The Gloom Looms: A Box of Unfortunate Events, Books 10-12 (The Slippery Slope; The Grim Grotto; The Penultimate Peril)

Book Description

Readers incapable of running fast enough to escape Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events can breathe a sigh of relief now that the first six books of the series have been securely contained in a shrink-wrapped box disguised with exquisite Brett Helquist art that will prevent this collection of woe from falling into the wrong hands.

The set includes: The Grim Grotto, The Slippery Slope and The Penultimate Peril.

Customer Reviews:

The end is near..........2006-11-09

BOOK 10: THE SLIPPERY SLOPE - The older Baudelaire siblings - Violet and Klaus - are pulling out their hair in frustration when they find that they have been tricked by Count Olaf, and are now without their baby sister, Sunny - who, in all actuality, is a baby no more. For Sunny is now being held captive by Count Olaf and his troupe of villains, as Violet and Klaus are headed for their death off of a snowy peak. However, thanks to Violet's inventine skills, the two siblings are saved, and find that they must now make it up the slippery slope on foot. But when they meet a surprise person along their journey through snow gnats, a group of annoying Snow Scouts, who like to recite a drawn-out alphabet of the Snow Scout Pledge at any moment, and a snowy peak, the Baudelaires, along with their newfound friend, must rescue poor Sunny from Count Olaf's evil clutches, and solve the mystery of V.F.D. before it is too late. After all, one of their parents could still very well be alive. 5 stars.

BOOK 11: THE GRIM GROTTO - When your last name is Baudelaire, it is a known fact that you will somehow stumble upon trouble, no matter how hard you may try and avoid it. When you're last name is Baudelaire and you're an orphan, stumbling upon trouble increases tenfold. Which is why the Baudelaire orphans (Violet, Klaus, and Sunny) know instantly after they begin floating along the Stricken Stream that trouble is lurking around some vicious corner. However, as they are not dolphins, seals, or fish, they did not expect their next bout of trouble to take place underwater. But, alas, that is exactly where they find themselves on their next dreadful adventure. Having come across a submarine that is filled with three crew members (Captain Widdershins, his step-daughter Fiona, and, lo-and-behold the Baudelaire Orphans old pal, Phil), the Baudelaire's enter the underwater vehicle, and begin their next journey. Within a short while, the three orphans learn that Captain Widdershins is a member of V.F.D., and they quickly realize that he is on their side, willing to help them discover the truth about the fire that took their beloved parents lives. However, when the orphans, along with Fiona (a young mycologist), prepare for a bit of deep-sea diving, they soon find that young Sunny has been infected with Medusoid Mycelium (a deadly fungi). Now, the siblings are searching for a way to save their baby sister from a very certain death, without many supplies. As if that weren't difficult enough for the Baudelaire's to endure, they have just discovered that Count Olaf is now trailing them under the sea, and plans on capturing them, and (you guessed it) claiming their fortune as his own. 5 stars.

BOOK 12: THE PENULTIMATE PERIL - When we first met the three Baudelaire Orphans, they were splashing in tide pools along Briny Beach. That is, before their lives took a turn for the worst. Now, as we meet up with them once again in this twelfth volume, we again see them upon Briny Beach. However, this time things seem as if they are looking up, for they are in the hands of good - Kit Snicket. With the pregnant Kit in tow, the three Baudelaires are brought to the Denouement Hotel. A place kept in order by the Dewey Decimal System. The Hotel Denouement is the last safe place, and within a few days, each and every volunteer will meet up with one another, where they will celebrate the claiming of the sugar bowl over the hands of evil. However, with Sunny, Klaus, and Violet disguised as concierges, they soon learn - by using their "flaneur" skills - that many of the people lurking around the hallways of the Hotel Denouement are anything but good. In fact, it is while wrapped up in their clever disguises that the three orphans run into various terrible people from their past - from the unescapable Count Olaf, to the treacherous Vice Principal Nero; and the oft-times brainless Justice Strauss, to the carnival freaks known as Kevin, Colette, and Hugo. With a bit more detective work, and a little help from identical triplets Dewey, Frank, and Ernest, the orphans soon realize that while the upcoming gathering of volunteers is supposed to showcase how good triumphs over evil; the hotel is overrun by unkind masterminds who plan on wrecking the celebration. Now it is up to Violet, Klaus, and Sunny to make a very important decision...call off the volunteer gathering, or think up a way to triumph over the evil that has surrounded them ever since the day Mr. Poe informed them of their parents deaths. 5 stars.

This may be quite an unfortunate series. However, it is with my great displeasure to announce that these last three installments, leading up to the end of the Baudelaire Orphans woes, are possibly the best in the series, setting the reader up for an end all to be all thirteenth tale that will hopefully leave the Baudelaires in safe hands once more. In THE GLOOM LOOMS, we see the Baudelaires search for and attempt to rescue their youngest sister, Sunny, from the evil clutches of Count Olaf and his troupe of freaks; we see Count Olaf's soft side as he giggles - in an unnatural, somewhat annoying way - in an under-the-sea submarine; and we watch as Violet, Klaus, and Sunny impersonate a trio of concierges in the confusing Hotel Denouement, where each floor is set up according to the Dewey Decimal System. It is in these three disgraceful installments that we delve deeper into the mysteries of the Baudelaires, the intrepid V.F.D., and Lemony Snicket himself, as he attempts to "Snicket-ize" each and every reader. As would be expected, THE PENULTIMATE PERIL sets the scene for the upcoming grand finale, and makes it quite clear that the end is near.

Erika Sorocco

GREAT!.......2005-11-20

I thought these books, just like the others, were amazing! They added plot and depth and mystery to the storyline and put me on the edge of my seat! I can't wait for the next books!

The Gloom Loons... FOR REAL!!!.......2005-11-19

"The Trouble Begins" was wonderful. "The Situation Worsens" was okay. "The Dillemma Deepens" were dull but interesting. THIS???????? It's a disgrace!!! I could put up with Lemony Snicket's talking for a while but this is insane!! I had to skip whole pages just to keep awake!? I mean WHO, WHO with the right mind wants definitions, stupid stories and lectures in an ADVENTURE BOOK!? But not just that, it becoming SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DUUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!! At first, the Series of Unfortunate Events was wonderful, full of adventure and mystery and exiting parts. Now, what I see is count olaf giving up on the children and the children going with a STUPID organization and DULLL characters and etc. and etc. and etc. I was so disssapointed with "The grim grotto" that I don't want to even see a page of "The Penulitamate Peril" that is the hardest to say. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY OR EXITEMENT FOR THIS PIECE OF JUNK, IF YOU LIKED THE BAD BEGGINNING, THE WIDE WINDOW, OR EVEN THE DULL MISERABLE MILL, THIS IS NOT THE SEQUEL FOR YOU. AS I SAID THE GLOOM REALLY LOOMS!!!

So dull! So dull!.......2005-10-31

What happened to the Bad Begginning? The Wide Window? This is dull dull dull! No exiting parts! And Lemony Snicket is constantly writing about himself! Who wants to have lectures in an adventure book???!!! And it gettin' (...)

The Slippery Slope (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 10)

Average customer rating:

Pace picking up
The Best of the Series So Far for Adult Readers
Probably the Scariest Book
A rollercoaster of suspense and of long awaited answers to questions.
The Slippery Slope

The Slippery Slope (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 10)
Lemony Snicket
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0064410137
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Amazon.com

What would you do if you found yourself trapped in a runaway caravan hurtling down a precipitous mountain slope? Fourteen-year-old Violet, the oldest orphan of the three Baudelaires, decides to try to slow the velocity of the caravan with a drag-chute invention involving a viscous combination of blackstrap molasses, maple syrup, maraschino liqueur, peanut butter, etc. If plummeting to their death weren't scary enough, Violet and her brother Klaus have been separated from Sunny, their baby sister who is in a car headed in the opposite direction up the mountain with the "facinorous" Count Olaf, his "villainous and stylish" girlfriend Esmé Squalor, and their creepy sidekicks. Do Violet and Klaus find Sunny on the mountain? How will they survive the treacherous, snow-covered peaks with not much more than a ukulele and a bread knife, especially in the face of the "organized, ill-tempered" snow gnats? Will they finally unearth the mystery of the V.F.D.? Will they find out if one of their parents is alive after all? The suspense! As ever, the Baudelaires' unfolding tale of woe is sprinkled with Lemony Snicket's ridiculous, hilarious observations such as "Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant with odd waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like." The tenth book in The Series of Unfortunate Events takes readers through the Mortmain Mountains to the churning waters of the Stricken Stream with all the coexistent horror and silliness a Snicket fan could hope for along the way. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson

Book Description

Like bad smells, uninvited weekend guests or very old eggs, there are some things that ought to be avoided.

Snicket's saga about the charming, intelligent, and grossly unlucky Baudelaire orphans continues to alarm its distressed and suspicious fans the world over. The 10th book in this outrageous publishing effort features more than the usual dose of distressing details, such as snow gnats, an organised troupe of youngsters, an evil villain with a dastardly plan, a secret headquarters and some dangerous antics you should not try at home. With the weather turning colder, this is one chilling book you would be better off without.

Ages 10+

Customer Reviews:

Pace picking up.......2007-09-27

The Slippery Slope is "Book the Tenth" in the Series of Unfortunate Events featuring the Baudelaire orphans. Count Olaf has kidnapped the youngest orphan, Sunny, and Violet and Klaus must try to find a way to save themselves as well as catch up to Olaf and reclaim their sister. But they find themselves alone and without resources in the cold and scary Mortmain Mountains. To make matters worse, they are not sure to where Olaf has escaped. First they are attacked by snow gnats that sting for no reason, then they run into the horrible Carmelita who made their lives so miserable when they attended Prefrock Prepatory School. But all is not bad as they meet a mystery friend that comes to their aid and turns out to be an unexpected ally. But will the new friendship be enough to overcome Olaf and his evil henchman who grow in number with every installment in the series?

After a stretch of books that dragged, the tenth book finally picks the pace back up. It is clear that the plot is beginning to reach a climax and the story excites the reader to continue. The beginnings of the overall theme are finally coming together and mysteries are being revealed. However, just as it is for the Baudelaire children, the more mysteries that are solved, the more mysteries that evolve.

This series remains a highly imaginative and well written series. Unfortunately it dipped in the middle, but it seems to be making a comeback that will hopefully continue right through "Book the Thirteenth."

The Best of the Series So Far for Adult Readers.......2007-08-21

SLIPPERY SLOPE is the tenth of the thirteen volume A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS. As an adult reader who came to this series recently (I saw the film version of the first three volumes, which seriously piqued my curiosity) I have had some complaints about the earlier volumes. As an adult reader, I found that the earlier volumes often moved too slowly and were too repetitive. I tried to get past that because, after all, it's a children's book, and some of the clever double entendre found in Sunny's "baby talk" in the earlier books was well worth it. Moreover, the underlying mystery had captured my imagination, and I found myself searching for clues in the books to see if I could figure some answers out myself.

However, in this book, finally the story begins to move at a faster pace. New characters are introduced, we learn some answers (finally!) to the mysteries that have been haunting us since the first book, and Sunny's growth from a small baby into a little girl makes her the most charming of the Baudelaires. Yes the series was slow on occasion - the 4th and 5th books especially spring to mind - but the developing story is worth the wait. And if you're reading this to a child, you're going to be entertained as much as they are.

Probably the Scariest Book.......2007-08-03

This book was probably the scariest of all of the Unfortunate Event series. The story is well written, very descriptive, no boring parts. Really fun... but really scary. Highly recommended.

A rollercoaster of suspense and of long awaited answers to questions........2007-06-12

I thought this book was really good. The last book left you hanging at the end of which this book begins. This book continues from where Sunny was in Olaf's clutches and Violet and Klaus are rolling down a mountain to a conceivable death. In this book along with long awaited answers to questions, we are joined by past book characters and characters we've only heard about. I loved how we got move insight on the VFD and more clues. This book also brought in information from the previous books, which was good because it tied the series together more. So if you haven't read the series from the beginning then you should so you don't get lost.I'm hoping that the last 3 books have this same build up to the long awaited finale of the 13th book.

thank you for your time,
Loran

The Slippery Slope.......2007-06-06

The Slippery Slope is about the three Baudelaires whose parents died in a terrible fire that burned down their whole house. The Baudelaires are sent to live with an evil man named Count Olaf. In this book they are traveling up the Mortmain Mountains looking for a secret hideout. One of the Baudelaires got captured and has to cook for Count Olaf and his troupe.

I would recommend this book to people who like intense and scary books and are from 9-12 years old. I liked this book because you couldn't stop reading it. Something is always happening so you can't stop reading until you find out what happened. When you did some thing else would happen so you would have to keep reading. I disliked this book because the author would explain everything to you and tell you what they mean

I think people should read this book if they like intense and scary books. You should also read the other books in the series if you like this one.

Average customer rating:

Get ready to dance around a cauldron and drop a frog into a pot
Going Down
Boy has Spald ever sunk to the bottom!
I didn't read it, but I just saw him perform it!
A masterful portrayal of the triumph of the human spirit.

It's a Slippery Slope
Spalding Gray
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:

ASIN: 0374525234

Amazon.com

Master monologist Spalding Gray is feeling like he's on the downhill side of life. For those who have followed his beautifully observed stories of his rather chaotic life through Swimming to Cambodia, Gray's Anatomy, and Monster in a Box, this latest episode has Gray dealing with his breakup with long-suffering girlfriend Renee and his sudden fathering of a child with a new woman. Along the way Gray ponders, in patented Gray style, what this means about his own aging, whether he's now living his life to provide material for his monologues, and how much it all resembles the peculiar plummeting rapture of a ski slope.

Book Description

Within a year, the familiar boundaries of Spalding Gray's existence have been altered by betrayal, love, lust and loss. He suddenly marries his longtime companion, and divorces her just as quickly; he moves in with his girlfriend, Kathie, who bears him a son; and he learns, against all odds, to ski. But not even his mastery of the much-feared right turn can prepare him for the exhilarating experience of fatherhood. A brilliant improvisation with as many twists and turns as a double-diamond course, It's a Slippery Slope explores how one man survives a mid-life crisis by finding his balance on skis.

Customer Reviews:

Get ready to dance around a cauldron and drop a frog into a pot.......2006-12-17

In what must have been, for lack of a better term, a turbulent time for Gray the metaphor of skiing became striking and profound. This monologue, which isn't as funny as Gray's Anatomy for example, is initially a bit directionless. Perhaps intentionally though, as the last half or so is quite compelling, even frightening, in it's emotional nakedness and the clarity with which he expresses the tumult of those days.
So I can't respond to this in the same manner as Gray's Anatomy, which proved reverential and somewhat calming. It's a Slippery Slope is deeper, uneasy, fraught in the ways of mania and adulthood, and heart-rendering too.
Coming to Gray post-mordem is saddening, as his writing is exceptional and he took many untold stories...

Going Down.......2000-01-17

As usual Spalding Gray has done it again.Very entertaining and witted.Just love the audio too, can never get enough of Spalding.I highly recommend all his works.

Boy has Spald ever sunk to the bottom!.......1998-09-12

Every year a buddy and I take a driving trip across North America. Traditionaly we read a Spalding Gray monologue aloud to each other along the way (in my opinion they are much better when heard and not read) This year we took The Slippery Slope and found the humour not as cutting or satirical and found it difficult to laugh at the author's challenges because of their typical and mundane nature. The out loud laughter and memorable quotes that I love and look forward to and have always found in a Spalding Gray book just seemed missing! Redeem yourself Spald crank another one out!!!!!!

I didn't read it, but I just saw him perform it!.......1998-04-20

Each adventure with Spalding is a little different. But the issues always remain the same, Spalding is an intensely neurotic individual with an over developed fear of death. But that is why we love him. It is not always what he says, but more how he says it. After seeing Spalding perform his monologue live I have four things to do; make a mental note to see him perform at any chance, rewatch his videos, read some of his books, and start keeping a journal.

A masterful portrayal of the triumph of the human spirit........1998-03-30

I haven't read the book version of Spalding Grey's latest monologue, however, I did have the wonderful opportunity to see him perform it live. I was, naturally, overwhelmed. Mr. Gray takes the audience on a journey from the mountains of Colorado to the innermost reaches of his soul. Certainly his most personal monologue yet (beat that), "It's a Slippery Slope" explores facets of Spalding Gray's personality never before reached. A definite winner!

Slippery Slopes and Other Deadly Things (Carrie Carlin Biofeedback Mysteries)

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Slick and slippery, fun and entertaining
strong amateur sleuth

Slippery Slopes and Other Deadly Things (Carrie Carlin Biofeedback Mysteries)
Nancy Tesler
Manufacturer: Perseverance Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1880284588

Customer Reviews:

Slick and slippery, fun and entertaining.......2004-10-24

What's a biofeedback practitioner to do when a conference honoring your field's Jonas Salk (who gropes you in a hot tub with his wedding-banded hand) becomes a bloodbath on skis, you're under suspicion for murder because your scarf apparently strangled one of the victims, your entire vocation comes under attack by fanatic fellow doctors, and all the while your cheating ex-husband and homicide-cop love of your life insist on making your emotions spike off the EEG scale?

If you're biofeedback practitioner and heroine Carrie Carlin, you "get your kicks out of livin' dangerously" (as anti-biofeedback antagonist Flo Zimmer says), act like a lightning rod for assassins, and stick your nose in where it doesn't belong. When people around married but roving-handed conference honoree Dr. Hubert Freundlich start dying, it's up to the much-suspected much-shot-at Carrie (whose scarf puts her under suspicion) to unravel the mystery on the Vermont ski slopes. In true amateur-detective fashion, Carrie proves she's earned her PhD (Plucky Heroine Degree) by uncovering a killer you only begin to suspect the second half of the book. The killer's motives are real, human and even understandable, but still despicable.

The secret is truly juicy, but plays second fiddle to Carrie and her engaging, endearing personality, her devotion to her children, her sparkling commentary, and her marriage dilemma with sexy-but-flawed cop Ted Brodsky, who tries to protect her despite herself. A fun page-turner.

strong amateur sleuth.......2003-04-13

This year the annual International Association of Biofeedback Practitioners is being held at the Snowridge ski resort in Sunnyville Vermont. The attendees include Carrie Carlin, who has a small practice in Bergen, New Jersey. She is particularly excited about this conference because the guest speaker, Dr. Hubert Freundlich, has made a significant breakthrough in the field, one that Carrie can use in her own practice.

At her first meeting with Hubert, he makes a pass at her in a hot tub filled with people, one of whom is his wife. At lunch the next day his assistant, Charlie Anders drunkenly hints that he has something on the good doctor. Shortly after that, he is murdered and Carrie gets involved when it's is discovered he was wearing her scarf. It turns out that her friend Dr. Joe Golden had the scarf in his possession and was going to give it back to her before it mysteriously disappeared. Joe also got into a fight with the victim one hour before he was killed but Carrie is sure he is innocent and intends to prove it over the objections of her significant other because he doesn't want her to be used as bait by an overzealous policeman.

This amateur sleuth tale showcases a heroine who is prone to take risks even when she is only indirectly involved in a homicide investigation. She is exasperatingly stubborn and so good hearted that readers find themselves rooting for her and wanting her to back off while also feeling sorry for her lover who has to put up with her. Nancy Tesler knows how to write an extremely exciting who-done-it that can't be put down.

Harriet Klausner

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From Toy Salesman to Ski Patrol to Physician's Assistant - Changing careers in mid-life

long introduction

A Slippery Slope - A Middle-Aged Guy's Bumpy Run from Early Retirement to Ski Bum To Ski Patroller to Physician Assistant
Gerry Dougherty
Manufacturer: Back Channel Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0978954602

Product Description

"Three months ago, I found myself hurtling down a trail on New Hampshire's Gunstock Mountain, toboggan in tow, bellowing for skiers to clear the way a rookie ski patroller on my way to respond to God only knew what. I couldn't think about the frightening wailing I'd heard in the background when Karen radioed for help. I could only ski for all I was worth and hope I was equal to whatever I would find in the woods off the trail below me." "The same day a year earlier, I was settling comfortably into my new life as a 46-year-old, recently retired businessman turned ski bum. But the bum's life turned lonely and the offhand suggestion of a guy behind a deli counter last summer sent my life ricocheting off in a new direction." And that was just the beginning of this 5-year journey. We all know what happens when you point a pair of skis downhill gravity takes over. Youre simply along for the ride, using whatever skills you have to hopefully control the outcome. When Gerry Dougherty signed up for ski patrol school in 2001, gravity took over big time. Candidly admitting he decided to become a patroller in good part for the free skiing, hed never given a moments thought to the realities of practicing emergency medicine on an incline. Gerrys first clue: patroller class met in the first aid room at the base of the mountain. Gulp! What Gerry learned by the end of that rookie season: that he had a passion for emergency medicine. Come along for the ride as a guy with a love for skiing and too much time on his hands becomes a certified patroller, gets into and back out of nursing school, en route to becoming, in 2006, a newly-minted 52-year-old physician assistant. Part diary, part memoir, this is one run that will occasionally tug on your emotions, but will keep you laughing most of the way.

Customer Reviews:

From Toy Salesman to Ski Patrol to Physician's Assistant - Changing careers in mid-life.......2007-08-22

I love to ski and always wondered about those guys with the white cross on their jackets. I really enjoyed how this middle-aged guy goes from a toy sales man to ski bum to ski patrol and then finds he really likes medicine. I am middle aged and really have to hand it to this guy to go back to school to get into nursing only to end up in Physician Assistant school. I found the book funny and a good, fast, entertaining read. If you know anyone who is wondering if they can change careers over 40 this is a great book to read. Also I think anyone in the skiing, EMS or medical area would enjoy it.

long introduction.......2007-03-28

I purchased this book because my situation is similar to the author's, and I was looking for the reflections of someone who had gone the same path I am contemplating.

Since there isn't too much autobiographical material out there about PA's, I think this book fills a need. However, the material of relevance is only the second half of the book, which is written in a standard narrative style and contains more reflection. The first half, about the author's experience on ski-patrol, was not of interest, and written in the style of journal entries. If you are already on ski-patrol or an EMT, you will not find much that's new to you. If you are contemplating joining ski-patrol or Emergency Medical Services, you will have to wade through a heavy dose of the author's friends and co-workers (although this is a big part of emergency medicine, so maybe that's good).

The writing style is very casual, and the book is a fast read. Sometimes I found statements like "Give these guys an honorary PhD in snowology" to be hokey, but they project a definite and likable personality.

Overall: not great autobiographical literature a la Robert Graves, but anyone who is having reservations about nursing school or who doesn't know much about the day-to-day regimen of a PA student would be well-served.

Forced Exit: The Slippery Slope from Assisted Suicide to Legalized Murder

Average customer rating:

A Compassionate, Compelling, and Personal Warning Against Euthanasia
Right Ideas but for the Wrong Reasons
Exposing the culture of death
A timely warning
One of the best on the subject

Forced Exit: The Slippery Slope from Assisted Suicide to Legalized Murder
Wesley J. Smith
Manufacturer: Spence Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Suicide | Death & Grief | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1890626481

Book Description

Piercing the emotionalism, fear-mongering, and euphemisms of the assisted-suicide movement, Wesley Smith's new book exposes the attempt to strip the sick and disabled of their human dignity. One of the nation's leading writers on euthanasia delivers a badly needed dose of clear thinking and genuine compassion.

Through original reporting, exhaustive research, historical analysis, and extensive interviews, Smith makes a compelling case against legalizing assisted suicide. He explores the truly humane and compassionate alternatives that can change a death wish into a desire to live.

The first comprehensive response to the assisted-suicide movement, Forced Exit changed the debate when it was originally published eight years ago. Now thoroughly revised and updated to keep pace with the movement's advance, this important book provides chilling evidence of how powerful and dangerous the death culture in America has become.

In Forced Exit, you'll learn:

Did Jack Kevorkian kill only terminally ill people?

Do some doctors want the right to refuse wanted life-sustaining treatment?

What is "rational suicide"?

Is it true that Dutch doctors euthanize babies with birth defects?

Customer Reviews:

A Compassionate, Compelling, and Personal Warning Against Euthanasia.......2006-06-22

Bioethicist Wesley J. Smith pierces the emotionalism, fear mongering, and euphemisms that are the standard fare of the assisted suicide movement to expose its attempt to strip the sick and disabled of their dignity. Far from a compassionate answer to suffering, assisted suicide is a new form of oppression.

Forced Exit offers chilling evidence of just how powerful and dangerous the death culture in America has become. Smith makes a compelling case against legalizing assisted suicide and takes a close look at the truly humane and compassionate alternatives, challenging us to maintain morality in medicine and protect the most vulnerable among us.

Smith recounts his entry into this debate after a close elderly friend committed suicide. This friend relied upon materials from the Hemlock Society, a pro-euthanasia advocacy organization encouraging people to see suicide as a joyous act of deliverance. Using books with titles such as "Let Me Die Before I Wake" or "Self-Deliverance with Certainty," Smith's friend found the tools and encouragement she needed to plan and carry out her death. The self-killer was instructed on proper technique and then, in an ineffectual disclaimer, warned that the information was only to be used for "self-deliverance from a terminal illness." Smith's friend had no such illness.

Explains theologian Richard John Neuhaus, "Thousands of ethicists and bioethicists, as they are called, professionally guide the unthinkable on its passage through the debatable on its way to becoming the justifiable until it is finally established as the unexceptional." It is precisely this arc that Smith urges our culture to stop as regards euthanasia. To that end, Smith offers sobering evidence that the right of the terminally ill to "die with dignity" will lead to involuntary euthanasia, or selective medical treatment, and perhaps even forced death apart from terminal illness.

Smith treats with compassion those who long to commit suicide. He recognizes that the euthanasia issue arose because people watched their loved ones writhe in pain after receiving inadequate medical care. He realizes that many support euthanasia because of a very reasonable fear of being victimized by our money-driven, dehumanizing, and increasingly impersonal health-care system. The unraveling of communities and the breakdown of families has also contributed to a system of malaise and despair within society, giving many fewer reasons to live or value life. While Smith does not deny the valid emotions driving the euthanasia movement, he recognizes that euthanasia is not the solution to these problems, but is rather a surrender to them.

Right Ideas but for the Wrong Reasons.......2006-01-24

I am giving this book 5 stars so as not to drive people away. I want people to read it. Its an important book. However, I have a problem with its ideology. While it gives a nod to "free-thinkers", this book clearly has a pro-life agenda and derives some of its beliefs from the religious right. As a person with a disbility, I was enthralled to see a book connecting the euthanasia of the past with today's "physician assisted suicide" movement. I am also glad that they take exception with Peter Singer who for some reason is all over the media as a moral ethicist when he promotes the euthanasia of severely disabled children. However, the chapter on the Netherlands loses me. The book stating that the Netherlands legalizing marijuana and prostitution, two commomn sense measures to get rid of victimless crimes lead to their recent laws allowing the euthanization of disbled children just doesn't hold weight. The Nazis were not exactly propopents of sexual freedom so I don't believe that creating a freer society automatically leads to physicians being allowed to decide whether a person has the credentials to be worthy of life. Rather than a pro-choice take on the subject I'd like to see a book focusing on the disability perspective and that many people with newly acquired disabilities who at first believe that life is not living gradually accept their life and move on. However, for pointing out that the euthanasia movement began in the U.S. and not Nazi Germany and that some of the people that Dr. Kevorkian murdered (yes murdered) were people who had depression and not a terminal illness or severe untreatable pain, I commend this book. Its just that by taking a "pro-choice" stance this book alienates people who might otherwise take a stand against this widening threat to people with disabilities.

Exposing the culture of death.......2005-01-17

This is a revision and expansion of his earlier work of 1999. In it he brings up to date recent developments in the euthanasia wars. But the same concern for where society is heading, and the same call for action is found in this volume.

Smith argues that modern medicine is undergoing a seismic shift, as is that of the surrounding culture. Whereas societies and their medical practitioners once believed that saving life and protecting life was our highest and most noble calling, they have now come to see that killing in the name of compassion is both justified and necessary.

What has brought about such a radical shift in values and priorities? Smith argues that a number of inter-related causes can be mentioned. There is the "moral Balkanization" of Western culture, with a loss in moral absolutes and religious convictions. Then there is the elevation of personal autonomy as the highest virtue.

Also there is a very sophisticated political machine pushing the euthanasia agenda. Backed with big bucks and extensive marketing research, it has become adept at selling euthanasia. With plenty of euphemisms, misinformation and scare tactics, it is managing to convince many that death is desirable, and life is not.

And then there is the bottom line of money. The huge blowout in medical costs for the elderly makes the euthanasia alternative seem very tempting indeed. It is a major savings to bump off the elderly instead of treating them.

The hazards of legalizing euthanasia are many. Suffering would increase, not decrease. For example, the funding and research on problems like AIDS could easily be cut, with the idea that it would be better for these people simply to die. Pain relief, hospice work, and palliative care would also face major cutbacks and social undermining. Why bother, after all, when a quick lethal injection would be much cheaper and easier?

Smith examines some of the recent decisions made concerning end of life care, noting a slippery slope in action. In March of 1986 an ethical advisory panel of the American Medical Association declared that food and fluids provided by feeding tubes were no longer to be considered basic humane care, but medical treatment, and could therefore be withheld. Previously hydration and nutrition, even by means of tubes, were considered to be mandatory and necessary care.

This led to another momentous decision in 1994, when the AMA declared that foods and fluids could be withdrawn even if a patient was not terminally ill nor permanently unconscious, something that before was a requirement.

Smith points out that such steps along a slippery slope are not new, with a very similar incremental approach occurring in Germany early last century, leading to the final solution of the Nazis. A 1920 book written by two German professors, Permitting the Destruction of Life Not Worth Life became the cornerstone of Nazi practice which saw 200,000 helpless people deliberated killed by German doctors and nurses between 1939 and 1945.

The Dutch experience with euthanasia is another example of the slippery slope. First terminally ill patients were allowed to be killed. Then came the chronically ill, then the depressed, then even children. Once you accept the legalised killing of a patient is allowable, soon any and every sort of patient will become a candidate for the lethal injection. And the euthanasia virus is contagious. Belgium, a southern neighbor of Holland, also legalised euthanasia in 2002, making it the second nation in the world to do so.

The details Smith provides of the Dutch experience make for chilling reading, but they act as a sober warning to other nations. Prior to 1960 there was no push for euthanasia in Holland. But the 60s cultural revolution unleashed a host of liberalising trends, in many fields, be it sex, drugs, or the life issues.

A 1973 case saw the quasi-legalisation of euthanasia there. In 1993 guidelines were issued. But as Smith shows, these guidelines were a chimera, and euthanasia simply got out of hand. The guidelines were meant to keep euthanasia rare, only for the hard cases. But over time doctors interpreted loosely the guidelines, pushed the boundaries, and in effect ignored their intent.

Various reports have documented this slippery slope. The 1991 Remmelink Report found that nearly 9 per cent of all deaths in Holland were due to deliberate actions of doctors. And half of those were involuntary. And a 1996 study found that half of Dutch physicians took the initiative by suggesting euthanasia to their patients. Other research has found that it is usually families, not patients, who push for euthanasia. And a 1997 report found that doctors kill 8 per cent of all infants who die each year. And some 300 infants die each year because of medical neglect.

Teens suffering depression are also being bumped off. The list goes on and on. The Dutch experiment proves that once the door is opened, it does not close but simply gets pushed open even wider.

Taken as a whole, this volume makes for a worrying read. The trends in different parts of the world described here show us that we in the West have abandoned our respect for life, and have embraced the culture of death. Smith closes by noting that we have two options: we can choose the option of care and inclusion, or the option of death and exclusion. The sort of society that we become will be determined by the choices we make in this area.

A timely warning.......2003-12-31

This is the first book I have read that deals exclusively with the subject of euthanasia but Wesley J. Smith's compelling arguments have ensured that it will not be the last. The statistics in this book about the Netherlands alone are horrifying and yet, unfortunately, not especially surprising. Once you have crossed the line between forbidding and permitting physicians to kill, how can you prevent them from believing that they know best regardless of the guidelines that are supposed to prevent them from ending their patients' lives even against the explicit wishes and fears of those patients? As euthanasia enthusiasts push their agenda in the media, it is important that people like Smith reveal the true nature and consequences of their arguments. In spite of assurances to the contrary, even cautiously starting down the path to the death culture will lead to inevitable nightmare consequences like those seen in the Netherlands. To the "death fundamentalists" there is nothing particularly troubling about that; to the rest of us this horrifying example should be enough to halt us all in our tracks.

One of the best on the subject.......2003-05-14

No major change comes quickly. Little compromises are made that slowly but surely lead to a major, sometimes horrifying change. Such is the case with euthanasia.

Smith is a very readable writer and well informed on the issue. Yes there is some emotional content but that is not a bad thing. This is an emotionally charged issue. It is also a disturbing issue for many and far to many have fallen for the ready platitudes of the so called ýDeath with Dignityý crowd. When the lies and sweet words are stripped from their word though a very harsh and frightening reality is left.

As one who has had to fight this beast (we lost the battle and our loved one, the war goes on) I can tell you he is spot on to the problem with this book and his other writing on the topic. He has recommendations as to the direction of the solution but the action to reach it lies with you and I.

Iým in are you?

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Book Description

Some years ago I began to write a booklet about Abortion, Euthanasia and Infanticide. I have never known a person who had an abortion, I have never known a doctor or anyone else who performed an abortion or engaged in euthanasia or infanticide (killing of children). I have always had a deep desire to 'know the facts.' I have heard many arguments on many subjects and I have engaged in plenty of discussions concerning the topics in this booklet. It dawned on me that, as I listened or engaged in a discussion that much of the argument presented, was pure emotion. Devoid of actual fact. People are passionate about what they believe and will debate the subject until the sun comes up. I found little that indicated that any of those entering brought along any convincing factual statements. Some quoted their favorite newspaper or their favorite radio or TV guests. All of this led to a section of the booklet you are about to read. In my quest for authoritative documentation I came across a book that would end my quest. I was given a book titled "Rachel Weeping" by a friend who knew of my desire for facts. Although this friend held a contrary opinion he was always honest in our discussions concerning these topics. The author of "Rachel Weeping," James T. Burtchaell had, in my estimation, researched the subject matter to the point that it would allow me to set down my researching tools and conclude that I had all the facts necessary to bring to the reader's attention the devastation caused by abortion, euthanasia and infanticide. If you have an honest desire to know the facts of the destructive power of these three, abortion, euthanasia and infanticide in the personal lives of those that engage in or are on the receptive end of one of these operations and want to know how all of us, as a society or individually are impacted for not heeding the call of the watchman that cried out "The enemy is before us" then this booklet is a must read for you.

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