Healing children of War
341142
I would like to commend the contributing writers of "Healing Children of war" and the editor Phyllis Kilbourne. They have put together an  excellent book on this subject.
The book pointed up the fact that sadly  more and more children will be victims of war.  For anyone who has read or  watched tv about the wars on the African continent , Bosnia and other  places around the world and wonders what he or she can do, here is a book  that will show some light on the subject.
The handbook is well-developed.  Although there is some wording that might be a bit tricky to understand, it  doesn't turn one off from reading the book.
Although it was written for  Christians, anyone who cares for the state of children should read this  book.
1988439
This book is so good.  It a great healer for people going through a loss, trouble and sadness with a child.
1961008
"Healing Prayer and Medical Care" provides a blueprint for finding a responsible balance for experiencing God's healing touch through healing prayer and medical care. Abby H. Abildness has a long career as a behavioral health care specialist and has observed that healing comes when people have made peace with God and His purpose in their lives. The book is filled with dynamic, true stories of healing prayer with miraculous answers.

Abildness works with the Penn State Hershey Medical Center Chapel. Rest, restoration, and healing are the critical foundations of the ministry of the Chapel as broken people are ministered to holistically, in body, soul, and spirit. Hearts are touched, relationships restored, and bodies healed.

 The Chapel provides opportunities for people to share concerns, make decisions, experience healing, and minister to non Christians. It is a place of safety, refuge, and healing. It is a place for healing hearts and fulfilling destinies, a place for personal refreshment and restoration, for healing and redemption, a place where faith is strengthened, and a place where unbelief and doubt are removed.

In the final chapters of the book Abildness challenges the reader to become involved in a movement of healing among nations with a call to think and pray globally.

"Healing Prayer and Medical Care" provides a ministry empowering blueprint for prayer ministry and miraculous healing with a responsible balance of looking to medical professional for treatment while exercising faith.
1540142
As a licensed psychologist with years of experience working with individuals recovering from trauma, I was happy to find a book that accurately depicts the experience of a veteran returning war. Told from the perspective of a Haitian American male, Mercy's First Semester follows the experiences of Mercy as he reintergrates into society following his service in the military. Accurately depicted are his battle with PTSD as well as his experiences with friends and family. I have recommended this book to clients and families seeking to gain a better understanding of the veteran''s experiences post combat.
2168917
Child Soldier

When Boys and Girls Are Used in War
by Michel Chikwanine & Jessica Dee Humphreys

Kids Can Press

Childrens Nonfiction

Pub Date 01 Sep 2015

I was given a copy of Child Soldier through the publisher and their partnership with Netgalley in exchange for my honest review which is as follows:
In 1993 five year old Michel lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo he attends school there from seven o clock in the morning to five at night his Dad is a humans right lawyer and his Mother sales beautiful fabrics in the town square.  At home they speak Swahili but at school the children must speak French.

One day while playing after school the children are stopped by a rebel militia they cut Michel with a knife and put cocaine in the room.  Michel is forced to kill his best friend Kevin.  Michel was only five, Kevin only twelve.

For two weeks Michel was forced to be a child soldier but eventually he was able to escape and get back home but at five his childhood is already over.

When Michel was ten his Father was kidnapped and tortured for months until a priest was able to help him escape to Uganda.  One day the rebel soldiers came to the house threatening them after they could not find their Father so his Mother, younger sister and himself were taken to the refuge camp his Father was at in Uganda.  His two older sisters had run away before their Motger could stop them.

Six years later his Mother and his younger sister and himself are allowed to go to Canada under Refuge status.  His older sister Vicky made her own refugee claim but they never found out what happened to Vivianne.  His Father was poisoned by enemy soldiers and died.

This is a true story and would make a great teaching tool for grades three to six.

I give this book five out of five stars

Happy reading
3087895
Tragic real life experiences  for citizens in a war torn country.
2641331
Written by a friend of mine.  An account of her husband's journey in wartimes and  the long term effects he and she suffered because of PTSD. Faith and love helps heal the wounds, but those memories are forever.
1657201
The is a book that should be read and taught to students.  It gives a real view of what war is and how it impacts everyone.  It shows how women that have been so effected by war can help make changes in their areas, not just for their families, but for their society.
188259
Not many of us have the opportunity to visit parts of the world where so many children have no voice. This inspiring book gives us that opportunity. The children's stories are heart wrenching, painful, and yet ultimately hopeful. We glimpse their lives through the eyes of the Carpenters, who demonstrate that those of us who have a voice are called to speak for those who don't. Anyone with a heart for the destitute around the world will be challenged to dig deeply and find practical ways to help.
847151
This child and family friendly story is easy to read as it educates and guides a family through the healing process.  The books photos demonstrate great facial detail around feelings which helps children identify their own experiences by recognizing them in others.  Truly a gift to Military Families who want help explaining what happened and what to expect after an injury.  Thank you to the authors for their dedication to Military Families. - Veterans Outreach Center, Rochester NY
898221
A combat medic lives war at its worst, and remembers every terrified scream of it.

There are the memories of those who were treated and made it home; of those whose wounds were beyond treatment despite heroic efforts.

Those memories are as fresh today as the emotions were at the time of treatment; memories of soldiers and civilians gushing blood; memories of soldiers and civilians having body parts torn and cascading into all the wrong places.

For E. Everett McFall, there are the memories of jumbled body parts and attempts to put them together to form the remains of what were once men - individual men with loved ones, hopes,  talents, and dreams that dripped into the red soil or into the floor of the jungle.

There are no fancy words here. His words are direct, his pain drips off the pages and into the heart of the reader.

McFall writes from the heart. He writes from a soul splintered and haunted by 365 days that have been lived over and over and over again for the last 40 years.

We measure war in terms of dollar costs; in counts of the dead; in counts of the wounded.
But we have yet to learn to measure war in terms of lives ruined by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. We have yet to learn to measure the losses of those who love those who come home with PTSD.

We have yet to learn the true face of war. E. Ernest McFall provides the reader with a vivid and heart tearing word portrait of the hideous face of war; of the plague of PTSD; of the rending of soul by survivor's guilt and questions of why am I still here when so very many others are not.

Pfc Jay E. Keck contributes his poetry to I Can Still Hear Their Cries. May I ask you to direct your attention to the last lines of his Sand Soldiers and pay heed to his admonition, as there are all kinds, as he points out in another poem, all kinds of Bogeymen contributing to PTSD - even those who should have, and in truth did, know better.

I Can Still Hear Their Cries is a story of the long, long road home. It is a tale that will speak to other Veterans who suffer PTSD. It is a tale needed by those who love those with PTSD to help them understand.

McFall tells you, loud and clear, that drugs and alcohol only bury the pain deeper, rather than excavating it and getting help to go through it to healing.

McFall notes that he is still in the process of finding his way home. It is a long road.

But I Can Still Hear Their Cries may open your eyes to the possibility that there is, in fact, a road home for you too - should you choose to come up from the dark to the Light.

Take the first step - there are many, many around to help you - just reach out - someone is there waiting to walk point for you.
459813
The author's courageous journey of love and loss leads the reader to a place of peace and healing. I felt the presence of a friend sitting next to me, offering a hand to hold and a hug when I needed it. Both as a mother who has lost a baby and a nurse practitioner, I would recommend this book to patients, colleagues, students, and those who may interface with families innitially, such as EMTs, ER staff, police, and funeral directors. It is a rare glimpse into the suffering of a family and the process of healing, as well as valuable insights and resources for recovery.
Margaret Lash,RN,MS,ANP
2496826
Amazing book!  Spoke to me as a helper and as an adult who suffered abuse as a child!
One of the most helpful books this book junkie has read in a long time.  Offers hope and healing to those with ill health struggling to understand their problems as well as those who are attempting to heal from child abuse.  As a helper I recognize this is very cutting edge research that is definately not the same old stuff!  Will give as a gift to many I love.
4376943
Induced After Death Communication:  A New Therapy for Healing and Trauma, written by Dr. Allan Botkin, Psy. D, scientifically presents the discovery of a controversial new treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, insistent grief, and trauma.  Although the title begs for a lengthy and raucous discourse on the after-life, mysticism, the paranormal, or just the blatantly spooky, it is in fact, an in-depth study of a new healing process discovered by Dr. Botkin. He invites you to leave your preconceptions, fears, and judgments at the door as he takes you into the lives and healing therapy of his patients.

Induced After Death Communication (IADC) is a therapeutic healing technique that requires the use of EMDR therapy, a proven tool for therapists employed to reduce the intensity of intrusive memories.  While using EMDR, Dr. Botkin discovered IADC as he explored new ways to relieve war veterans of the life-altering pain associated with their horrifying experiences in the field.  As a result, most but not all of the case studies in this book are war veterans and male. All are from diverse professional, experiential, and religious backgrounds. In 3000 plus real cases, occurring in the therapist's office, 98% of the vets in the hospital experienced an IADC, a robust number.

Remarkably in case after case, patients insist that their experiences communicating with a deceased loved one or enemy soldiers killed in battle are real and not dreams or hallucinations.

The universality of these experiences is impressive.  Across the board, IADC therapy is shown to resolve feelings of intense grief, guilt, anger, and sadness, replacing them with contentment, happiness, and a sense that the deceased are well and at peace. In addition, Dr. Botkin's research shows that the effects hold up over time. Some readers say, "Dr. Botkin's book presents too many case studies," however, that may be the best thing this book has to offer the skeptics.

Induced After Death Communication:  A New Therapy for Healing and Trauma is structured like a textbook, gently written and conversational in tone.  It is a frank scientific discussion -- objective, non-judgmental, and compassionate. While it confronts our individual notions about death and dying, Dr. Botkin does a superb job of easing the reader out of that old uniform, and to hang it in the closet for a while. His research shows that personal beliefs have no effect on outcome and are considered, irrelevant.

Dr. Botkin fully understands what he is up against professionally and socially.  He clearly states late in the book, " If there is no afterlife, which would mean that IADC's are pure hallucination, then perhaps our brains did evolve a hidden healing savant that reveals itself at times of great personal need such as when we approach death or suffer the death of a loved one.  If the healing savant exists, then all of us have the capacity to heal." For Botkin this discovery constitutes a major breakthrough, one that should be fully explored. To him IADC is within the realm of possibility. He has put his skepticism aside for the sake of healing and hopes others will do the same.

Allan Botkin, Psy. D. is a psychotherapist, expert in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and grief, and Director of the Center for Grief and Traumatic Loss, LLC.
3119295
A real life story of loyalty, healing, and survival.  Some stories need to be told, and this is one of them.  This gave me insight into what my nephew may have been through in five deployments to Iraq.  Personally, it also gave me insight into PTSD and how undiagnosed PTSD impacted my stepfather who flew over Germany as a 16 year old and never seemed to forgive himself for surviving.

Your comments on GWB and never having had to work hard for anything could also apply to Cheney and Rumsfeld too.

Unfortunately, greed, self serving behavior are not just confined to the Army.  Billions have been made by corporations that have yet to improve the nation's educational system, the war on drugs, and healthcare.

This book is a wonderful story, but it's strength is that the underlying message causes one to question a whole system that so often appears to neglect those most deserving and most in need.
4046950
As I lay down on the ground with my 7 and 10 year old boys to read this book I considered the reasons for doing so. This book is not your typical children's book with an upbeat and happy story. This is a story about war, death, destruction, fear, migration and refugees. Why should I read this to my young boys? Because I want them to understand the crisis and to empathize with those who have lost almost everything. Empathy is so powerful and it's so lacking in the world today.

We took turns reading the beautifully illustrated pages about the war (obviously Syria based on the starting point and the journey). The reading level was higher than my first grader but fine for my fourth grader. As we finished, I took a minute to unpack this for them. We discussed what happened and what it would be like to live through this. I explained that this is a true story and it really happens. I showed them before and after pictures of the destruction in Syria (careful to avoid pictures of casualties and injuries). "Why don't we stop this?" they asked. I said it wasn't that easy. In language they could understand I told them about the crisis and encouraged them to care and to pray for these people.

Hours later when they told mom about this story they were still upset that we couldn't save these people - the nearly 6 million displaced, the over 4 million refugees, and the nearly half a million deaths. My hope is that thanks to a book like this children and their adult readers can come to empathize and care. That this isn't just a news story that can be ignored.
4570790
As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor I have grown up with the people who have survived, that is, partisans and victims of concentration camps. Their courage, strength, compassion and spirituality as well as their sadness and isolation enveloped me from a very young age. These dual characteristics often made me feel apart, much like immigrants might feel or people from other cultures and even individuals with special needs. As an educator I am convinced that the process of healing is up to each individual. Alter Weiner, the ultimate educator has documented his life's experiences with the purpose of supplying those tools of courage,strength, compassion and faith to our young people. I have spoken personally to Alter Weiner who feels empowered by the young men and women he meets daily from various backgrounds and enviornments who have connected with his life story. These compassionate connections are essential in the process of healing. From A Name to a Number is a tearful and powerful testimony about a teenager's survival in the Holocaust. It should be read most importantly by our teenagers.
  Sincerely,
  Frieda Givon
  Graduate of Bank Street College of
  Education