T Books

Dealing with leading edge integrated software systems all day I continually speak with technicians, programmers and a sales force that are there to solve problems for customers. It is a world that is prefaced by the words "no" and, "it can't be done" Reading "Don't Take No for an Answer!" has taught me how direct people to a greater understanding of the words "Yes" and, "it can be done!" Terrific read - truly.

Ian Ord - Travel Studio

"Don't Take No for an Answer!" gets right to the heart of the matter - getting your customers to say yes. In the travel business it is very competive and with the Internet clients think they can always find a better deal. Using Bruno Gideon's techniques have help me to increase my vacation sales to my clients, successfully without them realizing they have said yes!

Being a southern woman, I was not raised to stand up to others and get what should rightfully be coming to me. When I read "DTN", Bruno so clearly showed me the way to get a yes for my promotion from my boss - and doing it while being nice!!! Thank you Bruno. for teaching a southerner some new tricks!

Barbara Tasker - sales rep UO

I work at Disney. A place to work where they pay you to be nice.... literally. We deal everyday with the public and, I must say at moments it can be a real challenge as everyone has their own agenda and mood swing. I read "Don't Take No for an Answer!". Mr. Gideon's book was a real eye opener to the phrase that the customer is always right. When I apply what I learned in the book it is much easier to deal with some of the negative people that one runs against in the theme park industry. It allows me to communicate in a much more proficient way to lead people to agree with me and see my point of view.... all while the customer still feels that they are always right. :)

Being a New Yorker, I have seemingly always been able to get my clients won over to the way I want to do things. But, being a New Yorker it always seemed to be harsh and forceful in my approach. A good friend gave me "Don't Take No for an Answer!" and said with my talent it would be more of challenge to learn how to get yes out of people without force, but with kindness. I was amazed at how well Bruno's ideas work, and how much more I am able to work with people, my client list has expanded and I am now getting more and more quality referrals from my current customers! All because of reading "Don't Take No for an Answer!" Thank you Bruno!

We received Don't Wake the Baby when my daughter was 2 and we immediately bought Wake Up Sleeping Beauty as well. My daughter still loves these books -- she is now 5 -- and my now 2 year old daughter asks to read them over and over again. The books are so charming, that my husband and I don't mind!

This is a book with tabs on each page which causes the characters to move and accompanying sounds to occur. The storylines are funny, the movements are imaginative, and the sounds are terrific. The only problem is that it's easy for little fingers to tear the tabs and pages with their enthusiasm or, in our case, sheer repetition, even though the pages are heavy stock.

My daughters loved this book and we read it until the batteries wore out. It's really cute and unusual with great sound effects.

My 18 month old daughter received this as a Christmas gift from her Grandparents and absolutely loves reading it with Dad and Mom or on her own. She loves to pull the tabs and surprisingly enough after several months of abuse, it still works. I'm purchasing another copy so her brother has a chance to read this great book!

This book is great! I first got one for my daughter when she was about 2 (and a real Daddy's girl!). She loved it so much she'd go to sleep with it! The pull-tabs are pretty easy to move, even for her, but most of the time I have to do it for her and help her resist the temptation of tearing away at the parts that stand out. Well, having been somewhat unsuccessful in doing that, we now have to get a second copy for her little brother! But not until after we wore out the battary in the book first!

My baby boy Emre, loved this book since he was 12 months old. Now he is 16 months old and he is still crazy about it. When I take this book out, he gets involved in it for at least half an hour. Nothing else can do that. He imitates the sounds and loves to pull the tabs. Of course the figures got pretty damaged with such pulling and tearing but still it works. And the book is quite good in making the mother role an independent one, and making the father the care taker at home, at least for one night.
I deinitely recommend it.

This book is a must read for both those who are familiar with Energy Psychology techniques and those who are just being introduced to them. It is clearly written with easy to follow instructions, and loaded illustrations demonstrating the techniques. After reading it, I purchased three more copies to loan to my clients. Many have said that they purchased their own copy because the techniques have been so effective. I am recommending this book to everyone I know.

In The Energy of Belief readers are taught a wonderful energy psychology method that is related to Thought Field Therapy (TFT) and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), called TAB. The authors skillfully take readers through the steps to use it on themselves. The authors give information about the history of energy psychology approaches, scientific studies that explain why TAB works and include cases that readers will easily identify with. This book is user friendly and simple to apply to everyday problems or long standing challenges. It belongs on everyone's book shelf.

Gloria Arenson, MFT author of Five Simple Steps to Emotional Healing, A Substance Called Food, Born to Spend, How to Stop Playing the Weighting Game, Freedom at Your Fingertips

The Energy of Belief is that rare combination of profoundly important ideas imbedded in a clear step-by-step self-help modality. Sheila Sidney Bender and Mary T. Sise have combined their considerable expertise as psychotherapists and pioneers in the emerging field of energy psychology to create this gem of a book. They have provided well reasoned theoretical explanations with extremely effective strategies for helping readers to examine and change their self-defeating beliefs and behaviors. Using the innovative Touch and Breathe (TAB) technique originated by the BDB Group, Bender and Sise gently guide readers through a personal journey of discovery and healing as they explain exciting new strategies for dealing with difficult personal issues. Of particular importance is their teaching how to access the mind/body/energy connection using self muscle testing. This, combined with a basic understanding of the acupuncture meridian system and some basic tenets of clinical psychology, has the potential to empower the reader in ways that have not been made available to the general public in such a lucid and concise format. The well conceived illustrations are invaluable in helping readers achieve the goals of gently and mindfully addressing painful areas of their lives. I highly recommend this wonderful new book to both the clinical and general public.

Victoria Britt, LCSW

With their new book The Energy of Belief, seasoned author Sheila Bender and gifted therapist Mary Sise, have made a major contribution to the field of energy therapy and healing. By utilizing the methods in this very powerful, life-changing and easy to understand self help book the reader can easily take the necessary steps to get their life back by divesting themselves of the burden and effects of negative emotions.
Fear, guilt, shame, and any other negative feelings that have been holding you back from enjoying life to the fullest will no longer be an issue as you move on to live your life in peace, harmony and happiness. I highly recommend this book and am particularly recommending it to my clients. The Energy of Belief: Psychology's Power Tools to Focus Intention and Release Blocking Beliefs

In "The Energy of Belief" Sheila Bender and Mary Sise offer their own unique approach to energy psychology. Here they provide in-depth coverage on how to apply efficient EP techniques and protocols for uncovering and resolving limiting beliefs and distressing emotional states. "The Energy of Belief" teaches how to use TAB (Touch and Breathe), a gentle yet powerful mind-body technique that involves thinking about a psychological issue while touching key locations on your body and taking a deep breath. Similar to tapping (although the authors prefer TAB for various clinical and theoretical reasons), this technique helps to neutralize the distress created through various types of limiting thoughts and beliefs. The chief focus, as the title indicates, is on beliefs. And the authors cover beliefs in considerable detail. The protocols covered are simplified with useful diagrams and illustrations so that anyone can apply them effectively. This book will be of value for both self-help and to professional therapists. To some degree, this is a self-help version of an earlier professional book by Diepold, Bender, and Britt: Evolving Thought Field Therapy. I highly recommend it!
--Dr. Fred P. Gallo, author of Energy Psychology: Explorations at the Interface of Energy, Cognition, Behavior, and Health, Second Edition (Innovations in Psychology)and Energy Tapping for Trauma: Rapid Relief from Post-Traumatic Stress Using Energy Psychology

If you want to know everything about the book of Ephesians; if you want to know almost everything of significance others have said about each verse in the book of Ephesians - this is the commentary for you. At least some knowledge of Greek is needed to follow all that is said - but even without it there is much to be gained in the use of this commentary. He lays out the various views of each word or phrase and then gives the reason why he takes the view that he does. Hoehner writes in clear modern English and is easy to follow especially for such a technical work as this.

As a seminary student, I really enjoy this book. If you want to know more about Ephesian, take this one. Another commentary of Ephesian I strongly recommend is the one who wrote by Peter O'Brien. I compare both books, if I need to pick one, I will pick this one instead of Peter's one. This one is much more critical than Peter's. Anyway, I prefer to own both books if you have time to read them all.

This is the only book that has so thoroughly exceeded my expectations and publishing hype that it deserves a greater-than-5 star-rating.

Dr. Harold Hoehner received his PhD from Cambridge University, and taught NT Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary for over 30 years.

Dr. Hoehner begins with a detailed introduction (131 pages) treating the authorship, history, purpose and theology. He then gives a comprehensive bibliography of authorship that provides sources for both conservative and liberal thought. This discussion of both conservative and liberal theologies continues throughout the work.

The book is set up to deal with each verse, and sometime phrase, individually, and in detail. The phrase 'no stone unturned' comes to mind. Each verse is given in NA27 or UBS4 (vast majority NA27) and then translated. His reliance on Scripture is wide-ranging and not restricted to a single translation. An understanding of Greek is needed to fully benefit from this writing, as the Greek is not rendered in cognates. Throughout the book are eight 'Excurses' dealing more topically, yet more in depth with specific issues in Ephesians such as: the textual issues of Eph 1:1, 'In Christ,' Election, and rules of Christian households. These deal with the full theological context of Scripture rather than dealing solely with Ephesians, and help to give more understanding for some of the more important ideas in this book. Two indices round out the book: an author index and a Scripture index.

Dr. Hoehner reaches into all of Scripture to discuss Ephesians in depth. His conclusions reflect conservative, evangelical teaching, with solid, thorough evidence and theological scholarship. Another aspect of his writing is inclusion of theology discussed by the early church fathers such as Ignatius and Clement, although he only uses instances where these authors support Scripture.

This commentary should reside on the shelves of all theologians, exegetical pastors and seminary students. This book is not directed towards lay-persons, unless a full understanding of Greek is present. Dr. Hoehner writing is supremely valuable, enveloping modern scholarship, full disclosure of major theological arguments and solid, conservative evangelicalism. I wish all the commentaries on my shelf were this well written and researched.

This is an outstanding commentary on Ephesians, and ranks as 2nd best in my judgment. Hoehner's real contributions are his clarity and his thoroughness. His handling of the Greek text is thorough, and his weighing of different interpretive options is usually pretty even-handed and fair (though occasionally I think he falls down on the wrong side of an issue or is overly dogmatic). His organization is exceptional, as he breaks everything down into easy to follow, logical outlines. For a critical commentary, this is amazingly helpful homiletically! His writing style is lucid and clear (I love how he regularly summarizes his arguments and position in the final paragraph on a pericope). His theological stance is Evangelical and conservative, although sometimes a bit one-dimensional (especially when he pigeon-holes a passage into his theological system - dispensationalism. But this doesn't interfere with the quality of the commentary very often). Hoehner also probably gives the most robust defense of Pauline authorship of Ephesians of any commentary (over 100 pages!). This is a lengthy commentary on Ephesians (over 900 pages), but well worth the purchase. As I've preached through Ephesians over the past two years, I've benefited from Hoehner in many ways, and have read almost all of the book. I would easily recommend him as one of the top three commentators on the book, though I'd slightly prefer Peter O'Brien, who writes with more depth with a keen eye for biblical theology. Really, the two commentaries complement one another and should be read together. All in all, this commentary is outstanding! Anyone preaching through Ephesians expositionally will definitely want to purchase it.

A very strong and solid exegetical treatment of Ephesians. Mostly based upon my own theological presuppositions verses Hoehner's, I cannot agree with all of his hermeneutical movements from text to theology (e.g., I do not agree with his overall ecclesiology - especially in his readings of Ephesians 1). It is most beneficial to read this along with W. Klein's "The New Chosen People" for a more rounded approach to understanding election as a corporate concept. That is to say that one may or may not take election to mean predestination (decide for yourself), but Paul does not seem to be addressing that issue in the context of a community letter written to discuss community identity and practice.

Technically challenging on many linguistic-textual aspects, yet a good research commentary. Each section is very well outlined and presented with a clear translation by the author (most of which are quite agreeable, some wording and phrasing perhaps questionable), and bears the marks of a scholar at the top of his game. This is a commentary many years in the making and shows a command of Paul's letter and overall theology. Background and historical issues are presented appropriately and coherently as well.

As a "top tier" work, this is a must-have for those interested in Ephesians.

A sensitive and beautifully written novel of an elderly person's memoirs. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.

Irene, age 90, lies essentially bedridden in the parlor where she can still feel part of the farm. Her bedroom upstairs lies vacant now, along with the rooms of her dead parents and brother. Insistant on maintaining imput on the goings-on, she tries to keep the upper hand in everything. Lying quietly, she has embarked on documenting her life on the farm she was born on. Her mind is as sharp as the pencil she scribes her memories. Her notebooks serve as her testimony to the past and the very present.

Among her reminisces are her present day quips targeted at those that seem to be circling her, poised to take advantage of this old woman's lurking day of death. She fears losing the farm in her death, the land cut up into suburbs, the old machinery auctioned and the house left to those who will never understand the sacrifices and joy that have walked in and out the kitchen door. As she gazes out the window, she can see the graves of her parents, her uncle and the many faithful collie that guarded over the flock of sheep. It is a fearful thought that in the modern day, she would not be allowed to be buried alongside her family.

While she fights to maintain the bare bones of the farm in her later years, she recalls the years she spent keeping the farm going after her father's death at an early age. Passive in grief, her mother steps aside and lets this young woman manage the intricacies of a sheep farm, a large garden and the general upkeep of the land in the mid 1900's. Praised in national magazines for the quality of her sheep's wool she gains the respect in the community for her work.

It is this woman's memories that are golden as she recalls ninety years on the farm. Particularly insightful are Irene's recollection of seeing the first automobiles driving along the road at night. Unfamiliar with headlights, Irene and her mother stand nearly terrified as they ponder what those lights coming across the valley floor are. It is her impression, once the car has passed by the dirt road in front of their farmhouse, that things will never again be the same.

Living over 90 years is a sure bet that things will never be the same at one time or another. It is the wonderous theme of this lovely novel that allows Irene to move on but look fondly back.

This was a really good book to read - I definitely recommend it.

Irene, age 90, lies essentially bedridden in the parlor where she can still feel part of the farm. Her bedroom upstairs lies vacant now, along with the rooms of her dead parents and brother. Insistant on maintaining imput on the goings-on, she tries to keep the upper hand in everything. Lying quietly, she has embarked on documenting her life on the farm she was born on. Her mind is as sharp as the pencil she scribes her memories. Her notebooks serve as her testimony to the past and the very present.

Among her reminisces are her present day quips targeted at those that seem to be circling her, poised to take advantage of this old woman's lurking day of death. She fears losing the farm in her death, the land cut up into suburbs, the old machinery auctioned and the house left to those who will never understand the sacrifices and joy that have walked in and out the kitchen door. As she gazes out the window, she can see the graves of her parents, her uncle and the many faithful collie that guarded over the flock of sheep. It is a fearful thought that in the modern day, she would not be allowed to be buried alongside her family.

While she fights to maintain the bare bones of the farm in her later years, she recalls the years she spent keeping the farm going after her father's death at an early age. Passive in grief, her mother steps aside and lets this young woman manage the intricacies of a sheep farm, a large garden and the general upkeep of the land in the mid 1900's. Praised in national magazines for the quality of her sheep's wool she gains the respect in the community for her work.

It is this woman's memories that are golden as she recalls ninety years on the farm. Particularly insightful are Irene's recollection of seeing the first automobiles driving along the road at night. Unfamiliar with headlights, Irene and her mother stand nearly terrified as they ponder what those lights coming across the valley floor are. It is her impression, once the car has passed by the dirt road in front of their farmhouse, that things will never again be the same.

Living over 90 years is a sure bet that things will never be the same at one time or another. It is the wonderous theme of this lovely novel that allows Irene to move on but look fondly back.

I cannot express have wonderful I found this novel to be! I could not read it in public, because I was so filled with emotion at so many places throughout the story. The story of Irene's life itself was rather straightforward but the rich punctuations of reflections on nature, life on a farm, the essence of what a farm life means,and insight into the process of aging and dying ,raised the novel to great heights. For any reader who does not understand the attraction of life connected with nature, this book will provide refreshing insights. For those of us who were bitten by the bug to farm (certainly it was not in my NYC bred genes for generations!) it helps us to explain why we feel the way we do about the farm life, surrounded by animals. It actually awakens an awareness so that I found myself exclaiming why had I never thought that out loud but already knew in some deep place of the soul! For the farmer, it provides a possibility for keeping the working farm long after hehas moved on. For the person simply living a life, this book offers a perspective into the process of dying and into the exhilaration of the soul that dying a meaningful death can hold.

Dr. Mickel's Ferns for American Gardens is the most comprehensive and useful book on ferns for the professional and amateur gardener alike. For those of us who are plagued with deer in our gardens, ferns provide alternative deer-proof plantings. The variety and beauty of these plants have often been underrated, but they fill an important element in the shade garden as they provide texture not often found in other plants. What better way to get to know these plants than with this book. Chapters show the structure of the plant, how to use ferns in the landscape, and beautiful photographs of the many genera, species and cultivars, all listed in alphabetical order. Each plant shows practical attributes such as height, hardiness zones and difficulty of cultivation. A real plus. It also has a chapter on ferns for specific conditions such as sunny conditions, rock gardens etc. The Web now allows the interested gardener to acquire more unusual ferns, and this book will steer you to make the correct decisions on what would suit your garden best. I rate this book as a must-have on ferns.

This book has a tremendous amount of information concerning ferns in America.
It is certainly well worth the sixteen dollars I paid for it. It contains a guide for flowering plants that you can partner with ferns. It gives descriptions of the flowering plants as well as their periods of bloom.
Also, in the back of the book is a glossary of terms which is very helpful and an index of common names.
If you need to identify a type of fern, this is the book to use. The pictures are very good and the descriptions are concise. Scientific names as well as common names are given. Propagating ferns is discussed as well as pests and hardiness zones. A list of mail order sources for hardy ferns is listed at the back of the book. Lots of information is given throughout. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about or grow ferns.

This book has excellent illustrations of a variety of ferns with an description of each. Well worth having for anyone interested in a fern garden.

In this excellent book Mickel furnishes an enormous amount of information about ferns without becoming pedantic or over-bearing. It is reflective of the author's life passion and years of hands-on gardening experience with these plants. The book is nicely organized so that a neophyte such as myself can reference it easily yet it provides enough in-depth information to satisfy the more advanced "fern-aholic". There are great sections on each species detailing origin, ease of cultivation and habit. Although one can tell Mickel never met a fern he didn't like, he makes it engagingly obvious in some cases which are his favorites and why. There is a great section on Matteuccia struthiopteris(ostrich fern) which includes a recipe for preparing and cooking the fiddleheads. Differing from the cook's point of view, the gardener steps in to assure us that cutting the fiddleheads brings no lasting damage to the fern! In another section on the Himalayan maidenhair fern he shares his delight in the accidental discovery that this species is adaptable to indoor cultivation.
The general information on fern structure and reproduction is concise and easily understood. There are a host of new terms in Fern World to be grasped, such as crosier, sori and rachis but Mickel makes them all comprehensible. Gardening with ferns, their prefered habitats, companion plants and even propagation are addressed as this is far more than a field identification book. There are an assortment of good line drawings and small color photographs of the individual fern species, but if this book has a weakness I would say that the photos are undersized and there are not enough of them. However, this is not an opulent coffee-table book but a good solid reference book which is easy to use and full of helpful, practical information for the fern-garderner at what ever level. I still rate it as a solid five star garden book.

This book contains descriptions of a very large number (over 500) of ferns organized by genera and focusing on North American species. The horticultural information goes fairly deep and appears to be very sound. Cultural information is provided for most species. If you are an amateur gardener, this is a good reference for ferns already in your garden and ones you are considering obtaining from local nurseries or from catalogs. Be advised, however, that the book is not a field guide. Although there are many color photos, not all ferns are illustrated. If you are seeking to identify ferns in the garden or the wild, there may be other books that would better serve this purpose.

I had the privilege of being Amos Vogel's student back in the early 1980s, and was therefore fortunate to see a number of the 'unobtainable' films mentioned in this book. Vogel is an encyclopedia of film knowledge, and the often pithy accounts of various 'subversive' films -- including some you might not guess would warrant the label -- are both entertaining and intelligent. The image selection is great though, as others (including Vogel) have noted, a still frame stands for a film in an inadequate but nevertheless allusive way.

This book by Amos Vogel is a reference like no other. He explains why these films need to be seen. The photographs are a treasure themself and the book is abound with them. I have refered to this book constantly through the past 30 years. I'ts great to see it is back in print. My film library of over 1000 art, surrealist, avant guard cinema was largely do to Mr. Vogel's knowledge and explanation of film. I'm only sorry that it has not been updated to show the 1970's to 2006. A must have for sure, get the book while they last.

I agree with other reviewers. This is a great, indispensible book. I've spent the past twenty-five years or so trying to see all the films mentioned. I've made pretty good progress, but I still have a lot to go. My copy is all dog-eared and falling apart and I came here hoping to find one for my half-brother, who is just starting out in the movie biz and needs to know what's in this book. I hope it gets itself back into print. I'd love to see it updated to include subversive films created since 1974.

I picked this up for a quarter at a book sale at our local library. I have read it straight through several times, and i still pick it up quite often and thumb through.

I don't know why it is out of print, but a good number of the films discussed in the book are just as difficult to find as the book itself. If you ever see this book anywhere, and can afford it, you have to buy it.

I've had this book half of my life and am still working on seeing all of the films. That said some of the films reviewed in it have dated badly (even Jean Luc Godard has dismissed his Maoist films which never show today). In addition, some of the countercultural (aka hippie) terminology such as "consciousness 3" will leave modern readers scratching their heads. That said it is an essential discussion of films that break film conventions, whether it be through the language of film, political subversion (suddenly relevant again) or sexual politics. The one positive note is that at the end of the book the author states in bold, "But the real question remains: how to reach the masses 'out there' with five heavy cans of 35 mm film and nowhere to show them". The answer is that through video and especially dvd films mentioned in this book that were impossible to find are suddenly resurfacing and being re-evaluated. Though some films are best shelved (I pity anyone who watches all 8 hours of Andy Warhol's "Empire" just to say that they saw it), others especially from world cinema such as the Iranian film "The Cow" and the Senegal made film "The Money Order (Mandabi)" show film makers who now have recieved acclaim. Though some reviewers wanted an update of this book I think that it was written and speaks for a certain point in time, before the co-option of underground films into indie films, when foreign films were still ahead of the times, before garbage like Jackass broke almost all visual taboos while actually taking film a giant leap backward and before the vcr, when hunting down experimental films showing in theaters or libraries was a religion onto itself.

This book was described as being in good condition. It is actually in fair condition. The cover shows that the book has been through a lot of wear. Not totally pleased with this purchase.

Like having a cup of steaming coffee with a dear friend, John Fox's words,rich and strong, wake you up and add a new flavor to your work whether you are a first time poet or have written for years. FINDING WHAT YOU DIDN'T LOSE is a must have book to share with your students, colleagues, and writing groups. As a teacher, I thoroughly enjoyed the hands on experience: examples, suggestions, quotations, and hints. Filled with truthtelling that connects like caffeine straight to the heart, John Fox helps you find your way home to the poet within.

For anyone who loves discovering the inner creativity of oneself, this is the book for you. I have had this book for a couple of years and I find it interesting everytime I sit down and realize another poem. Every teacher should own a copy. Children would benefit from its teachings.

"Finding What You Didn't Lose: Expressing Your Truth and Creativity Through Poem-making" was my introduction to the field of poetry therapy. Although I have added many poetry therapy texts to my library since acquiring Mr. Fox's book, I still consider "Finding What You Didn't Lose" the premiere text. It is comprehensible; full of useful and thoughtful ideas; and beneficial for anyone seeking to cultivate healing in themselves or others. I am currently undergoing professional training in poetry therapy and find myself returning again and again to Mr. Fox's book. Also, when introducing people to the field of poetry therapy, I always recommend Finding What You Didn't Lose as a foundational text.

When I was younger, I wrote poetry all of the time, but it was a very intimate, secret self who wrote those poems. As I grew up, I thought that the angst of my earlier days was best bottled away. One day, at 45, I started to develop stress-related illnesses and had to find a way to re-connect with who I really am, find a way to figure out what is real and what is pretense. Enter this book. My earlier poems, luckily still stored away in a file in my home, told me what I used to know, and in writing poems for today, I can celebrate the journey since then.

I wish I could meet the author of this lovingly written adventure/book --he impresses me, through his own poetry and his writing, as someone who can accept people as they are and then gently, patiently, invite them to find their own voice and grow.

As the mother of a challenging teenager with a long list of `disorders', I cried while reading GENIUS! George and Joanne Lynn write with a raw honesty that cut straight to my core.

In the Editor's Preface, Joanne writes "Families such as ours live in a crucible, that chemistry lab vessel made of a material, steel or platinum or porcelain, that doesn't burn away in a furnace...George and I live in the furnace of our son's wild neurology, and our job is to contain him so that he can grow, without burning up in his own heat. And we must not burn out in the nurturing of him."

This beautiful book, is written from the intimate perspective of parents who have lived in the furnace with their own son, as well as their perspectives as therapist and poet. George Lynn writes with professional authority about attention differences - in particular AD/HD, Asperger Syndrome, bipolar disorder and Tourette Syndrome. Yet this is not just a book about coping with syndromes and disorders. It is about seeing the brilliance within our child. It is also about how we parents need to focus inward, nurturing our own genius, and giving it expression. Taking care of our own health, mind and spirit strengthens us to meet the challenges of living amidst the daily chaos. This book is like finding an oasis in the lonely desert of cultural misunderstanding and judgement. Thank you George and Joanne for this gift.

This book is fantastic as well as all of his books. George Lynn is not only a therapist, but also a parent who has raised a child with many neurological challenges. I would highly recommend this to anyone!

While acknowledging that ADHD and other "neurologically different" children can be disruptive and have problems affecting both others and themselves, the authors - whose teen son has been diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome and Asperger's Syndrome - acclaim these exceptional people as also having a "genius" or "guiding spirit" that can help them make important, even vital, contributions to society.

As a counselor of children and adults, George Lynn says many of his AD/HD adolescent clients "are sports champions or team captains at the high school level. As performers or musicians they tend to be creative and innovative composers, and charismatic on stage." And there are many examples throughout history of prominent achievers who are neurologically different.

This book will be high on the short list of titles I recommend to parents of challenging children who ask "which books are worth reading?" This title is clearly worth the investment of time, not only because George Lynn is a skilled therapist who has seen and helped scores of neurologically challenged kids, but because he has lived it as a parent. In addition to wise advice, this book records a very personal journey in which we can see what he and his wife experienced from the inside out.

I was particularly struck by his reminder that every human being needs a "Great Story" with which to frame their talents and strengths, something to serve as a beacon in darker times, a reminder that we each are much more than the sum of our liabilities. Kids with multiple difficulties need such a beacon especially, but while dealing with the stresses of daily living, it is all too easy to forget.

In the process of reminding parents and kids to seek the Great Stories they all have to tell, George Lynn has given the gift of a Great Story for himself.

George and Joanne Lynn know first hand that the process of taking care of a neurologically eccentric child is emotionally taxing and all consuming; so much so that the child's deficits tend to take center stage at the expense of an appreciation for their gifts. Many of these gifts, they explain, are the results of the very eccentricities that brought on the diagnoses. With empathy and amazing insight, Lynn helps us to appreciate and learn to cultivate these gifts in our children so that our children may develop the positive self image necessary to reach their potential. This potential may exceed our wildest imaginings. Their disabilities are an undeniable part of their genius and the tapestry of their lives telling a story of where they have been and where they are going. With care, their genius can be cultivated and become a powerful and positive force in their lives. The Lynn's emphasize strengthening the positive without denying the challenges of these children, as both contribute to the child's sense of self and their path thru life. In-as-much as every virtue when examined from a different perspective can be seen as a flaw, so the struggles and "symptoms" of these remarkable children can influence them in very positive ways. A very encouraging read for the parent who is lost in the sea of doctors, diagnoses, frustration, and hopelessness and may have lost touch with their child , their family, and even themselves in the process.

Everyone has important paperwork and legal information which loved ones should have access to: GET IT TOGETHER: ORGANIZE YOUR RECORDS SO YOUR FAMILY WON'T HAVE TO appears in its second updated edition to tell how to sort important records, help your family find needed information, and how to do so with or without a computer in hand. Step-by-step descriptions of what documents will be needed, how to organize and protect them, and how to provide selected users with keys for finding them quickly make GET IT TOGETHER a top pick for any public library reference section.

My mother died suddenly and left her estate in a total mess. I was left shocked, grief-stricken and alone in struggling to make sense of what needed to be done. I wouldn't wish that ordeal on anyone let alone on those I love. This workbook and companion organizer is the perfect solution. Nothing will be left to guesswork if I am incapacitated or dead. It is thorough yet simply organized and written from a compassionate perspective. It is a gift of love to provide this kind of direction to those who must make decisions on your behalf.

I bought this book thru Amazon in June 2006 because of my experiences working with a close friend who had just lost his father rather unexpectedly. My friend faced a monstrous task of trying to track down his father's assets, business records, last will, credit accounts, etc. just to scratch the surface. As a participant in his frustration, I began to think about the arrangement of my personal life and how my loved ones would tend to my estate.

"Get It Together" brings so much to the table to deal with. I think most people refuse to face their mortality and the task of making such arrangements, let alone there really is a large volume of papers, decisions, conversations, and organization to be handled. GIT is very thorough in all topic areas (see Table of Contents). The book discusses the emotions involved with each topic area, numerous websites to obtain additional information, what to get a copy of, keeping the info current and arranging your "estate" or life, for that matter, to benefit those close to you.

My parents or other people I look up to would never or be highly uncomfortable discussing these topics in detail. This book is perfect to compensate for the lack of those conversations. Now, just a warning for those willing to purchase and conform to this book. I was quite diligent in following all their instructions and recommendations to the "t". It took longer than expected, about 12 weekends, until I had gathered and organized everything to my satisfaction and I don't have a wife, kids or other complicated situations...just me alone.

But I have such a peace of mind that my successors will have no trouble making decisions or tracking down stuff because it's all there with explicit directions from me. I find going forward that I try to keep my life organized in a simple fashion and refuse to take on unnecessary stuff that I will need to add to my planner. And I feel no stress at all looking at my desk now because all the meaningless clutter is gone and GIT was a big reason for that.

Finally, the greatest resource is the forms CD included with the book, which saves a great deal of time when the organizing process starts and got me unstuck in some areas.

I've been left to pick up the pieces after a loved one's death and would not wish that experience on my family. That said, exactly because the subject was so intensely emotional, I'd put off meaningful gathering and preparation.

A recent experience I watched unfold showed me how selfish that approach was and I started looking for a method to pull together information. This book came highly recommended, and I liked the idea of the accompanying CD-Rom.

We've been making progress with our worksheets (I printed one file for each of us, with a master file for joint things like checking/savings accounts and our home). When we're almost done, we'll sit down with a professional and use this material to develop a living trust.

The author's manner throughout is professional and yet compassionate. Instructions are easy to understand, yet there's not a feel that you're being talked down to. You also can hop from one place to another in the book and worksheets as your information and mood take you.

I'd add these suggestions to the process:

* If you don't already have a grid of account numbers, simply gather your monthly statements now, while you're waiting for the book to arrive, and add new statements as they come in.

* "Tax time" is a perfect time to work on the financial sections, since you've probably got a lot of materials more at your fingertips than you do at other times of year.

* Practice security wisely. Keep the material at home, preferably locked up. Although you can work on the files on your computer, I would advise very strongly against leaving them on your drive. Either secure the printouts or archive your documents on a removable drive, which you then secure.

* There's a note that no tech support is available for non-Windows user. I have found that the CD operates easily and flawlessly on the Mac OS X platform.

* If you're reluctant for time or emotional reasons, you'll find that you can get a lot done in 20-minute chunks. For the same reason, turn to the portions where you indicate your wishes (remembrance service? full-blown viewing and service?) since your voice will provide comfort and solace to those you leave behind.

(This review is of the second edition of the book, which was purchased directly from Amazon.)

We were hoping to set up a will and living directive, but the CD didn't have that. The forms are in PDF format so you print them off and fill them out?? Not sure why that is, deliver a Word doc so people can type it in. It's a great get all the information together type of book, just not great on the other parts of what to do if you become incapacitated type situations.