-step guide to the pilates exercises. But honestly how many people who do pilates on the reformer goes back to the mat? I just bought a reformer and it's worked out for me better than the mat exercises. It's nice that it offers everything within the book but if you want to focus, Ellie's book is better. I use this book for reference but in terms of reformer exercises Ellie's book cover pretty much everything including the box and stick. That's just my experience.

The book is well written, comprehensive and very informative. The philosophy behind the work of Joe Pilates and repertoire is first explained in detail. the vast Pilates system of exercises from mat to Reformer and all the other basic apparatus, is then broken down and presented in logical chunks that really make sense. I am both a student of Pilates and a trainer. I loved the organization of the work presented by an author whose authoritative knowledge and love of the Pilates Method is infectious. Rael I. explains the context within which each exercise works, in relationship to the whole body, and then explains how to incorporate it in a Pilates session. I love the book, and I carry it around with me for inspiration.

A book loaded with great & useful information. A lot of research has been undertaken on the history of Reiki & presented in this book. It is very interesting to see the difference in traditional Japanese Reiki & what is in the West today. I find this book to be an excellent reference. Thanks go out to the authors.

Even though I was already a Reiki Master when I read this book, I learned some wonderful things! A well thought out book of history and details (I especially love the early section with illustrations covering the order of strokes for writing in Japanese characters) that will help Reiki students of all levels. I never want to stop developing with Reiki and this book certainly furthered my education! Well done and many thanks!!!!

Since beginning my journey into Reiki, I have come to realize that although the actual act of doing Reiki is easy (anyone can do it), that if you really want to delve into the practice you have to go searching for answers. Along the way, I have come across a number of very good resources and have developed some favorite authors, persons who I expect quality research that informs me about various Reiki subjects while also presenting their information in a way that will actually help me grow as a person, as a practitioner, and as a Reiki Master. Quite a tall order, indeed.

Bronwen and Frans Stiene are at the top of this list. Their work is consistently well-informed. I also find their topics quite interesting. More importantly, I find it easy to translate what I read in their books directly to my own growth and purposes.

The Reiki Sourcebook is a great general resource that should be on every Reiki practitioner's bookshelf. Topics explored range from basic information and the history of Reiki through courses and an explanation of the complexity of lineages to specific Japanese and Western Reiki techniques.

Bronwen and Frans Stiene wrote an intriguing work entitled "The Reiki Sourcebook," which consist roughly 350 pages and four parts and appendices. The authors did a wonderful research into the history of Reiki as well the Western and Japanese Reiki techniques. Not only that, they also discerned and discussed the difference between traditional (Usui Method) and non-traditional knowledge of Reiki, and touched upon the origins of each.

I found this book to be strongly resourceful and insightful on the subject of Reiki. Personally, I had never taken a Reiki class and only heard of the term in passing. I came upon this book as both curiosity and of possible interest in pursuing this teaching. Of this book, I found it to be strongly helpful for a beginner of Reiki or just someone (such as myself) who seek to know more about the Reiki system.

This book is well worth the effort and worth the read as it is literally packed with information on the subject, and I found it to be quite informative.

Very impressed with The Reiki Source Book. This book discusses the original Reiki. It is a well balanced presentation that brought forth many of Usui's original intentions of being a spiritual path as well as a method of healing. It did an excellent job of presenting the paths of Reiki that had developed over time. Quite an eye opener. All paths are presented with respect and balance. This book had wonderful explanations that help the reader gain a new perspective.

The Return of Desire, by Gina Ogden, is a masterful work. In it, Ogden blends her years of experience as a sex therapist with knowledge gleaned from her national survey of sexuality and sprituality with over four thousand respondents. To the mix, Ogden adds a rich humanity and sense of humor that at once enlightens and empowers. Her work is a gift to us all - women and men!

Dr. Ogden's book about the supposed epidemic of low sexual desire among women is remarkably accessible. Her ideas are grounded in not only decades of clinical practice but also the findings of extensive research. They are illustrated and supported by quotes from many women who responded to her large, national sex survey. She offers a broader view of what constitutes sexuality--and what women want--than many others, specifically integrating the spiritual and mental aspects along with the emotional and physical.
But aside from her expertise, her thinking, and her graceful prose, what I love about Dr. Ogden's work is the compassion that radiates through each chapter. And her apparent comfort with all areas of sexuality allows her to use her keen sense of humor to help her readers feel increasing ease as they follow her sure lead through the many exercises she offers toward the return of desire to their lives.

Gina Ogden's book "The Return of Desire" is one of the best books on women's sexuality that I have read. She covers so many aspects of what women need to know: the body, the emotions, the mind and the spirit of female sexuality. I can't wait to recommend this book to my women clients because it is informative, supportive, affirming and so readable. Gina's style draws you and makes you want to read more. Her wisdom and compassion are evident throughout the book.

Judy Leavitt, Ed.D. Diplomate Certified Sex Therapist and author of an upcoming book on couples therapy.

I loved THE RETURN OF DESIRE by Gina Ogden and highly recommend it! It is a book women can find informative and helpful and interesting, no matter what their age. The examples she gives expanded my view of "normal." Gina Ogden is a clear, inspiring, enthusiastic and well-research author. I can't say enough for this book!
Ruth Fishel, Author of PEACE IN OUR HEART, PEACE IN THE WORLD

Gina Ogden's book takes the reader on a journey through the many ways in which women can live sexually fulfilled lives. She expands the possible meanings of sex and invites each reader to find a meaning that best suits her. It is an accessible, practical, and joyful book.

Having been on his program for 3 months I have normal numbers! I had been told that there was nothing more that they could do. I had 4 heart attacks with bypass surgery and stents put in to save my life. I went from an A1C of 12 down to 7.1 in three months with strick diet and many many supplements but it's working.I had been taking every diabetic pill and insulin known to man to no avail. My heart related tests are normal after being over by hundreds. They gave great advise you have to be in charge of your own health what works and doesn't. I am thankful and highly recommend the book.

For those of us who wish to be proactive in making decisions that directly impact our health and lives, Reverse Heart Disease Now by Dr. Stephen Sinatra and James Roberts contains the up-to-date scientifically supportable information we need. Every heart patient can benefit from the information provided in this book. After reading the book, I feel like I can discuss my condition and treatment with my doctor in confidence. With the veil of ignorance lifted, I can make better decisions about my health, my doctors and my treatments. Thank you Doctors Sinatra and Roberts.

Written by two cardiologists.By far the most informative book I've read so far on heart disease. It's an easy read, yet chucked full of information you need & must know. Unfortuneately when we see a doctor or cardiologist they focus solely on the symptom, they have little or no time to devote to prevention nor a cure. You'll be happy to know...as the book states you CAN stop deadly cardiovascular plaque before it's too late.

this was a decent book with a lot of good usuable information. It is a Must Read for anyone over 45 who has a poor diet and is over weight. It is written by medical doctors who are interested in healing the body-not just treating the symtoms. there are also many suppliments that they recommend that are available in most stores (unlike Kevin Trudeau who recommends product not even available in the U.S.)!! It was well worth the money and I strongly recommend it to any one who is concerned about heart disease.

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in Cardiac health.
Although I am a registered nurse and have a genuine interest as I have a heart condition, I think that anyone would find this book helpful.
The explanations are easy to understand and the advice is excellent. I have already been following much of what has been suggested but there were other areas that I didn't know about that were very helpful. My cardiologist advised me to read this as I don't want to use conventional medicine unless absolutely necessary, due to the side effects. I am really please with the results since I have followed this regime and so is my cardiologist. The heart is a muscle whose cells need feeding - if not we have inflamation leading to heart attacks and strokes etc
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in living a healthier life.

As a dog owner, it is my responsibility to make the best informed choices for my precious puppies. This book was enlightening to the max and opened my eyes to the ways in which the lives of our beloved pets are shortened by profit based veterinary medicine and "nutritionally complete dog foods".
Though I've been aware of the dangers of commercially prepared dog foods for some time, I had no idea of the dangers of vaccinations...especially giving little dogs like mine the SAME DOSE that big dogs get...come on!!
IMHO, this book is required reading for every dog owner who wants their precious pup to be around for many years beyond the "usual lifetime". An alternative approach to standard dog care can and does lengthen their lives and makes their lives far more comfortable. Isn't that what we would want for our own family members - because our pets ARE our family members.
Ellie Stanford

If you own a small dog, this is a MUST READ!! The author has done a tremendous amount of reseach and has such good information. You won't be disappointed!

Chiclet and her "mom" have done an exemplary job of researching and compiling a much needed resource for pet owners. Scared Poopless provides a humorous, yet insightful look into the trials and tribulations encountered when caring for our beloved four-legged "kids." This book raises many questions that we have as animal guardians and encourages us to explore all available options in seeking answers. I carry it in my practice and sell it to clients at my cost.

My name is April and I am the owner of Dogs On The Run.[...]Being that I am working with animals everyday and educating my staff and clients, I felt this book was not only fun but educational and easy to read. I think the auther did an outstanding job on this book and will be sure to recommend it to everyone I know who wants the "Straight Scoop on Dog Care."

I read the whole book Sunday and can't say enough about how wonderful it is. To be able to write like that and to give so much useful information, even references to things that are not fun for dogs to have happen to them, is a gift to all companion animals and their people. I loved the writing style and learned so much. Our pets are important family members. This book teaches you how to keep them healthier by vaccinating less, feeding them nutritional food that can in the end cost less and save on veterinary bills. The books is a great resource for everything you want to know about your dog's happiness and health.

Although I am well versed in good nutrition, I found Marc David's book, The Slow Down Diet, wonderfully insightful, educational, and even inspirational. His coverage of the eight metabolic factors in nutrition, energy, and weight loss transcends traditional approaches to dieting and nutritional eating, and takes our understanding of these areas to a much higher level. He convincingly shows the power of relaxation, food quality, awareness, rhythm, pleasure, thought, story, and the sacred in how we assimilate nutrition, and how these qualities affect our overall health. He places what we eat and how we eat it into the context of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. His wholistic and systemic approach is something I have benefited from, and which will be of value to everyone. In fact, the understanding he provides is critical to our society with its burgeoning health problems. The secret is eating and living in such a way that most health problems can be prevented. This is so much better for ourselves and our society than depending on a broken health care system to fix our broken bodies.

This is another favorite of mine that I recommend to my clients. This book is extremely helpful for people who do not know (or remember) how to slow down, be present and actually experience eating their food. I highly recommend it to those who are trying to heal their relationship with food and at the same time strengthen their spirituality. It is also great for people who have to go on a restrictive diet due to a medical condition or who are trying to eat more whole foods and cannot due to circumstances beyond their control ... it offers great advice for making HOW you eat count more than WHAT you eat!

Beth Eckhaus
Holistic Health and Nutrition Counselor
Integrative Family Medicine Center
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bh
This book is a way of looking at all aspects of life, not only diet. As a matter of fact it has no menus or recipes in it. I rarely read books twice, but this one is worthy of a second read. A small book with big life-lessons.

Discusses the relationships between eating fast & without intention and common maladies of western society - obeity & overweight, diabetes, etc. Has step by step suggestions for changing the way you eat to be more in tune with a healthy body.

As a health counselor, I needed a book that would jump start my clients into the wonderful world of awareness. The Slow Down Diet is my dream come true. It awakens as it soothes, it motivates as it guides. The Slow Down Diet explains how to live life to its fullest, and not just through food. It doesn't judge or ridicule those who have lost their way. Instead, it gently picks up the lost and hopeless and inspires them to make the changes necessary for lasting health, vitality and peace.

writes great books for parents with ADHD children. She understands what parents live with everyday and she offers practical solutions to everyday problems. She does not give you a lot of technical/medical jargon. She writes so that parents can understand what they read. She interviews teens with ADHD and gets their input in her books. I recommend her books to parents all the time.

This is a must-have book for parents with teenagers with ADD. I also bought for me and for my son's team of teachers, "Teaching Teenagers With ADD" by the same author. Both are excellent books!!!!

This is another excellent book by Chris Ziegler Dendy. The author presents practical information that will help parents in their day to day struggle to deal with the changing world of an adolescent with ADHD. She clearly has dealt with some of these stiuations herself, so she brings humorous and compassionate anecdotes to illustrate the factual material. I would highly recommend this and her other books on the practical aspects of dealing with adolescents with ADHD

THIS BOOK IS WOUNDERFUL! A MUST FOR PARENTS RAISING TEENS WITH ADHD AND ADD. TEACHERS OF TEENS SHOULD READ THIS ALSO, SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE TOUGH JOB OF RAISING AND TEACHING THESE WOUNDERFUL KIDS. THIS BOOK IS A MUST TO READ!

This book was so helpful to me! My 13-year-old son was just diagnosed with ADD and it was a God send. It has so many great suggestions, stories and advice. I stayed up all night reading it! It was like an autobiogrpahy of my son for the past few years. He was especially relieved to figure out what was wrong and read the other kid's experiences.
It was also helpful for me on how to advise my son's teachers of special care that he needs. The appendix for teachers in the back is an excellent tool to give to teachers so they can develop a good basic understanding of the condition.
The book doesn't have much on the medication Adderal which was what our doctor recommended. The information on accompanying sleep disturbances was excellent - our doctor didn't even know about it.

I love Glenn Harrold. His voice is so easy to listen too. Highly recommend any of his CDs.

Glenn Harold's voice is hypnotic and relaxing to listen to.

The echoes, music and other special effects used in this cd really helps, by the next day I catch myself restating the affirmations in my mind.

(I'll be purchasing more of Glenn Ford's hypnosis!)

I began guided meditation and hypnotherapy (with a therapist) after many years of counseling. I had read that new research is finding that in many cases, traditional talk therapy is ineffective for working through and healing PTSD and related disorders. For me, guided mediation and/or hypnotherapy proved to be quicker, more effective and less re-traumatizing for dealing with the symptoms of PTSD, than going back over the traumatic event/childhood etc. repeatedly. Also very effective for changing behavior/thinking patterns by creating new neuropathways in the brain.
I found that I often craved the pick me up I would get after a session with my therapist- however, cost and time being a factor, it occured to me I could get good results with Hypnosis CD's.

After much research I found Glenn Harrold. I used this CD about 4x a week for two weeks, and I have to say that it's a great surrogate session. I also got the "energy and motivation" one, and like that one as well, although for some reason this one seems to inspire me more. The effects that I immediately notice are:
1. I seem to be less reactive to mundane stressful situations like rude people, cars, etc.
2. A feeling of being able to manage conflict and navigate my life more fluidly, ease-fully and with greater trust and confidence in myself and my abilities.

When I didn't have time to listen I could tell the difference-- it was easier to go back to old way of operating/thinking. My only complaint is that there are only two recording sessions, so it can get a little boring if you don't have others to rotate with. Also, his deep voice and British accent is a little intense, but once I got used to it I could relax.

Overall really great, high quality CD. For first timers, I also recommend the "health journeys" guided imagery meditation cd's, especially the PTSD one.

His voice an proper grammar have taken a while for me to get used to without smiling. By the second track I am often out. Whether my life is changing I will have to keep you all posted.
;-)

Potential. What a beautiful word. Say it slowly...let it rise up from your heart and say it slowly outloud...feel the meaning behind the word itself...p-o-t-e-n-t-i-a-l....ahhhh...very nice.

You are looking at this product because maybe there is a feeling within you that maybe you're not where you should be. My friend, you are EXACTLY where you should be if you weren't, you'd be somewhere else. But I can totally and completely relate to your feelings. We all have those kind of feelings and do you know why?

I believe it's because deep down inside...past all our fears, doubts, and uncertainties...past all the shallow and superficial "humaness"...there is a memory tucked deep within our mind that knows that not only do we have potential, WE ARE POTENTIAL.

Of course we weren't trained to think this way, were we? That would make us arrogant to even entertain such notions. Arrogance is exclusive...wisdom is inclusive and when you and I truly feel as though we are the potential of Life, we will want others to remember it for themselves, as well.

Is that a smile I see forming on your face?

This is an absolutely incredible CD...all of Glenn Harrold's CDs are, but this one is one I really, really love. Maybe I love it so much because it really touches a part of me that always knew it could be more than what others thought but yet didn't know quite how to make that leap. I was the kid that was always chosen last for team sports. I was the kid who walked the hallways practically invisible. I grew up feeling inadequate and insufficient and felt as though I was depriving some poor soul of oxygen.

I tell you "my" story because it is "our" story. Part of being human is feeling different and strange and inferior. The real reason why most of us feel like we don't belong here is because the world is really not our home. We come from Potential Itself and Potential creates only out of Itself. But Potential does something really clever. It conceals Itself in a body that looks frail and weak and It hides Itself until the owner of the body has a realization that maybe they are more than the labels and the definitions they have adopted or accepted. Maybe they...or more appropriately, we, can become who we ALREADY ARE.

I can break open an acorn and I will never find an oak tree. I can pull apart a caterpillar and never locate the butterfly. You will never find this thing called potential "in" the body, because the POTENTIAL that is within you NOW is an invisible force, a presence, a power and it arises out of you now like from the ocean arises wave after wave. You are a wave of Potential now and forever.

Listen to this CD in the morning when you first wake up and while you're still in that hazy state just let yourself remember what Glenn Harrold is saying is absolutely true. Don't force yourself to believe his suggestions, just accept them, embrace them, embody them and one day when you're not expecting it, you'll look at your life and gasp. You'll be amazed at how beautiful it is and you'll be thankful that every seemingly painful moment brought you right to where you happen to be only for you to create even more joy, more bliss, more good. Potential has no ceiling and either do you!

It's a wonderful world because you are in it with me NOW.

Peace & Blessings,
john, 'the Light Coach'

Others have already described the book well. I just want to add my two cents. This account and The Last Watch of the Night are so tender and honest that I miss these men I've never met.

"I don't know if I will live to finish this," begins this memoir by Paul Monette, who would ultimately live only seven years after he did complete it (and, auspiciously, several other works). Monette's account is a chronicle of the last days of his lover Roger Horwitz in 1985 and 1986: a mere nineteen months between diagnosis and death. It's an emotionally devastating portrait; yet, far from wallowing in his grief (although grieve he does), Monette instead describes this period as a battle to extend Roger's life and a determination to seize every remaining day and make the most of it.

An AIDS diagnosis in 1985, in Los Angeles, doomed the couple to an unwanted pioneer status; it was a "death sentence" mitigated only by hope and delusion. For the first half of the decade, Paul and Roger comforted themselves with the notion that the disease, whatever it was, confined itself to a certain group of fast-living libertines ("not us") in San Francisco and Los Angeles. When the reality hit home, the initial method of coping, shared to different degrees by themselves and by their friends (and particularly by Roger's brother), was a mixture of mortification and denial.

Once Roger became ill, however, the couple fought tooth and nail to pursue every potential pharmaceutical elixir or therapeutic panacea; they were on the vanguard of trials for suramin (with devastating side effects) and for the more successful "Compound S" (AZT), which Monette credits for extending Roger's life. Throughout, they struggled to present a united front of normalcy and optimism, with Roger attempting to practice law from his hospital bed and Paul flying to New York for meetings in the Russian Tea Room with the newly famous Whoopi Goldberg about an ultimately doomed screenplay ("it must've dismayed her considerably to think that this humorless man sipping broth and Coca-Cola was meant to be her breakthrough into feature comedy").

Still, if it's possible to say that one can be "fortunate" in such circumstances, Roger and Paul had the only advantages available at the time: money, connections, and (mostly) supportive family and friends. In spite of the sequence of crises and disappointments, they somehow managed to find time to laugh and to love amidst the anger and the betrayals; Monette's wit and fair-mindedness saves this work from overwhelming the reader with morbid pity and depression. Paul and Roger were often too busy chasing hope to pause and wallow; those moments were often saved for the morning. ("Waking teaches you pain.") What's most remarkable about this book is not the riveting and livid account from the front of the epidemic--such memoirs are plentiful--but the lyrical and even humorous appreciation of the "borrowed time" remaining to these two admirable profiles in courage.

'Borrowed Time' is the most unpretentious, cliche free account of love I've read. So much of it's power lies in what Paul does not say about his lover: describing him most often as his most precious 'friend' he asks the reader to understand, to implicitly know the strength of his passion. The simple assumption that readers across cities, countries, cultures will understand his emotions is what gives the story so much beauty. I fell in love with both Paul and Roger, or more specifically, the strength of what they had together.
The battle against AIDS and discrimination faced by both men made me bawl, and I hope this book is read by people working through their prejudices and moral judgements about the both the illness and its prevalence in the gay community at the time the events occurred. Surely Paul and Roger's love can only be seen as something beautiful that graced the earth, even briefly.

Although I am a conservative Christian who has never been "homophobic", I have been 100 percent guilty of "indifference" to what it really means to be gay and and the AIDS issue. Not any more. I began to research the issues and I have been telling everyone about this book. The genuine love story and respectful relationship that Paul and Roger shared is something everyone could learn from. I don't believe I have ever read a book that portrays such courage. The pain that both of these men endured would make the average person collapse under the weight. I know what the Bible says about homosexuality, but I believe that Jesus himself would just wants us stop judging and comdemning and to simply love one another as he loves us. All of us.

I don't know how this book didn't win every award the publishing world has to offer. Quite simply, this one volume is the most emotionally devastating work I've ever read. I've read about hate crimes, political assassination and Nazi persecution, but none touch this. Several times I had to set the book down because I was no longer able to read through great, racking sobs and eyes nearly swollen shut. I grieved.

Paul Monette, author of the the award winning memoir "Becoming a Man: Half a Life Story," died of AIDS not too long after losing his beloved companion Roger to the disease. That he was able to focus so much energy on chronicling the events of Roger's death in this memoir, was a mircle - and indeed this book is a miraclous gift. "Borrowed Time" is a story of pain, suffering, hope, strength and courage. However, and more importantly, it is a love story - the greatest I've ever read.