This book is written in a very readable form, more fiction like, yet very factual. I felt the author's story was an important account of one family's struggle to survive as German refugees from Eastern Europe. The details of the story made me very sad yet because of the author's hope in mankind I felt lifted up by her account.

Eva Krutein is a survivor. Her story is horrifying in that it details man's inhumanity to man on all fronts. What is particularly distressing is the cruelty and stupidity practiced by the allies after the war under the guise of an abomination known as the Morgenthau Plan. This book fills in some missing pieces, tells a story that is not covered by the anti-German media in the USA. If I have any criticism it is that Eva is too forgiving of the Red Army atrocities - she makes excuses for it, and does not explain that gang rape, rape, murder, starvation etc., was official government policy of Stalin with the deafening silence of the Americans & Brits. Eva's war is at times funny, often depressing and ultimately uplifting. Read it!

Now and Always was a sheer pleasure to read. It was so enjoyable to get to know the characters and to watch this very enchanting couples romance blossom. I look foward to seeing them grow and fall deeper in love. The book was written very intellegently and flowed smoothly making it easy to read.

From the moment I started reading this book, I just couldn't wait to see where the story was headed. I was never disappointed. I enjoyed this book from start to finish. I love the main characters and the sister, Carmen, is really enjoyable! When is this author going to realease another book?

Having heard nothing but accolades for this book, I scoured it for "new" information on helping consumers gain insight into their illness and thus accept treatment to hasten their recovery. I learned a new term for a particular type of "poor insight"--"anosognosia"--a neurological syndrome similar to the lack of self-awareness found in people with serious mental illness. Dr. Amador's message tells us that such consumers are not so much in denial or using defensiveness to dispute their illness but, rather, have neurocognitive deficits that prevent them from understanding they are ill. My criticisms are threefold. "Treatment" is equated with taking medications and assumes a competent & caring clinical framework. Overly simplistic advice for interactions with consumers merely encompasses what any informed family member and especially what any trained clinician should already know--employ active, empathetic, and reflective listening using a checklist of optimum conditions for productive dialogue, such as setting a time, agreeing on an agenda, listening to the consumer's beliefs without interjecting reactions or creating chaos, and echoing and writing down what you have heard. Dr. Amador suggests his prescription may open windows of opportunity for mutual goal setting and patient partnering in treatment planning and adherence.

The book's heralded reception as eye-opening shows just how desperate caregivers are for probable "fixes" and how seriously deficient are the outreach and education programs of professional and advocacy organizations who deal with serious mental illness.

As a Community Worker, I liked Dr. Amador's book because it explained in simplistic language how a family can work with their family member who is struggling with a mental illness. It is a reasonably priced, and a quick read. I have used some of the techniques myself and found the information useful.

Xavier Amador has performed a tremendous service for families and therapists by translating the research on insight into mental illness into a highly readable and very practical book. Family members and therapists who read this will find their frustration with a "non-compliant" consumer melting away to be replaced with empathy and compassion, qualities that will enable them to begin laying the groundwork for a cooperative relationship with their loved one/client. Step-by-step methods for developing that relationship are clearly laid out, making this one of the most helpful, hopeful books to come along in a long time for those who treat or live with a mentally ill person.

I Am Not Sick...adds to the number of excellent books written for families of the mentally ill, and, in my opinion, tops the list. I just wish it had been available 20 years ago when my sister became ill. I am convinced that she would be much better off today if we had had access to this information.

I found this book difficult to read but it had some very good information that makes you stop and think. The most important point to me that was brought to light was in regards to blaming. The authors point out how singles blame...themselves, parents, men, women, etc...for their single status. Explaining how subtle and insidious this cycle of blame can be was very informative and helpful. Some of the replies that the authors tell you to use against some of the hurtful comments that singles get, were ridiculous to me. I sort of lost faith around that point in the book, but luckily that was toward the end. All in all, there are some valid points in this book and it is definately worth a look.

Pretty good book. Helps you get over the feeling that if you're single you're a freak. Gives guidance on how to get comfortable with singlehood, how to resist well-meaning but demeaning comments from parents and others who think the whole world should be married, and how to make decisions involving your status. Some of the case studies border on being a little tedious, but with hindsight, I see the purpose they fill. I'd recommend this book to any single adult.

I bought this book used because I wasn't sure of it. This is a good book for those evaluating why they are single. It's not a "how to" book for meeting men but rather a book that looks at your "life script" and how it creates a self-fullfilling prophecy that keeps you being single. Written by a therapist who has worked with many singles, Once you figure out what you keep telling yourself, accept responsibility for your part in being single then you can be happy about being single and open to other possibilities....

This book, written by two psychologists at Columbia, confronts the difficulties faced by friends and relatives of people who suffer from clinical depression. Although perhaps a bit longer and more repetitive than necessary, it presents balanced and thorough information about depression and treatment options. The authors also acknowledge how easy it is to get caught in a morass with a depressed person and offer concrete (if difficult) suggestions about how to escape from that stuckness.

_Maintain your routine as much as possible._ is one of successful techniques offered by Drs Rosen and Amador in this helpful handbook for people whose loved ones suffer from clinical depression. Although the book is well-organized and the tools are presented with clarity, some of us may have reservations about following all of the advice, _The experience of craving sexual release and having a partner who is not interested in sex can be very frustrating. It is important to acknowledge your sexual needs. If you cannot have sex with your partner, one solution is autoerotica._

It is the authors' intent to _provide you with information about depression, its treatment, and the help that is available_ Moreover, _provide examples of common reltaionship problems when a loved one is depressed._. I appreciated the simple and straightforward approach offered here. For example, the stages to healing are easier for me to remember because of the mnemonic TRIP. Trouble - difficulty with interpersonal interactions in the first and typically, unnoticed stage. Reaction - an initial response that may be either conscious or unconscious. Information - gathering data about the problem, reading this book, a move away from denial. Finally, Problem solving - conscious response to the trouble based upon the data gathered. This TRIP through depression is described in relationships with partners, children, parents and friends.

The guidelines for support are presented with equally unassuming directness. First, the authors advise, have realistic expectations, and second, offer unqualified support. Third, is one you already know, maintain your routine as much as possible. Fourth, share your feelings and fifth, try not to take it personally. That is the most difficult one for me to remember and apply. I can get so frustrated at times that I forget about the context of the situation. Having read this book has helped me to keep its simple advice in mind. The last two suggestions provide a way out of the problem for everyone involved. Six, ask for help. Seven, work as a team. I don't feel that I am facing my difficulties alone when I know that there is help outside of the relationship and support within the relationship. Keeping these guidelines in mind has helped me to understand depression as just one more problem that a family or friends face together. There is a chance that this can make us stronger.

A drawback I experienced with this book is that the guidelines are applied systematically to the point of redudancy for each class of relationships. On the other hand, I was surprised to discover that depression is contagious. From reading this book, I came to realize that the depression that I experience clearly can affect those who live with me. After this discovery, I was motivated more strongly to cure because the someone I love who is depressed can very often be me.

From a spiritual perspective, I find that I am most vulnerable to depressive episodes when I lose hope and faith. I have found tools in WHEN SOMEONE YOU LOVE IS DEPRESSED that have helped me maintain a stronger spiritual commitment, and a way to help those I love. If you are interested in depression, relationships, psychiatry or sociology, this book may be interesting to you.

PEACE

I found this book to be tremendously supportive when I was trying to help my fiance (now my husband) deal with his depression. Depression in a loved one is such a tricky, difficult thing to handle. This book gave me the background, information and courage to discuss the depression with my fiance and take action.

The author reports with a straight face virtually unanimous election results, contests with only one candidate, and the incredible specter of middle school children guarding ballot boxes. He does not interview a single dissident or independent human rights advocate working on the island at great personal risk. He seems not to be bothered that there is no free press, independent civil society, or freedom of association outside of officially sanctioned government mobilizations. How democracy is possibly compatible with a complete lack of pluralism is something only someone either this incompetent or this cynical could avoid asking. If you believe this book I have a bridge I want to sell you.

This book is perhaps the ONLY one available in the United States that presents a clear and complete picture of elections in Cuba and which is not anti-Cuban/anti-Socialist. The first half of the book is a valuable history of pre-revolutionary Cuba which provides necessary background for understanding the evolution of the Cuba's "People's Power" electoral system. As the author says, the Cuban government is the one that is most talked about and the least understood by people in the US including the most anti-Cuban politicians. The section of the book that dealt with the electoral process was a real eye opener and a must read for anyone interested in a view that contrasts with the standard anti-Castro propaganda presented in the US media. As an example: the "People's Power" electoral system of nominating and electing representatives PROHIBITS the participation of any political party INCLUDING the Communist Party of Cuba from the process.

At last, a book about Cuba that is sane and balanced.

The book is not good , it is a stupid thing that even a little child can know

Despite being so cheap, I found this overpriced ... it is merely a thin pamphlet comprised of 12 recipes for Christmas. That would have been fine, and I would have been delighted even at many times the price *IF* it had told anything about the recipes, how the family/friends enjoyed them, where the recipes came from, or even if the author had ever tasted them. But just a terse printing of 12 recipes w/o descriptions seems to be a complete waste of space. I was very disappointed; I had really been looking forward to this, mistakingly thinking that it would include brief descriptions and/or recollections. Instead, it didn't include either.