D Books

As an engineering student, good group and personal communication skills are essential for my success in the future. I recently attended a fantastic and educational two day seminar with the Glasers. Their expert skills as communicators not only makes their material fun to read, but offer outlines that are easy to follow for creating a successful presentation. Although these outlines are simple, they have a powerful affect on your communication skills if they are followed.

This summer I received my first research grant. To ensure that the funding I received is going to good use, I am required to give a presentation on my work every two weeks to a small group of students and the faculty adviser for the grant. My previous presentations had a complete lack of organization, excitement and professional delivery. After working with the Glasers and reading their material, I was able to design a new presentation that allowed me to express the passion I have for the subject.

It went tremendously better than my previous presentations this summer. A few people in the group had seen my previous talks. They said that I appeared very confident, well organized and passionate about the subject, a complete turn around from my other talks. The people who hadn't seen it before came up to me at the end and said that they couldn't imagine it any other way.

In short, this book can help anyone become a better speaker and group communicator. From students who are looking to improve their group communication skills, teams of workers who need to solve problems in a safe and open environment to individuals who have trouble facing conflict with their mentors, bosses and employees.

Thank you Glasers

Incredibly helpful. Very easy read- although this may be because it was well written and extremely interesting. I use it daily during interactions with strangers on the bus to family members. Makes communication feel like cheating because of the way I can easily express my ideas and needs to people around me. I'd recommend it to my friends and family members, but I'm afraid they'll learn my tricks:)

Thanks so much Drs. Glaser!!!

Susan and Peter Glaser have made a fabulous contribution to creating trusting relationships. They have an excellent ability to simplify a complex process of creating trusting relationships. And if you have not seen them speak, make sure to do so. The book is a must read and their workshops are a must as well. I highly recommend.

Despite the title, the book lays out fundamental principles of human interaction that draw from all areas of the field of communication. Crisp prose coupled with vivid examples that have the ring of realism. A useful book.

Not only is the Glasers' book Be Quiet and Be Heard a book that will benefit all who use their proven successful communication methods - it's a great read. The language and style present their cogent ideas with examples, with clarity and with humor. I believe you'll enjoy reading this book while learning strategies that give you new skills in communicating with those you may consider friend or foe. It's a terrific book!

Bluford high:Blood is thicker by Paul Langan & D.M. Blackwell

The setting of this book is in a small, poverty suburbs in Detroit Michigan. This book is about a boy named Hakeem, who moves from his hometown in California, Detroit. Hakeem moves to Detroit,Michigan because his father is sick. Hakeem goes to Detroit to live with his uncle and his cousin Savon. Hakeem and savon were very close but lost contact with each other. Savon doesn't spend time with his cousin because he thinks he's to cool for that. The genre of the book is fictional. The conflict is that Hakeem has to figure out if Savon is the robber of all the stores because he sneaks out every night. Hakemm knew that all the stores on his block had been robbed, even his uncle's Jason store. So Hakeem thought it was Savon because he was sneaking out every night. The theme of this book is trust because Hakeem has to trust in himself that his dad we'll be alright. He also has to trust his cousin savon that he isn't stealing. This book has a good ending so i suggest that all middle school students should read this. I like this book because it is very interesting and it tells stories about fake people but real events.

Bluford high:Blood is thicker by Paul Langan & D.M. Blackwell

The setting of this book is in a small, poverty suburbs in Detroit Michigan. This book is about a boy named Hakeem, who moves from his hometown in California, Detroit. Hakeem moves to Detroit,Michigan because his father is sick. Hakeem goes to Detroit to live with his uncle and his cousin Savon. Hakeem and savon were very close but lost contact with each other. Savon doesn't spend time with his cousin because he thinks he's to cool for that. The genre of the book is fictional. The conflict is that Hakeem has to figure out if Savon is the robber of all the stores because he sneaks out every night. Hakemm knew that all the stores on his block had been robbed, even his uncle's Jason store. So Hakeem thought it was Savon because he was sneaking out every night. The theme of this book is trust because Hakeem has to trust in himself that his dad we'll be alright. He also has to trust his cousin savon that he isn't stealing. This book has a good ending so i suggest that all middle school students should read this. I like this book because it is very interesting and it tells stories about fake people but real events.

Bluford high:Blood is thicker by Paul Langan & D.M. Blackwell

The setting of this book is in a small, poverty suburbs in Detroit Michigan. This book is about a boy named Hakeem, who moves from his hometown in California, Detroit. Hakeem moves to Detroit,Michigan because his father is sick. Hakeem goes to Detroit to live with his uncle and his cousin Savon. Hakeem and savon were very close but lost contact with each other. Savon doesn't spend time with his cousin because he thinks he's to cool for that. The genre of the book is fictional. The conflict is that Hakeem has to figure out if Savon is the robber of all the stores because he sneaks out every night. Hakemm knew that all the stores on his block had been robbed, even his uncle's Jason store. So Hakeem thought it was Savon because he was sneaking out every night. The theme of this book is trust because Hakeem has to trust in himself that his dad we'll be alright. He also has to trust his cousin savon that he isn't stealing. This book has a good ending so i suggest that all middle school students should read this.

Bluford high:Blood is thicker by Paul Langan & D.M. Blackwell

The setting of this book is in a small, poverty suburbs in Detroit Michigan. This book is about a boy named Hakeem, who moves from his hometown in California, Detroit. Hakeem moves to Detroit,Michigan because his father is sick. Hakeem goes to Detroit to live with his uncle and his cousin Savon. Hakeem and savon were very close but lost contact with each other. Savon doesn't spend time with his cousin because he thinks he's to cool for that. The genre of the book is fictional. The conflict is that Hakeem has to figure out if Savon is the robber of all the stores because he sneaks out every night. Hakemm knew that all the stores on his block had been robbed, even his uncle's Jason store. So Hakeem thought it was Savon because he was sneaking out every night. The theme of this book is trust because Hakeem has to trust in himself that his dad we'll be alright. He also has to trust his cousin savon that he isn't stealing. This book has a good ending so i suggest that all middle school students should read this.

"That's it Savon barked, charging Hakeem like an enraged lion." This book is called Blood is Thicker by Paul Langan and D.M Blackwell.

This book takes place in a low class suburb in Detroit Michigan. It is about a boy named Hakeem who moves from California to Detroit because, his father is very sick and they cannot afford there house so, they come live with their uncle. Savon is Hakeems cousin. They were good friends when they were young but they have lost contact. We Hakeem got there he wonder why Savon was being mean to him. He also meets this girl next door who he thinks is pretty. He teaches her how to play guitar. It's a way for him to relive stress and have a fun time with her. Savon had been sneaking around came home late at night. So Uncle James asked him to find out what Savon was up to. There had been robberies almost every store on Main Street except his father furniture store. Then the real bad blood between the two begins. The ending is a shock. This is a fictional novel. I would recommend this book for any middle school student. This is the eighth book in the Bluford High series. The next book is Brothers in Arms. If you like big endings this book is for you.

For once a book that makes you THINK.
To say the example is from the Boer war period (1900) and that the principles exposed are still useful today will give you an idea of how good this little book is...
I've been a military reader all my life (I even did a compulsory military service) and this is on my top ten.
I must admit my interest in war is more concentrated in earlier periods... and the introduction of modern weapons and khaki is my personal limit (mass murder and carpet bombing I find hard to digest)... of course this is pretty silly of me (war has never been "gentle"... but I'll cling to my romantic approach to the subject).

But getting back to the point, the alternatives, thought provoking questions, and scenarios provided by this little gem DID impress me a lot!, I must confess that after years of wargaming and reading about war I committed all the possible mistakes in my deployments and anticipating what...

So the lecture is really a "come back to earth" experience.
A brilliant book, recommended even for crime (is it not a crime to cause the dead of your soldiers because of your negligence?) and mystery aficionados and not exclusively for military buffs.

ADB

Marine officers are often required to read this book during The Basic School (the six month infantry-focused training all lieutenants undergo after OCS or the Naval Academy). I have read that some Army schools also list it as required reading. Swinton takes a simple issue, the defense of a small swatch of land during entrusted to a young officer, and uses dream sequences to illustrate shortcomings of various tactical approaches to the problem. The officer realizes via hindsight the solutions to each problem and the reader becomes engaged in a sort of Monday-morning quarterbacking of his methods. Just when you think you have the answer, Swinton tears your theory to pieces with the next report of failure. After reading all of the scenarios, one realizes that the answer was so simple and some basic but careful analysis would yield the answer. That is the heart and core of tactics. Making a quick decision with limited information but moderate knowledge in order to come up with a 90% solution. Not only is this book a must-read, it yields new lessons every time I go back to it. It's one of those books you buy and come back to every few years. Highly recommended for the military historian, NCO or junior officer.

A perfect primer for every small-unit leader and above. Learn guerilla tactics and how to counter them from the series mistakes in a series of dreams of another young Lt. The story is a fast-paced and entertaining story and provides lessons learned by real combat experience. Though the setting is the Anglo-Boer war, the lessons are universal and well thought out. An enjoyable primer on small unit leadership of counterinsurgency.

Swinton is a military professional with experience in the Boer War who wrote this famous short book based on a series of thoughts he had on how a infantry unit with only 50 men could defend a river crossing. A young Lieutenant has the role but you are given his perspective, the terrain features, the political situation, conflict with civilians and limits on your own military support. There is a brief history of the war with the "Dutch" and then your Lieutenant receives his assignment. With the use of maps, there are six scenarios of the Lieutenants approach to defending the crossing (drift). Each scenario is acted out and with each of the first five scenarios there are several lessons learned such as the effect of enfilading fire, the limitations of a simple trench, the use of the military crest versus being located on top of the hill, the effect the local sympathetic population may have on aiding guerrilla fighters, the effect of surprise, disguising your defense from view, proper posting of sentries and responsibilities, how to combat artillery, dealing with multiple directions of attack, using the terrain to advantage and on. As the Lieutenant in each scenario learns from his mistakes, he alters the outcome to his advantage but only incrementally. Only at the end and sixth scenario does he get it right but with realistic loss. The same map is introduced in each scenario with defense features matching the new defensive tactics. Fascinating book for all interested in basic infantry tactics, which has been used as a training manual for militaries world wide. This is a very readable book that can be read in less than 2 hours time. Applicable to any war but this book would be interesting to read with an account of Rappahannock Station, which was a spearhead position held by Confederates in advance of Lee's line on November 7, 1863 where Meade's forces overwhelmed the defenders and took almost 3,000 prisoners. Duffer's Drift would be very applicable here.

Hypothetical Lt Backsight Forethought has 50 men and a mission to hold a drift in South African territory during the Boer War of 1899-1902, and he starts his mission fresh from officer training and being totally unaware of the realities of combat. In the first trial he gets beaten really bad but he analyzes his faults and learn from them. He also gets beaten in his second, third, fourth and fifth trial, every time making different mistakes which the enemy does not forgive. Finally, when he has a sixth chance to re-fight the battle he puts up a splendid performance making his opponent to pay dearly and holding the drift until friendly reinforcements arrive. It is a very enjoyable little book and although it was written a hundred years ago it is still very useful for anyone who wants to learn about the core of tactical prowess in infantry battle.

This is a beautiful story and the illustrations are top-notch. Ella is a sweet little elephant who engages young readers. I recommend the whole series, particularly this one and Ella Sets the Stage. My six year old son returns to these books over and over again.

This is a very cute story and I look forward to reading it to my daughter.

I really love the "Ella" series... The books are nice and sweet, and presents a marvelously imagined, self-contained world that will strongly appeal to little kids. It has a similar feel to the "Curious George" and "Babar" books, except without all the weird, disturbing undertones that make those classics a bit troublesome. A great choice for some fun books that you don't have to worry about. (ReadThatAgain)

I have a five and a seven year old and they love everything ELLA. The best part is, so do I. This story, as well as ELLA TAKES THE CAKE is a gem. The message really resonates with both my children and me...I get teary at the end. So many children's books are just silly or entertaining. This one is both but also very literary. I love the allusion to the golden rule and the lesson about staying true to yourself. The illustrations are gorgeous, too! I highly reccommend this book.

Originally, my daughter borrowed this book from the library. She likes elephants and thought Ella was cute. We fell in love with Ella and her story, so we purchased our own copy...well Santa Claus did. My girls are 4 & 6, they both love the story.

It's worth picking up a copy, alot of information in there. Good thick book. Glad i bought it.

This book must have taken a life time of research and work. It is the most comprehensive and complete work on the Maya I have read. I was particulary interested in the Maya Calendar history and their methods of working the calendar.

This is by far the most comprehensive book about the ancient Maya. There are several excellent shorter ones; this is the go-to book for thorough reference. It has become almost as "classic" as Maya civilization. Sharer reminisces about being "hooked on" Maya studies by the third edition (by Morley and Brainerd, 1956); so was I, back when it was newly minted. How much has changed since. Scholars can now read Maya. We now can match written history, sculptured portrayals, and archaeological findings to identify the actual skeletons of some of the greatest and most famous Maya kings, such as Yax K'uk' Mo' of Palenque. We have entire dynastic lists covering centuries, for many of the major cities. We can use bone chemistry to find out what the Maya ate. All of this was almost beyond the wildest dreams of the 1950s.
The Maya turn out to have been as brilliant, original and creative as anyone ever thought, a truly homemade civilization, one of the few in a tropical forest environment. They are said to have "collapsed" due to ecological maladjustment, but this book notes that modern research shows the civilization lasted well over 1,000 years before the "collapse" around 900 AD, and it was a fairly local phenomenon. This local collapse was due to drought, warfare, and some ecological overshoot--too many people doing too much (including burning too many trees to make lime for stucco and cement). The Maya kept on. They took on the Spanish and often won. The last independent state held out till 1697, and Maya continued holding out in remote backlands; in 1846 the Mexican Maya rebelled again, and created an independent state, finally reconquered after 1900 and turned into the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. As for what has happened since, suffice it to say that 3 days ago I saw an election sign painted in huge letters on a wall in central Quintana Roo: "PRESERVE YOUR PRIDE IN BEING MAYA!"
There are very few errors in this book, but some need correcting in the 7th edition. Most are in the very early sections, and are often left over from previous editions. Page 5, 16th-century Europeans are said to be "secure in the knowledge that they alone represented civilized life...." No, they revered China, and knew plenty about India, Persia and Arabia. P. 9, coffee is said to have come "soon" with the Europeans; not till the 19th century, at least as a major crop. 23, Nahuatl loanwords reflecting rise of central Mexico in the Postclassic: Well, a lot of those Nahuatl loanwords came with the Spanish (who had Nahuatl soldiers with them). Page 33, caiman: The book confuses the animal called "caiman" in English, an alligator-like creature not found within hundreds of miles of Mayaland, with the crocodile, which is called "caiman" in Mexican Spanish; also, pythons are claimed as native to Mayaland! The nearest they get is Africa; evidently "boa constrictors" are meant. Then nothing till page 640, where a typo (apparently two decimal places missed) has given us a preposterous yield figure for beans (in the table at the top of the page). The yields of maize are also pretty high, though not ridiculous. There are a few other errors in the book, but nothing of consequence that I can pick up.
The book uses the "new" transcription system for Maya languages, but sometimes slips and uses the "old" system, and sometimes mixes them up in the same word (e.g. "dz'onot" on p. 52). One related annoyance--not Sharer's fault; alas, it is becoming standard--is respelling "Yucatec" in the new transcription system. "Yucatec" is a SPANISH word, with no excuse in Maya, and should not be respelled. (For the record, the Spanish coined "Yucatec" from a misunderstood Maya phrase and a Nahuatl ending. They also popularized some Nahuatl ethnic names for Maya peoples. These names, like Huastec and Aguacatec, should be spelled in whatever system in now standard for Nahuatl--not in a Maya system. Better yet, they should be replaced with the actual Mayan names, like Teenek for Huastec.)
The one place I would respectfully disagree with this book is on ancient Maya population. Sharer has "tens of millions" of Maya in the 700s AD and around then. On the basis of some years of field experience with (mostly modern) Maya agriculture, I don't think this is possible. Granted that the old myth of purely-swidden agriculture is long dead, "tens of millions" would require agricultural intensity of a sort found, in preindustrial times, only in the wet-rice lands of east and southeast Asia. Mayaland is small, and only some of it is at all fertile. Sharer's evidence is a couple of surveys showing high densities of settlement in particularly favored areas; not only are they atypical, there is no guarantee the houses discovered were all occupied at once. I would guess the peak total for Mayaland was between 5 and 10 million; at least, the agriculture I know would support that many, if it had some additional intensification of the sort well documented. Beyond that, all is speculative.
One more thought. The Maya were supposed to be "peaceful" back in my student days. Then, with reading the Classic Period texts, scholars found they were pretty warlike. This led to some exaggeration the other way. Fortunately, Sharer is far too careful and comprehensive a scholar to fall for either the "peaceful" or the "warlike" view. The "warlike" view was justified by the big monuments in the Maya city squares. These commemorated wars and victories, just as do those in town squares in the midwestern US. Alas, we lack the ordinary writings--the equivalent of midwestern newspapers, with their record of marriages, births, corn and hog prices, store openings, and the like. Surely the Maya had their equivalents. What interests me here is the incredibly long life spans of Maya kings. Many lived, and even reigned, for 50, 60, even 70 years. Compare that with the Roman or Chinese emperors or the kings of France. Clearly, Mayaland in its glory days was a pretty peaceful, healthy place--though, indeed, not the paradise dreamed by romantic archaeologists of the early 20th century!
The ancient Maya are still a pretty mysterious lot in many ways, and there is a huge amount to learn. We had better do it soon. Sharer provides a long, excellent, very disturbing account of the looting that has destroyed much of the Maya heritage and will destroy all of it (at least in Guatemala) if a massive effort isn't mounted soon.
On the other hand, nothing is more heartening than the number of Maya who are becoming archaeologists and ethnographers, and studying their own past. More power to them.

Had this book been less than half its size readers would end up learning much more about the Maya from it. Unfortunately, there's much too much that belongs in an Archeology 101 class here and by the time you get to some discussion of the Maya, you're half asleep. Those of us who are not reading archeology for the first time will wish the author had just kept his discussion to the Maya, as the title suggests he will, and assumed we understood the basics.

Personally, I'm still looking for a book on the Maya so that as I travel from site to site in Quintanaroo, Yucatan, Guatemala and Honduras, I will have a basic understanding of the site I'm driving to. I just booked a trip that will book me in the area of Chac Mool soon. I'll see what I can find.

By far the most thorough book on the Ancient Maya I have ever seen. It covers all the history and gives a great deal of arceological information. There is also a lot of information on the religious, social, and economic life of the Maya. The book covers in great deal the history of each Mayan polity and it is very well organized. If there is anything you want to know about the Maya it will be in this book.

Dr. Anderson's book is an excellent tool if you'd like to teach yourself aerodynamics and have the background in math to handle it (multivariable and vector calculus...get "Div, Grad, Curl, and All That" if you need a refresher). His derivations are very clear and his chapter maps provide a nice road guide to give you an idea of where you're going. This book is also very good at maintaining rigor in describing the limitations of the derivations, a necessary quality since a lot of us tend to forget that the results we see are only valid in certain circumstances (incompressible flow, irrotational flow, inviscid flow, etc.).

Very few downsides: a few typos and no answers to end-of-the-chapter problems.

With no doubt this is the best Aerodynamics book for college students ever written...ever!Very clear explanations,full of examples and a good set of exercises to challenge your understanding of the subject. The only negative point is that there no answers to the problems.

Over 5 years as an aerospace engineer at Boeing and Lockheed Martin, I have used this book far more than any other for aeronautics. This is not only a good textbook, but an excellent reference, and one of the few technical books I have found worth reading cover-to-cover. Many engineers simply say "look at Anderson" to find whatever answers you need.

5 Stars.

Fundamentals of Aerodynamics, by John D. Anderson, provides an excellent foundation in aerodynamics for engineers. Presented at the graduate or senior undergraduate level, this book covers all of the fundamentals in a student-friendly manner that also works well as a professional reference.

Dr. Anderson has quite a gift for placing information in appropriate contexts - both technically and historically. The book is well organized and promotes learning by laying a solid foundation and then building on that foundation. The sample problems presented through the chapters are clear and effective at illustrating important points.

Major topics include: Incompressible non-viscous flow, Compressible flow, and Viscous flow (including an introduction to boundary layers). Significant time is spent on potential flow theory and it's application to the prediction of lift and induced drag.

Also recommended for students of aeronautics are Dr. Anderson's other titles, including:

- Introduction to Flight

- Modern Compressible Flow with a Historical Perspective

- Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics

"Fundamentals of Aerodynamics" is an excellent book by a knowledgeable author that provides the basic know-how and skills that an aeronautical engineer will find useful and helpful. The book is well written in a readable and easy to follow format that provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of aerodynamics. The author reinforced his message with numerous helpful examples and several illustrations which should help the reader to grasp the aerodynamics concepts and principles.

This is among the best aerodynamics books on the market for those studying the subject. You will find the aerodynamics concepts and theory well presented and explained.

This is recommended reading for those studying aeronautical engineering at undergraduate level. Practicing aeronautical engineers will also find the book to be a useful reference.

Another book by Janice Woods Windle, she wrote True Women and just by accident my sister saw it. There on the fist page were pictures of our great grandparents. Wonderful books. All the old family stories we had heard growing up were the same stories in the book. It was nice to learn it wasn't all folklore. Great books, if you enjoy reading historical novels, you are in for a nice surprise.
Rita McWhorter

I originally bought this book for my daughter who had recently moved from Austin to Boston. However, after she finished reading it, she gave it to me and told me how much she loved the story and told me to read it.

I was fascinated with a book about an area of Texas that I had lived in for many years. As a result, Janice Woods Windle became one of my favorite authors. I have purchased every book she has written and many copies to give as gifts. I have never been disappointed.

Hill Country is an mesmerizing story that keeps the reader turning the pages. Janice has the ability to take life, historical events and people, and intertwine them into stories that come to life.

However, the best part is that the reader is not only entertained but educated as well.

By the way, regarding all of Windle's books that I have given as gifts--everyone has thanked me after reading them and in turn buy them as gifts for others.

Brenda Ritter

Janice Woods Windle proves that lightning can strike twice.. Following her highly successful debut novel, True Women, which was made into a 1997 television mini series, the Texas author has penned Hill Country, a sweeping historical drama fraught with danger, excitement, and love - all the more fascinating because it's true.

Drawing from an unfinished autobiography plus a trove of letters and notes, the author has revitalized the indefatigable spirit of her pioneering grandmother, Laura Hoge Woods, an amazing woman who fought marauders, scratched a living from unfriendly soil, raised seven children, counted presidents as friends, and flew with Charles Lindbergh.

Much of Laura's grit came from her mother, "Little Mattie," who once pulled down Old Boomer, an "ancient, ten-gauge, double-barreled, shotgun" to protect 7-year-old Laura and her two brothers from hostile Indians. Herman Lehmann, who had been kidnaped by Apaches as a child, was among the intruders. To Laura, he was beautiful, "His hair was golden and long....his body seemed carved from ivory."

As a teenager Laura met Herman again, at Eager Mule Creek, her wilderness hide-away. They fell in love, but the gap between Indian life and the white world proved too wide for him to bridge. Wealthy Peter Woods, owner of a large horse ranch and chairman of the Blanco County Democratic Party, became Laura's husband. Through him, she hoped to satisfy her political aspirations - if she couldn't run for office because she was a woman, she decided to be a candidate's wife.

When government railroad land was offered for a dollar an acre, Laura and Peter bought. There was one qualifier: a buyer had to build on the land and remain there for six months. Agreeing to live in this new territory while Peter tended their present ranch, she "moved to the last place on Earth....the wild empty lands of Central Texas," where she felt her life was "sliding backwards."

In 1894, a violent storm arose isolating Laura and two young sons at the distant ranch. Days of incessant rain made puddles in the cabin, brought creek water to the horse pens, and serious illness to her youngest boy. Despite the blinding torrent, Laura managed to hitch a buggy, cradle the paroxysm seized baby in one arm, hold the other child on the floorboards between her knees, ford a wild river, and drive ten miles for help.

After the rigors of wilderness life, she was delighted to move to Blanco, into a stone bungalow overlooking the river. This home, known as "Hanging Tree Ranch" because of its proximity to a lynching she witnessed as a girl, was where Laura lived her glory years.

She gave birth to their first daughter, Winifred, and met the young woman who became her lifelong friend, Rebekah Baines Johnson.

It was also at "Hanging Tree Ranch" that Peter and Laura entertained Teddy Roosevelt who bought horses for his Rough Riders. Despite initial misgivings about Roosevelt's Republicanism, Laura was won over.

Later, in 1911, Laura again doubted a political hopeful; she was dissuaded by his scholarly mein. But when Woodrow Wilson came to Texas and advocated women's suffrage, Laura enlisted in his cause.

As the United States teetered on the brink of World War I, some suspected an alliance between Mexico and Germany. Asked to provide horses for an assault on Pancho Villa, Peter mortgaged his land to buy the animals.

An attempt to transport the Spanish cow ponies by train proved disastrous - a derailment injured the horses so severely that Peter was forced to shoot them. Laura wrote, "It was like something in Peter died that night, as well."

Always troubled by Winifred, who seemed uncommonly distant, Laura was pleased when her daughter married. But Winifred's first child was stillborn, a loss that pushed the fragile girl beyond reason, and eventually warranted her institutionalization.

As Peter faded to a shadow of his former self, Laura realized that she would have to support them. The family moved to San Marcos where she opened a rooming house. Of this journey she wrote: "The road from Blanco to San Marcos, Texas, is only 45 miles as the snake slithers.....Every mile of that road is littered with little pieces of my soul, with discarded notions of right and wrong, love and duty, and all the dreams and easy pleasures youth sheds on its way toward the setting sun."

In 1924, a young Charles Lindbergh barnstormed through Texas selling plane rides. Laura flew with him twice, finding "It was like riding on a beam of sunlight and being in absolute control." That evening she pretended not to hear when Peter asked her where she had been.

Outliving her husband and her close friend, Laura saw Rebekah's son elected to the presidency. She waltzed with Lyndon Johnson at his Inaugural Ball.

At over 90 years of age, plagued by failing eyesight and osteoporosis, Laura became the unwilling resident of a nursing home where she was repeatedly told to lay "back and rest." Valiant in her obstinacy, she would have none of it. After escaping her confines, Laura thought, "Maybe if I was old like these others I'd lie back and rest. But I've got things to do." One can scarcely imagine what it was that this remarkable woman had not already done.

I was so sad when this book was over...I couldn't put it down!! I highly recommend this for any woman to read. A wonderful story, made all the more exciting because it's set in a region of My great state that is dear to my heart!

Ms Windle has given us two books in one. A thoroughly delightful sequel to "True Women" in Laura Woods and a thoroughly boring (even to a Texan who lived through it) story of Lyndon Johnson.

Too bad they were not bound seperately so I could have only read the one about Laura Woods.

I loved this book as a kid some 40 years ago and have thought back on the positive effect it had on me over the years. I have been looking for it every few years for a long time and am thrilled to see it in print again. I have referred to this book countless times to groups at work and during employee reviews. I intend to make this required reading for my children and for my employees! :-)

I am a second grade teacher and I read this book to my class every year before we write our code of conduct. This book outlines the why of rules that so many children need to see/hear!
Wonderful, awesome book!
By the way, I used it when I taught 5th grade too!

This book captivated my 4 & 2 yr old. The wording is very simple but there is so much to talk about on each page. They find parts funny and all the while there is an underlying message - i.e., What if everyone picked a flower bud? (Then it shows a drawing of the bottoms of plants only - all the flowers are missing.) It has about 10 analogies and then on the last page it shows how it could be done differently - i.e., You could smell the bud, and eat only one piece of fudge. (with pictures for each) Great book.

I bought this book for my kindergarten class. Actually, they are preschool age and have only been learning English as a Foreign Language for three months. I know that they didn't understand all the words, but they could follow along well just looking at the pictures. They were rolling on the floor laughing.

I also read this book to my afternoon elementary school class. At that time, the kids were still "too cool" to think English or learning could be fun. They loved the book.

And, I, a 31 year woman, had great fun reading it to myself (and some parts out loud, to myself) before introducing the book to my kids.

This is a fantastic book. I love love loved it.

My six-year-old daughter and I are unimpressed. The concept is great but mostly wasted in my opinion on behaviors that actually have more impact on the individual than anyone else, and diluted by "results" that are obviously ridiculous. I was expecting more on the lines of the one showing a bunch of flowerless stalks (if everyone pulled off a bud), but even my daughter knows that if you forget your hat you don't get icicles growing out of your head, and if everybody stepped on Daddy's feet he'd be more likely to get very grumpy or have to go to the hospital than to get feet flat enough to resemble a frog's. And the bit at the end about if everyone did what they were supposed to you'd get a big smiling sun (I assume representing a happy world) was lost on her. What does the sun have to do with anyone's behavior? We got some value out of it by going through the book going "That wouldn't really happen... what would really happen?" But overall I was disappointed. There were some good ones, but I could think of plenty of others that were missed, starting with the obvious ones of what would happen if everyone threw their trash on the ground or left their things laying around on the floor.

This might be considered a diet if you've been eating unhealthy and unaware of the basic tenets of good nutrition, however to us, it was a re-configuaration of much of what we already knew and were doing, but in a way that has helped us to drop excess weight and feel like our old bright and bouncy selves!

There are companion books you can get from the Mayo Library of Books. I suggest getting a few if you love cooking and want kitchen excitement. However, this book is much more than excitement. It is a simple and common sense approach for PEOPLE.

People like us. We love NFL games! We support our local high school's and our local university's various sporting and arts events. We like big bright holiday celebrations, we love to grill and entertain. We are not athletic, but enjoy fun exercising. We might not walk our neighborhood, but we will walk in botanic gardens or bigger city parks with lots of things to interest us.

This is a motivational book as much as anything. It really is geared to just plain ol' people! It isn't written for the froo froo people of the world, or the natural wanderers of the mountains and national parks, or the bean sprout organic types, it is for ALL of us. From the most picky irritating people who are so fussy you wonder if they can smile unless it is alternative organic and natural, to the most coach potato cheese curl eating beer guzzling take a bath once a week types, to EVERYONE else in-between! (Psst.. I lived in WV for about 8 years, I have seen the later description as common place, and I lived in Boulder, CO for 22 years, and have seen the former description all the time too! Give me a balance please! LOL)

Enjoy making your life being just that.. enjoyable. You will find a new self confidence and cheerfulness deep within your own spirit. It comes with my highest praise and recommendation!

I first came across this book under its previous title "Mayo Clinic on Healthy Weight" several years ago. It's marvelous food pyramid is based on energy or calorie density. This idea was the main ingredient on my path to losing 80 pounds and restoring my blood sugar level to normal following my diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes. An additional good idea is to apply the energy density principle to your plate by filling it with 50% non-starchy vegetables, 25% dense carbs and 25% protein. Another thing that I do is to use 50% Kellogg's All Bran or General Mill's Fiber One for my breakfast cereal. Energy density is particularly important to your selection of dessert. A half cup of pudding made with nonfat milk and sugar free mix is less than 100 calories. It is equally filling to a large chocolate chip muffin which comes in at 600 calories. Other useful books on energy density are the "Volumetic" series by Barbara Rolls, the "Fit or Fat Target Diet" books by Covert Bailey and Ronda Gates, and "The GI Diet" by Rick Gallop.

Whether or not you need to lose weight, this book is an excellent guide to healthy eating for life. The recipes are so easy that we're able to incorporate them into our everyday menus easily. We're all getting out 5-a-day, and then some! For weight maintenance, all you need to do is add a few more portions of some food groups. Even without reading the book, you can open up to the menu pages and start right away. You can also follow this plan on a tight budget since there aren't any hard to find or expensive ingredients. Between the eating plan and very helpful exercise goals, this has got to be the easiest way to get or stay healthy I've ever seen.

I have found this book helpful for reworking my eating plans and just improving health. It is fairly comprehensive and I think it is probably the kind of material you would get if you went to a nutritionist. If you want to lose weight sensibly I would recommend it.

I can't say enough good things about this book. I had tried everything. I was fairly successful on the Body for Life program, but it took too much time. All I did on that program was eat and workout. I have a life. I need time for my family, work, continuing education and other activities. When I saw my life suffering at the expense of my body, I had to compromise the Body for Life program. I then ballooned back up to being obese. My doctor tried to talk me into a gastric bypass because my weight was getting so bad. This book from the Mayo Clinic gave me a diet that was very easy and had a lot of great food. I haven't even been tempted to wander from this program at all. The variety of food has filled my food addiction while also taking the weight off of me. I have been continually losing weight and my doctor is not worried about me at all now. She even just filled out a physical report stating that I am in very good health.

If you want good food, good health and time for a real life, this is the only book for you.

familia, porque el 80 por ciento de la poblacion infantil pertenece a UNA DE ESTAS TRES CATEGORIAS: Hiperkinetico, Genio o simplemente, MALCRIADO!
Este libro SE TORNA MAS IMPORTANTE, POR UN DESCUBRIMIENTO MARAVILLOSO QUE ENCONTRAMOS EN OTRO LIBRO TITULADO "Tu Hijo:¿Superdotado ?"
Ese libro anuncia que se han determinado SIETE TIPOS DE INTELIGENCIA GENIAL, y es VITAl DETECTAR LA DE NUESTRO HIJO, primero en esta obra, y luego de que tipo es en la de tu hijo, superdotado !

UN INSTANTE...¡TIENES QUE LEER ESTE LIBRO HASTA DAR CON LA VERDAD !
Si dejan sin terminar lo que empiezan..LEE EL LIBRO !

ESTE LIBRO ME HA MARAVILLADO...
Porque le dice a los padres, en lenguaje muy claro, si su criatura tiene nivel de genio, si es hiperactivo o si requiere un poco más de disciplina !

LUJO DE NO LEER ESTE LIBRO..
Nos permite definir a que categoria pertenecen los hijos y como educarlos

MARAVILLOSO !

sabemos que si al niño no se le detecta y se le descubre COMO GENIO, simplemente acaba por adaptarse a ser DEL MONTÓN, a disminuir sus propias capacidades para integrarse socialmente: Eso, es una automutilación abominable propiciada por la falta de conocimiento de sus padres...