Book Review: Rewired: An Unlikely Doctor, a Brave Amputee, and the Medical Miracle That Made History by Dr. Ajay K. Seth & Robert Suggs

Miracles are rare, but the topic of this book is a medical procedure that is nothing short of miraculous in terms of allowing a patient to feel and use a prosthetic arm just like it was the arm pre-amputation.
What started innocently enough with a racoon bite, turns at first a fight to survive and continue living. The decision is made to amputate due to recurring infections and the physician performing the amputation is a novice surgeon that never before has performed such a procedure. But all turns out well, not only that - the patient is able now to use the prosthetic arm like a real arm, guiding the arm movement by thinking and actually feeling with the hand.
This sounds at first far fetched and impossible, but this book will walk you through the long journey of both patient and physician to get where they are now. Both patient and physician are determined to restore function to as high a degree as possible and what these two dedicated fighters come up with can bring improvements for all amputees. This book goes to show that medical advances can occur anywhere, they just need dedication, maybe luck and some higher power certainly does not hurt.
I recommend this book to anyone that is inte4rested in medical advances and how advances in treatment can happen, but they will not occur overnight and take time and the rare combination of people as described in this story. People that do not give up and are willing to be patient, but also determined to see things through.

available on amazon.com

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed in this review is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.

Book Review: A Brave Face: Two Cultures, Two Families, and the Iraqi Girl Who Bound Them Together by Barbara Marlowe & Teeba Furat Marlowe

This is an inspirational story about the efforts of one woman to help an Iraqi girl, badly burned as a consequence of a roadside bomb. Barbara Marlow saw a picture of a then four year old girl that was burned during an explosion and this image moved her so much that she was determined to provide any assistance needed to this girl, including bringing her to the US for medical treatment. What is described in this book is an example of determination by one individual that can move mountains. Even though Ms. Marlowe was already in her 50s and had an established career, the fate of this young girl become the focus of her life and she spared no expense in terms of money and, most importantly, time to get the girl Teeba the resources it needed to recover from the damage of the bombing. This not only included bringing her to the US, but in the end also adopting the girl and providing her with the opportunity to live in the United States. Over several years of hospital stays and many surgeries, what Ms Marlowe describes is the strength that both Ms Marlowe and Teeba drew from each other and the bond that formed helped them get through all the obstacles to the present, in which both have fulfilling lives.
Despite the differences of origin and many obstacles faced by each, Ms Marlowe and Teeba provide the reader with the inspiration that hope and determination can overcome many obstacles.

available on amazon.com

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book for purposes of the review. The opinion expressed in this post is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party. 

Book Review = Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise by Horst Schulze

While studying for my Masters in Leadership I read several research papers on the topic of leadership qualities and how to become an effective leader versus merely occupying the position of leader by title. So this book sounded really interesting and I love the no-nonsense approach of the author. Plain English is quality that is often lacking, authors hiding behind fancy words that are supposed to sound knowledgeable, while not really revealing anything new or newsworthy. This book is definitely about showing the reader the author's opinion on what makes an effective leader.
The author is an experienced CEO, having led the Ritz Carlton Hotel chain and he is now making his lessons learned available to the reader in this book. A vision is important, but never forget that a company's success is built upon its people. So as important as formulating a cohesive vision may be, stay focused on your staff and enable them to be successful - this in turn will drive the success of the company. Making the staff understand that excellence is just good enough and setting the standard high will only work if the staff buys into your vision. Knowing that you will support and enable them to be their best, will go along ways towards having a workforce that wants to excel and wants to see the business excel.
I recommend this book to any company leader, whether in hospitality or not, who wants to learn how to bring out the best in his staff as a means to secure the success of his business.
 

available on amazon.com

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed in this post is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.

Book Review: Better Together: Life Is Best with a Friend Like You by Zondervan

This is the perfect gift for your best friend. It shows cute pictures of unlikely animal pairings accompanied by writings that focus on all aspects of friendship, including the respect you show your friend, the love that is part of friendship and the understanding that is the basis of such a close relationship.
The pictures are cute, but they also underscore that we are often friends with very different people that we have only little in common on the surface. That is why the text is really the focus of this book. Because the writing underscores what makes up a friendship - you should really focus on the text and use the images as a nice addition.

available on amazon.com

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed in this post is my own and has not been influenced by any third party.