L Books

I have read several books of this type, and Mr Main's was the best thought out and most realistically useful of them all. His use of the Oz icons was brilliant and the insights he has are simple and to the point and dead on accurate.

This book came up as an Amazon recommended read for me. That was okay. As I collect everything on the Oz film, and also practice Ashtanga, I might have purchased this book, anyway. However: this is a very simply-written collection of thoughts, presented in a non-linear fashion. I found the non-linear approach to be confusing. I feel it bypasses some important elements of the story. I still think Salmon Rushdie's book is the best and most comprehensive approach to understanding the film.

I don't find any outright references to yoga here, nor do I see any sort of outline regarding how about the philosophy behind yoga is tied into the author's ideas.

This is a spiritual book, based on the author's personal philosophical views of the film. I would recommend it to a young person, someone who is just getting acquainted with symbolism - and who has actually seen the MGM movie! There are a surprising number of young people who have never read "The Wizard of Oz", and who have never seen the film! If you are new to the film, you would enjoy the fun guidance this book could bring to your life.

Darren John Main is a Yoga teacher from the West Coast who has a gift for putting complex ideas into simple, down to earth language.

I have downloaded all of his available talks (which are presently available for free from his web site http://darrenmain.com/)and have listened to them countless times and have read his "Yoga And The Path Of The Urban Mystic as well.

This book, which I believe was his first, uses the "Oz" characters as metaphors along the spiritual journey. I found his analysis of the characters to be believable and useful in terms of being able to apply them to my own understanding of the complexities of life.

Darren uses examples from his own and other's lives to illustrate the points throughout the book. This makes it a very "real life" type book rather than just philosophical speculation.

Though this is a fairly short book it is filled with endless treasures of insights.

Highly recommended!!!!!

Namaste

I found Darren's honesty in telling his stories and relating them to another story that we all know and love a wonderful way to bring spiritual principle to daily living. I have always loved The Wizard of Oz, has have so many millions, but I love the connection of the characters to deeper aspects of myself. A great and fun read for all.

I first read the author's other book, "Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic" and was totally blown away by his insight and wisdom. I've read (and continue to read) as much as I can on subjects of yoga and spirituality and was so impressed by this book that I wanted to find another by the same author. I was frankly not too excited when I saw that his other book was entitled "Spritual Journeys along the Yellow Brick Road." I'm probably the only former kid in America who didn't like "The Wizard of Oz" and had to force myself to see the whole movie from beginning to end. I'm also a fussy reader, and had to decide if I really wanted to read this book. The other reviews posted on this site were so positive I decided to give it a chance. I was not in the least disappointed!! I would never have thought of the "Wizard of Oz" as a spritual journey, but the author clearly and capably demonstrates this for his readers. This book was not only highly entertaining and a very enjoyable reading experience, but it teaches many valuable lessons without seeming to do so. Whether or not you are a fan of the movie or the Frank Baum book, I would highly and unquestioningly recommend this book to anyone who is on his/her own spiritual journey, or to anyone who just wants to have a good time enjoying a great book.

I recently received my copy of the new 4th edition of the Krause-Mishler (KM) 18th century catalog. Here are my impressions of the book, with some emphasis on the changes from the 3rd edition. The photographs are definitely much better than in the last edition. Unfortunately, that may be the only improvement over the last edition I can think of.

Some countries have been moved around - Vietnam is under "V" instead of "A" for Annam, Salzburg is back where it started under Austrian states, early Burma coins are no longer listed under Myanmar, and there's a new listing called "Central Asia" for Bukhara (formerly listed under Uzbekistan) and Janid Khanate (new?). Within several countries, the coins are no longer listed in the same order, and early Austrian coins have new KM numbers yet again. The editors have spent a lot of time on the notes for each listing, with more information about what's on the coin, including legends.

There are a few more photos than in the last edition (18,000 instead of 17,900, according to the book covers). For some reason, maybe to save space, several photos from the previous edition have been deleted. On two successive pages, 29 of the 35 photos in the previous edition for Courland, Crimea, and Curacao were deleted. Space did seem to be at a premium, with one country's listings beginning immediately after the last one ends, even if it's in the middle of a column.

It always seemed odd to me that KM had separate catalog numbers for the different mints under France. Now they've done the same thing for Iran. The Korea section is much shorter, reorganized, and easier to use. The last edition had separate listings and catalog numbers for Series 1, Series 2, Series 3, etc. Now they've combined these into one listing with a note "Series 1-10." I guess that's another good thing.

I hoped I would find many price corrections, because it has been 5 years since the 3rd edition was published. The market has been very strong in many European countries, and the euro is worth about 50% more than it was 5 years ago. However, the vast majority of coin prices are exactly the same as they were in the 3rd edition. Half the book is devoted to Germany, India, and Italy, and those countries' listings are virtually unchanged. My one-per-country collection includes 85 German state coins from the 18th century. The prices of 4 of them went up, very slightly (why those 4?). The largest change was in the opposite direction: my Nassau-Weilburg 4 kreuzer (VF) went down from $45 to $35, and Schön lists the coin at 120 euros. And prices in Italy are way up.

The only relatively large section with extensive price changes was the Swiss cantons, where someone adjusted many of the values to reflect those in the new HMZ Swiss catalog. I noticed that in some cases where HMZ did not price certain coins in higher grades, the KM values for the higher grades were not changed. That created situations where the higher grade is said to be worth less than a lower grade. For example, the catalog shows many of the Chur KM-263 bluzgers with higher values in VF than in XF. The catalog says the Reichenau-Tamins 2 kreuzer is worth $4,750 in VF but only $1,600 in XF.

Here are the other countries I saw with the most price increases: Denmark - many values up; Dominica - very few types, but the prices are higher; Ethiopia-Harrar - prices twice what they were; Great Britain - prices up only slightly, despite large increases in the British catalogs; Ireland - mostly up; Luxembourg - many prices up; Malta - prices generally higher; Portugal - prices higher, as they should be; Sierra Leone Company - prices up quite a bit. The common penny went up from $20 to $100 in fine, $50 to $200 in VF, and $80 to $400 in XF; early US coins - prices up. The values for most Russian coins didn't change, but I noticed that some of the large rubles were way up. The KM-149 1714 ruble in XF increased from $3,500 to $70,000.

For several countries, prices for the first type went up, but none of the others did. It's almost as if someone changed the first prices to indicate the country needed to be changed, but nobody finished the job. I realize the incredible amount of work it would take to really update a catalog of this magnitude, and I know KM does not have the staff to keep up with it. They may be putting more of their resources into numismaster, the online listing - at least one of my coins that's missing from the catalog is listed there. I would have thought that numismaster updates should find their way into the printed catalog. Nearly all of the 18th century coins in my collection that were missing from the previous edition are still missing from the current edition.

Under Netherlands, just about all the coins are now priced in uncirculated. And for the silver Batavian Republic coins, there are also values for BU. I can't imagine that there would be too many of those available to buy. Under Netherlands East Indies, there are no longer separate listings for Holland, Gelderland, Overyssel, and other provinces. These coins are all listed under United East India Company, with descriptions like "crowned Holland arms" or "crowned Gelderland arms" for the provincial coins.

I noticed quite a few mistakes in the catalog - probably the biggest one I found was a listing under Hejaz/Mecca of all the Hejaz coins from KM's 20th century catalog. I wonder how that happened. Another odd one is the photo for a Peru a gold 8 escudos (KM-82.1) - the photo is a 1951 Mauritius rupee.

If you collection 18th century coins and do not have a catalog, you should definitely have this book. It's by far the best comprehensive 18th century catalog available. But if you already have the 3rd edition, about the only good reason I can think of that you'd need to buy the new one would be that your old one is falling apart, like mine was. Or, if you're a dealer you might want to check out the countries I mentioned where the prices are up. The book is $47.25 with free shipping from Amazon.

It's a complete and very informative book about world coins. I used it everyday as a price reference and getting the right description of old coins.

My collection of 18th century coins is virtually non-existent and their value is so low that this catalog cost me much more than they are all worth. But I did not buy it to see how rich I am or how wisely I invested my money. I treat this book as a very special history book. I read it every now and then, starting from a state I have never heard of to discover some new information from the past. This is the imperfect but only source to dig into the history of minute Italian, German or Indian states which often had nothing but minting rights which they excercised profusely. About sovereigns who believed themselves mighty enough to have their profiles struck on multiple thalers only to disappear from annals of History within just a few years. About political plans, expectations and pretences of which we can't remember anymore but they were all detailed on coins.
Coin-collecting is not a way of investing money (it well may be though in most cases it is rather by luck than wise planning), it is a life-time of studies. You have to invest your time, and coins will start speaking to you. Half-worn faces will become flesh and blood individuals from the past. Strange letters will mean their might and their dreams. You will probably never have too many of these coins (even if you have the money, actually) but this is the kind of book which can give you knowledge. And knowledge, in time, may turn into wisdom.

Certainly this is the book for 18th century coins, unless you are mainly interested in one country like the UK or France -- in that case you would find more information more attractively laid out, along with other centuries, elsewhere, usually more cheaply too. But for its coverage of the world, including hugely complicated countries like Gemany, Italy and India, it is unbeatable. This 3rd edition is an improvement over earlier editions, because more pictures (especially of the smaller coins) and more obscurities have been included.

For users in countries which do not speak English, the conversions such as VF = TTB = BB =MBC are very useful !
The book is not difficult for foreigners to use.

I need a guide so I just do not blindly pay big bucks for cute pictures. There are a lot of good guides and some more specific on particular eras and locations such as Westphalia. But as you do a coin search you are bound to run across something you are not familiar with and need a guide. This guide is a great place to start; it is easy to navigate and gives cursory information on particular locations and times surrounding the coin's production.

Keeping in mind that this is just a guide, there are holes and the coins are not displayed in color. On the other hand the coins shown are in actual size; size is hard to translate form internet pictures.

With all the electronic references today it is nice to have something tactile, static and transportable. This book meet al those needs.

This book makes a teacher out of every one who reads it. Whether you are a parent, guardian, relative, teacher of a child with special needs, this book will give you the tools to teach essential skills and enable you to use them effectively.
This book was recommended to me and I recommend it to every else.

This book is a must have for parents struggling with training there children independence skills. It ofter so many easy to do exercise to get your little or big one independence. My 3 year old is finally bushing his teeth, because this book showed easy to do steps to get him going. I highly recommend this book to any parent struggling with training there children independence. It offers easy steps by step solutions in teaching your child what you have been trying to teach them for months . Try it, its a great training tool for independence.

No parent OR special education teacher should be without this book! Easy to read, and the content is excellent! Step-by-step approaches to teaching everyday skills to children with special needs, but would be just as valuable to ANY parent! After reading this book, I have found it easier to establish goals for my students and everyone is using the same approach to teaching everyday living skills (play, toileting, self-help, PLUS behavior management)! It is working fabulous! The students are learning more with less frustration! A must-have for your resource library!

The book is formatted very well. It has helped me approach my child in a new manner with excellent results. Some of the tasks we take for granted are broken into smaller steps that can be overlooked. This book helps you identify missing steps and provides multiple methods of application. It isn't a "one size fits all" approach. It gives good ideas for praise and correction if consistently followed.

The page layouts are easy to read and the cartoons are cute. Everything addressed in this book has samples to serve as a guide for you. The appendices has more ideas for aiding with independence. Overall, the application of this book, used in a routine, is great for any age and any skill level.

I've been looking for a book like this for quite some time. Here's what it covers:
Chapter 1: Setting Out
Chapter 2: Targeting a Skill
Chapter 3: Establishing Steps
Chapter 4: Picking Rewards
Chapter 5: Setting the Stage
Chapter 6: Teaching
Chapter 7: Observing Progress and Troubleshooting
Chapter 8: Get Ready Skills
Chapter 9: Self-Help Skills
Chapter 10: Toilet Training
Chapter 11: Play Skills
Chapter 12: Independent Living: Self-Care Skills
Chapter 13: Independent Living: Home-Care Skills
Chapter 14: Independent Living: Information Skills
Chapter 15: Plugging into the Personal Computer Revolution
Chapter 16: Behavior Problems
Chapter 17: Initiating a Behavior Management Program
Appendix A: Get Ready Skills
Appendix B: Self-Help Skills Inventory
Appendix C: Self-Help Skills Programs
Appendix D: Play Skills Programs
Appendix E: Information Skills Programs
Index

There are no words adequate to convey the effect THE STONES CRY OUT had on me when I read it in 1986. It haunted me for years. I wanted everyone I knew to read it.

Just several years ago I met a woman whose entire family - her husband and all her children - died under the Khmer Rouge monsters.

Amazingly, after the stories Miss Szymusiak recounts: of the young girl who was killed for being too pretty, of those murdered for daring to exhibit signs of affection for one another, and of unspeakable tortures inflicted upon absolutely helpless and innocent people of all ages, the chapter which really drained my blood was the one detailing her witnessing the beginning of the purge. The author notes the young Communist cadres being themselves called in for interrogation and torture and disappearing one by one.

This is a chilling account of the darkest period in 20th Century history.

One of the earliest (1986) accounts from the survivors of the Pol Pot regime, "The Stones Cry Out" seems to have set the style and standard for another more recent child's-eye perspective on the same era, "When Broken Glass Floats". The minute details of everyday life, not abstract poltical assessments, form the basis for our childhood memories. The author's account carries an unvarnished realism which draws the reader into her film-like image of daily life under threat of starvation and execution. This is probably as close as a reader can come to the truth of events in Cambodia during 1975-79. Oral histories such as "The Stones Cry Out" are perhaps the best way for survivors of human rights abuses to indict the perpetrators. Sadly, tribunals driven by international politics are unlikely to have the same impact as the simple testimony of a victimized child. Highly recommended reading for all those with an interest in human rights, Cambodia, and Southeast Asian culture.

You need a strong stomach to read the grueling ordeal of a 12 year old girl in Cambodia under the Pol Pot regime.
The latter and his cronies turned a whole country into a concentration camp guided by the iron fist of a centrally planned economy which was based on rice production quotas.
Starvation and killing of whole families including babies were part of normal daily life. The author herself lost nearly all her family.
The slogan was 'be deaf and dump if you want to survive'.

Exceptionally, this book also relates the disturbing facts which happened in a Red Khmer camp in Thailand until one year after Pol Pot's defeat by the Vietnamese.

Molyda Szymusiak tells only the facts. She doesn't explain the overall picture of Pol Pot's regime, politically, socially, economically or internationally.
Therefore I highly recommend the eminent works of David Chandler as well as Philip Short's magisterial biography of Pol Pot (Saloth Sar).

This book shows painfully the disastrous consequences of a power grasp by ideological fanatics who created a one party state bureaucracy which wielded total uncontrolled power over the population.
This regime was a terrible shame for the left.

A very disturbing read.

My heart sank lower and lower with each successive chapter. This is certainly not a book one can read while couching comfortably on a sofa. If you are familiar with Cambodian history of the Khmer Rouge regime, this book is indeed a chilling read. But at the same time, one can't help feeling admiration for the author's fortitide in the face of unimaginable hardship and horror.

Actualy I would rate this 4 and 1/2 stars.

Having read "First they killed my father" by Loung Ung It would be difficult for me to review this book with out comparing it to Loung Ung's memoir.

Both are essentially the same story, a young upper middle class girl living in Phnom Phen in april of 1975 when thier life, family and happiness are torn from them by the khmer rouge.

Many of thier experinces are similar as you might expect (long hours in forced labor, family deaths, witnessing murder ect..) but each has a unique story of thier own.

The writing styles also vary greatly and this is where Loung's "First they killed my Father is the better" book. Molyda tells her story in a very straight foward manner. Her discriptions of murder, torture and rotting corpses are alomost clinical in tone as if she is afaid to visit or express her real feelings at the time (and who could realy blame her) we are giving only hints about her family and life before April 17th 1975 (to be fair this may be in part to spare distant family members still in Cambodia from retalation)

In Loung's book however we are treated to two light hearted chapters discribing her life in Phnom Pehn before April 17th 1975 this gives the reader a chance to feel they realy know her, her brother's, sisters and parents thier strengths and weakness'.

Loung's memoir is far more emotional in tone and feeling leaving the reader almost gasping for air at points.

For those overly squimish that makes "The Stones Cry Out" the better of the two books. It is also the better of the two books if your sole interest is the surrounding history of the killing fields.

But for those just wishing to read a great emotional book "first They killed My father" is the better choice but I would highly recomend both to all.

A treasure! I absolutely love this book about my parents' home. Anyone interested in history and legends should get this book.

I bought this book for a student of mine with Puerto Rican heritage. He loved having Spanish on one side and English on the other. He was not an avid reader, but he loved this book so much that he read it in a week or so.

This was a present for my friend whos is Puerto Rician he loved the book.

This is the second "Side-by-Side" book I have read.
I prefer the first, "Stories from Latin America,"
because the editors of that volume better understood
their purpose -- which is to present side-by-side versions
of the same story, such that a reader conversant in one
language but not the other, may learn new vocabulary, verify
verb tense, etc. If one looks at the back cover of "Stories
from Puerto Rico," one sees that it says there that "we've
placed the Spanish and English stories side by side -- lado a
lado -- so you can practice and improve your reading skills in your
new language while enjoying the support of your native language.
That way, you'll avoid the inconvenience of constantly having to
look up unfamiliar words and expressions in a dictionary."
Well, you had better have a dictionary handy if you plan to
learn from this book. I have been exasperated time and again by
English translations that are too loose to be useful. If one is
translating for the purpose of conveying the sense and spirit of
a story, then a precise word-for-word translation is unnecessary.
However, this book is designed for language students who are trying
to learn a foreign language. A precise translation is just what's
needed, and I think it's what was promised on that back cover. Yet,
this is not what the book delivers. Let me give an example. There
are many to choose from. This one appears on page 117. Here's the
Spanish version:

"No sabemos si existió, ni dónde, ni cuándo, pero sus desventuras
han hecho reír a generaciones de puertoriquenos. A continuación
encontrará una versión de una historia de Juan Bobo." [I've omitted
the diacritical mark on the "n" in puertoriquenos, but it's there in
the text.]

Now here's the English version of the same sentences:

"We don't know if he really existed, or where, or when, but his
misadventures have entertained generations of Puerto Ricans. The
following is one version of a story about Foolish Jack."

Here now is my problem with the English translation. First, the
word "entertained." The Spanish word translated is "reír." The
Spanish word means "to laugh." Why didn't the translator give us
the precise translation? The clause should read, "his adventures have made generations of
Puerto Ricans laugh." What's wrong with this more precise translation?
Had I not recognized that the Spanish verb is similar to the French
for "laugh" (which I know already), then I might not have bothered
to look the word up. I might have assumed that "reír" means "to
entertain." It does not. My second problem with the English translation
has to do with the last sentence. The Spanish verb "encontrará" is
simply not translated. As though that weren't bad enough, the tense
has been changed from future to present. As a person trying to learn
Spanish (that's why I bought this book), I want to know the meaning and
tense of "encontrará." The Spanish sentence should have been translated
as follows: "Following, you will find a version of one story about Juan
Bobo." Is that so hard? What did the translator think he was doing?
What did he think his purpose was?

This book still has value, and that's why I give it three stars. The
English translation helps convey the general sense of a sentence, and
that is usually enough to help the reader fill in the gaps. However,
a dictionary is still required -- especially since some of the Spanish
vocabulary in not included in the glossary.

A very sloppy job of editing. "Stories from Latin America" is better
done.

I recommend this book to all people, especially the Puerto Ricans, because it talks about our roots, our culture and our different ethnic origins. After you read this book you will understand our Spanish people more, know about our needs and be more understandable of Puerto Rican people.

My best regards to Robert L. Muckley and Adela Martínez-Santiago for their great job in this wonderful book.

As a dietitian, I tend to like very few nutrition/diet books on the market--as most seem to be based on pseudo-science or fad diets. This is pleasantly one of those exceptions. Congratulations to Lisa Drayer, MS, RD, for writing such a thoughtful, science-based, interesting book from which anyone 30 (or 20 or 40!) can learn about healthy eating ... and put it into practice.

I thought this book was very insightful. It had a ton of useful information and I would high recommend it to anyone!

I found the information in the book okay...pretty mainstream. Knowing you have to cut calories to loose weight is known worldwide fact.... Finding the motivation is truly another issue. This book guides you in eating in 1/3 portions/food groups on your plate and how to balance out your food throughout the day. I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn to eat better...but as far as loosing weight...not so sure.

I needed some advice and ideas for cutting calories from my diet while trying to lose weight for an upcoming event. I've been following Lisa's suggestions and meal plans and it has really helped -- one of the best things is that she gives recipes and meal suggestions that are easy and quick to make, so I'm more willing to follow them...and I still feel completely satisfied throughout the day even on fewer calories. Another thing that I like is her suggestions for better takeout food, specific to cuisine, if you are eating out -- very helpful!

One thing that I must say about this book is that you have to really be ready to change your diet in order to truly see the benefits. With that being said, once you are ready to commit to it, you will without a doubt reap the benefits of this plan. I was amazed by how easy it was to follow. I loved how she dumbed it down for me and just gave me options to choose for my breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks from a list as opposed to count calories or carbs or anything else for that matter. I've only been doing it for a few weeks, but I have more energy when I workout, I sleep better, and I've seen enough positive results in such a shorttime to keep me faithful to the plan. One of the things that surprised me the most was how it curbed my cravings for fast food and the other things that have sabotaged my efforts in the past. If you're truly ready for something to change your diet and your way of life, I highly recommend this book.

this introductory work, written by an intelligent, respected conservative christian new testament scholar, is a helpful book for getting into several issues dealing with historical Jesus study. The book is developed along two main headings, Jesus in His cultural context and Methods for studying the gospels. Each heading is further subdivided into chapters getting into the details. Covers literary evidence for Jesus, biblical and non-biblical, political and sociocultural history of the new testament era, historical Jesus quests, historical criticism, source criticism, form criticism, redaction criticism, tradition criticism, narrative criticism and gospel genre. At a little over 200 pages, there is plenty of detail to go through, and it is presented in a well researched manner. It's obvious that the author has done his homework. This book is introductory though, and it does not cover all the necessary bases, it covers many, and covers them quite well, it does not so much deal with the theological/spiritual content of Jesus and his meaning, it touches on this here and there a bit, but this work mainly sets out to deal with methods of studying Jesus historically, i.e., the sources and how they are used. This is definitely a good addition to add to one's list of works to be consulted for Jesus studies! Some other very helpful works not to be missed are: R.T. France- The Evidence For Jesus, Michael McClymond- Familiar Stranger:An Introduction To Jesus of Nazareth, Peter Walker- Jesus and His World, Craig Blomberg- Jesus and The Gospels, Robert Stein- Jesus the Messiah: A Survey of The Life of Christ, Tom Wright- The Original Jesus.

This is one very handy book. If you know very little about biblical scholarship, it fills in all the gaps and tells you about the scholarship of the last few centuries. It's also invaluable for anyone who simply needs to find some information quickly.

For example, who was the fist person to comment on the dating of Mark? "Irenaeus...places the composition after the death of Peter and Paul in the late 60s, while Clement of Alexandria looks to a date during Peter and Paul's time in Rome, which would push the date back into the 50s" (p 29), Or when was Luke first cited? In 1 Clement.

What about the nonbiblical evidence? About the debated "Chrestus" mention, Bock points out that "The confusion may come from the name Chrestiani, a vulgar form of the name for Christians" (p 48). He goes through all the complications of trying to date the birth of Jesus. He includes all the problems of dating the census, even pointing out that "the term translated 'first' in Luke 2-2 could be rendered 'before' (as in John 15-18) in which case only one census is alluded to here, the later on from AD 6" (p 70).

He also covers the history of the period, social background, and then, in the last half of the book, delves into the past few centuries of the hunt for the historical Jesus. What have two centuries found, have they managed to tease out the actual historical Jesus or not? He explains what has been called the three quests for the historical Jesus, and tells you who the main players were, and what has been the judgment about their theories.

Whether you are starting out or an old hand at bible studies, this is a great book.

Bock is a respected, conservative New Testament scholar. In Studying the Historical Jesus, he offers one of the most accessible introductions to the study of the "Historical" Jesus. If you have simply read your New Testament your entire life and are now curious about its background, origins, and the history behind it. Or if you have had little exposure to the New Testament and wonder what it is all about, historically speaking. This book delivers.

The Introduction opens with brief discussions of sources relevant to the study of the historical Jesus, including the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, the Pseudepigrapha, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo, and Josephus. Each is only a few paragraphs long but explains well the source and its relevance to studying Jesus. The main event of the Introduction, however, is his run down on each of the Canonical Gospels. Bock delivers solid discussions of each, including their structure, unique emphasis, authorship, and date. Not surprisingly, Bock's conclusions are traditional.

Bock also delivers a chapter on the Nonbiblical evidence for Jesus, ably covering the "usual suspects" of Josephus, Thallus, Tacitus, and company. Next there is an informative discussion about the chronology of Jesus' life. Bock nondogmatically discusses the various alternatives about when Jesus was born, how long his ministry was, and the date of his death. Thereafter, Bock delivers a helpful general history of the Greek and Roman empires, and then a more focused discussion on the geography, population, and culture of first century Palestine.

In Part 2 of his book, Bock moves into a more argumentative tone as he discusses and criticizes the search for the "historical Jesus." There is a helpful history highlighting the key players and their theories in the three "quests" for the historical Jesus. Bock then summarizes five systemic problems in historical Jesus research, including an undue skepticism of narratives or sayings that are similar to Old Testament narratives and sayings, and inadequate historical attention being given to Luke's special material, Matthew's special material, and the Gospel of John. The criticisms are well taken and receive insufficient consideration in most New Testament research.

Next Bock devotes chapters to several methods of historical inquiry as applied to the New Testament: Historical Criticism, Source Criticism, Form Criticism, Redaction Criticism, Tradition Criticism, and Narrative Criticism and Gospel Genre. The discussions are well done, defining each as well as emphasizing the strengths and weaknesses inherent to each disciple. Bock is no reactionary. He sees a role for each in researching and understanding the New Testament and Jesus, but appropriately chides much modern "historical Jesus" studies as overly skeptical.

In sum, Bock has delivered an excellent resource for those interested in looking into the unfamiliar ground of New Testament criticism or studying the "historical" Jesus. Indeed, this would be one of the first books I would recommend to any such person.

In *Studying the Historical Jesus* Darrell Bock has written a primer for his students at Dallas Theological Seminary, one that is also useful to interested readers in general. In a sense, the book provides a defense on two fronts of the historical study of Jesus: against the unfounded belief that it throws doubt on the truths of Scripture, and against excessive skepticism about the historicity of the Gospel accounts, such as many critics have engaged in since the Enlightenment.

As he notes, "[W]e must differentiate between what we know from history and the text and the way we reconstruct history. ... rather than applying our doubt to the text, there is nothing wrong in examining carefully our own understanding in studying the text." (159) Thus, the book is in two parts:

(1) A brief presentation of the sources of our knowledge and of "what we know from history and the text." The premise is our need to understand the social and cultural environment in which Jesus lived and in which the Gospels were written, and the historical background of the Jews prior to and including the time of Jesus that led to fervent messianic expectations. In the Introduction, under Greek Biblical Sources, Bock includes a survey of the content, themes and introductory issues pertaining to the four Gospels; in the conclusion to the whole book he expresses "confidence that the Gospels are a solid source of information."

(2) An equally brief examination of the different critical methods, their strengths and weaknesses, that scholars use in reconstructing the history behind the Gospels and how the Gospels came to be in their present form. After an introductory section, there is a chapter on the three quests for the historical Jesus, in which Bock notes that the third quest does not supersede the second but runs alongside it - the third quest "works more seriously with Jewish backgrounds" (147). A chapter on historical criticism sets the stage for the following chapters on source, form, redaction, and tradition criticisms. The final chapter on narrative criticism and the Gospel genre is different in that the topics are subsumed under literary criticism and considerations, not historical criticism.

The concise discussions drive the curious reader to reach out for more, aided by bibliographic footnotes; nonetheless, it is surprising how much information this introductory work imparts. Bock is an experienced writer; he adds interest to his prose by avoiding generalities (most of time), linking names and dates to hypotheses and methods, and relating seemingly ho-hum social, economic and geographic details to what we read in the Gospels. So, for example, not only do the hills of Galilee reach 2000 to 4000 feet above sea level while the Sea of Galilee is 685 feet below sea level, but also: "This dramatic drop-off explains the weather in some events in Jesus' ministry as he was on the Sea of Galilee. Winds can rush down with a tunnel effect... resulting in huge, dangerous storms." (113) Who after this would not want to read again the passage about Jesus and the disciples as they crossed the lake to "the other side" (Mark 4:35-41 & parallels)?

In the Preface, Dr. Bock says only time will tell whether he had succeeded in what he set out to accomplish in writing the book. This is one affirmative vote.

If you are interested in learning about the historical Jesus, this book might be the best place to start. Darrell Bock, a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, presents a concise introduction to the background material you'll need to study Jesus. Prof. Bock reviews the references to Jesus outside of the NT, the chronology of Jesus' life, methods of interpretation, and the history, sociology and politics of Palestine. There is also a good discussion of the various quests for Jesus. The approach is conservative, but not uncritically so.

It's important to realize that this book is introductory in nature. Some of the discussion is rather thin. As an example, Prof. Bock discusses Jewish Midrash, but makes no mention of its role in interpretation, e.g. the claim of Gundry and others that the infancy narratives are Midrash. If you've read one or two New Testament introductions, you probably won't learn too much new.

I consider myself a WW2 buff, I never really got into Submarines until as another reviewer pointed out, til I got the Silent Hunter 4 PC Game or simulation.Submarine life in WW2 must have been rough to say the least.
I wanted to educate myself further as to what these men went thru in WW2 and the Submarines they dedicated there lives too.
Submarine by Captain Beach was a great start as he introduces its readers his own Adventures aboard Trigger,Trante and the Piper. Throughout the book in different chapters he tells it readers about the Great WW2 American Subs such as the Wahoo, Tang Etc.
It set the stage for me at least to continue reading the books dedicated to each boat such as the Wahoo, Batfish, Tang..
Nothing but respect for these fine men that Served.

I picked up this book after seeing a recommendation over at the SubSim gaming forums. Being a fan of the Silent Hunter 4 submarine simulation game, I wanted to learn more about how submarine warfare really was in World War 2. Needless to say, hearing the stories from someone who was really there is incredible.

Edward Beach does a great job of describing life on a submarine. Everything from the utter boredom of fruitless patrols to the sheer terror of being depth charged by multiple enemy destroyers is here. I particularly like how the book is divided up. Every other chapter talks about a particular ship's triumphs or tragedies, while the chapters in between discuss the USS Trigger, a ship on which Mr. Beach spent a great deal of time.

If you like World War 2 history, and you want to learn more about US submarine warfare during that time, this book is for you. It's a book that I found very hard to put down.

You could populate a small city with people who were introduced to submarines with this book and an even larger city with those that stuck around for Ned Beach's subsequent works. I have recently re-read this book after who knows how many years and am blown away by all of the aspects that pulled this thing together! The writing is as knowledgeable as it is visceral, it packs a punch like a torpedo's warhead! It is also personal, technical, emotional and (auto)biograhical as Beach weaves his own story into that of the greater "silent service" of the World War II years. The book staggers the experiences of Beach's boats against those of notorious skippers like Morton, Dealey, O'Kane and others. There is a small amount of sanitizing of events (guess which!) which is understandable given the original date of publication. You owe it to yourself to re-read this epic! Lucky you if you are a first-time reader, it won't be your last!

I have read many books on submarines and how they were used in World War II, and this book gives great short stories on some of our best subs, interwoven with stories of the author's own sub. This book will lead you to want to find out more about the other subs in the book, and get the full story of their exploits.

"Submarine!", by Edward L. Beach, tells the story of several submarines of the United States Navy during World War II. The overarching narrative begins in 1942, with narrator Beach "fresh out of Submarine School." We watch Beach rise up the ranks as we learn of his fellow submariners and their ships.

Beach treats the subs as characters themselves; he notes, "All ships have souls, and all sailors know it" early in the book. He develops this theme throughout the book. The interwoven stories of the subs are arranged as chapters, each focusing on one or two ships.

Beach's prose at its best is exciting and action-packed, at times reminding me of an old-fashioned motion picture adventure serial. Yet at times he also attains an epic gravitas, and ultimately the book is quite moving. The one criticism I will make is that at times the book felt like it could have used a more judicious editorial hand; I believe that the book's 354 pages might have been reshaped into a leaner and more efficient text without sacrificing the essentials of the narrative.

I found "Submarine!" especially fascinating for the wealth of technical and tactical details that are interwoven into the adventure; it's a virtual encyclopedia of submarine information. Among the many topics covered are test diving, the use of a sub to plant a minefield, dealing with defective torpedoes, how two subs can work together to attack a target, the uses of the periscope, "silent running," and much more.

Within the book are certain chapters that really stand out, and can even stand alone as self-contained mini-epics. Among these is the story of the encounter between the U.S. sub _Archerfish_ and the Japanese supercarrier _Shinano_, a behemoth 50 times as massive as the sub. This section contains some of the book's best writing. "Submarine!" is an important and entertaining contribution to the canon of American war literature.

TAKU - Four Amazing Individuals was an informative and well-crafted history of four individuals who found their destiny and, in one case, salvation in the Alaskan frontier during the first part of the last century. The pre-Alaska story segments were also quite interesting.

I recently read this book and couldn't wait to call the author (Janet Shelfer) to tell her how marvelous it was!!! This book has everything: a love story, chills and thrills, a woman's strength to make it on her own, beautiful animals, gorgeous Alaskan vistas....I couldn's put it down. It's a story that will stay with me for years and I will certainly read the book again. I highly recommend it to anyone. What a treat!!!!!

Reading this book was like a first hand adventure! And, adding the fact that a couple of friends and I actually visited Taku Lodge this summer, made it very, very special!It's guaranteed that this book cannot be put down until finished!

I read this book because I like to read books about the lives of interesting and adventurous people. I certainly got that with this book! Not only were the characters compelling, but the story was told in such a way that it brought the Alaskan wilderness alive. Read this book & you'll love it-- I know I did!

Near Juneau, there sits a remarkable place: the Taku Wilderness Lodge (formerly called the Alaska Wilderness Lodge). Located on the banks of the Taku River, which flows down from British Columbia, near Juneau, the lodge is in the midst of seven glaciers, the largest being the Taku.
This juxtaposition of mighty nature and man-made order is the subject of "Taku: Four Amazing Individuals, Four Incredible Life Stories and the Alaska Wilderness Lodge that Brought Them Together" by Karen Bell & Janet Shelfer, two Southern women who visited the lodge and became enamored of its story, and the stories of the people associated with it.
"Taku," according to the authors, is a Tlingit word that describes a unique and ferocious wind, which has been adopted by the National Weather Service to classify winds which, under certain atmospheric circumstances, can begin as a 20-mile-an-hour breeze in British Columbia but build up as it journeys down the Taku River and "crashes" into Juneau at 60-miles an hour or more.
"Taku also means "the place where the geese sit down," which the authors say describes the geographic history of the area, once a giant lake during the last glacial age.
Alaska Wilderness Lodge was built by Harry Carlos DeVighne, one of Alaska's earliest and foremost doctors, in 1923. Although quite successful at his practice, DeVighne was a bit of an entrepreneur, and lover of the outdoors; the lodge was his way of allowing others to enjoy his adopted land.
But the book isn't about the place so much as the people who came to it, beginning with its builder.
DeVighne was the son of son of Henri, a former Confederate soldier turned Cuban insurgent and Maria Solano, daughter of one of Cuba's finest and aristocratic families, born in 1875. His parents died of smallpox when he was 8, and after knocking around the country a bit, he landed in Juneau, Alaska, in 1904, hoping to take advantage of a town with no doctor, as well as a contract with the United States Bureau of Education to survey the Alaskan Natives.
DeVighne was instrumental in getting the diphtheria serum for the Nome epidemic, the event that is commemorated each year with the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. He and his wife Mary were important members of Juneau society and business. The lodge was DeVighne's way of offering Outsiders a chance to experience his adopted land.
Erie Caughell Smith, adopted daughter of wealthy Charles and Julia Hackely of Muskegon, Mich., first set eyes on the lodge in 1925, after the diphtheria epidemic. With her son Leigh "Hack" Hackley Jr., a World War I hero, she cruised to Alaska and visited the lodge.
It became her hope for Hack's salvation.
"There was no doubt that L.H. "Hack" Smith was drawn to Alaska," the authors write. He reveled in its natural beauty, the excitement of the hunt, and the freedom that life in the wilderness afforded him."
As Harry aged, he and his wife wanted to sell the lodge and give themselves a break. This state of affairs came at a perfect time for Erie, as she needed something for her son, who had survived horrendous injuries during World War I that had left him bitter and addicted to alcohol, as well as two failed marriages and the loss of a tremendous fortune in the Depression.
With a dedicated nurse, Mary Joyce, Hack became the owner of the lodge, purchased for him by Erie.
Hack and Mary put up permanent buildings, filled the barn with cows and the kennels with dogs, and welcomed any and all guests who came by. In the winter, they kept busy with hunting, dog sledding, reading and conversing together, and surviving the worst Alaska could throw at them.
But Hack couldn't shake his addictions, often sneaking into Juneau for benders, necessitating a boat trip into town to fetch him back. Eventually, heredity (his father died of heart failure) got the best of Hack; he died in his sleep while on a hunting trip, at the age of 38.
Erie and Mary were devastated, as both loved the man who had brought them to Alaska. Erie took her son back to Michigan for burial, but Mary stayed in Taku. Erie ensured that the lodge would remain in the loyal nurse's hands, and Mary began the second chapter of her Alaska life.
The second half of the book follows Mary's adventures and journeys, including a sled dog trip from Taku to Fairbanks in the winter of 1935 (she was 27), a tremendous undertaking for anyone, let alone a woman.
With Native guides throughout, hunting along the way to sustain herself and her dogs, close calls and brushes with starvation, dehydration, freezing to death and all the other potential problems attendant on a wilderness jaunt, Mary undertook her tremendous journey with no expectations other than to survive.
And while she maintained an aura of celebrity for the rest of her life, she admitted readily that her trip, a journey of 1,000 miles that took several months, so she could attend the Fairbanks Winter Carnival in March 1936, was "selfishness."
"She was the only one to gain from the experience. Alaska was not helped nor was humanity benefited. There was no need for it other than the deep need she felt within."
Mary died in Juneau in 1976, and her headstone, in Evergreen Cemetery, reads simply: "Came to Alaska in 1929. Died in Alaska in 1976."
And in her own words: "I never really lived until I came up here."
Shelfer and Bell have captured the spirit of Alaska with their portraits of Harry DeVighne, Erie and Hack Smith and Mary Joyce. The book keeps the reader's attention throughout. And it is presented well, with superb photos, set and framed beautifully on the pages. They are excellent visual reminders of Alaskan life before statehood, before modern conveniences, before planes shrunk the distances between places.
Taku Lodge still exists, offering visitors a unique Alaska experience. And for those visitors, the spirits of Harry, Erie, Hack and Mary still hover, watching over the guests, offering them a glimpse of pioneer spirit.

In "Thinking about Therapy? What to Expect from the 'TalkingCure'", Elaine Luddy Klonicki takes a refreshing departure from the standard formula of self-help books. That shopworn format, which requires an initial narrative hook, followed by chapters of content sprinkled liberally with inspiring stories, has been done to death by now.

If you, like me, are heartily tired of the formula, take a look at "Thinking about Therapy." Taking a page from the Internet age, "Thinking" is structured like the archetypal "FAQ" document. FAQs, for the Internet illiterati, are documents containing Frequently Asked Questions (and answers) for a particular subject. Klonicki uses this structure to good effect, adopting the tech-savvy format to present the decidedly humanistic subject of psychotherapy.

Klonicki addresses the full spectrum of questions about therapy, from the logistical ("How do I find a therapist?") to the practical ("How will therapy affect my relationships?"). Her focus is both pragmatic and personal, weaving threads of theory and practice together with an intimate focus on the emotions and thoughts that arise in therapy.

"Thinking" is organized into chapters that reflect the lifecycle of the therapeutic process, as experienced by the patient. Klonicki walks the reader through common questions, in roughly the order the reader is likely to think of them while first contemplating, then participating in, and finally ending therapy.

Klonicki addresses the hard issues with a surprising combination of directness and delicacy. She spends a substantial amount of time discussing the details of how therapy feels, why it can be frightening, and what is necessary for success. She also addresses the important and highly personal issue of what the relationship between therapist and patient is really like. Her explanations of "transference" and "counter-transference" take these terms out of the impenetrable lexicon of therapy and present them in familiar language. Finally, she discusses the difficult subject of separation and grief that patients can encounter as they finish therapy, and come to the end of a relationship that was intensely emotional, but always fated to end some day.

"Thinking" is not an introduction to the different schools of therapy, or to self-help techniques. It is what it claims to be, a compendium of answers to questions patients are likely to ask. As such, it has no peer in my experience, and it makes a contribution as valuable as it is unique.

Kevin Thompson, Ph.D. is the author of Medicines for Mental Health: The Ultimate Guide to Psychiatric Medication

As someone just beginning to consider therapy, this book has been incredibly helpful. The author writes in a very sensitive and caring way, and it feels like a friend just sitting and talking to you about therapy. She is very honest about what you can expect, what therapy is and what it isn't. The book is full of honest answers to questions that I had not thought about but which are so important to consider before starting therapy, in order to have the best experience possible. The best part is that it is presented in a step-by-step way so that the whole process does not seem overwhelming, but feels very manageable. After reading this book, I am much more confident and realistic about what therapy will involve. The question and answer format really helps organize the information so you can easily find just about any topic for which you are looking. The section about professional associations and recommended resources provides so much information that would take forever to find on your own. This is just what I needed to read!

As someone just beginning to consider therapy, this book has been incredibly helpful. The author writes in a very sensitive and caring way, and it feels like a friend just sitting and talking to you about therapy. She is very honest about what you can expect, what therapy is and what it isn't. The book is full of honest answers to questions that I had not thought about but which are so important to consider before starting therapy, in order to have the best experience possible. The best part is that it is presented in a step-by-step way so that the whole process does not seem overwhelming, but feels very manageable. After reading this book, I am much more confident and realistic about what therapy will involve. The question and answer format really helps organize the information so you can easily find just about any topic for which you are looking. The section about professional associations and recommended resources provides so much information that would take forever to find on your own. This is just what I needed to read!

As someone just beginning to consider therapy, this book has been incredibly helpful. The author writes in a very sensitive and caring way, and it feels like a friend just sitting and talking to you about therapy. She is very honest about what you can expect, what therapy is and what it isn't. The book is full of honest answers to questions that I had not thought about but which are so important to consider before starting therapy, in order to have the best experience possible. The best part is that it is presented in a step-by-step way so that the whole process does not seem overwhelming, but feels very manageable. After reading this book, I am much more confident and realistic about what therapy will involve. The question and answer format really helps organize the information so you can easily find just about any topic for which you are looking. The section about professional associations and recommended resources provides so much information that would take forever to find on your own. This is just what I needed to read!

As someone just beginning to consider therapy, this book has been incredibly helpful. The author writes in a very sensitive and caring way, and it feels like a friend just sitting and talking to you about therapy. She is very honest about what you can expect, what therapy is and what it isn't. The book is full of honest answers to questions that I had not thought about but which are so important to consider before starting therapy, in order to have the best experience possible. The best part is that it is presented in a step-by-step way so that the whole process does not seem overwhelming, but feels very manageable. After reading this book, I am much more confident and realistic about what therapy will involve. The question and answer format really helps organize the information so you can easily find just about any topic for which you are looking. The section about professional associations and recommended resources provides so much information that would take forever to find on your own. This is just what I needed to read!