FROM DOCTOR TO DEFENDANT

Name: FROM DOCTOR TO DEFENDANT
Author: Rich Cowin
ISBN: 978-1-4257-9129-2

by Rich Cowin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 30, 2007

An amateurish autobiography of a podiatrist who was damaged–but ultimately not broken–by a series of medical malpractice...

bookshelf

This sincere attempt to criticize the United States tort system with regard to medical malpractice is at heart a self-pitying autobiography of a talented and well-meaning podiatrist who was sued for malpractice throughout his medical career in the 1980s and ’90s.

Cowin unnecessarily devotes the first quarter of his book to his upbringing in the Chicago area in the 1950s and ’60s, and his development from a medical student to a pioneer and highly respected podiatrist specializing in minimally invasive surgery. While this technique is proven to be more effective and less painful than traditional foot surgery, the medical establishment and several patients in Kenosha, Wis. (where he practiced in the ’x80s), seem plotted against him. This is where the book evolves from an autobiography to the languishing memoirs of a doctor whose peers attempted to discredit him and patients unfairly sued him. Cowin then describes his descent into severe, disabling depression under the stress and pressure of these misfortunes, while providing a sharp and informative criticism of the process surrounding malpractice lawsuits, and the tort system as a whole. Cowin, while clearly has the best of intentions in sharing his unfortunate experiences with medical malpractice, would have been more successful–and effective–in inciting changes to the tort system by eliminating these autobiographical aspects and focusing on an in-depth analysis and criticism of the system. Further, the author might have limited his story to personal experiences with malpractice to support his views about the weaknesses of the tort system and suggest ideas for legislative changes, rather than bogging the reader down with pages upon pages of descriptions of his professional woes spanning three decades.

An amateurish autobiography of a podiatrist who was damaged–but ultimately not broken–by a series of medical malpractice lawsuits that revealed to him the myriad flaws in the tort system.

Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2007

ISBN: 978-1-4257-9129-2

Page Count: 196

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

bookshelf

NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

bookshelf

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

bookshelf

TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

bookshelf

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.