The Dance of Caring: A Caregiver's Guide to Harmony, Eddie Madril, Sara Moncada, and Kathy Douglas, 2015. Wavena, Inc: http://www.TheDanceofCaring.com. Softcover, 112 pages, $17.95. Can also be found in ebook form.

Simply put, this is a beautiful book. The paper chosen for the printed version is soft to touch; the artwork is exquisite to the reader's eyes; and the written prose is music to the reader's ear. The message reaches the reader's soul and is felt in the heart while it transfers knowledge into wisdom for the mind. Caregiving is a complex process. And yet, somehow, these authors make the learning simple and enjoyable. That is the art of this book.

Authors Madrid, Moncada, and Douglas approach the complexities of caregiving and self-care through the Native American Hoop Dance, a rich and sacred tradition passed down through generations. The dance is done using circles or hoops. One of the circles reveals that the hardest, most important part of being a caregiver, is self-care:

Circles help you see that you, by your very design, have access to abundant energy because your individual circle is part of all circles. As others care for themselves, so you are cared for. As you care for yourself, so others benefit. This is the wonder of circles! Living firmly in this understanding equips you to move gracefully between situations where you choose to place the needs of your patients first and then situations where you step away and honor your own needs.(pg. 74)

You can read this book in one sitting or you can choose to savor it over time. The wisdom of caregiving is shared through compelling and moving stories, which are intertwined with learning laid out in short chapters. The message is supported by illustrations of circles, dances, and figures of people who interconnect with these circles. As you delve further into the words and pictures, you will see yourself in one of the circles (pg. 72). Interspersed throughout the book are "Circle Moments," written in gold print, encouraging the reader to pause, reflect, and practice self-care techniques on the spot.

The stories help the reader recognize personal connections to his or her own life experiences. You may be touched by Leah Curtin's Synchronicity story of meeting with Mother Theresa (pg. 35-36). You may recognize others when you read the story of overwhelming and sudden illness by Bonnie Barnes, Co-Founder of the DAISY Foundation (pg. 21-22). The story, The Lady in 206B, by Sue Craig, RN, may humble you when you understand what a family member, who is an RN, observes as she watches multiple caregivers complete their tasks. Her perception is that they only see their patient as an elderly woman with heart failure. They are oblivious to the extraordinary life that patient led, as a social worker who lived much of her life caring for others (pg. 69-70) [Note to ourselves: Could we, someday, be patients-either ladies or gentlemen-in 206B?]

As I finished reading this book, I thought, "How brilliant!" There is a message here for all nurses. Professors, your students still need textbooks and theories. Nurse leaders, our profession does require research to support evidence-based practice. However, this book reminds us that we need more than the science of nursing. Its message is that we must remember to keep the caring in caregiving. It reminds us to connect with our souls. It helps us see what it takes to be a whole caregiver and what we must do to sustain ourselves.

This book would make a wonderful gift for Nurses' Week. Nurses, from the bedside to the boardroom, are reminded of the love that is nursing, when they pause to remember and see their patients, their colleagues, and themselves, in a very supportive way. [Note: The Hoop Dance can be viewed on the books website:http://www.Thedanceofcaring.comorhttp://Facebook.com/thedanceofcaring]

Admit One: What You Must Know When Going to the Hospital-But No One Actually Tells You, Kati Kleber, 2016. Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association. Softcover, 109 pages, $12.95.

I have been a nurse for many years, but I have also been a family member of a patient. Part of my experience was moving my husband between different hospitals, in different states, through different departments, among multiple caregivers. Throughout this stressful period, I kept asking myself, "How do people who are not nurses or familiar with the healthcare system navigate this difficult world?"

The author of this book must have asked herself the same question, because she has put together a comprehensive written guide for patients and their families. She is a critical care nurse who knows what we all know as nurses. That is, hospitals have become complex centers of care with very sick people and quick turnarounds. They are neither easy to comprehend nor are they intuitively organized for easy navigation. It took Kleber 88 pages just to explain the basics about how hospitals work. Sixteen pages are dedicated to notes and questions that every patient should ask his or her caregivers. Tips for the uninitiated are scattered throughout the book, often explained with humor. For example, on page 40, it says, "While we hate waiting in most situations, waiting in the ED is a good thing. This means you are not the sickest person in the department."

The book should be read by nurses and health care researchers as well as receivers of health care. As the profession that cares for the patient 24 hours a day, we are the one constant who can educate visitors to our world on the mysteries of the care system. Researchers might want to look into what percentage of a nurses' time is spent explaining basic facts, such as what the roles are of different providers (RN, CNA, ARNP, etc). Nurse leaders might want to use this book as a supplement when preparing educational handouts and videos for patients and families.

This book is a great example of leadership at the bedside and the author is to be applauded. I visualize her as a talk show guest explaining how people can better deal with hospitalizations. Since there is no better person than a nurse to explain what people need to know while also allaying their fears, I hope that happens!

-Elizabeth (Betty) Falter, MS, BSN, RN, NEA-BC