RebeccasReads

Recommended Books

We Came In Peace For All Mankind: The Untold Story of the Apollo 11 Silicon Disc

Tahir Rahman
Leathers Publishing (2007)
ISBN 9781585974412

Reviewed by Rebecca Brown for RebeccasReads (1/08)

Almost forty years ago we were glued to our tvs watching NASA's greatest show yet: humans encased in silver space suits cavorting on the Moon, our one and only orbital companion which has inspired us to lunacy and romance and poetry for countless generations. No, Virginia, there is no Man in the Moon, only astronauts upon it.

Above all other images we remember the one of Earthrise as our big blue marble hove into view beyond the curve of Moon's horizon. Then there was the planting of a floppy Stars and Stripes and the reading of the plaque below. What none of us remember, and the astronauts themselves almost forgot to do, was the placing of a cloth pouch in which reposed elegant powder compact-like cases of various materials which protected a silicon disc the size of a half-dollar, etched with goodwill messages from nation states around our world.

I'm a devoted NASA TV channel watcher and eagerly follow each and every activity they deign to show us, as well as camping out in my recliner when something's being delivered to the International Space Station, either by one of the Shuttles or Europe and Russia's rockets. At times it’s like watching paint dry or grass grow; however, during those slow motion moments, I'm hard at work thinking Big Thoughts about Deep Space, Deep Time and deep excitement. Perhaps I'll come back in my next incarnation to be an astronaut.

So, when Tahir Rahman sent me his beautiful coffee-table tome “We Came In Peace For All Mankind: The Untold Story of the Apollo 11 Silicon Disc,” I was hooked from page one and not only by the multitude of glorious color photos.

The silicon disc was intended to tell who/whatever opens it upon landing on the Moon how diverse the inhabitants of the planet they see on the horizon are, and hopefully dissuade the reader/s from violent invasion. What we left was an engraved invitation to come visit, and ““We Came In Peace For All Mankind” is your invitation, too.

In the beginning there are awe-inspiring photos of Earthrise, a footprint and the silicon disc coupled with quips and quotes from Moonwalkers and prime ministers, and then Tahir Rahman's story starts: “Neil Armstrong peered through one of the small windows

of the lunar module, Eagle...” He was preparing to step outside his safety zone into the unknown. Six-hundred-million people watched him, and “we laughed and cried and lit up cigars.” It was a different time, folks, B4PC = before personal computers and political correctness both! “Our world was united in a unique way while the astronauts walked on a surreal world for the first time in {our} history.”

I enjoyed learning the story of the planning committee's conclusions, especially #2: “The activities should be in good taste from a world perspective.” Naturally, like Columbus did, we thought to plant a flag, and a whole host of them was packed on board to be brought back as souvenirs for such places at the U.S. Congress and those who administer the hard cash (not nearly enough of our taxes, so I say) for NASA's projects. Then someone thought up the commemorative plaque and we see its genesis.

Soon we’re briefly meeting the Apollo 11 Crew, reading about how slivers of wood from the Orville brother’s Kitty Hawk would be in the baggage. Some attention is devoted to how it was decided to use a United States flag instead of another one, and how to make and hang such a flag in Moon’s gravity-deficient atmosphere, as well as other Moonly scientific considerations.

Then we get to NASA’s invitation to world leaders to add their 2 cents, and while we wait for them to reply, we learn who made the silicon disc and how. It becomes quite evident that Sprague Electric Company had a nightmare of a deadline. Then we’re on to launch preparations, and soon they’re off to the Moon.

The Library of Goodwill Messages makes up most of the rest of this volume: who and how the leaders of the world responded. I like that there’s a map to each nation’s reply so we can learn where on Earth they are/were. Plus it includes a whole slew of Americans who backed the endeavor. It all sounds so dry, until you read it and realize how much was etched in gold into that little disc.

Tahir Rahman, a physician fascinated by the Apollo Program, was given a duplicate of the silicon disc by Neil Armstrong. What he found, upon magnification, on that little piece of plastic (sic!) so astonished him that he just had to investigate further, rousing NASA historians to dust off their memories and unearth storage boxes in the warrens of the Library of Congress that had gathered decades of dust.

“We Came In Peace For All Mankind” is a superb addition to your library. To be oohed & aahed over by all the generations of your family. Very well done!

Honor Due

D.H. Brown
Big River Press (2007)

ISBN 9780979874413

Reviewed by LuAnn Morgan for RebeccasReads (1/08)

Ten years after Major Westfall retired as a special ops agent for the U.S. government, he’d found his own private sanctuary. Living deep in the Olympic Rainforest of Washington state, the Major wanted only to be left alone. He has very few friends he associates with and his nearest neighbor is miles down the road.

Unfortunately, others don’t see things the same way. The Major is suddenly thrown back into the game when he finds himself being hunted, with no clue as to why.  And he can’t ignore it. These people -- whoever they are -- are dead serious. They’ve already tortured and killed one of his best friends.

Now, the Major sees it as both a matter of survival and revenge. Not only for himself, but also for the daughter of his friend, who witnessed the death of her father and managed to escape the same fate.

“Honor Due” is jam-packed full of action. From the first page to the last, the reader is carried along through a master plan of death and endurance as the Major must anticipate every move his enemies make.

This book is definitely for an adult audience. D.H. Brown wastes no words to describe in detail the violent steps the Major takes to save his own life. It’s not a book for the weak at heart, yet that is one of the main reasons why this book is so appealing. Any watering down of the action would have made for an entirely different read.

Brown is currently working on a sequel, “Honor Defended,” expected to hit the shelves this spring. If he can keep up the pace, it should be well worth the read. However, readers would be well advised to read the current novel first as included flashbacks to earlier days help describe who the Major is and why he lives the way he does.

Brown has found a niche in the literary world for himself and I, for one, am looking forward to reading more books by this author.  So, move over John Rambo and Scott McCoy (“Delta Force”). You just may have met your match in Major of “Honor Due.”

Out of the Cocoon: A Young Woman’s Courageous Flight from the Grip of a Religious Cult

Brenda Lee
Robert D. Reed Publishers (2006)
ISBN 9781931741651

Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (1/08)

“Out of the Cocoon: A Young Woman’s Courageous Flight from the Grip of a Religious Cult” by Brenda Lee is a memoir chronicling the author’s escape from the binding hold that the Jehovah Witness religion had on her family and life and the consequences that met her afterward.  When Brenda was a young girl, Jehovah’s Witnesses visited her Pennsylvania home with their literature and talked her family into doing a free bible study. That one knock on the door would forever change Brenda’s life and her relationship with her family.  Her mother became immersed in the Jehovah beliefs and decided that the whole family would be baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses.  Brenda’s father refused and was the only one not baptized although he did attend the meetings at Kingdom Hall. 

Jehovah’s Witnesses have a very rigid belief system without any room to bend.  Growing up in the Jehovah faith was very traumatic for Brenda as she found herself isolated from the rest of her classmates.  She could not celebrate the events they celebrated, participate in school activities, or date.  Also, as a Jehovah’s Witness you cannot be friends with or associate with people who are not of the same faith as you.  To top all of it off she even had teachers who abused her because of her religion.

When she finally came of age she escaped to live with a cousin that she had never met in Colorado and tried to start her life anew by breaking free from the holds that the religion had on her.  However, her insecurities fostered from being isolated and ostracized as a child followed her into adulthood and there were consequences that followed.   

Unfortunately in the Jehovah faith once someone leaves the religion they cannot be associated with anymore by those still in the faith.  This even applies to family members.  So in a sense by leaving the religion she also lost her family, all except for her father (he was not baptized into the faith).  After trying to “save her” and failing, they would not talk to her anymore and essentially they cut her out of their life.

While I understand that the Jehovah faith did have a huge effect on the author’s life it seems that she blames everything that goes wrong on that premise which I find a little bit unbelievable.  There are other factors involved that cause things to turn out the way that they do.  I do understand her anger but in some cases it seems that it is misdirected.

All in all, the book is a very engaging and a fast read!  I read all 238 pages from start to finish in one night.  I learned a lot about the Jehovah’s Witness faith and I was actually shocked by a lot of the things that I read.  I honestly had no idea that these people who come knocking on my door believed some of the things that they do.  To disown a family member because they choose not to be involved in your faith is, in my opinion, ridiculous!  I applaud Brenda Lee for having the courage to come forward and write this memoir and hope that others can benefit from reading about her experience.  I think that anyone who is considering becoming a member of this religion or any similar religion should definitely read “Out of the Cocoon” before doing so!

Recommended Books

Children and Traumatic Incident Reduction: Creative and Cognitive Approaches

Edited by Marian K. Volkman
Loving Healing Press (2007)

ISBN 9781932690309

Reviewed by Lisa Heidle for RebeccasReads (1/08)

In the book “Children and Traumatic Incident Reduction: Creative and Cognitive Approaches,” therapists, social workers, parents and educators come together to discuss the approaches and affects of Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) as well as other inventive therapeutic methods.

“TIR addresses traumatic experiences to relieve any traumatic stress the client is carrying from that experience, bringing about a full resolution of the trauma, and often insights as well,” explains Marian Volkman, the book’s editor, in the introduction. Repetitive verbal reproduction of the traumatic event is used to help the patient address the experience, allowing them to reach a resolution, or end point, to the trauma.

Many contributors to the book have combined Traumatic Incident Reduction, or TIR, with Art Therapy and have experienced positive results. Therapist Anna Foley uses drawing to help the client express the incident that has caused the trauma. “Each piece of paper is a different scene. So that might take 30 pieces of paper, it might take 40 or 50, or as few as 10. But whatever it is, it’s right; it can’t be wrong. Whatever they have drawn, we map that out so one piece of paper reflects each memory.”

Using objects like clay or magnetic sculptures allow the patient to feel comfort and grounded when delving into past events. Patricia Furze addresses the Western cultural approach, “…that contributes to children’s avoidance of unpleasant feelings and sensations is our instruction to children to use distraction to move their attention away from whatever upsets them. This works well in the short term. Repression pushes the sensations and feelings out of conscious awareness. They lie dormant, yet in a position to continue to affect the choices the child makes.” Because of this, many children are better able to handle future TIR, or imagined future events that resemble the original traumatic event. The benefits of this technique are the child feels empowered and becomes more resilient.

Protecting children from physical and mental injury is something we would all like to do, but the world in which we live can be damaging to everyone. It can be exceptionally devastating to children who have less power and control in the occurrences in their own lives. Although there are many differing opinions on the best method to use when helping a traumatized child, the majority of experts agree that early intervention is key. Parents, therapists, and educational institutions, along with all others who work with children, can benefit from “Children and Traumatic Incident Reduction: Creative and Cognitive Approaches.”

Lessons On Aging From Three Nations, Volume II: The Art of Caring for Older Adults

Sara Carmel, Carol A. Morse, and Fernando M. Torres-Gil (Editors)

Baywood Publishing Company (2007)

ISBN 9780895033703

Reviewed by Alma Bond for RebeccasReads (1/08)

While the first volume of “Lessons on Aging From Three Nations” focuses on aging and caretaking, the second volume, “The Art of Caring for Older Adults,” concentrates on the challenges and concerns for families, policymakers, and governments in caregiving and end-of-life issues. This book affirms the philosophical belief that people joining forces can achieve great things that one person alone is unable to do. As in Volume 1, the editors and authors hope to provide clues and suggestions for future research, policies, and practices in the comparative study of global aging.

It is widely known that the population of the world is aging, but challenges caused by this burgeoning phenomenon are less well understood. “The Art of Caring for Older Adults” compares treatment of the aged in three countries and focuses on caregiving, family care, and end of life in each of them. The three countries vary in many ways; therefore, how they respond to the problems of aging naturally differs. But all face similar issues in terms of needs, conflicts, difficulties that need to be resolved, and possible solutions. These findings should prove useful to nations throughout the world.

In the introduction, coeditor Carol A. Morse compares the treatment given the aging in the United States, Israel, and Australia (p. 1). She comes to the conclusion that the picture is very similar in all three countries, where the number of people age 80 or beyond who achieve a healthy and well older life is increasing over time. As many more people survive to an advanced age, two generations of the elderly often must be taken care of by the same family. In addition, many women now have full-time careers outside the home. As a result, the old ways of caring for the elderly no longer suffice, as fewer and fewer people willingly take on the burden of family caretaker. Hence, Morse states, “In the years ahead, the governments must find different ways to provide financial compensation for caregivers through tax relief, income support, and indexed pension benefits” (p. 2). She suggests that the situation “requires a move towards a collaborative approach between consumers and workers to replace the paternal custodial model” (p. 3).

Esther Iecovich, in “The Interface between Family Responsibility and State,” speaks of the rapidly growing older population in Israel. She states (p. 7), “A highly developed system of health care, improvements in nutrition and quality of life, and a decrease in fertility rates have resulted in an increased number of elderly people who are infirm, disabled, and dependent upon others.” As the number of older people grows, the less their

families will be able to provide adequate care for them. Iecovich questions what solutions family and society can provide to meet the growing needs of this swiftly expanding population. She proposes that adult grandchildren play a more active role in caring for elderly grandparents and aging parents. Social networks, in which volunteers play an increasing role, more formal services, and community care including day care, must become more significant factors in supplementing family care. She also suggests expanding civil service for those individuals not serving in the army to provide such services as home care and surveillance for the aging.

Cheryl Tilse, Jill Wilson, and Deborah Setterland have some interesting things to say about recent developments in Australia in “Residential Care: Informed Choices,” which in many ways can serve as a model for other societies. According to the authors (p. 38), care of the elderly in Australia is now characterized by increased community services that support people in their own homes. The structural reform policy passed by the Australian government in 1997 sought to enhance choice in residential care by the development of a wider range of care options, greater community responsibility, policies of aging that link residential care to resident needs, and the development of outcome standards that include choice as a key aspect of residents' rights. In Australia, contrary to practice in the United States, entry to residential facilities is not dependent on the capacity of the patient or his or her family to pay for services but is subsidized by the government. The reform of residential care is characterized by a move away from the medical model to policies promoting resident-focused care. The authors (p. 40) quote Peace, Kellaher, and Willcocks (1997) to the effect that the changed approach in Australia is founded on an explicit recognition of the rights of residents and is supported by philosophies that recognize adulthood and citizenship. We in the United States could take a page from the Australian book.

Care for the elderly in Israel, according to David Galinsky in “New Demands on Education and Training for the Care of Old People,” is not doing as well (p. 59). “Studies indicate… that care of the elderly in Israel is characterized by fragmentation, lack of coordination of services, and severe budget restrictions.” Galinsky states that these issues have an impact on the education and training of personnel, as programs of formal education are not prepared to meet the challenge. He informs us that research in aging receives no special priority in Israel and suggests that universities as well as medical schools be carefully reviewed in the light of today's shifting attitudes toward care of the elderly (p. 60). He adds that different studies, such as those of Clarfield, Bergman, and Cane (2001), have reached similar conclusions.

In the introduction to Section 2, “The Art of Family Care,” JoAnn Damron-Rodriguez informs us (pp. 63–64) that the huge increase in the number of elderly people challenges the family's historical role in performing caretaking functions. Yet despite the difficulties

the new demographics bring about, the family still remains the major support for elders, caring for up to 85 percent in the

United States

. Many changes have occurred in recent generations, including fewer adult members of families, with those remaining more likely to be engaged in the labor market, wider dispersion of families, the fact that up to four or five generations are now alive at a time, and the increased divorce rate, which can change the relationships of family members to each other. Chapters by Raveis, by Aberdeen, and by Morse and Lau all relate the personal challenges of family care to the need for societal responses (p. 66).

In “In Care and On Call,” Carol A. Morse and Rosalind Lau give us some idea of how widespread family caretaking is in Australia. Incredibly, according to them (pp. 69–70), one in three of the adult Australian population provides some sort of care or assistance to a family member or friend. The prevalence of people needing assistance rises with age until it reaches over 77 percent (!) in the 80-plus age group. Many individuals in need would be unable to remain in their homes were it not for the provision of informal services. Women are the majority of caregivers, providing largely unpaid service, and are most affected by community care policies. They are sometimes aided by formal care provided by government agencies and for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Minority groups of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and people with lifelong disabilities are particularly ignored in terms of their needs for formal assistance. When no help is available to caregivers, negative effects on their health are apparent.

According to the authors, some general policy implications have emerged during the last 15 years. These include the recognition of the need to improve and expand services, address negative societal attitudes toward caregivers, enhance the recognition of and value of the carer's role and contributions, transform the inequities in caregiving, create better home and community care systems, and alleviate the immediate and long-term burdens of informal caregiving (p. 80).  Although a great deal of progress has been made in bringing about these reforms, there is still much to be achieved.

“The Challenges and Issues Confronting Family Caregivers to Elderly Cancer Patients,” by Victoria H. Raveis, is an excellent source of information for caregivers of cancer patients, and as such, is one of the most valuable chapters in the book. In the United States, almost 60 percent of new cancers and 70 percent of deaths from cancer occur in people over 65. According to predictions of the Census Department, the number of cancer patients 65 and older will double in the next 30 years, while the number of cancer patients 85 or older will increase fourfold. Earlier cancer detection and more effective treatment methods have resulted in a greater number of older adults living for longer periods following a cancer diagnosis. These developments mean that cancer patients and their families are living with the effects of cancer for an extended period; hence, the great value of information such as that given in this chapter.

Cancer caregiving can affect every aspect of caregivers’ lives, including social, professional, and leisure activities, diminishing their ability or willingness to continue their role. Adult married children may find that although their spouse and children initially were sympathetic to their care provision, over time their support wanes as they become resentful of the loss of the caregiver’s time and attention. In addition, caregivers may feel guilty at not being able to devote as much time to their families as they previously had done. In instances when the parent has been otherwise healthy, his or her illness often marks the beginning of a marked role reversal, a life-altering event that can be both challenging and emotionally distressing. Older caretaking spouses are also more vulnerable to the losses caused by the serious illness of their life companions and are more likely to die soon after the death of their mates. As a result of these life-shattering effects of caregiving to the aging, there is a growing national recognition of the importance of providing services and programs to assist families in their care provisions.

One of the most difficult aspects of caregiving is knowing when to let go of the patient and give up one’s identity as friend, spouse, child, or sibling. Susanne Aberdeen in “Letting Go and Holding On” responds to some of these questions, particularly in the case of individuals suffering from dementia, which may last 20 years or more.

Letting go of such patients is a progressive action occurring on many levels. Different victims of the disease may have dissimilar symptoms at various times, depending on the parts of the brain affected. In terms of when to let go of the caretaking role and assign the patient to community care, Aberdeen writes (p. 100) that such a decision is so difficult that some people are never able to make it and simply keep going. She compares their plight to that of a frog in a delightful Chinese proverb to the effect that if you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will leap out, but if you place the frog in a pot of cold water and bring it gently to the boil, the frog will stay and be cooked. Palliative care may begin at the stage when living with the dementing illness becomes dying with it. Such care is often difficult to give the demented individual, and much research needs to be done in that area. In addition, there is an unfortunate shortage of health professionals in residential care for the aging, which must be remedied if successful palliative-care provision with appropriate family involvement is to be given.

There are strong needs for assessing the psychosocial, spiritual, and physical health needs of the primary caregiver; establishing the expectations of family for the health of the person with dementia; educating caregivers about the roles of staff in relation to patient support and end of life palliative care; encouraging ongoing communication between caregiver, family, and staff; and providing counseling and access to support groups.

Discussing another important aspect of aging, “Bioethics and End-of-Life Issues” by Gail Tulloch deals with matters of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. The Harvard Ad Hoc Committee (Ascension Health, n.d.) was the source of the influential brain-death criterion in the United States that became the international standard definition of death, in place of the absence of heartbeat and breathing. Permanently unconscious patients were potential sources of donor organs for other patients, but to remove the heart of a still-living patient was considered murder. Hence the Harvard definition of death was a great leap forward in terms of practice and policy.

Bills to legalize assisted suicide were introduced unsuccessfully in many states. In 1964, Oregon's Death with Dignity initiative was approved by voters, but because of an injunction by the District Court did not go into effect until 1997. Oregon is now the touchstone for the legal status of physician-induced suicide in the United States. In England, as long as the doctor's professional intention is to relieve suffering, treatment by escalating doses of morphine that leads to death is legal. The Netherlands, until joined by Belgium in 2001, was the only country that legalized euthanasia. It is interesting that while Dutch legislation was passed in 2001, it was preceded by nearly three decades of practice when doctors were not prosecuted if they followed appropriate guidelines. The Dutch definition of euthanasia is a narrow one, restricted to active voluntary euthanasia. According to Tulloch (p. 129), “Three characteristics of Dutch society concerning euthanasia are important to acknowledge: its openness, the long-term relationship people have with their GP, and the fact that nursing care is free, so there is no economic pressure to end life.” Tulloch adds that she believes the Dutch experience “is close to exemplary,” and has not polarized the country—unlike the situation in the other three countries discussed.

While there doubtlessly is much information of value to program administrators, staff, theoreticians, and caregivers of the aging in “Lessons On Aging From Three Nations, Volume II: The Art of Caring for Older Adults,” I (possibly because of where I stand in the age pyramid) found this book much less interesting than the first volume of the series, “The Art of Aging Well.” Nevertheless, Volume 2 provides much needed information on the worldwide situation of the burgeoning number of senior citizens and possible resolutions of the difficulties the circumstances entail.

Lessons On Aging From Three Nations, Volume 1: The Art of Aging Well

Sara Carmel, Carol A. Morse, and Fernando M. Torres-Gil (Editors)

Baywood Publishing Company (2007)

ISBN 9780895033697

Reviewed by Alma H. Bond for RebeccasReads (1/08)

“Lessons On Aging From Three Nations: Volume 1, The Art of Aging Well” is the first volume in the Society and Aging Series, edited by Jon Hendricks. The series provides a vital dialogue in gerontology that helps us gain perspective on how three developed nations—the United States, Australia, and Israel—address aging as it becomes ever more prominent and exerts an increasingly crucial impact on the social and economic infrastructures of our societies. A careful look at the present means of coping with aging in the three societies points to the areas requiring assistance. As such, it helps inform policymakers, scholars, and caretakers of the need for change and enables us to learn from the creativity, achievements, and failures of others.

Volume 1 is edited by Sara Carmel, Carol A. Morse, and Fernando M. Torres-Gil, top gerontological experts who have edited a groundbreaking book that is certain to become a classic in the field. By and large, it is well written and highly informative, bringing the latest material on research and demographics of aging in their respective countries. The material is new, sound, and at times exciting and illuminating. Like most books of compiled articles, chapters in Volume 1 vary in the quality of their content and literary style. Material of greatest interest to me is discussed below.

Jacob Lomranz, professor and director of clinical psychology at Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, demonstrates how creativity contributes to optimal aging and emphasizes those adult developmental processes that are conducive to and enhance creativity. He quotes Dissanayake to the effect that human beings are “Homo Estheticus,” that creativity is a universal human endowment that has evolutionary significance and helps people to survive (p. 6). Lomranz believes that “creativity and art are human endowments, possessed by every person, reflected in emotional, cognitive, and behavioral processes to be found in everyday life” (p. 6). To him, that person ages optimally who reaches advanced years in a satisfying physical and mental condition, perceives life as meaningful, and experiences a feeling of well-being and creativity. He quotes Cohen (p. 8) to the effect that the second half of life is the “creative age,” that “emotional longevity can be achieved (Anderson & Anderson), and that the elderly can fulfill constructive roles in society and culture (Stuckellberger)” (p. 8).

Similar thoughts on health and well-being in later life through occupation are given by Linsey Howie, senior lecturer and head of the School of Occupational Therapy at LaTrobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Howie believes that “occupation is

fundamental to human experience… and… an important dynamic between what people do with their time and how that shapes a sense of who they are” (p. 20). Howie states that research has found that health benefits accrue in an aged population in which activities are freely chosen and meaningful. He suggests that in addition to planning at midlife for eventual financial retirement, people begin to engage at that time in occupational planning for a healthful old age.

Nancy Pachana, psychologist at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, informs us that each person ages in a unique fashion, determined by factors such as environment, intelligence, mood states, interpersonal relationships, and state of health. As a result, according to her, it becomes increasingly difficult to illustrate what a “typical” older person looks like (p. 29). She also speaks of the “cohort effect” (pp. 29–30), referring to the fact that individuals born within a certain time frame tend to experience similar social, cultural, and political situations that influence their development and functioning.

Pachana describes cognitive changes that occur with normal aging (Vol. 1, pp. 2–3). She says that while cross-sectional studies report an inverse relationship between cognitive functioning and aging, other aspects of cerebral functioning remain stable. For example, she cites that the ability to use and interpret language remains relatively intact and verbal skills, such as vocabulary actually improve with age. She mentions the wisdom demonstrated by many older people, and, like Lomranz, stresses the positive correlation between age and creativity. She cites research showing that mental activities afford protection against future risk of dementia (pp. 32–33) and concludes that investigations into the interplay of psychosocial, cognitive, and physiological aspects of aging expand our knowledge of the aging process and help health professionals to better assist the older people in maximizing functioning.

John McCormack, lecturer in Health Sciences at LaTrobe University, Melbourne, Australia, has conducted interesting research on supercentenarians, which he discusses in “Making the Most of It.” In his experience, the “oldest-old” have an adaptive attitude to life and longevity that is positive and accepting without being unrealistic (p. 55). McCormack states that in very old age, no one escapes serious aches and pains, but, in the main, the centenarian respondents in his survey illustrate a stoic optimism, gratitude, and enjoyment toward the life they have experienced and continue to live. According to McCormack, “This demographic group is projected to increase rapidly in size in all industrialized societies, and it is important that we have a better understanding of their health, sociodemographics, and quality of life” (p. 66). Such knowledge can add valuable lessons about adding life to years rather than just years to life.

JoAnn Damron-Rodriguez, University of California, Los Angeles, and James E. Lubben, Boston College, in “Family and Community Care for Older Persons” discuss family and community health care for older people in an intelligent and knowledgeable manner. Community health care, as defined by Cantor (1994, p. 80) “is broader than the medical model, and is the entire spectrum of helping that supports older people in their environment.” Such services are designed to augment individual competency and environmental mastery rather than increasing dependency of the aging on external help. Quality of life and life satisfaction are variables of vital importance to social care.

According to the authors, the ideal of community health care aims to facilitate older adults to age well and continue to contribute to the community. It promotes older persons’ self-care capacity through enhanced home and community environments. It supports family and social networks through informed policy and programs. It seeks to facilitate the delay of disability onset in older persons or prevent it from happening altogether. (p. 89)

Howard Litwin, of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, in “The Interpersonal Milieu of Older People,” states, “The interpersonal milieu of older life is of particular importance in understanding personal well-being in later life” (p. 169). As individuals age, their need for support and assistance tends to increase, particularly with the onset of physical and mental impairment. Unfortunately, however, as individuals age, their interpersonal milieu tends to decrease, as a result of the death of age peers or because of the desire to focus on meaningful relationships.

The interpersonal milieu can best be understood as the social network people maintain and from which they may gain a wide range of benefits (p. 170). The networks can differ in size, composition, density, and content, as well as in the dynamics that exist within them. Such dynamics can be measured by variables such as frequency of contact, reciprocity of exchange (including delayed reciprocity, in which people return in later life what they had received earlier as children), and emotional closeness. Assistance can include affective support that communicates to the member that he or she is loved and respected, cognitive guidance and feedback, and a range of concrete aids available to members in need. Networks, however, can also be a source of conflict when members challenge the perceptions and behavior of others. Structurally, the networks of older people tend to be smaller than those of younger adults, denser, and composed more frequently of family members. These contacts are often characterized by longer duration and a shared history.

Interpersonal surroundings, the author continues, are not stable but tend to evolve along with changes in the individual's circumstances such as immigration-induced relocation. Such changes can increase the vulnerability of an age group already at risk.

The interpersonal milieu can provide older people with support. Unfortunately, when the needs of the elderly become the greatest, less help is available, as informal caretakers often turn over their responsibilities to formal authorities. Social policies must recognize the limitations of informal care, along with their potentiality and pitfalls.

“Lessons On Aging From Three Nations, Volume 1: The Art of Aging Well” is an important volume that should be required reading for policymakers, scholars, and caretakers of the elderly, as well as the growing numbers of intelligent individuals who wish to grow old in the best possible manner. The book is full of important information of use to both newcomers and people established in the field; it is highly recommended for everyone connected in any way with the discipline.

Rapunzel’s Window

Cheryl Lanning
Potagannissing Bay Publishing (2007)

ISBN 9780979248801

Reviewed by LuAnn Morgan for RebeccaReads (1/08)

Thomas Pope is an award-winning journalist. He’s also an alcoholic, who hasn’t had a drink in 10 years. Now, he’s ready to slow down.

He buys a small-town paper and moves to Haver, Michigan, where it’s supposedly quiet. Right away, he finds himself embroiled in the middle of a murder. And because he is also a witness, he has to separate his job as a reporter from his role as a private citizen.  In the meantime, other factors fall into play. Thomas begins falling in love with the beautiful widow of the former publisher of his paper … the same woman he purchased the paper from. Yet, he’s still dealing with the same issues that led him to the bottle to begin with and tries to pull away from starting a relationship.

Agnes Somes finds herself falling for Thomas, as well, but she has her own issues concerning her husband’s death to deal with. The guilt of his dying and the total love she felt for him means she isn’t sure if beginning a new relationship is either smart or possible.

Thus begins the story found in “Rapunzel’s Window” by new author Cheryl Lanning.

Cheryl is a retired journalist, which gives her the experience to write about what reporter’s face on a daily basis. It means she is able to add intelligence and personality to her main character and make him believable to the reader.

And as a journalist myself, I appreciate reading a fiction novel where the reporter in the story is pictured with a sprinkling of what that life is truly like.

This story is full of intrigue and pulls the reader in quickly. The intense drama is well written and has enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing what will happen next.

There are so many “main” characters in this story that you will feel as if you truly know Haver by the time you’ve finished reading the book. Then, you’ll wish it would continue so you can find out what happens to your favorite person next.

Cheryl is one of the best new novelists I’ve encountered and I’m anxious to read more books by her. I, for one, hope she continues to grace the shelves at my favorite bookstores with her stories.

If you’re looking for a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat, “Rapunzel’s Window” is an excellent choice.

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