E Books

Anger, Acknowledgement, and Acceptance (Blatant Honesty) is a wonderful book. I have not been able to put it down. I constantly go back to the book and re-read because it makes one think (I keep it close at hand). A few days after the World Trade Center tragedy on September 11th, as I was reading the book, I read the page titled "Culture's Destroyer". It has helped me to cope with the pain of what happened. The book is wonderful! A must read for everyone.

THE BOOK ANGER, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND ACCEPTANCE: BLATANT HONESTY BY E.T. DAVIS IS JUST THAT, THE WINDS OF CHANGE. WE OPEN AAABH IN THE MIDDLE OF ANGER, OPEN HOSTILITY AND DOWNRIGHT EVIL FEELINGS. IT SHOWS A SPIRIT OF NOT TRUSTING, OF BEING DOWNTRODDEN AND BEATEN QUITE OFTEN. IT SHOWS A SPIRIT OF NOT TAKING ANY MORE, THE ESSENCE OF TRUE ANGER OVER LIFE AND HOW IT HAS BEEN DEALT OUT. AS WE GO ON WE SEE THE CHANGING OF THE SPIRIT. THE WINDS BEGINNING TO TURN AS A SHIP SLOWLY TURNS IN THE OCEAN. NOT A FAST NECK BREAK TURN, BUT A SLOW STEADY TURN AND A CHANGE OF DIRECTION OR THE WINDS OF CHANGE. MR. DAVIS MAY BE TALKING OF HIMSELF, HOWEVER, EACH AND EVERYONE OF US WHO HAVE READ THIS BOOK CAN ATTEST TO AT LEAST ONE VERSE IN THIS BOOK. KUDOES TO MR. DAVIS FOR OPENING HIS WORLD TO US. TO SHARE THE SPIRITS AND FEELINGS WE ALL HAVE HAD AT ONE TIME OR ANTOHER IN OUR OWN LIVES. TO SHARE HIS WINDS OF CHANGE.

People's lives were changed in so many ways because of what was referred to as the "Apartheid Regine" in South Africa. Yet all over the world people experienced such otrocities, but to place them into words as beautifully and touching as the author is no easy mission.

I was one of the first people to receive a copy of this book. Some I could identify with. With tears in my eyes, because of the hurt bestowed upon all South Africans and the "coloured" folk worldwide, not realizing how demoralizing it was, yet that made us a stronger people. I could not think that a man such as this could have such tenderness in his words.

EVERY poem is unique in it's own right. I will even go to the lenght of saying they are powerful and heart wrenching. To me, the book makes one realize that we are not alone. Oppression is something that so many of us face. Alll over the world people are discriminated against. "Step Into Our World" is the very first poem in this compilation. I suggest this poem be read by those who have not "walked a mile in our shoes".

I am from a world where I was discriminated against. A world where I am too white to be black, but too black to be white. I am what is considered in South Africa as "coloured", a limbo in society.

This book will be a hit with many, if not all, South Africans, as still today not all whites know the extent of humiliation and embarassment, hurt and emotional pain they bestowed upon us. Some will blissfully remain ignorant.

This book comes from a person whom seems like a tough and rugged man. Yet, he is a gentle giant; am man not afraid to express emotions. He is a man whom has truly "Touched My Soul".

In just a few pages, one must see the world as the media does not portray. Even in the midst of calamity, beauty is found in the author's portrayal of life.

Wonderfully expression of emotions. The author has invited us into his world, mind, heart and soul. Very thought provoking. I was deeply moved with each poem. This is truly a must read again and again,...you are brillant and I thank you so much for this collection of poems.

Dr. Nibley is Brilliant! Simply brilliant! Everything that he says in this book is outstanding. Face it people, both LDS and non-LDS, we simply cannot hope to dream about living in Zion based on the current situation that the world is in. We, as human beings, are simply too greedy to do so. And Zion is based completely on the idea that greed and money are non-existent. We cannot have Zion with the current political and economic mess that we have created, and Dr. Nibley shows us why. To the non-LDS reader, Dr. Nibley shows the joy in building Zion and the danger in denying it. To the LDS reader, Dr. Nibley shows the danger of denying the knowledge that they have gained by being exposed to the principles of Zion. He also details the principles of Zion and how people must live and dwell in Zion in order for the system and Law of Consecration to work. And he gives some very interesting history in detailing the history of Zion, including the city of Enoch. So this was a fantastic book written by an excellent scholar.

Hugh Nibley, iconoclast extraordinaire, is at his best in this wonderful collection of essays and talks that try to shake people out of their comfort zone. This book is far and away the most readable of all Nibley's works and could be the most gripping non-fiction book I have ever read.

The basic thrust of the book is that people today (Mormons not exempt) are focused on making money, and this has led to the ignoring of more important things. Nibley has great talks on The Law of Consecration, Spiritual Gifts, and working at the right things. It is fair to say that this book has been one of the most influential of my life (I have read it several times over since first reading it 3 years ago).

This is Hugh Nibley at his most personal and most challenging. Here he expresses his faith, insights, and commitment to trusting the Lord and taking his covenants most seriously. He hammers home again and again that we receive everything from the Lord and that we are blind to many of the blessings we have all around us. We refuse to take them because we are after the things of this world and are of no worth, though we have been warned to turn away from them.

Dr. Nibley implores us to begin living the Law of Consecration. He gives us no quarter. We know what it means, we know how to do it, and we know the covenants we have made. We also know the promises the Lord has made to us concerning this Law. I don't know about you, but I find this beyond what I can do understand or do in my current circumstances. Yet, I feel the need to ponder what the author is telling me and to move towards this principle of life.

These are essays and papers that were written since the 1970s. Many are published here for the first time (unless you read them as papers from FARMS). As I say, these are very challenging writings. Not because they are hard to understand, but because they are challenging in very serious ways. Dr. Nibley takes the gospel very seriously and literally. He points out to us that we have too often inverted values to our detriment. He deplores the way education has changed and that learning and thinking have been replaced by feeling and degree accumulation.

The last few essays in the book are among the most directly challenging to our present way of life. His discussion of Aristotle's notion of goods of first and second intent is wide-ranging and quite informative. The last essay on the atonement is quite beautiful and insightful. I think my favorite essay is his funeral address for one of his friends.

Nibley's plain speaking about his faith in the atonement and the challenge it presents us for our lives here on earth and in eternity is inspiring. The writings here bear careful reading and re-reading and then meditation. You will have to change your life if you take them seriously. And that is unsettling and that is what we ask teachers to do: to shake up our lives.

Dr. Nibley continues his great teaching.

ONCE AGAIN HUGH NIBLEY DOES IT AGAIN. HE IS MAGNIFICENT IN HIS RESEARCH AND COMPREHENSIVE CLARITY MAKING THE ISSUES BEING DISCUSSED CLEAR AND PRECISE.

And that title says *alot*, coming from me. Covey's book was life changing for me, but ended up proving to be merely a precursor (albeit an excellent one) to "Approaching Zion."

I agree with the above sentiments that this is a trans-denominational text (though it obviously focuses on the LDS--a.k.a "Mormons"), and, quite frankly, this book altered my view of my world as radically as "7 Habits" did; after 27 years, I finally begin to have a much more clear cut idea of what my beliefs entail-- and a real desire to follow through with those beliefs.

Over the past year, since reading it, I've felt closer to my God (as I was stimulated to live my religion more fully), and have carried through with the inspiration to seek deeper knowledge and understanding about life and its many facets.

I honestly wish I had read--and taken to heart-- "Approaching Zion" before going to college; it would have had a remarkable impact on the way I'd have gone about my education.

Top ratings for "Approaching Zion."

I am not a reviewer but I am a soldier. This book has everything in it you could want in an action novel. I really liked how the author got all his facts right on the ordinance and gear used by the various military units and the descriptions of their effect is dead on. The plot was so imaginative I couldnt believe it! It not only kept me reading but scared me a little with how real it was. The way the book started out I thought it would be about how bad slavery is in the Arab world but in the middle of the book it took a surprise turn. I have been briefed by experts on al-Qaida and thought I knew a lot about how they operate but this story detailed new information that I later found was accurate. Every day citizens back in the world should also pay attention to the lessons you can learn from this great book, we are at war with terrorists and it will not end soon.

I read Elephant Gun by Phillip E. Carpenter and liked it so much I knew I had to read Arabian Assignment.If you read Elephant Gun first you will enjoy Arabian Assignment more as you will understand the characters and the direction of the book.Arabian Assignment is another masterpiece from Phillip E. Carpenter.This author has the type of writing skill that as you read the book you feel as if you are in the storyline yourself.You will be so involve with the characters that you just can't stop reading.This book is fiction but you will start to believe that it is really non fiction and you start to realize how little we know and understand terrorist.This book should be a must read for all armed service personnel as it will help them understand terrorist and just how evil they think.You will enjoy this book so much that when you are finish you will be e/mailing your friends and telling them they must read this book.I can't wait until the next book by Phillip E. Carpenter comes out.

Finally, a novel in the tradition of Hemingway and other great adventure novelists of the past. Not only does Carpenter create a plot with all the necessary elements, altruism, danger, evildoers, captures, escapes, rescuers, battles, personality clashes, politics, religion, international crises and final solutions, but he does it by using today's news events and real situations. Applause to the courage of an author who thought of making Osama bin-Laden one of the key manipulators of a novel's plot before Sept.11th, 2001, and using the abominable slavery trade in Africa as a stepping stone to uncover al-Qaeda's horrific terrorist plots. ... I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of reading this lengthy and satisfying novel, perhaps the best adventure story I've run across in years.

Arabian Assignment by Phillip Carpenter is by far one of the most interesting books I have read. This man is so well versed in the ways, not only of the world, but of this part of the world. It is hard to believe that this writer knows so much about this world which is so foreign to us. Further, Carpenter has an extraordinary command of the English language - used long (sometimes VERY long)sentences/descriptions without duplicating words. He has taken his enviable talents and his life experiences and used them to write a fascinating story with people who seem so real. They have real-life flaws and faults. They are very human, react in very human ways - terrified but courageous women - so much more. Also interesting, and frightening is his knowledge of Bin Laden, etc.,long before Bin Laden became,tragically, a household name. I heartily recommend this book. I am about to read Elephant Gun, written first and which I probably should have read first, to learn more about the characters in Arabian Assignment. Am looking forward to more from this author. Barbara Williams

I can't say that I liked every single thing about this book. For example, on occasion characters went on for uninterrupted paragraphs telling one another things that would have been well known by the listening characters and were obviously for the benefit of the reader alone (at times they are things even the reader does not need to hear).

That aside, I still give Arabian Assignment five plus stars. What a remarkable book to have written at any time, but especially prior to September 11, 2001! Carpenter is obviously not merely smart, he also possesses an astounding background including an insiders understanding of Arab culture. I've visited some of the regions of Africa he writes about, and have long been interested in African/Arab politics. In Arabian Assignment I had the opportunity to see some of the macro behavioral things I've learned about functioning on a micro (albeit fictional) scale. Fictional or not, there can be no doubt that these sorts of characters exist.

Arabian Assignment may be the most graphic book I've ever read. It's not for those who'd rather remain oblivious to the sub-sewer levels mankind can and does stoop to. The many scenes of this nature are not gratuitous, though. They are there because they are relevant. I suspect that many readers will complete this book with impressions vastly changed from those they brought to it. Given the current state of the world, understanding the mindset of both our allies and enemies will be immensely valuable to knowing what actions we should and should not take. Arabian Assignment becomes more encompassing as it progresses, until by the end it has some important things to say about how freedom might be protected. How many novels can you say that about?

Love it, love it, love it. Despres does it again. She captures the south and sets the reader right down in Gentry, Louisiana to experience the story set in post WWI south firsthand.

Lucy Adams, author of If Mama Don't Laugh, It Ain't Funny

I loved Loraine's first novel, "The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc", and this book did not disappoint. Set in the south, two generations prior to Sissy, Loraine's female characters present strength, perserverance, and mettle. Belle teaches us to follow our dreams and what we feel is right in our hearts. A entertaining book for both men and women.

I was assigned this book for my company's book club and I really enjoyed it. Not only does this book give us an entertaining read but it also gives us a lession of society during the 1920's. After reading about how the KKK terrorized people over a reason they had no control over, all I can imagine is how terrifying it must have been to live during that time and be of a non white non Christian "race". I also found myself truly engaged in the life of the characters, and the so called relationship between Belle and Brouee - at one point during the book I wanted to scream "kick him in the nuts!" during an altercation between those two. (I'm not a violent person - really!)
And don't think of this book as a chick book - I think men would also get a kick out of the humor of the story.

This is an excellent novel written by a cleaver woman who obviously grew up in New Orleans. I enjoyed it emensely and highly recommend it.

Stayed up late last night and finished Bad Behavior which I really liked. A very unconventional love story with the KKK, anti-semitism, Chicago race riots, Southern social history and a lot of Southern proper behavior thrown in. Rules for women that we didn't know existed. We have the cutting of the hair, the cutting of the ties to the 19th century and yet, the infinite human need for love and/or sex. Our heroine is badly behaved but in a way that one can't help liking. And the Jewish man she falls in love with, unlike the 20th century Jewish male model celebrated by Seinfeld, Woody Allen and Saul Bellow--whiny, desperately in need of a mother and good cooking, narcissistic and pathetic, is more like the second generation Jewish male one pictures in the early twentieth century--self reliant, hard working, intellectual and urbane. Altogether a great read. Bravo.

Shaw Grigsby is obviously a Bass Master and tells his own story in a humble and consistently interesting way.

The one thing that is a bit off-putting about the book are the "testimonials" included between chapters. We're already convinced that Grigsby is a good guy--the gushing endorsements from third parties seem excessive and not in very good taste.

This isn't your typical bass tips book. It's that and so much more. Yes you will gain valuable knowledge as to how to catch more and bigger bass. Shaw truly is a master and his tips are golden. But he also offers insight into what it takes to be a professional angler, into life, into fishing in general, and the history of bass fishing. It's a biography and more and it stands heads above the numerous books in this genre.

great book, I met shaw grigsby, and I must say if you read the book, youll feel like you now him an honest book,

The title of my review is evident throughout this fine book. Anyone serious about bass fishing should read it. I've read my copy about 4 times already (since 1998 when I bought it) and it never seems old. This is a MUST have.

I give this book a 5, and I own a lot of fishing books.

When I first purchased the book it seemed a bit small, would it be worth it? It was.

In short chapters it discusses how to improve your fishing, tournament ethics, and family fishing. That's a lot of ground.

Tired of all those birds nests in your spinning reel? Why not follow Shaw's advice and cast and tug your line gently. No more snarls. Shaw doesn't use the word ethics but that's what he's talking about for tournaments. Read it, and you'll fish differently with your buddies. As for family, Shaw's kind remarks about his wife, kids and dad are special.

I didn't realize it until now but this is a great kid's book also. It works on different levels. Hope the review helps.

A wonderful book. Helpful information for both newbies and experts alike. Written with a lot of humor and flair. And the pictures are lovely as well. Highly recommended!

I LOVED THE BEANIE INVASION. Your online reviews made me decide to purchase it, and I've never regreted it! This book is fun, informative and an easy read! I did not put it down until I read the whole thing! Mrs. Daniels stories are unique, and cleverly written. The poem on the back cover was a great tribute to TY. I hope she writes another book soon. I strongly encourage everyone to purchase this title. It's NOT a pricing guide, it's not negative, it's not boring or hard to read, it's WONDERFUL! It's a book full of stories which all of us can relate too that includes humor, love and passion. I could only give this title 5 stars but it deserves 10. When I received my copy it came signed. I felt so special and then learned that she signs all of her copies, something else that proves she is a people person who cares about us the collectors. Mrs. Daniels - YOU GO GIRL!

Ms. Janie has written the Beanie Invasion to inculde all of the collectors. Read this information packed book and laugh along as I did. This book will allow you to recall events you may have forgotten. I recently met Ms. Janie at a show, what a sweet woman. Not only was I impressed with her knowledge, I also loved her table setup which was geared towards children. I attend many shows and have never found any table to be packed with freebies for kids. Thanks Ms. Janie for remembering the kids are just as important! Keep writing and keep smiling, you are a beautiful person.

This is a great book! If you love beanies, you'll love this book! It's da bomb!

If you want first hand encounters of the Beanie world! If you want researched articles with humor and truth! If you want to read from an HONEST Beanie expert, then you need to read the Beanie Invasion. After purchasing The Beanie Invasion, my family reads all of Ms. Janies articles. Ms. Janie is well respected and loved by the Beanie community. She apears on many websites and is a inspiration to us all. I would guess the reason why Ms. Janie is so popular, is because she tells it like it is and still remains human and kind to all. Ms. Janie is a fair reporter and we love her.

"Beyond Stone and Steel" by Brian W. Vaszily recounts a personal passage from one mental state to another far better one, describes the slow, step-by-step trudge often required by events much larger than ourselves.

That event might be death.
That event might be the loss of a job.
That event might be rejection.
That event might be bankruptcy.
Or the event might be national loss.

For this author, all of these experiences played a part in his transformation. Right from the first chapter, Vaszily makes no secret of the result; what he discovered on his path down misfortune's lane is that he is "a lucky man" in spite of the hardships he has suffered.

This slim volume may be difficult to take, depending on the reader's status with recovery from the events of 9/11. Regardless of one's recovery status, though, it may be just what the doctor ordered.
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of "This is the Place"

I've had this book a long time. I've read it many times. Each time I experience an expanded and enhanced spiritual and psychic understanding of an event I thought I'd come to terms with long ago. Probably because he doesn't journalistically report exactly what happened; probably because he presents the psychic reality of his personal experience: that experience enlarges our own. I was watching a local Spanish station at the time because, of course, the antenna for regular major news media broadcasting was destroyed. At the time I worked in an international on-line network. I remember being physically discomfited by others, elsewhere in the country/world, speaking as though they had some inherent legitimate authority to tell me what was happening less than 3 miles away (by flying crow). But that fortuitous allegation reminded me that the unthinkable event had happened to the "World" Trade Center - not the "New York" Trade Center. I remembered that New York Harbor was a major trading center, a stock exchange in physical goods dating back to the 1600s and housed in the Custom House which is still there. The traders were Dutchmen. I, too, have a semi-tangible psychic reality about the entire 400-year time line. We live in a spiritual world and there is still much that we really don't understand but we do get glimpses of it along the way.

This slim volume greatly humanizes the lives, hopes, fear and dreams of those about to die. It is fiction...no real names are used. It reminds us that of the thousands who died, every one of them was a living, breathing person, just like us. This is a small masterpiece and deserving of your attention.

"Beyond Stone and Steel" by Brian W. Vaszily recounts a personal passage from one mental state to another far better one, describes the slow, step-by-step trudge often required by events much larger than ourselves.

That event might be death.
That event might be the loss of a job.
That event might be rejection.
That event might be bankruptcy.
Or the event might be national loss.

For this author, all of these experiences played a part in his transformation. Right from the first chapter, Vaszily makes no secret of the result; what he discovered on his path down misfortune's lane is that he is "a lucky man" in spite of the hardships he has suffered.

This slim volume may be difficult to take, depending on the reader's status with recovery from the events of 9/11. Regardless of one's recovery status, though, it may be just what the doctor ordered.
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of "This is the Place"

This book was like none other I have ever read... the author seemed to digest this tradegy and somehow turned it into something beautiful. It has reminded me of all that I have, how easily it could be gone and to cherish every moment we are here. It has truly changed the way I see my life. I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it to everyone.

I bought this book because my wife are expecting a child and were wondering how to deal with the language issue in our family. We live in an English language environment, our mother tongue is Spanish, yet we are in an equally good position to talk to the child in German. The question was how to approach this "dilemma".

The book gave us many answers. Read it. And even if you decide not to, do not deprive your children of the opportunity to learn languages from the start. They have, as the book explains, nothing to lose and, as I can assure you personally, everything to gain from it.

The authors do a great job of explaining the research in plain terms and debunking odd mythgs. It's an easy read (not "researchy") and talks about different strategies for bringing up a bilingual child. My daughter is 7 weeks from her due date and I feel very well informed about how to teach her English and Spanish in the years to come.

As a parent of an elementary school aged son, I found this book to be extremely informative. The Bilingual Edge: Why, When, and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language: gives parents the tools necessary to make an informative decision about how, which language and helpful guides in introducing a foreign language. Parents everywhere will be pleased with the directions and advice that is given.

I always knew I wanted my son to speak a second language, but was torn between two myths. The first myth I believed was that in order to be bilingual you'd have to start at an early age or learning would be much more difficult. But the other myth I believed stated if you introduced a second language while a toddler is just aquiring his first language, the child would get confused and speech would be delayed. Hopelessly confused and not sure how or when to introduce Spanish to my 2 year old son, I purchased this book after reading the reviews in an attempt to get some tips on raising my son bilingual. This book is truly an inspiration and it immediately motivated me to get started. It clearly states that my beliefs were pure myths; the time to introduce a second language to your child is now! It is never too late. This book has motivated me a great deal and it is amazing how quickly my son has begun to pick up Spanish words and phrases simply by a little exposure to the language. I was so inspired by this book that I purchased one for my Spanish friend who has both a 9 year old and 5 year old who only speak English. I handed the book to her and yelled, "It's not too late!"

. . . when my first son was in the womb. We wanted to bring him (and later his two brothers) up bilingual, but didn't know how we could. We are a majority language family, albeit my wife's dialect of English differs from mine. All our children's living ancestors were monolingual English speakers. But had we had this book, we would at least have learned how to try to bring our sons up bilingual.

I bought this book to give to our youngest son and his wife, and I hope to give his brothers copies of it when they get married, in the hope that our grandchildren will be given the bilingual edge. Our son and his wife are, it turns out, almost ideally equipped to raise their children bilingual, using one-parent-one-language, especially if they live near her parents, both native speakers of Mandarin, as she is.

Altho written by two Ph.D.'s, this book is not a dry academic tome, but is written for us ordinary folks to read, understand, and use. It is full of practical suggestions and clear, understandable presentations of the results of scientific papers on bilingual education; not the details of the statistical techniques they used, but what the researchers learned and how we parents can use it to help our children.

Anyone who has young children, or children on the way, should buy and read this book. ALSO, IT SHOULD BE IN EVERY HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY!

watziznaym@gmail.com

Engaging, enlightening -- could not put the book down. If you drink water you must educate yourself and read this book. Dr Morris weaves his points with medical research history and brings you to the present conclusion, our water is still not safe, millions still die each year from drinking it. His conclusions inspire you to do something about it locally and globally. Thank you for the references, too. I am inspired to read more about these topics and subtopics.

Robert Morris' book is great for anyone who is interested in issues of drinking water supply and safety. For that reason I give it five stars.

I was puzzled by a major omission. Morris mentions repeatedly that population growth is straining the water supply. Why is there no follow-up on this? In the book's conclusion, Morris makes seven proposals to guard against present and future threats to safe drinking water. Population control does not even appear on the list. It should have been #1. Without population control, most of Morris' proposals either won't be possible or won't work to reduce the problem. If we don't take steps soon to stabilize world population, waterborne disease may well become one of the major Grim Reapers doing it for us.

Morris also discusses how strained municipal and other local government resources are in the U.S., making it difficult to invest in necessary water infrastructure. I would like to point out that a major reason governments are so strained is that in the last few decades a huge percentage of local revenues has gone to automobile infrastructure--roads, highways, parking lots, and the like. America sooner or later needs to rethink its love affair with the automobile. For more on this, see Kunstler's book Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape and Shoup's book The High Cost of Free Parking.

I've recently finished reading "The Blue Death" which highlights early stuggles against cholera. Throughout this gripping book, I felt a resonance with a book I read as a child in the early 1940's titled "Microbe Hunters" by Paul de Kruif. De Kruif's description of Pasteur's struggles with rabies was also compelling...and scary! His book sparked my early interest in science. Perhaps, Dr. Morris' book will do the same for today's young people.Gene Primoff

This book is a great read. It provides an interesting and exciting history of the search to find the cause of cholera. It then goes on to discuss the status of drinking water in the US up to the present. Dr. Morris provides science to the reader in the form of a fast moving novel. I would reccomend it to anyone.

If you think your public water supply is safe because "THEY" are taking care of it, then think again. This book profiles the history of water borne diseases as well as Dr. Robert Morris's initial entry into the world of public water as a college researcher. Initially naively thinking that public health was the most important issue, he soon learns that ego, competing intersts, and the politics of "not raising taxes" is far more important to many politicians, public water works directors, and even the EPA, than the truth. He explains how ego, politics, money, lack of education, and just general organizational structure in city, regional, and national governments often mitigate against protecting the public health in regard to the drinking water supply. Real life examples of full scale water disasters in the city of Milwaukee, Walerton Ontario, and New Orleans should serve as a "wake up call" to many cities around the world.

Other important issues addressed include the fact that the target is always moving because the microbial world is constantly evolving and now new organisms have emerged which can survive chlorine treatment....such as in the case of Milwaukee. And yet public officials still refuse to change the standards after huge disasters like this.

The first half of the book includes the valuable background on the history of water born diseases such as cholora, and just how devastating the death toll was before researchers discovered the connection. While this first half of the book has a lot of valuable information, it is unfortuanately written in a dramatized historical novel style which I personally found annoying.

In spite of this style issue in the first half, the second half is so incredible that it competely over rides this minor issue, and takes this book to the top of my list. I still give this book 4 Stars and HIGHLY recommend it. It should be mandatory reading for every public official as well as the public at large. No scare tactics or hype here, just the facts laid out for the average person to read and decide.

I bought this book in the Louvre Museum in Paris, where we were able to see some of the originals. They're compelling and just draw you in! This book allowed me to bring the paintings home, and study them. It's easy to read, and goes into detail explaining not only about Bouguereau, but also explains a lot of the detail and symbolism that he used in his paintings. So now I can enjoy them on a whole new level. I'm not a big art buff, but I know I'm drawn to his paintings, this was just a perfect book to cut my teeth on, and help to develop a better understanding of some very famous paintings. Buy the book. You won't regret it!

Adolphe-William Bouguereau (1825-1905) is in many ways the French equivalent of the British Victorian class of figurative painters - Lawrence Alma Tadema, Lord Leighton, JW Waterhouse - and had he lived in England rather than in the Impressionist laden France, he would be much better known today. Not that Bouguereau is unfamiliar to collectors and museums: in his time his portraits and luxurious paintings of shepherdesses and mythological creatures in a world of eternal beauty were popular and were added to important collections. It is only now with the new respect for the figure in painting that his name is becoming more recognizable.

Fronia E. Wissman has written a concise and illuminating text for this monograph and her style of exposition matches her subject. The book is filled with magnificent illustrations of Bouguereau's paintings with details and full-scale works allowed the prestige of excellent color reproductions. This is a fine monograph and one that belongs in the libraries of collectors and art historians who remain fascinated with the fin de siècle schools of painting. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, September 05

Wissman did a great job providing a fair and balanced view of French painter Bouguereau's career. And it's a good thing too! Everything else related to the artist is either out of print or a flimsy postcard book. How could this be? Well, the unfortunate stereotype of Bougeureau buffs is that they "don't know much about art but know what they like." It may be that many editors assume that if you like Bougeureau's paintings, you aren't the type to read a serious art book. I like to believe this is wrong. I enjoy Bougureau's art very much and am glad that someone published a reasonable paperback history and criticism of the artist. I hope that one day, others write similarly good books about other "forgotten" 19th century artists.

Yes the reproductions are great and deserve full stars yet there is much fault with Wissman's ignorant statement that Bouguereau did not use (paint from) photographs. This comment potentially questions the creadability of what otherwise would have seemed to be a very good analysis. For alternative comments, see "W.B" - Montreal Museum's '84 publication for a traveling show. It offers more "behind scenes" info. about the production of his work and their authors more credibly state, he "actively collected photographs" but "he almost never worked from photos" which is still an understatement. Included are photos of him in his studio painting and with another photo of Mich's. Pieta in background. I found a used copy here on Amazon, ISBN 2-89192-047-3 Mr. B. was a transitional figure in art history, caught between early 19th C. "tail end" classical art and late 19th C. art when photorealism began rearing its evil head, destroying classical art and bringing this "ism" to a point of extreme today. It is impossible to determine what extent he used them, yet it is clearly evident to a more trained eye, that he used photos, particularly with some of the complex children/cherubs he incorporated. This occasionally created a quality which, no doubt, helped to inspire criticism (noted in Wissman's bk)regarding the overly polished, sometimes cut-out and outlined aspects of some of his figures. He was able to get away with it for the most part because he had a more proper training as a student prior to exposure to photos. (I myself am a painter/sculptor studying classical art - I admire B. greatly yet to say he was a purest would be false since he clearly had an opportunist streak about him as many others did, and to a certain extent I can't blame him. But he helped to start a terrible trend which has turned classical painting and sculpture into a virtually lost art).

The art of Bouguereau is stunning. It stirs a beauty from deep within us that blooms in recognition of a beauty made visible by the stroke of his brush. So full and intoxicated with passion, his work seems an extension of gratitude for life itself. Through the canvas of this fine French Academic Artist, we witness how love is truly more persistent than time.

I am so taken by the art; I have yet to read what Wissman has written about his life. I think his art speaks with such clarity; he must have been a man with a great capacity to fully embrace the nature of the life he was given.