Works Books

There are letters from `very' different types of people such as George W. Bush (after he was shot down) and from George McGovern (who was a bomber pilot). I really don't care whose side (politically speaking) the authors of the various letters represent as long as it deals with the stated topic (WAR LETTERS). This is why I only gave the book 3 stars. What in the blue blazes are letters from Helen Keller (who is writing about a friend she once knew who is now in jail for being an American commie) & a letter from the American commie traitor Alger Hiss doing in the book? Neither of these letters even remotely have anything to do with an American War.
There are other letters which also have very little to do with a U.S. war but I looked over these as they `sort of' and that is a stretch - were leading up to a war. I do not know for sure - but I believe the author is a left of center sort of guy and it comes through in the letters he chose.

This book is a great read. It is refeshing to be able to read words, thoughts and dreams from people as they perform such honorable duty overseas. This book is powerful and should be required reading for all, especially Americans.

Some anti-war activist may think it is "pro-war" but it isn't just that. This book reveals personal thoughts and challenges faced by American military personnel in wars from the Civil War until the later conflicts in the 20th century. It is pro-war, anti-war and everything in between.

This book reminds me of the sacrifice that so many make for their country. It is a great tribute for those who have served.

I actually read a review about this book and gave it as a gift to my sister-in-law who teaches high school history. She LOVES it and told me it was an amazing collection of actual letters. She said all of the teachers that she works with have been borrowing it!!

I received this book as a gift because my family knows I love reading personal histories from those who lived it and "War Letters" seemed perfect for that. I enjoy learning what life was like for the average citizen in an era, whether its someone riding the Erie Canal in 1840, a foot soldier in the American revolution, or a journal from the Civil War.

This is a remarkable book and taken individually there are many, many heart-rending emotional stories that probably need to be read by many people. It does in fact put a personal face on war. Because it is a collection of letters, the book is easily read in short spurts; you don't want (and shouldn't) read this book quickly.

I only gave the book 4 stars because I actually found it hard to read. While the personal letters (the spelling, mannerisms of the authors) help tell their stories, it also keeps the book from developing any flow. Some letters are agonzingly slow to read and understand. I'm certainly not faulting the authors or their stories; but if you're looking for a great, well-written, smooth-flowing story that you can't put down, this isn't it.

i only gave it three stars because many of the stories were more about patriotism than about the war themselves. Of course every book has its bias so its still a useful and moving read when taken with this grain of salt.

My doctor suggested this book, and this non-diet approach and I am grateful that he did. This book changed my life. It has not only helped me improve my relationship with food, it's improved my relationship with myself and with others. It has improved the over-all quality of my life. I will never diet again. This book easily explains the reasons why diets don't work from real-life perspectives. I was able to relate so well to the people who shared their experiences. The journey has been amazing. If you have struggled with food or eating disorders this book can change your life as well. It's probably the best purchase I have ever made.

Okay, sorry, maybe the title of my review was a little extreme but that was how I was starting to feel last year. For the last 23 years of my life I had been in a never ending battle with my weight and food. Every extra ounce of energy went into planning my next meal, wondering when I could eat again, dreaming and longing for the foods I wasn't "allowed" to eat and worrying about how many calories I'd consumed.

After losing and gaining the same 80 pounds twice, I lost 80 pounds again and was well on my way to gaining them all back for the third time. The thought of having to go on another diet filled me with despair and dread; I just knew I couldn't do it again. And, then by some small (or maybe big) miracle, Dr Michelle May and the "Am I Hungry?" program was introduced into my life.

Have you ever watched a baby eat? When they are done eating there is no way, no how you can make them eat without forcing them and in a similar manner, they will let you know EXACTLY when they are hungry and need to eat. As adults, we still have that inner wisdom in us - the little voice that tells us when to eat and when to stop when we've had enough. But, for me, years of dieting had beat that out of me. I could no longer tell when I was hungry and I sure as heck could not tell when I was full.

Let me tell you, when you can't feel or hear your own body's hunger and satiety signals, it sure makes it hard to stop eating when you've had enough!! As a result, I was constantly starving myself to lose weight and then overeating my way (because I couldn't hear my body tell me when to stop) back into weight gain. Am I Hungry? explained why diets never have and never will work as a long term solution. Am I Hungry? helped me get back in touch with my internal hunger cues and helped me learn how to tune back into that inner wisdom my body has about how much, what and when to eat. When you listen to your body, it will tell you EXACTLY what it needs!

So far I've lost a little weight and it continues to come off slowly. But, that is okay with me because I have found a way to eat and a way to live that I know will last me for a lifetime!

This book is one of those best kept secrets. I was amazed at the amount of info in this book. For anyone who has ever dieted and lost, this book is for you -- I mean it really is. I have battled weight gain for many years, and this is the first book that told me to master my hunger cravings. I am one of those people who often goes all day without eating, because as soon as I do, I cannot stop. Something kicks in and then I become a eating machine. This book stops that cycle permanently, and frees oneself of the curse.

I purchased this book a few months ago, along with the workbook, at the advice of my family doctor. I was very resistant to the idea of this program, but am glad I gave it a chance. The book is well written, easy to follow, and just makes sense. So far, I'm down 15 lbs. No diets have worked for me, but this truly is not a diet, its not even just about food - its about life. Make this your first choice, not your last go to when you can't do anything else.

I found this gem of a book while searching for another title. I read the positive reviews and thought that I should order the book. Why was I searching for a "diet" book? I lost about 55 pounds with an international (points driven) weight-loss plan and promptly begin gaining the weight back (about 25lbs to be exact). Wanting to avoid the lose-weight/gain weight back cycle, I realized that the program I was on did not really teach me how to eat. I could easily count points but the program did not teach me how to resolve my emotional eating issues. I needed a better solution. Hence my search and subsequent purchase of this wonderful book.

The book is easy to read and I will have it finished within a week. I applied the skills as I learned about them and have already lost 5lbs during my first reading. The book explains how to eat and each chapter focuses also on eating healthy (without telling you what to eat) and exercise. It is a comprehensive program that is different than any other "diet" book I have read prior.

While waiting for the book to be delivered to my home, I thought about returning to the "points" program but decided to wait until I receive this book in the mail. I am glad I did because now I feel asthough I can begin to live my life to the fullest because food no longer controls me because "Am I Hungry" puts ME in charge and not a set of rules from an outside authority.

What I hated most about overeating is that the habit caused me to be "out of myself" because my mind was occupied with thoughts about feeling uncomfortable in my clothes, guilt over what I just eat, thinking about what I was going to eat next and mentally beating myself up because I hadn't exercised in weeks. The "real me" couldn't shine forth because of my pre-occupation with eating, losing weight and hoping that no one was noticing the pounds I was packing back on. What a waste of time and energy !! Chapter 8 of the book, "Where Does My Energy Go?" resonated with me and is worth the price of the book alone. Consequently, my thoughts are freed-up because I am longer thinking about food all the time and I am able to devote my "full self" to other areas of my life. This IS freedom!!!

I have been blessed to find this book and also work with someone that is a Instinctive Eater. I often wondered how my co-worker could eat only part of the company paid lunch and leave the rest while I has devouring everything in sight. As I read, "Am I Hungry", I totally understand how and WHY he does it!!!

This book as been very liberating for me and I have read other diet books that claim to be the "only diet book you'll need", well "Am I Hungry" truely is the last "diet" book that any overeater or restrictive eater will need. In fact, it really isn't a diet book at all. Purchasing "Am I Hungry" is money well spent!

This is my favourite Jeeves & Wooster story yet. The story had me laughing out loud; a bit annoying for my wife trying to work nearby. This is a great story and a handsomely bound, affordable book from Overlook.

This has to be among the best of Wodehouse. As so many other reviewers have remarked, the novel has a fluid feel to it; total and complete chaos. Starting with an ominous phone call from Aunt Dahlia, Bertie jumps from bowl to bowl constantly in the soup.

I loved the quotes from this book, on things being gruntled and what not. The characters are also amazing. Sir Watkyn Bassett, the treacly Madeleine, with Spode running after Bertie wanting to break his bones, the dog Bartholomew (this was perhaps one place where I almost laughed out loud) which terrorizes Bertie and Jeeves when (I think) they have to take shelter on top of the cupboard-Bertie goes to great lengths introducing this terrier. The moment is when they throw a candle at Bartholomew and it eats it.

The cow creamer plays no small part in the plot. It is a hideous silver jug that uncle Tom collects. Aunt Dahlia wants Bertie to 'sneer' at it by saying that its modern dutch, which might lower its value, apparently.

There is also Stephanie Byng and stinker Pinker who constantly trips over things. And constable dobbs, Aunt Dahlia herself, and Gussie Fink Nottle. There couldn't have been a more ridiculous set of characters than here.

This,and perhaps some of the Pig books (Pigs have wings, and Summer Lightning come readily to mind). I wish the world were as nice as that depicted by Wodehouse.

Believe it or not, I am 74 years old and had never read
about the trials and tribulations Jeeves put up with
Bertie Wooster. I have never laughed so much in my life.
I am now going to get my hands on every word P.G. Wodehouse
ever wrote. I truly would have loved to meet the man.

The Code of the Woosters, by the inimitable P. G. Wodehouse, is a fun and enjoyable romp with Bertie Wooster and his Man Jeeves. This novel features numerous plotlines, including but not limited to, the battle over a cow creamer, a lost notebook, romantic entanglements, the theft of a policeman's helmet, a potential jail sentence for Bertie, a dictator, and more romantic entanglements. Each plotline is brought to a conclusion by the brilliance of "Plum" the excellent English humorist. The book is full of hilarious one liners and brilliant wit. Amazingly, this novel was first published in 1938, yet it is still full of timely situations.

This novel of classic comedy introduces us to Totleigh Towers and its owner, Sir Watkin Bassett. Several memorable mainstay characters are in this book including Gussie Fink-Nottle, Aunt Dahlia, Madeline Bassett, and Stiffy Bing. Any journey taken with Wooster and Jeeves is time well spent. This classic series endures because the characters are wonderful and memorable. A 5 star fun-filled romp.

An early critic of P.G. Wodehouse complained that his second book was identical to his first, only the character names had changed. In response, Wodehouse resolved to continue writing identical stories, but to keep his character names the same. And so, The Code of the Woosters is nearly identical to all other Jeeves and Wooster novels; Bertie gets into a sticky situation, inadvertently makes things worse, and is ultimately rescued by Jeeves. Could any one of them possibly be any good if they are all so unoriginal? Yes. In fact, they are all excellent. How? Wodehouse was a genius; reading any one of his books will prove it to you. His characters are unforgettable. His narrative is brilliant. Above all, his books are hilarious, and The Code of the Woosters is one of his finest.

Betram (Bertie) Wooster, a lazy, bumbling (but well meaning!) gentleman living in Britain during the early 1900's, is pressured by his aunt Dahlia to steal a cow-shaped milk creamer from Sir Watkyn Bassett, a magistrate who once fined Bertie five `quid' for `pinching' a policeman's helmet. The task is made complicated by the presence of Roderick Spode, the amateur dictator who founded `the black shorts' and who is a friend of Sir Watkyn; Spode is watching Bertie like a hawk and threatens to break his neck if he sees Bertie so much as glance at the cow-creamer. Things go downhill when Gussie Fink-Nottle (a newt fancying friend of Bertie's) suffers a snag with his engagement to Madeline Basset (a dreamy girl who holds opinions like `the stars are God's daisy chain,' and who thinks that Bertie is madly in love with her). Bertie rushes to patch things up between them, but nearly becomes engaged to Madeline himself. In the end, only Jeeves, Bertie's brilliant, (almost) all-knowing manservant, can guide Bertie out of these troubled waters.

If you aren't familiar with P.G. Wodehouse's dynamic duo, you owe it to yourself to read this book. I guarantee you won't be able to stop laughing. Nearly every line is comical. The narration itself (the story is told by Bertie) is positively hilarious. And so, I give The Code of the Woosters the highest marks I can!

Having worked in the alternative health industry for 12 years, and studied it for 17 years, I read the book having been on a similar journey as the author's. His is a very unique telling of such a tale. The first time I read the book when it was first published, I didn't agree with or understand some of his points on health or the way he was presenting them, but experience has shown me more clarity.
His is not a 'how-to' instruction book, and he gives clear reasons for why it is so. His is rather a book on his own ideas, and someone following in his footsteps will have different experiences and find different truths working for them.
And his insigts into why he still experiences physical discomforts provides great words for dealing with those types of questions one on this journey encounters from those outside.
And ordering it from Amazon is a great idea. [...]

Having now dealt with cancer in my family three times over, I was curious to read other literature about others who have dealt with cancer. My uncle currently underwent a new form of prostate cancer treatment, and is doing very well. What I find interesting is my uncle probably lives as close to Mr. Benedict's way of living, and has throughout his whole life. That did not prevent cancer. That did not cure it.

I am a daughter of a research scientist. I am a country girl and work with horses/ride/train/compete. I am also a writer(when I have a free moment). I like to think of things, read things, expand my knowledge. Knowledge is key to curing anything. The more you know, the more you can fight something.

I've watched my stepfather die of a radical cancer in short of three weeks, at the ripe age of fifty(dying on Christmas day. A rare blood cancer). He never even knew he had it. He was highly atheletic, ate healthy, never smoked. He still died.

When writing a book, I feel an author does have a certain responsibility to the public in showing a balance of information to the reader. This is the only place I found this book lacking. It was very one sided. If you eat a certain way = bad. I don't disagree with the theorires of Mr Benedict, but rather the lack of other information available out there. Truth be told, doctors CAN help patients. Patients can help themselves. There can be a yin and yang of both.

My grandfather just passed away at 93 years of age. He ate beef and eggs daily. He never smoked, was physically active his whole life, and stayed that way until his mid eighties.(perhaps because he had a vacation home in New Hampshire and retired there was part of that well-being? I've often felt of New Hampshire as a healing place and loved visiting there my whole life!)

What worries me about this book are some of the medical goings on in mr Benedicts life, and his lack of concern to reporting to a medical practitioner. There are many medical reasons of what was happening to him, not just mediphysical(excuse spelling, not my strong point).

Fact---your body will metabolize food eatten. It does not stay in your system longer than your body is able to eliminate it. There fore, the problems given(physical) were more likely due to stress, life style and other things(I believe Mr Benedict smokes cigars. Sorry, but right there, I Can give you a million reasons for why that could cause every ailment given).

HOWEVER, I am not dissing this book because I believe in it's message. HEALTHY living is key to being healthy. Enjoying your life, living your dreams, and making sure you eat a balanced diet and exercise. This is a key component that is ever disolving in today's life for kids. Childhood obesity and diabetes is on the rise, and you can thank fast food chains and their super-sized meals for that. While I do have to eat on the go with my job, I do not eat at those fast food places...the mere sight of them make me ill. When I do go with friends, and they grab a bite there, I am amazed at the portions now from when I was a child.

There are many pearls of wisdom in the book---do not fear. Many revelations that only a truly deep hearted person would want to share, and share he does--with his heart and soul. That's a GOOD thing, and so rare these days. People seem to want to profess something only if it benefits them. I did not see that in this book at all. I saw someone who went through something so huge and so overwhelming, he wanted to share that. That is to be commended.

In the end, what Mr Benedict is saying, and what I also believe in is live a healthy life. Eat right, exercise and above all else, enjoy and don't lose sight of your dreams.

I read the book, and I fell in love with it, and I hope that everyone would take their health seriously, and I hope that if someone you know is getting into health, please give them the book, it's a bible to the health-concious people everywhere, so please do take some of the things that Mr. Benedict is saying, it might save your life someday.

I believed in what Mr. Benedict is saying, and I hope that every one is taking their health seriously, and if someone is in trouble or confused with health, give them the book, if you do that you will be make making a great investment, people should take actors who have been through hell serious enough.

This is an excellent book. Dirk is an excellent author. This was the quickest read of non-fiction I have had in years. It is great getting a point of view of others, especially, when they write in a down-to-earth style you can understand. Dirk seems to be that kind of guy.

If you are looking for a bit-by-bit blow from Battlestar Galactica or the A-Team...forget it. He only tells us a little about his work. I wish he would have written more because the few parts there were a great read.

This book is mainly about how Dirk fought cancer using macrobiotics. After reading this book I am not a convert, but I learned a lot. I learned that I and most Americans need to greatly reduce our intake of fatty meat and triple our intake of good vegetables. More veggies, a balanced diet and less caffeine and alcohol all lead to a healthier person.

I do not totally agree with him on his views on modern medicine. Yes, there are many quacks out there who think that they can solve any problem you have with a pill, you get addicted to that pill and then you're hooked. But evidence shows that we are living longer today despite our intake of unhealthy food. I think we can thank some doctors and scientists for that.

For me, the power of this book was the fact that Dirk took control of his life that, to him, seemed out of control. And it does seem like his method helped beat his disease.

I hope we have more offerings from Dirk, not only on the screen, but more literary works as well.

It seems that the cruise companies have started hiring again for the new season and I was lucky enough to secure a job with Celebrity cruises. The book guided me step-by-step. At the end all, I have to do is to pack my luggage after 4 weeks. Get it and succeed as well.

If you are serious about getting a cruise ship job you would be serious about buying this book

I just received a notification that from the beginning of the next year I will work with Royal Caribbean. I am very, very happy. This has been a dream for so many years and now it will become reality thanks to Cruise Ship Job in 14 Days. It is a great book and it showed me exactly how to research this company and win the hiring manager.

For a humble, shy girl like me has always been a dream to sail the seas and see many exotic places. Now thanks to this in-depth, professional-grade book I am holding in my hands a contract from Royal Caribbean with $3,000 net tax-free salary. I highly recommend this outstanding book to everyone who wants to make their dream about working on cruise ship reality!

I was impressed from this author and his book, which established itself as the Gold Standard in applying for cruise ship employment.

The Cruise Lines International Association which I chair includes 24 of the major cruise lines. Our objective is to raise awareness about the cruise experience. If you are interested in getting a cruise ship job now, there are excellent opportunities because since 1970 and especially in the recent years the cruise industry achieved annual growth of 1,500%! We all at the International Association do our best to keep this growth. Furthermore, we make sure that the quality and standards of service also keep on getting higher.

All the best in getting an exciting, challenging, yet very rewarding cruise ship employment.

Robert Sharak
Executive Director and Vice President, Marketing and Business Development
Cruise Lines International Association

There is an enormous amount of negative energy in the world today. Those that choose not to fall into this trap, rise to the top at an exponential rate. Any fool can condemn, critize, and complain, and most fools do. This book highlights the effects of positive energy and is enjoyable to read. So good, I encouraged my wife to read it and we have had several discussion around its topics.

This book is worth your $$$ and time to read. It was a fun, easy to read story with an amazing message.

The Energy Bus is a book I would recommend to everyone. I would love to see it required reading even at the high school level and weveryone in the business world should read it. It might make some teens rethink their life goals or think about their life goals. very easy reading for anyone over 14 years old.

This book was recommended by several collegues at a recent convention. I read it in one sitting. There is so much usable information in this book! When I went back thru it, to highlight the key items, I ended up highlighting something on almost every page. Buy the book and jump on The Energy Bus.

Very good simple basic rules for work, life and family. Is a good easy read.

I got this book for a graduate class I am taking in immunology; although, I didn't really need it, it was helpful.

I am a 2nd year medical student and I used this book to pre-read before my immunology lectures. This book explains everything with the right amount of detail. The author takes difficult concepts and clarifies them without oversimplifying concepts. This book clarifies difficult concepts that immunology textbooks are horrible at explaining.

I'm a first year vet student and have read this text over the summer to get my feet wet. Excellent. Its just enough to explain the real mechanisms of specific cells and immune functioning. I would highly recommend as this text gives a thorough explanation to very difficult material.

For someone with no immunology background this is a great place to start. I wish I'd known about this book before taking immunology in medical school. It is short enough and such engaging writing that I'd strongly recommend reading it before taking an immunology course. This book isn't going to be one you go to for specifics about this receptor or that cytokine it's all about understanding how all the parts fit together.

This is one of the best books I have read in Medicine, for its ease and information. It stimulates you to go and read more.

You CAN let your kids read it TOO! I'm an engineer and this book is full of stuff I now use at work - really. My eight year old doesn't have the attention span to get through a section, YET.

My husband loves to learn about how things work. The title of the book told me this was just the book for him.

*Keep It Short and Simple.

If you doubt that technical information can be short and simple, read this book. It was written for anyone old enough to read well, and especially designed for those who find technology intimidating. It not only provides comprehensive descriptions of the way hundreds of machines and devices work, but also gives explanations of the scientific principles behind each. The book makes liberal, effective use of graphic diagrams, and describes most of the machines and devices in 200 to 300 words on 1 or 2 pages.

This is a great book. It breaks down complicated concepts into simple principles that a child can understand. A good start for budding engineers.

Put these four things together--ingenuity, imagination, depictions, diagrams-- and you have a double ID toward understanding how things work. David Macaulay and Neil Ardley put together a magnificent volume for children and children at heart containing a way of understanding the laws of physics and mechanics.

The first illustration even shows God busy creating the rotation of the earth. Then they go to the earth where wooly mammoths lived and pick up one to take us through the history of mechanics, machines, and the like. Dozens of movements in five sections: waves, electricity, automation, digital domain, and machines show us just how easy these things are to understand done in drawerings.

Just as in child's play, there is no seeming order to the arrangement of items in the book. For example here are a few pages next to each other: vacuum cleaners, aqualungs or oxygen tanks, the toilet tank, the water meter, dishwasher, spray nozzle, fire extinguisher. Are you seeing an order? Yes, so am I.

Flipping over a hundred pages, I find the jet engine, rocket engines, nuclear power, nuclear weapons, fallout, nuclear reactor. OK, a definite pattern. Another hundred pages show these topics: movie camera, movie projector, printing, paper making, printing plate, printing press, bookbinding. More discernible order and logical arrangement.

One last check: scanner, bits and bytes, flash memory, magnetic storage, microchip, processor, software. We know where we are and recognize the order--a computer and its parts.

This reviewer has a suggestion for the reader. Once you have this book in hand, take it home, take it out every night and read a comfortable number of pages. If you have a child, read one page, discuss it, put this one away and take out a night-night book to read. If this is just your book, read several pages. By the time you have finished the book, you will have added dozens of operating systems to the computer banks in your own brain, making your child and/or yourself an expert in the way things work.

Wade Davis is a lyrical writer and an accomplished scientist. This account of enthobotanists studying the amazing properties of plants and the way they are used by indigenous people is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. Into the already-dense tapestry of medicinal, psychotropic, and industrial uses of plants he weaves fascinating details about the lives of several other brilliant and eccentric botanists, the administrative debacle of the U.S. government's rubber policy during WWII, the extraordinary lifestyles, religion and mythology of the tribes he encounters, the history of the missionaries, the cultural and nutritional significance of coca and the saga of its commercial exploitation, and the brutal history of the Spanish conquest. Add to this the sheer logistical difficulties of working in the remote rain forest -- the washed out roads, unusual diseases and parasites, harrowing plane rides, etc. -- that he, and especially his predecessors endured, and the book reads like a nail-biter adventure story. Left me with an overwhelming sense of awe as well as regret for the wonders that exist and those that have been lost.

It was in better condition than I expected (it was used). The cover isn't bent at all - it doesn't look like it's been read.

'One River' is full of great stories and anecdotes as well as a sense of place and time that are unforgettable. I'm giving it four stars for reasons stated below and so won't focus on the positives which have already been so well covered by many reviewers. These are fairly minor quibbles in an otherwise good book.

Stylistically, the narrative doesn't always flow well. Wade presents the life of the books central character, Richard Schultes, in some sort of chronological order, but interjects anecdotal stories out of order requiring the reader to have a good memory to keep everything straight. This is a long detail-rich book with 1000s of people and place names covering about a 150 year timespan from the Amazon Jungle, to the Andes to Central America and the American West.

The amount of detail is at times excessive, in particular with place names and locations, Wade sometimes spends as much time describing where a place is (a 50 person village in the jungle) as he does about the place itself before moving on to the next place - it feels like a rote travel log at times, probably because he used Schultes private botany journals as one source. There is so much detail it sometimes crowds out the big picture, lost in the trees. I think the book could have been edited back 100 pages or so, there is just a lot of material that is pure anecdote or trivia.

Finally and probably most importantly, as a life of Richard Schultes, this is pure hagiography. He is the hero of the story in all respects. Perhaps hagiography is helpful in motivating students to become scientists, but it is not a balanced objective biography, it is a tribute by one of his admiring students, Wade plays up Schultes accomplishments but does not question or examine his failures. For example, Schultes spent the majority of his career in the Amazon studying the rubber tree and became the world expert, yet he never did complete a book about it, what a tragic loss. I don't mean to disparage Schultes, but given his stature and reputation, the lack of any criticism naturally draws the question Wade never asks. The book was written in 1996 and Shultes died in 2001 so with time we may see a more balanced perspective.

This amazing book tracks the young career of National Geographic Researcher in Residence Wade Davis as well as the life of Prof. Richard Schulties, who was probably the best ethnobotanist the world has ever seen. Davis' task was difficult because Schulties kept no journals or logs of his travels. When he could, Davis interviewed Schulties whose failing mind made the process difficult. Davis also examined data and locality labels on herbarium (plant) specimens Schulties collected during his long career at Harvard University. What emerges is an in-depth look at Schulties' 12 years of exploration along remote rivers of South America in search of new and improved rubber-producing trees. This book provides a fascinating view of the scientific career of Schulties, from undergraduate student to career end, as well as vivid descriptions of travels in interior S. America. It is the most interesting book of explorations in South America that I have read. It also describes the lives of peoples untouched by western civilization; the health benefits of chewing coca leaves; the plague of aids; and the fragility of the world's rubber industry. Great book!

I actually teared up at the end of this book, not something I expected from a book about ethnobotany. At the end of the reading I had learned about the lives of researchers in such exquisit detail that I lived along side of them. This book is nearly perfect, much better than even the rave recommendation from some very respected friends. It's possible that there will never be anyone who will have the knowledge from experience that Richard Shultes had aquired in South America and that alone makes this book very rich, yet added to his story are the experiences of Davis and Dr. Plowman two researchers that also immerse themselves deeply into the Andes, the llanos, and the Amazon to learn about the forests, the people and the use of medicinal and psychoactive plants.

This is a long book, nearly 500 pages and is a serious commitment but well worth it as you will not experience anything quite like it unless Davis's other book is better (I have not read it yet). I only have a few complaints about the book and those are regarding omissions in some available photographs that Davis mentions in the end and a lack of maps for much of the area covered in the book. There is one small map on page 125 that shows the route of travels but it is too small and difficult to use. I resorted to a copy of International Travel Maps - South America North West to see the detail that I needed as I followed the travels of Schutes, Davis and Plowman.

Davis is an excellent writer and he has a way of conveying a sensitivity to the lives of all that he encounters. That along with his insight into the cultures that he experiences and the knowledge and history that he brings into this makes it a unique, rich read.

There are prayers for everything you could possible face in your life! I, first, received this book as a gift from my mother when I was facing an illness. I let my friend borrow mine, who was facing loneliness, and she loved the many other prayers so I bought her the book. My husband and I are expecting a baby and we pray the prayer for our unborn child very often. This is a great gift to give and receive!

This book has beautiful prayers for every area of life. I find this book a great help in meeting my specific prayer needs. These prayers help usher you into the presence of God. A great prayer book.

This book is very helpful in learning how to pray. Actually praying is just speaking to God and then I find it very helpful to actually go to the Bible in the Psalms and find a Psalm that is a praise & worship prayer to our Father in heaven. By the way, this is the 3rd book that I have purchased and given away to friends in need of prayer - they do not know how to pray. I like this book very much. It is a great help to get started with prayer. I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I do.

This books shows you how to pray God's word over any situation you are going through. I always felt God's presence when I reminded Him of what His word said about the sitatuation. I have learned to pray more boldly and with confidence when I learned to pray according to His Word.

My friend let me borrow hers because I was going through some things at work. I want to buy my whole family one now.