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Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > Science, technology & engineering
Nathan Smith has struggled with schizophrenia his entire life. Overwhelmed by thoughts of suicide and depression, he disappeared into a haze of alcoholism to deal with the daily challenges of his disease. But instead of alleviating his disease, the alcohol made it ten times worse. Spending most of his time in an alcoholic stupor, he was not in control of his thoughts or actions, thanks to his schizophrenia. Each time he tried to get control of his life, he failed miserably."Mom's Idea" is the heartbreaking story of Smith's struggles to deal with his schizophrenia while ultimately realizing that he also had to find a way to stop drinking. With the encouragement of his mother, he began the long road to sobriety and a more productive life. "Mom's Idea" offers an in-depth account of an average person suffering from schizophrenia; it chronicles the frequently changing ups and downs of dealing with a debilitating disease and the compounding problem of alcoholism.
Although Gerd Heinrich, a devoted naturalist, specialized in wasps, Bernd Heinrich tried to distance himself from his "old-fashioned" father, becoming a hybrid: a modern, experimental biologist with a naturalist's sensibilities. In this extraordinary memoir, the award-winning author shares the ways in which his relationship with his father, combined with his unique childhood, molded him into the scientist, and man, he is today. From Gerd's days as a soldier in Europe and the family's daring escape from the Red Army in 1945 to the rustic Maine farm they came to call home, Heinrich relates it all in his trademark style, making science accessible and awe-inspiring.
Set in London between 1973 and 1983, Adrift is a compelling true story portraying the way a husband's mental illness tragically destroys a happy marriage. It examines the agonising dilemma faced by his wife struggling to make sense of his baffling condition yet concerned for their young children and her own safety.
In 1885, Thomas Edison, age thirty-nine and already a world-famous inventor, met the two great loves of his life: Mina Miller and Fort Myers, Florida. Mina soon became his second wife, and Fort Myers--a remote, almost inaccessible, village on Florida's southwest coast--became their winter home. Other tomes tell the global account of Thomas Edison, the American icon named by Life magazine as the "Man of the Millennium." This book offers a look at his life in his tropical retreat, his "jungle," where for forty-six years he and his bride sought refuge from the cold winters and the demanding lifestyle of his New Jersey home, laboratory, and business complex. While in Fort Myers he watched over his extensive botanical
gardens, fished from both his boat and his long dock, interacted
with the locals, and labored for many hours in his laboratory.
Henry Ford and his family lived nextdoor and many dignitaries came
to visit, including President-elect Hoover and Harvey
Firestone.
Living with a Miracle is a compelling story of a mother's love and desperate attempt to build a life and family while fighting for her child's life. was born. Elation is not strong enough to express the joy of becoming a mother. murmur. Being a nurse, I was concerned but had no reason to believe it was anything life threatening, many children are born with heart murmurs and lead a normal life. That evening after our celebration dinner, we returned to the nursery to see Syra. However, our celebration quickly turned into a nightmare. Life Flight was flying our baby to a children's hospital two hours away. Only two days old following a heart catherization, we were told Syra had a rare and lethal heart defect. their journey together against impossible odds.
Today is Sunday, June 17, 2007. Father's Day. Naturally, the obligatory, carefully selected cards, phone calls, and small gifts arrived from the children and grandchildren. Best wishes for Father's Day were also the first words in the morning from Heidel, my wife of 54 years, although for many years I had made the comment: "I am not your father. " But, in the frame of my life's experiences th th in the 20 century, as I intend to summarize them over the next few years, the 17 of June has much deeper significance. This was the day in 1953 when we finally fled from our life of oppression which had lasted 20 years. Two successive dictatorships, one of Hitler and the other of Stalin, caused the most horrific slaughter of civilians and soldiers, eclipsing all prior history. During these first years of my life, I was plainly lucky to survive. After this day, I had a much better chance to experience the freedom needed to lead a life of creativity, satisfaction, and ultimately prosperity, all directed largely by our own decisions. th The 17 of June 1953 was a Wednesday. I stayed in the apartment of my parents in my hometown of Brandenburg, in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), the former Russian occupied zone of Germany. The summer vacation of the Humboldt University in East Berlin, some 40 mi further east, had just started. But, I was alone with my father, "Vati.
This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It contains classical literature works from over two thousand years. Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of international literature classics available in printed format again - worldwide.
There is probably no woman scientist more famous than Marie Curie
(1867-1934). She made one of the most important theoretical
breakthroughs of the twentieth century when she postulated that
radiation was an atomic rather than a chemical property, an
important milestone in understanding the structure of matter. Not
only did she coin the term radioactivity, but her painstaking
research culminated in the isolation of two new elements, polonium
and radium. For her achievements she won two Nobel Prizes, one in
physics (in 1903) and the other in chemistry (in 1911). This
informative, accessible, and concise biography looks at Marie Curie
not just as a dedicated scientist but also as a complex woman with
a sometimes-tumultuous personal life. This historian of science
describes Curie's life and career, from her early years in Poland,
where she was born Maria Sklodowska; through her marriage to and
collaboration with Pierre Curie; her appointment as the first
female professor at Sorbonne University after his untimely death;
and the scientific work that led to her recognition by the Nobel
Prize committee. The author also candidly discusses the controversy
that surrounded Marie when detractors charged that her work was
actually performed by her late husband. Finally, she describes
Curie's work in founding the radium institutes to study radiation
and in establishing mobile X-ray units during World War I.
Eventually, her long exposure to radium led to her death from
aplastic anemia in 1934. A year later, Albert Einstein published a
tribute to her in memoriam, praising both her intuition and her
tenacity under the most trying circumstances.
Kidney failure, dialysis, and transplantation are three words that most people hope never to hear in their lifetimes. Mina Gonzales wasn't so lucky. In her memoir, she shares the story of her experiences, a story about choices, destiny, and the ultimate sacrifice that gives life. She knows the pitfalls and setbacks one faces when dealing with the realities of dialysis, organ donation, and kidney transplantation. She recalls those here, along with her journey of personal discovery, family strength, and community involvement. She faced trials and tribulations during dialysis but ultimately emerged victorious, having survived a kidney transplant for more than fifteen years. Her story could be anyone's story. Along with her experiences, she focuses on facing the truth about life and recognizing the gift that it is. For anyone facing kidney failure, Gonzales provides the information that you need to know. She addresses not only broad questions of life through the lens of her personal experiences, but also specific questions relating to living with kidney failure: What is dialysis? What types are there? How long is a session? My Choice My Destiny: My Kidney Transplant Journey is intended to be used as a daily spiritual guide to help get through the long hours of dialysis. It is an honest expression of hope that you too will find your donor angel and live a long and healthy life.
The author had a strong bond with American establishments, where he had all his education in China before 1949 revolution. This cost him an enduring ordeal as he had been ostracized into countryside to embark on primary farming labor and health services. Firmly believing his fate would change after Mao, he never ceased preparing for just that by learning foreign languages and new medical developments in countryside. Surely enough he had it after Mao's death when he resumed teaching job in a medical school, where he often served the English interpreter for American visiting professors. Surprised by his fluency in English and updated medical knowledge, they sponsored him to visit America as he had dreamed. But a miracle burst out. arrival. After experiencing a host of cultural shocks and retraining he settled in well and proved himself not only a competent psychiatrist, board certified, but also a successful bilingual literary writer. How come? Dr. Liu acknowledges his family, especially his wife, had given him unlimited strength to endure the hardest time, as depicted in his touching poem on an elegant scroll shown on the book cover.
In 1927 in the field of health care an unusual event occurred. Morris Aaron Cohen, M.D. founded the Boston Evening Clinic, an unusual and never before conceived facility for the treatment of the indigent and low-wage earners who could not afford to lose a day s pay. It was an endeavor that achieved success against overwhelming odds: the objections of the Massachusetts Medical Society, major hospitals, banks, and businesses. Often denounced as unethical or even called a liar by an outstanding member of the Society who believed Morris Cohen was taking money from the poor and placing it in his own pockets, the besieged man never surrendered. None of the criticisms was justified and all were proved false. Why? Because Dr. Morris Cohen, as his memoir attests, persisted; because he believed there were many among us who required the kind of care he believed in. Eventually, this humane man who believed in the dignity of human beings, who recognized the needs of people unable to pay for medical care during the day, rose in stature with his clinic until eventual recognition by Presidents of the United States and persons, both medical and lay, within the United States and beyond. Critical Reviews: Healing After Dark is an inspiration for the next generation of
health care reformers. It is a reminder to the current ones that
the requirements of perseverance, hard work, with little financial
remuneration and movement to overcome the inertia of status quo are
practically a guarantee that you are on to something of great
importance. Dr. Cohen gives readers an exciting insight into the founding
and operation of a unique medical facility that still serves a
model for these times, as well as an evocation of the life and
culture of early twentieth-century Boston. About the Author:
In 1922, the teenage son of a Jewish immigrant ventured from Manhattan to New Mexico for his health. It was the first of many trips to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, a western retreat where J. Robert Oppenheimer would eventually hold pathbreaking discussions with world-renowned scientists about atomic physics. Oppenheimer came to feel at home in the American West, and while extensive studies have been made of the man, this is the first book to explicitly link him with the region. "J. Robert Oppenheimer, the Cold War, and the Atomic West" explores how the West influenced Oppenheimer as a scientist and as a person--and the role he played in influencing it. Jon Hunner's concise account of Oppenheimer's life and the emergence of an Atomic West distills a vast literature for students and general readers. In this brisk, engaging biography, the author recounts how Oppenheimer helped locate the atomic weapons research lab at Los Alamos, New Mexico, and helped establish leading physics departments at the University of California-Berkeley and Caltech. By taking part in moving atomic physics west of the Mississippi, Oppenheimer bolstered the establishment of research labs, uranium mines, nuclear reactors, and more, bringing talented people--and billions of dollars in federal contracts--to the region. Interwoven into this atomic tale are insights into the physicist's troubled growing-up years, his marriage and family life, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Oppenheimer's eventual downfall. After the first atomic bomb burst over the New Mexican desert in 1945 and as the Cold War developed, the American myth of the Wild West expanded to encompass atomic sheriffs saving the world for democracy--even as powerful opponents began questioning Oppenheimer's place in that story. Against the backdrop of the physicist's life twining with the region's history, Hunner explores the promise and peril of the Atomic Age.
This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It contains classical literature works from over two thousand years. Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of international literature classics available in printed format again - worldwide.
John Mallory was seventeen years old. For all that was thrown at him in his daily battle to please peers, parents, and teachers, life was not so bad. Except, of course, for that lingering cough and dragged out feeling that seemed to linger. But cancer? The mere thought of it, along with the sudden coming to terms with ones' own mortality, forced his family to re-examine their lives in an effort to understand where this latest journey would take them. Kevin Mallory and his wife Nancy live in Portland, Maine with their son John. They have been married for twenty-two years. As middle class Americans whose priorities included steering down the road to retirement and wondering how to pay for college, they were blindsided by the events this narrative hopes to put into perspective. What started out as note taking for reference when talking to doctors, soon evolved into personal comments, unfolding feelings, and eventually thoughts of writing a book. This no-holds-barred look at family life under the gun doesn't try to break new ground; rather it chooses to examine the overwhelming issues facing an American teenage cancer patient through the eyes of his parents.
Sometimes life doesn't always unfold the way you plan. On July 20, 1984 while at USMC Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia, a young Marine was a passenger in a three-ton troop transport vehicle that, while traveling at sixty-five miles per hour, flipped and rolled several times, finally coming to rest upside down. Several Marines were dead, but one man was still alive. He was Terry Smith. After dying twice during brain surgery on that fateful day, Terry Smith has since learned to adjust to the limitations that accompany Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). At Bethesda Naval Hospital, Terry learned to walk, talk, eat, think, and live again, but learning to cope with seizures, anxiety, insomnia, paranoia, and memory loss did not happen overnight-or even after two decades. It is only through years of trial and error that Terry has learned to make the transition from pre-TBI to post-TBI, proving that the healing process is never-ending for head trauma patients. Terry Smith is a true survivor who has defied the odds. Today he shares his inspirational story of hope for the future for TBI patients, their families, doctors, and anyone who has insurmountable obstacles to overcome.
Roger Tory Peterson--the Renaissance man who taught Americans the joy of watching birds--also invented the modern field guide. His 1934 landmark Field Guide to the Birds was the first book designed to go outdoors and help people identify the elements of nature. This self-proclaimed student of nature combined spectacular writing with detailed illustrations to ultimately publish many other books, winning every possible award and medal for natural science, ornithology, and conservation. Peterson also traveled the world, giving lectures on behalf of the National Audubon Society and, despite his self-effacing demeanor, becoming recognized as the key force to alerting the public to the importance of preserving nature. There are now an estimated 70 million birdwatchers in the United States. For this meticulously detailed biography, Rosenthal has interviewed more than a hundred of Peterson's family, friends, and associates to create a fully rounded portrait of this hero of the conservation movement. Never-before-seen photographs enhance this intimate portrayal. The book will be timed for his 100th birthday celebration in August, 2008.
"A Kansan Conquers the Cosmos" presents the story of Alan Glines, who began working with NASA in 1966 and was part of Mission Control during the height of the space program. Full of fun and excitement, Glines's autobiography offers a first-person glimpse into four decades of the field of aerospace. He traces his own history from the beginning of his career through to the present and shares interesting anecdotes and histories of NASA and the American space program. From his days a science fiction-obsessed youth who ran a theater as if it were mission control to his various experiences in NASA, Glines attained the Mission Control spirit and dedication that he has lived for decades-that is, being on the playing field and being all you can be, all the time. Over four decades, he has acquired an extraordinarily rich tapestry of experience in the aerospace worlds of research and development, and command and control, exploring no fewer than seven geographical and intellectual career paths over the years. As a man whose career, teaching, and speaking efforts continue to inspire others today, Glines's story is a detailed and unique and the aerospace industry in America from the inside.
"That's a crazy book " Albert Einstein said in the early 1950s, when asked his impression of Alfred Korzybski's 1933 work "Science and Sanity." More than a decade later, Richard Feynman found Korzybski's notion of "time-binding" crucial for answering the question "What is science?." Feynman didn't know that it was Alfred Korzybski who had coined the term "time-binding" in his first, 1921, book "Manhood of Humanity" to label what he considered the defining characteristic of humans: the potential of each generation to start where the former leaves off and thus to accumulate useful knowledge at an ever-accelerating rate. In the exact sciences and technology, time-binding seems to work reasonably well. In the rest of human life, not so much. Korzybski, a patriotic Polish nobleman and an engineer who had lived under Tsarist tyranny and had seen the horrors of World War I on the Eastern Front before coming to the United States, realized the results of the disparity between rapid but narrow scientific-technological advancement and broader but snail-paced ethical-social development: a seemingly endless cycle of crises, revolutions and wars. Seeking a way out, he studied a broad range of disciplines from physics to psychiatry-fields that others felt had little to do with each other-and discovered factors of sanity in physico-mathematical methods. Comparing the ways of thinking that scientists and mathematicians exemplify when working at their best and the ways of thinking that they and other people unsanely or insanely tend to use the rest of the time, Korzybski linked science and sanity in a new world outlook with an accompanying methodology (labeled 'general semantics')-simple enough to teach children. Traces of Korzybski's pioneering work can be found today in a variety of fields such as cognitive science, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, communication, media ecology, medicine, organizational development, philosophical counseling and philosophy, etc. In spite of this, Korzybski's radically interdisciplinary work remains relatively unassimilated into standard academic fields and hard to accurately fit into familiar popular categories. Thus, Korzybski, who originated the saying "The map is not the territory," remains a relatively neglected and misunderstood figure, shrouded in controversy: some people have considered him a genius while others have called him a crank. Drawing on an array of sources including Korzybski's personal correspondence, notes, scrapbooks, and both published and unpublished writings, as well as personal discussions and interviews with some of Korzybski's closest co-workers, Bruce I. Kodish situates Korzybski's contributions in the context of his times and provides surprising insights into his work as a whole. Kodish's clear prose provides a compellingly readable narrative of Korzybski's very busy, sometimes too busy, exciting and exhausting life while making accessible some of the most complex areas of Korzybski's thought. For years to come, this outstanding biography will remain the standard work on Alfred Korzybski's extraordinarily adventurous and significant life and work.
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