F Books

This book is very well written and a great source for Daily Devotional. I feel as though I'm learning so much more about God's grace.

I purchased Pathways to His Presence as a Christmas gift. From the feedback I've received my father-in-law looks forward to his devotional time and seems to be enjoying it more each day. Dr. Stanley's work is always an inspiration and is highly recommended.

My wife and I are always looking for a good daily devotional but they are hard to find. And very good couple devotionals are even harder to find. We are still finishing up a devotional book for this year. But I think we found one, this book, "Pathways To His Presence", for 2007.

There are many devotionals out there that are called "daily devotionals" but only have Monday through Friday or they lump together the weekend putting Saturday and Sunday together for one reading. Whatever happened to reading your Bible daily and spending time with God daily?

This devotional book is truly a daily devotional with 365 daily readings.

Even though my wife and I are not going to start using this devotional until January 1, 2007, I already read two devotionals from each month. The devotionals are easy to understand. Very down to earth. And Charles Stanley does a very good job showing what God has in store for us and also hits on the many different things we as christians face in our day to day life.

I like the layout of each daily devotional. You start with the scripture reading. Then you have the key verse. Then the main story and devotion. And you finish with a short prayer.

I also like that each month has a theme or as Charles Stanley calls them, Pathways:

January: Pathway To God's Will
February: Pathway To Forgiveness
March: Pathway TO Victory
April: Pathway To The Cross
May: Pathway To Prayer
June: Pathway To Faith
July: Pathway To Freedom
August: Pathway To Peace
September: Pathway To Assurance
October: Pathway To Success
November: Pathway To Spiritual Maturity
DEcember: Pathway To The Futute

I would highly recommended this devotional either for yourself or as a couples devotional.

A true blessing from in my opinion the finest Bible teacher today. Highly recommended for both morning and evening devotional. Easy to understand and shows the love that God has for each and everyone of us. It hits on many things we as christians face in day to day life.

Charles Stanley has out done himself this time. It is a wonderful guide to God's plan of glory for our lives. Every time I read it through I get a different blessing. It is always just what I need. The first one was a surprise gift and since then I have bought 14 to continue the pay it forward tradition. Everyone has said what a special this one is.

very easy to read book with alot of information for the pa or future pa

This book was very helpful to me. It helped make up my mind about what career path to pursue. The authors give insight into the history and future of the PA profession. They give numerous charts and graphs showing statistics on the PA profession as compared to other professions. I especially found it helpful that they compared the Nurse Practitioner to the Physician Assistant, which are two very closely related professions. Before having read this book, I was pretty sure I wanted to become a PA. After reading the book, I further considered the possibility of the NP career. The book definitely is a must read for prospective PA's. I don't think that it would be as enjoyable for current PA's or current PA students though. The information is a bit outdated as far as how many PA programs are accredited as of today and so on but that's to be expected. However, overall, I do recommend this book very much.

Utilizing this book for a course in Health Delivery Systems bring the PA concept clearly into focus for PA students. Practicing Mid-level practitioners, healtcare manageres and physicians will gain a greater understanding of the roots, current utilization and future possibilities of the Physician Assistant. Well-researched and written by two "experts" in the field of Physician Assistant history, utilization and economics. Recommend highly for personal collection or booklist.

This book provided a fascinating and educational read about the Physician Assistant (PA) profession. It included information about history, development, current status, educational process, clinical roles, legal aspects, financial aspects and future direction. The book was remarkably comprehensive, clear and concise, citing hundreds extensively researched studies. As a graduate student in PA studies, the book was of special interest to me. However, the thorough exploration of the dynamic relationships of PAs with other health care professionals and health care organizations leads me to believe that the book would be of interest to a myriad of persons involved in health services delivery and management.

Clear, concise and interesting reading. The authors have compiled the most recent data on the profession and present it in a thoughtful and logical fashion. A "must-read" for prospective and current PA students, graduate PAs, physicians and administrators. This book will answer ALL the questions.

One of the reasons Ms Gupta's first book was so good was the simplicity with which she presented the whole system of needs assessment. Dr's Sleezer and Russ-Eft in this second edition have added considerably to the information and maintained the simplicity and systems approach. Things that work well for me are:
* Systems diagrams
* Applications orientation--lots of how-to's for each step of the way
* Clear pros and cons for each approach
* Check-lists, models and examples
* CD which includes forms and formats and web links

As a trainer of instructional design, this book is one I recommend for my classes and for anyone who does needs assessment.
A Practical Guide to Needs Assessment (Essential Knowledge Resource)

I rely on this resource a lot to get started on organizational needs assessment. No information about cost/benefit analysis, etc. but lots of other great information!

Having attended a book review with Dr.'s Sleezer and Russ-Eft in Indianapolis recently, I was intrigued with the book and thought I would give it a go.

This work is very well-organized! My favorite part is that the authors make it easy to use the book as a reference to the Needs Assessment process by providing an index of what you're looking for and where to find it. Additionally, a CD is provided with a host of needs assessment tools that, so far, appear very useful!

Kavita Gupta wrote a book that is a must-have for anyone desiring an overview of the multiple ways needs assessment can occur. Gupta begins by setting the context of needs assessment, attending first to what needs assessment is and where it fits into the training or performance improvement scheme. By overviewing the works of Gilbert, Kaufman, Rossett, and others, the author creates a very usable comparison. Persons trying to decide what type of needs assessments are best for their situation can quickly narrow their focuses. (Not all needs analyses are built alike, after all, and they start from somewhat different places.) A review of data gathering fundamentals is concise (just over 20 pages) but helpful.

In "Part II, Getting Down to Brass Tacks" Gupta examines and provides very helpful models for conducting four types of needs analyses: Strategic Needs Assessment, Competency-Based Assessment, Job and Task Analysis, and Training Needs Assessment.

The Toolkit in Part III is invaluable--samples of 21 different forms. By itself, this section makes the book worth every penny. The diskette provided, though, provides each of these forms in MSWord--ready to be opened, customized, and used in real applications.

There is great value in this book--enough description of the models that one can begin using them, references to dig deeper into the models if desired, and charts, tables, and job aids that allow anyone to get started quickly on effective needs analysis.

I am a technical trainer of 10 years, and manage a group of four.

This is a great book for anyone looking for best practice approaches to a variety of needs assessment situations. Gupta's chapters are organized by the common type(s) of needs assessments, and each chapter breaks down the component steps that need to be taken to complete the assessment.

I think one of the real gems of the book is that she provides lots of examples of needs assessment interview questions, surveys, training plans, etc. on a floppy disk attached to the back of the book, which you can save to computer and work from to build your own stuff. It saved me some design time, and gave my assessment a "kick start" in the right direction.

This book is an excellent, easy to read reference, that informs women by giving accurate, up to date information regarding pregnancy, birth and family planning. Ronnie Lichtman,CNM has introduced a fresh format in which midwifery care is introduced and midwives are included throughout this comprehensive guide as primary healthcare providers for women. This book gives different alternatives regarding providers, birth settings such as hospitals, free standing birthing centers, hospital birth centers, and home births and different types of collaborative practices available.
Pregnancy is acknowledged as a healthy state, not a medical event and that our bodies are designed to bring life into the world, they are "biologically competent". Complications are discussed, but women should walk away with the knowledge that childbearing is safe and that they have many birth options available to them.
I applaud Lynn Simpson, MD and Allan Rosenfield, MD for continuing to believe as did Dr.Guttmacher, of each woman's right to have information about her body and of her ability to enter into a partnership with her physician or midwife and make informed choices.
As one her former students, I would like to thank Ronnie for expanding women's options for midwifery care through the sharing of her knowledge and experience, and for working so hard to provide her colleagues and midwifery students an open path in which to practice.
I highly recommend this book.

I've read many books on the subject and this one is easily the best. Ronnie Lichtman C.N.M., Ph.D. is one of America's foremost midwives. Her writing style and expertise add new dimension to an already great book. It has everything an expectant mother could possibly want to know. Though there are many books on pregnancy and childbirth, this is the one that will be passed down to future generations. I recommend it highly.

This book is essential for expectant mothers. It covers in depth information on weekly fetal development, symptoms during pregnancy, preparing for the arrival of the baby, and birth and delivery. This book also covers multiple births, and family planning methods. This book gives detailed information on sexual organs and conception.

This book is essential for expectant mothers. It is an in depth book covering week by week fetal development, symptoms during pregnancy, preparing for the baby, birth, and delivery. It also covers multiple births, and family planning methods. It also gives a detailed explanation on sexual organs and conception.

Alan Guttmacher, who wrote the original editions of this book, was a famous teacher, a humane and sensible doctor, and the beloved mentor of the second author, Irwin Kaiser, my father. Dad was revered and respected by his own patients, who, for him, were the most important thing in the world; and Dad was proud that Guttmacher's estate chose him to carry on the work of "The Book", which he did with enthusiasm and dedication through several issues, always keeping up with medical knowledge and current sensibilities, especially feminist concerns.

Dad died this morning, March 17, 1999, at the age of 81.

As we watch the Democrats and Republicans "square-off" again, Professor Boller has done a Yeoman's job with this classic of American politics, reminding us what this "National crazy season" is all about. Here in one volume, Boller summarizes all but the last four of America's Presidential campaigns: from the first, George Washington's in 1789, to the fortieth, Ronald Reagan's in 1980.

My favorite campaign is the 1876 disputed and brokered election, reminiscent of the "Supreme Court decided" 2000 election. The 1876 election took place in Philadelphia during the Nation's Centennial Year, between two Governors: Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio and Samuel J. Tilden of New York. Arguably this was the most controversial as well as the most defining campaign of all of American History. Hayes a Republican, known for his honesty and integrity and Tilden known as a reformer, squared off over how to deal with the remnants of the Civil War, the primary issue of which was how to end Reconstruction.

Tilden, the Northerner, and a pro-slavery proponent, sympathies lay with the South and with ending Reconstruction and removing Federal troops from occupying the South, thus leaving the South to manage its own affairs -- meaning of course leaving the problem of what to do with the freed slaves up to the white southerners. Under Tilden's formula the slaves were thus to be left to their own devices in a sea of hostile "foaming at the mouth" Southerners still licking their wounds from the lost of the Civil War. Hayes, though a Republican, was not a Radical "pro-freedom" Republican, and thus was only slightly less accommodating to maintaining the Reconstruction status quo than was Tilden.

When the dust settled, both were short of the necessary electoral college votes, with the 20 votes of SC, La., Fa., and Ore. still in doubt -- even though Tilden had garnered a quarter million more votes than Hayes. Tilden needed only one of the outstanding 20 Electoral College votes, while Hayes needed all 20. Yet after the back room haggling ended, a compromise was struck with Hayes declared the winner. Hayes may have won the battle but Tilden won the war: Reconstruction was ended; the ex-slaves were sacrificed in the process; and the "Jim Crow curtain" descended on the U.S. for the next one hundred years.

The book is well-research, written with the flair of a journalist and full of interesting anecdotes and colorful stories.

Five Stars

I own a previous edition of this book. Facinating information about each campaign. You think 2000 was bad? Take a look at 1876 or 1824. I'd offer more in this review, but it's 4 am and I need to get back to sleep.

This book reminds me again just how much fun the study of history can be. The basic facts of Presidential elections from the beginning to today are solid historical accounts. But they also include the tidbits of electoral trivia that go on in each election, but that are often obscure or unnoticed. This book is both informative and entertaining. I plan to give it as a gift to my opthomologist who is also a history buff. As a retired history professor I look forward to chatting with him during my annual examinations.

Presidential Campaigns: From George Washington To George W. Bush by Paul F. Boller, Jr. is a lively, informative, and often surprising history of American presidential election campaigns. This is a complete chronological history of from the unanimously concented ascent of General george Washionhton, to the divisively contested Gore vs. Bush recall scandal. Presidental Campaigns is a superbly written and presented political history that, in these politically divise days of presential electioneering, deserves as wide a readership as possible among the electorate.

You wouldn't have recognized the election of 1789. There were no primaries, nominating convention, rival candidates, campaign speeches, or debates on public issues." (All quotes are direct from the book.) Yet the will of the people was perfectly expressed. Everyone simply agreed that Washington had to be the President. Four years later they had political parties, but both of them picked Washington. That was the end of the smooth sailing.

In 1796 Adams and Jefferson remained on friendly terms with each other, but had their supporters do a lot of name calling (sound familiar?). By 1800 Adams was calling Jefferson ... well, read the book. Suffice to say, the American way of politics was in full swing, has continued unabated until now and shows no sign of making significant changes in the future.

I must say that I do miss the rum. When Washington was running for the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1758, there were 391 elgible voters. Washington gave them 160 gallons of rum. It's kind of a wonder just how they could vote.

This is a delightful book. I remember taking American History in college, and that was pretty dull. This reads like a novel, full of interesting anecdotes while conveying the facts as well.

The book came in a great condition (brand new) and was delivered quickly. I was able to buy this book for a cheaper price than at my school bookstore.

I agree with the three previous reviews that the book is easy to read, comprehensive, and has excellent illustrations and summary tables. But, at times there is too much complex information presented. The major problem is that with a cover date of 2004, it is sadly out of date, and thus fails to cover important new information, especially the significance of neuroregeneration (which as well known by 2004) and serotonin's role in the brain. My major specific criticism is that the chapter on affective disorders reviews very nicely the various therapeutic approaches especially to depression (with the above caveat about new findings), but the student reader comes away very confused, because there is no synthesis of the complex data and approaches. I understand very well how difficult that is to do, but at the end of this very long chapter, the student is left hanging. Let's hope a new edition will help.

Fantastic; Clear and precise with plenty of diagrams. The best introduction to psychopharmacology I could have received.

I am very pleased with the basic explanation presented by the authors of this textbook. It is broken down that it is so simple, yet builds it up so you are able to understand, or reference back to previous topics of discussion when you approach complex topics.

It is relatively easy to read and very informative. Also, section summaries, in-text boxes, and figures are ample and fantastic! However, although very useful, at times there is too much extraneous information.

One of my relatives was chronically ill with cough and phlegm expectoration. After several doctors failed to diagnose the problem correctly, we finally landed at the doorstep of a pulmonologist. First the doctor treated him with severe antibiotics. No change. Then he went onto antibacterials.No improvement. Then he went on to anti-fungals and finally with anti-tuberculosis medication. My relative lost 25 pounds as an in-patient and became skeletal. Fearing for his life, we took him out of the hospital. I searched online for a solution till I stumbled upon this book. Since we went through antibiotics, antibacterials, antifungals,etc. I was sure it has to be an allergen causing the problem. But I wasn't sure if it was airborne or food related allergy. I borrowed the book from a library and asked my relative to start a strict audit on his food while checking the pulse. The pulse was much higher than normal. The audit continued for a couple of days. After that, my relative and caretaker lost discipline. Then following months of agony, one day my relative gave up some multi-vitamin tablets (protein + vitamins) that he has been taking as a diet suppliment for many years. All of a sudden his pulse rate dropped from a 110 to 80. He was able to get up and do some mild exercises. The change was remarkable. He has kept away from the vitamins and all is fine. I strongly recommend the Pulse Test to everyone who has sufferend the vagaries of the medical profession and wants to try something different.

Pulse test has been a great help and exactly what I needed. I would recommend this book to everyone who has a pulse...every human being!
That is interested in maintaining good health and life longevity.
Thank you

This is an excellent self-help book. I read this book 25 years ago and have used the information with my patients since. It was Dr. Coca's wife, ill at the time, who said to him that she noted that her pulse was racing at times following a meal. Dr. Coca subsequently monitored her pulse and discovered what in her diet was increasing her pulse rate and making her sick. Your testing starts with taking your pulse rate per minute (at lease 30 seconds X2) in the morning before rising. Write it down, keep track, and do that for 2-3 days to establish your resting heart rate. Now after you eat anything, wait 30 minutes and check your pulse rate. Do that and record it for three 30 minute intervals for three pulse rate checks within that one and one-half hours after eating. If your pulse rate increases 6-8 beats per minute or higher, you are recording your bodies negative responce by speeding up the system for the liver etc., to detoxify the offending food or chemical? If you eat several foods at one meal and have a increased pulse reaction, you will have to eat each item individually to find the culpret. Anything that increases your pulse rate should be eliminated from your diet and environment. You can try checking for increased pulse to test the effect of skin exposure of perfumes and all chemicals you use on your hair, body and those contacted in your home or work the same way. Other good self-help books for food allergies or help with dis-ease are Eat Right For Your Type by D'Adamo, The pH Miracle by Robert Young, Ph.D. One more thing, if you are ill or have allergies, pillows of all types, bed, sofa, etc., are full of skin mites, their ancestors bodies and droppings and the mold and fungus which feed on these remains will make you sick and potentially increase your pulse rate. If that is the case, an antifungal nasal spray may help. New pillows are important to remove the allergens:)

At a loss to figure out why I was so ill, my doctor recommended I use the information in this book to determine if food allergies might be the source of my health problems (daily migraine, violent coughing fits lasting 8+ hours, chronic fatique, severe depression, sinus problems, memory loss, confusion, disorientation... and the list went on and on...and on). The migraine had begun some 30 years earlier, and things had progressed from there with the list of symtpms growing yearly. I had not a clue as to their source, even though I searched constantly for answers. I had even done the routines with allergists, but got no answers.

I read the book; it made perfect sense. A high pulse rate indicates the body is in reaction to exposure to some "allergen." On day three or four of my test, I developed a very high pulse in the morning, but I had not eaten a single thing. However, I HAD cleaned the bathrooms, using my usual cleaning products which contained chemicals and chemical fragrance. It didn't take long to make the connection!! We had stumbled upon a shortcut to diagnosing my intolerance to chemicals. After 30+ years, I had an answer! This book, written in the 50's, focuses on food allergies, so did not have much to say about how chemicals affect living things, since chemicals were just becoming prevalent in our world beginning after WWII. However, the pulse test told the tale, and I was diagnosed with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

That was 4 years ago, and my life has changed dramatically, needless to say. Having this book probably saved me years of tests and evaluation -- except that I would not have lasted long enough to go that route.

Most doctors will scoff at what Dr. Coca has written here, but you don't need a doctor to simply check your pulse and discover what might be the source of your symptoms.

Offers a step-by-step plan to determine personal allergies and, by avoiding them, gain better health and avoid backaches, headaches, tiredness.

Written with the student in mind, this book gives an excellent introduction to density functional theory, many-body quantum theory, and their application to the physical system now known as the electron liquid. Given the current interest in electron liquids, both from an applied and a theoretical standpoint, this book serves a need for those who want to educate themselves on the different techniques and strategies used to study the behavior of electron liquids, and general many-body systems. The authors of the book emphasize modern developments, and give many references for those readers who want to pursue the subject in even more detail. An understanding of both the physical and mathematical ideas in the book require concentrated effort, but anyone who has decided to read such a sizable book realizes that true insight into any subject only comes from such an effort. The authors understand this, and they do not hesitate to elaborate on sophisticated concepts when they arise. But they also interject informal and colloquial language in many places in the text. This serves to set the reader more at ease, and makes for even more enjoyable reading.

Readers (such as this reviewer) who have a background in high energy physics or relativistic quantum field theory will find many of the concepts used in these fields find application in the theory of electron liquids. In addition, many of the concepts used in high-energy physics, such as the idea of spontaneously broken symmetries, arose in condensed matter and many-body physics. The symbiosis of ideas between these different fields has been a fruitful one and this will no doubt continue in the years to come. An example of this is the Chern-Simons theory, which arose in the context of quantum chromodynamics as a theory of the strong interaction, and finds its way in this book in the discussion on the Laughlin theory of the fractional quantum Hall liquid. This theory, as the authors point out, is based on a careful choice of wave functions, and therefore cannot be viewed as systematic in its strategy in finding solutions. The Chern-Simons theory is brought in to provide a more systematic approach. It is a fascinating strategy, for using it one maps the problem of the two-dimensional electron liquid into an equivalent many-body problem of interacting composite particles. One can then use a mean-field approximation on the latter system. This approach is somewhat similar to the "duality" phenomena found in string theories (although the analogy is somewhat loose). The Chern-Simon theory also finds its place in purely mathematical contexts, such as topological quantum field theory and the theory of knots, and readers with a background in this area will see familiar constructions in the author's discussions. The authors derive an expression for the electromagnetic response function for a system of composite particles that satisfies Kohn's theorem, but point out that it does not have the correct scaling properties.

The authors give a thorough overview of density functional theory, with emphasis placed not only on the formalism but also on its utility in solving many-body problems. Readers growing up in the usual formalism of Hilbert spaces will need justification as to the power of density functional methods and how one can still calculate quantities of interest without really using the many-body wave function. And, anyone who has tried to perform numerical computations of quantum-mechanical quantities understands the need for algorithms that are manageable, i.e. that allow the computation of physical quantities in a reasonable time scale. The authors point out though that the Kohn-Sham equations, which result after the minimization of the energy as a functional of the electron density, can be solved computationally on a time scale that increases as a power of the number of electrons. This is to be contrasted with the computation of the solution of the N-electron Schrodinger equation, which depends exponentially on N. However, as in all problems in constrained optimization, there is no free lunch (this has been proven rigorously), and so there is always a penalty to be paid in any solution strategy. For the Kohn-Sham equations, one uses the `effective potential' that is local in space, but has a nonlocal dependence on the density, allowing only an approximate description. Another penalty arises from using the determinantal wave function in the solution of the Kohn-Sham equations does not give a robust approximation to the true ground-state wave function. The last penalty arises because of the "universal" nature of density functional: it has the same form for all physical systems and so does not bring out the physical properties that are unique to a particular one. In addition to these issues, readers who insist on constructive approaches to mathematical proof will reject the proof of the Hohenberg-Kohn theorem, since it relies on proof by contradiction. In physical applications this is a minor issue of course, but in attempts to put density functional theory, indeed all of quantum field theory, on a constructive rigorous mathematical foundation, this issue is of importance. The authors (correctly) have no intention of respecting mathematical rigor, and state so explicitly. Instead they emphasize the physics behind the formalism and discuss the experimental evidence for it. Indeed, the book is full of examples of this evidence, and the appropriate references are given. Most of the discussion on the experimental situation is given in the context of the quantum Hall effect, which seems appropriate given that the authors have made original contributions to the understanding of this effect.

[DISCLOSURE: This reviewer knows the second author personally, but did not discuss this review with him. The opinions above are an honest assessment of the content of the book, and were not influenced, at least consciously, by any personal knowledge of the author.]

A wonderful book: clearly a product of careful thought, and love. It is a timely "Pines and Nozieres" for the new generations. I find myself reading the first chapters over and over again, and always getting something new out of it. In spite of having read numerous accounts regarding subtle issues in density functional theory, I had never properly understood some of the important aspects (e.g. derivative discontinuities) until after reading their original presentation in chapter 7. I agree 100% with the review of R. Pepino, and would only like to add my praise for the lively writing style, which I find captivating: A pleasure to study, or even simply read. Its perfect mix of seriousness and passion, makes of The Quantum Theory of the Electron Liquid a major work that is both authoritative and engaging.

This is a kind of book rare to find nowadays. It seems to be the result of a long and careful investigation of the literature, of reflection, of deep physical understanding. It avoids hand-waving, "phenomenological", jargon and fashionable types of arguments, in favor of well grounded, logical and mathematically solid arguments. It is the opposite of most we find today, that is, it is not a set of "lectures" quickly transformed into textbook; it is not the point of view of the authors, defended by phraseology; it is not a biased book. It is really a wonderful book, very well written, displaying love by the subject, strong curiosity and search for the truth.
Congratulations to the authors! May their book inspire other physicists to search truth instead of glory and fame. May their book inspire the young to avoid the fashion and easy way. May their book become a classic because it truly deserves.

This book is truly a valuable and unique resource for physicists and quantum chemists interested in the structure and dynamics of electronic systems, especially (but not solely) in the solid-state. It presents the standard theories, as well as very recent cutting-edge developments, for example, extensions of density functional theory to time-dependent phenomena and current-densities -- all with elegant derivations and beautiful explanations. The authors have an extremely engaging writing style, which makes the book one of the most enjoyable physics books I have read. Many of the exercises at the end of each chapter are fascinating in themselves, instructive, and clearly explained.
I feel this book will prove to be a wonderful treasure for graduate students, postdocs, and professors.

This is the one of best overall book on the electronic theory of solids. It certainly covers all relevant aspect one could ever want to know about the topic and does a phenomenal job of clearly explaining and demonstrating the material. The best example is the chapter dedicated to the Fermi liquid with the very illuminating explanations of the theory of quasiparticles. This book is easy to read and its lecture does not require advanced mathematical knowledge. It is an excellent textbook and a very good start point for research problems. It is also remarkable the use of state of the art results and the elimination of several common misconceptions. I must say that the exercises are a good opportunity to better understand the material.

Having spent 20 years as an amateur triathlete I could relate well to Sam's first hand accounts of the "struggle" we all go through in trying to keep our lives in balance.

Sam brings out the passion we have for triathlon as a micro image into the passion we have for our everyday lives and provides us with the energy to look upon each new task or obstacle as an adventure.

Each race account brings a fresh look into the struggle of the event and our efforts to conquer our self doubts. Sam also brings out his humility when detailing races that don't go quite right.

Ken "Rocketboy" Fouts
Richland, MI

Sam Wilkinson has given us a realistic picture of what it means to "get hooked" on a sport. He tells where the dream got started in his teen years, how it grew during the college years, and now is an integral part of his adult life. It is also a story about the support of family and friends--he's not in this alone though it is an individual sport. It is a "fun read" for all ages. I am a professional educator and would include this book on my recommended reading list for both high school and college students. It celebrates the journey toward meeting challenges with both humor and humanity.

I bought this book because my 10-year-old daughter is interested in becoming a triathlete (we are still working on the swimming part). We both found it well-written, and easy for a novice (at races of any sort) to understand and enjoy. My daughter, who currently plays judo and wrestles, was inspired by Sam's accounts of how hard he worked for each race and how he NEVER gave up, even when he was tired and hurt. It is wonderful to see how Sam's entire family supports him through every race, and how he credits them often for his success. This is a great book for anyone who is an athlete and needs support from his "teammates", as well as those who support their atheletes through thick and thin. I would highly reccomend this book for anyone with a love of competition and family.

...read this book. OR if you never would tri. Read this book.
Wilkinsons accounts bring you inside the mind of a triathlete from beginnings to more beginnings. Many autobiographical accounts attempt to impress and create self made legends. This book is honest and humble to the extent that it borders on hysterical. You may find yourself celebrating small (and large) victories but not likely crying over the defeats...because Wilkinson never does. He learns and evolves. With the heart and spirit that it takes to challenge himself to new levels, he takes on the challenges of training, performing and then writing with an excellence that is one of a kind. And yet he inspires the reader to reach for new levels within themselves...but only by example.
If you don't gain an insight into the mental and physical, as well as the emotional rigors of the sport; if you dont feel like swimming, running, and riding, or if you aren't suddenly aware of you own love for your own sport... then you probably need to read this book over until you get it.

Wilkinson, a passionate, disciplined triathlete and natural story-teller, tutors and thrills the reader in this epic tale of a regular guy chasing and living his dream. Highly recommended.

I stayed up all night reading this book. The title intrigued me. I began it simply as a relaxation read and quickly realized that I simply couldn't put it down. The character development, the painstakingly vivid picture of New Orleans during and after the storm and flood, are nothing less that phenomenal! One strongly feels the pain and anxiety of the main character as he searches for his estranged father. This one should not be missed! It's a read that will interest everyone from young adulthood to senior citizen. Not an easy feat for any author.

Recovering Charles reminds me why there is hope for everyone, no matter what has happened to them. It inspires me to see the good that can come from personal disasters as well as natural disasters. I had shied away from anything Katrina but this also gave me a fresh look on what the media distorted. Jason Wright is an amazing storyteller. You won't be disappointed!

What a great book. Jason Wright has once again done a fantastic job of looking into the "typical" family and bringing out a wonderful story. The line of second chances and redemption is so powerful. The scenes in New Orleans after Katrina were so well written I felt I was there experiencing it myself. It made me laugh, cry and most of all feel good.

He's done it again! Wright's latest novel, Recovering Charles, is most engaging. I was engrossed in the story right from the first sentence. Wright's character development and plot twists combine for great story telling. I would recommend this work to anyone looking for a great read!

I love the ideas of redemption, second chances, and turning things around. I love the ways those ideas were presented in this very readable and entertaining book about a young man seeking out his father. Luke Millward is a relatable and likable main character, and Wright's sense of setting and place is impeccable, as always.