B Books

It is an excellent and enlightening book with much food for thought and a precise account of reality in malfunctioning organizations. Also provides suggestions for improving organizations and helping them act in an ethical manner.

With humor and "paradox" Professor Jerry Harvey does a great job in stimulating personal reflections about management. Among the several tales, see Management and the myth of Abraham ("every time a boss makes a stupid mistake, he sends his administrative assistant to try to rectify it"), my favorite Captain Ashok and the Concept of Grace ("Asoh told the truth, and we are starved for it") and Group Tyranny and the Gunsmoke Phenomenon (our behaviour is related to our fear of separation but we have a choice "when confronted with the possibility of group tyranny"). Enjoy your reading and start thinking.

The first time I heard about the Abilene Paradox was back in the early 1980's when Jerry Harvey made a video for use by the government in training management.

I had run into a recent management situation in which our Director wanted only agreement with her. I immediately began to search a reference on "Abilene" and management.

So, immediately, you can see how much this little video lecture influenced me. Over twenty years later, I still remembered the reference that was needed now in 2003, and it was called the road to "ABILENE" or something similar.

A quick search on my favorite reference site "Amazon.com" and voila: I found a book called the "Abilene Paradox".

Jerry writes likes he speaks but *OH* he speaks in such an amazingly entertaining way.

Jerry gives a lot of examples of things that can happen in the workplace that will bring you down a path to disaster. He is amazingly accurate in pointing out the potholes to avoid.

Although, he is a bit shy on things you should do, I highly recommend this book. If all you get out this is that "Yes" men or "Yes" folks are not conducive to good business, then you have learned one gem of management that you will value forever.

These "Meditations" provide great thinking into how to be a more effective manager. As "Meditiations", this is not a how to cookbook on management, or checklist. There are no promises of improved customer service, or increased efficiency. Rather, by reading them, your thinking about management will improve.

Two examples on the meditations:
1 - The Abilene Paradox essay talks about a family vacation to Abilene. Nobody really wants to go there, but everyone thinks everyone else wants to go there, but is affraid to speak up. The lesson is self evident, but the story conveys it in a manner much more memorable than a directive to "Create an organization with open communication"
2 - The writings of Elliott Jaques. Harvey introduces the concept of the "Requisite Organization", an idea developed by Jaques. This highlights the imnportance of understanding complexity (as defined by the time horizon of projects one is capable of thinking of) and designing an organization where that is the key component to success. That's a deep thought in today's quarter-driven business.

Reading and pondering these meditations will make one a better manager and leader. But it isn't spoon feeding, it takes some thought as well.

The Abilene Paradox... has been one of my favorite books for many years. Whenever I read it, I find something of value in it for whatever challenges I am facing in my work. Plus, it's just fun to read. The first essay (the actual Abilene Paradox) should be required reading for anyone who wonders why groups do stupid things. And the last essay (on teaching future managers to cheat) should be required reading for anyone who wonders how one simple change could make a huge difference in business education, making it more relevant and more solidly ethically based. Everything in between these two essays is worth, reading, too.

The best way one can prevent themselves from becoming a burden on their families as they age is making sure the money they saved for their retirement stays saved for retirement and is only used for that purpose. "Alive and Kicking: Legal Advice... for Boomers!" grants legal advice so you can keep your money so when you finally do go and kick that bucket, your family has something other than massive debts to remember you by. Tips on Living wills, scams and identity theft, caring for your own parents in your own advanced age, issues involving age discrimination, driving, sex, and more are covered. While treating itself as a law book first, "Alive and Kicking: Legal Advice... for Boomers!" isn't afraid to crack a joke or bust out a poem now and again, giving a different and attractive flavor, making it highly recommended for anyone who is rapidly approaching retirement age and wants to be prepared for it in the modern world. Also recommended to community library law shelves.

What I liked about the book is the vast amount of useful information on all areas of planning for ones over age 50 years. And its a book that my son who is under age forty, found interesting, because it discusses issues that many people may never have thought about. It also is a book that dispells the notion that becoming sixty or older, means getting 'old' and unable to do many of the things we love doing in our forties or fifties. Cannot recommend the book enough.

Who would have thought that serious and important legal and financial matters could not be dished out with generous helpings of humor? This book clearly proves that theory wrong. An easy read, the authors never skip a beat when it comes to thoroughly discussing what readers need to know about boomer legal matters. I've recommended this book on many occasions.

This book is a humorous treatment of the serious business of the legal aspects of aging. Chock full of useful information and every page is entertaining.

Whether your reading preference is poetic, humorous, pragmatic, or just plain down to earth, Hegland and Fleming cover difficult legal issues in a way that makes you want to keep reading! This information is must to have in every home, whether yet boomers or not!

Finding a book on veterinary medicine that is easy to read and refer to but still has exceptional information, is difficult. Darlene has captured both in her book. Whether a person uses western medicine or has a more alternative approach, Darlene's book can be utilized by either approach. One must first understand diseases and health issues before being able to choose a method of treatment. With Darlen's book, this is not a difficult task. She also captures dog behavior in a very realistic and positive light. A MUST HAVE for any dog owner.

This book is just great. It's full of information on how to keep your dog happy and healthy, and has lots of very useful explanations of technical terms (for example about dog illnesses). It is very readable - it's like having a good friend who knows all about dog health, explaining stuff to you.

The book is arranged very sensibly, and I know I will be able to easily find information when I need it. I will probably take this book away with me when we go on holidays with our dog - it's the sort of book that would be handy in an emergency.

I also liked the way that the author didn't push any particular views - I have lots of other dog books where I feel that the authors are telling you that you MUST treat your dog in a certain way. In this book, the author gently suggests to you that this is a good thing to do.

Clearly a lot of research has gone into finding the best information for this book, and I really wish that I had owned it when I first got my dog. I've had some bad vet experiences and when I got to the section about "how to choose a vet" I wished someone had suggested those to me a few years ago!

Overall, this is a calm and sensible book, one that I am sure I will be referring to many times in the future.

Darlene's Arden's book is an essential for the bookshelf of any dog owner, new or experienced. She covers EVERY aspect of care at every stage of your dog's life in an easy-to-read style. It includes a WELLNESS program, a way to KEEP your dog healthy, as well as ways to recognize illnesses and emergency situations. The behavior and training sections are wonderful.

This book is a must-have, and don't just hide it on the shelf. Keep it handy because you'll find that after a first reading, you'll be referring to it on a regular basis!

This guide to preventive health care for dogs is long overdue. Thoroughly researched with veterinarians at the appropriately renowned Angell Memorial Hospital in Boston, I knew this book was a winner when I reached for it several times when worried friends called to ask for advice. It outlines Angell's preventive approach to health care. The three main sections cover puppyhood, the middle years, and the senior years. It starts with the basics for every dog - vaccinations, parasites, grooming, trimming nails, nutrition, diseases, surgery, and the need for obedience training. The puppy years section is so large that it covers half the book. The diseases are explained briefly in lay terms so that anyone can understand what happens in a given disease. Annual check up, first aid, and cancer form the middle years section, and the senior years section covers again gracefully, geriatric wellness, and loss. The whole book is easily understood.

= Your best friend's best friend
Reviewer: Alan Alford from Marlboro, MA USA
Every loving breeder, who has ever sold a dog, has worried over whether she's given the new buyer everything he needs. This marvelous reference work from Darlene Arden will put to rest the concern of such breeders. The Angell Memorial Animal Book of Wellness is a "must" gift to accompany every puppy to its new home, and deserves a prominent place in every dog owner's library. It certainly has one in mine, where it's kept close enough for instant help each time one of my beloved pets shows the slightest sign of distress. In just the few short weeks since acquiring it it has brought me comfort on two occasions, and caused me instantly to take off to our veterinarian in a third. In 14 well-researched, easily read, heart-warming chapters, from Puppyhood, through the Middle Years, to the Senior years all dog-lovers dread, the author "holds the hand" of the dog owner through every possible medical concern and, in finale, comforts him in the final chapter of every human - canine love bond, "Saying Goodbye." This is one of the rare book investments that will earn, continuously, a return of its cost. I'm glad I found it.

Alan Alford

"Birdy" is a novel with a shared narrative; on the one hand there is Al, and on the other there is Birdy himself. This is one of the specificities of the book. Birdy as a character is quite interesting in his weirdo/loner/genius/freak kind of personality, and because of the divided narration, you get both the outer and inner approach on his obsession, birds, and flying.

On the whole, this is a very readable book, and quite enjoyable. Not a page is a bore and one cannot get enough of Birdy's featherly obsession and how far it will go.

However, the ending left me rather unsatisfied. I thought it starkly contrasted with the rest of the novel and didn't live up to everything that came before; as if something deep was ended on a joke.

Another critic concerns the back of the book, where you find the following words: "While fighting in World War II, they find their dreams become all too real - and their lives are changed forever." Well, that gave me the idea that these two friends would end up fighting together in Europe or something and the birdness of Birdy would come into play. Contrary to those lines, there is very little concerning World War II - although there are a few pages of Al's warring, there is almost nothing of Birdy's. So do not put too many hopes there. I never really trust blurbs, but I still find it stunning that so many of them tell things that are just wrong.

This being said, and excluding the ending (of which I'm not too hot but in general, not the final lines, which aren't so bad), this is a good read. I never was all that crazy about birds, but this novel was very informative as far as canaries are concerned; and bird life in general. The psychological aspects of Birdy (whose real name I don't think ever comes up, which I like because it's as if his birdness erased his human identity) are also of interest; for instance, Birdy prefers birds to people, he even fantasises sexually about birds rather than girls. It's fantastically weird.

"Birdy" has been often compared to such novels as Heller's Catch-22, the tendency for the book to be read as a war novel was strengthened by the movie based on the novel in 1985, directed by Alan Parker, which moved the time of its action to the days of the Vietnam War. The book, however, concentrates on the issues of adolescence, growing up, and reaching maturity.
"Birdy" tells a story of two friends Al and Birdy who met in pre-war Philadelphia and who friendship survives the war when Al is invited to a mental ward where Birdy is kept after his traumatic war-time experiences which which brought about his mental-breakdown. The reader becomes gradually acquainted with their adventures in flash-backs and witnesses Birdy re-awakening.
The book rings true both a nostalgic description of the pre-war working class US which no longer exists, a chronicle of friendship and a description of mental disorder. Must read - you can follow the reading with the movie and there is Peter Gabriel's CD to accompany the novel!

The book is best described as "bird-y", like it's title. Whoever reads it will understand what I mean. In the center of the story stands an eccentric, introverted boy called Birdy, who's entire life is driven by an obsession with birds, and a dream - to fly and be free. The book opens with Birdy in a military mental hospital, traumatized by his experiences in WWII. His childhood friend, Al, has been called over to try and bring Birdy back to reality. At a loss of what to do, Al begins telling Birdy stories from their childhood, and recounting all the adventures they lived through together. Through Al's narrations and the remembrances they trigger in Birdy, the fascinating story of a most unlikely friendship unfolds. Al is a handsome, athletic Italian girl-chaser, with an abusive father and an obsessive need to prove himself. Birdy on the other hand, is a wild spirit. You can sense throughout the story how he feels caged, and reveres the birds he sees to be free. He constucts an aviary and raises canaries in his bedroom, studying them, learning their language, getting to know each one personally, and losing himself in their world. The descriptions of the canaries are so intense that the reader himself feels as though they are human, or he is a bird. Birdy is an amazing character - brave, self confident, a mechanical genius, who struggles to fit himself into human life, but who's mind works in a completely different way than anyone else's. The book tells the extraordinary story of the two friends, and is simply a pleasure to read and a refreshing change from the conventional.

I've read a lot of books in my day, but Birdy is easily one of the most memorable. A traumatized World War II veteran trapped in a VA hospital stays sane solely through his preternaturally detailed recollections of raising canaries as a teenager--and through the perfect loyalty of his closest friend.

Wharton's better known World War II novel, A Midnight Clear, comes nowhere near this one in terms of originality and emotional truth.

Birdy is a beautifully written, most unclassifiable story, unsentimental, sometimes painful, but extraordinarily life-affirming and imagination-affirming. Some day it will be recognized as a genuine classic of American fiction.

Thats right. One of the best books I have ever read. I have already purchased some 5 copies for my friends - to share the beauty of the book with them too. Its a masterpiece.

The depth of description about a bird, and its daily life, is described here in a way I have come across before. But thats not what its all about. There are many concepts discovered here, and it makes the reader ponder. Issues such as war, friendship, love, dreams, insanity and sanity.

I especially got involved in Birdy's dream. I am a bit of a dreamer too. He goes onto explore the fact that maybe we living now, is a dream. And the dream that both you and I will have tonight, is actually our real life. I liked this view.

Buy the book, its very much out of the ordinary, and I hope you really enjoy it as much as I did! Happy Reading!

Tony has a gift he gives freely to all. He has the ability to speak directly TO THE READER. It is as if you're sitting across from him and having a conversation. 'It is estimated that about 95 percent of people can be compared to ships without rudders.'--Earl Nightingale. Tony's book is the rudder for my ship. Tony, thanks for sharing!

Great inspirational book. Helps you realize you can be better than you think and don't stop until you get there! Each principle has different applications in your life and in aggregate, create a recipe for success! Highly recommended!

Many books describe great ideas but few give an actual process to follow. Tony's book describes processes that are based on his education and experiences. Interwoven in these experiences are descriptions of family stories and strong values. He has inspired me.
Thanx, Tony
JB-MBA Pepperdine Class of 2000

The title alone should give you a hint that this is no ordinary 'self-help' book. It's filled with humor, compassion, and sincerity, which is fitting from an author like Tony Magee. Reading it is like chatting with an old friend. I laughed out loud at the stories he used to illustrate his points. I can relate to many of his experiences and therefore, I'll remember the lesson I learned from each. This book belongs in the library of anyone who wants to give their life a boost...no matter where you are in the journey to achieving your dream.

Once I picked up Tony's book...I could not put it down. It was a great read. I have read a lot of self help books but Tony's perpective ..his rags to riches story is a true American success story. I would make this a must read for anyone who wants to dream..and needs a blueprint on how to do it!

Thanks Tony!

If you ever wanted to know anything about this massive airplane you will probably find it in this awesome book. The book will take you back in time to the development and life of the greatest of bombers. The book is not just a bunch of statistics either. It is not a boring narrative, but is full of all kinds of fascinating stories and incidents that went on in the life and times of this great airplane. It is printed on fine glossy stock and has many wonderful pictures from all through the years of the Peacemakers existance. Highly recommended!!!

An extremely well written book. It tells you all about the B36.
The authers use of parts written by "Those who were there" is an object lesson to other authers.
It is A verey large and heavy book whivh should be on all aircraft lovers
bookshelves.
If you live in europe it is half price too.

that is defintitely the best book about the big stick of the SAC. tons of pictures and in-depth text! highly recommended!!!!!

Good reference on the B-36 Peacemaker. Well illustrated with black and white as well as color photographs. Many cut away drawings and diagrams. Lots of background development. Good historical as well as technical information. Lacking in material on the FICON and Parasites fighter programs

It is silly to try to fault this book.

I recall being impressed, as a kid, with the Harleyford books from England--"The Supermarine Spitfire," and "The Focke Wulf FW-190." For their time, they were very good indeed.

But they cannot begin to compare with this massive book on the B-36. It is in a class of its own.

First the sheer size of this beast. Its huge, and its all about one airplane, the B-36.
Granted, you have to be fascinated with the B-36 to buy it, but if the monster bomber fascinates you, doing better would be impossible.

There are chapters on everything. The book covers B-36 defensive armament, payload, service with SAC, service in movies, the "revolt" of the Admirals, and on and on. Incredible detail.

There are more photos than you can count. There is a section of color photos. Some are very good, and quite unusual. You have not have seen them before.

I recall the B-36 as a kid. I remember one flying over my house--and being amazed by the size, noise, and sheer presence of the aircraft. I have always loved the B-36. It takes me back to a better time. I will admit that I look to the past with great nostalgia. I often look back to the days of cars with chrome, Davy Crockett caps and rifes, Ike in the White House, and the B-36. This book will take you there.

It was fun growing up in a country which not only made, but made operational, a plane like the B-36. Wow, that was, and still is , special. And so is this book.

The Coffee Cup Bible Study Series by Sandra Glahn is presented in a convenient format. Since the Biblical text is included in each easy-to-carry book, it is a series ready for women on the go. There is ample room for recording your thoughts and conclusions. I like to work on mine in a local coffee shop. Both the scholarship that went into the study and the author's insights are thought provoking and inspirational. I have finished two of the studies so far and look forward to continuing the series. Espresso With Esther prompted me to look further into the commentaries available for this book of the Bible. Whether you tackle the book alone or with a group, I think it is worth your investment of time and money.

This 5-week study of the Book of Esther is just right for a summer Bible Study with a small group of ladies. Since it contains the scripture passages covered in each lesson, it is easy to take along during the week for study at breaks during one's day. The women find it interesting and stimulating for discussion and application. Not everyone will agree with all of the author's premises (ie. that Esther may have been a girl with a secular view point, and may have compromised some of her convictions) but even that adds to the liveliness of the discussions.

Last summer we used one of Sandra Glahn's other study guides, Java With the Judges, for a summer study. We enjoyed that study very much as well.

Sandra Glahn's "Espresso With Esther" is a delightful study that is truly portable! She has included all scripture referenced in the study, which makes it easy to carry your book with you and fill it out as you have time during the day. Her style of writing makes you feel as it you are sitting in the room with one of your best friends. Bravo for a great, in-depth, make-you-think study!

Sandra Glahn once again weaves theology and practicality together to give us a Bible study we can learn from and live out.

At the end of each session, I would record a Wow Factor, something that especially blew me away: (I'll share a few here)
God of great reversals. Glahn writes: "Only God can use our sins for good, and the Book of Esther is a book about such a reversal."
Choose the path of courage. Glahn writes: "When we walk in the Spirit...what's inside is so radiant that people see beyond us to Him. And if you feel weak, you're in the ideal situation for God to show His all-surpassing power through you."

Glahn reveals Esther beyond the whitewashed heroine we've come to accept her as. And we take the journey to God's great triumph over evil, as we see Esther's courage grow.

I can't wait to dig into Java with Judges!

My wife is doing this study with her women's group and she said the whole group agrees that the divisions of this book contain way too much content to cover in a week. The author is a very knowledgeable person, but the average women doesn't have the time read and dig through and research all that is required in the book each week. While the study is good, perhaps dividing each chapter in half or thirds might be better represented by a coffee cup series.

Special Forces Captian Roger Donlon was the first Medal of Honor winner in the Vietnam War. I read his book, 'Outpost for Freedom,' quit College, and signed up for Airborne. This seems to be a little known book and was obviously not on any Best Seller list during the Sixties. Col Scott must have read it because he uses it as the backdrop for the first part of 'The Expendables.' He Changed the names slightly but the everything else is pretty close to Donlon's book. The rest of the book is about the Ia Drang Valley. It follows 'We were Soldiers Once' pretty close.
I have read all of Col Scott's books and most of them twice. The only complaint is that I wish he would write some more. He has a very readable style and he does his research very well. I'd put him up with 'The Biggies',

When I got done with this I was inspired. I wanted to make a group of my friends and call ourselves The Expendables. This book is so well written there isn't a single dull moment. When I graduate high school(I'm a freshman) I want to go Airborne!

Scott is the Master. I've owned several copies of all of Scotts books, from wearing them out to lending them out and this is one of the best. I served with every one of these guys (it seems), Scott's uncanny ability to create the character as someone you know is incredible. Even the places his characters come from are described perfectly, having lived or served in a lot of the places (stateside) that Scott writes of I can attest. For example anyone who lives in or around South Philly would feel right at home with Vinny his girl and the Hoagie stand. Georgia and it's simplicity out in the boonies is captured perfectly by Lee Calhoun and his family. Eugene Day will give the folks a taste of what it was like for a young black to live and serve after the race riots. Young men with any kind of stature who had to live up to their familiys' impossible standards will relate easily to Blake. Old vets will appreciate the professionalism of Quail and Flynn. Anyone whose ever donned a uniform will love how they all come together to become the Expendables. You will laugh out loud (if you served) going through basic training with these guys, You will remember the professionalism of the fearsome "Blackhats" and get chills at how well Scott captures the feeling of elation after that first jump, You will realize you're holding the book a little tighter in anger at self important ticket punchers who leave there men out to dry for no good reason and finally you will cry at the Memorial Day Ceremony, a promise made by each brother to another. This is the absolute best novel on the Vietnam war.

I have read them all from Clancy to Brown and LtCol.(Ret) Scott is by far one of the best military writers to date. My father served in Vietnam and after he came back my mom said he was never the same and I always wondered what it was like, why men like my father and Col Scott, why they went when they were called knowing they might not return and those that did would be forever altered. I joined the infantry at 17 to see for myself and after serving in Panama and Somalia I understand. Col. Scott says it best in the books with way he connects you to the characters you come to realize they did it for the men to their left and their right, not so much for America, but the men who represent America. Sad to know that he won't be writing anymore books but the four vietnam books he wrote are some of the greatest military fiction ever written and in my opinion should be required reading for all young soldiers and leaders.

As a Marine infantryman, the characters in this book were as real as the grunts as I served with. No other author has ever connected with the real comraderie of men under arms as well as Scott has. I can not read this book with a dry eye and I challenge any man who has ever served to do so, especially the last five pages. This book is written with the first hand knowledge of a man who has faced the elephant and understands the warrior ethos. It ranks with "The Forgotten Soldier" as a gripping narrative of men in combat. Although these men are fictitious, they are as real as any name on the Wall because they could have been any one of them. For anyone who wants to understand the truth of what our fighting men did in Vietnam, indeed did in any war, they must read this book.

Spiritual authors and teachers just seem to fill you up with spiritual materialism. Krishnamurti says what you're self does not want to hear. That is why his stuff can be difficult to take in. Unlike others who talk about ultimate reality and what not, he does not speak like all the dharma, and new age enlightenment, awakening books. I can imagine the Zen ancients agreeing with him, the zen masters that existed before Zen became full of tradition and baggage.

Krishnamurti should be taught in all the schools as an example of how to think clearly. The effect would be astonishing. This is an excellent introduction to his methods, and you will be well-rewarded if you read this book and take it to heart. If you were to break with tradition and attempt to explain Zen in logical terms, this book could be yours. K's robust sanity is a symbol of hope for an ego-ridden humanity.

This is another collection of short pieces that doesn't do Krishnamurti's teachings justice. To fully grasp & enjoy his teachings, you must go into each & every subject slowly & carefully, as he himself states in many different works. The pieces here are too short, & Krishnamurti's vocabulary & philosophy aren't fully explained. If you've read several of his other works, & are familiar with his vocabularu & philosophy, then this is a fairly decent book. If you're not, this isn't a good place to start.

I am reading these books in sequence so that I will be aware of any shifts in this philosophy as he progresses.

The reading here is easy, but the thinking is more difficult. Krishnamurti doesn't attempt to speak what people might want to hear, but speaks from his heart, from his innermost being. So he doesn't give an easy path to follow nor does he promise such a path. Actually, to provide a path for others to follow would contradict his philosophy.

The answer according to him is in self-knowledge, but that knowledge can not be gained through effort. Nor, says he, can it be passed on to you by a guru. It won't be found in books. (I can't help but be amused by those who emphasize that the Truth isn't revealed in the printed word, and of course they use the printed word to share this message with us.)

The first half of the book is comprised of writings and portions of talks. The second half consists of questions asked after his talks, and in his answers you will find repetition sometimes as he clarifies. He has a way of emphasizing the main points by asking "Is it not?" or words to that effect.

I admit to having difficulties with much of what he says, but this isn't criticism as much as a compliment. The very difficulties I might have benefit me so so that I learn through resolving them. If you don't get this book, do at least read some of his other material. You will be rewarded.

JK was a mystery. His life story was dramatic and his teaching controversial - so many people found his talks transforming and yet many also were disillusioned. I myself, who was too young, foolish and too far away to see the man when he was alive, have been puzzled by the fact that supposedly no one who studies his talks was deeply transformed, sadly admitted by JK himself.

But how could we measure his merit as a teacher by that fact alone? Twenty years after he died, everytime I read his words, the man came alive, sharp, passionate, uncompromising and compassionate.

He came to the earth pure and clean, and he learned the mess of the human psyche in order to teach; he was a deeply religious and poetic man, evident from his few talks after his realisation and before he disbanded the Order, but in order to talk to a wider audience, "his beloved" was reduced to "the nameless" or "that immensity" in his later talks, with only a very slight touch at the end of talk; he didn't study any religious traditons, not even the Bhagavad Gita, and his talks were all his own, which perhaps explains why many people found his talks hard to grasp, because they can't be put into any familiar systems which we have learned before.

How can we judge him or measure him? He reached and touched more people than anyone else in modern times; his talked "from the ground up", from this drab of life everyone lives instead of exclusively to long time spiritual seekers; and his words are the best guards against superstition, which goes hand in hand with spirituality.

I salute to you, Sir !

I met Karen Ford at a book signing in Knoxville, TN. Her enthusiasm and confidence inspired me to read her book. This book follows through... Karen and Tina don't just throw ideas out there, they gave me practical usable techniques that are changing my life!
Great book, I recommend it!

Free to Be Beautiful is a great gift book for any woman. It will help to inspire and bring out the beauty in any woman. The authors write from their hearts, and that comes out in the book. You feel like they are writing it for you. What a great way to honor all women.

Karen & Tina did such a great job writing this book, and being so honest and upfront. It makes you feel so good about who you are and to help you realize just how special you are, because God made you and we His daughters - WOW - why wouldn't you feel special!! Karen & Tina also help you to realize you can achieve your dreams and goals. I also loved their stories they shared - what a great addition to the book. I highly recommend this book to everyone - it is easy to read and will be one that you will want to highlight those special thoughts and read it again.

I loved this book because of the simple, no nonsense approach to how we should look at life. Karen and Tina's stories mixed in with their awesome advice made this a book that you could really relate too. You actually got to know them as people and authors and could laugh as much at the stories as you do relating yourself to the situations. I recommend this book to anybody!!!

I am a busy, now single, stay at home mom, who owns her own business. Initially I fell in love with this book because the chapters are "snippets"--I can easily read and grab enough to go on for the day simply reading for 10 minutes while waiting in carpool! I enjoy making the most of my time, and this book affords that luxury!

On a more inimate level, over the past couple of years my self confidence has grown in leaps and bounds because of my accomplishments and the accomplishments of those I work with. However I found that many times I have avoided dealing with "life's complications" by staying busy. Through their book God has used Karen and Tina to very gently peel away the proverbial bandaids from the wounds, and allow the healing process to begin. I am learning not to ignore the hurts and disappointments of life, not to pretend there are no struggles, but to face them head on--actually embrace them, and find myself and my children more empowered for it! As difficult as it can be to do this, it is worth the effort...I am loving who I am becoming, and what I can offer to others--especially my daughters!

I highly recommend this book to any woman, as it speaks to females at any age or time in life...teaching us to take an honest look at our lives and our thinking, and challenging us to become who God intends us to be. Karen and Tina have given us the tools to define the core of feminity--and it's a beautiful place to be!