T Books

This book helped me a LOT. The style and writing explain everything clearly, so it is an easy reference for me if I need a quick idea for lunch, or if I need to look up nutrition information. By having this book, it has helped be me able to defend myself when I get questions thrown at me about staying healthy, especially from my parents. I would reccommend it to anyone, not just teens, and not just beginners.

I first read this in junior high, when I tried being a vegetarian the first time. I loved it and I learned a lot from it. When I returned to vegetarianism as a young adult, I read it again. Although I'm not a teenager anymore, I feel the book is still a handy guide for making the difficult transition to being a vegetarian a lot easier. When people question the food you eat or don't eat and challenge your beliefs on the subject, it can be hard -- this book offers advice for what to do and say in all sort of situations, educates you on nutrition, and gives you basic ideas for meals. "A Teen's Guide to Going Vegetarian" doesn't assume you have a lot of money, time, or resources for food shopping and meal preparation (as teenagers and adults alike usually don't), so it's great for anyone who needs to be frugal or doesn't have a lot of time to search for unusual ingredients. But it does introduce you to foods you might not of heard of or tried before, which is important.

I have been a vegetarian for almost two years but I had never really read any books about it. Before I buy something, I always read the reviews, and this book had such good reviews. It is so helpful and fun to read. It has a lot of information such as what they really do to animals at slaughterhouses. It is really sad and it made me become a vegan, but it is necessary that aspiring vegetarians/vegans are aware of it. In every chapter, it has things that you can do to help. It also gives the titles of other books that you can read to find out more. I would definetely reccomend this book to anyone who wants to be a vegetarian or who already is one.

This is a great book for teen vegetarians, or teens thinking about becoming vegetarians. This book has 13 chapters, each full of information.
1. What is a vegetarian, anyways?- This gives straight forward answers, and describes different kinds of vegetarians and why people are vegetarians.
2.For The Planet- About how being a vegetarian benifits the planet.
3. For The Animals- You guessed it, all about how being a vegetarian helps animals.
4. For Your Health- About how being veggie helps you. This part also dispels many myths not-vegetarians have about a vegetarian diet.
5.Making The Switch- About going from meat-eater to vegetarian.
6.What will your parents say?- I think this is one of the best chapters, as it gives lots of information about what parents may be thinking and how to convince them without being rebelious.
7. What will your fiends say?- Yet another concern to teens, this chapter deals with dealing with friends.
8. Sticky Situations- This is another great chapter for teens, that answers all those nagging questions. What about at friends houses? How about when I'm traveling?
9. Surviving at School- All about cafeteria blues, science class diesection, and ways to make changes in your school.
10. Some Nutrition Basics- Another great chapter. All the nutrition you need to know, written in a clear way for teens to understand.
11. Fabulous Vegetarian Foods- All about vegetarian foods to try.
12. The Makings Of A Meal- About what to include in yummy and healthy meals.
13. Some Recipies To Get You Started- I'll be honest, I haven't tried any of the recipies yet, but they sound great. They are written in a ay great for beggining cooks.
This book is written in a non-judgmental, just facts way, but after reading it you will probably want to be vegetarian, if not vegan. I love the way the author talked to real teens, and included their quotes, knowledge, and tidbits of information about being vegetarian. This book includes a good concrete basis on all information nessecary to a teenage vegetarian, and is written in a engaging, interesting, funny, and informative way. I wish I could give this book 10 stars, it is such a great reference for the teenage vegetarian.

I became a vegetarian almost ten years ago, and this book was released soon after I made the switch. It could not have come at a better time. I originally found it at the library, but I checked it out so many times, I knew I needed my own copy. The book really set me on a great path, and helped me deal with a number of different situations.

I became a vegetarian while I was still living at my parents' house (where every meal revolved around meat) They initially dismissed my new vegetarianism as a "phase". I was so happy to prove them wrong! This book really helped me gain confidence, and gave me the will-power and drive to stick with the vegetarian lifestyle.

Excellent book for all trainers. Many useful concepts and I especially like the parts about how our brian processes information. It's fun and easy to read and more importanly, a lot of what is written is based on lots of research. So the stuff in there is validated. I used this as a complement to Bob Pike's Creative Training Techniques.

Reading this book was well worth my time. The authors present academic concepts in plain english. They did a great job of shifting my training mindset from a focus on content to a focus on learning. They gave me many practical strategies for improving my trainings.

This book is a great tool for trainers. Not only does the book explain the dynamics of adult learning and training approaches, it provides 25 learning activities to help keep your programs interesting, fun, and productive. This met all of my expectations.

There are so many "how to train" products out there and most are so academic so as not to be practical. This book is easily understandable, fun and most of all, practical. I have already incorporated most of what I've read and have seen dramatic improvement in our new employees' performance. Reading this book was as comfortable as talking with a friend over coffee, very informal and very fun! Thank you!

This book is a perfect blend of theory and practical application in a compact package. Small enough to slide in a purse or briefcase, so you can take it with you when you need to brush up. Love it!!!

"There's a customer born every minute" is a fascinating look into the life and business practices of Americas Greatest Showman, P.T. Barnum. The creativity he showed is a recipe for success and happiness every person should strive to attain. Some ideas he had were going bigger than anyone else, creating a buzz, and utilizing the media for publicity. I learned many intrersting things through Mr. Vitales research into this fascinating man. This book was put together nicely, easy to follow, and packed with great information on some many aspects of life and business through the eyes of Barnum. Well Done!

I bought copies of this book for myself and my entire business team.

Hey Joe, print some more I have more customers for you!

In todays world there is so much of competition in business and its becoming harder and harder for people to carve their niche in the market area. But by applying the 10 rings of power in your business, you can become more recognizable and increase your profits. These 10 rings of power helped P.T. Barnum earn millions of dollars in the world of no technology. And these 10 rings of power can make you a rich person too. By this book now and read it. But dont stop there. Be sure to apply the 'rings of power' in your business and see your company grow.

I found this book to be entirely fascinating and engaging. I couldn't put the book down. Joe Vitale has done a supurb job of of conveying the essence of P.T. Barnum and then translating the information into a way we can all use to further our marketing expertise. Run do not walk to get this book and all of Joe's other books! Cody Horton - Author of "Consciously Creating Wealth" & "The High Magic of India".

Once you've read any of Joe Vitale's marketing books, you are hooked - AND - they are all worth it. I started out as an engineer, so marketing doesn't come easy. But Joe "Mr. Fire" Vitale is helping me to think like a marketer. His proactive style really mixes well with mine; I think he has a knack for writer to each person as if you happen to be the one he intended the book for.

Needless to say There's a Customer Born Every Minute has played a huge role in helping me to be a successful businessman. Ever since reading the first book of Joe's, I have considered him to be a success mentor. His wisdom is easy to follow - but more than that, it is right on! I guarantee that if you read this book, you will have tons of business and marketing ideas - it's that incredible.

In his books and tapes, Joe always covers all of the proactive bases: smart thinking, system thinking, futuristic thinking, and positive thinking. If you are truly seeking the kind of success and abundance that makes your life 100% livable - you must read this book. Some of the ideas Joe promotes are found in SUCCESS BOUND, another book built on learning how to live a proactive life that is God centered and fulfilling.

Joe's research of P.T. Barnum is fantastic! He seems to cover every aspect of the great P.T. Barnum's business acumen, plus a lot of what made him such a great person. I hope that I might be as well read and thorough some day.

My recommendation to you is, take a few minutes each day and ponder the wisdom and truths of this book and let them seep deep into your subconscious mind. Then, move out confidently towards fulfilling your dreams and goals, knowing you are one with the Creator and are truly success bound.

Best wishes for a successful and proactive future!

Is it "imposter" or "impostor"--that's the question that nagged me while I read The Three Imposters. Which spelling is correct, and which is the imposter/or? The lexicographers need to come down hard on this issue!

That aside, The Three Imposters is a black diamond of a little dark fantasy, told in hypnotic descriptive prose. The book is structured as a series of stories within a frame story, much like the Decameron or Canterbury Tales, only the frame story has its own plot and is the most interesting of all in The Three Imposters. The sub-stories range from the strange to the macabre, to the frankly paranormal, each entertaining in its own right, besides what it contributes to the whole. Moreover, Machen's style glitters with curious flights of thought and characterizations, wellnigh as entertaining as the story itself.

What struck me most of all about The Three Imposters is how panoramically influencial this short book is, as if it were the whole nine muses of twentieth century literature! The Maltese Falcon owes an obvious debt to the Gold Tiberius. I think that the Novel of the Dark Valley is a clear precursor to the Trial, and obviously, Lovecraft derived his entire schtick from the Adventure of the Lost Brother. Machen himself must have been influenced by Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, published about 10 years earlier, but Machen amplifies the original, rather than narrowing it.

Altogether, The Three Imposters is well worth the 150 pages or so of reading time. Dyson and Phillipps are my new literary heroes! I would recommend this Chaosium edition, which includes these several other quality Machen works and sells for nearly the same price as other editions.

First of all, a warning; do NOT read the introduction to Machen by S. T. Joshi strangely placed in the front of the book before you read the stories. The otherwise excellent introduction contains spoilers to all the stories, something I thankfully noticed at an early time. Being part of my effort to "branch out" beyond H. P. Lovecraft, I purchased all the three books by Arthur Machen that has been published by Chaosium. The tales within turned out to be excellent, and I quickly saw why HPL praised Machen so highly. Even though parts of the tales no longer appear as "shocking" as they once did, with their horror being centred on "sex and pagans", they still have a mild discomfort to offer, and the final tale of the book is, as we shall see, quite the masterpiece.

The first tale is "The Great God Pan", a very good tale, but as I've said; time has not been kind to this. A naked God in the forest don't exactly scare or shock people these days, at least not in the way that Machen intended. Although, it should be noted that I'm not the type of "conventional Christian" that Machen had in mind as his audience when he wrote it. The tale details an experiment gone "wrong", where a young girl sees and interacts with the ancient heathen god Pan. The result pops out nine months later, and several horrific incidents spawn from this. A fine tale, but a bit dated.

The second tale is much more to my taste, "The Inmost Light" (and for fans of the marvellous English musical group Current 93, I assume this is where Tibet got his title), also a taste centred around an experiment, where an occultist attempt to capture the essence of the body, "The Inmost Light", in a gem. A wonderful tale with an eerie feeling throughout.

The third tale is "The Shining Pyramid", a tale about the well-known "Little people", and one of the two best tales in the book. It unfolds somewhat like a detective novel, where two men find strange clues to uncanny activities in connection to the disappearance of a young woman in the Welsh countryside. The protagonists suspect the hands of the pre-Aryan inhabitants of Europe, and the tale is an effective weird tale, with Machen's wonderful prose really showing its best side.

The final tale, or I should say "tales", is the title story, "The Three Impostors", which is a strange creation of interlocking tales many in number. The tale is about a young man in London, a wannabe writer, who through random encounters with a few people hears several tales that all contain a few common elements; "a young man with large spectacles" and some weird and horrific incidents involving this young man. But alas all is not as it appears to be, and we are brought to several places in the search for this man, and what it all means is not revealed before the final phrases, where the real evil is revealed. This tale is among the best work I've read in the genre, and it really gives you the creeps at various parts, some of it being simply excellent.

Highly recommended!

This review is only about the title story, or rather, short novel. It is a circular story, as it ends where it begins. Characters have multiple identities and strange coincidences abound. It is a macabre joke, a foundational book of the cosmic horror a la Lovecraft and his Ctulhu mysteries. It is also a peak of the late Victorian era and much more. What makes it more than a genre story is the poetic quality of its literature. There are paragraphs that would make little perfect prose poems.

Along several months, or years, Dyson and Phillips meet different persons, who have in common the search for a shy and nervous young man with a little black moustache and big spectacles. Each one of these persons tells his or her story in inserted chilling tales, full of the imagery that would later become cliche. This is no cheap horror: it has a great sense of humor, it is not about axe-grinding nor about phantoms and exorcisms. It is pure cosmic horror, the horror of hidden forces and obscure memories of a remote past. It is a horror of strange gatherings and incognoscible conspiracies. The inserted stories are often compiled independently of their contextual frame: "The novel of the Dark Valley" is an adventure in the loneliness of the Rocky Mountains, with a pre-Kafkian touch that makes you go pale. "The novel of the Black Seal" happens in the Welsh wilderness, with a mad scientist and beings from the past. "The novel of the Iron Maiden" includes a collectionist of instruments of torture. "The novel of the White Powder" is about a substance that transforms humans into something indefinible and horrific. Finally, ""The story of the Spectacled Young Man" closes the circle and "explains" everything.

Like a good Englishman, Machen is a master of the understatement. More than showing, he insinuates to let the readers feel for themselves all the weight of the horror of the world, the mysteries that haunt us, and the strangeness of this life. Little surprise, then, that this was one of Jorge Luis Borges's favorite books, since much of his beloved subjects are here: ancient and undecipherable languages; stories lost in time; mirror games; equivocal identities; implacable gods; and somber mansions. Much recommended.

Other reviews are longer and more in-depth. This is meant as a quickie.

The title story is the heavy-hitter of this collection; it ties several shorter stories together under one title. The other stories are much shorter but have their twists and turns as well.

The language is not as dry as one might expect from stories written a century ago.

Worth four stars out of five.

As the title says, I found this collection so intriguing that I will be buying the next volume (The White People and other Tales). The only work that I had previously known by Arthur Machen was "The Great God Pan", which has shown up in so many anthologies that I am thoroughly sick of it, although it is a good read the first few times through. "The Inmost Light" was quite disturbing to me in terms of plumbing the depravity of the human soul. "The Shining Pyramid" was a good supernatural detective story, in my opinion, although the intuitive leaps made by the protagonist would have made Fox Mulder proud. This clearly inspired quite a few of Robert Howard's stories.

Clearly, the crown jewel of this collection is "The Three Imposters." The deeper I got into this novel, the more engrossed I became. It is made up of 14 short stories, each of which is part of an overarching storyline that involves the protagonist, a golden coin, a man with spectacles, and 3 people who are not who they say they are. Each successive short story drew me in further. Some of the best reading I have done in years!

Jane Goodall needs no introduction, she cares for nature, earth and all the creatures on it. Some critize her seemingly unorthodox methods and her supposed "cult of personality." However, reading this book made me fascinated by our closest living relatives and how they are really so similiar to ourselves. It made me remember that we too are animals, but we are intelligent and the dominaters of the earth. But with that role, we have to protect the voiceless. Both scientific and thoughtful, the narrative of this book is good for any science class, home library or bedside stand. The most interesting parts for me were the chapters about alpha-male battles, the emotions of chimpanzees and the conclusion which discusses how we must be stewards of the earth.

I am going to read the rest of this amazing woman's books.

Jane is amazing!

*****/***** for Through a Window

To anyone old enough to remember the first field reports from a brash girl named Jane, who chose to live alone with a troop of chimps in Tanzania, way back in the 60s, it has to be a little boggling to realize that she has kept at it for 47 years (as of this writing). Oh, sure, we've seen the TV specials and the magazine stories, and some of us may have read her account of the first decade, IN THE SHADOW OF MAN. But, we do have our lives to attend to, and Goodall's ongoing work easily fades into the background noise. In our long struggle to understand the locus of humanity in nature, there is surely no work more crucial than this. Goodall's discoveries about our closest genetic cousins have uncontestably shown us our place. We are not much different than chimps, merely more so. A young woman, too naive in the ways of science to "know" that animals don't have personalities, saw them clearly. Her honest reporting, championed by her mentor Louis Leakey, overturned a system that harkened back to Descartes (who, we must remember, kicked his dogs often to demonstrate that their mechanical reaction bore no likeness to human pain). After Goodall, animals are "its" no more, they are "whos." THROUGH A WINDOW, is the story of the evolution of one girl's dream into a research center, with dozens of assistants, who have tracked and documented a chimpanzee society through the years. It is the report of political change, as different chimp leaders come to prominence, of family loyalty and discord, and of the look in chimpanzee eyes searching our own for ... understanding? It is equally a reminder that her happiest times remain the hours she steals to spend a day alone with the friends she knows so well: the aging matriarch who was a chimp babe in arms in 1960, and her grandson now moving toward dominance of the troop; older siblings teaching youngsters to fashion tools to 'fish' for termites; the deposed leader racked out in a leafy hammock - remembering his glory days? Coupled with work done by others, partly inspired by Goodall - such as the teaching of American Sign Language to captive chimps, who in turn, TEACH THEIR OWN CHILDREN TO SIGN, manipulating their babies hands into words while pointing at objects - the idea that anyone presumes to defend vivisecting these fellow earthlings is incomprehensible. There is far more going on in chimpanzee heads than was, for instance, in the severely mentally handicapped humans I houseparented years ago. Our staff spent years trying to teach some of our clients a single hand sign, and when they did occasionally manage it, it was seldom clear if there was understanding attached. Chimps create their own sentences, even invent combinations to describe novel experiences. Yet no one (these days, at least) suggests it is ethical to give AIDs to developmentally disabled children to see what happens, or to lock them in isolation chambers where they slowly go mad. It is no wonder that Goodall's work in the late 90s began to focus more and more on ending all captive experiments on the creatures she knows so well. (See my review of her later work, BRUTAL KINSHIP, Aperture Foundation, 199, which focuses on that effort.) THROUGH A WINDOW is an inspiring look at the joy, satisfaction, heartbreak and struggle of one scientist who has changed our world.

Ever since reading Jane Goodall's book "Reason For Hope" (which is another highly-recommended one on my list), I have called her "Our Lady of Hope"; she truly has paved the way for a brighter future in her study of the animals and plants. And with her optimism and positive outlook, how could I not be floored by her work?

This book takes you on an emotional roller-coaster; tenderness (Flo's natural mothering instincts and her care for her children and her daughter, Fifi, imitating her mother), sadness (Flo's death and her son, Flint, pining away before dying; the short, tragic life of the unfortunate, long-suffering Gilka), horror (Passion and Pom savagely killing and eating their own community's newborns; the brutal warfare in the mid-70s), and amazement (at how very much like humans that animals are).

This book is simply a gem. And the images are marvelous: sometimes grim, sometimes tender, but seldom dull.

When I picked up this book it was because I randomly chose it from a pile of recommendations a friend gave me. I had no desire to read it, and the only reason I actually went through with it was that a) I would have to give the book back someday and b) she always recommends good-to-decent books. And despite the obvious reputation that Goodall has, I still had no desire to read it. Having recently picked up (and put down) Rachel Carson's The Edge of the Sea, I was in no mind to read another nature-based book. That gives you a good indication of my mindset going into this.

I'm glad I was wrong. I enjoyed this book much more than I would have imagined - it's a fascinating read. I say that having had virtually no prior interest in chimpanzee's nor Jane Goodall. I doubt I would have read this book on my own, since there are a million books begging to be read every time I open my eyes. Sometimes you need to go where you don't necessarily want in order to find a jewel.

The title of this book refers to the window that Goodall gets when she observes the chimps over the years. Through this window she gets an idea of how we, humans, have evolved from where we were to where we are. It gives her a glimpse of the similarities - sometimes uncanny - between chimps and humans. This window often leads to observations you can never expect. Goodall's observations and her way with words fully draw you into the narrative.

Goodall writes anecdotally, attempting to illustrate her point with examples of behavior she observes in the field. These instances make the book much easier to read than a pure scientific approach. Through the text you grow to like (and dislike) some of the chimps in the narrative, as well as easily finding yourself drawn into the various elements of (nearly human) chimp behavior.

The thing I find most surprising is that the stories which transpire between the "actors" are just as dramatic as a work of fiction. They say that fact is stranger than fiction. I don't know if I agree, but it can undoubtedly be interesting. It's certainly a surprise how similar the chimps are to us - or maybe it's not, which I guess is one of the points of the book.

If I have to take on the other POV, which I usually force myself to do in an effort to be fair, I suppose I have to say that despite all she has seen, she does at times force the issue that chimps are better than people. One thing I worried about was that Goodall would constantly laud how amazing the animals are and how we humans could learn from them. For the most part, she doesn't do this. From time to time she seems to be on the verge, but she balances it out with fair observations on both sides of the fence.

In all, it is a riveting book that is well-balanced and, to be sure, well researched. Goodall's years of experience no doubt come through with this book, and her ease behind the keyboard is surprising. I did not find this clunky in the normal vein of science texts at all. In fact, it was a smooth read, almost to a word. Granted, it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but the subject matter discussed in Through A Window is sure to entertain most people who pick it up. Excellent book and highly recommended.

Jane Goodall's contributions to our knowledge of chimpanzees has been remarkable. Because she first arrived in Africa completely untrained as an observer of animal behavior, she was able to bring a humanist's instincts to her work; her natural ability to see details and connections, as well as her affection for her subjects, culminated in published results that rocked the scientific community. THROUGH A WINDOW picks up her observations where IN THE SHADOW OF MAN left off. Here, she follows the lives mostly of the children of the original group. She has organized her chapters by theme: Mothers and Daughters, Sons and Mothers, War, Power, Love, and more. Within these chapters, she explores the specific lives of the Gombe chimps and their relationships with their relatives and group members. By tackling specific topics of behavior, she is able to fully integrate the range of her experiences, from first observations to those made thirty years later. As Goodall is quick to point out, what she assumed at first did not necessarily prove to hold fast over time.

No less fascinating than IN THE SHADOW OF MAN, this book is extraordinary for its insight into chimpanzee personalities, relationships, and culture. If you have never before read Goodall's books, you will be surprised by the strong echoes of human behavior in these wild and highly individual chimpanzees. Goodall has made enormous contributions to our understanding of non-human primates, and should be widely read.

My son loved this book from the time he was about 15 months old. The words and the illustrations are simple and catchy. I'm not sure if this one comes in paperback but I highly suggest getting all of the Barton books in the board book style. They are sure to be read over and over!!

This story was kind of boring, not as melodic as some of the other books (Cars is our favorite) but kind of cute. Graphics are somewhat boring too (compared to the others)

My kids love this very cute little book.. They want me to read it to them over and over again. A great book for your little one. Must have!!

This our favotite train book. Love this book for a 1, 2, or even 3 yo. Both my boys love(d) it. We just bought it as a gift.

I was a teacher in early childhood and I love to find new books for my grandson, who is almost 3. At the early level they need simple books both in text and pictures. The Barton books have a very simple text and great pictures and my grandson loves all of them. I always let him choose what books to read and Barton is his favorite since he was 1 1/2. I would recommend all of his books for young children ages 1 to 4. We have read Trucks, Trains, Men at Work, Planes, Airport & Dinosaurs.

Such a fun book! Christi is highly entertaining. Her lovely personality comes shining through Loud and Clear!!! I have a great time pulling out these books and following along with her step by step. I am always very satisfied with the results. And usually I am not a step by step kinda person. I am more of the no rules/color outside of the lines kinda gal but, Christi makes it fun to follow along! I can't wait for the rest of the series. So far I've made a few frogs, a dragon, a sea-horse, and some flowers, vines and foliage.

I recommend the entire series. Even my young nieces and my mother-in-law creating projects from these books!

This is a very cute book that is so funny and enjoyable to read and study. I would love to meet and get to know this author and artist in person. What you learn in here is laced with so much humor it makes it so much fun to learn the techniques. It was the first time I read instructions all the way through for anything!!
I'm a diver and this gave me so much inspiration to do some ocean figures.
Also, fantastic condition for a used book. I saved lots of $$ by buying them through Amazon, used.

I love this pamphlet. The projects are beyond cute and the author has a sense of humor that makes the instructions clear and humorous. I intend to buy the series.

Having just received this book, I just wanted to say how fun and different it is from most polymer clay books. This is the first of the series of books from this artist that I have bought.
I haven't had my clay out for a few years but it's coming back out now! I have so many ideas for gifts for my friends and family. This artist has written a great book to stimulate the imagination and if you don't have one, you can just use hers. I am very happy with this purchase!

Christi Friesen has presented a delightful journey through making Polymer clay figures. Her colors, photography, and excellent instruction make this book a must-have for the PC artist! She is funny and her writing style is very engaging. I highly recommend this book and the price makes it a great value!

This is an awsome book. IT had great detail and kept your mind on the book. It was like Vestal was your best friend sitting next to you telling you her life story. I read it as a Vestal fan but, it's great forany reader of any age Christian or not this book will show you Vestal's life(much like ours)hasn't been filled with mountian top expierances it will make you look at her in a totally differnt way weather you love Vestal or just love to read you will enjoy this book.Happy Reading!

This is one of the best books I have ever read.It is very hard to put down.

I have read Vestal! three times now, and find more things each time I read it. This book can uplift you when you are at your lowest point. Vestal's experiences and the things that she has gone through was enough to bring even the strongest man down without the faith and belief in God that she possesses. She is not afraid to let the readers know that without God and strong faith and belief she would have survived her journey. She is an inspiration to everyone in her book and in person.

I have admired Vestal Goodman for years, especially because of her former hairstyles. I read this book and could not put it down. I understood how her life had come up from bootstraps and how time and time again they were desolate and had nothing but the Goodman Family and faith. Vestal was honest and frank about several relationships and theology. She did not mince words on anything. Vestal wrote this book not to impress anyone but to honor God.

This is such a delightful, inspirational book that I chose to review it for a couple of the Round Table groups in our church. [These are groups of Christian women who meet monthly at a member's home for a book review, prayer-and-share time, food and fun.] I included a couple of video clips of her singing and praying. Vestal and her husband Howard (both recently deceased)led amazing lives full of faith and miracles as well as hardships and disappointments. They trusted God to meet their needs and he always did. They experienced miracles of all types, including physical healings. I "met" the Goodmans years ago on television and became "reacquainted" when they began appearing on the Gaither Gospel Concerts (live, video, tv) in 1991. Like the rest of Vestal's fans, I was attracted to her clear, strong, one-of-a-kind voice, and the sweet spirit that showed on her face with a special glow when she sang. I'm thankful to have been able to see and hear her in person in Dallas in 2003 just ten months before she died. Vestal always gave glory to God and Jesus when she sang. She was a spiritual advisor to hundreds of people including celebrities such as George Jones, and was known as a great Prayer Warrior. She had a wonderful sense of humor, and I laughed out loud at some of her stories. The book includes pictures of the Goodmans (and others) through the years. It's a special book that stays with you. I keep telling my friends about different stories from it!

Walking in Victory is a must read for any believer at any level of maturity. This book lays out some amazing truths from God's Word in a clear and easy to understand way. Mr. McCallum does an excellent job explaining how we can have victory day to day because as you will see in the book, Christ has already accomplished what we were never able to do. We have a new identity and learning about this new identity will change your life! This is also a great book to go through in a small group and study guides are available at [..].

Years ago, studying this book clarified key areas of the Christian life, helping me to finally get my own walk with God and ministry going. Victory lies in a believer's full acceptance before God based on Christ's atoning work on the cross. It's by understanding and focusing on this truth that Christians are able to develop lives of zeal, ministry effectiveness, and slow growth toward true holiness. Aside from the Gospel message itself, this concept, my identity in Christ, has been the most important lesson I've ever learned, and I haven't found a more sound explanation of it than in Walking in Victory. Now, I rely heavily on this book in mentoring students, and I'm able to see in them the fruit that is born from an informed and enthusiastic grace-focus.
The content matter, perfect for the scholar or new convert, is masterfully presented and extremely useful. McCallum skillfully mixes careful Biblical exposition and interpretation with down-to-earth application and insightful observations of human nature to create a work that is both provocative and practical.
I highly recommend this book to all believers who want to begin their walks with God on the right foot, who wish to deepen their appreciation of their identity in Christ, and who seek to help ground others in the firm foundation of grace.

Books like Walking in Victory are invaluable because they directly use and teach the Bible. This book is a guide to the crucial concepts in Romans 5-8, concepts that every Christian needs. The interpretation is accurate and the application contemporary. McCallum writes in an easy to follow, to-the-point style that is, as other reviewers have mentioned, very useful when trying to help a new Christian. On the other hand, because these concepts are straight from the Bible, long-time followers of Christ will be consistently challenged.

I really like this author's body of work. I've read all his non-fiction. He's very objective and can sound a little bit like notes from a lecture. But it is also emotionally productive, without the bells and whistles, unlike many Christian authors, and has genuine feeling and vulerability to appeal to anyone's subjective sensibilities. This book is my favorite from this author. He wrote that walking with God is about tranformation by the Spirit, not a change of behavior. The author makes points about principles and leaves the reader in charge of how to purpose God based on teachings from the Bible. This message is biblical and encouraging to anyone who has accepted Christ but doesn't know what to do next. This book is not a self-help book. It's not a method plan. Many Christians love the book of Romans and should really take a look at this book as extracurricular. This book is not a substitute for reading the Bible but a companion, conversation piece, the result of the word of God in the author's live - which the author states could happen to anyone who wants a personal relationship with God through Christ.

If you've never understood God's acceptance and grace fully, this is a book you would definitely benefit from! McCallum obviously put a lot of thought into how he could make these deep truths easier to understand and apply. Personally, I love the tables sprinkled throughout this book. They do so much to make things clearer, and are a great resource for group bible studies!!

Some of the many tables found in this book:
<> Comparing Biblical and Modern Love
<> How the Means of Growth (Prayer, Word, Fellowship, Ministry) work together and affect one another.
<> Our Old Self (in Adam) vs. Our New Self (in Christ)
<> Living under the Law vs. Living in Grace

This is a wonderful, hilarious, moving account of how Dr. Vertosick progressed(or regressed?) from a mere mortal of a junior medical student to a god of Neurosurgery. It is filled with comedy and tragedy--both of which are chronicled by the author with uncompromising honesty and compassion. A great book for the non-medically-inclined reader!

The book starts out a little slow, but it does pick some speed. This is a narration of the life of a young (and naïve) neurosurgeon in residency. Frank Vertosick shares some profound experiences in this unsparing book, which will be particularly useful to those who want to know what residency entails - it's challenging and interesting points.

Among Vertosick's stories is one about a young man taken into the hospital with the then-unknown disease of AIDS. He became the first person reported to that particular health department with the strange new illness. We are also told heart-wrenching stories of human struggle, like the story of Shirley, who dies after numerous hours of fighting a damaged aorta and brain. There is also a touching story of Andy, who happens to have "trisomy 21" (Down syndrome), and is also deaf, blind, mute, and has a brain hemorrhage.

The book is quite shocking in some parts, and educational too. Where you imagine a triumphant ending, the unexpected (and sad) happens. It's a book of triumphant stories, and disappointing ones. The stories all move at a decent, likable pace. The book leaves you with the feeling that physicians are in fact very human as Vertosick tells the story of Charles, who has an uneventful aneurismal tear while in his hands. Not all is victory as a neurosurgeon. A surgeon often has to deal with death and mistakes.

Some parts were fictionalized to enhance the story, but still a good book nonetheless. Enlightening.

Neurosurgeon Frank Vertsoick Jr.'s memoir opens with the five rules enumerated on his first day of a six year residency and never forgotten:
"Rule number one. You ain't never the same when the air hits your brain....It was built for performance, not for easy servicing.
"Rule number two: The only minor operation is one that someone else is doing.
"Rule number three. If the patient isn't dead, you can always make him worse if you try hard enough.
"Rule four: One look at the patient is better than a thousand phone calls from a nurse.
"Rule five: Operating on the wrong patient or doing the wrong side of the body makes for a very bad day."

These pretty much sum up the tone and gravity of Vertosick's rivetting, harrowing and touching book. The son of a steel worker, Vertosick came to neurosurgery almost by accident. His memoir focuses primarily on the years of training from medical student through chief resident.

Vertosick's first anecdote, from his first operating room observation, will have readers grabbing their throats - literally - in shock. His mentor, Gary (who becomes a familiar chain smoking, fast-talking irreverent character) picks up a drill. Vertosick asks how it knows when to stop before plunging through the skull into the brain and is told it has an automatic clutch mechanism. Only the mechanism fails. Those who continue reading once their heart rates return to normal will be hooked.

In an arrogant profession, Vertosick is an appealing narrator. He can also write. His descriptions of hospital routine and crisis, pecking orders and interdisciplinary rivalries are frenetic and often hilarious.

But his portraits of individual patients bring them to poignant life and often death. There are happy endings - the young, virile accident victim whose progressive paralysis indicated spinal damage, but who was saved by a risky diagnosis and fast surgery. But there are many others - the retarded man whose aneurysm became something worse through a slip of the knife,or the pregnant woman with a brain tumor who refused to abort her baby and therefore refused treatment in medicine's litigous atmosphere.

But Vertosick's memoir is not just a string of anecdotes. It's a portrait of his profession and its effect on a doctor's psyche. He first tasted "the intoxicant of power" after botching a routine procedure on a veteran and being thanked for it. "On the street, this would not be called a medical procedure but assault and battery - with witnesses, no less!"

There's the exhiliration of saving life. One of those was a man pronounced brain dead and delivered as an organ donor. Thanks to Vertosick and an observant junior, the man walked out of the hospital a week later and lived another two years.

While Vertosick's subject is inherently fascinating, it's the author's ability to convey his exuberance, fear, anguish and joy that leave the reader hoping he'll trade scalpel for word processor again.

This stands out in the field of medical literature. By definition, there are a very select number of people who could have written this book. Firstly, the number of brain surgeons is strictly limited (duh) for reasons that become apparent as the book progresses. Secondly, and most importantly, I think only a small minority of them can be as bloody good writers as Vertosick.

The book conveys pathos, humour and a dramatic shift in mindset experienced by our author as he is initiated into neurosurgery...from intern to surgical psychopath. This journey takes him several years and a number of lifetimes to complete. The lifetimes are those of the patients and their relatives that he (and we) are priviledged to be invited to share. Naturally, not all the stories have a happy ending and whilst it is clear that Vertosick cares, so, you will find, do you.

The author has an edgy, sleep-deprived, wisecrack-a-minute style that makes me glad some states, at least, have reduced the number of hours per week a medical resident must work, from one hundred to eighty. Neurosurgery is a very unforgiving craft, and not all of the stories in this book have a happy ending. Neurosurgeons must tackle some pretty hopeless cases, and the human brain is a very unforgiving operating theatre.

Nevertheless, "When the Air Hits Your Brain" is an unputdownable read. I've been through it twice now---once during a night where I couldn't sleep anyway. If you do intend to sleep, don't read it right before going to bed.

Here are the author's five rules for neurosurgery interns:

1. "You ain't never the same when the air hits your brain."
2. "The only minor operation is one that someone else is doing."
3. "If the patient isn't dead, you can always make him worse if you try hard enough."
4. "One look at the patient is better than a thousand phone calls from the nurse."
5. "Operating on the wrong patient or doing the wrong side of the body makes for a very bad day--always ask the patient what side their pain is on, which leg hurts, which hand is numb."

Emotionally, Dr. Vertosick's worst rotation was to the local Children's Hospital. A child who was born with an inoperable brain tumor is the focus of the chapter entitled "Rebecca."

A baby's brain is very hard to operate on: "At six weeks of age, the unmyelinated brain is thick soup which can be inadvertently vacuumed away by operative suctions. Moreover, nerves the thickness of pencil lead in adults are little more than a spider's web in a baby."

Dr. Vertosick doesn't spend the whole book wisecracking. He ends the chapter on Rebecca: "I am not particularly religious. In fact, the birth of children bearing cancers I find difficult to reconcile with a merciful God. Nevertheless, there must be someplace where Rebecca now laughs in the bright sunshine, finally free of her ventilator and gastrostomy."

Read how the author strays into the 'inferno of overconfidence' as a chief resident, and comes "perilously close to emotional incineration." Follow him into the operating room as a patient's brain oozes through his fingers, where he is squirted in the eye by an AIDS patient's spinal fluid, and where he cures a woman who was misdiagnosed as an Alzheimer's patient when what she really had was a brain tumor.

I'm in the process of donating all of my books to the library that I know I won't read again. "When the Air Hits Your Brain" is not one of the donations.