false 70561 0 0 2320120 1594201714 9781594201714 51 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2320120.Hospital_Man_Woman_Birth_Death_Infinity_Plus_Red_Tape_Bad_Behavior_Money_God_and_Diversity_on_Steroids 3.27 137 A bestselling author and award winning journalist follows a year in the life of a big urban hospital, painting a revealing portrait of how medical care is delivered in America today

Most people agree that there are complicated issues at play in the delivery of health care today, but those issues may not always be what we think they are. In 2005, Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, unveiled a new state-of-theart, multimillion-dollar cancer center. Determined to understand the whole spectrum of factors that determine what kind of medical care people receive in this country, bestselling author Julie Salamon spent one year tracking the progress of the center and getting to know the characters who make the hospital run. Located in a community where sixty-seven different languages are spoken, Maimonides is a case study for the particular kinds of concerns that arise in institutions that serve an increasingly multicultural American demographic. Granted an astonishing “warts and all” level of access by the hospital higher-ups, Salamon followed the doctors, patients, administrators, nurses, ambulance drivers, cooks, and cleaning staff. She explored not just the action on the ground—what happens between doctors and patients—but also the financial, ethical, technological, sociological, and cultural matters that the hospital community encounters every day.

Drawing on her skills as interviewer, observer, and social critic, Salamon presents the story of modern medicine, uniquely viewed from the vantage point of those who make it run. She draws out the internal and external political machinations that exist between doctors and staff as well as between hospital and community. And she grounds the science and emotion of medical drama in the financial realities of operating a huge, private institution that must contend with issues like adapting to the specific needs of immigrant groups that make up a large and growing portion of our society.

Salamon exposes struggles of both the profound and humdrum variety. There are bitter internal feuds, warm personal connections, comedy, egoism, greed, love, and loss. There are rabbinic edicts to contend with as well as imams and herbalists and local politicians. There are system foul-ups that keep blood test results from being delivered on time, careless record keepers, shortages of everything except forms to fill, recalcitrant and greedy insurance reimbursement systems, and the surprising difficulty of getting doctors to wash their hands.

This is the dynamic universe of small and large concerns and personalities that, taken together, determine the nature of our care and assume the utmost importance. As Martin Payson—chairman of the board at Maimonides and ex-Time-Warner vice chairman—puts it: “Hospitals have a lot in common with the movie business. You’ve got your talent, entrepreneurs, ambition, ego stroking, the business versus the creative part. The big difference is that in the hospital you don’t get second takes. Movies are make-believe. This is real life.”]]> 70561 3.53 403 109 2008 122337 0306811235 9780306811234 18 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171839070m/122337.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171839070s/122337.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122337.The_Devil_s_Candy_The_Anatomy_of_a_Hollywood_Fiasco 3.74 94 70561 3.53 403 109 1991 1093416 0679452532 9780679452539 20 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180921665m/1093416.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180921665s/1093416.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1093416.The_Christmas_Tree 3.88 76 The Christmas Tree is the tale of a little girl named Anna, who is orphaned and sent to live in a convent. The lonely girl befriends, as only a child can, a tiny fir tree. Anna and Tree, as she calls him, grow up together, unlocking the secrets of friendship and sharing the wonders of nature. It is this same profound appreciation and love of nature that the grown-up Anna, now Sister Anthony, passes on to her students.

When Tree is threatened by a winter storm, Sister Anthony, by now an old woman, decides to give up her dearest friend, allowing him to become the most enjoyed and famous tree of all: the tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City.

A perennial holiday favorite, The Christmas Tree is about learning to love and, ultimately, being able to share that love with others.


From the Trade Paperback edition.]]> 70561 3.53 403 109 1996 353559 0375759409 9780375759406 11 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174016631m/353559.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174016631s/353559.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/353559.Facing_the_Wind_A_True_Story_of_Tragedy_and_Reconciliation 3.61 46 70561 3.53 403 109 2001 845657 0761128093 9780761128090 4 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178848563m/845657.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178848563s/845657.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/845657.Rambam_s_Ladder_A_Meditation_on_Generosity_and_Why_It_Is_Necessary_to_Give 2.76 17
Nearly a thousand years ago the great philosopher and physician Maimonides, known to Hebrew scholars as Rambam, pondered the question of righteousness. Out of it came the Ladder of Charity.

Rambam's Ladder, written by Julie Salamon, the bestselling author and New York Times culture writer, is a book that will inspire every reader to get a toehold on the ladder and start climbing. In eight chapters, one for each rung, the book helps us navigate the world of giving. How much to give? How do we know if our gifts are being used wisely? Is it better to give anonymously? Along the way, Rambam's Ladder will help all of us make our lives, and the lives of those around us, better.]]> 70561 3.53 403 109 2003 845659 0679431217 9780679431213 1 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178848564m/845659.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178848564s/845659.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/845659.The_Net_of_Dreams_A_Family_s_Search_for_a_Rightful_Place 4.00 9 The Net of Dreams follows the author's parents' journey from the camps of Auschwitz to the streets of a small town in Ohio. As she tries to piece together the elements of her family's history and their reinvented and rediscovered life in America, she uncovers and honors hidden stories, providing an unforgettable portrait of an American family.]]> 70561 3.53 403 109 1996 483286 0940595087 9780940595088 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/483286.White_Lies 0.0 0 70561 3.53 403 109 1987