T Books

The Guide to IT Contracting is essential reading both for those who are thinking of getting into the field and those who are already contractors. Although it is primarily aimed at the UK market, US contractors will find it invaluable as well. The text covers the full range of topics in terms of the business, from moving yourself out of "permie" - permanent employee - status to full-time contracting, writing an effective resume, securing contracts, selecting and hiring an accountant, what to do in case of litigation, paying taxes, offshore and foreign contracting, money management, securing benefits like health and life insurance, saving for retirement, and upgrading your IT skills. What makes this book different from the rest is its additional focus on the personal side of things: coping with the loneliness of working on your own, avoiding "geeky" behavior, handling personal relationships with clients, dealing with racism and other prejudices, even handling pregnancy and childcare. The appendices contain useful listings of "Friendly Societies" for those in the United Kingdom, Risks Investment Tables, and IT Certifications.

Samuel Blankson must have taken his own advice-psychological, motivational, inspirational-when he wrote his guidebook. If you have glanced through the reviews posted here, you know what you are getting when you purchase this book is thorough and comprehensive. And, yes, as has also been noted, much of Mr. Blankson's guidance can be generalized across contracting businesses other than IT. It would be challenging, however, to come up with an area related to IT contracting that is not covered in depth or touched upon: from IT and interpersonal skills to IT training; running a business and dealing with finances to goal-setting; interviewing to dealing with a range of on-the-job scenarios, and much more. Mr. Blankson's wry humour and writing style make for an easy read.
There are literally scores of links and references for research and useful information in every area covered.
The only drawback to the current edition is that much of the specific and detailed business information, such as comparative wages and incomes, tax and insurance facts, etc., is specific to the UK. An edition translating charts, tables and numbers for US consumers would be helpful.
That being said, even with acronyms and taxes and wages in UK-speak and pounds rather than dollars, the book still flies as exactly as the title states: a guide to IT contracting. Only the "comprehensive" is missing.

While reading this book ... the phase "Everything you always wanted to know" came to mind ... well Samuel Blankson as done it. He has put together all the information a novice IT professional needs but seldom get in school.

If you are somewhat wary of the uncertainties, even do-ability, in your current job, this book is definitely for you. Before this, I've always envied people who has the security of a full-time job. But now, let's just say I'm no longer averse to the idea of not being one of those "permies". This book opens your eyes to the reality of workforce, resources, do's and don't's, pros and cons; providing a step-by-step guide that is not only useful to the IT market followers but also to general public.

One thing that I extracted from this book that can be applied across all areas is flexibility, and its deep sense of belief. Thank you, Samuel.

This is a very extensive guide to IT contracting which covers pretty much everything you need to know about this business field. The technical, legal and financial aspects are explained clearly and in detail and are essential to this type of guides, although I found the "motivational" part of the book less relevant and at times containing some questionable advice.

I have read many of John McPhee's works. They are all excellent and captivating. He writes on so many subjects, it is amazing that they are all great. No wonder he teaches at Princeton, or did as I remember.

My wife gave me this book in 1978, and I devoured it in one evening. I have since been all over the world, and no matter where I go, the pines are always the reference point for me. My teen years were spent in the pines, with my good friend Tom, where we would travel its dirt roads, canoe its streams and fish its lakes, and hike its trails and roads. Mr. McPhee weaves a story that is so true, so historically rich, and for me, so reminiscent of the years of my youth. Please read this book, and then go and make your own memories.

This time John McPhee turns his hand to one of those
anomalous natural treasures that has survived in
spite of intense urbanization. The Pine Barrens are
two-thirds of a million acres-an area the size of
Yosemite that sit beside a major artery of the most
developed region in the country. With the New Jersey
Turnpike to the west and bustling, chintzy Atlantic
City to the East, it's hard to imagine that this great,
weird wilderness could be so little known.

McPhee is the perfect guide to the Pines. He is as
sensitive to the natural history as he is to the
culture. He has a sympathetic ear for both the natives
and the outsiders who wander in from time to time. He's
a writer who can focus on a detail-a threatened fern or
the quality of water and then pull back to the big picture.

A thoroughly entertaining book.


--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the novel bang BANG. ISBN 9781601640005

Those of us from the Northeast know that wilderness can be found if you're willing to hit the road and search for it, and also that it's precious and worth protecting from the onslaught of industry and sprawl. But even those familiar with the region's wilderness offerings will be surprised by the natural bounty and remoteness of New Jersey's Pine Barrens area. The masterful essayist John McPhee published this travelogue and study of the area back in 1967, when the depths of the Pine Barrens still offered genuine seclusion form the outside world, with hardy folks still living off the land by picking berries or making charcoal. And this beautiful area was surrounded on all sides by the most urbanized and industrialized blight on Earth. Things aren't quite so rustic there anymore, but reading McPhee's engaging treatise on the area should make modern folks wish to both visit the Pine Barrens area as a valuable slice of nature, and to protect it as a precious and dwindling resource. That's what makes this short but lovable book from the great McPhee a timeless classic for nature lovers. [~doomsdayer520~]

I'll keep this short and sweet: McPhee's The Pine Barrens is an entirely outstanding, fascinating look at the unique area that is the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. McPhee covers Piney culture, the unique ecological nature of the region, its history, and its hidden treasures. The writing is poetic and rich, the people interesting, and the information detailed, thorough and never dull. A really great read that anyone living in NJ should get.

After graduating from film school, I had no idea how to start my career as a writer in the film industry. "The Writer Got Screwed" not only showed my how to start my career, but showed me the different kind of careers which exist for Writers in the Entertainment Industry. Most books don't explain what WRITERS working in the entertainment industry need to know: THIS BOOK DOES. If you want to work in the legal department of a studio, take classes in copyright and contracts. If you want to work as a writer in the entertainment industry, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.

Very few books explain how to start your career, the different forms of representation (agents, managers, and attorneys), how to protect your work (copyright registration vs. registering with the WGA), how to protect yourself (contracts-what do they mean?) and give lists of available resources (scholarships, WGA approved agencies, production companies, legal resouces/attorneys) for writers working within the entertainment industry--"The Writer Got Screwed" delivers on all of these areas. Whether you are working in film, television, feature animation, soap operas, or interactive, "The Writer Got Screwed" provides interviews with writers who work in these areas and valuable, RARELY FOUND, information regarding how these started their careers. This book is a terrific, must-have book for anyone who wants to write for the entertainment industry, and now is joined by a companion website at [...].

This book is one of those needles in a hay stack. It's not out there like all the other books for writers. But if you find it... you have found gold. It is written so that it is easy to understand and has tons of great information in it. A must have.

There are a lot of books out there on writing for the entertainment industry, but this was the one book that got me started. A lot of writers tend to pass around gossip and poor information, but this book set me straight from the beginning, and is now joined by Wharton's website/blog: brookewharton.com(rated in top 10 for film blogs). This is the one book that anyone writing for film or television should START WITH. I'm mystified by a previous reviewer who said that Wharton doesn't talk about the WGA (there's a whole chapter on the guild), and also that she doesn't discuss acquisitions vs. development (it's called spec sales vs. assignments in the 1st 10 pages of the chapter on writing for film). Clearly this person couldn't have read the book. If you need real answers, buy the book.

Given all the 5 star ratings, I expected better. Not that this isn't a good book, but it depends on the reader's sophistication. If you don't know anything about some of the basic legal and business aspects of the publishing biz, this book is a good start. On the other hand, if you're a detail oriented person who really wants to dig in deep into this subject, you may find the content a bit light.

This is the third Telushkin book I have read, and I am not disappointed. The book is not merely a summary of the key events in the Tanach. Telushkin breaks down the events into easily digestable nuggets. This approach allows Telushkin to provide suprising depth of anaylsis, drawing from both Talmudic and medieval commentaries, as well as more modern Rabbinic scholarship. Reading this book is a very enriching experience that inspires the reader to study further.

I've seen the Hebrew Bible explained by true believers of several kinds, or critics of various sorts. But never have I seen it examined with such open curiosity. With Rabbi Telushkin as a guide, I was struck as never before by the Bible's painful honesty. It faithfully records the pain of inhumanity and the cost of each moral victory. But I seem to need an unblinking guide like Telushkin to really expose this.

The book takes three passes through the Hebrew Bible. First Telushkin highlights people and events. Then he explores the development of values and ideas. Third he details the rise of Jewish law through the Torah. I want to give quotes from two of these sections.

In examining Genesis 22, Telushkin considers how Isaac and Sarah felt about Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son:

"Does he [Isaac] have trouble trusting his father after this incident? Or trusting God?

And then there is Sarah. The woman has waited almost her entire life to have a child, and Isaac's birth was her supreme joy. Yet her name is not mentioned once in this chapter. How does she react when she hears what happened? Do Abraham and Isaac tell her, or do they make a pact to keep the incident secret?

Again, we do not know, although the late Rabbi Abraham Chen points out a peculiar, seldom noted detail in the text. When Abraham returns from his trip, the Bible notes that he stays in Beersheva. Yet the second verse in the next chapter (Genesis 23:2) records that Sahah died in Kiryat Arba, and that Abraham came there to mourn for her. Although the text never explicitly says so, the implication is that Abraham and Sarah were living apart when she died. If so, did Sarah move away from him when she heard what Abraham had almost done?" (p. 41)

Concerning the development of values in the Bible story, we have this concerning the problem of theft:

"... The Bible's primary concern, however, is with aiding the victim. The first demand it makes of a theif is that he return the stolen goods to the victim. In addition, the theif is to be punished with a hundred percent fine, payable to the victim, not the state (Exodus 22:3). ... It is evident that biblical law is primarily concerned not with punishment of the thief, but with gaining restitution for the victim." (p. 447-448)

If you are looking to know more about Judaism one of your best investments is to buy any book written by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin. Especially, "Jewish Literacy" and "Biblical Literacy" because both of these books have all the essential information about pretty much everything and they are great reference to have in your library once you are done reading them for the first time.

They are both easy to read with short chapters and you can read them front-to-back and back-to-front. Both books are great start up books for Judaism and they will make you crave for further reading as suggested in the chapters. They are both AWESOME guides to further study. Reading them you will know the essential on each subject and from there you can take your studies in any direction.

These books are addictive and once you start reading them you are going to be hooked! That is what happened to me. :-)

"Jewish Literacy" starts with an explanation of the Jewish texts and it covers topics chronologically from Genesis to current events. The chapters in "Biblical Literary" will go more in depth about the Torah and Tanach which is already covered, with less detail, in "Jewish Literacy".

Both of these books are the best introduction to Judaism books you can buy today.

This book contains summaries and explanations of the major Biblical stories. It describes the major ideas events and people of what the Christian world calls ' The Old Testament ' and the Jewish world calls " Tannach". It is done with great intelligence, insight and balanced wisdom.
But it is best used as supplement, as a tool for better understanding problematic passages and readings.
It can in no way compare to the Biblical text itself , and the effort at reading and understanding it.
This book is written in clear explicatory prose, and is filled with information.
"Tannach" itself is a poetic document in the deepest sense. It is one that reverberates with meanings , one which demands reading and rereading of to be understood.
If the reading of this particular text can be thought of as a kind of study, the reading of Tannach is study and much more than that.
Again if anyone believes that by reading this work they will understand and know the reading of Tannach, they are mistaken. This is a book of information and insight, a highly valuable one but it should be a supplement and not a substitute for the real thing.

Ok.. So I am a little biased, being that I am Jewish, but I do believe that most would agree. This book presents the "important" aspects of the "Hebrew Bible" with Telushkin's use of excellent language. I have tried other Biblical interpretations from various Rabbis and have often found myself creeping into a steady decline to sleepy-land. But this book is an exception! I have read the author's other works and decided to give this one a try (despite the 700 page factor being a mild intimidation). This book ultimately has lead me to appreciate my Jewishness. Thanks Rabbi Telushkin!

This a great collection of poems from the past! If you enjoy whimsy, this is for you!

with eliot, a maximum of content is achieved through a FORM worked with a
care and conciousness not seen perhaps since the greeks. he understood,
as he once wrote, that the novel form ended with flaubert. in the centuries after picasso and stravinsky there is no place for anything in
literature which makes people remain sitting, whithout standing and perhaps dancing. the same thing could be said about pound, very different though very twin.

The Eliot of despair, the Eliot of 'Prufrock' and 'Wasteland' is contended with and overcome by the Eliot of the 'Quartets'. The message of modern mankind's meaninglessness, the broken fragments ( of Tradition) shored against his ruin is replaced by the vision of sacred turning, a Christian vision of redemption. Eliot is a writer whose work and life break down into these two distinct periods each of which has its champions in defining what is best in him.
As one raised on 'April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land' and 'Let us go then you and I when the evening is spread out against the sky, like a patient etherized upon a table' the most memorable lines are certainly of the first phase where it ends not with a bang but with a whimper.
Yet my admiration for the hypnotic power of Eliot's memorable lines is strongly qualified by my knowledge of his 'Burbank with a Baedaker, and Bluestein with a Cigar' with his all too fashionable literary anti- Semitism. Of course Eliot was not preaching death camps and extermination but he did connect his work to the tradition of Christian Anti- Semitism.
Thus I have always had difficulty being comfortable with my 'enjoying of Eliot's poetry. And I have never been able to sympathetically read 'The Quartets.' They have always seemed to me to be too impersonal characterless and abstract.
Eliot who for most of the century strode the English Departments as if he were a colossus did noble work in reviving interest in 'The Metaphysicals' but somehow failed in my mind to write a poetry humanly rich in the deepest sense.

When you think of the best poets ever, T.S. Eliot is one of those that comes to mind. His work is well crafted, intelligent, beautifully written, and has a flow to it that few poets can match. And this is a fine collection for the Eliot lover or for the reader unfamiliar with Eliot. It's divided into several sections. The first section is his Prufrock section, poems from 1917, which contains probably his finest poems: "Prufrock", "Preludes" "Rhapsody on a Windy Night", "Hysteria", among others. Then there is the Poems 1920 section which also contains many fine poems ("Sweeney Erect" and "The Hippopotamus" being my favorites). Then follows his masterpiece The Wasteland. Then The Hollow Men which is followed by the wonderful Ash Wednesday. Then the Ariel Poems (which contains "Journey of the Magi"). Then there are two unfinished poems, "Sweeney Agonistes" and "Coriolan" which I thought were weak. Maybe they would have been great had he ever finished them. Then there is a section called minor poems followed by the mediocre "Choruses from 'The Rock.' And then there is what I consider to be his true masterpiece, "Four Quartets." And the book finishes with some occasional verses, one of which is a sweet and touching poem to his wife. This is a great collection of poems.

Yep, this is a great collection of Eliot's works. I initially found out about Eliot throught the Movie 'Apocalypse Now' in which Brando is heard reciting the poem 'The Hollow Men'. The poem sounded so good I hunted it down and came across this little book.

My favourite poems would have to be 'The Hollow Men', 'Love song of Prufrock', 'Ash Wednesday' and 'Rannoch, by Glencoe (perfectly captured, drive through Rannoch and you'll see ;-)

Yep, definetly worth a read.

A nice book, very quick read. Likes, not preachy, not drowning in religion, an actual story with religious ideology interspersed rather than the other way around. Nicely crafted characters, very memorable. I'm not usually a reader of faith based fiction (I didn't even realize it was a faith based book until I was well in to the reading of it). It gives you a lot to think about without making it too hard to chew! I loved the main characters and would snap of a full book about Amos in a moment.

Dislikes, the use of popular, famous people as descriptors. I've read older books that depend on this sort of short hand (say books from the 60's and 70's) and I'm always like "huh?" as I don't get what the author is referring to and it takes me completely out of the story. This device was used throughout the book and unless there is some revision down the line, a lot of it will not be understood by the reader. Even I had a problem knowing some of the current music (country western) references made in the book. But that may sound nit-picky for a book I read completely in one sitting. I truly couldn't put it down!

From the time I picked up this book, I was transported into the main character's world. Begining in the middle of Dylan's tumulultous trial-his wife in a coma and his first child still born-the author weaves a beautiful tale of sorrow, hope, spirituality, and triumph over one's darkest moments. With beautiful settings and heartfelt memories, this is a tale that will inspire for generations! Original story and characters. I give this two thumbs up!

Charles Martin is a captivating author and his approach to his subject is soft but very powerful. I loved the book and was sorry for it to end.

I first read "When Crickets Cry" a few months ago & just finished "The Dead Don't Dance" & "Maggie" this week. His characters are so real, I feel like I am right there with them. Mr. Martin has become my new favorite author, but alas I have read all his books. I hope he writes fast!

I was really looking forward to reading this book. There were a lot of 5 star reviews on it. The plot and the idea behind it seemed good. But I didn't really get his writing style. He uses lots of similes. I didn't have time to picture what he was talking about before he told me exactly what it looked like. It was also very predictable. But the most frustrating thing was...many of the rising actions throughout the book that I thought were meaningful later were hardly mentioned and not given much justice. Then on the opposite end of the spectrum things that I didn't realize mattered were substantial to the character's well being. I just never felt envolved and quite frankly didn't get it.

This is a good book for young women struggling with body image and self-loathing. Those suffering from an eating disorder often feel alone and isolated - this will help them to know that they are not alone. The book sends the message of learning to accept themselves and reject the unattainable quest for perfectionism.

I can't begin to describe my difficulties of growing into the body I am going to have as a woman, but I don't have to because Jessica did it for it for me. There are very few ways to describe how it feels to read "Do I look fat in this?" except to say it's freeing. As I turned the pages I would eat up every word & little by little i could breathe easier.
Jessica is the start of something amazing that i want to be a part of!!

"She wins who calls herself beautiful and challenges the world to change tp truely see her" - Naomi Wolf

I loved Jessica Weiner's books A Very Hungry Girl and Do I Look Fat In This. Therefore, when I saw she had a "new" book out, I immediately ordered it from Amazon without paying attention to details. Please be aware that if you already own Do I Look Fat In This, you do not need to order Life Doesn't Begin 5 Pounds From Now; this is the same book with a different title and a new forward. So now I own two copies of this book with different covers, but I don't mind so much because it is filled with wonderful information for not-slim women like me. Guess I must have needed to re-read it, huh?

If you're tired of dieting, this may be the book for you. Jess's book is a breakthrough experience for anyone who has struggled with self-appearance and self-esteem....and isn't that most of us. She believes that by focusing on what others tell you are your shortcomings-- you miss opportunities to feel connected, sexy and powerful. Whether you're a size 2 , 12 or 22 or beyond-- you can benefit from Jess's words of wisdom. The motivational speaker, author and self-described "actionist" versus Activist...writes in plain English and tosses in some great motivational quotes from famous people and some fun facts about self approval and more. Twelve chapters plus an afterword are included..and the chapters are fun to read-- get this even if you don't have the time to read it-- just scan it and you'll benefit -- I promise...ANyway the chapters range from Decoding the Language of Fat...to the Famous or should I say infamous question most women ask daily "Do I look Fat in This? to "I Feel Fat" to If I were Thinner, He'd Love me" to Thunder Thighs Run in my Family to Ch 6-- I'd be so happy if I looked like a Celebrity to 7) Once I lose some weight..... to 8) All of my Friends are not and I'm not...9) But I'm jsut trying to be healthy to 11) [...] 12) Sorry I don't speak that language. Quizes, roleplaying experiences and fun quizes are interspersed with TAKE ACTION steps...Probably the most important thought though is that YOU CAN"T FEEL FAT -- because fat is not a feeling-- and if you read that section alone (I don't want to steal her thunder with her response to this) ...you'll benefit greatly...AN amazing lady and a fun, easy-to-read book that's great for girls above 12, teens, college chicks and women of any age...great to get this before the holiday parties start! Fun birthday gift...

I have been a psychotherapist for about as long as Jessica has been on the planet and a writer longer than that. From both of these vantage points I applaud this excellent book. Most of all, Jessica is honest and vulnerable in what she has to share and teach and it is that kind of genuine connection that really helps people heal. Buy 2 copies; you'll want to give one away.

I got this book for my friend as a Christmas present and I ended up reading the whole thing before I gave it to her. This book is hilarious how we all seem to function with the same hates on many tiny things.

It's just what you expect to get when you order the product, hilarious. The pages are filled with almost any awkward situation you have ever been in and then some. It's great to pick up and browse through for a few minutes when you want a good laugh.

I was overwhelmed and under pressure the day before Christmas Eve at Barnes & Noble. This seemed funny, but I started to put it back because it was just another one of the many useless gift-y books... but every time I flipped to a random page, I laughed hysterically.

It's just extremely witty and well-written. I've since decided to order more as gifts for friends of mine. These are the things we think but do not say, or sometimes don't even admit to ourselves because they're so obsessive or silly.

Worthwhile, humorous, and entertaining.

This is the only book I've ever read that basically gave me one long continuous laughing attack.

I bought this book for my parents as a Christmas gift and ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting before I gave it to them. It completely cracked me up.

This is a fascinating medical 'thriller', only it's real! it was nearly impossible to stop listening to it and i think anyone who likes medical thrillers or anything related to the medical field, would love this.
The book focuses on prions and their role in disease, especially 'mad cow disease'.

This is a very scary book. The Family that Couldn't Sleep by D. T. Maxd was a very thought provoking study of some of the neurodegenerative diseases that have eluded our understanding. Most of those that the author mentions are truly horrific to the individual who suffers them and to their families. I started my nursing practice on a neurology ward where I encountered many of the maladies the author describes. What was particularly disturbing to me was that years later many of these insidious diseases are as little understood as they were when I first encountered them. The sufferer of ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis--often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease" after the baseball player who died from it--still finds medical science unable to offer much more than they did when it was first described. Huntington's Disease still devastates families that carry the genetic misprint. While the treatment of myasthenia gravis has progressed to some degree, that of Alzheimer's disease (the old organic brain syndrome or pre-senile dementia) and Creutzfeld-Jacab Disease (formerly referred to as Jacob-Creutzfeld's) are still in their infancy. The similarity between the latter disorder and Kuru has been known for years, but understanding and treatment elude us. According to the author, even the prion concept has its detractors. If nothing else the author was certainly able to capture the devastation that such disorders cause their sufferers and their families. In my early practice I met a man who came in with mild neurological symptoms; he received a diagnosis of Huntington's, and within months he became a changed person because of the unrelenting course of his disease. He ultimately ended up in a nursing home, more or less "insane." Worse yet was the fact that both of his children had a 50-50 chance of having the disorder or of passing the disposition on to their own children. The heartbreak of his wife in witnessing his decline and than recognizing the symptoms anew in her son was awful.

By bringing these disorders and the agonies of the sufferers to public attention Max may well spur more intensive research into these many disorders. And it's about time.

The author's lively and even-handed treatment of Stanley Prusiner's research into prions, and Carleton Gajdusek's (Docta America's) field research into a New Guinea tribe's fatal brain ailment is compelling reading. Dr. Prusiner was accused of inflating his own research into neurodegenerative diseases and not giving credit to the scientists, such as Gajdusek, who came before him. An anonymous limerick starts out:

"There was a young turk named Stan/ Who embarked on a devious plan./ `If I simply rename it, I'm sure I can claim it,'/ Said Stan as he pondered his scam..."

Of course the thing he was accused of renaming rather than discovering is the prion (pronounced `pree-on' by Prusiner and `pry-on' by many British scientists). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prions "are proteinaceous infectious particles that lack nucleic acids." The neurodegenerative conditions they cause include Kuru (a fatal condition found in the Fore tribe of Papua New Guinea, that was Gajdusek's area of specialty), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI), and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease (GSS) in humans, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or `mad cow disease') in cattle, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in American deer and elk, and scrapie in sheep.

All of these diseases have long incubation periods but progress rapidly once clinical symptoms begin. They are uniformly fatal. According to the author, two of the reasons that the cause for these diseases was so difficult to discover were (1) their long incubation period; (2) the prion's lack of nucleic acid, i.e. DNA or RNA.

How can something reproduce in our bodies and cause disease if it has no RNA or DNA?

D. T. Max attempts to answer this question with a gripping medical detective story, where the history of prion research is entwined with the fate of an Italian family infected with Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI).

"The Family That Couldn't Sleep" deserves a place on your bookshelf right next to Paul de Kruif's "Microbe Hunters" and Berton Rouche's "Medical Detectives."

This book does a lot to clear up the story of prions, what they are, what they do, how their threat is real. The Italian family who gives the story its title is but one instance of prions affecting human and animal life. The research is impeccable, and particularly interesting is the process by which medical and veterinary sciences came together to begin unraveling the prion mystery. Because, to be accurate, documentation on how livestock has been affected by prion disease had been, until recently, far more complete and detailed than human prion disease.

The author tells the story unemotionally, which is good, but the reading is far from arid or too technical. The human factor -- how scientists competed for the credit, sometimes damaging other professionals' reputations and careers -- makes it even more interesting. All this makes "The Family That Couldn't Sleep" a fundamental work for anyone who wants to understand these proteins better, and also for people curious about the inner workings of scientific research.

You may find yourself staying up all night to finish this fascinating book. Just be glad you don't share the wrong genes with the family of the title.

This account of prion-based spongiform encephelopathic diseases covers a lot of ground: the Italian family of the title suffering from FFI (fatal familial insomnia), the mysterious epidemic of kuru among the Fore tribe of New Guinea, eventually linked to the practice of eating their dead ancestors' brains, the rare genetically transmitted Creuzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD), various animal spongiform encephelopathies, from scrapie in sheep to mad cow disease to chronic wasting disease in deer. All of these diseases share a common feature - they are transmitted by an infectious agent of a kind thought until recently by scientists to be impossible, and the incubation time from infection to manifestation of disease symptoms is remarkably long. The culprits are *prions*, which are a type of rogue protein. The idea that a protein could act as an infectious agent flew completely in the face of scientific received wisdom to date when first introduced and the science underlying this class of degenerative brain diseases is both complex and controversial.

The author's exposition is clear, but ultimately I think he does not do complete justice to the material (which is really fascinating). It may be that his scope is too ambitious - with so much ground to cover, the exposition occasionally lapses into sketchiness. To be fair, there can be no single "right" level of detail that would suit all readers, and D.T. Max generally shows good judgement about what to include to keep the exposition intelligible while moving his story along.

That said, the material related to kuru, cannibalism among the Fore, and the linkage to scrapie, CJD, and mad cow disease has already been presented in the 1998 book by Richard Rhodes, "Deadly Feasts: Tracking The Secrets Of A Terrifying New Plague". I preferred the Rhodes account - his exposition of the science was clearer, and I thought he told a better, tighter story.

However, there's not that much to choose between the two, and Max's book does have the extra material about FFI, which is interesting in its own right. Max does make one misjudgement, in my opinion, which is to include an account of his own illness (he has been diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease which, although it is a neurodegenerative muscular disorder, is neither prion-related nor an amyloid plaque disease). Inclusion of this essentially irrelevant material is a distraction, which just muddies the exposition.

One final criticism is that Max includes an unquestioning discussion of putative geographical "clusters" of CJD cases, based solely on their identification by patients' family members, whom he refers to as "Creutzfeldt Jakobins" (a hideous, tin-ear coinage, which he seems to think is clever). These so-called clusters are almost certainly spurious, based on an incorrect application of the relevant probability models and Max's failure to identify the error detracts from his objectivity as a science writer and contributes to a presentation of disease spread scenarios which are unduly alarmist. The discussion of possible treatment options in the final chapter also struck me as weak, an over-interpretation of what are essentially just anecdotal data. One sees this kind of over-interpretation all the time in the popular press, but I would have expected better from a science writer as experienced as D.T. Max.

However, these are minor criticisms of this well-written account of a fascinating subject.

It was not for me, I've been working for the postal service for seven years, It was a gift for my brother and he raised the score from 78 to 91 by just followig this book tips... The best one in the market as of today.

This book/software package is an ideal purchase for individuals preparing to take the United States Postal Exam 473 & 473-C. The material is not only accurate and up-to-date, it's affordable, easy to follow, and comes with wonderful live customer service! This package takes you from the beginning to the end of this exam. It provides detailed information about each segment, strategies to overcome common obstacles, and finally simulates the actual exam with six practice tests. If you are serious about preparing for this exam, you want this book/software combo! Watch out for fraudulent companies! They are out there, and they will take your money. Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way. The first company (which shall remain nameless in this review to avoid slander) stole my money by twisting the truth and providing me with irrelevant out-of-date material. If it had not been for the discovery of this book/package and Mr. T. W. Parnell's wonderful support team, I would have failed the exam. If you buy this package and follow the steps, you won't regret it! This book contains, "The Right Stuff!"

This book was really easy to follow and I felt really confident before and after my test. I think I had about a week and a half before my test to do this program and it seems just about right.I was so confident as I took the test, I finished with time to spare and went back and double checked myself. I took the test in 2005 and scored very well thanks to the book and computer program. I have had several interviews because I scored so well. I have had some questions along the way and they have been very helpful. The pathfinder people are very nice people to work with and very up up date on all their information. They communicate well and are quick to respond. I think they have many insiders that give them accurate information that the other books seem to not even have a clue on. You cannot go wrong with this. He gives you clues and tips to make it so easy to do. I have been to the library and read through many of the other books out there before I purchase this one. None of them compare to it in information and ease of use. Just buy it you won't be disappointed!

I used the Postal Exam 473 & 473-C Computer-Based Course and did very well on the Postal Exam. The CD-ROM with the test practice exams helped me greatly. One year after taking the Postal Exam, I was selected for employment as a TE City Carrier at a local Post Office. I could not have done as well as I did without this course.

I bought the CD version of New Postal Exam 473 & 473-C Computer-Based Course (Paperback)by T. W. Parnell (Author), Susie Varner (Illustrator), from Amazon.com merchant wadsjk (http://www.amazon.com/shops/wadsjk). This study guide is great. It gives very helpful advice - even though I modified some Mr. Parnell's suggested strategies to suit my way of memorizing.

I bought the version of this book that came with a CD. The CD has a series of lessons (no substitute for reading the book as Mr. Parnell points out). The CD also allows you to simulate a test taking session. It includes instructions for taking the Exam (which are very similar to the real thing) and realistically times you on each part. The tests and answer sheets are in the book.

This Postal Exam is a TIMED TEST. It will be difficult to get through some of the sections of the Exam unless you practice. On one part of the Exam you are to make 60 responses in 6 minutes - 6 seconds per item! I have taken this Exam twice recently - six days apart. Even though I recieved Mr. Parnell's book two days prior to the first time I took the Exam, I completed 58 of the 60 items. Six days later I was able to complete all 60 on a different version of the Exam.

I'm confident the this book helped me score well on this Exam. I hope to update this review after the USPS sends me my scores.