Ernest Lageson, author of the bestselling book, Battle at Alcatraz, A Desperate Attempt to Escape the Rock, passed October 25, 2019, in Kensington, California.  In his book, he told the story of the 1946 escape attempt by six inmates. It was one of the bloodiest uprisings in the history of American prisons. During the three-day siege, inmates took nine guards hostage.  When it appeared their escape attempt was failing, the inmates shot all nine hostages.  One of the guards, Ernie Lageson’s father, survived.

Ernie was fourteen at the time; he and his family lived on Alcatraz Island—in the apartments for employees. He drew from personal insights as he told the story.

For many years, Ernie traveled to the Alcatraz Island as the guest author, signing his books and sharing his unique knowledge of the famous island’s history with visitors and tourists. Ernie Lageson was 87.

The sixth edition of Straight Talk about Breast Cancer rolled of the press in October.  The lead author is Suzanne Braddock, M.D., who is twenty-five-year breast cancer survivor. She wrote the book after her own double mastectomy and chemotherapy; she wanted to help other women who had pressing questions about breast cancer and its treatment. The book is used for patient education for hospitals and cancer clinics across the nation.

The third edition of Cancers of the Head and Neck—from Diagnosis to Treatment is now available. The book was written by William Lydiatt, MD, head and neck cancer specialist and cosmetic surgeon Perry Johnson, MD.

A second edition of Divorce in New Jersey—The Legal Process, Your Rights, and What to Expect will be released in November 2019.  The authors are New Jersey divorce attorneys John Paone and Cassie Murphy.

Dr. William Lydiatt, co-author of Cancers of the Head and Neck, has been named vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer for Methodist Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska. Congratulations!

The third edition of Cancers of the Head and Neck is off the press.  The book describes how cancers of the head and neck are diagnosed and the various forms of treatment: surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. The authors are William Lydiatt, M.D., and Perry Johnson, M.D.

Straight Talk about Breast Cancer, 6^th edition, will roll off the presses in August.  The book explains how breast cancer is diagnosed; it also explains how it is treated with surgery and radiation therapy; the book also discusses chemotherapy along with hormone-blocking therapy and targeted therapies. This edition of the book marks the 25^th anniversary of the first edition of the book; it was the first book published by Addicus Books in 1994.  The lead author is Suzanne Braddock, M.D., a breast cancer survivor of breast cancer.

The second edition of Divorce in Illinois—the Legal Process, Your Rights, and What to Expect is off the press and available through bookstore.  The author is Chicago attorney, Steven Peskind, Esq.

Another new edition, Divorce in Arizona, is in development.  The new edition will be available in late summer 2019. The authors are Arizona attorneys, Marlene Pontrelli, Esq., and Robert Schwartz.

A new title, 101 to Know if You Are Addicted to Painkillers, is scheduled for release late this summer.  The book offers 101 lessons for overcoming opioid addiction with sections on: understanding addiction, treatment options, getting sober, healing, and recovery.  The author is Michael McGee, M.D., an addiction medicine psychiatrist.