Suzanne Gordon (1)Critiques

a bit dated, but very real behind the scenes look at ballet, the dancers, the moms, and the injuries. This was a quick read, but I liked it.

A book about colonial architecture in the Eastern Caribbean. It contains a chapter on St. Martin that features many of the island's classic buildings.

Interesting book. There is very little impressive architecture or even ruins in the Eastern Caribbean, and this book makes the most of what there is.

I had only read one book about ballet and all about how difficult it is to be a dancer before reading Off Balance. Off Balance was pretty much the same theme. I found the entire book to be well written but extremely depressing. Having no experience with the world of ballet I had to take Gordon's word for it. Dancers are unhealthy, prone to injury, anorexia, and mental issues; they are socially stunted and obsessed with pleasing their teachers. Dancers don't have formal educations, family lives, or productive interests outside of dance. The family of a dancer makes sacrifices above and beyond normal expectations. Dancers earn woefully little and they don't get vacation pay. Workloads are exhausting yet they can get fired at a moments notice. The entire book is like this. Open any page and you will find something negative about the world of ballet.½

Scary, but all too true! Though I do think (hope) things are somewhat better now than when this book first came out. The very fact that the NYC ballet now has a wellness consultant is one very positive sign-and I do believe many more dancers and dance teachers are much more knowledgeable about anorexia nervosa and bulimia than they were in the 80's, but the competition is still very harsh.

An excellent book that comprehensively covers issues that affect current nursing practice. Nursing Against the Odds weighs it an an intimidating 512 pages, but Gordon's chapters are well organized and highly readable, keeping medical jargon to a minimum so that anyone interested in nursing (including those without medical training) can get an excellent grasp on the subjects covered. I devoured it over the course of a couple of nights.

The chapters cover everything from the history of the profession, current hot issues in nursing (the effect of managed care and cost cutting on nursing, the migration of nurses away from the bedside to advanced practice, the shortage of nurse educators), as well as some important yet often overlooked issue (such as how the portrayal of nurses in the media affects practice).

I'd certainly recommend this book to nurses or nurses-to-be to help you fully understand the issues facing nursing today so you can be a great advocate for the profession. I myself am a former nurse and wish this had been required reading in nursing school. I found that a lot of Gordon's points rang true for me, and her arguments are well researched.

After I left nursing I was a Medical Law and Ethics instructor for a while, so I've read a lot of books on current healthcare issues. This is one of the best, and like I said, it's comprehensive. After reading this, reading George Lundberg's Severed Trust: Why American Medicine Hasn't Been Fixed -- and What We Can Do About all seemed like old news. Overall, five stars and recommended to anyone who wants to learn about the issues with the current American healthcare system.

Excellent book. A must read for all nurses and nursing students.