I Books

The book fascinated me, changed the way I considered things,made me think enlightment was really at hand. Three years later, I have changed my mind about it. The discerment and rethoric Nisargadat are just impressive, perhaps underrated in todays philosophic and spiritual world.
However, I must say it's up to the reader to believe if this is the real path to enlightment. I won't say here what I believe. The book is a jewell of the advaita philosophy. I don't remember skipping pages or being bored in the 400 or more pages this book has.
Recommendable investment.

Are you awake? wondering why the old "ego entity" is still causing trouble? "I Am That" is probably the best medicine you can take during the "relative" process of unfolding. What a gem! Boy am I sorry I missed meeting this guy!

I have a library of hundreds of spiritual books, representing every major religious and mystical tradition.

Few possess the clarity, the startling immediacy, the actual life-altering power of this volume.

If there is such a thing as a holy book, here is one.

What more can be said?

I purchased my first copy of this book 25 years ago, have purchased or read hundreds since and never found any writing more essential to Self-realization than I Am That. Every mind blowing word comes from a simple man who had never received a formal education beyond primary learning. His photo alone will send you into the mystery.

Nisargadatta's teaching is simple and radical. Give every spare second of your free time to being conscious to the only fact you know...I Am. What is that? Look, intuit, be still and realize. Stay with what you truly know and be this awareness always. I am not aware of any spiritual teacher who has offered more truth than this book contains in its 110 dialogues with students. Yet, as Nisargadatta says himself, "A quiet mind is all you need..." Our freedom is realized within and as our own Self. Nisargadatta points where we must BE. Anyone who takes up his advice as their own contemplation can realize the Absolute Self. This book is never the same in any reading and it nourishes the true in you. It flows like water that's headed home to the ocean. Jump in and let the current have you. I Am That is a timeless classic. Don't just read it, live it and be happy.

Sundance Burke, Author Free Spirit: A Guide to Enlightened Being

i almost threw this book in the trash once or twice on the first read, it seemed backwards, ludicrous, and difficult to read.
i kept picking it back up and giving it another chance due to all the good reviews, and something inside me that kept urging me to.
Once i started to understand Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj the book became easier to read, it was like, "OHHH, i get it now!"
Now, even though it is difficult to subscribe to, or follow "all" of the Maharaj's teachings, i am finding that some of the principals of non-duality are making my life appear "better" and bringing me closer to others, in understanding them better, i find more tolerance of our subtle differences; thus, common ground to grow on.

There are many wonderful quotes in this book...
here is one of my favorite:


"Causes and results are infinite in number and variety. Everything affects everything. In this universe, when one thing changes, everything changes. Hence the great power of man in changing the world by changing himself." (I Am That, Nisargadatta Maharaj, p 490)


i truly believe that "Everyone" should at least give the Maharaj a chance, and read this book.

wakecowboy.

I bought this book several years ago when Daniel Pinkwater reviewed it on Public Radio. It perfectly describes a relationship between parent and child, where the parent is the stable rock the child craves, the child the ingenuous spirit the adult has lost.

I don't see it as being limited to adults and children. I have many of the same feelings about some of my adult friends.

I do agree with the reviewer who suggested this is basically an adult book -- I don't think most children will understand what it's about.

The "professional" reviewer who found it overly sentimental seems to have little understanding of human relationships. This book expresses a significant aspect of them in a way I have not seen elsewhere.

This book really warms your heart. Perfect for anyone - parents and children. I give it to all of my friends who had a baby or are having a baby... It made me cry after my daughter was born because the book is so touching, yet so simple. It is one my 18 month old daughters favorite books. ENJOY!

LOVE THIS BOOK! It's a great kid-friendly story about the relationship between a parent and child. The pictures are wonderful also. Gave it as a baby shower gift to a good friend but will absolutely get another copy when I have my own children!

This book is heart moving and precious because it is so real. I can't read it without tears in my eyes.

This beautiful book expresses the love of a parent for a child so well! And because it is not gender specific, it allows any parent and child to see themselves in the story. It works as well for alternative families as for traditional families. Appropriate for single parent families, same sex families and adoptive families. It makes a perfect welcoming gift for a new child!

nicholas and alexandra should never had become czar and crazina of russia.nicholas was just to weak spirit and alexandra to strong without know the real russia people.she saw russian as childern who needed to be told how to run their lives by the papa czar.she hide her son illness and brought in a sexual twisted man of god into her family,ruin the romanov's relationship with it's people.stopping changes that would give citzen russian say in their country.in the end the people turn on the romanov's every thing end tragical.

I read this book many years ago and have never forgotten it, and I just recently purchased a copy of my own. Robert Massie is an excellent writer who makes this book memorable for the fun and loving family that the Romanovs were and their terrible, tragic end. I'm now collecting more books on the Romanov dynasty and the individual people who made up this fascinating family. For anyone with an interest, this is the place to start.

Far and away one of the best biographies I have ever read. Massie masterfully gives life to the doomed, tragic last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II, and his family. I was absolutely rivetted from page one by this outstanding work. The book gives a sympathetic portrait of Tsar Nicholas, his wife Empress Alexandra, and their ongoing struggle to cope with their haemophiliac son, Alexei, heir to the Russian throne. Alexei's illness indirectly leads to the downfall of the Romanov dynasty and the family's murder. An astonishingly good read, and one I highly recommend to all who are interested in this era of history.

Robert Massie's "Nicholas and Alexandra" is a biographical study centered on the lives of the last Tsar and Tsarina of Russia. Massie's portrayal of the last ruling Romanavs is like many other works on the subject in that it is poignant, dramatic, and vibrant; but never dull. However, Massie's work stands out above other works on the subject for its thorough account of the lives of the imperial couple and most of all, its sympathetic portrayal of them.

Nearly all works of the period agree that Tsar Nicholas II was not the blood-drenched despot the Bolshevik revolutionaries claimed him to be, and although he may not have been as benevolent as his contemporary Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary, he at least lacked the bellicose nature of his German counterpart (and early advisor), Wilhelm II. Massie's account demonstrates how Nicholas II was ill-prepared to ascend the throne in after Alexander III, but unlike the contention of other historians, Massie makes a reasonable case in defending the intelligence of the fallen autocrat.

Massie's account of Nicholas and Alexandra does not absolve the couple from their failure to prevent the collapse of the reign and ultimately their country, but it does partially excuse their inflexibility and fatalism on the serious of misfortunes that continued to plague Nicholas from the very day of his coronation; when hundred of Russian peasants were stampeded to death in a overzealous crowd on Khodynka Meadow. Yet, no Romanov apologist can ignore the detrimental influences on Nicholas's reign, including his wife Alexandra, a German Kaiser, and especially a corrupt starets. That such an array of persons from various strata of society could at times impose their will on a man raised to be an autocrat was a tarnish on Nicholas' character.

Despite his habit of being easily swayed at times, Nicholas is not one-dimensional in Massie's account. It is noted how Nicholas ignored the advice of able ministers and most of all; remained unyielding to grant the masses of his subjects the representation and constitution they desired--until it was too late. Even Massie can be counted among the historians who muse whether the Romanov dynasty might have survived had the Tsar been more accommadating to the popular demands of his people--or if war had not erupted in the manner it did in 1914.

Although Massie's work is very thorough, it only briefly touches the clandestine operations of the Tsarist police state in rooting out revolutionaries and assassins from its masses prior to 1917. Indeed, other works (e.g. Edmond Taylor's "The Fall of the Dynasties") are careful to point out that Tsarist police included a host of known double agents whose loyalties were perpetually in doubt. While Massie makes note of that insecurity in his account of Prime Minister Peter Stolypin's assassination in 1911 by a Tsarist agent, he fails to explain how widespread the problem actually was. Indeed, Taylor describes as monarchy's slide to collapse as a "suicide", not because they were unable to stop that slide, but rather because they were unwilling.

Just as it is difficult to excuse the corrupt system of Tsarist counter-revolutionary activity, historians are also unable to justify the Russia's policy in WWI of placing the needs of France above that of her own. The disaster at Tannenburg early in the war is described in detail by Massie, and is correctly portrayed as a premature offensive launched by Russia (with the support of Nicholas) to rescue its beleagured ally from the German onslaught through northern France. Indeed, even after his abdication and arrest, Massie notes how Nicholas pleaded with Kerensky to continue to support the Russia's allies in the war effort--a mission with which the Provisional Government leader would complete in the summer of 1917 with disastrous consequences. Although Massie's "Nicholas and Alexandra" does not outright label the monarchy as a principle agent of its own destruction, his book nevertheless provides a strong case to the conclusion that the last rulers (and their ministers) of the Romanov dynasty practiced an inexplicable policy of self-immolation.

It is perhaps this mystery--or lunacy--of the Romanovs that continues to fascinate so many readers 90 years after their unglorious deaths in their Siberian imprisonment. Undoubtedly, the story of the last Romanovs will continue to perplex students of history for decades to come, and Robert Massie's work will will remain the foremost account of the twilight of Imperial Russia.

Massie has written a masterpiece.
Graceful, informative ,never boring.
One of the best introductions into the insanity
of the Red Revolution and the rise of communism.

Vincent Tyler is a remarkable person and poet. He breathes life into what seems to be ordinary words on a page. His writing affirm what sisaths are dying to know.... that there are brothas out there who understand our deepest desire and needs. This book also affirms that it is okay for a man be in touch with his sensual & romantic side and not be considered a whimp. After reading this book and hearing the cd, I have included some of Mr. Tyler's works in a pamper gift basket for my sistah friends. They are truly in for a treat!!!!

This is a wonderful book Vincent has open new doors for us to explore.We now know that men can be as sensual women.If you are looking for a good read this is one but don't let it get away from you because you will want to go back to this one.

VINCENT TYLER HAS DONE A WONDERFUL JOB AS A POET AND WRITER. KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT WORK MR.TYLER ,YOU HAVE GIVEN ALOT OF WOMEN SOME REALLY GOOD ENJOYMENT !!

A Definite must for all women . Get a glass of wine, get in a bubble bath using your favorite scent, settle back and relax and enjoy a sensous journey provided by a live, alive, pleasure fulfilling man. Read what you wish your man would put into words. Its nice to know a man thinks about the pleasure he can give a woman and validates women in their sexuality and beauty. Men should read and learn, their fanatasies can come true by emulating Mr. Tyler

I received your book, "I thought about you today" and your CD "chocolatecoveredcherries",
from my boyfriend Deronti Milam tonight. I could not put it down until I finished the last page. I thought that it was very interesting. On the back cover it states that "this book is for adult women". Men need to read it as well so they can learn what is pleasing to a woman. If more men and women catered to each other needs, there probably would be more committed ralationship in the world today. Keep up the good work and thanks for the autograph.

God Bless

Barbara Walton

This book delves into the history or a child in the late 1800 who has leprosy and is taken away from her family to live in a leper colony on the island of Maoloka'i. It is a fascinating story that tells of her life through her sixties. Besides her story being captivating you learn so much of how leprosy was treated in those days and the stigma attached to the disease. Through the years you see how the treatment changes and people begin to be treated differently. It is a fascinating story and every page of the book holds your attention. This story will stick with me for a long time!

Moloka'i is an excellent historical novel which addresses the medical as well as the political climate of the times in the Hawaiian Islands for almost 100 years. The story is told through the eyes of a young Hawaiian girl who is plucked from her family and sent to Moloka'i because she has been diagnosed as a leper and banned from Hawaiian society. The people she meets and the experiences she lives through build to a wonderful albeit fantastic finale.

Now, this isn't the great american novel, but it grabs your interest and sustains it throughout. Rachel becomes a friend that you care for and pray she finds happiness. The final chapters are not as fulfilling as the rest of the novel, it's as if the author had said all he needed to say, and just wanted to tie up loose ends. It offers a window into one more of the injustices our Government inflected upon native nations and their people. A true story of how, when given lemons, people somehow made lemonade.

I was going to read this but the Publisher's Weekly review pretty much revealed the whole plot from start to finish...thanks a lot.

When Molokai opens and introduces us to the indomitable Rachel Kalama, immediately I felt hopeless despair for the fate of this seven year old child as she is sent alone to the Leper Colony on Molokai. Though her uncle is already an inhabitant of the island, what sort of life could Rachel expect to have, sentenced as though a criminal to never leaving Molokai simply because she has a disease? From the mid 1800s to well into the twentieth century, Hawaii's law was that all those with leprosy would be shipped to Molokai, never to leave; they either died quickly or had to learn to make a life out of very little. So when Rachel finds herself separated from her parents and siblings, the only thing that keeps her from devastation is the idea that Uncle Pono and his lady friend Haleola will care for her. Then the next separation in her life occurs when the Board of Health takes her away from them and forces her into the girls' group home "for her protection." While it is only one of many separations ina lifetime of them, the best thing to come of this forced move is a lifelong friendship with Sister Catherine, one of the Franciscan nuns who care tenderly for the afflicted. Through friends and supporters, Rachel realizes she is not alone after all. As we watch Rachel's story unfold, it becomes clear that hers is not a hopeless, unmeaningful life; Rachel, hardy and rambunctious, is able to not only develop her own 'ohana (family) from the friends she finds on Molokai, she also finds love, death, and eventually freedom.

Told from Rachel's arrival on the island in 1893 until her death in 1970, this is a sweeping tale of a very real place and time in Hawaii's history. Warranted or not, Hawaii's law that all lepers must move to Molokai shaped, curtailed, and forged lives that only the strong could survive. How Rachel overcomes heart-wrenching loss and the odds against her survival make for a riveting tale that engages the reader within the first few pages. Brennert has expertly researched his story and invigorated it with tangible characters. The spirit of this book will live on in me for a long, long time to come. It is indeed the best sort of book to read and find that when you are done, you are actually nowhere near finished with the tale. Highly recommended.

"Boot Camp" is a fabulous book that will certainly help any child in their preparation for the SAT. It is worth the time and effort to insure the best scores possible!

My son took the class with Ms. Manning and his score went up by 180 points from his PSAT. "Boot Camp" was helpful in achieving this score. I highly recommend this book.

My daughter's SAT scores went up over 380 points - This was due to purchasing this book; learning the vocab in the book; following the Math Hints; and doing practice problems. After taking the SAT, my daughter came home and said "The vocab that I studied from Bootcamp was on the SAT"! She scored 750 on the Math Section which is a direct result of doing the Math practice problems. There is also great information on what to do on test day. The author also offers a SAT Prep class in the DC area, which I also highly recommend.

Because of the course and the book, my daughter will now be considered by a broader range of colleges!

This book was a key factor in helping our daughter increase her SAT scores by 160 points! I strongly suggest any high school junior making the investment of time and money!

Anyone preparing for the PSAT or SATs should read "Boot Camp". My daughter studied the book and her SAT jumped "300" points to a near perfect score. After studying the book and taking Marcy's course, my son's PSAT score went up 350 points. The book is concise, easy to read, and fun. It tells you what you need to know. You won't regret buying this book.

In short, I am an amateur historian of Russian history and found this biography to be very detailed, thoroughly researched biograaphy while at the same time reading as a top notch novel. I can't recommend it more. If you are interested in the man, this transitional period in Russian history or are after a great read, you won't be disappointed. Enjoy!

i THINK PETER MASSIE's biography on Peter tue Great is a classic book. You read it more as a novel than an historical biography. I highgly recommend it for people interest in history. Peter the Great is an icon of Russian and Universal history, with a stunnig personality, with very dark and very positive sides. It is a most for people who want to understand russian history.

Massie's biography of Peter, the Czar of Russia is unquestionably author's best book.

For nearly quarter of a century Peter strode upon his nation like a colossus.Though tyrannical and cruel Peter unlike other Russian contemporaries was broad-minded and had progressive outlook toward life.Russian Czar was dynamic had unbridled curiosity and insatiable thirst for knowledge.

Old Muscovy state ,as author rightly puts it, was conservative,xenophobic rigidly adhering to antiquated ways.Interacting with foreigners in Muscovy's German suburb Peter realised how backward his nation really was.A fact which prompted him to undertake 'Great Embassy' to the West.Peter strove to modernise Russia particularly its armed forces incorporating latest in western technology.There was hardly a sphere of human endeavour in that nation which lay untouched by Peter's reforming zeal. Czar can rightly be dubbed the architect of modern Russia.

Czar's love for war,soldiering ,sea,ships,navigation lends colour to this biography.Big events of his life was Great northern War and founding of the city of St. Petersburg along the banks of river neva.In the former case, Peter wanted to make Russia a maritime power .this was not possible as long as Russia had no natural access to sea.In the south ,Tartars blocked Russia's route to sea and in the north Swedes controlled the Baltic coast.Peter's determination to break the stranglehold led to war with King Charles XII of Sweden.

The book is also a brilliant sweep of late 17th and early 18th century history.Author narrates Streltsy revolt which precede peter's accession to power,the reign of King Louis XIV of Bourbon dynasty,splendid court life of French nobility. Religious strife ,dynastic quarrels leading to wars of succession,rise of Holland, growth of Ottoman power and Glorious revolution in England.Hence I deem this book an essential reading for History buffs.

My only grudge is bibliography which looks inadequate considering the scale of research undertaken by the author for its production.Research notes not very impressive .However footnotes adequately compensates for this lacuna.

Book carries good quality maps especially on Battle of Poltava. Reader is easily able to follow the ebb and flow of the battle ; different manoeuvres practised by Swedish and Russian infantry and cavalry units.

On the whole,Massie has done an excellent job.

Much like Pierre Berton's great Canadian history books, Robert Massie brings history to the "people" with Peter The Great. In this long but highly readable biography, Massie illumimates the distant past of a backward nation which grew into a major European power under the energetic Peter. We read about the palace intrigues in the Kremlin in Peter's early years, his rise to power, and his historic trip "incognito" through Holland, Austria and England. A major part of this book is devoted to the Great Northern War with Sweden, and the fascinating character of Swedish king Charles XII. I knew very little about that attempted invasion of Russia, and Massie paints a vivid picture of the Swedish campaign. The author also brings us inside the Ottoman Empire and the life of the Sultans and Grand Viziers. He puts Peter's life in context with the greater world and shifting alliances of Europe.

The brutish nature of life in Russia in this era is not glossed over. So many labourers died in the construction of Peter's centrepiece city St. Petersburg, and the cruel punishments of the time are depicted. Overall, this is the type of historical biography they don't write anymore. History can be and should be written to appeal to a broader audience, and also to tell things as they were, without resorting to revisionism. Books such as this encourage readers to explore history more.

I love to read history and have numerous books about many people and events that happened throughout history. But this book has to be my absolute favorite. Peter the Great was an amazing person and led a life without one dull moment. Once you start reading this book it will be difficult to put it down. Even though he did not live into old age, he lived a life full of adventure and you will never be bored while reading this book. You will find that Peter the Great is one of the best leaders of all times and I often wonder how Russian history would have evolved if Peter had lived to be eighty. It is too bad the man cannot be cloned.

I picked this book up on a recommendation from someone who used to work on the I Love Lucy Show (Dann Cahn). It was fantastic! Written by Lucy herself, it really focused on her feelings and thoughts early on. Once I started I couldn't put it down.

Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball was an autobiography she wrote but never published. Her daughter Lucie found the manuscript and decided to publish it almost a decade after her mother's death. Lucille Ball was a comic gem, she did everything so perfectly. This book is good but some of the parts seem empty so I can't give this book 5 stars. Ball talks about her modeling days, how she met and fell in love with Desi Arnaz, her hit t.v. show and becoming a businesswoman when she was highly criticized for being too tough. Check this good summer read out sometime, enjoy!

I would recommend this book to anyone who is a Lucy fan. Knowing that it is an autobiography makes it more interesting. You can almost hear her voice as you read through the lines. Her life wasn't all roses. Lots of pictures for us to enjoy. Get the book. You won't put it down.

I quite enjoyed this one. It is Lucy's "lost" autobiography--that is, it was only discovered and published after her death in 1989. It was found tucked away in the files of her former attorney, discovered when her children were processing her estate. Apparently, Lucy had begun an "as told to" book by dictating for two years to a talented secretary who transcribed her tapes and even traveled to her hometown to interview her childhood friends for their memories. The resulting product is the history of Lucy from her birth in 1911 to Christmas of 1962. It is written in the present tense, and many of the readers who knew her commented that it was in her "own voice." When Lucie got to listen to the tapes, she even discovered that her mother had been accurately quoted for once! A warm picture emerges of an ambitious but essentially normal comedienne who was very family-oriented and hard-working. Her father died before she had a chance to know him, but she was raised lovingly by her mother and maternal grandparents. She goes through stints of modeling and starring in movies, about which time she meets Desi Arnaz. He played the Cuban firecracker to her more low-key character, and the sparks flew. They went on together to produce the most beloved television show of all time and to rule over the empire of Desilu Productions. But they found themselves not too compatible in the end--he was working too hard and given to explosive rages, and his drinking and many infidelities didn't help matters any. He humiliated her publically on many occasions, and that was why she eventually wanted a divorce. But she remained fond of him, and put this book away because she was afraid that its revelations would hurt him. She went on to meet and marry Gary Morton and found happiness with him for many years until her death. But Gary is only a small part of this book--you walk away struck by what Lucy and Desi achieved together that neither could have achieved alone.

Lucille Ball abandoned this book in 1964, out of concern that its contents would hurt Desi Arnaz. She then forgot about it (as did everyone else in her life, it seems), and it sat neglected in a box of papers until the mid-1990s. This is a phenomenal book, and easily the best I've read so far regarding Lucille Ball.

Love, Lucy should be read along with other biographies in order to get a balanced perspective (Miss Ball tends to be a bit circumspect, though not as private as I expected her to be, regarding her own shortcomings and her private life), but on the whole it is a fascinating glimpse into a legendary life when it was far from over. She had only recently divorced Desi Arnaz and was in the heart of working on The Lucy Show at the time she abandoned the project, and was still terribly active in the running of Desilu.

Lucille sometimes remembers things in a way that makes her seem a bit more moral than she really was. She doesn't discuss running wild and being naughty in her teen years, but since she had young children of her own at the time of the writing of Love, Lucy, I don't suppose I should have expected her to do so. Who wants to display their shortcomings to their kids and then say "don't do that!"

What is most beautiful about this book is the discussion of her love of Desi Arnaz and their marriage. Even though the marriage didn't survive, they adored one another and continued to do so until the ends of their lives. The quote that made me laugh out loud, and I could HEAR Lucy saying it was "It was not love at first sight; it took five minutes."

Jackie Chan has had a very eventful life. When he was a child he lived in on an ambassadors mansion in Hong Kong. Soon he was sent to a Cantonese Opera school, which was a boarding school where he was trained, day and night for over 10 years of his young life, in the ways of Chinese Opera. Chinese Opera is not the same Opera you and I may think of it as, but instead is a very acrobatic physically demanding show. He then went into the stuntman business, which was a very difficult road for him. For many years he struggled with finding work but he soon became a much wanted stuntman. Eventually he went into small acting parts, which led to bigger acting parts. Soon enough he was a huge success in Hong Kong, and eventually got married to a famous Chinese actress. Jackie still travels a lot and his wife is a stay at home wife who raises his son.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading. It is full of constant action and keeps your attention. I Am Jackie Chan is an easy read and fast paced I was unable to put it down, except of course when class was over.

I Am Jackie Chan My Life in Action 1998 5/5
Written by :Jackie Chan & Jeff Yang

Easily one of the best books I have ever read. This books contains 398 pages of pure joy. Seriously I read this book In one sitting . I was already a fan of Jackie Chan now I have so much respect for him. The copy I own includes a extra chapter, I would say it's worth buying again to read that extra chapter. Jackie Chan had a very interesting upbringing filled with beating and let downs. I mean he was abandoned by his parents who essentially sold him to the Peking Opera. Where they had the power to punish him up till death.

In here Jackie talks about the makings his earlier films. I really enjoyed this book as much as I enjoy his movies. Jeff Yang has said in interviews that there is works to release a second volume. Lets hope for that!

my wife's english is not good. but she found that it is very easy to understand this book as Jackie's movie. She has fun with it and use it to prove her english.

Dood tottally I'm not kidding, Jackie Chan is like a god amongst men, a god who makes flawed movies in his old age (flawed is polite considering the horrible movies he's currently putting out). Man Jackie Chan is so great it makes my balls sweat whenever I think about it, in this book he talks about how he and his crew broke into an amusement park to steal... not money but bread crumbs!!! Becuase Master wanted his students to work hard, this is not a book for weaklings, they will fret and feel weak as they learn of the heroic and disciplined exploits of my man JACKIE FING CHAN! Man in this book he talks about how some dudes wanted to fight, but he didn't cuase Master taught him only to fight for show and not fight for violence. Man the world would be a better place if we all had to read this book. Mandatory reading for High Schools this should be.

A fascinating insight into the mind and career of the world's biggest movie star. With exhaustive (and exhausting!) descriptions of Jackie's brutal Peking opera training and early days as a stuntman and actor, almost everything you want to know about Jackie is here.

Not that there aren't omissions - his illegitimate son Jaycee, now trying to make a name for himself as an actor, is never mentioned. Jackie is also quick to take credit (he claims 'Half a Loaf of Kung Fu' and 'Snake in the Eagle's Shadow' were the first kung fu comedies, which they weren't) and slow to give it out (he describes his opera brothers' film 'The Prodigal Son,' arguably the best kung fu movie ever made, as "solid"). But Jackie's charisma and determination shine through on every page, and you can't help but admire the guy. A must read for Jackie fans and aficionados of Hong Kong cinema.

I bought this book in a second hand book it is a briellient story and enjoyed reading it very much.

I first read these in high school and now atleast every 2 or 3 years I read them again. This time around (I'm 27 now) when I had the urge to read them I couldn't find them. I really wish they would make them into a movie trilogy! It's just a great read if you love nature and magic and remember being 16 and in highschool. I hope I read this until I am an old grandma and can get lost in time and pretend I am cassie!

I love this trilogy. I've loved it since I was about ten, and I still love it. It has pride of place on my bookshelf, and every now and again, I go back and re-read it.

In this first book, Cassie Blake, a highschool junior, finds herself suddenly uprooted when her mother moves them back to the tiny Massachusetts town of New Salem. They move in with her grandmother, and before long, a girl at Cassie's school has been murdered and Cassie has taken her place in the mysterious 'Club', a group of teenage witches who can trace their lineage all the way back to the days of the Salem witchcraft trials. Add to that is the menacing and beautiful Faye, Cassie's growing attraction to her best friend's boyfriend, and the search for the coven's lost Master Tools, and you have yourself a gripping and fast-paced start to a thrilling young adult trilogy.

That's not to say that the story doesn't have its problems, one of which is the somewhat underdeveloped secondary characters. Even this is excusable, however, given that there are eleven of them in the coven itself, not to mention various relations and townspeople. If nothing else, most of the coven members are clearly defined and given at least a few pages of close attention, such as the bike ride with Deborah in the second novel. Overall, a very satisfactory read, and well worth buying.

When I was about 13 or 14 I read and re-read these book over and over again. I even recorded them on tape so that I could listen to it while I was out and about.

I loved this trilogy.

Everyone can relate to Cassie in feeling different in a group and in this day and age magic is really popular, so this trilogy is the best for those that are coming of age in this time period when we are obsessed with darkness and magic, etc.

I plan on buying a new set because I wore my old set (given that was 13 years ago) out.

I first read this book when I was 12. For some reason I was not able to get ahold of the next two books in the series. Well, the ending left me so curious to know what happened that I felt compelled (at the age of 24) to track down the next two books in the series to find out what happened. I have to say that I enjoyed reading it the second time as much as I enjoyed the first. The characters are all well formed and interesting. These books are an excellent synthesis of religious accuracy and compelling imagination.