Overwhelmed: Work, Love and Play When No One Has The Time by Brigid Schulte
It seems that many of us in modern U.S. life feel overrun, overwhelmed and constantly pressed for time. But did you know that the average American man has 40 plus hours of leisure time a week? And the average American woman has 30 hours of leisure time a week? This book delves into many factors that explain…
Slow Dancing with a Stranger: Lost and Found in the Age of Alzheimer’s
Imagine writing down the most difficult and depressing moments of your life, researching the topics associated with those moments, and then publishing them into a book for everyone to read. Then imagine that you are already a well known broadcast journalist who is married to a prominent physician who heads the hematology/oncology division of the National…
Heal Your Headache: The 1-2-3 Program for Taking Charge of Your Pain by David Buchholz, M.D.
Have you ever had such a terrible headache that you had to lie down? Are you one of the millions of people that suffer from headaches that affect your work, play, life? Then this book has many insights and a plan to alleviate that suffering. Dr. Buchholz was the Director of the Neurological Consultation Clinic at the Johns Hopkins…
The Caregivers: A Support Group’s Stories of Slow Loss, Courage and Love by Nell Lake
The unsung heroes of our society often labor without recognition, and outsiders may wonder how they cope. This book chronicles the grief process of a small group of caregivers who find assistance in a hospital support group in Boston. The author follows the lives of 8 people who give significant care to a parent, spouse or family…
Finding Iris Chang: Friendship, Ambition and the Loss of an Extraordinary Mind by Paula Kamen, published by Da Capo Press, 2007
This book review is many months in the making and was scheduled to be published this week when the sad news about Robin Williams broke. My reaction to the death of Williams reminded me of my reaction when I first read about Iris Chang, another genius who is the subject of this book and who…
The Happiness Advantage: A Book Review
When we started our Lady Docs Corner Cafe website last year, I planned to have many discussions on issues related to mental illness. We did not, however, keep up with this promise and did not venture into this aspect of medicine too much. During this time, I went to a lecture organized by Sidwell Friends for high…
The Pearl that Broke Its Shell, A Reflection from author Dr. Nadia Hashimi
On May 6th of this year, I walked into our local Barnes & Noble with my husband and our two children. We had to see it to believe it. The novel I’d written three years ago was sitting front and center on the “New Release” table – touchable and very real. “Mommy, there’s your book,” my son…
All Joy No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenting by Jennifer Senior Published by Harper Collins, 2014
Have you ever wondered what influence children have on parents? Every book I have read about parenting was always about how to be a better parent and how to influence children for the better. This book illustrates many of the effects that children have on parents through each stage of life. It discusses research on the parent-child relationship…
“How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character” by Paul Tough
Why do some children escape a difficult childhood and become successful adults? Why do others end up in prison or stuck in a cycle of poverty? This fascinating book summarizes stories of children growing up in diverse socioeconomic situations, explores research on factors leading to success and failure academically and in life. As a follow up to my…
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell
Previous Malcolm Gladwell books, Outliers, Blink and The Tipping Point, have used psychosocial research to explain little known phenomenon that are often the opposite of what one would expect. His most recent publication, David and Goliath, also focuses on surprising findings from research on the nature of advantages and disadvantages and how so called underdogs can and do succeed. Well written and…