Publishers Books

A Very complete guide that will help any athlete and an excellent resource for baseball players searching for how to train for their sport.

This text represents a comprehensive look at the application of current principles of conditioning and training for the baseball player. It is an extremely well written text. Dr. Coleman does an excellent job of blending both the theoretical aspects of training with the practical aspects he knows to be viable because of his years of experience working with, not only major league players, but also younger players. The application of the concept of periodization to baseball conditioning is extremely important for the development of strength, power, speed, and agility. With improvement in these areas, the ability to enhance performance is optimized. The use of humor throughout the text also serves as a good buffer between the various theoretical sections. The Forward to the book by Nolan Ryan and the Introduction to the ýPhysical Demands of the Gameý set the stage for an extremely thorough look at the various aspects of conditioning that are involved in developing the baseball player. The examples of different players who developed at different rates indicate that players of all levels can benefit by applying the theories and programs presented in this text to their individual programs. Dr. Colemanýs presentation of a year-round periodization model blends the theoretical aspects of this type of training with the reality of the baseball season. By defining the plans as he has, Dr. Coleman provides the individual with an idea of what is expected throughout each training regime.

Specifically important in the first section is the workout order. Many players train very inefficiently. By Dr. Coleman delineating the optimal order for performance enhancement, players gets an idea of how to best plan their entire training program.

In Chapter One on Postseason training, his presentation of the dietary needs of the athlete for training is very concise and straightforward. He presents a good plan for maintaining fitness during this period of time. By organizing his Off-season training program (Chapter Two) by positions, he deals with one of the primary aspects of physical development--specificity of training. He shows that although there are general exercises that all can do, there are certain exercises that are position specific. In this section he presents a simple yet thorough presentation of dietary needs, which is quite important to the individual.

By including baseball specific drills in Chapter Three, Preseason One training, he again focuses on the need for specificity of training. The section on avoiding arm problems is very important because oftentimes players are overzealous about trying to get ready for the season. This can cause setbacks rather than getting them ready for the upcoming season. His concluding comments on fueling the body with supplements are extremely well stated. He writes, ýEating a diet high in carbohydrates and training hard are the best ergogenic aids available. They are safe, cheap, and effective.ý So many players today are looking for a quick and easy way to develop their physical abilities. In reality, the best way to do it as Dr. Coleman suggests is to eat right and work hard.

Also in this chapter, his baseball ratings test is a good guideline for players to use to see how much they have improved. Although his criteria may not be appropriate for the specific player, individual players can use this to measure gains over time. Monitoring themselves on these various parameters can provide two checks: 1) if their conditioning program is effective and 2) if they are over training and/or stale.

The Preseason Two chapter further emphasizes specificity of training when he discusses simulated innings training and fueling the body. His ten best food tips are a realistic look at the current state of society. Although it is ideal for people to prepare meals, in many cases this is not possible. His suggestions are well taken.

His In Season program (Chapter Five) focuses on the importance of maintaining what has been gained. At this time many players, because they are working on game specific drills, neglect things such as speed and agility. It is critical that Dr. Colemanýs comments be heeded in this section.

Under the section on running, he states, ýThe key to strength is intensity not volumeý. This relates to another important training concept ý overload. He focuses on how critical it is to be efficient in your training. Teaching players to train (and perform) better, not harder, is a critical element of successful coaching. An example with pitching is if you want to learn to pitch fast you should practice pitching fast.

The section on eating in popular restaurants discusses how important it is to eat a good diet. His examples of foods to order and foods to skip are quite good.

Part 2 of the text presents the meat of the material. Although I feel that this could have been placed at the beginning to give the reader an idea of what was to follow, I am sure Dr. Colemanýs decision to place them in this order is based on his background and skill in the field. He presents 16 principles at the beginning of Part 2. These are so critical in developing a sound philosophy of how to train. It is important that these be read and reread before a training program is developed.

Chapter Six discusses the importance of warm-up and cool down in the development of flexibility and in the optimization of training. It contains a series of game specific activities that can help prepare the performer. The use of diagrams and the description of these exercises are quite thorough and build a good base for his training program.

Chapter Seven on core strength training is quite well done. He describes circuit weight training; multiple set training, pyramid training, and four-day split training, along with six day split training. Although a little more detail could have been included in some of these descriptions, enough is presented for the reader to at least ask a conditioning coach for suggestions for developing an individualized program. He presents a concise model for designing the components of your strength program discussing the specifics of sets and reps.

Again, following with the practical nature of the book, the section on the ýdos and donýts of crunchesý is quite well stated. The pictures and descriptions of the daily core are very thorough and very informative. His use of various mediums including medballs and plyometrics points out how complex the field of training is today.

Chapter Eight dealing with the development of the shoulder, elbow, forearm, and hand is quite necessary for the development of throwing for both fielders and pitchers. His cautions about the exercises that can hurt your shoulder are very important. His rotator cuff program is very specific to the baseball player.

Speed (Chapter Nine) is an area that is often overlooked. His five key components to the development of speed concisely present all that is necessary for the individual. His description of the components of running helps the individual player in a very simplistic way ý what needs to be done to run fast. This goes back to specificity of training ý in order to run fast you must run fast.

Finally, Chapter Ten on power and the plyometric element of training to baseball is important. The use of medballs and bounding are quite critical to the complete development of the baseball player.

In conclusion, I feel that this is an excellent text that deals with a number of elements that the player must consider in conditioning. Baseball is not something that is just played during the season. You do not get better by just fielding more grounders or taking more swings. The physical abilities necessary to play the game must be developed. Fitness and conditioning for baseball must be a year-round project.

Applying exercise science to a ritually traditional sport is what Dr. Coleman has done with 52 Week Baseball Training. Excellent sections on scouting and seasonal training methods. I enjoyed the division of training into 5 phases with gradual intensity and specificity of training during those phases. Any strength trainer, exercise physiologist or coach that works with baseball/softball players will feather the pages of this book because it will be used and referred to so much. If only it came in hardcover!

Gene Coleman's 52-Week Baseball Training is a definitive, practical, effective program for the aspiring athlete to achieve and maintain top physical conditioning for baseball, whether competing for a spot in the major or minor leagues, or just enjoying softball league or sandlot games. Coleman provides day-by-day, week-by-week, season-by-season workouts (including resistance training, total conditioning exercises, and position-specific activities) in a training plan that can be applied in high school, college, and summer-league schedules. Highly recommended for all novice as well as seasoned players, Coleman's 52-Week Baseball Training is laid out in four sequential phases: Postseason (active rest and recovery); Off-Season (fitness training); Preseason (training to play); and In-Season (training to win).

Having trained both amateur and professional baseball players, I can say that Dr. Coleman continues to be at the forefront of strength and conditioning, particularly with respect to baseball. This book will be a useful resource for any player or coach wanting to reach peak baseball performance through improving strength, speed, and agility. I highly recommend this book!

Accidental Genius is a quick read, but has a series of ideas that will keep you reading your favorite author (yourself!) for a long time to come.

This book is about using private writing to sharpen your own thinking. This is not a book about written communications. If you're looking for written communications skills, you can't do better than The Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto - which is considered The Bible among consulting firms.

If you're like me, you would have noticed that your typing fingers have a mind of their own - ideas start forming *after* you've started writing about them. Words starting forming on their own, and before you know it, you have a fully formed idea staring back at you on the computer monitor. This book writes out a few ways you can actually use this writing momentum to your advantage. The writing you would do as a result is meant for your eyes only. Writing in free-form and then reviewing the text makes the ideas present themselves to us in black and white (literally!), allowing us to refine them until they're ready.

I travel on long flights, and have found the approaches in this book extremely useful in clarifying my thinking, and passing time.

How many times have you looked at a new idea or invention and said "I thought of doing that once..." How many times have you forgotten things because you didn't write them down? Answers: lots of times, lots of times.

Now ask yourself "How many good ideas have come to me pure, shining forth with no clutter around them, precisely when I needed them?" The answer is likely to be "Never."

Accidental Genius tries to capitalize on these truisms by suggesting that the mechanism of writing can liberate the mind and allow the good ideas to pour forth - amid lots of debris, even nonsense. "Write fast, as close to the speed of your thinking as you can," says Levy, and with a timer (one that doesn't tick). And be relaxed while you do it.

The private writing log, which is Levy's main tool, can contain a journal, jottings on a problem or a wish, conversations with self or imaginary interlocutors, fantastic scenarios ranging from phenomenal strokes of good luck to horrifying catastrophe.

During the time you assign yourself you pour it all into your log, which only you will see and use. Later, perhaps much later, you will look over what you've written and try to extract the gold nuggets. For the price of a pencil and a pad of paper, you have built yourself a personal brainstormer.

Thought-logging has a long tradition among writing; many writers cannot survive without a notebook. Too many character sketches, images, details, dialogue and states of mind would be lost forever. However, the stated purpose of Levy's method is not to become a great or even a publishable writer but to keep a record of your thoughts for revisiting and future profit. The book is aimed at businesspeople but, at least in theory, anyone could benefit from the Levy method.

First, the method, which seems inspired by meditation techniques -- paradoxically, it replaces mind-quieting with page-filling --, requires a relaxed state of mind before starting a thought-logging session. Thus, the practice will be much easier for experienced meditators than for people who constantly carry unacknowledged tensions, fears, or other obstacles.

Someone capable of quieting his mind and relaxing may find it disconcerting to subject himself to a fast-paced exercise in free writing. Indeed, such a person may not want to get good ideas in this seemingly crass and haphazard way. Yet, in principle, the Levy exercises are no more absurd than practicing archery or repeating mantras.

True, the tone of the book is boosterish, the author being almost too eager to tell you his secret recipe -- but as in food recipes, literary polish matters little and the results are everything. Wonderful things can be done with cabbage, raw fish and snails (ants and cockroaches, too).

Despite its rough surface, this brief book has the bones of a fine meditation manual for businesspeople and a possibly useful tool for removing mental obstructions and even promoting a degree of self-knowledge in the age of commodity and show -- Levy's tacitly assumed and accepted scenario (whether the acceptance is reluctant or not, we don't know).

Talking to yourself in writing cannot be a substitute for the lost art of civilized conversation, but it will likely be a useful exercise. At worst, the technique can work as a placebo or not work at all, in which case you have lost nothing (think homeopathy).

At best, it can inspire you to pay attention to your thoughts and to develop an eye for good ideas, as well as good work habits. And if it teaches how to be comfortable in your own company, this book will have been not just a good buy but a steal. Good bones.

Many people have preconceptions about how the writing process goes. Grueling, frustrating and aggravating are just a few. This book shows you how to let go of your inner editor using private writing to let those unpolished gems come to the surface. Writing is work, but there are ways to make it easier and this book gives numerous useful strategies for moving past writing blocks and barriers when you have to write. It is very clearly, creatively and humorously written. Leavy illustrates many of his concepts with examples from his own writing. The most useful thing about this book is that it demystifies the process of writing and shows you multiple ways to create new ideas, strategies and perspectives. These are real, useful strategies, not "learn our new system and you will be successful" systems that are so complicated that you never use them after you read the book. I started using them when I was a quarter of the way through the book and produced 20 pages of single space material in one day. Not all that was great, but I was surprised at how good some of it was. It turned out there were a lot of good ideas in my head just waiting to get out. We are moving toward a knowledge society and most companies get their best value from ideas. This small, potent book will pay you back many times over by helping you get your ideas onto paper and into the world.

Accidental Genius: Revolutionize Your Thinking Through Private Writing )
by Mark Levy

I have had this book for quite a while & I have also reread it several times. I have been attracted to the book in the first place by what the author writes in the Introduction:

- Every recognized innovation has, in some way, been a product of human thought. It stands to reason, then, that the thoughts appearing in your mind have an enormous, potential value to you & the world;

- Sometimes your best thoughts must be coaxed out, & played with, before they reach their fullest potential;

- The world's most progressive companies have sophisticated infrastructures just to develop, and protect, the kinds of thoughts that you've already had or are capable of having;

What does this book do, in a nut shell: it teaches you how to get at what you're thinking on paper, so you can convert the raw material of your thoughts into something useable, using an energising body of techniques called 'private writing'. It entails examining all kinds of work/life situations & creating solutions for them through personal reflection and free-form writing.

The chapter on 'Extracting Gold from a Business Book' is my personal favourite.

For me, I have often used the author's writing techniques as a catalyst to guide my own best thinking on paper. I use what I often like to term as my 'scratch pad', foolscape-size, spiral-bound, 100 pages per pad, 100 gms weight, similar to the type artists use, in conjuction with a multi-colour/multi-utility pen from Rotring. At one point in time, (for about 3 years) I used the Bienfang spiral-bound note/sketch pads until the only local supplier went out of business unexpectedly.

On many occasions, I have astonished myself by being able to wrestle with the valuable business & life insights from my own seemingly disparate 'private writing' pages. I have translated many of my valuable insights into pragmatic projects. One of the sideline projects is writing reviews on amazon website.

I have noted that one of the most outstanding results of 'private writing' is honing my own critical & creative thinking processes.

Because of my personal interests in visual thinking, I often incorporate the 'rapid visualisation' & 'deliberate doodling' techniques I have picked up from Kurt Hanks as well as Joy Sikorski into my 'private writing' processes. As most readers may know, Kurt crafted the classic book, Rapid Viz, among many others. Joy crafted the following three marvellous doodling books, which I also own:

- How to Draw a Cup of Coffee & Other Fun Ideas;
- How to Draw a Radish & Other Fun Things to do at Work;
- How to Draw a Clam: A Wonderful Vacation Planner;

I have drawn phenomenal power from my purposeful integration of 'private writing' with 'rapid visualisation' & 'delberate doodling'. That's why I always use a multi-colour/multi-utlity Rotring pen in my work. My scratch pad is always a visual smorgasbord of relatively heavy text, mystical doodles & logical illustrations (thanks & no thanks to my engineering training!).

To conclude my review, Accidental Genius, is a real, rare gem. I strongly recommend this book to any reader who wants to explore powerful insight generation, &/or to apply some structure & purpose to - & at the end, extract some value from - all those notes you've been writing to yourself.

This is a great book. It's short, easy to read, and entertaining. But it's also a very powerful book that will change the way you approach creativity and learning.

It's not just about "private writing", it's about how to generate creative ideas and increase your learning and retention of what you read. It's also about how to clarify your thinking. The book has more than enough ideas to improve your life than what you would expect in his 141 page book.

I give it an A+ in my rating scale. This is a MUST READ for those who want to increase their learning, creativity and retention.

John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX

This is a beautiful, timeless story, told in gorgeous prose, and charmingly decorated. I'm not the sort of person who gushes over books, but this one is true literary perfection, and not just for children. It's the kind of book that, no matter how old you are when you first read it, will stay with you for the rest of your life.

I read this as a child. It got stuck in my mind, but I could never remember the title, thinking of it only as the story of the Hunter and the Mermaid. I searched for it for years.

This is a beautiful story, one of my favorites for children.

This story by Jarrell is gentle, mythical, and stands the test of time. A short story about a solitary hunter on an island, who meets a mermaid, and together form a family with animals they meet. The tone is warm and soft, kind and at times bittersweet.

While perfect for bedtime, cold or rainy days, this book is appealing to me even as i grow older. The subtle lessons about companionship, newness, differences, loneliness, loss, and joy are not forced to the fore. Rather, an old-fashioned sense of creating an environment as a way to tell a story is key here. Inviting wilderness, homely relationships, and just enough magic and mystery to compel the story forward.

One of my most treasured books since i was a young child, the is a timeless and infinitely re-readable story.

Randall Jarrell (1914-65) is better known as a poet, although probably best known today for his poetry criticism. He also wrote a few children's book, most notably The Bat-Poet and The Animal Family, the later published the same year he died and winning the 1966 Newbery Honor. It is wonderfully illustrated by Maurice Sendak - of Where the Wild Things Are fame - in beautiful pen and ink drawings.

The story is a sort of fable along the lines of Hans Christian Andersen or Lewis Carroll, but updated with a 1960s message. It is about a lonely hunter who lives in a cabin by the sea who with time comes to gather around him a "family" of very different creatures, first a mermaid, and then a bear, lynx, and human boy. Each is an orphan whose parents have either died or somehow left the scene. They all are very different animals yet find comfort and eventually identity with one another. It is a story in the spirit of the Age of Aquarius, when songs such as Free to Be You and Me and Free to Be a Family resonated during a cultural revolution in which boundaries of class, race and, in this case, even species were being explored, when everyone was a "brother" and "sister".

My reading of the story in its 1960s context is only one interpretation, this is not a heavy handed preachy book by any measure, it is timeless in its message about toleration of differences, the power of love to overcome anything (including for a mermaid to live on land, in effect brining a happy ending to Hans Andersen's otherwise brutal The Little Mermaid), and in particular for those who seek out love and find it in the most un-expected places. It is a short book, easy to read, and poetically written. Over the past 40 years it has found a place close to the heart of many children and adults, I only wish I had discovered it sooner.

Every once in a while, an author manages to pull off a novel that carries with it the exact tone and magical feeling of a fairy tale. In the genre of The Last Unicorn and The Princess Bride, this beautiful story takes you into a peaceful world where a lonely hunter lives by the sea.
The story follows the hunter's efforts to make a family for himself, and to keep that family safe. I don't want to spoil any of the plot points, but I will say that this gentle fable is going to fill each reader with joy and contentment. The tale is universal, and is just perfect for a shared experience at bedtime.
The decorations by Maurice Sendak are also quite lovely, giving us detailed sketches of the landscapes that the hunter and his family occupy.

I read this book as an assignment for an extra reading group I'm in. There are definately some funny lines in the book, but I don't think the overall story was that interesting. I suggest it to kids ages 11-14. The reason I suggest it to older kids is because younger kids wouldn't understand it so much. I really did like it, though. Give it a try, you might love it!

I have got to say this is a Book of great comedy. It has an interesting flow of characters a lively narrator and hilariously funny pictures. All who I have recommended this book to, loved it. the only problem that I have found with it is the ending. He stops making every one laugh. I thought that he was sort of like Peter Pan and would always be funny. But he turned serious. Still it is absolutely awesome, A must read.

I remember sitting in class in third grade while the teacher read us this book. I always liked the books she read us but I LOVED this book. I remember after school one day, I couldn't wait to see what happened so I actually went to the library and read the rest of the book. I haven't read it in a while but I would really reccomend it for anyone or their kid. It was a truly enchanting and humerous book.

This is a fun book, a sort of send up of fairy tales. The writing style is very loose, and the book is filled with illustrations.

I liked it because it moves quickly. It lacks focus, but at least something is always happening, and the story is strange and quirky. The characters are engaging, and the writing is enjoyably casual.

It's about a prince who makes everyone happy, a princess so beautiful she turns anyone who looks at her into stone, a clumsy giant, and a hunter who shouldn't even be in the book but stays in it despite the author's protests.

It's a quick read, very fun. Recommended for kids and adults, especially if you're looking for something different.

In the beginning Roger is a prince, but not a normal prince. Roger has a strange effect on people. If he gets too close to a person, they could die laughing. When J. Wellington Wizard tells Roger to go on a quest, Roger asks, "Isn't a quest where you have to go somewhere or find something?" J. Wellington says that he sees him entering the Forever Forest, and tells him to take a sack of magic powder, and whenever he sees someone, to dust a little on himself, so that Roger can turn into a thing, maybe even a leaf. Then, whoever he is near won't laugh. Roger sets out on his quest, gets stuck in the Forever Forest, and meets a lot of new people, such as little Lucille, Andrew, and Tom. Some are evil and some are nice. Roger hates it in the Forever Forest, but he knows it will get better and he will be the happiest man on earth.

This was a very funny book to read because the author pretended that he doesn't have control over his book, such as when, in chapter 5, Night of the Frogs, he says that he was just trying to fool Tom because chapter 5 is really called Tom. Tom is a character who is supposed to leave on page 9 but he refused. The author always talks about how Tom can walk in and out of the book, and come back at the perfect time. I thought this book was hilarious, engaging, and thoroughly entertaining.

The book never arrived at 3 weeks, so canceled the order and hope the charge is reversed on my card. Woody's books was nice about the problem and sent me a $5 check to aid in buying the book at a higher cost in a local book store.

This is a fantastic book for the newly-diagnosed breast cancer patient. It was given to my by my surgeon's office. It does a great job explaining things on a level that the average person can understand. It also has great diagrams, lists of questions to ask your medical team, glossary of terms, websites to check out and comments from breast cancer survivors and/or significant others of survivors. I highly recommend this book.

We give this book to surgeons in our area to distribute to women diagnosed with breast cancer. Before purchasing it, we had a group of 4 breast cancer survivors review and rate 3 separate books on breast cancer. This book "won" hands down, based on numerous criteria -- everything from its explanation of breast cancer treatments, to its index and glossary, to its discussion of life after cancer. It is clear and easy to read, provides comprehensive information on types of breast cancer and corresponding treatment alternatives, has wonderful graphics and photos, and provides interesting anecdotal stories of actual patients in its sidebar. Highly recommended!

I was introduced to this book at work and am now giving it to women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. I am on oncology certified nurse in the radiation oncology department of my cancer center. In January 2007 I also became our Breast Cancer Patient Navigator. I find this book gets excellent reviews from patients and their families alike. It is a great source of information, covering all the topics from diagnosis to living life 'after cancer'. I only wish I would have had this book when I was on my personal breast cancer journey! I highly recommend this book for someone newly diagnosed with breast cancer.

"Many experts believe that Herceptin represents the future direction of breast cancer drugs, because it targets a particular protein on the cancer cell, rather than attacking all cells at random. As research progresses, scientist hope to make all anti-cancer drugs as specific as possible." ~ pg. 97

Designed to compliment the book, the DVD provides an environment of understanding with explanations for all the procedures and various situations that will occur after a diagnosis. New treatments like Immunotherapy are discussed and there is an extensive resource section with additional CD options, including a CD-ROM program that is an interactive guide to treatment.

Helpful up-to-date information about why you may not need a mastectomy and only a lumpectomy is encouraging and gives hope. Radiation and Chemo is also discussed in detail. Throughout both the DVD and book, women tell their stories and that gives a sense of the range of experience. There are over 150 color photographs and graphics to illustrate important points.

A variety of questions are given in each section so you know what to ask your doctor. The stages of breast cancer are given so you know exactly what your doctor is talking about. The main sections include:

Facing Breast Cancer - Your feelings, support groups, healthcare teams and overview of treatment options.

Breast Cancer Basics - Types of Breast Cancer

Diagnosis and Staging - Tumor Testing, the Pathology Report, Additional Tests, How Stage is Determined

Surgery - Reconstruction, Lumpectomy and Mastectomy options, Lymph Nodes

Reconstruction - Choosing a Plastic Surgeon, External and Internal Options

Radiation Therapy - How treatment is given, Brachytherapy

Chemotherapy - Side Effects, Common Chemotherapy Drugs

Hormone Therapy - How Treatment is Given, Who should be Treated, Side Effects

Immunotherapy - Future Therapies and Herceptin

Clinical Trials - Participation Ideas and getting the newest treatments...

Life after Cancer - Emotional Recovery, Physical Recovery

The Guide for Your Partner is a special section your partner can read. If possible, watching the DVD together would be ideal because it explains all the basics in the book.

Be a Survivor is an excellent resource because it gives you all the questions you need to ask and answers a number of pertinent questions any woman will be asking the moment she is diagnosed.

Vladimir Lange, MD is one of the most respected doctors in this field of study and this book came into being after his own wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.

~The Rebecca Review

I can also recommend "Reconstructing Natalie" by Laura Jensen Walker.

OK. Let's get one thing straight from the beginning.
Many of the most creative elements ended up for self use.
So does that make this volume a practical how-to for real client projects?
Yes, I think so. We must push the edge of design to remain rut-free and boring.
So, buy this volume. Be challenged to go beyond the edge of your level of design. Just remember to have a few lesser aggressive designs in your back pocket if clients take a deep breath and say "Well that's interesting".

I found this book very useful. It gave great examples of wonderfully designed business cards and letterheads. Great inspirational tool.

The stunning collection of cards displayed in this book are inspiring. Just one element in a card can influence the rest of my design and get me on a roll. This book is full of classy, eye popping designs to edgy, out the box designs. It is a sure fire fit for any designer.

Such a great source of inspiration for us right brainers! The BEST OF series never disappoints!

There are so many awesome designs in here, I come back to it time and time again for inspiration.

I just finished reading Bitter Memories, and this is a definite for everyone to share with their family. What this family saw and lived through is awe inspiring and will leave you looking at your own lives. It will make you appreciate where we live and gives a new look at what the Holocaust victims went through. There are so many who will deny that the Holocaust ever took place, but Mrs Wallach and her daughter will help you see through their memories just how horrible it truly was.

This is an incredible story which while simply written,
encompasses all of the best and worst of what humans are capable of. The unbelievable love between and mother and her child is the overwhelming power that pervades the narrative. A gift to anyone who needs to understand what that period of history was all about.
Patti Sacher

A very poignant and interesting memoir. You can never imagine what these poor people went through to survive and re-establish their lives. A worthwhile read.

Jafa Wallach has succeeded in retelling the horrors faced by holocoust survivors in a short volume which consumes the reader from the first page to the last. It is astonishing how the will to survive affords Jafa, her husband, two brothers, and one sister, living underground in a hole, to persevere based on the knowledge that Rena, Jafa's daughter, is alive and being cared for by Poles. Don't miss the opportunity to read BITTER FREEDMOM. Pass it on to a family member, friend, or colleague. Soon, holocoust survivors will no longer be able to document their experiences.
Jafa Wallach will celebrate her 96th birthday in two weeks. We owe her thanks for sharing her story and enriching our lives.

Bitter Freedom
Jafa Wallach
Paperback: 209 pages
Publisher: Hermitage Publishers; First edition (April 25, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1557791570
ISBN-13: 978-1557791573

Although I have read many first-hand account books written by holocaust survivors, I found Bitter Freedom to be the most compelling story of it's kind since The Diaries of Anne Frank. The book moved me like no other.
Bitter Freedom is written in straight-forward prose by a mother survivor (Jafa Wallach) who shortly after the WWll ended, sat down and wrote the personal history of her family's lucky and often miraculous survival of the Holocaust. In letter form to her daughter- (Rena Wallach Bernstein) too young at the time to know the adult horrors of in which they survived, Mrs. Wallach pens an incredibly honest and poignant memoir.
"The years have gone by and yet the memory of how it all began remains vivid, fearfully close, as though it all happened yesterday. We were at home, apartment #3 Jagielonska Street in the town of Sanok Poland, listening to radio bulletins of Hitler's attack. You, my daughter, were just one year old. You looked up at our anxious faces, your father's and mine, but you could not have understood how deeply frightened we were. You repeated after us, in your baby lisp, "war, war"-the ugliest word in human speech. It wasn't long after that German planes began to pay their deadly visits to our little town of Sanok."

The book transports you back in history allowing you a glimpse of what everyday families were seeing, feeling and experiencing during this horrific time of war. The Jews of conquered Europe were taken by surprise never dreaming that civilized man could do to their fellow human beings what was now being done to them. Terror and mayhem swept Europe, and so swiftly had Hitler come east and so complete was his control of the lands he occupied- there was literally no where to run-no where to hide. Those hunted were now trapped in their own villages.

Escaping the terror was made especially difficult because many people of the Nazi controlled villages were deeply and historically ingrained with hate for certain groups of their fellow countrymen. The Nazis used this hate to their advantage by turning neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend. Christian against Jew. Those of the hated lucky enough to survive, did so only with the help of others who chose to put their own lives, and those of their families at risk to save their friends and neighbors. Very few were willing to take that risk.

Fortunately for the Wallach family One Christian man- a mechanic named Jozef "Jozio" Zwonarz did choose to put his own life and family at risk to save five fellow human beings. As he concealed four adults under the very noses of the Gestapo, he desperately schemed to save the life of the fifth family member, a four year old child. (Rena Wallach)
With parents and daughter now separated, the nightmare for this family was complete. There was nothing left for them to do. Their very lives were now in the hands of God and an auto mechanic named Jozio.

Bitter Freedom is a touching memoir, a suspenseful thriller, and an accurate historical novel all in one. Although the story took place more than 60 years ago, Jafa Wallach's messages to the reader are timeless and wonderfully relevant in today's world where war is in the news every day.

I predict that Bitter Freedom will eventually be on the top of every school's reading list. There are lessons here for all of us.
A must read.

i think my teacher read this book to me in grade 3 or 4. its the cinderella story, but 'cinderella' doesn't wait around for prince charming doing nothing. she goes through the cinderella story but finds practical solutions to problems cinderella does nothing about or complains about. i can't remember if cinderella is in the book or not as a foil for cinderedna, but it was an amusing read and a enjoyed it at the time. it thankfully isn't a bra burning approach to feminism, but a 'you can do things on your own' book. its cinderella without the idealism. of course we all love the idealism, that's why such stories as cinderella exist, but for every cinderella there must be a cinderedna... because a person can't be entirely practical or entirely idealistic, but a balance of both must be achieved. unfortunately there aren't as many 'cinderenda' books on the market as there should be for young girls, so i guess this one is good!

This adaptation of the classic children's fairytale Cinderella brings something of a mixture of the classic story elements (princes, castles, and fancy dress balls) with modern, contemporary settings (the city bus, penny loafers, and recycling plants)...Cinder Edna is Cinderella's more self-reliant, self-sufficient neighbor who just doesn't have time (or see the point of) sitting around in the fireplace cinders feeling sorry for oneself. She gets out and about doing for herself and enjoying life...she even knows 16 different ways to make tuna casserole (and that's quite spectacular, don't ya know)! While Cinderella needs her fairy godmother to get her a dress, a ride to the ball and snazzy glass slippers, Edna gets her dress off layaway, puts on her comfortable penny loafers and takes the city buss to the ball. In the end each girls get her man...Cinderella gets her prince charming and Edna falls for charming's somewhat dorky younger brother Rupert. This story, like the classic, portrays a happy ending for all...the somewhat ditzy and bubble-headed Cinderella spends her days in luxury and self-absorption (and is perfectly happy), Cinder Edna winds up in an ecologically friendly soar-heated cottage with her recycling prince...and she also lives happily ever after (in a life that looks to be infinitely more interesting and full of fun than that of Cinderella and her boorish, snobby prince). I enjoyed reading this as did my 7 year old. I got a kick out of the artwork, which goes along so very well with the message of this particular adaptation (that living happily ever after is in the eye of the beholder...and getting there doesn't necessarily involve fairy godmothers and magic...you CAN make your own happily ever after)! I give Cinder Edna 5 stars and two thumbs up...it made me smile deeply and often and even had a few laugh out loud moments that really made my day! I'd recommend it as a read aloud for ages 5-7, though it's a picture book I don't think that he length of the text makes for ideal reading for younger children (3-5). I also think it would be well received by children transitioning to independent reading, as this would provide a "new story" with some familiarity and the amount of text is just about right for emerging independent readers (6-8).

Can't recommend this book highly enough for females of all ages. Cinder Edna is an incentive to become an actor in life, taking joy in doing, being, and sharing. The Cinderella story, on the other hand, emphasizes the superficial, and her value is obtained by being picked as the most beautiful by a prince. There's nothing wrong with beauty, but that's not where one will find happiness. I want my daughter and granddaughter to live their lives to the fullest, and Cinder Edna is a excellent role model of that. An inspiration for little girls and an awakening for women who have spent their whole lives wishing to be Cinderella.

"Now she's gone - the only girl I ever loved."
"Well, didn't you get her name?" asked Rupert impatiently (page 15).

In Cinder Edna, Ellen Jackson compares the classic Cinderella to a more light-hearted, realistic one, Cinder Edna. This Cinderella story with a twist is an enjoyable real world fairytale for children, especially little girls. The readers are able to relate with either Cinderella or Cinder Edna. While relating this enjoyable story, Jackson creates a dual tone of melancholy and optimism which are emphasized through the use of theme, contrasting diction, structure, and foils.

The tone of this children's story is illustrated through the theme of Cinder Edna. The theme portrayed is one of gaining happily ever after. Through the theme a lesson is taught about living happily ever after and the right attitude needed to achieve it. The theme is emphasized through the contrasting tones of the two main characters. Both Cinderella and Cinder Edna are forced to work for their wicked step mothers and step sisters. However, each girl takes on a different view of their situation. Cinderella evokes a tone of melancholy through her self pity and disparity towards her trial and chooses to dwell in pity, sitting among the cinders. On the other hand, Cinder Edna creates a tone of optimism through her self-sufficiency and independence toward her hard situation. She chooses to make the most out of her hard situation and to learn new skills. In the end, it is a cheerful outlook in hard times that leads to happily ever after.

Contrasting diction is also used to illustrate the tones of optimism and melancholy. Jackson uses "cruel" and "endless" to describe Cinderella's outlook on her situation. These words evoke a forlorn tone and create a feeling of pity toward Cinderella. Instead of trying to change her predicament, she sits and wishes for someone to come and change it for her. Contrastingly, Jackson describes Cinder Edna and her similar situation with cheerful diction. She uses "spunky" and "silly" to illustrate Cinder Edna's self-sufficiency and optimistic personality. Jackson also utilizes light-hearted rhymes to create Cinder Edna's happy tone. Cinder Edna figures out things for herself, and prepares ahead of time. Therefore, the varieties of diction help to create the contrasting tones of optimism and somberness.

The structure of Cinder Edna adds to the dual tones. While describing Cinderella's point of view Jackson uses long and loose sentences. She uses many descriptive words to add to Cinderella's distress. However, while discussing Cinder Edna, Jackson uses short sentences that add to Cinder Edna's "spunky" personality. This difference is noted through the description of both girls preparing for the ball. Cinderella is described as depending on her fairy godmother to figure out how she would get to the ball, through the utilization of various forlorn describing words. Therefore, a fairly large paragraph is formed to describe Cinderella's means of transportation instead of just a few lines. However, Cinder Edna's transportation to the ball is described with "Cinder Edna took the bus" (page 9). This short sentence gets to the point and emphasizes Cinder Edna's self-sufficiency and optimistic personality. Therefore, structure helps illustrate the dual tones of optimism and melancholy.

Jackson utilizes foils to create emphasis on the dual tones. Cinderella dwells on her troubles, sits in the cinders, and wishes for something to happen to change her predicament. After her wish comes true, she returns home moping and "sits forlornly among the cinders in the corner;" thus creating a somber tone (page 18). However, Cinder Edna makes the best of her predicament. She sings and whistles while she works and learns new skills. Cinder Edna works on the side to earn money and figures things out thing for her self. She buys her own dress and takes the bus to the ball. After returning, Edna continues on with her work, happy to have had the chance to go to a ball; thus illustrating a cheerful tone. The princes Randolph and Rupert are also foils of one another. After the ones they love disappear, Randolph blames others and pities himself. He did not have the common sense to ask Cinderella's name so he goes on a quest with her glass slipper to find her. However, Rupert prepares a plan of how he will find his true love. Rupert, having the common sense to ask the girl's name and about her, searches through the phone book and visits all of the Edna's in the village. He asks them questions pertaining to things he had learned about Cinder Edna at the ball. Therefore, through the use of foils the dual tone is created.

Throughout the story, Jackson illustrates a dual tone of cheerfulness and somberness. These contrasting tones are seen through the author's use of theme, contrasting diction, structure, and foils. Through this story the reader learns that we have to work for our own happily ever after. We need to have an optimistic attitude while overcoming our obstacles. We learn that with the right attitude anything is possible. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and recommend reading it to children.

This is the story of two neighbors, both overworked sisters to mean, wicked, old step-sisters. Cinderella is the pretty one who sits in the cinders and daydreams after she finishes her chores. Next door Cinder Edna, the spunky one but not so pretty, sings while she works. She doesn't like sitting in cinders--gets her clothes sooty--so she takes on extra chores from the neighbors who pay her, enabling her to put a lovely dress on lay-away, her just-in-case dress.

One day the two princes announce a big ball and invite all the women of the kingdom to attend. The six wicked sisters ready themselves through the help of the abused step-sisters. Cinderella's fairy godmother comes along to poof the pretty lass ready. Cinderella's lack of imagination, lack of spunk, lack of proper attitude cannot see a way to the ball. GM has to turn a pumpkin, you know the rest.

Meanwhile, Cinder Edna gets her dress off lay-away, decides to wear her comfortable loafers to dance in, and takes the bus to the ball. There is no effort except her own good attitude. At the ball she finds the handsome prince too stuffed full of himself. Boring, she decides of him. Then she meets Rupert, the younger prince, head of waste recycling and keeper of orphaned kittens and master joke teller. She is known to tell a joke or two herself. They dance the night away.

All good stories must come to an end. The usual hunt for the right foot for the glass slipper, and a woman who can recite 17 tuna casserole recipes play a major role. There is a double wedding (surely this is not a spoiler!). But the big question is: Which couple lives happily ever after?

Indispensable for the armchair herbalist

I just bought my second copy of The Complete Medicinal Herbal (my first was lost) and am so happy to have it back again!

Ms. Ody certainly knows her herb uses and she shares that knowledge in a straightforward, understandable manner. The images are plentiful and make plant identification easy. Luckily, while this book is currently out of print, it can often be found used, for an affordable price.

Be you an armchair herbalist, a writer in need of common sense reference or just curious, this book is well worth the having.

I use this book often. The illustrations are great and clarifies
which parts of the herb to use. The instuctions covering how to prepare assorted concoctions is essential.

I thought this book was the most complete herbal book I have ever seen. Why? The A-Z listings with the pictures were great. She breaks down the several ways each herb can be used and for what along with making it easy to understand. She includes dried herbs, oil, tincture etc. She shows a picture of each, what to do with each and how to do it. With illustrations she shows how to harvest and dry, how to make herbal remedies, (again with picture instructions) Tinctures, infused oils, along with and creams and ointments. I thought it was extremely detailed and designed for the beginner. I am a true believer in natural medicine and the use of essential oils and herbs but I don't want to take classes or do a huge study to know what or how to use them. This is the answer. Simple, good pictures, complete as I will ever need and for the beginner and advanced alike. This book is a must have!

A must have book! If looking for an exhaustive herbal, you might try the German monographs, and others (although I've yet to see an all exhaustive on herbology), but for home or professional use, this is an awesome book! Has some projects, and many uses for the herbs that are in this wonderful book.

A library wouldn't be complete without it!

The book is lovely as far as pictures goes, but she leaves out some basic stuff that a beginner wants to know. I managed to figure it out, but it wasn't easy. For instance, she tells you to use a simple, but then doesn't explain the term.

I bought the book specifically to make eucalypus oil and a cough syrup, but she really doesn't tell you which method, hot or cold. With the herb Comfrey, she tells you it's a hot infusion and with Marigold she tells you it's a cold infusion. Being a beginner, I didn't know the difference between an infused oil and an essential oil, which caused alot of frustration. If she had devoted a couple of sentences under the infused oil section explaining that essential oils are very different and need specialized equipment, it would have saved me some frustration and less disappointment of the book. I had to find this out by searching on the internet.

She is from the United Kingdom and all her recipes are in european measures, so they all have to be converted, and I really had a hard time with that, maybe you won't. Although she does give you a conversion table for dosages. I did manage to make a cough syrup but I had doubts about my calculations. My husband is still alive, by the way.

She mentions Cherry bark as one of the remedies for coughs but doesn't have Cherry bark in the visual directory, which means there is no information on it at all.

After having said all of that, the descriptions and pictures of each plant is wonderful. Also, she lists combinations that are good together, like for coughs. There are 85 herbs listed in the book. It makes a good reference, but I will definately need another book to supplement it.

I bought this book for one story but it turned out all of the stories were great.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings always makes me cry. The other reviews of this book here describe it so eloquently and throughly that I don't feel the need to add to that aspect. The book has a strong emotional pull that made me cry and made long to go to Cross Creek and see it for myself. Rawlings is one of my all-time favorite writers, ever since my seventh-grade teacher read the newly published book The Yearling to her class, a chapter or two each day after lunch.

Wonderful view of an isolated place in FL (near Gainesville) circa 1930 written by a brave, independent woman.

Cross Creek is a series of entertaining if perhaps embellished anecdotes relating to Florida in the years preceding World War II told from the perspective of a educated emigré from the North. Some of the language, which was typical of the times, would no longer be considered politically correct and might be offensive to some. The book, however is totally delightful and gives some insight into life in rural Florida at the time. An excellent companion read is Tom Glisson's The Creek, which gives a native's view of the same time and area. Both books are a must read if you live or are interested in North Central FL.

Rawlings explores the lives and interations of the odd assortment of people living in Cross Creek, Florida in the early 1900s. It is often assigned reading for teens, but I doubt that most of them can appreciate it. Her accounts of neighbors feuding and subsistance living gives us many lessons in human behavior.
The lyrical descriptions of wildlife and the orange groves and wild landscape are very appealing. Your mouth waters as you read her essays on downhome foods like hush puppies. She turned those into a cookbook which I'll have to try out.
Modern readers squirm uncomfortably at her use of the N----- word and her characterization of blacks as irresponsible, drunken, immoral, etc. It is probably a faithful representation of common thinking at the time it was written, so recognize it as a snapshot of the times. Then move past that to luxuriate in the beautiful passages in the book. (I deducted 1 star for this)
The reader becomes absorbed in Rawlings' love of the land and the creation of a home. It gives much the same feelings as A Year in Provence or Under a Tuscan Sun.