R Books

Our co. had an epidemic of carpal tunnel syndrome. People would take days off and our worker'c comp. claims increased. I, as a manager, didn't understand what cps was, how our workplace could cause it and which employee complaints had merit. The illustration and text on cps are so clear that I saw which work stations were a problem and learned what I could efficiently due to eliminate some of the risk and avoid loss of productivity

"When my doctor told me I had arthritis of the hands and knees, I panicked and thought the worst. My mother is wheelchair bound with arthritis. But I learned there are a lot of things I can do to help myself stay in good condition, keep muscle around the joints balanced; and that I can live a normal life with arthritis. I have never had this condition explained to me so plainly."

Ably written for the non-specialist general reader by Michael R. Wilson (a professional Orthopedic surgeon of 25 years experience), The Other Midlife Crisis: Arthritis And All Those Aches And Pains offers solid information spiced with a touch of humor concerning the health problem of arthritis and how to best deal with it. Excellent recommendations for exercise, improved diet, health concerns and personal care fill the pages of this superbly organized and presented instructional for coping with the problems of arthritis and reducing join pain.

"It seems that when I go to a doctor any more, I feel rushed and can't ask all my questions. The doctot seems distraught with HMOs, insurance, Medicare and so many other patients that I feel guilty taking his time to ask one more thing. When I sat down and read Dr. Wilson's book, it was just like sitting down with a doctor I could talk to, who related to my shoulder problems and tied it in with how it limited what I can do. I found his explanations for common problems forthright. My better understanding will help me prepare what to ask the next time I have to go to the doctor."

Dr. Michael R. Wilson has written a superb book here that will inform anyone who takes time to read this easy-to-follow, thorough look at our bones, joints, ligaments and tendons . . . plus all those pesky pains associated with them. The information will help you avoid having problems, reduce the amount of problems you will experience and minimize the pain and lost time you will have to suffer.

I was attracted to this book because many members of my family have arthritis or bone-related medical problems. A good friend is an orthopedic surgeon, so I had received from him good advice a long time ago: Avoid exercise that damages joints (like jogging). Beyond that, I knew very little.

As I began the book, I was a little concerned when chapter two contained many pages of medical terminology to be learned before reading the rest of the book. That chapter was the only hard and not very rewarding reading. The rest I enjoyed very much, and found easy to follow. I particularly liked the cartoons, drawings and x-rays of the various conditions and syndromes. I could often grasp with the image what a whole chapter would have had trouble conveying.

Although the book is aimed at those who are middle aged (currently, the baby boomers), there's also lots of information for younger people and the elderly. So you get the whole enchilada. That makes the book helpful in working with parents and children, as well as with one's spouse, siblings and oneself.

I particularly benefited from learning the differences between osteoarthritis (the joints wearing out) and rheumatoid arthritis (infected joints). I had questions about shoulder problems (including those I hear about on television for athletes), tennis elbow, bursitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, bifocal neck, sciatica, knee problems, heel pain, osteoporosis and gout. All of my questions were answered in more than adequate detail, and I learned important information that I didn't realize that I needed to learn.

Unexpectedly, I came away with a better understanding of how each of my joints works, how to react in an accident, and what to talk to my physicians about if I have a bone or joint problem. Although Dr. Wilson is an orthopedic surgeon, he is candid about the situations when surgery will probably make matters worse.

As I finished the book, I was thankful to the gym teacher who many years ago taught me how to fall so that I would not hurt myself.

Don't fall victim of your own success. This book reveals the paradox of success, and how to avoid downfall.

This is a very good, perhaps great [?], book masquerading as a "how to succeed in business" tome. It is in reality a powerful handbook for those of us in the 4th period of life to try to make some sense of all we have done, all we have left undone, & what is the purpose of it all. I'm 65; I found this a clever combination of Jung, Jung's theory of the 'shadow', & strong suggestions for living with inner tranquility & financial success; O'Neil is a gifted & insightful writer; I doubt that many under the age of 50 would find this book worthwhile - my opinion. A minor criticism: O'Neil cites 6 - 8 - 10 authorities in this field who have written books; he provides an index; but no bibliography? Why? A very minor criticism. Extremely well done. Easy to read.

It is an amazing journey through our deepest fears and questions about life whether personal or professional. The first part goes through those questions all of us have or have had combined with real life examples and a second part where the author shares his insight as to what to do with all those questions and answers we start to get by reading the book.

I have read this book once before back in 1995. Since then I have learned a lot about shadows. I am aware of my shadows and this book is helping me to be a better person.
I have a friend who is intellegent and smart. However, after reading this book second time I am beginning to know his hubris and. I do not know how to relate with this person.
Knowing my own shadows I am now less critical of others. We all have multi-selves.
The book should be read by any adult who wants to have a balanced perspectives of life and deal with others appropriately.

I first read this book when it came out, at the time the O. J. Simpson story was just breaking. It was PERFECT timing - offering insights into how otherwise highly-successful people can have darker sides show up in their lives unless they periodically renew themselves and take stock - what might be called taking an "internal audit" of oneself. I've often thought the title for this book could have been "The Shadow Side of Success."

I highly recommend this book for anyone who's in a position of influence, power and responsibility (or who WANTS to be). The author has included a rich assortment of ways one can avoid the egoic pitfalls of success and fame - a real MASTERPIECE!

John Renesch, author, Getting to the Better Future

There are a lot of books about gifted children, but none as helpful as this one. I use this book as a reference. It can help with everything from dealing with schools to the emotional side of giftedness. The advice is practical and can be used instantly. Anyone who has just learned their child is gifted should start here. It may not be as useful to those who have already read the other literature out there.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

I learned about this book in Beestar online GT program. I had been very nervous before, because I did not know how to raise my gifted child. He is obviously smarter and very different from his peers. A great thing I learned from this guide is about communication - an important factor both in parenting and educating the gifted child. The author's great ideas are good not only for parents communicating with gifted kids, but also for parents communicating with the teachers. I was able to teach my son how to communicate effectively following this guide. It would not have been so successful without this book. Now my son is smarter than ever and more important to me, he is happy and confident... In short, if you have a gifted child, buy and read this book before anything else. It is truly a wonderful guide.

This is a comprehensive book for anyone who has a gifted child. It is also appropriate for anyone who works with gifted children (teachers, psychologists, etc.).

Amazon incorrectly lists this book as 'Out of Print'. It is not. It is available on the Barnes & Noble website, the Borders website, the publisher's website, etc. The only place it is not available, apparently, is Amazon.

This book has been great at calming my fears as the parent of a gifted child. It talks about expectations for your child as well as how to handle certain challenging situations both at home and at school. Definite must have.

One of the more complete and clear general review about probability theory (hey, it's a graduate!)

"Probability" is book number 95 in the GTM series. If you really read this book carefully, you will probably learn something (I think that Shiryayev proves this somewhere in the second chapter). This is probably one of the better books in the GTM series. You can purchase this text for a moderate price. You could, however, take advantage of the probable distribution of this text throughout your university libraries. I'm not saying that it's going to be there...I'm just saying that there's a chance.

I write this to pay my highest respects for this guru mathematician's work. This is truly a great book, not only for graduate students but also undergraduate and researchers. The book covers 8 chapters, starting with classic approach, so that one can see the evolution of the theory of probability, and one could avoid the risk of being lost in this forest.

It has a particularly useful Chapter 2, which provides the readers with necessary mathematical foundation for them to go on. Of course, the theory itself is challenging and we will/should never expect an easy-to-read mathematics book. The transformation from classical approach to the modern one is exhibited clearly by this great Russian mathematician. You will find almost everything in here, even some critical part that touches on stochastic differential equations, that are very useful for applied fields of sciences such as mathematical finance.

Index of keywords is also very useful and in details. We should also notice that the book is not too thick compared to other multi-volume textbooks. This is a real advantage if you have to carry it along while working or when reading for leisure.

However, be careful with some examples and solutions. I found at least one problem in which Prof. Shiryaev provided wrong solution, e.g. problem on girl vs boy child on page 25 of 2nd Edition. The final result is correct, but the evolution shows a wrong method.

Despite this minor thing, a matter of Buyer Beware, I find it a really great book that has accompanied me for over 7 years now. It is worth every penny. Thus do not waste your money on others before trying this. You will agree with me at the end. The book is a piece of art!

Almost everything has been said already by other reviewers, I am just going to confirm it really is that good. Starts from the very basics, builds theory up to startionary random processes, L2 theory, and some basic ergodic theorems, and gets you ready to learn the theory of random processes (which is not what this textbook is about). You'll have to find some other book as your "Part 2", I don't have any recommendations off-hand. However, for basic probability, in a rigorous setting, this is the book. He explains everything, and doesn't skip too many details, which is sweet. Proofs are easy to follow. However, I have found a few nasty typos which may have you bang your head against the wall. But you'll find them if you read carefully. Hopefully they will be corrected in subsequent printings. This shouldn't deter you. It really is an amazing book, in the russian tradition. See also Ya. Sinai's minibook on probability theory, many theorems are proved without the use of measure theory, so you can compare the proofs and get better insight into the machinery of those theorems.

It covers almost all of the "basic" ideas in probability.

This book is one of the most helpful book for me. You will "learn" what is going on in the field of probability theory. The book is especially suitable for self studying. If you want to learn probability theory, buy this book, dig into it, study again and again if you don't understand a particular part. But the book does its best in terms of clarity of exposition, so you can understand with a careful reading.

It will provide a strong tool and you can use this tool efficiently in your professional career. But there is a caveat. You might end up with a tool that you will never use again. The book is suitable for professionals and deep minds.

This is one of the best books in the history of modern man. The pictures alone are enough to keep returning to it over and over and over. I found the tome very informative as it eloquently exposes the under-workings of the CON.
Any library, private or public, is incomplete without this remarkable book.

Getting this book will be the difference in eternal salvation or going to work tomorrow. Get it now, before it's too late. This is your last warning, we're watching you.

If the Book of The Subgenius left your brain nearly distroyed. The sequal will finish the job!

If only Saddam had read this book! If he did, then the Iraqi's would be patrolling New York City right now!

"Bob" gives Jesus a wedgie!

"Bob" give Mohommad a "wet willie!"

"Bob" is the punch line to a joke that was never spoken.

"Bob" is the whoppie cushion at the Black Tie Dinner of reality!

"Bob" is the pie! "Bob" is the arm of Moe! "Bob" is the pie fight at the end of the Three Stooges Episode!

The end times are a'near! Get right with "Bob" now!

I bought this one too, now I'm even crazier!
Thanks again, "Bob"!

that I had to buy THREE copies of the first book, because it would 'disappear' when I lent it to friends. I certainly wore out the binding of each copy myself, because it was one of the funniest books I'd ever read hands down. Naturally, when the sequel, "Revelation X" hit the shelves, I needed to have it, even though I knew I'd already given enough money to these raving hucksters(I mean, I loved the Church-bought the mebership and all). While not as side splittingly funny as the first one, this is still light years ahead of any other humor books. Each SubGenius book is literally crammed with things to read and look at, artwork and rants and gag philosophy from embittered nerds all over the world apparently, all about the mythical figure of Bob Dobbs and his plan to save us from the maw of the Conspiracy that is perpetuated by so-called normal people to destroy noncomformity. Obviously, if you are the shy, intellectual type with a truckload of inner rage and a brain that no one appreciates or understands, then this is your bible. Women Subgenii take note: there's a chapter devoted just to you. Enjoy one of the last decades' coolest in-jokes.

Shippey walks the reader through Tolkien's lifelong fascination with and love and study of language, which is the golden thread of Tolkien's depiction of humankind through the mists of our earliest time on the planet.

This book is quite simply superb in every conceiveable respect. It is written by a scholar who understands and respects Tolkien's own scholarly passion for philology, the science and stories of the evolution of words and language. This is very different from the humanistic field of literary criticism, and Shippey explains at some length what a philologist can and cannot do. The close reader will end Shippey's book with a wistful feeling that some very wrong turns have been made in academia over the past one hundred years, and one of the reasons for Tolkien's greatness in his time was quite simply his refusal to accept or acknowledge that these wrong turns had been made. At bottom, a scholar of literature is, or at least ought to be, someone who loves words. We will always have a few of these people among us, and Tolkien's and Shippey's works remind us that no overgrown pathway is ever truly lost.

Tom Shippey has an intimate knowledge of the mind and creative processes of the late Professor J.R.R. Tolkien, perhaps nearly as intimate a knowledge as Christopher Tolkien himself. The degree of the schism between language and literature professors of his day was most startling, and how that affected the early critics' appraisals of his masterpiece was also not what I had expected. Tom Shippey's knowledge of JRR Tolkien's mind is most revealing and is encyclopedic, and his ability to explain how deeply the master philologist would see legends and myths in the most ordinary of names and words left me thunderstruck. I have read all five of the main Middle Earth volumes several times and have read some of the Lost Tales, but I had not gained any insight from previous volumes saying how Pr. Tolkien created his world. The authors of those books seemed to lack legitimacy. Tom Shippey does not have that problem, and his book demonstrates that he is Pr. Tolkien's bona fide pupil and linguistic heir. Fans of Middle Earth should be thankful for Tom Shippey's insight, an insight that could only be bettered by Christopher Tolkien, or Pr. Tolkien himself.

Tom Shippey is a profound student of Tolkien with a deep love of middle-earth and a deep understanding of it and its origins.

Unlike so many academics, he is a fine writer. He has style, insight and erudition. Professor Shippey succeeded to Tolkien's chair at Oxford and he has the feeling of Tolkien's world in his bones. He knows Tolkien not only as a fantasist but also as a philologist and understands - and can explain in simple and lucid language - how Tolkien's studies of words influenced his creative work. He has also written interesting critiques of science-fiction.

This is a most valuable book that will contribute proufoundly to any reader's understanding and appreciation of Tolkien's greatness without - and this is very important! - destroying the magic.

I know Tolkien's work well and cannot fault this book.

Shippey's "J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century" places Tolkien in the context of his time. "The Road to Middle-earth" has the more scholastically challenging job of placing Tolkien in the context of his tradition. As that tradition is primarily philological and philosophical, these are his subjects. He tells us what Tolkien meant the words and names in his stories to mean; he tells us how Tolkien used modern language to convey modern and ancient styles and philosophies in contrast; he tells us how the Ring mediates two mutually exclusive concepts of evil; he explains Tolkien's complex narrative strategies; he dresses down critics who misunderstand Tolkien and blame him for not fitting into their concepts of literature; and he does all this with such a blistering display of erudition and general intelligence that the reader sits back amazed.

The book is discursive, and the opening theoretical chapters may seem heavy going, but have patience: they provide necessary context. Shippey has Tolkien's measure in full throughout. He explains what was important to Tolkien, what Tolkien thought he was doing, and - no less vitally - why it is necessary to understand this if one is not to bash Tolkien in annoyance for not accomplishing something totally different.

If you read Shippey, will you necessarily understand Tolkien? No. But if you don't read Shippey, and if you also don't have his insight and knowledge, you will not fully understand Tolkien.

... you just HAVE to check out Deb Butterfield's book "Showdown With Diabetes"! In her book she tells about her life with diabetes and her transplant! In the second part of her book, she talks about the progress over the years that pancreas and islet transplants have made! What impressed me is how she takes all the MANY researchers' information and discusses it all in an easy to understand and positive manner! I'm just so impressed and just had to share this book with you! It's the best thing I've read in a long time!

For anyone affected by diabetes, especially those of us with type 1 - this book should be a real fast and insightful read. Having personally lived with type 1 for the past 25 years, this is the first book I've seen which doesn't try to perpetuate the prevailing myth that the patient is ultimately responsible for his or her condition, or that this illness is nearly as "manageable" as the medical profession, the media or society in general would have us believe. I suspect that much of the first part of the book, which takes the reader through Deb's own struggle with diabetes, is so familiar that it could have been written by anyone who has lived with this illness. The second part closes on a positive note outlining the breakthoughs that will impact finding a cure. But it also serves as a message to the diabetic community that they must do better in advocating for a cure (including funding and policies) which are required to get there. A really good book.

Deb was looking back at me from my mirror! What an incredibly insightful, hopeful, powerful story of diabetes ... Showdown really tells it like it is ... unbelievable refreshing and cathartic! THANKS!

Before a few months ago I did not have a detailed knowledge of diabetes, although I have worked for academic medical centers for over twenty years.

I did a good deal of research when I was asked to consider the position of President and CEO of the Juvenile Diabetes Foudation. Of all my readings, none was as important as Showdown with Diabetes. Most important of all, it enabled me to understand the passion for a cure that has driven JDF's volunteers and staff for over 30 years.

Thankyou Deb for sharing your experiences. I hope that, in my new position, I can help to accomplish the goals you have so articulately described in Showdown with Diabetes.

... you just HAVE to check out Deb Butterfield's book "Showdown With Diabetes"! In her book she tells about her life with diabetes and her transplant! In the second part of her book, she talks about the progress over the years that pancreas and islet transplants have made! What impressed me is how she takes all the MANY researchers' information and discusses it all in an easy to understand and positive manner! I'm just so impressed and just had to share this book with you! It's the best thing I've read in a long time!

This was listed as the top choice for obsessive-compulsive disorder by the Carlat Report for December 2005 in a review of self-help books in psychiatry (www.thecarlatreport.com).
It is very much a self-help book, directed at patients rather than professionals, but some of the methods recommended seem to assume that a professional is involved and it discusses the use of medication. Indecisions and mentisme are not covered but hoarding (which is seldom due to OCD)is. As with several other self-help books it is without references or statistics so that we have to take some of the claims for effectiveness on trust. The professional reputations of the authors are so high that I would be inclined to trust them, although in some of the cases described the remedy looks worse than the disease. Their recommendations for dealing with contamination fears, and also their techniques for coping with contrast ideas, might be quite distressing.
An academic quibble is that the techniques mostly seem to be plain vanilla behavior therapy, rather than cognitive. The cognitive therapy of Beck (and its avatar, the rational-emotive therapy of Ellis) involve arguing patients out of their symptoms by convincing them of the logical errors of their thinking, a futile endeavor in OCD. This book recommends the kinds of treatment that many of us have found useful empirically whatever our theoretical background.
Sigmund Freud (in one of his letters to Binswanger) discusses a case of OCD and recommends what is called in Norman Guterman's translation "counter-compulsion." (His classic paper on OCD is usually considered the 1909 "Rat Man" whom he did treat by psychoanalysis. That was published as "Der Familienroman der Neurotiker Bemerkung einen Fall von Zwangneurose" for those of you who own the Sammlung kleiner Schriften. In the Collier paperback series, edited by Philip Rieff, the "Rat Man" case is in "Three Case Histories" )
Where Foa and Wilson fall short of Freud, and of Judith Rappaport's "The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing," is in literary merit. They write clearly and understandably but this is not something that the general reader would want to read cover to cover.

The book describes a host of obsessive/compulsive behaviors together with strategies to overcome them. For instance,
washers tend to clean their hands multiple times, take many
showers and repeat actions obsessively or due to shear habit.
Repeaters tend to repeat actions compulsively until they are
performed perfectly or to the perceived satisfaction of
the person with "a repeater" behavioral trait. Hoarders tend
to gather "things" out of a fear of discarding something
valuable. The hoarder may keep every possession ever owned
for fear of throwing out a single valuable thing. Hoarders
never consider the opportunity cost of space. As a self-help book, the authors identify classic situations that trigger these
unhealthy behaviors. Once identified, specific strategies are
provided to combat the undesired behaviors/behavioral traits.
A strength of this book is that it helps you to conquer a host
of unhealthy demons which trigger neurotic retaliatory
responses. The authors encourage readers to act contrary to
these destructive proclivities every time they surface.
The book is worth the price charged-many times over.
The issues addressed are rarely talked about or admitted to
during the conduct of public discourse. This book provides
readers with a private forum to discover their eccentric
behaviors without the penalty of public chastisement or
derision. The book is recommended highly for this purpose
alone.

This book saved my life nine years ago. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. My life is no longer ruled by anxiety. Thank you R.W. and E.F.

This is an excellent book. I think it is the best self-help book on OCD. Luckily my CB therapist does these exact techniques with me in therapy so it's like this book is a hard-copy of the work I am doing. It's a great reference manual. Take this book seriously - it will help you if you follow the practices with as much patience and effort as you can. The thing that clicked for me after ready only the first few chapters of this book, is that my thoughts are obsessions! They are exagerrated, irrational, not based on reality! I never before could grasp that concept because I actually believed that my obsessions and suspicions might be real (that I was just missing something) and that somehow my mental compulsions would help me to relieve the tension and anxiety that my obsessive thoughts were causing. It's amazing... it all literally clicked. These thoughts are obsessions. They are NOT REAL!! Wow.

This book comes highly recommended by my doctor and is living up to its reputation!

This book is Excellent for reading anywhere and anytime, reading this book you will learn (more or less) how think a pharmaceutical company to improve or create new medicine, you will also see how react the people that doesn't like this kind of companies that sincerely we all need them and they have to work with animals whether we like it or not.
We also see how doctors work, some for the cure of the people and some for the cure of their own bank account.
The life of Celia and Andrew was terrific, I want to live that way with my wife and I am not talking about the money, I am talking about the way that each one support the other one. Here is the only part that doesn't belong to the story, the affair of Celia, I don't know why it was written, is mentioned only once and is written in 15 or 20 lines, again, that part of the book doesn't belong to the story.

If there is one thing I like when I read a book by Athur Hailey, is that he's able to write about the world of medicine so greatly as the detective world or any other kind of story, mixing the writing of authors like Robin Cook, Mary Higgins Clark and Sidney Sheldon in a very good way: his own. So why didn't you rate this book 5 stars instead of 4? The answer is: Mr. Hailey's books are wonderful, but he wrote one or two dull lines. So... As for the case of STRONG MEDICINE, the author wrote a book that has a wonderful character and he develops them with an hability that I don't usually see. He gives an insight on the remedy world and makes you understand it completely well, what makes you be aware of how careful he was as for researching. In a few words, Arthur Hailey is one of the best authors out there, one of those that sometimes you hate for not writing as much as you want to read, which to me usually means a ton of his books. And Arthur have written only just a few, unfortunately. So, what you can do, is read read and read his books and also enjoy him. You'll discover one of the best writers you've ever read. Believe me.

Arthur Hailey was a great man. He provided insights into so many industries. Perhaps he got the best commercial works out of Airport and Hotel, but his commentary on other works was his greatest legacy.

Don't get me wrong - Hotel and Airport were great works. The looked into the problems of those industries. He books contained great merit; the adaptations to screen showed a big disater movie (Airport... and then Airplane).

Strong Medicine was his look into the ethical drug world, with all it's triumphs and problems. Medical breaktrhoughs in drugs are not without their costs. Can some drugs lead to harmful side-effects? Yes. Can some drugs be helpful to men and science? Yes. Can the FDA both cause good drugs to be delayed, and catch harmful drugs before they hit? Yes.

Arthur Hailey is a master of industry reseach. He understood no industry was without it's drawbacks and costs, and well as it's advancement to mankind. Strong Medicine shows both sides at their very best. Drug companies want the best ethical drugs they can make - but they are also not immune from making mistakes about their strong medicne.

Arthur Hailey is one author whose judgement I'd trust implicitly. He "captured" my trust when I was 13 years old when I first read "Final Diagnosis". "Strong medicine" is another great story in the same great Hailey tradition - attention to detail, an investigative journalism kind of style and best of all, real, believable characters.

Arthur Hailey is one of the best, Strong medicine is one of his best books and Celia Jordan, a remarkable character. Mr. Hailey, more power to you. Hope to read lots more from you in the years to come. Thank you for creating Celia Jordan (Strong Medicine), Dr.Pearson (Final Diagnosis), Margot and Alex (Money Changers), Jamie Howden (In High places).

Looking forward to more from you,

This book changed my life. When I was 16, a friend called me on the phone in sheer excitement. "I just read a book about a woman who reminds me of you! " Needless to say, I rushed out to buy the book, stormed through its captivating pages, and was puzzled. The heroine is a modern career woman with principles and intelligence. I was a teenager. Why was she like me? Yet, over the years, I have found that the heroine has given me courage and guidance in times of challenges and has even led me to propose to my husband! Though not a recently written book, the heroine is a wonderful, encouraging, and inspiring role model for the women of today who want it all - a career, family, and self-realization. It is absolutely captivating and one that you will go back to read a second time and a third if not more.

This is simply a case where the best-kept secret is one that can and must be told. Robert Adam's has the good fortune of having a wily grandfather disguised as half-baked old man and parents who full well understand the importance of allowing their son to suffer through the unknown as he comes to terms with life's complexities and learns to listen to the only real truth--that which comes from within. 'The Sun Singer' by Malcolm Campbell is the Hero's Journey par Excellence! Grandfather unexpectedly passes away, leaving Robert Adams holding a bagful of mystery. Mom and Dad have answers, but they know it will mean nothing until Robert comes to terms with this mystery on his own, as we all must do at different times in our lives. This magical coming-of-age tale takes the reader through a labyrinth as a teenage boy/man sets off into the cosmic dimensions of the unknown to redeem his grandfather's kingdom and rightfully claim his position in life as a true leader. What I'd give to have Malcolm Campbell's imagination, wisdom, wit, and mastery of the written word. Buy it, steal it, borrow it from your local library--one way or another, get hold of 'The Sun Singer' and tell your friends.

The Sun Singer is a book of calculated splintered realities. The line between the real and the metaphysical is blurred through the eyes of a coming-of-age teenager whose psychic ability mirrors that of his precious grandfather. His grandfather holds the secrets of a world that co-exists with and within us here on earth. The plot of the book is revealed shortly after he is informed of a family trip to Glacier National Park for reasons that have been unclear to his parents, but because of the grandfather's "gifts" no one questions this apparent pilgrimage and they faithfully bring the teenage boy to meet his destiny.

Mr. Campbell's prose is burgeoning with all manner of intricate facts providing a most accurate description to the background through which the characters are exposed. It is obvious the author is an outdoorsman and his ornithological knowledge is deep and concise with each description of any winged creature that he brings to the forefront.

Each character that our unintentional hero meets places another piece of the mystery into play ever so much as to beg to want to ask even more questions. We breathe along with the main character, we feel his confusion and innocent bravery as he takes on a medieval persona fighting soldiers and conjuring power from a magical wooden staff that has been given to him, another legacy of his grandfather. The maze of tunnels seem to be a metaphor for the possibilities or alternate paths that one can choose, having to take the responsibilities for choosing such paths. If Faulkner wrote science fiction I would envision it would read much like this novel. I could easily envision a screenplay that would surpass "The Golden Compass" in scope and imagination. The only criticism that I can offer is that the language of this teenage boy seems a bit seasoned and older than his years, but I've been critiqued for the same reasons myself in my first novel.

I found myself running to Google latin words and phrases and noticed a few new words being added to the English language such as clairaudiently that means the hearing of things metaphysically through different realities. Mr. Campbell also employed the use of split columns that expressed the separate lines of Sonny's or Osprey's or Robert's (the same boy depending on what universe and who he was with) thinking at the same time, again the constant alluding to parallel posturing within the writing itself. Are you intrigued yet? The road to and from the magical universe that Osprey's (I like that name it was my college's mascot) is loaded with surprises and revelation. There are a cast of characters that have distinct and immediate personality and the rapid movement of the plot requires one's concentration to keep it all in order. This is not fluffy pulp fiction. The subject matter is fantasy but it's presentation is far from it. It is a very structured intelligent novel, each word placed exactly where the author intends and this author intends to stretch the rules, so stay strapped in and bring along your bookmarker-it is not a book to be read quickly.

"The Sun Singer" is a book that will transport you to other realms, realms that shadow ours. Campbell's story is not only about how one character must complete what his grand-father began, it is about how one must come to terms with loss and death too. Robert undertakes a journey not only to other realities, but to his genetic heritage, a heritage that he must fully accept in order to become free.

I highly recommend this book to those who seek to understand their own magical natures. Campbell has a fine eye for describing nature and emotions, something rare in writers these days. I predict that readers will resonate with his wisdom and I am really looking forward to his next book.

Robert Adams has come home. Or has he?

In the Worlds of Multiple Dimensions, just where is home? On a journey into destiny, is 'home' the beginning or the end of the journey? Or does 'home' usurp such limiting boundries as time and space?
Whatever is the Ultimate Reality, traveling the journey with Robert has opened new horizons of possibility and wonderment for me regardless the answer.
The Worlds of The Sun Singer give credence to the eloquent words of Richard Bach in "Illusions" . . . "Magic is only magic until we understand it."
I will take more journeys with Robert Adams as he has now taken residence in my imagination. The Sun Singer isn't just a book, it's an enlightening. It's a pass to worlds beyond the mundane of closed thought and mediocrity. Perhaps 'home' is in the unopened doors of imagination after all.

Kudos to Mr. Campbell for daring to go through the doors found at the outer reaches of the mind and the Universe.

Susan Haley, Author

"Rainy Day People"
"Fibers In The Web"

The plotline of Malcolm R. Campbell's book is a cross between the movies, Back to the Future and Dragonslayer. If you enjoyed those two classics, you will like The Sun Singer. Robert Adams is a teenager with a mission. He has spent the first fifteen years of his life having strange dreams, living with the nickname, The Soothsayer of West Wood Street, and reveling in the fantastic tales of heroism and adventure told by his grandfather. When his grandfather passes away, Robert's family takes a vacation to the mountains of the Western U.S., and the dreams come to life. Robert's grandfather had been traveling back in time, entering through a portal in a secluded cabin high up in the mountains. The story concerns Robert's adventures when he steps through the portal. As in Back to the Future, Robert's actions in an earlier time can affect events in the present time. The previous era transforms Robert into a young hero called Osprey who battles unknown entities in a primitive setting much like that in Dragonslayer.

This is a fine effort for a first novel. Mr. Campbell has captured the essence of the fantasy genre for young adults and older adults, too. As in most successful modes of entertainment, the author borrows a few details and adds many original ones of his own. The heady brew offers a fantastic tale with believable characters. You will be particularly impressed with the way the story flashes in and out of the two time zones. This concept makes the story seem more real to grownups. Unlike many stories of this type, you don't have to be a teenager obsessed with the fantasy genre to enjoy this book. It has just enough character development and plot conceits grounded in present-time reality to satisfy many ages and types of readers. The only element limiting a five-star status is the book's copyediting: the inconsequential typos are a little too numerous. Malcolm R. Campbell has introduced characters worth visiting again. All you fantasy readers out there will be salivating for a sequel!