The better end : surviving (and dying) on your own terms in today's modern medical world

 by Dan Morhaim.  As a practicing physician, Morhaim (health medicine & policy, Johns Hopkins Univ.; delegate, Maryland General Assembly) has watched the detrimental effects that end-of-life procedures have on dying patients, their families, and the medical personnel who care for them. He has made it his personal mission to urge patients to prepare advance directives-legal documents that convey decisions about end-of-life care ahead of time-to improve the comfort and quality of a dying patient's care. Using real-life examples and minimal medical jargon, he describes in detail how many common emergency procedures, like CPR, are implemented and comments on the pros and cons of each. A resource list provides links to general resources on palliative care, hospice, organ donations, and alternative funerals. Also included is a state-by-state list of advance directive resources. Verdict Morhaim's book should take some of the mystery out the critical care and end-of-life process. Though a bit pricey, this slim volume can be read in a few hours. A good introduction not bogged down with detail, this book will prepare readers to discuss this very important topic. --Library journal (Check Catalog)

A brief history of thought : a philosophical guide to living

 by Luc Ferry. No dry academic, Ferry restores to philosophy a compelling urgency. That urgency, manifest in the probings of the ancient Stoics and still animating the strivings of postmodern phenomenologists, springs from the need to surmount the fear of death and to find meaning in life. As he traces the evolution of philosophy, from Crates' demonstration of harmony in the cosmos by making love to his wife in public, to Husserl's discovery of transcendence in a six-sided matchbox, Ferry highlights philosophers' commitment to formulating a theory of the world, identifying means of knowing truth within that theoretical world, and finding ways to live wisely. Insistent that those performing this three-fold task cannot be guided by divine grace, Ferry joins Nietzsche in rejecting salvation of the immortal soul in heaven. Yet he glimpses philosophic salvation in this world in the wisdom that post-Nietzschean humanists develop through love. In rejecting faith, albeit with surprising wistfulness, Ferry parts company even with believers, including Augustine, Kant, and Pascal, from whom he has learned much. But in a conclusion that warns against both dogmatism and skepticism, readers will sense Ferry's abiding solidarity with all who seek horizons large enough to encompass human perplexities and corresponding human hopes! --Booklist (Check Catalog)

Smart trust : creating prosperity, energy and joy in a low-trust world

 by Stephen Covey. Smart Trust is without doubt one of the most powerful and seminal books of our age" (Warren Bennis). After illustrating the global relevance of trust with his book The Speed of Trust by selling more than one million copies in twenty-two languages, Stephen M. R. Covey again illuminates the hidden power of trust to change lives and impact organizations in Smart Trust . In a compelling and readable style, he and long-time business partner Greg Link share enlightening principles and anecdotes of people and organizations that are not only achieving unprecedented prosperity from high-trust relationships and cultures but--even more inspiring--also attaining elevated levels of energy and joy. The sustainable success these leaders and enterprises are exhibiting is paradoxically being produced in what has proved to be the lowest trust climate in years, if not decades. --Publisher (Check Catalog)

The mighty weakness of John Knox

 by Douglas Bond. The book is a profile of the great Scottish reformer John Knox. It focuses on the extraordinary power with which he ministered and the extraordinary things he accomplished despite being physically ill and weak, making the point that he found his strength in the Lord. We hope it will introduce readers to one of the most fascinating figures of the Reformation, filling a large void in popular-level books on Knox. We also hope it will challenge readers to draw near to God for the strength they need in their walk with God. --Summary (Check Catalog)