Works Books

If you can't afford the Oxford Edition of Shakespeare's complete works than this is the next best edition you can find.

This was the text for my college Shakespeare classes over 20 years ago (different edition of course) I still have it and still use it. A wonderful book for students and those who want not only the complete works but some well written and authoritative information about Shakespeare and the world in which he lived and wrote.

The texts of the plays are well foot-noted and the type is easy on the eyes. Well worth the investment.

While reading reviews of this edition elsewhere on the Web, I came across this review by David Allen White, professor of English @ the U.S. Naval Academy and editor (with Charles Boyce) of Shakespeare A to Z:

"Re-writing Shakespeare is nothing new. The Nahum Tate version of King Lear--with the happy ending--held the stage for nearly a century and a half. The great actors of the romantic age, Kean and Booth and Macready, not only spotlighted the heroes in the tragedies but felt free to beef up their roles. Directors began more than 50 years ago to monkey with the historical settings of the play, often with imaginative and instructive results. Scholars, critics, and directors have ridden various hobbyhorses through the plays for years, introducing us to Freudian Hamlets and Marxist King Lears and feminist Tamings of the Shrew.

"Recent Shakespeare production and scholarship, however, add a perverse twist to this long tradition. We no longer care what the Bard actually wrote. Years of deconstructionist theorizing have taught us that words are needy and we, readers or actors or scholars, have the right, indeed the obligation, to give them the gift of meaning--our meaning, the more bizarre the better.

"For the 23 years that I've taught Shakespeare at the United States Naval Academy, I have always used the same text, The Complete Works of Shakespeare, edited by David Bevington of the University of Chicago. Professor Bevington is an old-school scholar with a distinguished career. The book he edited had many advantages: large print, full character names before each speech, specific indications of settings, modernized spellings, solid introductions that connected the plays to the students' experience of love and politics, morality and order, passion and faith, and comprehensive but not overwhelming notes. Every few years a new edition would appear, and I would open it with interest and a little apprehension. But the changes would be minor--thinner paper (approaching the substance of tissue, a malady afflicting many recent books), hints here and there of encroaching academic perversity in the notes--nothing sufficient to make me seek another text. The 4th edition's introduction to The Tempest caused me to swallow hard: We learn there that Prospero's authority "is problematic to us because he seems so patriarchal, colonialist, even sexist and racist in his arrogating to himself the right and responsibility to control others in the name of Western and Christian values." But this is an imperfect world, and I soldiered on.

"Notified that a 5th Edition would appear this fall, I took time to examine it closely. Many of the introductions remain the same; but new editors and commentators have significantly altered others. Despite the myth of progress that reigns in all the disciplines of modern academia, "new" is often far from "improved." Apparently, Professor Bevington has either ignored the changes or allowed the young scholar-colts to have a romp. In some of the new introductory essays, especially under the guise of new brief histories of stage performance, questionable judgment, to put it mildly, has crept in. For example, the introduction to Othello ends with the following observation:

'In another recent development, Emilia has stood out in several productions as the raissoneur and heroic figure in the play, speaking as she does on behalf of maltreated women, urging Desdemona to stand up for her rights. One recent Chicago production went so far as to rewrite the ending: Othello and Iago both survive unpunished for what they have done, while Desdemona and Emilia lie dead as their innocent victims. This deliberate and provocative overstatement might seem extreme to some viewers, but unquestionably did signal the direction of recent performance history of the profoundly disturbing play.'

"It may be time to stop buying tickets to that great play.

"The current obsession in academia is "queer theory," and the homoerotic is everywhere, not just in Shakespeare studies. But this particular perversity fills the introductions to the new Bevington, especially the introductions to the comedies. Compare the following passages, the first from the introduction to As You Like It in the 4th Edition, essentially a carry-over from earlier editions:

'Rosalind's disguise name, Ganymede, taken from Jove's amorous cupbearer, has homoerotic connotations that are easily misinterpreted today. Shakespeare delicately acknowledges the suggestion, to be sure, both in Phoebe's pursuit of a young lady (but really a boy actor) in male attire, and in Orlando's courtship of "Ganymede" as though addressed to Rosalind. Yet this innocent titillation, found also in Shakespeare's source, is not meant to hint at homosexual attraction as we understand it. On the contrary, the point is that Orlando can speak frankly and personally to "Ganymede" as to a perfect friend, one to whom he can relate in platonically spiritual terms without the distracting note of sexual interest.'

"These are eminently sane and sensible remarks. Now from the Introduction to As You Like It in the 5th Edition:

'Rosalind's disguise name, Ganymede, has connotations that suggest ways in which human sexuality can be partly understood as socially constructed. If Rosalind in disguise as Ganymede wins the affection and eventually the love of Orlando, while her father and the others are equally taken in by the disguise, are maleness and femaleness chiefly matters of sartorial convention and superficial appearance? When Phoebe falls in love with Ganymede, is not her infatuation a way of showing that the roles of the sexes can be put on and off? Theatrically, the device of having a young male actor play Rosalind who then disguises him/herself as a young man adds to the witty confusion of sexual identities by introducing homoerotic possibilities. Not only can the roles of the sexes be put on and off, sexual desire itself is unstable...'

"This is ideology masquerading as interpretation.

"To be sure, the range of possible interpretations of Shakespeare's work is wide, for he encompasses all of humanity and tells profound and mysterious truths about human life. Such inexhaustible expansiveness invites discussion and dispute and differences. At the end of the Introduction to Richard II in this volume, for example, there is a brief but superb account of various interpretations of that rich role by leading actors. Professor Charles Forker of Indiana University provides that account; another old-school scholar, he knows more about that play than any other living soul. Too many of the revised introductions, however, are more interested in advancing the latest academic-political orthodoxy than in discovering and illuminating the natural and conventional moral order so abundantly on display in Shakespeare's works. Nothing is more orthodox--still--among contemporary literary critics than the alleged truth that there is no truth, that all interpretations are valid except the author's own.

"Thus Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream can be presented as "the denizen of a drug culture, with the love potion as the weed he gleefully distributes. The experience of the forest becomes a drug-induced 'high,' for audiences as for the actors. The fairies, sometimes played by adult and hairy males, can exhibit a streak of cruelty." And, indeed, in a recent production at the Shakespeare Theater in Washington, D.C., the fairies were hairy males who carried something like miners' lights. So much for lightness and charm and magic. This same Dream introduction gives the game away in words that are echoed in many of the other essays: "These modern interpretations are arguably neither more nor less 'true' to Shakespeare's text than earlier or more 'traditional' versions. What they do demonstrate is the play's remarkable permeability and openness to differing views."

"The new Bevington retails for $90; in good conscience, I cannot ask students to fork over such a sum of cash for a book that is now rife with nonsense. So next fall I'll assign The Riverside Shakespeare, which fortunately is still in its 2nd edition. I fervently hope it is not soon updated.

"Of course, the Bevington volume has come to reflect the universities it serves, where young students pay small fortunes to be taught that there is no enduring meaning or beauty to be found in the poetry of Shakespeare, no tradition worth preserving, no "truth" other than personal whim and innovative foolery. If the price of the new Bevington is petty theft, the tuitions charged by these institutions have become, at least for the study of the humanities, highway robbery.

"I know a father who gave his son the equivalent of a year's tuition and told the lad to go to Europe, to travel, to observe, to learn for as long as the money would hold out. The young man came back after two-and-a-half years, mature and educated, and instantly found a good job. The time has come for imaginative, alternative learning. I talked recently with a very intelligent young woman who loves literature; she is completing her sophomore year at Yale, where she had hoped to pursue an English Literature major. She informed me with sorrow that she was abandoning that plan. Her reason was quite simple: she had already sat through too many classes where lunacy prevailed. She mentioned the possibility of looking at traditional Catholic convents. Could this be the first refreshing drop of a wave of the future? It would not be the first time that civilization was preserved in the convents and the monasteries. Nymph, in thy orisons, be all of Academia's sins remembered."

(Allen, David White, "An Unweeded Garden," The Claremont Institute, http://claremont.org/publications/crb/id.959/article_detail.asp [originally published March 22, 2004])

I guess it's safe to say that, based on his review, Professor Allen'd give this edition 1 star...right?

I purchased this book as a birthday present for a graduating high school student who is a big fan of Shakespeare.
This volume has a lot to offer to both students and casual readers. In addition to very readable text of all the plays and sonnets, the fifth edition provides historical and literary context, including drawings and photos, as well as insightful essays on each of the plays. The essays include background, plot summaries and discussion of major themes and would be very useful to anyone seeing a play, especially for the first time. The helpful glossary is extensive, so the reader doesn't have to look up unfamiliar words or feel intimidated by the language. Professor Bevington's fifth edition of the Complete Works is a gem, authoritative and attractive. The birthday girl thinks so, too-- she gives it an A+.

This is truly a great book. Not only does it contain all of Shakespeare's works but it also has an enormous amount of information. There's a little bit on his life and a bit more about the theater during his time. There are also some great drawings in the beginning of the book.

I've just started reading it, and I love it. Very intriguing and extremely well-written. Can't put it down!

The day I got this book i couldn't put it down. It was very interesting and had a great history of the science of finding time of death. It's a great intro book if this is something you like to read about. Great book, can't wait to read her other book! Read this book and I promise you will enjoy it.

Not for those with weak stomachs, but great for those with any interest in death investigations. Pin pointing time since death has always been a thorn in the side of many a prosecuter. This book gives a very nice detailed history of how we started trying to determine T.O.D to where we are now. I recommend this book to anyone in the field of forensic science or with a interest in criminal justice and death investigation.

If you want to know the latest in the field of forensic sciences, this is your book. Sachs follows the roving eye of those scientists who, most seemingly accidentally, get roped into murder investigations where time of death determines everything: from the indentity of the victim to that of the killer. The liquid in the eyeball, bones, fatty acids, maggots, weeds, germs and pigs all come in to play. More entertaining than CSI and Kay Scarpetta put together.

I couldn't put this book down. It is a must read for anyone interested in science, death, anatomy, or just the bizarre aspects of decomposition! Really interesting stuff in here and the writer is at turns witty, serious, and altogether a prolific story-teller. A definite favorite in my own collection of books to read and re-read. GREAT!

Reading this made my son and me want to build, build, build. At the same time, the book achieves something else: the way people make their homes shows something very intimate and moving. This collection of photographs, drawings and stories shows how closely related the art of building, the art of art and the art of living are. This is one of the rare occasions where I would like to thank the authors.

followed by several days flipping through again and again, searching for my favorites...beautiful pictures. I could have done with more "on the road" pics and less (what I would refer to as) "normal" houses...I can see those kinds when I look out the window...but that's just a personal preference....I wish he'd take all the extra stuff he said he had and put it on a website or publish another book. I'd buy it!

this book is even better then the other books by Lloyd Kahn, and i didnt think that was possible. The photographs are outstanding, the text interesting, informative, and captures thoughts, people, homes and places of times past, present and some that look futuristic! This book is for anyone who has a passion for architecture, and culture. a great coffee table book.

MUST HAVE FOR ALL couchpotatoe MALES, and anyone who has dreams! This is such a fantastic book: inspiring and creative and so marvelous to see so many passionate people out their DOING THEIR THING! Get up from your desktops, ladies and gentlemen, stop the online dating circus and do something satisfying: BUILD YOUR OWN SHELTER. Lord knows I want to after pouring through every inch of every page and these great photos and life stories. Thanks, Mr. Lloyd!

This book is absolutely stunning. I spent hours poring over the pictures. It's mostly pictures of creative, unique houses people have built, with a few stories about builders' experiences and techniques.
It will put into perspective the amount to which we have limited ourselves when it comes to traditional housing. It shows how a house is not just shelter, but art, expression, and passion as well.
This will inspire you!

Through Michael McClay, we can have a wonder picture of one of the best shows on TV. Through MANY pictures (a lot in color) and words, we can learn how these four greatly made this show: I Love Lucy. The book takes you through all of their lives before, during and after the show. Three parts are in this facinating book; one is about the show. And the other two are thirty-five of the classic episodes (some of which were chosen by Lucille Ball herself!!); and the last section is ALL 179 episodes in order that they went on air.

The book is definitly five stars and you cannot read this book once. It is great to just look at and you can learn so much about Luciile Ball, Desi Arnaz and Vivian Vance and William Frawley. So get yourself this I Love Lucy treasure TODAY!!!!

Who doesn't LOVE Lucy? This book is THE definitive guide for all us die-hard, lifelong, Lucy fans. It is chock full of facts, anecdotes, black and white and colour photos, etc. By far, the most comprehensive book on the series I have ever read. Introduced by daughter, Lucie Arnaz, we are taken down memory lane and even allowed BACKSTAGE where we get glimpses of the REAL life Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Strictly for the fans, who will understand and appreciate the attention to detail here.

Very Good Book... Great Collectors Item.

AMAZING!! This is one of the best books written about "I Love Lucy." Michael McClay certainly knew what he was doing when he gave us this great book on the best show in picture history. Through many pictures (many in color) and words, McClay is able to tell you ALL about "I Love Lucy" and the great people that made it so great. He tells not only about the people at the time of the show, but gives, not much but accurate, information about the four wonderful people that made the show so successful before and after the shows were made. He gives you thirty-five classic episodes that are the hits in the "I Love Lucy" shows. And also a TV-ography of the 179 "I Love Lucy" shows in the order that they went on the air. And the "I Love Lucy" Theme Song music given at the beginning of the three parts that are in this book has been played many times on my piano.

This is truely the best book there is on the show "I Love Lucy" (but no "I Love Lucy" book can beat Lucille Ball's book "Love, Lucy;" it covers her whole life as well as the "I Love Lucy" shows.Get that one too because both are both greatly recommended). Some books don't give very much or very accurate information on this show. But this one gives you all of the information, accurately, about the show.

I greatly encoutrage you top get this book especially if you are a Lucy fan (and if you are not, reading this book will give you a great start). You will NOT be disappionted. You will have too much trouble putting it down that when you finish it, you will want to read it again--you will never get tired of it. Get yours TODAY and you WILL enjoy!

This beautiful book introduced me to the world of "I Love Lucy" literature, and I must say I got off on the right foot! The photographs are beautiful, and the text is surprisingly thorough for a "picture history". This would make an enjoyable addition to anyone's Lucy collection (it's also a great place to start!).

I came across this book a few years after it was written so knew there was a chance the advice might be outdated. This was a risk I was willing to take because I've been so impressed with Kristie T's websites (voted one of the best by Dr. Phil!) and her support of work-at-home moms. What a great purchase!

This book is a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to making money from home while keeping your eye on the real prize . . . your family and quality of life. This book is easy to read, entertaining, supportive and soooo informative. It includes a massive resource section for those who work from home.

As a mom of three who has run home businesses and coached others in this area, Kristie's book has a "walk the talk" feel. What mom can't relate to her touching and humorous stories of the realities of raising little ones (the trials and joys)! Yet, the book has substance, including many action lists, web and written resources and helpful templates.

In my opinion, the appeal of this book goes way beyond work-at-home moms. Any home office professional who wants to make their work environment more efficient, their time more productive, and their business more profitable needs to read this book. It is an excellent guide for any home business owner. Buy this book for your business reference library today!
Mollie Marti, PhD
Author: Selling: Powerful New Strategies for Sales Success

Hi! My name is Nicole. I am the illustrater! I took lots of time on them. I love my book because my mom and me did good! I hope you like my book! my mom hopes so too! have a good day every body!

Kriste's passion for helping work-at-home moms is evident in all that she does and this book is no exception.

She walks her talk in supporting work-at-home moms- she was kind enough to grant me an interview to put in my e-book "A Mother's Dream: Finding Fulfillment in Your Home Business".

Any mother interested in balancing working from home with motherhood should get this book.

I have read and ALSO promote this book for Kristie and I have to tell you that if you are really thinking about working from home and running an online business, you NEED to read this book. The information she has in this book can make or break anyone who wants to run a business from home. I would like to thank Kristie as well for giving me the opportunity to promote this book and for the book itself, I love it! There are many work at home books on the market today, but this book stands alone, read all the reviews, they can't all be wrong! Thanks Kristie for a wonderful work at home book.

I am not sure how this book got such great reviews. It really misleaded and dissapointed me. It is for a woman with significant resources to start with, who doesn't need all the dry tips listed, but not for stay-at-home Mom. And it is a business oriented, not life oriented. It is not 'A Mom's guide to working from home', but a business women's guide to get more organized and hire multiple services for the business developement. There is nothing absolutely about Mom's life and for Mom's life. It is a big text however and probably can be useful for someone, but mostly dry and a reference-like, big doesn't mean good. Gives an advise how to choose an office chair, a domain name, purchase a web-site design, organize a radio appearance, etc., and some tips that you know from a common sense. It is a self-promotional book leading to the author's web site to promote her coaching business. I returned it. May be it can work for someone else...

Jock Sturges will probably stand as one of the great photographers of the 20th and 21st centuries....someday. His work with the friends and strangers who populate summer beaches and cottages where clothing is optional, year after year, testifies to his respect for his subjects and his affirming humanity. In current American culture, where hypersexuality is the marketing tool of choice, and merchants exploit every normal insecurity about appearance to sell endless crap to yearning multitudes, Sturges's pictures show us how beautiful we are, in all our shapes, sizes and ages, in nothing but the skin we are born with.

As a photographer, I am amazed at Sturges's ability to convince people to simply offer themselves up to his visual instincts. He returns to the same venues again and again, and becomes part of the places himself, rather than an intruder, and the people in his photographs see the work that results. Seeing themselves as he sees them, they appear to trust him completely. He steals no souls, but rather, affirms the conviction that we have souls in the first place. When asked to suggest a present for my own 16 year old daughter, a young woman with endless interests and curiosity, including photography, I could think of no better work to show her at this point in her life.

This is what children, young people growing up, and parents with children look like: people in bathing suits, jeans, everyday attire, as well as nude. There are photographs on the beach, in a tree, on a tricycle (one of the best as a photographic design, in my opinion), in hammocks, standing...a whole range of locales and postures.

While it astounds me that anyone could think this wonderful collection is child pornography, I *can* see the concern. There's no doubt in my mind that a genuine pedophile would be attracted to this, and for all the most unfortunate reasons. Still, this is an accurate and sensitive representation of something that seems almost vanished from the world--the innocence of people comfortable with themselves, their bodies, and with each other. Alas, this is our loss.

This collection of touching, humorous, and occasionally beautiful photographs is our gain.

If you are after pictures for the sexual excitement, look somewhere else. Yes there are naked women and men, young women and men, and even boys and girls of adolescent age, but you'd have to have a pretty sick mind to find them sexually exciting.

Rather on the contrary this are works of art with some of the best printing you'll see in your life (I'd love to see the originals, as I suspect as good as the book edition is, it still doesn't make it justice), with that simple beauty and simple "laiser faire" that is simply breathtaking.

Mr. Sturges first photography book, it shows the style his fans all know and love but as a first effort has a less polished feel to it. I was surprised to see some pictures taken in Rhode Island, the later books seem to consist of France, California and Oregon with no East Coast U.S.
As always with Mr. Sturges books the subject matter is mostly nude but there are several clothed photos here as well, more than will be found in later books. The style is all well done,(many very nice images), the book is certainly worth owning but doesn't seem quite the quality of the books from "Radiant Identities" onward.

A superb example of natural people doing what comes naturally captured in a wholesome way. Through Jock Sturges' images, we see what we see around us every day - families growing older. His nudes are prime examples of beauty - of which Jock captures with a particular reverence. The subjects represent whole body acceptance - something our society lacks today. The book is well done, and the images crisp and of excellent tone.

Wonderful; very informative. Very useful!!!

This is a great book on breeds. Although, I believe that
the ASPCA's Complete Guide to Dogs was much more helpful in
my research on the breeds. Even though Legacy of the Dog has
200 breeds, I believe the ASPCA's Complete Guide to Dogs tells
you more of how the breed acts, and the amount of exercise the dog needs and energy they have, while the Legacy of Dogs seems to more tell you where the breed comes from and how they appear... It is a great book, but when compared.... It comes in second in my dog breed collection.

I bought this book because I had a gift certificate and had to use it up. Boy was I glad that I bought this!
This book has so many good pictures of so many different breeds, it is wonderful. There is the common breeds like the Golden Retriever and the Labrador and than there's the uncommon ones like the Neopolitan Mastiff and the Koohikerhondje. If you like dogs or want to do some resaerch, this book has alot of good info.

It is great!

Well, the cover did it for me, a beautiful example of the breed I own and love, the Irish Terrier. Great book, great photos, good listing of many non-AKC breeds such as the Cesky Terrier and Smoushound and many others.

Worth a buy!

This book contains fantastic photographs and brief write-ups of 200 breeds of dogs. I would have liked more information on each breed, especially info on temperament. The photos are top-notch, however, beautifully done. Definitely a good, though pricy, general guide to review when you are considering what kind of dog to buy.

In depth reaseach on post polio and related viral diseases. Must read if you or someone you know has this. Explains why you feel rotten and what to do about it.

Not a good first read. Mr. Bruno is depressing. I suggest Dr. Silver's book Post-Polio Syndrome, it is excellent!

I had polio at the age of 5. I was so much luckier than alot of Polio Survivors. I got Dr. Bruno's book from the library and read it and read it at least 3X. I have recently ordered the book through Amazon and I am so excited to receive it.

He is an exceptional man, who writes so we can all understand. I will be meeting with Dr. Bruno and his team the end of March, I do not know where my new journey will lead me but I know that I will be safe and in the best of care. I recommend this book to anyone who has had Polio or has unexplained weakness, pain and fatigue everyday.

Reading this book I felt like someone had entered my life and could see my thoughts and frustrations. It was strange. It is so true- we were taught avoidance of the issue.As a nurse I learned about polio in the past tense, and had read few articles on PPS. I had seen polio survivors, even gone to school with a couple but never talked to them and when problems started did not even know who to talk to.
Dr. Bruno covers just about every physical and emotional aspect-- now if I can just retrain myself to take care of me.
I was able to go to the Clinic and meet with Dr. Bruno and he is as genuine in person as he seems in the book. All the built up anxiety came tumbling out in a rush-- because this book showed he has pulse on my life as a post polio patient and seemed to CARE!!.
I think this book should be required reading for all in the medical field.

"Ah ha!" are the words I'd suck in as I read Dr. Bruno's book. After a year's research on my own, I found the PPS Institute and Dr. Bruno's book. Those of us who had Polio (or didn't know that "it" was Polio) only knew one thing - we were over it and had to get on with life and catch up ASAP. We had fear at our back door, and it pushed us onward, every minute of our lives. For me, after cancer, I kept thinking "Its just the chemo" but I had been told in 1982 I had PPS and "Use it or lose it" was the theory protocol, so I kept going like I was short in the back with a "22" fearing I'd lose some dendrite that would nourish a neuron, and the first symptom I had (in '82) would come back. Instead, I became worse - the results were what drove me to discover Dr. Bruno's book and go to the Institute: hundreds of falls, broken bones, lacerated head injuries, tripping for the past 50 years and feeling like a clutz, when I was known as the regional "Happy Tom-Boy" BP (before Polio).

By the time Dr. Bruno told me to just "rest - chill for a few weeks" I had to do it; nothing else worked. It DID. I read the book again, and again...trying to find a glitch in his neuro-networking and neurology statements, but I couldn't. So, I did go to the Institute.

Everyone who knows anyone who's had Polio, or any sudden onset illness, or even as my little sister, used to drip food out of her nostrils at age 2 (it was Polio - 1954), must read this book. Be prepared to talk to doctors - they must have PPS as part of their required CMEs NOW. Post Polio surivors can no longer accept mediocre care, and repeated anesthesia "accidents (as I did)." With or without insurance, humans have a basic right to respect and care. I had Polio - I knew I did - and the fears associated with going "back" into it were at times paralyzing in itself...thus I kept swimming daily - often for three hours and lifting weights, anything to avoid breathing problems again, or the horrid stiff neck, or ... seeing my arm next to me and not moving even when I yelled at it!

Post Polio Paradox will give the reader the information needed to take to the medical professionals, and to educate themselves, and . . . gradually, safely, comfortably, change their lives from the fatalistic Type A personalities (which did get us through the horrors of Polio), but paradoxically - aptly put, can destroy us now. IF we are real, we will be able to see our 'worn' parts, accept them, and move on to another phrase in our lives - taking care of ourselves. "Polio Class of 1950"

In times of crisis, Barry is a voice of clarity. She interprets these moments as opportunities for growth and change by using a method of personal exploration that runs so deep she touches a place we have all been. Our biggest fears and the most humiliating moments of our lives are expressed simply and cleanly in Practically Shameless. The reader identifies with Barry's biographical descriptions throughout the course of the book. Perfect for beginners, the reader follows Barry's discovery of the ShadowWork technique, and the personal transformations she achieves using it. What she finds out is that uncovering and working through those crises is the key to her own happiness, and is perhaps the key to removing shame from our lives as well.

Practically Shameless: How Shadow Work Helped Me Find My Voice, My Path, and My Inner Gold is the unabridged audiobook rendition of author and Shadow Work facilitator Alyce Barry's self-help guide to revitalizing one's life. Barry draws upon her personal story of overcoming depression to explain the human shadow, and the transformative power of the Shadow Work processes. Shadow Work founder Cliff Barry provides a foreword to this helpful guide to positive metamorphosis, which delves into why humans resist change so much and how to tap into one's positive inner sources. Especially recommended for anyone interested in discovering the mental and emotional benefits of shadow work. 5 CDs, 5 hours 32 min.

This is the only book of its kind--an explanation of Shadow Work, a powerfully effective and safe method of personal growth and emotional healing, authoritatively written by a skilled and experienced practitioner. Its explanations and metaphors are clear and insightful. By telling of her own healing journey through Shadow Work, the author lends solid credibility to her material. The "Honoring Your Risk Manager" exercise brings the entire subject home vividly. This is a wonderful book for anyone wanting to become more conscious, more alive and practically shameless.
--Dennis Hartwell (Michigan)

This personal story about her own journey was insightful and helped me to understand the terminology & process of "shadow work". The book was easy to read for those of us who struggle with technical jargon. I found myself cheering for her as her personal growth unfolded right before me!

This review relates to the audio book. First the caveats: (1) As Alyce makes clear in the book, Shadow Work is brand name for a particular method of personal growth and the certified practitioners who offer it for a fee; (2) The book may be difficult to fully understand or appreciate if one has no experience in self-examination or the 'inner path', (3) While I personally have no stake in Shadow Work, I did attend one of their workshops in 1998 which was completely ethical, safe and professional. It was also very helpful for me.

That said, I found this short book to be a wonderful listening experience. I have been an avid audio book listener for over 25 years, and when I see an author reading their own material I usually brace myself for a difficult listen. I was pleasantly surprised that Alyce has a clear, friendly and authentic reading voice. Listening to her story in her own voice proved to be very touching. My only technical complaint is the occasional transition in the audio, probably associated with the editing/recording process, where her voice is louder, or quieter, and the tone or feeling seems a bit disconnected. This was a temporary experience, and always faded away once I refocused on the content.

And the content is really helpful. I won't go into too much detail, but will say that the Shadow Work method, and how Alyce almost stumbled into it by accident (and is now a practitioner and author) is reflective of experiences many of us can see in ourselves. She is honest and direct about her journey without making herself the center of the story. The center is how each of us can heal painful patterns in our thinking, feeling and behavior if we are willing to "do the work". The project of self realization takes time and effort, and is incremental. Alyce suggests this when she describes her happiness and wholeness today as "most of the time". She also gives due recognition to the ManKind Project and Women Within as 'entry points' for many people into healthy spiritual growth. My life is richer because of this book.

Kelly writes in a compelling way creating parallells and connections between him winning the various tasks on The Apprentice and his military experience. I like his style and his sense of taking responsibility even when things go wrong. Humility is deifinetely a trait a leader must develop!

I found the book a pleasant read and I liked the fact Kelly was talking a lot about the lessons he learnt in life and how these experiences enabled him to move on.

I grew up with some idea of what military life was like due to my Dad being in the Navy - but I must admit it's never held a lot of interest for me. Reading Kelly's book did actually shed a whole new light on what advantages military service can bring to other aspects of someone's life. The principles that are discussed in the book (Duty, Impeccability, Passion, Perseverance, Planning, Teamwork, Loyalty, Flexibility, Selfless Service and Integrity) are all really worthy reading for anyone in business and the military slant I found surprisingly gave it more bite and interest.

This is a great book that draws comparisons between Kelly's military service and his rise through the entrepreneurial ranks. I know Kelly personally, and he is not only a successfull businessman, he is also a devout humanitarian. Highly recommended!

I recently purchased "Take Command" for a college course. I chose this book because I am a fan of the television show "The Apprentice." I could not have picked a better book to read before I graduate and re-enter the business world.

The ten principles that Kelly Perdew learned while attending West Point can be used by anyone who wants to get the most out of life. Duty, Impeccability, Passion, Perserverance, Planning, Teamwork, Loyalty, Flexibility, Selfless Service and Integrity. I plan to use these principle's to be a strong leader in everything I do.

I always wondered how I would have handled military training. Kelly details how physical strength is only a small part of it.
I was very impressed with how Kelly got into West Point, as well as what it took to graduate. His business experience explains how to handle a loss and come back and do things better. The experience this guy has at such a young age is unbelievable!

If you are just looking for a college, read this book! If you are graduating and looking for a job, read this book! If you have been working for ten or twenty years, read this book! "Take Command" includes great stories about Donald Trump, Ross Perot and Marsha Evans to name a few. This book will teach you to be prepared for anything and to perform well under pressure or during a crisis.

Kelly Perdew details how the ten principles became second nature during his military training. Anyone can learn and use the ten principles. If you want to challenge yourself to be a strong leader in business and life, "Take Command" will put you in a position to succeed.

This book by Apprentice winner Kelly Perdew is a worthwhile read. Written in the style of many military-business leadership books, it swtiches back and forth between Perdew's Apprentice exploits and anecdotes from great military veterans turned business leaders. The stories about Perdew's career, Apprentice tasks, and about others are both inspirational and entertaining. I am giving 4 stars because he talks about principles, but does not go deep into the reader's application of them.

Nevertheless, this is a worthwhile read for both the Army or corporate officer.