Resources Books

Somewhere in America, a Salesperson is working the phones. They've dutifully memorized their "red hot cold calling" scripts and are dialing the 99 phone numbers that may allow them to set an appointment or take an order when they dial the 100th. They're playing the numbers game and they are surviving.

They're in the minority.

Meanwhile, another Salesperson who is well-versed in "closing techniques" is mesmerizing his or her prospect with a fully scripted and rehearsed presentation, each PowerPoint slide exuding the features and benefits that will certainly lead to a firm handshake and a signed order.

They're also in the minority.

This is the age of selling that's articulated in books like Escaping the Price-Driven Sale: How World Class Sellers Create Extraordinary Profit. The economy has changed, the rules have changed, and your prospects have the Internet at their fingertips. They don't need you and don't want to deal with you unless you bring something to the table that they can't get on their own. You need to be a problem-solver, one who crafts solutions and never wastes the time of your prospects.

Gitomer covers it all...the techniques that work today as well as the ones that have limped off to the elephant's graveyard. Along with his six "little books" on selling, the revised Sales Bible forms a body of work that can be summed up in one central message, found on page 18:

"You often hear people say that they wouldn't or couldn't go into sales. The reason is they can't tolerate the risk involved. The uncertainty. The unknown. Or, perhaps more fundamental, they can't handle the challenge."

Selling...as an art and a science...is a moving target. The economy changes, the playing field changes, the needs of each of your prospects-slash-customers changes. A decade or two ago you might have gotten by with reading Zig Ziglar's Secrets of Closing the Sale or Advanced Selling Strategies: The Proven System of Sales Ideas, Methods, and Techniques Used by Top Salespeople Everywhere before hitting the pavement or dialing the phone, but today your education needs to evolve daily. Gerhard Gschwandtner's "Selling Power" magazine and Web Site offers daily audio and video tips from experts. Gitomer publishes his weekly "Sales Caffeine" eZine. The degree to which the modern salesperson realizes that his or her education is perpetual and never-ending is the degree to which they will taste significant success.

If you own the six "little books" and former editions of The Sales Bible, if you read "Sales Caffeine" or listen to Gitomer as the host of Gschwandtner's monthly "Selling Power Live" audio program, you may not find an abundance of "new" material in this revised edition. The cartoons make it consistent in format with the "little books." I consider the book to be a five-star effort, and especially enjoy the fact that it is available as an audio book. Gitomer has carefully included his own unique personality as a central element of his branding, and this is one effort that benefits from presentation in both the written and spoken word.

Author of: One Day She'll Darken: The Mysterious Beginnings of Fauna Hodel


Gitomer is a marketing genius. The book covers the basics of selling with some very "Gitomer" style messages. If you've read any of his other books, then you know what to expect. Some of it is covered elsewhere in many other sales books. But this revised edition takes the most important aspects of selling and puts them all together - with very specific details. And he doesn't waste words, but gets right to the point - I like that.

From the very beginning of prospecting for clients to follow up and keeping the customer for life, each page covers so much wisdom and material that it's something to use over and over again. I can see it getting worn out quickly. If there is only one sales book that you should own. Then this is the one.

Thank you Jeffrey for your kind and loving gifts...

Your "ultimate sales resource" is awesome, beautiful,
challenging, different, expansive and extremely helpful.

Your marketing strategy focusing on creative unlimited
abundance is greatly appreciated.

With gratitude for "being" in our lives.

Imagine a sales trainer looking over your shoulder as you work, telling you specifically what you should be doing. He's endlessly optimistic but also incredibly driven and intense. He loves to bark out list after list of advice. He quotes himself, often.

Sound irritating? In person it would be, but as a book it works. I got my copy this afternoon, and it's already full of Post-it notes, each one marking an intriguing idea I can't wait to try.

Here's one. When you call someone and they're not there, "leave a partial message that includes your name and phone number, then pretend to get cut off in mid-sentence as you're getting to the important part of the message. Cut it off in mid-word." Some examples: "I found your..." or "Your competition said..." The person won't be able to resist calling you back.

There's no index, and the table of contents is hard to find, but those are quibbles. This book delivers on its promise: The Ultimate Sales Resource.

Here's the chapter list:

1. The Rules. The Secrets. The Fun.
2. Preparing to WOW! the Prospect
3. Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself
4. Making a Great Presentation
5. Objections, Closing and Follow-up. Getting to YES!
6. Woes and Foes
7. All Hail the King... Customer
8. Spreading the Gospel
9. Networking... Success by Association(s)
10. Prophets and Profits
11. Up Your Income!
12. Can I Get an Amen?

Yep, he's done it again. Another sales masterpiece that no salesperson should be without. Whenever people ask me what sales books I recommend, I of course recommend Gitomer, and this updated and revised version of his famous Sales Bible is no exception. Don't miss!

This book is the best! It answered so many of my questions that I had about traveling. This is such a great resource for traveling. It also give tons of useful websites.

The book "Sams Teach Yorself e-Travel Today" was a great way for me to search the web for travel tips. I was able to take what the author has suggested and use it to plan a great vacation. I was a novice about online travel until I read this guide book. I suggest anyone be they novice or seasoned web user to read this before they use the web for Travel tips.

I loved this book! Mr. Orwoll took something which could have been dreadfully boring and made it so interesting I went online immediately after reading it and booked myself a trip! This is a great introduction for those who don't really know anything about the internet and travel, but also serves as an excellent resource for those who think they know everything. Funny anecdotes and comprehensive examples are found in abundance. This is my new resource for internet travel!

This book is the most useful, well-written, easy-to-read book of its type I have ever read. And as the former editor of National Geographic Traveler magazine, I can speak here with a degree of authority. The book is chock full of useful, practical tips on how to get valuable travel planning information via the internet and save money at the same time. A first-rate writer, Mr. Orwoll takes the reader by the hand and navigates through the maze of internet travel information in a way that makes the whole business of electronic travel planning clear and accessible. Not only that, it's also just plain fun to read. This book deserves to make it to the best-seller list. --Richard Busch

The real world is getting smaller but the Internet, we all know, is growing more complex and difficult to navigate. A few years ago we were reading books the size of telephone directories which contained URLs (the addresses of web pages) for the entire Web. Lately a new breed of books has sprouted, which cover one and only one subject in great depth. The difficult part about writing (and reading) many of these books is that the author needs to be a specialist in two fields: not only his own area of expertise, but also his subject in relation to the variegated resources on the Net. Fortunately, Mark Orwoll is a skilled guide in both these realms, and his new book, e-TRAVEL, is as useful and convenient as a credit card. Sams Teach Yourself Today e-Travel: Planning Vacations, Finding Bargains, And Booking Reservations Online is divided into five parts. The first, "Getting Started in e-Travel" is a guided tour of various resources about the Internet, including a savvy section on the essential theme: "Evaluating a Web Site's Accuracy and Validity." Part II, "Planning a Vacation on the Internet", includes a nifty quiz: "What's Your e-Travel type?" Part III explains how to be your own travel agent, and how to use the Internet to find the lowest rates and fares. Part IV discusses your laptop computer, passports, visas, customs, digital photography, organizing your money, and keeping yourself safe. Lastly, you'll find a collection of practical travel-minded websites. Keep in mind, regarding everything related to the Web, that things change quickly. Recently a number of major airlines announced that they would create a super-website for travelers. I couldn't find this site mentioned in the book, but readers who are interested in news like this can keep updated at Orwoll's daily travel advice column. There's an enormous amount of essential information throughout this entertaining guide. Orwoll, the managing editor for "Travel and Leisure Magazine", has been there, done that, and shared the best of his inside tips. And it's all served up in a witty style: Orwoll is as pleasant a traveling companion as you'll encounter anywhere. Sams Teach Yourself Today e-Travel is almost certain to save us time and money, teach us how to explore the world from our computer keyboards, and improve the overall quality and enjoyment of our trips. Paperback, 302 pages,

Michael Pastore, Reviewer

I read this book after picking it up at an ISNA convention and was simply blown away by the amount of force the ideas he puts forth held, my favorite reflections were upon nationalism and the conflicts between a faith maintaining a political goal of attaining a nation-state and fulfilling its commandments of moral ethics and beliefs, the argument of the dangers of zionist ideals permeating other faiths, not just judaism, was, in my opinion, profound and provided a unique perspective of how any religion can fall vulnerable to the lure of nationalism.

An excellent true story of an African-American mother who endures her American life to rear a most unusually strong, and righteous son. It was hard to put this down even though I knew how it ends. It's a moral tale and a good read.

Scattered Pictures, a compilation of Imam Zaid Shakir's articles, is a welcome contribution to the emerging discourse on the American Muslim experience. While the essays selected for this volume are tailored toward an audience that shares Imam Zaid's religion, they can also benefit readers from other perspectives who hope to listen in on the internal Muslim conversation. Imam Zaid Shakir is one of the leading voices in contemporary American Islam.

Imam Zaid Shakir is one of the most brilliant thinkers of our time. His writings prove to be a source of clarity in a time of confusion for both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It is quite rare to find an individual who is well versed in both the Islamic and the Western traditions. In Scattered Pictures he has compiled some of his most thought provoking essays from the past few years. He has dealt with both traditional issues such as the true meaning of Jihad to the more contemporary issues such as the challenges faced by American Muslims after September 11th. This book will give you a glimpse into Islam, which is rarely seen in today's world. I highly recommend this book.

In his book Scattered Pictures: Reflections of An American Muslim, Imam Zaid Shakir confronts a myriad of provocative issues facing the contemporary muslim. His elegant style in writing his essays convey the insight and clarity sought by muslims confused on how to define Jihad, or how to define Human Rights within the Islamic tradition. In short, this is a great book that provides the inspiration for religious minded individuals in America and abroad.

_Searching for El Dorado_ by Marc Herman is an intriguing look at a land of contrasts, the South American nation of Guyana. Though the nation has potentially billions of dollars of untapped gold and a large percentage of its citizens are employed in the gold-mining industry, it is one of the very poorest nations in the western hemisphere. The various ways in which gold is mined are all destructive and dangerous yet the consequences of stopping the mines could possibly be even worse.

There are two main ways in which gold is produced. One way is used by large foreign-owned internationally-financed mining corporations, mines which employ professional geologists and millions of dollars in heavy equipment. The other is used by small-time local miners, sometimes working in small groups, often independently. These are subsistence operations and are run with only a few crude tools, often by uneducated if not illiterate men.

Local miners can produce gold from the creeks and rivers. River-mining uses slow rafts that float low in the water, made of scrap metal and of questionable seaworthiness. Located on the center of these rafts is an engine and pump, connected to a hose that goes over the side. A diver (breathing through a small rubber hose gripped in his teeth) takes the hose to the riverbed, dredges the bottom, and the other miners (usually there are about five or six) collect the riverbed mud, which is treated with mercury, which bonds with the gold in the sediment and forms heavy nuggets which drop out of solution in the mud. The mud is strained to remove these nuggets and the rest of the mud is dumped back into the river.

Land mines are created when miners cut down a patch of trees and dig holes ten or twenty feet across in the forest floor. Men would then enter the clearing and wet down the bottom and the sides of the hole with water from buckets or high-pressure hoses (the water drawn from a nearby river or swamp). Other miners would haul out the mud and place it in a long box where it would be treated with mercury.

With either method, once the nuggets were obtained the miners would use a blowtorch on them. Most of the mercury would boil and rise as vapor though some could be saved, often collected in a rag which was later wrung out. What would be left would be small amounts of gold, often just a few ounces resulting from tons of mud being collected.

The small-time miners had it hard. The work was very physically demanding. There were no police (indeed, the mining was often illegal) and the miners had to keep their gold on them in the form of cheap, badly made jewelry or gold teeth. Miners were occasionally robbed or more often forced by other miners off of particularly rich patches. They would also have to compete with miners from other countries, such as Venezuela or Brazil (border control being almost nonexistent in the jungle) or being preyed upon by corrupt police (more often a problem in Venezuela than Guyana). The mercury was very toxic over time and eventually many got sick from that as well as catching malaria.

Herman viewed a large mining operation at Omai, located on the Essequibo River, four hours south of the Guyanese capital of Georgetown. At the time of his visit it was the largest gold mine in South America. The large gold mines can afford machinery to process hard rock in addition to mud; Omai blew huge chunks of rock out of the ground, took the several ton boulders to their mill, and ground down the rocks into sand in huge rock tumblers nicknamed "cyclones." However, instead of using mercury they used cyanide, which much like mercury could draw or leech out all the gold dust from the sediment, though apparently cyanide pulls out more gold than mercury does. This type of operation is very expensive, and as a consequences mines could and did close if the prices of gold on the world market fell too much, and also made Guyana dependent upon foreign companies (as Guyana did not have the money to operate its own mines).

Both methods have their pros and cons. Omai and other mines require large lakes of very deadly cyanide (which occasionally did spill), while the local miners only need small amounts of mercury. However, cyanide decomposes in direct sunlight while mercury can stay in a region for centuries (mercury used by the California gold rush still is causing problems). Unfortunately cyanide is too expensive for local miners to use and is also more deadly (cyanide can immediately kill you while mercury does not). By and large however, environmentalists, if forced to chose, would rather have a single massive cyanide mine than fifty teams of untraceable local miners using mercury throughout the jungle.

The mines and mining caused many problems. Miners spread diseases such as dengue deep into the rain forest to the detriment of Amerindian groups. Fights often occurred, either between local miners or involving Amerindians and/or the big mines.

For all their effort, most miners were very poor (a nation of "gilded paupers"). For instance, a crew of six might work for an owner, the owner getting 70% of the gold, the crew 30%, split six ways. Each man might get 5% of the week's gold, which might be half an ounce, working out to wages of about a dollar or two U.S. a day.

Unfortunately, gold-mining is a declining industry. The value of gold has been declining for two decades and changes in the jewelry industry and in international currencies has increasingly made gold a commodity exchangeable for money rather than money itself.

Guyana though has few choices. Mines make up one-fifth of the national economy and mining is often the only job open to thousands of people.

The book is not all grim, as Herman did provide many amusing stories of his travels.

There are basically 3 kinds of travel writing

1. The writer visits an exotic location, finds the scenery appealing, the locals quaint and whimsical but good hearted, has some sort of personal ephiphany, and writes a condescending, patronising book about all the amusing things that happen to him. Possibly he later sells the film rights. Call this the "My autumn in Europe" type book

2. The writer maximises to an adsurd level the level of discomfort in order to have a "real travel experience" and is found quaint and whimsical but good hearted by disbelieving locals. Call this the "Down The Nile on Crutches" type book

3. The writer goes somewhere he knows little about and actually learns something, which he manages to pass on to the reader

Thankfully this is the third type. Herman doesn't find Guyana quaint, he finds it on the brink of collapse with little prospect of future improvement, increasingly hopeless. Its unlikely that this book has done anything to boost the fledgling Guyana tourist industry - indeed he'll be lucky if they let him into the country again

Herman reveals the extent of the Amazon gold rush, but also its utter futility, with neither big multinationals nor small miners able to turn even a small profit. But he also reveals the desperate lack of choices that will continue to drive so many down the mines to the deteriment of both their, and the nation's health

Herman vividly brings to life the people he meets in his (genuinely) arduous travels and while his writing is often laugh out loud funny, it never belittles its subjects.

Before reading this I knew little about Guyana or about the gold rush. I now feel like I do. I heartily recommend this book

Fantastic (and very accurate) accounts of his encounters with the local folk and descriptions of the places he passed through on his journey. Made for a racey, entertaining and somewhat exotic read. Alot of first hand information for anyone thinking of travelling through Guyana indeed!

I want Marc Herman to be my travel guide, whenever I sit back in my armchair -- or whenever I enter a new land. His easygoing style is seductive, but the energy of his insight into the culture is what makes him so appealing.

How can a country so full of gold have so many problems? Journey with Marc and find out; and have a blast along the way.

I was puzzled when my friend gave me a copy of this book; had I ever expressed an interest in gold or indeed in South America? The mystery was solved when my gaze rested on the author's name, an old university friend. Not knowing much about Marc's politics or his writing style, I was a afraid that the book would be some tirade against big business and globalization. Refreshingly, I discovered an engaging search for answers in a country that seems to only have questions. The book is interesting, provocative, and well-balanced journalism. But even better then that is Marc's humorous description of his own journey, his adventures, and his eye for details. I am not sure I reccomend traveling "Marc-style" but I sure do enjoy the product of his adventures!

Patricia Monaghan, probably my favorite Goddess-spirituality author ever, does it again with _Seasons of the Witch_. ... Monaghan's emotional and moving poetry is wonderful. You can just read it for enjoyment, or use it in ritual. It includes "general" poems about witchcraft, a lot of Greek- and Celtic- inspired material, a few poems dealing with other myths, and a dash of fairy-tale material. All of it is very good. (One thing that makes Monaghan stand out in her field, by the way, is her refusal to bash males. Other goddess authors ignore or demean men, but many of Monaghan's poems celebrate love for men in a sensual and lyrical way.)

There is also a gorgeous accompanying CD, featuring several performers who have set selected poems to music. You'll want to hang on to this, too, either just to listen to for pleasure, or to play during ritual.

I would talk more specifically about the poems, but I can't do them justice in prose. I wish Amazon had a "see inside" feature on this book, so you could browse the first few poems and see if you like Monaghan's style.

I also must commend cover artist Gavin Duffy. For a moment, I thought Monaghan had switched publishers! Note to Llewellyn: More covers like this, please! In fact, more books like these--both in appearance and in content. This is a rare gem.

When we raise our voices to praise the Goddess, we find our voice sometimes in poetry, or sometimes in prose and most often in song.

This book is a collection of some of Patricia Monaghan's work. The book is divided into seasons, and each season is created in our minds in beautiful poetry and visualized prose. We are lead around the seasons, shown the associations of the elements, the Wheel of Life, and the different forms of the Goddess.

Ms. Monaghan is a talented and very well known poet. Her works have appeared in many magazines.

This book also contains a CD which has placed 25 of her poems into song. The poetry becomes devotional songs, and we find ourselves delicately woven into the visualizations by the enchanting voices of Peggy Monaghan, Sally Coombs, Susan La Croiz, Claudia Blythe, Kirsten Baird Gustafson and Lili McGovern. James Robbins also appears on one of the tracks.

As you read, and listen, you are drawn in by the delicate imagery Ms. Monaghan uses. Ever present is her love for the Goddess, her understanding of the elements and we feel her love and warmth in each piece.

This is a nice break from the handbooks and instructional manuals that dominate the market. Personal expression rather than personal opinion is always a nice change. The CD is professionally produced, the book is nicely bound, and the quality of the material makes this an outstanding package and a nice presentation.

This is a book that can be appreciated by anyone with a soul for poetry or devotional prose. It would make a wonderful gift and a lovely addition to your library.

Sometimes we need to step back from the "how to" books and remember "why".

This is an absolute treasure of a book. The title is a little misleading though. This book is not just for witches but for goddess loving folk everywhere. It's poetry, not an instructional manual for witchcraft or even "how to find the goddess." Although it's not a manual, it certainly helps the reader to connect with the goddess on an emotional, instinctual level. Almost every poem pulls me right at my very core. I feel a deep inner understanding of what the author is saying, and through her written experience of the goddess, I touch Her too. Wonderful, transcendent poetry.

The CD is very good too. It's well-produced, and the music meshes well with the poems. I haven't done so yet, but I think it would be excellent music to use in ritual.

This isn't the dry, highbrow stuff forced down your throat in high school. This is juicy, magical, alive and exciting. There is romance, myth, anger, fear and wonder.

I've performed these poems to great effect, and had many people ask where they could get the book. I've heard it's coming back in print and that's tremendously exciting.

Patricia Monaghan has written numerous books on Goddesses and myth, including the brilliant "O, Mother Sun," and has another poetry collection, "Winterburning."

I bought this book/CD two months ago, and I still haven't tired of listening to the CD and reading the poetry on a regular basis. Monaghan is a very talented poet; She conveys images and emotions so well through her words! It's really wonderful... some of the best poetry I've ever read. The songs on the CD are also beautiful. They are Patricia's poems set to music that was written and performed by each artist, so the instrumental and vocal styles are often quite varied (in a good way). One of the vocalists is Patricia's sister, Peggy Monaghan, and some of the others include Lili McGovern, Claudia Blythe, Sally Coombs, and Kirsten Baird Gustafson. All of these singers and musicians are very talented, but I am lukewarm on a couple of the songs because I personally don't like the singer's vocal style and she sounds a tad flat to my ears throughout the song. Despite that, the CD is currently one of my favorites to listen to on a regular basis. Just a few of my personal favorite songs/poems include Peggy's version of "Maenad in Spring," and "Maeve Prepares for Beltane," "The Maenad Remembers Dionysus," and "Procedure for Reclaiming the Self," but all of the poems and songs are really special. I highly recommend this book/CD set to anyone who enjoys Goddess-based poetry and music.

Coalson demonstrates a masterful ability to keep the reader engaged throughout the entire book. From the amazing dialogue between the characters to the education the reader gains about the Texas Hill Country, I was able to read the book in one sitting. I'm looking forward to Coalson's next piece of literature.

Great book! Lots of great insight to anyone familiar with the politics of the water boards and cities along Texas rivers. With Texas politics and romance mixed together, it makes for a great read.

I really enjoyed this book! In a setting of real environmental concern, the author makes this book a page-turner by adding murder, romance, and intrigue. The real-life setting and situations makes this book hard to put down, and is a story many should be able to relate to. I look forward to Les Coalson's next effort.

If you have read novels such as Sea Glass by Anita Shreve, then you will understand me when I tell you that Les Coalson has tied a thrilling mystery with real environmental concerns. Not only does the author educate the public about threatening issues regarding the Texas Hill Country, but he entices the reader with deep and intiguing characters among twisted plot lines. After reading this first novel by Les Coalson, I feel more secure with my knowledge of the ties between human needs and the environment, and am defintiely awaiting a second story to unfold from this new and upcoming author. I highly suggest this book to anyone seeking to further their intellect and enlighten their soul.

This novel is an excellent summer read. Coalson interweaves environmental concerns with a haunting murder mystery and sweet love story. I have more respect for the Texas Hill Country area after reading this book.

Written by corporate leadership and crisis management expert John F. Boogaert and former business trial lawyer Douglas E. Noll, Sex, Politics, & Religion at the Office: The New Competitive Advantage is a guide for business and corporate managers and officials to move beyond simple legal compliance with national regulations and shape corporate culture with healthy attitudes towards sex, politics, religion, and power. From setting one's "Grounded Positioning Statement" to understanding the reality of the intersection between politics and religion to learning how to be nonjudgmental, noncritical, and nonreactive when dealing with thorny sexual, religious, or values-based issues, Sex, Politics, & Religion at the Office offers valuable insight into how human beings actually think and work, and how best to be the catalyst to improved coworker and worker-management relations. True vignettes pepper this handy, sensible, down-to-earth guide which avoids any kind of moralizing and focuses on promoting intellectual and emotional well-being at the office.

Boogaert and Noll have dared to cross the picket line of compliance and move into a courageous reliance on laws much deeper within the hearts and souls of men and women. Sex, Politics and Religion at the Office offers a trailblazing approach empowering employees to take their entire tool kit to work and to awaken the full spectrum of their possibilities.

Boogaert and Noll take on the forbidden subjects of sex, politics and religion at the office and through their book allow us to have safe and respectful conversations about the very topics that divide us as a culture and a country. Repression, they declare, is no longer an option for any company wishing a sustainable competitive advantage from its workforce. Instead, starting with our own internal assumptions, values and beliefs, and working outwards towards our co-workers, we learn what truly healthy attitudes look like. Boogaert and Noll show us how these essential human qualities can be turned into significant profits for any organziation. I found this book to be refreshing, eye-opening, and enlightening and am recommending it to all of my clients.

Sex, Politics, and Religion at the Office is brilliantly written with experience as the backbone to these two authors. Douglas E. Noll and John F. Boogaert bridge the business world from the crazy laws now covering sexual harassment, to the common sense approach that not only will show you how not to suffer lawsuits, but will actually make your company money. This book truly is "The New Competitive Advantage" for companies with 2 employees to over 2,000.

Doug and John do an excellent job of wrestling with the elephant in the room. Rather than sweeping the entire reality of our basic human frailties, temptations, needs and desires in our workplace under the rug, these two gentlemen hit them head on. With no apology or excuses, every chapter of this latest work plainly and simply lays out the hesitancies, blushings and provocative thinking of our workplace colleagues. Through stories and the rational application of proven theories about how human beings behave with each other, the authors help management explore, identify and design an employment environment that can remain sensitive to each employee's unique personal identity while maintaining professional respect, acknowledgement and validation critical to sustaining a productive workforce.

"Solving Sprawl" made me want to live in the places the authors describe. For my job, I typically have to read a lot of dry, boring reports and books about planning and policy. By providing great, color photos and true stories about how many of these places were created, I couldn't put this book down. "Solving Sprawl" does something that many people have tried, but few have done this well: it makes the businness of creating more livable communities interesting and engaging. Suddenly, smart growth isn't just something I read about happening in some far away place, it's something that can happen in my town, or anywhere.

If you are interested in how to make your community a better place to live without being bored to tears with "legalese" and "policy wonk talk," buy this book!!!

"Solving Sprawl" made me want to live in the places the authors describe. For my job, I typically have to read a lot of dry, boring reports and books about planning and policy. By providing great, color photos and true stories about how many of these places were created, I couldn't put this book down. "Solving Sprawl" does something that many people have tried, but few have done this well: it makes the businness of creating more livable communities interesting and engaging. Suddenly, smart growth isn't just something I read about happening in some far away place, it's something that can happen in my town, or anywhere.

If you are interested in how to make your community a better place to live without being bored to tears with "legalese" and "policy wonk talk," buy this book!!!

I have an advance copy of this book, and I hope Amazon gives it a full listing soon, because it fills a valuable need - showing people how our communities can grow and prosper without sprawl and the ugliness and damage it brings to our landscape and towns. The authors provide 35 inspiring examples of smart growth - development in cities and suburbs, along with green space preserved - all over the country, while disussing the relevant environmental and social issues.

Too often, environmentalists are criticized (and rightly so) for being too negative, pointing out problems without presenting solutions that work for the economy and for people's convenience. This book takes a most refreshing opposite approach, and backs it up with color photos and project data. The authors know what they are talking about, too: these are the same folks who wrote Once There Were Greenfields, the meticulously documented handbook on the problems associated with sprawl development. Solving Sprawl is the best thing I've seen yet on smart growth, and it should be a boon for anyone concerned with these issues. It was produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York, which has more information on its web site. Get it - you'll be glad you did.

This is a valuable and much needed reference that offers substance instead of rhetoric about containing sprawl with smart growth-oriented development. It persuasively demonstrates how smart growth projects across the country are succeeding in meeting people's housing and employment needs while minimizing environmental harm. Thirty-five projects are profiled in sections devoted to cities, suburbs, and conservation areas, each with project statistics and contacts. Its geographic diversity is especially impressive, from the nation's largest metropolitan regions to small rural towns. This is one of those rare volumes that works for professionals as a technical reference, and for community officials and citizens as an educational tool. It's an inspiring catalogue of some of the best neighborhoods and communities being developed in America today.

Solving Sprawl is a wonderfully lively, readable account of how 35 diverse communities from across the nation have managed to find solutions to the problems of sprawl. Examples from urban, suburban, and rural areas demonstrate numerous innovative strategies for protecting the environment while creating attractive, human-friendly places for people to live, work,
and play. The book is enhanced with photos, maps, and informative sidebars. This is an impressive, inspiring piece of work that succeeds as both an introduction to Smart Growth, and as a guide to translating Smart Growth theory into practice.

Lynne....please make this an unabridged book on tape/CD! Not only could my blind boyfriend then readily access it, but I could listen to it in my car.

We as consumers are brainwashed into thinking we need more to be of value. This book brought to light the many ways we devalue ourselves and our gifts. I appreciate that Ms. Twist has given the tools to reformat our thoughts on this critical subject. Willetta S BaCote

It one delightful, entertaining and meaningful book, Lynne Twist explains how to lead an abundant life that benefits you, your family AND the world. I read the hardcover edition more than three years and am still benefitting from it today. If this book were required reading, the world would be a place that works for everyone.

A whole new way to look not just at money, but at life itself! Worth reading over and over again!

Well worth the effort in trying to get this book - a very forward thinker and ideas are articulated well. The world needs more thinking like this.

Many Christian Leaders, lay or ordained, professional or volunteer, want to enrich their Spiritual Lives, but do not know how. They read books and attend seminars, but are still hungering for a complete answer to their questions, whether formulated or still lingering at the unconscious level. E. Glenn Hinson's new book " Spiritual Preparation for Christian Leadership" seems to have satisfied this void. In his usual simple but very profound style, Hinson faces Christian Leadership's main problem squarely in the eye: a problem of leadership burnout, a spiritual exhaustion due to a very stressful vocation, and extremely high expectations imposed on them as well as by them. His miracle remedy: Be attentive to God, develop a relationship with God, and learn to know God, not just about God. An encompassing view of Church History teaches us how the Church has previously dealt with this issue. Hinson then goes on to the issue of misuse, under-use and over-use of time and the need for collectedness in order to maintain a balance of experiential, intellectual, social, and institutional elements. Hinson insists on the dire need to be sustained spiritually because "by not paying enough attention to self-care, you may become a casualty of wounds self-inflicted from your dedication". The first step towards the sustenance of spiritual life is made by being accountable of its progress. He explains the many rewards of keeping a journal. He devotes three chapters to the sustenance of the spiritual life per se. One explains the sustenance through `spiritual reading, listening and seeing'. Grace, he explains, is much more than the traditional Protestant view of unmerited favor. It is "God's gift of Godself, God's presence, the Holy Spirit" which first can be found in the Scriptures but also in various Spiritual classics, which he lists. Grace can also be found through the mediums using `seeing' such as art, architecture and contemporary movies, or in mediums using `touching, tasting and smelling'. Another sustaining option is retreats of which he describes the various possibilities, as well as a retreat plan he himself practices. The last offered sustenance method is through spiritual friendship, or the sharing of one's journey. His concluding chapter states that what the world and the church need most are Saints: Those `persons whose lives have been irradiated by Grace'. Merton once stated that books could "speak to us like God, like men or like the noise of the city we live in". This book is about Grace, the one that leads you home!

Glenn Hinson cuts through the partisan fights concerningtheological "correctness" and other battles over doctrineand examines what needs to be at the core of church leadership: spirituality. He invites readers to open their lives to God and to the new directions that God offers. Instead of the effort to control God that so many in the church seem to have, Hinson reminds readers that life in God's community is one filled with surprises.

Hinson's book bridges a gap between a popular piety and a more academic perspective. His scholarship is evident. His own devotional life is recorded in the book by way of example. His work may not be popular because of his decidedly liberal stance concerning sexuality and yet, Hinson's book deserves a wide reading within the church.

This book by Dr. E. Glenn Hinson is a must for church leaders seeking to develop a spiritual life. It is especially good for those of us not coming from a Catholic background. Dr. Hinson is keenly aware of how Protestants look upon spiritual formation, and he gives a good discussion of this in his book. He does a great job of weaving Thomas Merton and Douglas Steer into chapter after chapter. This book deserves our attention if we are interested in developing a strong spiritual life. As Dr. Hinson writes, "The spiritual formation of Christian leaders has been a matter of prime importance throughout the history of Christianity, but it has not always received the kind of conscious consideration it is getting today." Having been a student of Dr. Hinson a number of years ago, I am happy to recommend an excellent book for your reading and consideration. It is a book you will read more than once.

Many Christian Leaders, lay or ordained, professional or volunteer, want to enrich their Spiritual Lives, but do not know how. They read books and attend seminars, but are still hungering for a complete answer to their questions, whether formulated or still lingering at the unconscious level. E. Glenn Hinson's new book " Spiritual Preparation for Christian Leadership" seems to have satisfied this void. In his usual simple but very profound style, Hinson faces Christian Leadership's main problem squarely in the eye: a problem of leadership burnout, a spiritual exhaustion due to a very stressful vocation, and extremely high expectations imposed on them as well as by them. His miracle remedy: Be attentive to God, develop a relationship with God, and learn to know God, not just about God. An encompassing view of Church History teaches us how the Church has previously dealt with this issue. Hinson then goes on to the issue of misuse, under-use and over-use of time and the need for collectedness in order to maintain a balance of experiential, intellectual, social, and institutional elements. Hinson insists on the dire need to be sustained spiritually because "by not paying enough attention to self-care, you may become a casualty of wounds self-inflicted from your dedication". The first step towards the sustenance of spiritual life is made by being accountable of its progress. He explains the many rewards of keeping a journal. He devotes three chapters to the sustenance of the spiritual life per se. One explains the sustenance through `spiritual reading, listening and seeing'. Grace, he explains, is much more than the traditional Protestant view of unmerited favor. It is "God's gift of Godself, God's presence, the Holy Spirit" which first can be found in the Scriptures but also in various Spiritual classics, which he lists. Grace can also be found through the mediums using `seeing' such as art, architecture and contemporary movies, or in mediums using `touching, tasting and smelling'. Another sustaining option is retreats of which he describes the various possibilities, as well as a retreat plan he himself practices. The last offered sustenance method is through spiritual friendship, or the sharing of one's journey. His concluding chapter states that what the world and the church need most are Saints: Those `persons whose lives have been irradiated by Grace'. Merton once stated that books could "speak to us like God, like men or like the noise of the city we live in". This book is about Grace, the one that leads you home!

This book offers very practical formational teaching in Christian spirituality. Hinson approaches spiritual formation from the very best sense of classic Christian praxis and the academe. His passion and energy communicate throughout the narrative. I'd call it "cutting edge" but Hinson stays within the great and forgotten traditions of the church universal.

Perhaps most telling is the way in which Hinson illustrates spiritual practices by writing of his own experience. For example, in writing about keeping a spiritual journal Hinson excerpts from his journal two very different responses as they illumine his spiritual journey: the first entry concerns the horror and revulsion experienced in a visit to Auschwitz and the questions concerning suffering and God; the second entry concerns an ecumenical gathering in Jerusalem. Throughout the book, Hinson weaves praxis and theory, offering the best kind of spiritual teaching.

His work is gentle. His teaching is kind. This book is a treasure for any who would lead the church.