Book Forum Chatter Box

[njkate]

Originally Posted by katzenfreund

Great, I hope this will work for all of us. I am looking forward to reading this book!!!!

Will start this weekend so I'll be ready

[censusdata]

I am currently reading 3 books: "Green: Your Place in the Energy Revolution" by Jane & Michael Hoffman; "Diagnosis Schizophrenia" by various authors; and "Aspergers (Syndrome) from the Inside Out" by Michael John Carley.

I just finished 2 other books. I like to write a 1/2 paragraph summary for each one, here's my summaries for each.

"Succeeding with Autism" by Judith Cohen

Follows the life story of "Michael", a student with high functioning autism. The author was his college admissions adviser and became a family friend. The book highlights Michael's frequent anger outbursts as a child and his intense jealousy of his younger brother. After jumping from a 2nd story window from school at age 9 he had a spend to months in a mental hospital, afterwards his behavior improved and he graduated from high school and enrolled at a private university. Through gradually gaining better control of his anger outburst and developing socially he was able to graduate with honors. Today he is a math teacher at a middle school.

"Africans in America: America's Journey through Slavery" by Charles Johnson & Patricia Smith

Highlights slavery in the US from Jamestown to the Civil War. Although the first ship with captive Africans arrived at Jamestown in 1619 it was until the 1650s that servatude of all races developed into a lifelong sentance of slavery for non Whites. One of Jamestown's most prominent citizens was Anthony Johnson, who came as a captive from Angola and died owning his own 2000 acre plantation and servants both Black & White. In the 1700s Black slaves were found from New York to Georgia, with most working on tobacco farms in Maryland & Virginia or rice farms in South Carolina.

Perhaps the darkest moment of African American history was the invention of the Cotton Gin by Eli Whitney in 1803. Cotton went from an unprofitable crop to the nation's most grown cash crop. The demand for slavery from Texas to South Carolina became so great that even free Black children in Northern cities were kidnapped by the thousands. It also meant a surplus of slaves in Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia, & Maryland, and that meant slaves being auctioned further South, most being forever seperated from their families. White paranoia from the Haitain slave revolt also caused treatment of slaves to go from bad to blatant savagery - teenage boys could be forced to whip their own mothers to death, slaves who back talked could have their tongues cut off, and runaways who were caught could have their toes, even whole feet, chopped off.

There were two reasons for Northern Whites to become increasinglt anti slavery in the decades before the civil war - one was the competition for jobs that working class Whites faced from free Black labor - this was the reason Whites in new states like Kansas & California voted themselves free -, the other was increased awareness of slavery's evils from a variety of sources - White missionaries in the South, escaped slaves like Frederick Douglass, and even the trial of The Amistad; a ship full of Black captives that was overtaken and sailed to NYC.

[censusdata]

Here's some new book summaries:

"Diagnosis Schizophrenia" by Dr Rachel Miller and Dr Susan Mason

An interesting book written by two psychiatrist at a hospital ward for Schizophrenia patients on Long Island, New York. It is actually a collection of interviews with real patients in the ward with commentary by the two authors.

A summary of the book is basically a summary of the condition itself: Schizophrenia appears from nowhere from the ages of 18 to 35, signified by sudden thoughts that others are watching you, even planning harm against you; accompanied usually with racing thoughts and totally irrational behavior and thoughts. It strikes men and women and all races equally. The patients at the ward first experienced their symptoms at different places: some attending college, some taking their kids to daycare, etc.

The initial symptoms are usually severe enough that the person is taken by their family to a psychiatrists or even ER, where they are heavily medicated to calm the initial burst. They are then put on lower doses of a long term medication and enter counseling and peer groups. A person diagnosed with Schizophrenia must continue taking some medication for the rest of their lives to keep the symptoms away - there is no cure.

"Aspergers from the inside out" by Michael Carley

Michael Carley is the director of the largest Aspergers Syndrome support group in the US. He was himself diagnosed with AS as an adult after his two year old son was diagnosed with it. The book tells of his personal "journey" with AS, including experiences with members of his support group.

Aspergers Syndrome is genetic based form of Autism. It usually begins manifesting itself visibly in the toddler years. Charactoristics of a person with AS are: impared social skills, intense interest in certain things, impared motor coordination, rocking motion and body ticks when under stress, all accompianed with an average or above average IQ. AS diagnose has only occured since the 1980s, although many suspect notable people such as Albert Einstein and Issac Newton had AS.

[furrball30]

Has anyone here read the Children of the Earth series by Jane Auel?

[lolagranola]

Clan of the Cave Bear is one of my all-time faves. Re-read it six or so months ago. I have read all the sequels, but just once, didn't think they were anywheres near the first.

[katzenfreund]

I have also read Clan of the Cave Bear several years ago... I read the second one also, but didn't like it as much as the first one.

[furrball30]

Originally Posted by lolagranola

Clan of the Cave Bear is one of my all-time faves. Re-read it six or so months ago. I have read all the sequels, but just once, didn't think they were anywheres near the first.

I only read the first 3 but than re-read them to my wife. Guess she wasn't as tickled with them as I was because she stopped me half way through The Mammoth Hunters.

[CK_Quarterman2009]

Greetings,

I just joined this forum so plz help me get used to it friends. Any ways I joined the forum coz I am very religious person and like to be gathered by such fellows too. So I guess I have to contribute to this forum as every one else do. so I came cross a site a few weeks ago I like to share it with u guys
http://www.finaltrumpetblast.com/

it has very interesting e-books. And some really strange questions I would like to discuss with u all. So I hope u like it

Regards