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A great historical and sociological read I enjoyed re-reading this book, a nonfiction kind-of-documentary by John Griffin, a white journalist who reports on his travels throughout the South of the US in 1959. During this era of Jim Crow, segregation of Blacks and whites was commonplace in the South, and institutionalized discrimination against Blacks was too. However, what makes Griffin's book very unique is that he traveled in disguise as a black man in the South.The book is an excellent study of many sociological issues and concerns of that time period in the US, and I was particularly struck by the compelling information of racism and sexism that Griffin objectively presents. Griffin introduces the reader to many stereotypes which were used to describe African-Americans during this journalistic odyssey. As with most stereotypes, the stereotypes presented in the book are based on ignorance and misunderstanding of African-American culture.Griffin reports of a certain perverse curiosity that many whites had (and may possibly still have) regarding African-Americans. Unfortunately, Griffin chooses to present the reader with certain stereotypes without attempting to explain them. Such stereotypes, however, need to be carefully examined, in my opinion, to illustrate the dynamic interaction between racism and sexism, and to clearly see how racism and sexism are utilized in Black Like Me and in everyday life as mechanisms used by whites to discriminate against,and often times, victimize African-Americans.Griffin, as a black man, speaks of the numerous encounters he experiences with white people. The vast majority of these interactions occur at night. Griffin writes, "A man [white] will reveal himself in the dark, which gives an illusion of anonymity, more than he will in the bright light." [Griffin, p. 85] Griffin refers to his encounters with white people as pornographic. In conversation, white men interrogate Griffin in hopes that he would reveal some mystic information concerning the lifestyle of sexual behavior of black people. From these experiences with white people, Griffin posits that these individuals believed that blacks were " an exhaustible sexual machine with over-sized genitals and a vast store of experiences, immensely varied." [Griffin, p. 85]Griffin's nocturnal encounters with white men suggest that such sexual perverse curiosity was one means by which white men subordinated and exploited the black male. Centuries-old white mythology is also employed in the book to victimize blacks. That is, fearful white men established untruths which have been used throughout American history to impede African-American progress.White mythology has been used to explain the unexplainable as well as to place the white man above other non-whites. History chronicles how white men used to portray the black male as an animal, a horse, a stallion possessing physical prowess, inexhaustible sexual appetite, and uncontrollable passions. In support of such mythology, Griffin recounts an incident when a white man asked him if he had ever had ever been with a white woman. When Griffin responded that he had never been with one, the white man states, "There's plenty of white women who would like to have a good buck Negro." [Griffin, p. 86]Another established mythological portrayal is of the black female by white people. black women were perceived to be sensual, exotic, and extremely provocative. "...NOTICE!...it was only another list of prices a white man would pay for various types of sensuality with various ages of Negro girls." [Griffin, p. 81] Griffin reports that black women were greatly used and abused by white men, and frequently black women were also mistreated by their own race. Sadly, some black men, when paid a certain amount of money, would even assist white men procure black women and children.In mythological terms, the black man was viewed as Apollo, the black woman was viewed as Venus, and the white woman was viewed as the Virgin Mary. These stereotypes which were devised by white men have not only caused significant problems for blacks, but also have caused problems for white people. Two more frequently employed stereotypes created by white men and given to blacks included the aggressive savage beast, and the docile child inferior to whites in all aspects. Many other stereotypes have been created and utilized by whites in the US to describe blacks, however, the previously mentioned ones are perhaps the most ingrained in the American psyche and the ones which surface in Griffin's work.Although Griffin painted himself black on the outside and experienced many things which African-Americans experienced at that time, his interpretation of his collected data was from the perspective of a white man. Griffin's cultural orientation, ethnic heritage, gender and race were constantly with him at all times even if they were not always visible to the naked eye. Therefore, Griffin was only able to draw a conclusion from his darkened `white' feelings, reasoning, and senses.Griffin's experiment stands as a testament to the wrongs which had been done to African-Americans during the Jim Crow era. I would recommend Black Like Me to anyone interested in investigating how white people perceived and treated African-Americans in the South prior to the Civil Rights Movement in the US.

45 stars

No wonder the author received a Nobel Peace Prize! This book is not long and it is well worth the read. The book tells about a young man that is Jewish during the Holocaust and how he survived. Well worth your time and money.

45 stars

Dear Ms. Amy Tan I just recently finished reading one of your novels titled the Joy Luck club. My stepmother recommended it saying I would enjoy it. I can honestly say it was one of the hardest books to put down. The only reason I did put it down was becuase it was late at night and I had to go to school the next day. I myself enjoy readin short stories. On of many great things about thsi book is that many women can relate to it. The way you use detail is absoultly amazing. Sometimes you feel so connected and lost in the book that is it is like you are actually in the book yourself. This is a rare and mesmerizing novel that describes the love and misunderstanding that lies between two generations. Any women can connect herself to June in the story. She is a second generation chinese women who was raised in america. Because all the stories are different you get the feel of what it was like being raised in china over 50 years ago. This is a great novel for anyone who enjoys reading stories based on actual historical eevents. I did not know a thing about any of the strugglesthat women had to deal with. I also didnt know anything abuot men being able to have more than one wife and the wives being called wife#1 and wifew#. It is also nice to read a novel about a mother and daughter relationship. I would recommend this to any women, who enjoys short stories, interested in the culture and history of china, or anyone who would just like to sit down one night and read a great book

45 stars

Smooth A great way to enter the writing realm of Ayn Rand. I recommend it to everyone, from the young to the old; it's a jewel.

45 stars

Fun read, quick ending Liked the book, It was a fast read for me. At times I was annoyed with the lead character because she seemed to be sassy, then she seemed to be needed. There were alot of minor character storys going on, but that is because they will be later have there own stand alone book in the series. Other then that, I liked the actual storyline.The book was fun, and had its typical paranormal action in it. The ending came very fast. Liked how it was wrapped out, though didnt want it to end!

34 stars

Black Beauty It is a very good book and it draws you in. All though it is sad it has happy parts too. The best thing is that it has a very happy ending. I would recommend it to anyone.

45 stars

Mercedes-Benz W124 series Ultimate Buyers guide Rarely have I been so disapointed with a book. In fact this isn`t a book, its a sparse collection of data loosely assembled with some poor quality pictures masquerading as a book. I`ve no idea who the author Colin Pitt LLB with Honours is, but he should be ashamed at his efforts , he obviously knows nothing about the subject matter, doesn`t bother to research anything and has no idea how to present photographs. W124 enthusiats will find nothing of value whatsoever in this publication.I`ve been collecting motoring books for many years and have never seen anything so badly written and poorly presented. Vanity publishing at its very worst!

01 star

the best work of literature ive read so far.... any woman can both despise and admire tess at the same time for her weaknesses & her strength. under such repressive conditions of the victorian society, i believe that she handled her blighted situation as best she knew how....theres so much more to say , its a terrific novel.

45 stars

The Man, the Fish and the Lions I read this book from head to tail, awe-inspired. A simple story about an old Cuban fisherman who rages against the sea and the creatures that live in it. What appealled the most was his persistence, purity at heart and patience in the face of adversity. Santiago's 84th. The marlin that will prove his luck and triumph. The sharks that ravage his possession. His sorrow and tiredness of life itself. Yet persistent courage that brings him home, to his bed. A haunting last line.Hemingway's autobiography in metaphor. A kind of soliloquy that is simple yet profound.

45 stars

An interesting read. A friend recently recommended this book to me, as we are both familiar with the story's setting and various locales mentioned, though it should not put-off anyone who is not. The story, itself, is pleasant and well-paced, albeit what really intrigued me was the historical as well as educational facts. In fact, I found myself re-reading some parts just to better commit them to memory and for the selfish reason of not wanting to yet let go of the feelings an agreeable tale can evoke. I think a lot of people will be pleased to have read it.

45 stars

Plot Overwhelms Character If I had to choose my favorite modern author, it would be Dean Koontz. I've spent hundreds of hours in the dark listening to his books on tape, mostly unabridged, thank the Lord. This is not one of Koontz' best works, but it is entertaining. What it lacks is a sense of mystery that keeps you popping cassettes into the recorder through the wee hours of the morn. Snow is an interesting character, but he doesn't fare well in this series. His XP should be central to the storyline, but it seems almost like an add-on. True, most of the action must take place at night, but a less fantastic, darker (grin) plot would have served him better. Snow should be caught up in situations where he's racing against the clock to solve some mystery or conquer some evil before daybreak, not battling genetically altered animals and tripping sideways through time... and his XP should, in some way, be central to the resolution of the conflict. So far, this has not been the case. In short, the mind-numbing sci-fi plot overwhelms the uniqueness of this character. But anything Koontz writes is worth a read (or a listen).

23 stars

certainly one of the greatest novels ever written I was looking for another edition of TESS and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the "average customer rating" was only three stars. So I'm taking a moment to correct the balance.TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES must be as close to a perfect novel as anyone has written in English. It is a genuine tragedy with a girl/woman as tragic hero. It is about life on earth in a way that transcends mere sociology. It has the grandeur of Milton but concerns itself with the lives of mortal beings on earth, as much with sex as with dirt, blood, milk, dung, animal and vegetative energies. It concerns itself with only essential things the way the Bible does. It is almost a dark rendering of the Beatitudes.The story is built with such care and such genius that every incident, every paragraph, reverberates throughout the whole structure. Surely Hardy had an angel on his shoulder when he conceived and composed this work. Yet it was considered so immoral in its time that he had to bowdlerize his own creation in order to get it published, at first. Victorian readers were not prepared for the truth of the lives of ordinary women, or for a great many truths about themselves that Hardy presents.The use of British history as a hall of mirrors and the jawdropping detail of the landscape of "Wessex" make it the Great English Novel in the way we sometimes refer to MOBY DICK as the Great American Novel, though the works don't otherwise bear comparison. Melville's great white whale is a far punier creation.Hardy's style is like no one else's. It is not snappy, as Dickens can be. It is not fluid and elegant, like George Eliot's. It can feel labored and awkward and more archaic than either. It has no journalistic flavor, but is painfully pure and deliberate and dense, echoing Homer or the language of the Old Testament rather than anything we think of as "modern." Don't start with TESS but with FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD, another very beautiful book, where Hardy is at his loosest and wittiest. Once you have the key to his style, then pick up a good edition of TESS with notes, e.g. Penguin, so you get the full richness of all the literary allusions. Hardy's lowly shepherds and farmhands move and breathe in a very ancient literary atmosphere. The effect is not pretentious but timeless.There is wisdom, poetry and majesty here. Tess stumbling through the dark and taking her last rest at Stonehenge will send chills up your spine like no other reading experience. I wonder if anyone can know why there are novels, why we care about them, or what they are capable of, without reading this one.

45 stars

Women of Courage? WAH, WAH, WAAAAAAHHHHHH! A bunch of whiney little babies. These women weren't courageous in my view. They were in situations that they had "no choice", so sure you're going to do what sounds courageous.And the stories were incredibly boring. How in the name of all things good did this woman get published? What a piece of crap!And Amazon is making me choose at least one star. SERIOUSLY? It deserves none!

01 star

Inspiring, Informative, and Beautifully Written This is an unflinching account of the author's personal experiences with two deadly cancers. From start to finish, the book is informative, inspirational, and very readable. The author takes the reader with her through every step of her cancer treatment and therapy, from her initial discovery to her experiences as a breast cancer activist. Along the way she utilized every resource she could find: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. She met many memorable women, and the chapters devoted to those who died were beautifully written and moved me to tears.I highly recommend this book for anyone who is facing breast or ovarian cancer, as well as for those who want to understand and support a loved one with cancer. It is ultimately reassuring to read such a direct, complete, and personal account of someone who has danced close to death and not only survived, but learned how to live.

45 stars

A Fine Novel in Shoddy Skin I truly believe Orwell is one of the most underappreciated novelists. Sure, everyone's read the Animal Farm and 1984, and his essays are often praised for influencing modern English prose (though rarely are they actually read), but most have never heard of Homage to Catalonia, Down and Out, Road to Wigan Pier, or his As I Please column. The Burmese Days is a prime example of a splendid yet inexplicably unpopular work of Orwell's, and deserves to be read as much as Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises.Many reviews have already mentioned how the novel is a candid account of British imperialist racism. The element is indeed there, and takes dutiful prominence by its very setting. Descriptions of kow-towing, strictly held prejudices held by every single white character (including Flory, the protagonist, though much less than the others), and mismanagement all abound. Plenty of mention is given to the garlic smell many natives apparently emanated, for instance. Interestingly enough, Orwell himself seems to be unintentionally racist in the narrator's descriptions of Burmese customs or the Burmese characters like U Po Kyin. This last habit is characteristic of Orwell's general writing, and is present in other works like Homage to Catalonia as well.Nonetheless, accounts of racism, despite providing a very distinct theme and setting, are not why I enjoyed the book. The foremost reason for enjoying this book is for Orwell's characteristic writing style, that manages to be both homely and vivid yet sparse on the word count (the novel is only 190 or so pages) and as easy to read as a good pulp mystery. To go with the over-used term, it is a characteristic page-turner, with all the associated traits of constantly expanding the reader's curiosity of what will happen next while consuming no more than half a minute for any given page.It does have several shortcomings, though. Most characters, despite having their fair shares of complexities and shortcomings, tend to act all too predictably and mechanically. Ellis will always be a vicious, profane bigot. Elizabeth will always be a shallow, pretentious airhead. And so on. Indeed, the only character that does seem to grow or change is Flory himself. Arguably, this is an intentional vehicle by which Orwell seeks to create an impression of Burma as a spiritual graveyard for various people who failed a life on the Continent--where everything is mired in a self-perpetuating web of complacency and banality. The book's ending is also a slight bit dissatisfying and seems out of character (odd since the novel up to that point so laboriously reinforced it), but does make sense and shouldn't disappoint.The biggest failure of this book, and the reason it does not have 5 stars from me, is the fault of the editors rather than Orwell. This particular edition is rife with spelling and grammatical errors. Eat is sometimes spelled as each, periods are sometimes placed where commas were clearly intended to be, and various errors of this sort pervade. Proofreaders must have been lacking. This poses only on occasional annoyance, however, and should not stop you from reading this book, especially when it happens to be the only edition on the market today.In short, you would do well to seek out this hidden jewel, and especially now, when the weather grows sweltering to complement the "prickly heat" of the novel's setting.

34 stars

Lovely old-fashioned book. Having only ever seen the animated version of The Jungle Book was a real pleasure to read this. Not the sort of book I would normally choose but really liked the relationship between the boy and the animals and how the animal relationships in the jungle worked. Short stories too mad this an easy read.

34 stars

waaho reading what you 5 starts given guys, I have nothing else to say other that I agree with you give

45 stars

Simple and Timeless; Kind and Heartbreaking; Brilliant I am making my way through Charles Dickens...not in any particular order...the first few I've picked are mostly familiar through TV or film adaptations that I've enjoyed and/or on the recommendations of friends."Bleak House" was my first read, finished last month. "Great Expectations" is my second read.What can I say? I am just so enamored with Dickens's story-telling and character development that I have a fear that when I am done reading his canon I'll have to declare a 13-way tie for first place. We'll see.Between Bleak House and Great Expectations I *almost have a two-way tie for first place, in no small part because they are such different types of books...Bleak House was a universe of characters and subplots; Great Expectations fewer characters and not as much intrigue, although the last 1/4 to 1/3 of the book is riveting. And some good comedy also.But I am going to put GE at #1 and BH at #2...while I loved Bleak House as I read it, and have a few favorite characters, "Great Expectations" will *stay with me* much much longer I think...Bleak House is brilliant (really brilliant) for its commentary on the period and for its settings and for its intricacies; Great Expectations is brilliant because it is simple and timeless.I'm not nearly vain or clever enough to think I'm the first to recognize this, but three neat things about Great Expectations are: 1) it's a novel which illustrates the old warning "Be Careful What You Wish For...", 2) it is the complete opposite of "Catcher in the Rye" - an earnest, non-cynical first-person narrator who meets so much kindness along the way, and fewer "phonies" (although there are a few), and 3) it's such a personal novel that anyone who dares wonder what they could possibly learn about human nature by reading such an "old" book NEEDS to read it for that very reason.The characters are just so memorable...if I had to pick a favorite, I think it would be Wemmick...you probably work with him and don't even know it: he's the man (or woman) who is competent at work, works for an insufferable boss, and has a completely different home life than work life. His care of "The Aged" is a remarkable example for any of us in caring for our parents.The love stories are also very touching - especially the ones that turn out for the best...but no spoilers in this review.And the story of Pip's unrequited love is so true to life...and although I think it would have been worse for Pip to lose Estella had she been more than just beautiful outside but also beautiful inside, Dickens wrote beautifully and agonizingly of the highs and lows associated with unrequited love as only one who has experienced it can truly identify. One of the worst and most painful aspects is not the fact that you aren;t chosen but that they chose *that* person. And all you can think is: anybody...anybody but *them*.A memorable book and must reading.Now on to another Dickens novel! :-)

45 stars

An excellent beginner book on computers For my "Intro to Computers" class, this was an excellent text. The layout grabs your interest, with beautiful full-color illustrations in a wide variety of layouts. Inserts of stories and examples and practice problems and vocabulary practice at the end of each chapter assist with grasping the most important concepts.I am on the computer every day, but I am not any more than a beginner in my quest for computer "literacy". This was easy to understand, and actually made me want to learn more about the subject.One more point, I used this book in an online class, with no lectures or instructor, so all my information had to come from the book. There was no problem with that.

45 stars

It's So Bad It's Good!!!!! So I went to my local public library, and noticed about eight "hit jobs" (books that trash someone) on Hillary Clinton. Wow, this one woman seems to really scare a lot of right wingers (even though every poll shows she is the most popular and respected politician in America as I write this). Interestingly, when Klein "wrote" this book in 2005, guess who the two least popular politicians were in office (that's right, Bush and Cheney). After reading the flaps of several of them, I settled on this one, solely because it looked like it would be the most ridiculous. In particular, Edward Klein exposes, drum roll please...... "How the culture of lesbianism at Wellesley College shaped Hillary's politics," and how "She's a mother, but she isn't maternal." I thought, man, I just gotta read this.And I have to say, it's the "Plan Nine from Outer Space" of political books: It's so pathetically bad, it's good. "Good" in a fun, car crash sort of way.Poor Edward Klein proves that ANYONE can be published today.

01 star

The Right Ideas For Management Peter Drucker died on November 11, 2005 at the age of 95. His life and work spanned sixty years and he left behind a body of knowledge and ideas that continue to influence all knowledge workers today. In this book he demonstrates an uncanny ability to see organizations in all their complexity and reduce management problems to their essentials. Like a virtuoso musician, he rarely hits a wrong note, and each idea blends flawlessly with the next. He provides a complete model for management effectiveness that is theoretically sound and solidly based on his experience. This is perhaps the most useful of his 38 books and distills a lifetime of management consulting into a few concise lessons that get to the root of what managers need to do. It provides a complete course in management in a thin book of just 192 pages.Drucker starts by arguing that all knowledge workers are executives and that effectiveness should be defined as "getting the right things done." He develops his ideas from real experience, supporting them using real-life stories of successes and failures taken from business and politics. He structures the book around five essential practices, which he found all effective managers have in common: 1) track where your time goes; 2) focus on your outward contribution; 3) build on strengths (yours and others'); 4) do first things first; and 5) -- perhaps most interesting and least intuitive -- follow a decision-making process that builds on opinions and encourages dissent.In elaborating these five essential practices, Drucker presents many insightful findings. However, what is most impressive about the book is not any particular idea or piece of advice, but how his many ideas are tied together into a coherent whole, leading to practical advice on how to do things better.My own experience of the last 30 years indicates that, in spite of much thought and many advances, management has not improved greatly in the past 100 years. Drucker's lessons haven't got passed on to individual managers in the organizations in which I've worked. These were mostly managed by untrained and inexperienced executives and demonstrated typical levels of dysfunction. In large companies, small companies, failed startup companies, failed acquisitions of entrepreneurial companies by larger companies and failed business reengineering efforts, I've experienced many examples of Drucker's advice not being followed -- including all of the following:- Managers who consistently spent too much time managing crises and left important work undone- Culture that evolved into a culture of fear and blame, where heroes were worshipped and winners took all the rewards- Poor, hasty decisions that were made by high level executives based on insufficient information- Banishment of dissent and an unwritten policy of "don't ask, don't tell"Could these failures have been avoided or is managing just too hard? Drucker's criteria for effective management are simple, but not easily followed. Drucker points out that executives tend towards ineffectiveness unless they put energy into the five practices. Although people don't set out to be bad managers, I've frequently seen good people rendered ineffective by the burden of impossible jobs, by mindless assumptions that could not be disputed, and by decisions that could not be questioned. The drive and energy needed to fix this has to come from an extraordinary and dedicated leader -- and this rarely happens. In the same way that entropy dictates that natural systems tend towards disorder, the natural order of organizations dictates that energy drains out of companies and their managers until they become dysfunctional. Hence the frequent rise and fall of our organizations, which are a microcosm for the rise and fall of our nations and civilizations.It would be hard to read this book and not gain from the experience, but although Drucker was a journalist and his writing is lucid and well-structured, his old-fashioned style makes his book less easy to read than it might be. Also, Drucker's ego sometimes gets in the way. For example, he rarely acknowledges his influences, and when he does, it's usually people he consulted with, like Alfred Sloan, Jr of General Motors, from whom he can claim credit by association. He appears to come up with his huge fund of ideas as if from thin air. This is unfortunate, because there would be great value in understanding where his ideas came from and their links to the ideas of like-minded experts in related areas of thought. For example, one aspect of executive effectiveness that is strikingly missing from his model is motivation. Drucker doesn't address what drives people to excellence and how managers can motivate others.Drucker may have passed on, but his ideas have not. Minor criticisms aside, this could be the only book you need on your path to becoming a better manager. As Drucker says, "Self-development of the executive toward effectiveness is the only available answer. It is the only way in which organization goals and individual needs can come together." Effectiveness can be learned and the five habits are a good place to start. Certainly Drucker's ideas could be worked into any training program and his book provides the material for a life-time's work of self-improvement. You will learn a great deal by simply reading the book and relating it to your experience and it may inspire you to make some significant changes in the way you do your work.Graham Lawes

45 stars

Well written, but....... I think the Hobbit was nicely written, but I do not like books with dragons popping out of the pages. If you liked Eragon or The Lord of the Rings series then you will probably like this book.First of all I had to read this book for school. I personally did not like this book, but it was nicely written and I could understandwhat was going on, and I will not take that away from J.R.R Tolkien.

23 stars

Read, Read, Read This book is excellent. By reading it you will learn a lot about Haruki Murakami and get a deeper view of his work. Also, you will get to learn about his first two novels, "Hear the Wind Sing" and "Pinball, 1973," which I think are only published in Japan.

45 stars

Pretty Ghastly, Skip This One And Try Another By Him A man and a woman meet for the last time at a London hotel; they are newlyweds and have had sex only once, on their wedding night, and now they are to be separated because the man is shipping out to join his brothers in arms somewhere overseas in World War II. He is the narrator of this short novel, an early work by the famous sea writer Nicholas Monsarrat. He tells the whole story in the second person, addressing his wife as "you," such as, "You were wearing a white dress as you made your way through the crowded restaurant where I had booked a table for you and me." A whole book of this is so tedious.Neither of the characters has a name, an affectation Monserrat must have felt would help his readers imagine themselves as the boy and girl in the story. They meet, he tells her his two week leave has been cancelled, and instead he has only 24 hours off, and so they decide to basically take things slow and postpone having sex until later in the evening. Through internal evidence you can sort of figure out that this story is supposed to be taking place in the spring of 1943.They go to see a play, the classic Restoration comedy LOVE FOR LOVE with the inimitable John Gielgud in the lead. It's a randy sort of play and they are feeling pretty sexed up. She's wearing a red dress (the first time he's ever seen her in something other than her uniform) and he's in drab khaki. He's got an erection the size of Big Ben. She's not a sweater girl like Lana Turner, she's supposedly classy.The songs in the book really take you back: "But In The Morning, No" . . . "It Could Happen To You" . . . "I'll Be Seeing You."There's a lot of euphemistic sex talk in the book, most of which is pretty unappealing. The narrator imparts a lot of instructions to his 19-year old bride. He tells her that although men like to tell smutty jokes, they do not care for women who do the same. "To most men, in fact, nothing is more embarrassing than for a woman to volunteer an indecent joke, as a matter of casual conversation, or to show herself ready to initiate that kind of session. Her ability to express herself, if necessary, as coarsely and succinctly as a man, is occasionally attractive; it can, at the right moment of exhilaration, be amusing, but she should await his lead all the time." The book has an attractive pink dust jacket with Cupid on it, but the designer has shot the cover full of holes stamped in with a punch die, so it looks as though Cupid has been shot to pieces. It's an attractive looking book, but totally condescending within. He tries to write about sex, but just succeeds in writing about schoolboy smut.

12 stars

Ross Cornwell has reintroduced Napoleon Hill's secrets. I read Think and Grow Rich many years ago and it changed my life. Now, Ross Cornwell has reintroduced this classic and made the book better than ever. I have purchased copies for my children and grandchildren. The annotations and indexing are outstanding additions, allowing me to refer to Hill's wisdom faster and more easily.

45 stars

Another Great Book by Jackie Collins I loved this book!!! As with all Jackie Collins books, there is so much going on to keep your interest. I could not put this book down. Fabulous Read!!!

45 stars

Can Karen keep her secret knowing what really happened in the pond? Synopsis: The book starts off with seven year old Karen Brewer in her Little House telling her best friend Nancy Dawes that she would like ice skates for Christmas (because the old ones pinch her toes). Karen's wish comes true when Seth's grandparents come to visit them and they bring her new ice skates!Karen is thrilled and wants to try skating with her new skates in the pond, but the pond is not ready yet. Karen's grandfather teaches her some secrets about knowing when the ice is ready, but in turn makes Karen and Andrew promise not to go on the ice unless there is a grown up present. Karen also learns about winter safety in Ms. Colman's class, such as how to rescue a person when they have fallen in ice.Every day, Karen's grandfather goes to the pond to see if the ice is ready or not, and one day when he comes back, Karen overhears him telling Seth that the pond won't be ready for four more days. However, a few minutes later, when Karen and Nancy are playing outside, Bobby Gianelli, one of Karen's classmates, comes and asks them if they want to go to the pond and they say yes, even though Karen knows that it is not ready. When they reach the pond, before Karen can say anything, Bobby tries out the ice on the pond, and falls in the ice! Remembering what they learnt in Ms. Colman's class, Karen and Nancy save Bobby and call 911.Karen and Nancy are heroes, and Karen's friends and family are proud of her. Karen is also interviewed for the news (TV and the paper) and Ms. Colman proudly puts the news article on the bulletin board. Similarly, Bobby's Grandmother and Karen's Big House family are few of the many people who are proud of Karen and Nancy. Karen also gets asked for her autograph, and later, Ms. Mellon the owner of a store called `Unicorn' invites Karen and Nancy on a shopping spree to pick out anything they want for five minutes! However, Karen is not able to enjoy any of them because of her guilt. When the mayor of Stoneybrook calls Karen to put a medal on her honor for being hero of the month, can Karen still keep her secret?There is also a nice side story where Karen's Little House family decides to have a Secret Santa game for Christmas and make presents for each other.Review: I thought this was a wonderfully written book that teaches the readers that safety does come first, and if you are feeling guilty about something that you did wrong, the best thing to do is to come forward and admit your mistakes, rather than keeping them in. I thought the story was wonderfully told of why Karen decided to not tell Bobby in the beginning, and how she felt more and more guilty as more people honored her for being a hero. I also liked how the author added some useful information on safety, and giving a step by step lesson on how to save someone if they fall on ice.The side story with Karen's family played Secret Santa with one another was also fun to read, and I thought the gift that Karen gave Seth was really heartwarming. The illustrations provided by Susan Tang also add really well to the story, and I especially enjoyed the ones where Karen and Andrew are opening their presents from their grandparents, where Karen and Nancy are shocked to see Bobby in the ice, and when Karen is playing the piano in the end.Overall, I thought this was a very nicely written story and definitely one of the better books written in the Little Sister series.

45 stars

THE SECOND EDITION IS NO BETTER THAN THE FIRST I have both editions of this book. The first one was not so good; the second is still worse. It is the first edition with some few changes and many misprints. The introduction of some computer programs does not make this book an up-to-date one.It is still an old book with just a colorfull cover.

23 stars

Historical Novel This bool was great reading. after seeing the movie Gettysburg I had to read this book. I want to read the other 2 books by this auther.

45 stars

Classic Holmes 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' is truly a Holmes classic. It is testament to Arthur Conan Doyle's immense talent as a writer, that the desolation and solitude of the moors are every bit as entrancing a century after they were written about as they were in his day.It is in the full length novel format that the characters of Holmes and Watson come into their own. The briefer stories can be exciting but their length and pace doesn't allow the characters to get into their full stride. Here the writing style is as methodical and effective as the musings of the great detective himself.A great swathe of this book is the reports of Watson who has been left to his own devices by Holmes. However the main player's absence does nothing to diminish the novel's impacte. The bleak aspect of the Devon countryside allied to the intricate and bizarre relationships of its residents fuse to make this outing of Holmes a memorable one. Both the surroundings and the vivid descriptions of the hound itself, combine to draw the reader in, in a way that few novels can.'The Hound of the Baskervilles' is widely beleived to be one of the greatest of the Sherlock Holmes oeuvre, and indeed the intricacy of the plot development, along with an excellent climax put this novel up there with the best of them.

34 stars

Arkangel's Recording of Othello Disappoints I bought this recording with high hopes. What better complement to reading Shakespeare than hearing him, right? Well, not with this recording. The cast is made up of "distinguished actors," the insert proclaims, but it's obvious that these actors haven't done Shakespeare since they were in junior high school. Nor have they improved since then: none of the actors has any feel for the Shakespearean line. The speaking is stiff and mechanical, and half the time it sounds like a Monty Python farce! When there are no visual effects to distract us, low-quality acting really sticks out. For audio recordings, you need the best voices. Too bad Arkangel didn't realize this. My advice? Grind up these CDs and use them to fertilize your nasturtiums.

01 star

Success of digital photo in storytelling. I've read the story/play before getting this book, and I must say the digital images really elaborates a new wave of magic. The digital imaging photographs are great in company with the writing. The colors are fantastic and the typography really promotes the tension of the plotline. For any illustration or fine art student this is one book you must have for reference. It is like taking Disney's Peter Pan into live action, except with lesser background scenes.

34 stars

Fantastic book! This book is a classic that never gets old. It is well written and reading it on the kindle makes it that much better.

45 stars

Trite and pretentious. Jim LeCuyer's writing lacks versimilitude. He attempts to convey a sense of depth to his poetry, rather than write from his heart. The result is a series of poems that serve better as examples of decorated shallowness, or simply pretense.Specifically in his writing, LeCuyer abondons the use of proper grammar. While this is perfectlly acceptable for poetry, he makes no clear distinction that it is done for poetic effect.LeCuyer's excessive deluges into the pervesely erotic serve no purpose to the enhancement of the poem, but simply as shock value.Basically, LeCuyer's work lacks one true thing: honesty.

01 star

Powerful story that I should read again The Old Man and the Sea was possibly the worse choice I've ever made for a read-a-thon. The old man spends most of the book fighting the fish, weary, exhausted, tired. As I read, I tried desperately to stay awake, weary, exhausted, tired.I'm not at all interested in fish but Hemingway is a writer I love, thin and lean.

34 stars

What the New York Times said Martha Nussbaum, writing in the New York Times of February 18, wrote: "the collection, much more than the sum of its parts, is the portrait of an exemplary intellectual life, in which rigor and clarity join with courage and commitment, and both with a rare kind of unswerving joy at the complex face of reality...this is surely a major work, among the most provocative and cogent accounts of culture and the humanities that America has produced in years."

34 stars

Excellent, moving book teenagers can identify with. When I read this book, I was a teenager in a competitive school environment, and found this moving and well-written novel especially relevant. It was inspiring, emotional, and a wonderful read. Any teenager will understand the complexities of the friendship between Gene and Finny -- and the dynamic of their relationship may, perhaps, lead readers to think more deeply about their own lives and friendships. I recommend this book with no reservations.

45 stars

Cold War is a bad inspirer One of the most surprising novel by Agatha Christie I have ever read. No Poirot, no Marple, but Tommy and Tuppence. This book is a soft thriller but it deals with a very special type of crime : politically minded organizations that do not hesitate to commit crime to conquer power. Clearly connected and affiliated to the fascist or nazi movement and ideology, this crime is also linked, marginally it is true, to communism. It reveals how a democratic society like Britain is using secret services and special services to infiltrate and explore those organizations in order to contain them or destroy them. What is strange is that there is no real exploration of the motivations of either side. Why do some people want to change the world and can come to criminal means if necessary ? Why does an established social order spend so much energy and time destroying those who could represent a menace to this establishment, hence containing any group or organization that may represent change in this established society ? In other words the approach is very conservative. It captures the sympathy of the reader by evoking fascism, nazism or even communism, but no real assessment of the established social order is really given. After all, maybe this established social order should change or be changed ? How can change occur in a society where secret services and special services do all they can to prevent any change ? Isn't it dangerous to block change in a society ? These questions are at the back of the mind of any conscious reader, but no answer is given, no opening is provided, no reflexion is proposed. The book is thus slightly disappointing. It is the typical result of the Cold War ideology and atmosphere but Agatha Christie is a lot better inspired when she deals with real crime outside the sphere of politics.Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

34 stars

Breath Taking Ride Through History This is one book that will amaze you in every chapter and keep those pages turning. Dan Brown's immense imagination burrows its way starting from a murder in Louvre Museum back through the 2,000 years of European history.Did Jesus have any descendants? Who was really Mary Magdalene?Did the most spectacular brains of Western Civilization all belong to a secret society? What could be their purpose? And how are all these fascinating questions related to the murder case with which the book begins so "innocently"?Dan Brown will lead you through the labyrinths of possibilities and juicy conjectures that you've never dreamt of before.Great non-stop entertainment. Highly recommended.

45 stars

Something seems to be missing I just read some of the other reviews and now know this was originally a graphic novel. That explains why while reading this book I thought something was missing. I never figured out the point of this book. It is hilarious with Pratchett's brilliant word play. But again I definitely felt like something was missing with the plot and no point to the story. Don't start with this book if you haven't ever read a Disc World book.

23 stars

A misunderstanding Gothard does not teach that the old-testament laws are to be kept for salvation. The old-testament law shows a reflection of God's nature in the whole scheme of things. The whole counsel of God is important to understand and the underlying principles behind them. This is what Bill Gothard teaches in the IBLP seminar ministry.

01 star

The best Travel Guide Series on the market Incredibly helpful - the best Moscow travel guide available. My advise to anyone who wants to go to Moscow: go in the Spring and take this book with you.

45 stars

not up to usual Cussler Standards A promising plot becomes mired down by Mr.Cussler's portrayal of Dirk Pitt as the James Bond wannabe. The storyline is well thought out and the twist at the half way point will catch many readers {like myself, for example} off gaurd. The explanation of an Atlantis culture's existence is presented in a plausable manner. The supporting characters are not very well developed and show little depth. The bad guys are transparent with very little to make a reader like or dislike them, they are just single minded. Dirk Pitt's obsession with proving that the old is always better than the new in weapons, cars, and just about anything else is wearing thin. It seems that Mr.Cussler has Dirk suffering more and more injuries in his adventures and this is perhaps to cover up his character flaws to make him seem more human. All in all I enjoyed the book but it is well below the standards of his previous books such as "Raise the Titantic", "Inca Gold", and "Sahara" to name a few. I look forward to his next book.

12 stars

Walk On By This "Section" As a Star Trek fan of many years, one thing that I value when reading a Trek novel (or any novel based on a TV show) is that I can mentally "see" the characters. It's important to me that I can visualize them doing the situations the writers have put them in and to "hear" them saying the dialogue. Sadly, this was not the case for this book. I felt I was reading about characters simply with the names of characters from Voyager, not the characters themselves. I don't think the authors watched the same show I used to watch, if they ever watched it all all.While the plot is interesting, any suspenseful elements it could have materialized never did and it left me with a feeling that I'd have had more excitement reading a JC Penney's catalog. The resolution to the alien's plight was typical of all poorly written Trek episodes and book: it was wrapped up in the last 10 pages of the book quickly. A very "scotch tape" ending. No drama, no suspense, no nail bitting "oh my gosh" ending. Thud.The aliens characters were two dimensional. I could have cared less if they lived or died. Even the elements of "first contact" were downright bland.Lastly, as a Seven Of Nine fan, I was intrigued by the idea that someone was out to kill her. This was my main reason for purchasing the novel. The solution to the attacks on Seven were downright uninventive. I saw it coming pages before. Simply a subtle rehashing and "tweaking" of tired Trek plots. While I didn't throw it across the room in disgust, it'll be the first Star Trek novel I have sold used in quite a while. If you're a Seven of Nine fan, jog past this "section" You won't be missing out on anything.

12 stars

An Enriching Look at the Cultural and Historical Background of each New Testament Verse I was given this book as an ordination present back in 1996, and I have used it faithfully ever since. It is the work of Craig Keener, New Testament professor at Eastern Seminary. He works verse by verse from Matthew through Revelation, giving cultural and historical information that lies behind the text. He teaches about the different kinds of tax collectors, the roles and responsibilities of the teachers of the law, and Jewish customs and traditions that bring to light the meaning of certain verses.This is one of the first books I consult when I am researching information for a Sunday sermon, and I am always rewarded with something to chew on to give to my people. I highly recommend this resource as one of the ten books every Bible teacher should own.

45 stars

Least Favorite Robards Book I bought this book after reading the reviews here and also because I've enjoyed the last three Robards books I've read. This one was not at all as enjoyable to me as the other three I read (Superstition, Whispers at Midnight and Paradise County). Maybe I'm just not a wilderness or cowboy kind of girl because the romance aspect was just ok to me, and the supense, while some parts were pretty good, mostly bored me. I just didn't care for this one, but I love Karen Robards normally so I'll continue to keep reading herbooks.

12 stars

If you like Pirates... The best pirate novel I have ever read. It is gritty, down to earth - a bit raunchy - but life as it really was for Pirates.This is the real thing....

45 stars

amazing inhumanity This book is divided into chapters based upon the experiments performed by "doctors" who used human prisoners as guniea pigs in Hitler's Germany. This book is rather difficult to read for several reasons, not the least of which the transcripts are fairly clinical and rather unemotional given the horror inflicted on the victims. An interesting historical document.

45 stars

same plot trick used about 5 books later! I just read a recent Scarpatta (Black something) and happened to read this one right afterwards. In both books Scarpatta falls for the same trick: the bad guy comes to the door dressed as someone else and she lets him in! Come on now. Other than that Cornwell did a very nice job on making a readable police procedural.

23 stars

I'll sum whole book for you "God is everything". That's it. That's the whole book. You are not in control and God has a master plan already set just for you. Give yourself up to God and life will be grand.Needless to say I was very disappointed in this book. I am (was) a fan of the Washington Redskins and I am a huge NASCAR fan so naturally I was attacted to this book by Joe Gibbs.I do not mean to say that his hypothesis is incorrect (trust in God) but a 300 page book that states the same thing over and over???Don't bother with this book unless you need reinforcement that God is the way of life. But if that is your passion, you should already be following in His footsteps so there should be no need for this book. If you are not a particularly religous person, this book will be way too much for you.Save your [money]. Better yet, put the [money] in your collection plate on Sunday. It will do more good there.

01 star

The River As wondering at my new opened library I found out that there was a sequal to the great book the Hachet. I really enjoyed the book Hachet and wanted to read the next book. I read The River's review and really wanted to read it. I borrowed it from the library and read it for a long time.The characters in the book is Brian, a fifteen year old boy who survived at the wilds for 54 days only with a hachet before. Also there is a physician named Derek that wants to do some coverage on how Brian survived with only a hachet. They go back to the wilds with only a couple of things. One day they are struck with lightening Derek goes in a coma. Brian has to save him and looking through Derek's map he see's a trading post 100 miles away. Brian must save him by traveling through a river.I would recommend this book to everybody of all ages. It was really a good book that deserved an award like Hachet. It was a really good sequal and really great to just relax and read. The River also has a sequal called Brian's Winter. Read all three great books.

34 stars

At the beginning it's slow but not for very long!!! The Savage is one of the most humane characters I've ever read in a book. This book is surprisingly moral from its resistance to what is not right even if it is acceptable to that society. A very interisting look at humans and babies and the abuse of fertilization. Awfully shaking. Terribly good!

45 stars

a visitation of spirit the book was in great condition, it was on time for my class. I saved a little money by ordering from Amazon.comthank you

45 stars

A good book This book was recommended to me by a fellow scientist. Normally I wouldn't go for this kind of reading but in this case I did, and I didn't regret it.If you're interested in virology, mixed in with a little biochemistry and some thriller scenes, then this book is for you. No boring science here...The time line in the book is a little bit jumpy, location wise the same thing. But once you get the hang of it, this book reads so smoothly.The science mentioned in the book is sound and the information mentioned well researched.

45 stars

Unique, but a little dry one star for Rand's writing ability, which is at times very good.one star for the plot, and that the book is so very one sided, but a little blindness and fanaticism a good thing for art IMO. (This is art, not science- remember that.) There is also truth here, beneath Rand's rhetoric, and another star goes to her revelations of unpopular glories- Rand's voice in history will be felt for some time. I can forgive her unorthodox pushy outlook and the many one dimentional characters because they are kind of interesting, but not the 50+ page(!) manifesto/diatribe/yawn fest three quarters of the way through, or the slow pace! WE GOT THE POINT! Holy capitalism that woman could fill space! Plus, she dishes out the cheese at times... stilton anyone?

23 stars

Spark and inspiration When I read this in my middle teens it did not mean as much to me as it does now.Although it did influence me to ask certain questions in history and social studies classes that went against what was being taught.Of course the teachers promptly shut down that line of questioning. Back in those times the history books pretty much made America look pristine and all other nations seem rather distasteful by comparison.But something in it stuck with me. A smidgen of doubt about things like the whitish dust on Smith's diary.Now that I am older and have experienced the world, traveled a bit, and have a wider perspective, I can see certain parallels in our own nation that match certain things in the book.How certain recent things done in the last decade can eventually make our nation into something similar to what is described in the book.I envy the teens of today because they see things in their youth that my peers and I could not fathom at that age.But growing up in an impoverished ghetto does not leave much room for thinking. sort of like the 'proles' in the story.I'd recommend this book to anyone.Cheers.

45 stars

Metro Girl I'm a huge Evanovich fan and was sadly disappointed with "Metro Girl". You couldn't turn the page without reading the words "Nascar Guy" three times!! I think I'll just stick to the Stephanie Plum novels. "Metro Girl" was a waste of time.

01 star

educational This book describes humane training methods that are easy to comprehend for the trainer, and therefore,easy for the dog to understand! Two paws up!!!

45 stars

DELIGHTFUL!!! Both novels are fabulous reading, for those days when you have time to snuggle up to a good book, or for beach reading.It is interesting to note that the novel, Legally Blonde, is MUCH better than the movie!

45 stars

Great true story of a mans Faith This is a companion piece to "With God in Russia" by the same auther, Walter Ciszeck, S.J.The two books help to understand what sustained this man while in Russian Gulags for about 20 years and his life in Siberia after he was released since he was still not free.

45 stars

Funny stuff! Very funny, real life, easy to relate to everything Vicky talks about. The kind of book you'll read over and over when life's little frustrations start to get the better of you.

34 stars

WOW! WOW! What a great sequel to the greatest book ever written. Dale Powell didn't surpass Dickens-but he came close to the equal mark.

45 stars

Alcott's books deserve proper editions! I've long been a fan of the lesser Louisa May Alcott books and now my daughter has discovered them too. I was pleased to find Jack and Jill available in this handy paperback by an on-demand publisher. My seventh-grade daughter pounced on the book first, in great excitement. It was a bit deflating that there was no book-specific cover art or back cover material--it is a standard, rather ugly cover and the back text advertises the publisher itself. But I guess there's no arguing with that part. Far worse, my daughter found a minefield of typos in the first few pages, which proved very distracting. Then she found that about 1 1/2 pages from 3-4 were repeated verbatim on pages 5-6. She showed me both problems and she was absolutely right: the printing process had gone completely haywire. There was no reason to expect these issues were confined to the first few pages, and we had lost faith in the whole edition. Regretfully, we have sent the book back.

01 star

STILL THE BEST 25 YEARS LATER!!! I first read this book at age 13 only cause it was required reading for an English class. I ended up reading all night and was wiped the next day in school. It's impossible to put down.Now 25 years and many thousands of books later it is still my favorite book. I get so mad at Scarlett, we should all be so lucky to find a Rhett and she doesn't appreciate him! Still makes me cry.

45 stars

Say Hello to One of British Literature's Greatest Heroines Let me just be out with it: I love Jane Eyre. It is my mom's favorite novel of all times and definitely in my (constantly changing) top 5. The Dover Thrift Edition is a wonderfully inexpensive way to get wonderful literature into people's hands, so I am pro-Dover, all the way. But to speak to the novel itself, it's a classic that's been remade into films so many times because it is a great story artfully told. Jane is one of my all-time favorite literary characters, and almost definitely my favorite female one. If you hate romance novels which have the prerequisite of a jaw-droppingly beautiful heroine, let me introduce you to Miss Eyre (though if she were alive today, she might insist on Ms.) Jane is described as "plain" throughout the novel, and this not-terribly-flattering adjective applies to her on several levels (her appearance, her plain-speaking manner, her direct way of dealing with problems). Because of the first-person narration and the abundance of details of her early life, the reader is drawn into a close relationship with Jane, and to know her is to love her. Here is someone I readily admire with her pluck and nerve tempered by a healthy dose of humility. Jane seems like such a real person as we get right inside her thoughts and see her deepest longings, doubts, and fears. To me the most telling scene is (hopefully not too much of a spoiler) when Jane unfavorably compares herself to Mr. Rochester's presumed sweetheart, the beautiful Blanche Ingraham. To cure herself of any flights of romantic fantasy she may be tempted to indulge in over her boss, she forces herself to make two very realistic drawings, one of herself and one of Blanche, and study them closely, hoping to cure herself of the foolish notion that a man might prefer her to gorgeous Blanche. Wow, what a woman! How many of us have the strength of will or character to study our weaknesses in as strong a light as possible in order to disabuse ourselves of notions we fear may be dangerous? Jane certainly doesn't suffer from the too-common (modern?) disease of self-importance, and we see how this, combined with her certain moral compass, guide her to do the right thing(s) even when they are not in any way fun or pleasant. Pick up a copy of Jane Eyre if you haven't read it before and give one of British literature's most interesting creations the chance to win you over.

45 stars

Eddie: Another great book for a great series! Although with regrets piling a mountain high, I haven't read the prequel to the previous five books (Devil in a Blue Dress: 10, Red Death: 8, White Butterfly: 10, Black Betty: 9, and A Little Yellow Dog: 9) "Gone Fishin'," but I totally love this series nonetheless. This book is no-let down like an author we all know (Robert Jordan i.e. "A Crown of Swords"). No long stretched out plotpoints and no women with the same personalities all the time. Each woman is unique in this world and grows as Easy gets older. Some with the same attitude as Rawlins in doing what it takes in a world of so few chances. What is the most I like from these compelling volumes? I like how Walter has "evolved" Easy from a recovering WWII vet to a tough-as-he-has-to-be private eye. Then another twist (no, not some brilliant scheme of gumshoeness), Easy becomes a father to a small family, but not all at once and not as easily as his name may fool you. I love how he illustrates the world of Los Angeles circa early 50's. We feel like we have "grown-up" with Easy along all the troubles and racism that he must endure. All the characters have lives of their own and change as Rawlins does. This book is a must read for the Walter Mosley fan! To tell you any details is a CRIME. I have never been a fan of mysteries until I have read these books. I hope Walter is penning the next Easy mystery!

45 stars

Check THIS Out! I took the advice of the reviewer who is "An Educator And Former Human Relations Instructor" from New York (who better to take advice from), and obtained right here on Amazon.com the book he or she recommended, "West Point", by Norman Thomas Remick to be used as a companion book to "The 7 Habits ..". The combination was fantastic! The really easy to understand philosophy of character and leadership in the "West Point" book did greatly embellish and make more understandable the practical suggestions in Steven Covey's "The 7 Habits ...". Great suggestion New Yorker, whoever you are. And, I hope you're holding up well under you folks' recent appalling crisis. I wish you well.

45 stars

Careful, don't hurt yourself reading this review. Of the 11 books released so far, this is still one of my favorites. Aunt Josephine becomes thier new cartaker. She is very cautios and does not like taking risks. She is also obsessed with grammer. She also left the Baudelairs a coded message dealing with grammer mistakes. This leads to the triying to save her. However, I will not reveal wether they were successful or not.Thank-you for taking the time to read my review. Please rate wether it was helpful or not. Remember, to make the series more enjoyable you should read theese books in order. Thanks!

45 stars

Fantastic This is one of the two volumes I would point to as THE sources one should look to to accuratly understand dispensationalism, the other being Renald Showers, "There is a Difference". Very clear and informative.

45 stars

Pretentious I cannot hope to improve upon the savvy review by Craig Kenneth Bryant, but also cannot resist the temptation to add my two cents (and lone star). I have read worse books, but find this one all the more inexcusable because it pretends to be so much more than it is. There is no wit to relieve this tedious, pointless, and seemingly endless travalogue.

01 star

An Amazing Little Wonder No one who writes should be without this book. That includes everyone from a student in school to a professor working on a scholarly paper. From a newspaper reporter to an award winning journalist. The book is such an amazing small wonder that, as has been pointed out by others, easily fits into your pocket so that you can always have it with you.No doubt, as I write this, I am failing to follow guidance to be found in the book, but I actually referred to it while writng the previous paragraph, so hopefully you will find no erros in this review. The book is concise and advocates precisely that: concise writing. It remains an unparalled guide to proper, effective writing.

45 stars

Outstanding Once again, I have found a great author but read his latest, Psychopath first.. which left no secrets in Compulsion. Dr. Frank Clevenger, a psychiatrist is back in this fast paced, chilling book. Clevenger has had enough of dealing with the criminally insane and is just about to call it quits until he recieves a call. North Anderson, a friend and former colleague, needs Clevenger's help. A young daughter of billionaire Darwin Bishop has been murdered in her crib. The main suspect is her adopted brother Billy Bishop. As soon as Clevenger begins his work, he discovers that Billy may infact be innocent. The killer could be Darwin Bishop himself, or perhaps Julia, his socialite wife. Then there is Darwin Bishop's other son, Garret, a top student and star athlete who despises his father for reasons he refuses to reveal. The deeper Clevenger delves into the Bishop family, the more his own emotional demons surface.

34 stars

What is forever - Green Grass, Running Water Thomas King captures Native Humor as an excellent tool for teaching, for sharing wisdom and as a means to cope when others cannot grasp the meaning of what Natives have to say. The humor of the book and its cyclic rather than linear paterns may be new to Non-Native readers. But, this is the richness and beauty of Native storytelling and liturature at its best.

34 stars

Not A Typical Wodehouse Story Part of the fun of P. G. Wodehouse's stories is that even when you know where the characters will end up, it is usually by a path which is unpredictable. Unfortunately, that isn't true in the case of "The Little Nugget". While the story does have a few curves in it, compared to a typical Wodehouse it is a veritable straight line. The book is divided into two parts. The first is very short, and introduces the character of Ogden Ford, i.e. The Little Nugget, and his mother Nesta, as well as her associates which lead us to the narrator of the second part of the book, Peter Burns. Peter has been asked by his fiancée Cynthia (who works for Nesta Ford) to kidnap Ogden from the school in which his father has placed him, and deliver The Little Nugget to his mother.While there are a few moments in the story, in general it just doesn't measure up to the other Wodehouse stories that I have read. In particular it pales compared to "Piccadilly Jim", which sees the return of Ogden and his mother, but in a different setting and with a much more entertaining plot full of twists and turns. In particular, this is not a good choice for someone unfamiliar with Wodehouse, as they would miss out on what a typical Wodehouse story is like.This is an early Wodehouse book, first being published on August 28, 1913 by Methuen & Co. London. In the U.S., it was first published on February 10, 1914 by W. J. Watt and Company. This edition is part of The Collector's Wodehouse series published by Overlook Press in the U.S., and in the U.K. it is known as The Everyman Wodehouse series published by Everyman's Library. This title is not part of one of Wodehouse's series, although as mentioned before there are characters that appear in a later book.

12 stars

cri du couer Ironically, the great Palestinian-American humanist scholar Edward Said wrote this essentially inaccurate book as a bold and pained cri du coeur two decades before the events of September 11th and the fresh entanglement by the West in the Middle East would render obvious its stature as required reading. One must not attempt to understand our world from the West without a careful listening to the late author's cry.That sound emerges from a life of `humanistic critique' of the world's uniform-izing powers, whether these take academic, governmental, economic, or religious form. Said hopes that the watchword of `liberation' is in fact an unstoppable and developmental force in history, though he is more resigned than hopeful for results in his generation. `My goal in Orientalism', he explains, is to use humanistic critique to open up the fields of struggle, to introduce a longer sequence of thought and analysis to replace the short bursts of polemical, thought-stopping fury that so imprison us in labels and antagonistic debate whose goal is a belligerent collective identity rather than understanding and intellectual exchange.'The truth, power, and heuristic value of Said's argument lie in the contraposition of `individual' with `collective' identity. So does its error.The author believes that generalization, labeling, identification of collective or typical behaviors, and the like fundamentally mislead. He is correct about many of them, perhaps most. Yet this fundamentally anarchist principal would make his own work impossible and does not fairly treat the many generalizations about peoples and their struggles that can rightly be made in order to facilitate rather than impede the kind of `understanding' that Said so admirably desires.In practice, Said is not so inflexible on this point as his theory might suggest. For this reason, he has given us a long book with a lot to say rather than a very short book with just one idea. This happy disconnect between theory and praxis is what makes his book-to say nothing of his body of work-so critical for `Western' (pardon the generalization and collective identity) people who must somehow come to understand what it is like to be studied, discussed, historically located, conquered, fought, `liberated', and studied again by people whose `positional superiority' makes humanistic interaction as peers almost impossible.Said's `Introduction' (pp. 1-28) is one of those rare prefatory pieces that actually do justice to the book that ensues. The reading of it is both a joy and a satisfactory orientation to follows.The book itself falls messily into three discursive chapters: `The Scope of Orientalism' (pp.31-110), `Orientalist structures and Restructures', and `Orientalism Now'. In the first of these breathtakingly well-read pieces, we are reminded of the Baconian principle that `knowledge is power'. The kind of knowledge produced by the quasi-canonical views of `the Orient' developed in colonizing Europe and inherited at a late date by an ascendant America is inextricably enmeshed in the exercise of power. It is not innocent knowing, but rather the systematic domestication of a reality that little matches the categories into which it is forced. This knowledge aspires to empirical obviousness, to objectivity, to the status of that which no reasonable (Western or enlightened Eastern) observe could deny. It is a reality in which the knower is indisputably on the side of imperial power and the known is a less fortunate entity over whom empire is justified in advance by the body of knowledge that is abbreviated as `Orientalism'. It is a schematized and theoretical knowledge based on very little interaction with the human objects that come under its purview. It is subordinating and hungry for a classical `fixed point' in the history of the culture under analysis, a (hopefully) literary moment to which all other encountered aspects and real-time human representatives of that culture can be compared and found wanting.Said argues that such knowledge is a form of paranoia. Illuminated by his anecdotal suggestion that most of our renowned Orientalists did not like the `Orientals' they met, the claim of paranoia is too important an assertion to be skirted.The author is particularly perceptive in his description of a `textual attitude' in part IV (`Crisis') of this first long chapter. For example, `It seems a common human failing to prefer the schematic authority of a text to the disorientations of direct encounters with the human. But is this failing constantly present, or are there circumstances that, more than others, make the textual attitude likely to prevail?' For Said, there are such circumstances and Orientalism falls victim to both of them. First, `One is when a human being confronts at close quarters something relatively unknown and threatening and previously distant ... A second situation favoring the textual attitude is the appearance of success'.On the contrary, Said wants to name and thereby debunk the textual attitude with its false objectivizing, as he asserts in the programmatic statement of the book's sprawling second chapter (`Orientalist Structures and Restructures', pp. 111-197): `My thesis is that the essential aspects of modern Orientalist theory and practice (from which present-day Orientalism derives) can be understood, not as a sudden access of objective knowledge about the Orient, but as a set of structures inherited from the past, secularized, redisposed, and re-formed by such disciplines as philology, which in turn were naturalized, modernized, and laicized substitutes for (versions of) Christian supernaturalism.'In this chapter, the author makes his boldest claims about the human deficiencies of the Orientalists: `We are immediately brought back to the realization that Orientalists, like many other early-nineteenth-century thinkers, conceive of humanity either in large collective terms or in abstract generalities. Orientalists are neither interested in nor capable of discussing individuals; instead artificial entities, perhaps with their roots in Herderian populism, predominate. There are Orientals, Asiatics, Semites, Muslims, Arabs, Jews, races, mentalities, nations, and the like ...' In his signature asyndetic prose, Said describes the ironies that immerse the nineteenth-century European traveler to the Orient, who retains his `European power, to comment on, acquire, possess everything around it. The Orientalist can imitate the Orient without the opposite being true.'It is the cumulative, multi-layered power of Orientalism that makes Said consider it a menace rather than an irritation: `Orientalism can thus be regarded as a manner of regularized (or Orientalized) writing, vision, and study, dominated by imperatives, perspectives, and ideological biases ostensibly suited to the Orient ... My contention is that Orientalism is fundamentally a political doctrine willed over the Orient because the Orient was weaker than the West, which elided the Orient's difference with its weakness.' The academic is sometimes a na?ve and well-meaning complicit: `Formally the Orientalist sees himself as accomplishing the union of Orient and Occident, but mainly by reasserting the technological, political, and cultural supremacy of the West. History, in such a union, is radically attenuated if not banished.'Further, it is the seepage of Orientalist perception out of the academy and into the realm of policy and political power that render it, for Said, a dangerous element and, so, worthy of attention from Said's powerful pen. The author documents a number of examples in his final chapter.The `Afterword' included in this 25th-anniversary volume (pp. 329-352) was written in 1994 and provided Said the opportunity to respond to accusations of non-Western bias and (laughably) Islamic fundamentalism. Chiefly, his defense against allegations that he has been partial-in several meanings of the word-is that he had written `a partisan book, not a theoretical machine'. A charitable reading of this defense might well be enough to excuse the author the need to clarify so extensively what he did not intend to say. Yet there is enough truth in the allegation to wish that Said had lived long enough to do justice to his topic by authoring a work on how Muslims (how to avoid a generalization?) have conceived of the West in partial, schematized, and therefore distorted ways that preclude human engagement. Perhaps that was not his vocation. It would have made his body of work less partial and therefore truer.To comment upon Said's Orientalism is necessarily to indulge in the very type of generalization that he savages in its pages. Yet one can do so with readerly sympathy and even solidarity. His influential book is, in part, a `testament of wounds and a record of sufferings'. History certainly validates the need for such a work. He has provided it with more eloquence, passion, and learning than perhaps any other author who has or might have attempted the same task.It is not difficult to intuit the causes of the dissonance and enmity that arise when Said's view of the world engages with, say, the `civilizationism' of Samuel Huntington or the `crisis of Islam' espoused by Bernard Lewis (against whom Said directs an extended screed). In the former case, the typology must grate, in the latter the reference to a former, classical, and admirable Islam from which the Muslim peoples as we know them today have declined. Though the inevitable caricaturing of such brief description is self-evident, there is enough truth in the abbreviation to justify Said's alarm, if not his disdain.Probably, the lack of symmetry between the Huntington and Lewis schools on the one hand, and the Said approach on the other, creates a context where Said's fundamentally inaccurate work can and does ring true. His voice is, to quote an Oriental prophet, not unlike that of `one crying in the wilderness'.It is good to listen to such a voice, though not by shutting out all others. The confrontation of East and West has left victims. Said, before leukemia too early removed him from our company, took up their voice and spoke it without distraction.

34 stars

Slow This writing feels stoic. I bought it because I have seven children and my home always feels like a noisy village. After choking down three chapters, we had to put it down. It is written from a small girls perspective. I was hoping for something more well rounded

01 star

Wonderful while this book starts out with names and titles that are initially difficult to remember, you start to learn and love the characters; their tragedies are your tragedies. The plot of the book is deliciously twisted, and leaves you breathless. The main character, Phedre, is dark yet innocently sexy. The plot of the story is not like the repetitive stuff churned out in mass, it is different in that the hero, or more triumphantly, heroine defeats the bad guy using not strength or magic but the gift of her sexuality and knowlege instilled in her. She is obviously sexy, but thankfully she is intelligent. She is not perfect, in truth her flaws are shining marks that make her human.

45 stars

The grandaddy of them all The grandaddy of hardboiled detective fiction. Chandler could write, though it does seem a little slow by today's standards. Also, it's hard not to be imagining Bogart instead of the writer's Marlowe. Still, worth a read after all this time.

34 stars

A classic Once I used to the stilted language (apparently typical for the time - "Dracula" was written almost identically) this became a gripping tale. If the author had reduced the narrative about the characters' feelings about the natural features around them near the end of the book, by which time I'd more than enough, I would rate it five stars.

34 stars

The Great Great Dane A charming look at the great dane history from a true lover of great danes. Obviously not an up-to-date reference but a lovely vintage book that clearly demonstrates the development of the great dane. Not a reference book for beginning great dane owners but a nostalgic look at the breed for admirers.

45 stars

Lord of Desire I have read this book and its marvelous!, Paula Quinns vivid word imagery transports us to another place and time ,a time and place where chivary and honor were to be strived for , Her Lady Brynnafar Dumont and Lord Brand Risande's tempestuous relationship Blossoms and explodes in the most wonderful read I have had in ages !Bravo Mrs.Quinn! I will be anxiously awaiting the next book , I see success abounding .Carol McClain

45 stars

Weather the Storm with the One You Love Nicholas Sparks wrote a beautiful story that wrapped around the heart of the reader in the prologue, and never to let go until the final page was turned. In Nights in Rodanthe, you are immersed into a story about a man and a woman who both needed to discover what was missing in their life. Although meeting in Rodanthe was caused my by a friend's wedding and an accidental death in the hospital, these two weathered the storm together and ended up with a week they will never forget. Back to their regular lives, they found how much they were meant for each other, and how it hurt to be apart. You will end up with an appreciation for the person in your life you love the most, and will appreciate every storm you endure together.

34 stars

Worked when all else failed I had been a smoker for over 20 years. I had even successfully quit before for up to 2.5 years using "willpower". But for some reason, as I got older, "willpower" no longer worked for me. I tried cold turkey, "weaning off", you name it.But this book worked. Mr. Carr explains why tapering off never works, why willpower definitely doesn't work and he really helped me to understand why I was smoking in the first place.It's been about 4 months now. And I don't smoke!!!! What freedom!I no longer look at friends who smoke longing for a cigarette, rather, I look at them with empathy. I know they are only smoking because they are addicted!

45 stars

good book but hard to follow I was required to read this book for an English class for a Literary research paper and I thought that this book was great but the transitions from past to present were not handled well and I would often have to go and re-read the text again to help comprehend the situation.

23 stars

Detailed, but aging Oxorn is Canadian and very thorough, but it is getting old. It still recommends episiotomy for assisted vaginal birth and fundal pressure for shoulder dystocia. MORE Ob is a better resource for these topics. I do appreciate that it covers all the "what ifs" and what to do if you had no resources like anaesthesia or surgery. It needs a 6th, updated edition.

34 stars

Pretty Good Book The Hobbit was grappling! It made me feel like I was the main charecter. The book is about Bilbo Baggens, a Hobbit Who meets Gandalf the wizard, who takes Bilbo and a group of dwarfs on a adventure to reclaim the dwarfs lost treasure and kill the beast that killed almost all the dwarfs in the castle that it took over. This book is for someone 7+ years old and likes magic, elves, goblins, etc., etc,. etc.

34 stars

Interesting - Good content - But would have liked Derek to go into more detail... I enjoyed this book. Derek Acorah's work on the Most Haunted programme is terrific. But like the television show, the book doesn't really give a really comprehensive understanding of Derek Acorah's world.Questions that I would have posed to Derek weren't covered in the book in great detail. What is the other side? How does the other side work? Who are our spirit guides? I've read a lot of Sylvia Browne's work and was hoping that Derek's book would provide some synergy between the two mediums understanding of the other side.In summary I did enjoy this book and would recommend it if you wish to learn more of Derek Acorah and his life. Personally I thoroughly enjoyed both sections of the book unlike the previous customer review.

34 stars

The Greatest Adventure Novel . . . Ever Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer is a wonderfully exciting and dramatically moving novel. Jon Krakauer describes the history of the climbing of Mount Everest done by the locals from Nepal to the foreigners from far away places like Europe and the Americas. Jon is a journalist from Outside Magazine and is given the opportunity to climb Mount Everest and document his experiences for the magazine. He cannot refuse the opportunity to fulfill a life-long dream so he accepts the assignment (Jon had done much mountaineering before but none as challenging as what Everest could and would make him endure.) From there he produces a breathtaking first hand account of his experiences on the mountain in the middle of the infamous 1996 disaster in which 12 of the 84 climbers to reach the summit lost their lives. Into Thin Air tells of the many perils and dangers of Mount Everest, the pain one must suffer to get to the top, and the endurance and mental toughness one must have to make it up and down alive.I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure, drama, or just good, interesting writing. The excitement never stops and it will always keep the reader wondering and wanting to know what happens next. I would also recommend this book because it is a brilliant account and example of what it is really like to climb Mount Everest. It really makes the reader feel like they are climbing along side the various teams struggling and striving to reach the 29,028 ft. peak (roughly cruising altitude of a commercial jet). It gives the reader interesting facts about Mount Everest and mountaineering he may not have known before. It also gives an accurate description of the history behind the high altitude glory and hardships of climbing Everest.One reason someone may not want to read Into Thin Air is that they may find it disturbing that 12 people died in such a harsh way. Some of them froze to death, some walked off cliffs because they were delirious from the high altitude and others were lost and never found. Although this is true, I do not believe that anyone should miss out on something so exciting, so interesting, and so emotionally moving. In this definitive account of the deadliest season in the history of Everest, Jon Krakauer takes the reader step-by-step from Katmandu to the mountain's deadly peak, unfolding a breathtaking story that will thrill and terrify.

45 stars

This is A+ Christie! If I could suggest a top five compilation of Christie's best, this would definitely be amoung them (Evil Under the Sun, Murder in Mesopotamia, Death on the Nile, Why Didn't They Ask Evans). However, I do agree with a previous poster who urged that this book not by the first Christie you ever read.

45 stars

The Switch The Prince and the Pauper written by Mark Twain is an adventurous, exciting book. The book takes place in London around the 1500's. Two boys were born on the same day, Tom Canty and Edward Tudor. Tom Canty was born unto a poor life, and as a boy growing up, "Tom's reading and dreaming about princely life wrought such a strong effect upon him that he began to act the prince." And just his luck, did he happen to some across the Prince of Wales, after suffering the hard blow of the soldier knocking him into the crowd. The Prince of Wales is Edward Tudor, the other boy born on the same day but born into a rich and wealthy family. As a result from the encounter, the two boys decide to switch places, as the Prince of Wales says to Tom Canty, "Doff thy rags and don these splendors."The book describes the boys' adventures throughout the experience of living each other's lives. As the Prince of Wales lives as the pauper, he is introduced to and learns about many different people such as the Canty family, Miles Hendon, a troop of Vagabonds, Hugo, the peasants, the hermit, and others. And as Tom Canty acts as the Prince of Wales, he experiences living the higher life of royalty, being treated with respect and given so many opportunities and choices.Through having the plot be that the characters switch places, the book is more exciting because the reader could act in the character's place and experience the lifestyles and adventures involved with each person's life. Other than being able to understand better each person's lifestyle with the type of writing, using dialogue in Old English adds a stronger effect to bringing everything back in time to understand the setting. Although at times, the Old English could get confusing.Overall, I thought that this book was interesting because it explains the lifestyles of different people in London around the 1500's in a way that is fun and easy to understand. Although at times, I did feel as if it carried on too much about things that were insignificant. Other than that, the book was good and I would recommend that it be read, if you are interested in adventure.Other adventure books written by Mark Twain, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, were also interesting, but I enjoyed reading The Prince and the Pauper more because it contained more excitement for me.

34 stars

Juval Lowy is wonderful This is a must have book. Although it doesn't talk about component oriented programming, it gives lots of details of .net internals.If you are mid-senior level programmer you must have this book.

45 stars

Deep Rich American History I think this book about a President that sacrificed so much but has received so little credit is one of the best I have ever read. This book not only give you insight into John Adam's life but also Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and many other important figures during our country's early years. It also reveals the depth of emotional struggle and strength of John Adam's wife, Abigail.One of the most endearing features of this book is the many insights into letters and diary's of most of the main characters in this story, giving the reader a true vision of their thoughts and feelings.As you can tell, I highly recommend this book to any one that loves history or loves biographies.

45 stars

Bad Kindle edition Do not purchase this book for your kindle. I am extremely disappointedNot only is it MORE expensive to purchase the electronic version (which is ridiculous) but they did NOT convert the charts for proper kindle viewing.There are quite a few informative charts and helpful notes within the book.Sadly the editors did not convert these charts & tips to work effectively within a digital reader. It is virtually impossible to read the charts.As the chart information is not listed in the text you will fight with your digital reader to scroll through the chart for the valuable information - like on baby signals, how to read them and what they mean.I don't know why they didnt just use a chart format that the other books I have on kindle use...but it is frustrating and ineffective.I want my money back.

01 star

Work of (Con) Art Nothing beats reading the autobiographical book by the man himself. Written in great detail with all actual names and events altered, Frank W. Abagnale is the result of a slightly dysfunctional and broken family. To fulfil his creative instincts and barrage of fantasies/curiosities, Frank masqueraded as a pilot, a doctor, a professor and most of all, a suave young gentlement whose charm was irresistable to hoards of women. While doing everything, Frank also passed millions of dollars in fradulent checks around many countries worldwide before 21 and concealed his tracks so well that the detective hot on his case was unable to arrest him.The book has much insight to offer. Every little detail from how Frank planned his missions to how he meticulously and painstakingly crafted his means to achieve his wants (or what had become needs by the time he was in too deep). In short, he was insatiable, risk-taking and anti-corporation.At the end of the day, Frank's ruse worked due to a combination of factors: his eye for detail, craft for fogery, wit, intelligence, inclination for risk and most important of all, LUCK. When his luck did run out, life became hell as he spent his days from prison to prison.The book is indeed a mind blowing reading that took you inside the world of a pubescent conman!

34 stars

A magnificent adventure in literature and in travel The Lost Steps takes the reader on a vivid and deep, mystical, magical journey. Whether read as an adventure story into the cultural roots of humanity in Latin America or as an adventure into rich, literary symbolism, Alejo Carpentier's masterpiece is a work that can be read again and again.Carpentier's ability as a skilled craftsman in the art of writing comes through whether he describes a journey over the Andes, a revolution, or the barking of dogs in a Indian village.Harriet de Onis has provided us with an incomparable translation from Spanish to English of this work of art. In my opinion it is the BEST work of fiction of the 20th Century. Test it for yourself.

45 stars

Can a non-NASCAR fan love this book? Yes, she can! I don't watch the sport, but the title caught my eye. I am a researcher who was has delving into the subject of alcohol for a non-judgmental article on that elixir in the quart jar that gives roasting ears a whole new life. Part of that article was the story of NASCAR and its ties to moonshine, and alcohol's importance to politicians through the ages for tax revenue. A description of the book revealed that the person Thompson was writing about was in my family tree.I loved the book. It was well-researched and written. I knew some of the story of Raymond Parks through genealogical research, and Thompson did a great job of portraying the family. A little explanation is due, I feel, for those related to folks in the book and may be upset by the revelations contained therein. For the time and the community that was Dawson and Lumpkin Counties in the early 1900s the Parks family, a large contingent of very different personalities, was well-respected and educated. And...they were fiercely independent. As in most families there was violence, compassion, tragedy and joy. Times were hard, and the land harsh.Congratulations to Mr. Thompson for giving Raymond Parks his due. Parks' love for family and his determination to succeed despite a beginning that spoke of loneliness and desperation resulted in an entrepreneur who served his country and his fellowman well.

45 stars

Help and hope for chronic pain sufferers For anyone who suffers from chronic fatigue, chronic pain such as fibromyalgia, and other conditions that don't respond to traditional medicines, WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE MEDICATIONS DON'T WORK? by Dr. Michael L. Johnson offers a ray of healing hope. The author, a Chiropractic Neurologist and founder of one of the nation's first multi-disciplinary clinics documents case after case of patients he has worked with, and treated, with the groundbreaking procedures he has helped develop. Using both his understanding of the human brain and the relationship between the brain chemicals and hormones and the chronic conditions that plague millions of people, Dr. Johnson provides a foundation of multi-disciplinary healing that can be applied to anyone tired of dealing with debilitating migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, vertigo, numbness and a variety of other conditions.This book doesn't just outline theories and offer up treatments, it explains in fully understandable detail why our bodies react the way they do, how we become diseased in the first place, what role the brain plays in our aches and ailments, and how the combination of chiropractic techniques and neurological treatments that target the brain can provide a relief from pain that ordinary pills and procedures cannot.I was fascinated by the explanation of the various parts of the human brain, and which parts are responsible for causing which pains and sensations we suffer. The non-drug tests and treatments suggested in this book seem to target those exact brain parts and chemical imbalances that create the problem, rather than just masking symptoms. The comprehensive examinations Dr. Johnson provides his patients, combined with his actual healing techniques, are all personally designed to the patient's needs, rather than just taken from a big, fat medical diagnosis textbook. He truly gets as much information on his patients as he can before he commences any kind of treatment, so that when he does begin work, whether it is using chiropractic manipulation or some type of exercise designed to stimulate a certain area of the brain and get those neurons firing, that work is all but guaranteed to produce a positive effect on the patient.In fact, so many of Dr. Johnson's patients report incredible results from their treatments, results they have never come close to receiving using traditional doctors who practice "old school" medicine.I have friends with fibromalgyia and migraines, and plan to tell them all about WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE MEDICATIONS DON'T WORK because, after reading it, I believe it is a great alternative to what most doctors offer - which is usually some expensive pharmaceutical or impractical surgery. Dr. Johnson's amazing research and clinical work with patients opens up a whole new world of healing for the most stubborn cases of chronic pain, offering new hope to those who have all but given up hope.MARIE D. JONES, ASSOCIATE BOOK REVIEWER: REBECCASREADS.COM, BOOKIDEAS.COM, CURLEDUP.COM

45 stars

Esoteric & Ivory Tower I could relate to about 1/10th of the poems. My instinct (late from the moldering glades of the academy) is that these poems were chosen to broaden (not deepen) the moat around the ivory tower -- poetry IS dead in this volume, mostly.

12 stars

gift from my mother A gift of Love and Knishes (Sixth printing May 1958) signed from my Mother with "Have fun Dear, Love Mother" is my favorite novel-cookbook and gift for new brides. So happy it is still available from Amazon!

45 stars

Yes, But I totally agree with the other reviewers; this is a very good book and I hope that the author will update it as new data become available. My one major complaint is that he's much too lenient towards the Qin dynasty Fa Jia / Legalists. Just read Arthur Waley's _ Three Ways of Thought in Ancient China _ which provides numerous quotes from their chief writings: the Book of Lord Shang and the Han Fei Zi. One author describes the Book of Lord Shang as "as chilling a platform for rule as has ever been written other than _ Mein Kampf _". And he's much too kind to the Qin dynasty, saying it fell only because Qin Shi Huang died relatively young. It was foolish for Qin Shi Huang to allow a cad such as Zhao Gao to have such influence that the crown prince was duped into committing suicide and the prime minister Li Si executed. To this day the Chinese have the expression "to call a deer a horse" from an incident involving Zhao Gao. Tyranny has its consequences.

23 stars