Works Books

Paul's caring and poignant sharing of his journey across the continent and through the years with Faith in Action is one that will warm your heart and hopefully inspire you to look closely at your own community. I will guess that you won't look far to find your own Mary, Gracie, Harold or Eddie Mae. But stop and look farther. Find what it is you can do in your own community and with your own neighbors to help - with or without a Faith in Action project. Paul will tell you from his own experience as a Faith in Action volunteer for many years, that you will get so very much more than you give.

Thank you Paul for writing this important anthology once again proving what a small group of very committed people can do.

PROMISE TO MARY is a gem. With a narrative style that rings true, the very real characters are as complex and interesting as any in a work of fiction. The author's genuine, but realistic, empathy provides a welcome antidote to the "kumbaya"-tinged works common to the genre. It is enough to provide even the cynic with at least a modest insight into our shared humanity.

Promise to Mary is an evocative travel log, from the bayous of Louisiana to the beaches of Sitka, Alaska and many stops in between. Faith in Action is built on the simple concept of neighbors helping neighbors. Paul Jellinek provides an opportunity for the reader to peek behind the scenes where relationships can be life changing. No government grants, no grandiose plans, just modest folks who extend friendship as a way to provide kindness to those who need it most. We meet individuals who are luminous but largely unknown to others and learn about the healing power of friendship as each chapter unfolds. Thank you Paul for reminding us how simple acts of kindness are within everyone's reach.

What a great storyteller! And what stories worth telling!! The underlying truth of this book--demonstrated by the dedication of the program organizers and volunteers, as well as the profound needs of the people they serve--is how much we need "community." It shows more compellingly than any sermon or polemic or politician's platitudes how necessary it is that we serve each other. The author's road, as he traveled in New England, the South, and Alaska, visiting Faith in Action projects was full of bad weather, wrong turns, and logistical problems--a metaphor for the difficulties involved in organizing and maintaining a volunteer program in stormy financial times, recruiting and retaining volunteers who are pulled toward many other paths, and overcoming the challenges posed by the elderly and disabled clients themselves. Yet, in places across the country, it's being done! An inspiring read!

Paul Jellinek has managed in this easy read to capture the heart and soul of people who struggle every day with the challenge of living independently in their homes. Faith in Action, a national interfaith, volunteer, caregiving program, helps people with a ride to the doctor or a regular visit from a "friend." This book isn't about the program, however, it's about the people who make it such important work.

You will see yourself and the people you love in the stories he tells. The lines between volunteers and care recipient blur as the "helper" and the "helped" trade places. Expect some surprises along the way. I couldn't put it down once I learned about the promise that Paul made to Mary.

A very nice book, with remarkable trees, however, from the cover I suppose I wrongly assumed they would be beautiful trees. Quite a lot of the book is spent on African trees of a very strange nature, and to my husband's suprise, very little was done on the banyan tree. I was looking forward to large, ancient trees myself. All in all, it is still a wonderful book, it just wasn't what we were expecting.

Great Book will enough the wonder hopefully they have it in the school systems or county systems

Trees are grouped by various, sensible categories that other books on trees might neglect: Giants: Gods, Goddesses, Grizzlies; Dwarfs: For Fear of Little Men, In Bondage; Methuselahs: The Living and the Dead, Shrines; Dreams: Prisoners, Aliens, Lovers and Dancers, Snakes and Ladders, Ghosts; and Trees in Peril: Do the Loggers always Win? and Ten Green Bottles. Pakenham's text is great fun to read, as can be viewed from those sectional titles, and individual tree titles such as "Tie up my feet, Darling, and I'll live forever" for the Bonsai tree that is the In Bondage section.

I suppose coffee table books really shouldn't be considered exceptional items to read - view, yes; read, not so much. This is an exception. Tolkien's Ents are invoked for a handful of trees, and rightly so; geography students who get a core borer stuck and (somehow) get permission to cut down what had possibly been the oldest tree in the world just to retrieve it are warned against; and, of course, it is mentioned that any fool can climb a gum tree. I've read this about six times this year, high time I count it officially.

beautiful book. Bought it as a gift for my brother.
I already have a copy for myself.

In fall 2006, Lansing's forestry department planted a tiny gingko biloba tree between the sidewalk and the street in front of my house.
It had four and a half branches, all oriented in one plane like the candlesticks in a menorah. You could barely roast a wiener with it.
I scrambled into the house for a book I had bought, by sheer coincidence, the previous day -- Thomas Pakenham's "Remarkable Trees of the World."
Yes! There, sprawling across pages 110 and 111, was a gingko nearly 1,000 years old, still living in Tokyo, measuring 30 feet in girth and 66 feet high.
Pakenham, a British historian with Irish wanderlust and a gentle sense of drama, has traveled the world to photograph and research the history and lore of 60 of the world's most remarkable trees.
This oversize book, just now out in paperback, is so relaxed and un-sensational you picture Pakenham walking from tree to tree, a Haydn string quartet playing in the background, not minding the continents and oceans in between. It's a follow-up to another book that's just as good: "Meetings With Remarkable Trees," in which Packenham confined his wanderings to the British Isles. The response to "Meetings" was so warm that Pakenham packed his bags and expanded his search to global proportions.
Pakenham's style is that of a curious, intelligent pilgrim. He pairs generous full-page or double-page images of his subjects with un-fussy, lightly conversational background information. He clearly respects local lore and legend, but doesn't go overboard with it, nor does he bog the text down in scientific details. The result is almost a set of personality profiles.
The images are spectacular -- given the subject matter, most of them can't help it -- but sensitively chosen and framed, with an eye toward the unique setting, mood and attributes of each tree.
It's a low-key approach, but if this book doesn't awaken your sense of awe, nothing can. That little stick of a gingko in my front yard, for example, belongs to a hyper-ancient species/order/family that predates dinosaurs. Its peculiar lineage (it's related to ferns) is betrayed by unique, fan-shaped leaves that have no central fold.
Of course, trees have their own agenda, and don't care whether they get into a coffee-table book or not (it's tempting to think they'd rather not, insofar as books are made of paper). But it was hard not to think of Pakenham's gargantuan gingko as a thundering encouragement for my little tree's stressed-out, brown-fringed leaves and spindly trunk.
For one thing, Japanese Buddhists believe the gingko, not the Bo tree of India, was the tree under which Buddha found enlightenment.
If lore doesn't thrill, Pakenham serves up history and science. For example, a gingko 800 yards from the epicenter of Hiroshima threw up new sprouts even after the atomic bomb hit.
But enough about gingkos. In this book, the reader will meet a panoply of the world's most amazing creatures: General Sherman, a mega-giant sequoia in California that weights 1,500 tons and is probably the largest living thing on Earth; ancient teapot-shaped African baobabs out of a Dr. Suess illustration; the leaning Italian cypress said to have been planted by St. Francis; wind-lashed cypresses clinging to the rocky California coast; great oaks with hollows where 20 people can sit down to a banquet; bristlecone pines now into their fifth millennium of existence.
Some of these magnificent trees are near roadsides or chained off in parks, all but ignored by passersby. The wonder of this book is that it tunes the mind to the low-frequency, centuries-long chords only these creatures can hear. Looking at trees that have lived the better part of a millennium make you wonder whether there will be a California -- the home of a disproportionate number of these giants -- or a Lansing in 1,000 years.
My bet's on Lansing, which is far less likely to slip into the ocean before my gingko grows up.

A lot people who read this book are baffled as to what exactly Semco and Ricardo Semler are doing that is so revolutionary. My simple answer is this:

They are treating their employees as "adults" and guess what? They are discovering that their employees behave as adults! Wow!

What's hard to understand for most people who are treated at their work as "children" (boss, may I do this, may I do that, etc., etc.), is that they actually behave as "adult-children"? All the resultant effects of the current and dying corporate system are totally predictable: low esteem, no initiative, fear, office politics, mismatch of talents and goals, etc., etc.

This is the revolutionary premise behind the success of what the 21st century "company" will look like.

Seven-Day weekend is the second (English) book by Richardo Semler, the CEO of Semco. Semco is a weird Brazilian company known for it's modern HR practices. The history of Semco and Ricardo Semler was explained well in his first English book: Maverick.

The author makes a point that the workweek has invaded the weekend via internet and email. Now it's time to abandon the standard week/weekend thinking and have weekend whenever we want and have week whenever we want. So we'll have a seven day workweek AND a seven day weekend.

The book is a collection of stories and opinions by Richardo which are organized according to the days of the week. Every day a couple of stories, mostly about Semco but also about other activities in which Richardo was involved in.

Some of the more interesting points and stories are, for example, where the author is questioning the need to always grow. In business it seems to be the purpose of the business to grow bigger. Richardo questions this purpose and asks why this is. Cannot companies stay small and then still be successful?

Seven-day weekend is certainly worth reading. It's a small book it takes maybe a day to read it. Its well written, it keeps you awake and the stories are interesting. Though, I personally found it less interesting than Maverick (which I had read first). If you need to chose between the seven day weekend or Maverick, I'd go for Maverick. If, after Maverick, you still do not have enough of Semler, then the seven-day weekend is for you.

I had read sound bites from Semler over the past few months, but finally got the book and devoured it over a holiday weekend. It did not disappoint. It presents some very non-conventional wisdom that challenges all sorts of corporate policies and norms with the question - why not do it differently? I wrote about several of these insights on my blog (http://creativeoutletlabs.wordpress.com/?s=semler). This book is highly rated as I am reminded frequently of several of the concepts in the books and I have recommended it to many others. You'll love this one!

Jennifer B. Davis
http://jenniferbdavis.blogspot.com

What an amazing story this book recounts. I kept reading of ideas they had and thinking - Well of course that would never work - and then read on to discover that they did indeed make it work. How I wish that all work was this democratic, this inspiring and this creative. When I had finished the book I felt a sense of excitement that the old methods of working, which seem unchangeable, could so easily be discarded. Well done Ricardo Semler and all the people who have helped to make your ideas reality. You are my heroes.

I really enjoyed this book because it seems to be the antithesis of so many standard biz books out there. No ex-consultant in-depth research of "best of breed" or new "growth paradigm" dreamed up by a college professor - just musings from a man who has created just what might be the best case scenario for the future of work.

The book is based upon is Semco, a diversified Brazilian company where Semler is the CEO and whose revenue has grown from $4 million in 1982 to $212 million in 2003. His basic theme is that in order harness the full power and talents of your workers they have to be truly engaged and this means they have the power to pretty much do what they want when the want - as long as it focuses on generating results for the company.

While many of the practices he implements might not work so well in your workplace, they will get you thinking of what might be possible and what we may hopefully be heading towards. Overall his approach is similar to Industrial Democracy whereby workers are involved in making decisions, sharing responsibility, and have equal authority in the company.

Below are just a few of my favorite quips from the book...

- Once you define the business you're in you create boundaries for your employees, you restrict their thinking, and you give them a reason to pass up on opportunities.
- Semco has no official structure, no CFO, no HR, no mission statement, no job descriptions, etc. it is a place where people are just considered adults and get their job done.
- Semco cares about the core of what an employee does for the company, not the boarding school behaviors like what time they came in. But it is sooo hard to give up control. People should be involved to the point they shout "yes"!
- You need to be willing to give up control. Like an entrepreneur who is flexible, intuitive, non-dogmatic, take risks, make money, and have fun.
- You must tap into your workers true talents. The best way for people to feel job satisfaction, to feel passion, is to get them doing their calling so that work is more like fun.
- If an employee has no interest in a product or project then it will never succeed.
- For a company to excel it must put the employees self interest first. An employee who puts his interests first will be motivated to perform.
- Without formal job descriptions people can wander into neighboring work activities without being chased away for trespassing.
- Workplace stress reflects the difference between expectations and reality.
- Unless we click with a worker, unless he latches onto something he is passionate about, our productivity won't be high. Few organizations make an effort to find out whether a person has a calling.
- A mission statement can be a beautiful document, and mostly useless if it is not driven from the bottom up. Mission and vision are just the first step and they mean nothing on their own. You are judged by what you do, not what you say.
- Privileged information is a dangerous source of power in any organization.
- Limit your plans to 6 months. 5 year plans are ridiculous and every 1 year plan has the stuff happening at the end of the year.
- If a discussion on salaries is taboo then what else is off limits? The only source of power in an organization is information, and withholding, filtering, or retaining it only serves those who want to accumulate power.
- It's easy to talk about diversity, tribes, and dissent; but it can be frustrating, slow, and cumbersome. So much easer just to take control and tell people what to do but then you don't get an employee who is inspired to do their best.
- Productivity stagnates when workers are waiting for someone to tell them what to do or following a formal plan.
- In most conventional organizations decisions are made at the top and the rank and file is asked to check their brain at the door which leads to hostile and extremist views among the workers.
- By giving up or sharing control of small nettlesome issues like dress codes, and of graver matters like factory closings and security, management creates a culture of self-government that has more resilience then my way or the highway.
- No one is required to attend any meeting at Semco. Everyone is invited and they can come and go as they wish. If someone isn't interested in a meeting, then their engaged time is spent better somewhere else. This way management knows which projects are worth pursuing.
- A full time employee only needs one requisite, to have a material connection with the heart of the biz. Their job had to be central part of the differentiation between the biz and their competitors. The connection between the biz and the job had to be intrinsic and obvious.
- In a group environment, the only way to get your idea off the ground is to lobby ferociously in favor of it. If no one buys into it, then leave it on the back burner and return to it later.
- The more informed people are, the better they are able to develop and follow their gut instincts.
- Harnessing the wisdom of people, the reservoir of talent. This only comes from freedom, from democracy, from asking why...

Last but not least, Wiki on Ricardo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Semler

Delivery was immediate and product was in the condition as described. I would buy from this vendor again!

This is exactly the book I've been looking for! Objective, to-the-point facts on nutrition, vitamins, eating habits, and other topics such as preservatives, toxins, etc. I've seen too many "fad" nutritional books that are biased toward either vegan/vegetarian, low carb, low fat, high fat-low carb, etc. This book seems to be objective enough to allow the readers to decide on their own what diet path to take. This book, a good diet, and exercise can stand on their own and I feel this book can last a long time as a good reference book. Personally, I prefer a well-rounded diet (including some red meat), chicken, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts. I lean toward organic or natural foods. Should readers decide to focus on another particular diet, they can supplement this book with one that follows their philosophy. I highly recommend this book as a stand alone or as a starting point to other diets.

This is an awesome book for anyone interested in nutrition. Very indepth text book style reading but worth every miniute!

I use this book as a desk reference. As a wellness coach with a specialty in nutrition I refer to this book as well as others, like Paul Pitchford's Healing with Whole Foods and The New Optimum Nutrition Bible by Patrick Holford. I like the scientific and integrative nature of this book. When I quote information from this book I can say this is by an MD. This book is the most comprehensive among the other ones I use. I have yet to use it more to suggest any area of improvement. So far I am very happy with it.

My doctor recommended this book because he knows I like to treat health issues naturally when at all possible. A nice blend of sound nutritional science and natural health care. If you want to live fit and stay healthy as you age, check out this book. An excellent reference for treating specific health issues, but so much more. If you only reach for it when you are looking for a remedy for a particular health problem, you'll miss a lot. It's a great book - even better with Amazon's price!

Tulle is written by one of Boston's best young writers right now. It is written with confidence and is not afraid to toy with different plays on words. There is a thin line between success and failure when working like this. With 'Tulle' it's success all the way. My favorite poem was the witty 'Witches of Monin Na Gloigeann'. This poem conjures up so many chaotic images, I get the feeling that is what O'Donoghue intended. O'Donoghue skips gently but surely between the light side and the dark side. 'Bova' is very dark and despairing. "Is this the same book!?" I ask myself. With someone moving so comfortably through so many themes, I don't have to ask but only to definitely announce- "Mary O'Donoghue is the voice of the new generation!". I only hope that Tulle is not the last installment.

Tulle is written by one of Boston's best young writers right now. It is written with confidence and is not afraid to toy with different plays on words. There is a thin line between success and failure when working like this. With 'Tulle' it's success all the way. My favorite poem was the witty 'Witches of Monin Na Gloigeann'. This poem conjures up so many chaotic images, I get the feeling that is what O'Donoghue intended. O'Donoghue skips gently but surely between the light side and the dark side. 'Bova' is very dark and despairing. "Is this the same book!?" I ask myself. With someone moving so comfortably through so many themes, I don't have to ask but only to definitely announce- "Mary O'Donoghue is the voice of the new generation!". I only hope that Tulle is not the last installment.

Tulle is written by one of Boston's best young writers right now. It is written with confidence and is not afraid to toy with different plays on words. There is a thin line between success and failure when working like this. With 'Tulle' it's success all the way. My favorite poem was the witty 'Witches of Monin Na Gloigeann'. This poem conjures up so many chaotic images, I get the feeling that is what O'Donoghue intended. O'Donoghue skips gently but surely between the light side and the dark side. 'Bova' is very dark and despairing. "Is this the same book!?" I ask myself. With someone moving so comfortably through so many themes, I don't have to ask but only to definitely announce- "Mary O'Donoghue is the voice of the new generation!". I only hope that Tulle is not the last installment.

Tulle is written by one of Boston's best young writers right now. It is written with confidence and is not afraid to toy with different plays on words. There is a thin line between success and failure when working like this. With 'Tulle' it's success all the way. My favorite poem was the witty 'Witches of Monin Na Gloigeann'. This poem conjures up so many chaotic images, I get the feeling that is what O'Donoghue intended. O'Donoghue skips gently but surely between the light side and the dark side. 'Bova' is very dark and despairing. "Is this the same book!?" I ask myself. With someone moving so comfortably through so many themes, I don't have to ask but only to definitely announce- "Mary O'Donoghue is the voice of the new generation!". I only hope that Tulle is not the last installment.

This is where I just want to say in a deep husky voice 'If there's one book you gotta read all year...then it's Tulle'. It's that exciting a read from a richly talented poet. A friend mailed me this raving about it. His hype was on the mark. I will type 5 titles of poems randomly and bet you when I read over them they will be classics- 'Cattle Cars', 'Textures', 'If You See Kay', 'Trupi M'Leshon' and 'Embezzlemen'. Yes! I knew it, they are 5 classics- classics amongst classics. This collection is clever, funny, sad, sentimental, mocking of sentiment- everything! Bring on Book Number 2!!!

besides the Bible. Page by Page, Young Cajun Priest Fr Romaro has Answered All Key attacks/questions about the Catholic Church. He Cites Early Church Fathers, after Citing each Question/Attack. Cites Definitive Bible Verses, And Reasoning, And Sometimes Recent Church Leaders. An Ideal Methodology. Fr Romero Adds a Basic Chart of the Many Different Protestant Denominations That Began 1500 Years after Jesus. Major Surprises Page by Page. Cannot put down. And This Book by Fr Romero is the First Such Book. Other Authors are Following. Very Highest Recommendation.

Fr. Romero has written an excellent resource that should be on every apologist's bookshelf. Each topic begins with a statement of Catholic teaching, then each major objection is handled individually, and finally the writings of the early Fathers of the Church end the chapter. The footnotes alone are worth the price of the book!

Using the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, writings of the early Church Fathers, and a number of other references, new and old, Father Mario Romero has compiled a wonderful defense of the Catholic faith in "Unabridged Christianity." Having read a number of apologetics (including many of the newer references used in this book), I've found that Protestants will accept few sources outside of the Bible. It appears that Father Romero had this idea in mind when writing his book. He takes a number of the primary complaints, disagreements, or falsifications of the faith from Protestants, divides them into chapters, and then answers each one with solid Biblical references. He also educates the reader on the proper translation of certain words that seem to be problematic for those outside of the Catholic faith. At the end of each chapter, he lists writings of the early Church fathers to show how the Catholic Church has been doing things the same way for two thousand years. Also at the end of each chapter are endnotes (some of which take up almost as much space as their respective chapters).

The topics covered range from Mary to Purgatory to "statue worship." He also defends transubstantiation, which always gets my friends of other faiths riled up. He covers marriage annulments, which do not always get a lot of attention from apologists.

All of this is done in a very straight-forward, plain talking manner that is neither offensive to Protestants nor is it egotistical sounding. I've come across a few apologists who are very headstrong with their defense of the faith which, while not necessarily wrong, might turn off Protestants from studying further. Father Romero's writing style is more like a "sit down over a cup of coffee" than an out-and-out religious debate.

I highly recommend this book. It's an enjoyable read that won't weigh you down with a lot of philosophical jargon or lose you with lots of "big words." I also recommend a number of the books that Father Romero uses as references, particularly the Karl Keating and Scott Hahn books. Another excellent apologetic is "Why Do Catholics Do That?" by Kevin Orlin Johnson. His writing style is very much like Father Romero's, with a little more humor spread throughout his book. Check these titles out if you are a budding apologist like myself.

If you're a Catholic you MUST own this book and read it so that you can defend your faith. If you're a non-Catholic Christian, you must read it to learn about your heritage. When I was a protestant, I one day wondered, "Just what am I protesting against? Why should I assume that the Catholic Church is wrong without looking into the matter myself?" It's been my experience that most people don't really know what they believe or why they believe it, much less what or why anyone else believes. If you are an "Anti-Catholic" protestant who thinks that the Roman Catholic Church is the [..] of Babylon' then, with all due respect, PARK YOUR PRIDE, remove the chip from your shoulder, get comfy and open your mind and heart and read this book. Of course, before you do, offer a prayer to the Holy Spirit for guidance. God Bless all of you on your journey.

This book is a very practical guide to what Catholics believe. It is written is practical style, setting forth in each chapter a basic tenant of Catholic faith, followed by a series of Protestant objections and Catholic Responses to each objection. This format makes the book easy to follow and a great source for quick research or for group study discussions. As a protestant, I am trying to educate myself on what Catholics genuinely believe, and I've concluded that the best source for that information is not from Protestant critics but from those who are themselves Catholic. The author, a Catholic priest whose ministry emphasizes teaching about what it means to be Catholic, quotes from much Scripture in this book and provides citations and footnotes to numerous Church documents to support the points made.

For purposes of gaining a better understanding of what the Catholic Church teaches, I highly recommend this book. It is also beneficial for developing a mutual sharing of faith between Protestants and Catholics so that each can better understand what they have in common as well as their actual differences. From that point, a more meaningful, productive and spiritual conversation may follow.

This book rose to the top as I flipped through every pregnancy guide at my local big bookstore. It covers everything I'd be interested in, explaining the scientific reasons for the "don't eat" foods, and offering balanced, clear descriptions of both traditional and alternative approaches to prenatal health and childbirth. I've found that it touches on everything I've wanted to know, from why I suddenly have a strange ache, to what to consider when thinking about whether to have an OB, midwife, or doula at the birth. Most importantly though, it is thoroughly non-alarming. many of the other books i looked at seemed panic-inducing and malpractice oriented, full of too much detail about every risk, unbalanced by the discussion of how to physically and psychologically enjoy this time of life. I will give this book as a gift to every friend who gets pregnant. It has been the perfect guide for me.

I enjoyed learning and am glad I read this book first. It's not only full of useful information AND factual as it is written by an OB/GYN physician, but also includes tidbits of personal experiences. I'd recommend it for anyone expecting a baby. **BUT, don't read the miscarriage part - unless you have one and want to - but it just really scared me and I didn't need that

during my pregnancy, i drove myself crazy trying to learn everything that i could about what was happening in my body and the differences between conventional medicine approaches vs complementary med. i could have saved myself a lot of trouble by only reading this book and spending the rest of my time doing yoga and walking the dog. :-)

My husband and I are working on becoming pregnant for our first time. I like to be well informed and I hoped this book would do that for me. I thought I was pretty well studied on pregnancy until I read this book, now I know I had a lot to learn! I have had the book for 48 hours and am already 150 pages into it. Besides being incredibly informative and interesting, it is written in a descriptive way that allows a layperson to better understand the more confusing subjects. The book covers all areas of pregnancy. So far, the areas I have found incredibly helpful are how to prepare for pregnancy (physically, mentally, and emotionally), how ovulation works, determining if a doctor, midwife, or doula is best for me and what questions to ask these people, herbs, vitamins, and medicines to take and avoid. This book offers non bias details on each type of birth, birthing practices, medications, medical procedures, etc. It is also organized in a way that you can read it from front to back, or use it as a reference book. I can't say enough about it!

I bought this book at the onset of my first pregnancy, and now the second time round, this is the only book I ever look through. I'm constantly enlightened and impressed how informative and approachable the whole tone of the book is. As the title suggests, it integrates conventional and alternative appproaches to pregnancy. However, this doesn't mean that it presents just one intermingled outlook. Instead when presenting each facet and symptom of pregnancy, it will give a highly informative but readable overview, and impartially present various solutions - from traditional medicine, to common sense health tips to alternative therapy (herbal teas, acupuncture, etc). Also included are meditations or relaxation exercises, as well as short anecdotes of women's personal experiences - but all these are clearly distinct from the text itself. So you feel as a reader that you are enjoying a tapestry of approaches rather than one dogmatic theory. And all this is written in an empathetic and empowering way to the pregnant reader.

Aside for the usual overview of pregnancy - which it covers thoroughly, the book contains an excellent section on nutrition, a chapter on yoga (which isn't my speed anyway!) as well as a useful appendix with links for further reading or resources. Most certainly a worthwhile choice for any woman who likes having a broad knowledge of what's out there during this important time in her life.

This book ought to be available in every library, and made available to any and every one! It is a total jewel of a book. I would really be interested to meet the author.

Chinmoy uses new age jargon to mask the fact that he is uninformed about the subtleties of the subject matter. He is neither a philosopher nor is he spiritually adept. He uses his PR skill to lure unsuspecting youth to his cult. Don't buy his books.

Great book for Great Source of Enlightenment!
You wish you have read this book 20 years ago!

Sri Chinmoy is a living fountain of inspiration for the world. He writes from the heart in an elegant and lucid manner. His poetry communicates to our own hearts to stimulate the peace, harmony and love which are so simply already there. His rich Indian background and life accomplishments dramatically impower his messages.

It took me a long time to arrive at the place where I inevitably had to find this book. I find it to be the most succinct, beautiful, practical, and accurate work on the spiritual life that I have ever read. Long and bumpy is the path to arrive at this book, Wings of Joy. First I went through Catholicism; its rigid literalistic theology, though, leaves something missing for the thinking person. Then, Buddhism, with its deep meditation and striving for enlightenment. But there is something big missing there too: its rejection of the world is too non-intuitive, and does not make sense in trying to live a harmonious unified life. Then other independent religious thinkers, like Osho, whose books are wonderful and inspiring, but who demands that we tear down everything we have learnt from any institution (parents, church, state, etc.), in order to achieve the freedom that is our birthright. This may be the right way, but its radicalness can leave one feeling rudderless (in a bad way). It all leads to Sri Chinmoy, who, seemingly with direct access to God and the soul, has written a work that transcends them all. He does not reject religion, but says that they all contain truth: "each religion is right, absolutely right, in its own way, but when we cry for the highest truth, love of God becomes our only religion." Have you ever seen a more perfect statement. He does not reject the body or the world. He says the body needs the soul to illuminate it, and the soul needs the body to manifest the soul. So logical, so true, so inspired. Love is the answer, as it should be; not some detached enlightenment. There is not only one path, as too many religions demand. In short, this is the man, and this is the book. May you love it and each other

I have dealt with depression and lack of motivation for many years. Whenever I feel like I need a pick-me-up, I whip out this book and start thumbing through it. It has loads of ideas on things to do in your life. I recommend it to anyone and everyone who feels a little hopeless or bored sometimes. GREAT book!

I wish I had bought two...my husband got his for Christmas from me and he hasn't even looked at it yet. I have looked at it and love it. I may snatch it from him...

I bought this book about 5 years ago and have had so much fun reading it. I know I'll never get to do all of the "wishes" but I do check them off as I complete them. I would love to see how many I can achieve in the next 40+ years. It's a great book when you're bored to just pick up and open to any page. My kids have fun looking at it with me too. This is one of the greatest books I've ever opened!

This book made me realize two things when I received it in 1997. First, I need to remember how many things I have accomplished in my life. Second, what an accomplishment or "wish" is to one person is not to me. I define my own success.

I have been keeping for sometime a notebook in which I write things that I want to do in my life from sailing, visiting Italy, and writing a magazine article to eating less fried foods, and stop worrying for once. I have about 500 entries and its a great feeling when I can slash them off after they are completed. I bought Kipfer's 14,000 Things to be Happy About and I liked the lists of things she mentions that make you happy since it was so diverse and amusing. When I saw The Wish list, I thought perfect for me because it was just lists of wishes like that of my notebook. I like this book a lot because its simply ideas and wishes that I would never have thought about. From simple wishes such as join a health food co-op, learn to play the piano, stand up for a friend to the challenging, have dinner with former governers, hike the Appalachian, sit next to Jack Nicholsen at a Lakers game, this book has tons of ideas. I have added many entries from it and have never failed to be entertained by Kipfer's ideas. This is a small thick book that would fit well in a stocking, on your desk, and in good reading spots such as an office or even a bathroom. I love to pull it out and pencil off or circle entries that I have done or wish to do.

I have got the book on my hands before i was expecting.( outside USA)
In this case i knew the book.
I had bad experience buying books through other book Sellers and after had bought them i was informed that they were not available . I've got really disappointed.
When i buy a book i wanna make sure the book seller has it available.

If you are looking for a concise and practical guide to business writing, then you've found the right book. It is organized well allowing you to zoom in on the specific advise you are looking for (e.g., memos, letters, emails, reports). The chapters are easy to scan so you can readily zoom into areas that you feel would be most useful to you. The book provides specific examples that well illustrate the principles touted in the book. This was one of the main books used in a Business Communication class at NYU's Stern School of Business. I also found the Guide to Managerial Communication (7th Edition) helpful.

Concise, simple and straight froward advice.
It give you advices of how to write good memo, report, e-amail,....

Writing that Works, by Kenneth Roman, is a great, great, book on how to improve your writing on the job. Even if the only writing on your job is to reply to an occasional e-mail, this book will improve your writing immensely. This is one of the top three writing for the job guides I've read (out of dozens), right up there with "Plain English at Work", and "The Elements of Style".

This expanded version of an earlier edition of two seasoned advertising executive' original writing guide is something like Elements of Style, but aimed squarely at someone writing for business purposes (e.g., one of the ten chapters is "Asking for Money". There is a useful afterword describing a dozen more books to help you write better. Recommended as a good starting point for any business person wanting to write more effectively.