U Books

I'll keep this short - this is one of the best collections you can own for Calvin and Hobbes. As there is a gigantic compilation that includes all of the strips ever made, you might think there is little reason to own anything else. However, this book contains insight directly from Watterson himself. It includes his own personal takes on some of his strips, how he evolved his artwork, his battle with syndication and layout restrictions, and overall a great look into the mind of a rather reclusive man.

His work is magical in every possible sense.

Don't get me wrong, I love C&H. But Watterson is a bit preachy in this book. He tries to explain his rationale behind some of these comics and that's generally cool. But he has comments where he bashes other comics for being pretentions jerks while he comes across like basically a pretentious jerk. /shrug, it's still a good book with good comics. For me, it was a mix of eye-rolling at Watterson's comments vs. laughing at the comics.

"I've always loved cartoons. With 'Calvin and Hobbes', I've tried to return some of the fun, magic, and beauty I've enjoyed in other comics. It's been immensely satisfying to draw 'Calvin and Hobbes', and I will always be grateful to have had the opportunity to work in this wonderful art form." (p. 208)

This book allows us to see the man behind the pen. This collection is a selection of what Watterson thought was important, interesting or profound about various strips he drew. It is the equivalent of a director's commentary on a DVD.

I relished the introductory essay, which is far superior to the one found in the Monster Box Set. It covers more of the in and outs of drawing, Watterson's battle for control of Calvin, his no-marketing stance, and his push for those wonderful Sunday comics. We have yet to see his artistic superior, much less an equal.

If we read between the lines, Watterson's retirement was not a surprise. The battles he fought for his integrity really damaged a part of his soul. This book provides a better explanation than his terse press release, and I feel for him. The Far Side, Bloom County, and now Foxtrot have run their course, and like these other comics, we can use this book to stoke memories--the roses of the soul that charm us in winter.

From Watterson's point of view, this book is the best of the best. After reading it, I see what he meant. The reason why C&H was so popular was that he touched the soul's taproot. You have the two sides of the man, with the animal being human, and the human an animal, then the shifting frame of reference between the imaginary and real world. As a chronic daydreamer, I understand this perfectly. In fact, I find myself in many situations that Calvin does, with the same results.

This is art--we se ourselves, and are better for it.

Best cartoon series that I can remember. Use it as a coffee table book for guests to flip through and enjoy. Very satisfied with condition when received.

Calvin And Hobbes...What A CLASSIC! It's hillarious, its clever, it's got everytihin! I bought this book as my first Calvin and Hobbes book years ago and I loved it immediatly! If im sad or upset, I just read this book and i'm happy again! IT's incredible! Watterson's commentary is an extra for this book and it's informative too. Also, this book has more strips than some of the other ones so buy this one! I hope this helped!

There are some hard parts to get through describing the fire, but you'll appreciate the Chicago history, the history around the event, what it did to the surrounding neighborhood and how it changed fire codes in the U.S. and likely the world. Your children are safer today because of what happened to these kids.

The book also made me replace all of my smoke detectors!

This is one Chicago tragedy that resonates with me strongly. My former attorney, recently deceased, was a survivor of the deadly fire at Our Lady of Angels Catholic School.

Despite our shared interest in history, he never spoke of the fire during the twenty years in which I knew him. Last year, I found a web site maintained by survivors of the fire and questioned him about the inclusion of his name and that of his sister on the list. His sole response was that the entries were correct. Both had attended school on December 1, 1958, the date of the fire. Our brief conversation proceeded no further. My friend was visibly uncomfortable and I did not make press him with additional inquiries.

Having read this well written account of the fire and the arson investigation, I can understand why my friend preferred to change the subject. This book is compelling, but it is not for the faint of heart. The descriptions contained in "To Sleep With Angels" will haunt and disturb you. You may not be able to read the book without pausing to weep.
I could not read the book in a single sitting.

It is difficult to forget any of the tragic events described in "To Sleep With the Angels." In no particular order, the random images include a father, who rushed to the school with a ladder to rescue trapped children, watching his own son perish in a cloud of toxic smoke as the ladder was too short to reach a high window; a sick ten year old girl had a premonitory dream, but within a few hours the same child felt much better and asked her mother to let her attend school after recess; from an upper floor window, frightened children recognized an adult neighbor, the owner of the local candy store, and began shouting at the woman and begging her to help save them. The terrible list goes on and on as the authors relate the individual memories and recollections of many of the survivors, the families of the victims, the witnesses and the investigators.

More than ninety persons perished that on that cold December afternoon. In addition to ninety-two students, three nuns were also killed in the burning building. A majority of the victims succumbed on account of smoke inhalation. In the aftermath of the fire, a national campaign was launched to improved fire safety at schools throughout the USA.

Almost as painful as the fire itself was the ultimate fate of many of the survivors. Following the tragedy, many local residents began to move away from their formerly beloved parish. Some people would describe the exodus of the families from the blue collar West Side neighborhood as white flight, but others believed that it was simply too painful for many parents and children to continue living in close proximity to the school where their loved ones had died. They needed to find new surroundings in which to live rather than be reminded of the tragedy on a daily basis. There were far too many unanswerable questions: How many additional lives might have been saved if a set of doors had been closed? How many children would have been spared if the fire had occurred fifteen minutes later after the three o'clock dismissal bell? Why wasn't the fire alarm bell sounded at the school more quickly? Firefighters felt that they could have saved many more lives if they had been given the correct building address and had arrived on the scene four minutes sooner.

No one was ever prosecuted for the crime of arson in connection with the suspicious fire. A juvenile offender set the fire, but he could not be tried under Illinois law since the crime occurred before his thirteenth birthday. This same minor was subsequently tried and convicted for a series of arsons committed in suburban Cicero, where his family moved after the fire at Our Lady of the Angels. The authors posit that church and civil authorities sought to shield the identity of the boy on account of his minority. This explanation is wholly credible.

After my friend's funeral, his two sisters related that their brother regularly attended memorial masses held to honor those who died in the fire at Our Lady of the Angels. The elder sister, who had also attended the school on the day of the fire, exited the building safely. Her brother was also escaped without serious injury. Their father heard a radio broadcast concerning the fire while driving his car and he was permitted to enter the police cordon to look for his children. He was unaware that they had arrived home safely during the confusion. There was a great deal of crying when the children and parents were reunited at their home that afternoon. These personal stories are not repeated in the book.
************************************************************************
In a bizarre and equally disturbing development, one of the authors of this book was convicted of arson after setting a fire to a storage building opposite St. Benedict's Catholic Church on the North side of Chicago in June of 2005. Thankfully, only property damage resulted from the fire. David Cowan was said to be despondent after losing his janitorial job. The defendant, who was also a former suburban firefighter, was sentenced to serve a three year prison term in December of that same year. He has been paroled. Ironically, he was also the author a book entitled, "Great Chicago Fires" and had reported on fires for various newspapers.

This book was given to me to read when I took my first fire fighter class. My instructor loaned me her copy and I ended up buying my own copy. The tragic events detailed in this book led me into teaching fire prevention and making sure that a tragedy such as this never happens again.

I have recommended this book to several people both in and outside of the fire service. Everyone that I know who have read it have been touched by this story. I have also given this book as a gift to several students taking their first steps into the fire service so that they never forget the impact a tragic fire can have.

I love to read and I feel that this is one of the best books I have ever read. I am also a firefighter and decided to read this book because it had to do with a historic fire, little did I know that I would love this book for much more than historic and educational reasons. This book was very well written and showed all aspects of this event from the firefighters to the victims themselves. I would recomden this book to anyone who wants a good read, as well as to anyone who is interested in fire history.

This was a fascinating book. I bought it to read on a trip, because of the excellent ratings. We were stuck in a plane on a runway in Dallas for 6 hours. The wait seemed much shorter, because I was thoroughly involved in reading this book.

I highly recommend it.

As both a dog and cat owner, and a would-be everything-else owner, too, I love this book! I have several "Chicken Soup" books, plan to add several more to my collection, but this one is probably my favorite so far. It keeps you between tears and laughter from beginning to end. All pet lovers will see themselves and their furry, feathered or finned friends somewhere in here, I'm sure!

Most of the series of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' has the kind of warm and fuzzy story that many find endearing and sweet. They are not 'deep' most of the time, but do point to things beyond themselves; for my own use, I often find sermon illustrations and stories within the pages of volumes of Chicken Soup -- as chaplain at a retirement centre, many of the stories help people to recall happier times, and help them deal with their present situation.

This particular volume involves stories with animals. The relationship between animals and people of all ages can make for some of the funniest, most heart-warming, most sad, and most meaningful stories. There are contributing authors of some note (Barbara Bush, James Herriot, Jimmy Stewart, Gilda Radner, Art Linkletter) among other authors who had stories to tell and volunteered them. Much in the manner that Readers Digest accepts unsolicited stories from amateur authors, so does the Chicken Soup series. Often the most meaningful stories are those that happen to people who are not professional writers.

Few animals are left out here, as many animals have come to be companions with humans over the centuries. Dogs and cats feature prominently, as do horses and other farm animals, but there are also wolves, birds, dolphins, deer, wild turkeys, gorillas and even a Christmas mouse. The stories cover a wide range of topics, including pets as friends and healers, animals as rescuers and performers of other amazing feats, animals whose companionship meant a lot, and finally on the sadness and meaning of saying goodbye to an important family member.

Each of this stories can easily be read in a short time. This makes it a good source for 'falling-asleep reading', for use in public speaking and preaching opportunites, for shared reading-aloud times, and for simple enjoyment and entertainment. Many of the stories here are ones that stay with you; the story about the wild turkeys and the story of the Christmas mouse are stories I use again and again in my chaplaincy, and they are always appreciated.

The editors of the primary series 'Chicken Soup' are Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen; for purposes of this volume, they are joined by Marty Becker and Carol Kline, authors and animal-professionals in various capacities.

My cats give their paws-up to this!

Most of the series of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' has the kind of warm and fuzzy story that many find endearing and sweet. They are not 'deep' most of the time, but do point to things beyond themselves; for my own use, I often find sermon illustrations and stories within the pages of volumes of Chicken Soup -- as chaplain at a retirement centre, many of the stories help people to recall happier times, and help them deal with their present situation.

This particular volume involves stories with animals. The relationship between animals and people of all ages can make for some of the funniest, most heart-warming, most sad, and most meaningful stories. There are contributing authors of some note (Barbara Bush, James Herriot, Jimmy Stewart, Gilda Radner, Art Linkletter) among other authors who had stories to tell and volunteered them. Much in the manner that Readers Digest accepts unsolicited stories from amateur authors, so does the Chicken Soup series. Often the most meaningful stories are those that happen to people who are not professional writers.

Few animals are left out here, as many animals have come to be companions with humans over the centuries. Dogs and cats feature prominently, as do horses and other farm animals, but there are also wolves, birds, dolphins, deer, wild turkeys, gorillas and even a Christmas mouse. The stories cover a wide range of topics, including pets as friends and healers, animals as rescuers and performers of other amazing feats, animals whose companionship meant a lot, and finally on the sadness and meaning of saying goodbye to an important family member.

Each of this stories can easily be read in a short time. This makes it a good source for 'falling-asleep reading', for use in public speaking and preaching opportunites, for shared reading-aloud times, and for simple enjoyment and entertainment. Many of the stories here are ones that stay with you; the story about the wild turkeys and the story of the Christmas mouse are stories I use again and again in my chaplaincy, and they are always appreciated.

The editors of the primary series 'Chicken Soup' are Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen; for purposes of this volume, they are joined by Marty Becker and Carol Kline, authors and animal-professionals in various capacities.

My cats give their paws-up to this!

I didn't quite know if I was going to make it through this book. Through about the first 8-9 stories, I kept on crying. I was thinking "This is ridiculous. I can't read one doggone story without crying after I read it." I kept thinking of my dog, Shep, who died a couple years ago at the age of 91 and how badly I want another dog. There is a dog beach by my house so usually everytime I see a dog, Shep pops up to mind. I pretty much had sunglasses on when I read this book in public so people wouldn't think I was completely crazy. Somewhere towards the middle, I hardened up and was ready to read this book without blinking a thousand times.
These were wonderful stories about everything from cats, dogs, snakes, bears, gorillas, and birds. I enjoyed every last one of them except for the one about Bush's dog. It was very impersonal and told the whole story like it was some sort of nursery rhyme. That was the only reason the book got four stars. I don't even understand how that story made it past submissions.

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul is a fantastic book for anyone who has a special place in his or her heart for animals. The book was made up of many different stories describing the special qualities that make our pets and furry friends unique. I rated this book a 5 because I found myself crying one minute and laughing the next. There are stories that will make you giggle, one in particular describes buffalo playing a game on ice. It made me realize that there are many things about animals that we don't understand- and never will. Who would have guessed that buffalo play games? The book also included stories that sent tears down my cheek. The story that stands out the most in my mind is a story about how far a mother cats goes to save her kittens. The love of the mother cat can relate to human mothers as well, they will do anything to protect their children. I believe that animals are fantastic teachers. One story in the book talks about how a gorilla helped to rescue an injured (human) boy after he fell into her area in the zoo. The author of that story explained that what is truly amazing about the gorilla is that she helped the boy without caring about recognition. She helped the boy because she wanted to, she didn't know that recognition was even a part of the act. That is exactly what us humans can learn from these animals. We need to help somebody because it's the thing to do, not because we want to be remembered as a hero.
I would recommend Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul for anyone who enjoys animals or just wants to read a book that make you warm and fuzzy inside. The stories in the book will show you exactly why pets are teachers, healers, heroes and friends. You will realize how special they really are.
Also check out Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul for stories about teenagers that will inspire you.

This book enlightened me and really got to me, much more than I expected. I was delighted to read about the life of a 102-year old african american man from the south, as I am a 30-something white woman from MT. He has a lot to teach us, and a lot to remind us of and has a way of doing so that makes us thankful for what we have. George Dawson is a gem and I am pleased that someone took the time to put his story on paper. What a great book!

Even though this book was published six years ago, the message of "Life is so good" is timeless. It is a window into a world that we are all a part of, but some of us rarely see. Truly memorable! Dawson sees literacy as an incredible gift and he in turn gives the reader numerous ones in return.

Richard Glaubman's "Life Is So Good" is a real comeuppance for anyone whose outlook towards life runs along the lines of "I wish I had done X, but I'm too old to start now." Here's a man, George Dawson, who learned how to read at age 98. As a USA Today review aptly summarizes, "Dawson has become a literary hero, a testament to the power of perseverance." First-time author Glaubman expertly fleshes out Larry Bingham's award-winning 1998 Fort Worth Star-Telegram short story.

Dawson's tales of life in the Jim Crow-era South, his unquenchable work ethic, and his travels throughout North America make for compelling reading. Here is a man who was never given a shot to read when he was younger - economic circumstances forced him into full-time manual labor at a very early age. Despite significant hardship, his optimism and sense of self-worth never waver. The title really sums it up well here. Glaubman's final words from Dawson are "Life is so good and it gets better every day."

As other reviewers have noted, Chapter 1 of this book could stand alone as among the best short stories you'll ever read.

I like the memoir because George Dawson never gave up his dream to read and write. George was born in the late 1800's. His parents were not slaves, but his grandparents were once slaves. George was raised in Texas. His family was poor, and he never attended school. Georges started working at a very young age, drawing water from the well each morning for the house. George worked alongside his father in the fields. The work was hard, so was their life. They had to watch what they said and went in fear of the K.K.K. Twelve year old George went to work, and stayed with a white family to help out at home. His cousins came to live with his family because their parents died, so George was needed at home. George left home at twenty-one and worked in Tennessee building levees. It was two years before he returned back home.

Life is So Good is a story about George Dawson's dreams of receiving mail, learning to read and write at the age of ninety-eight, and his work ethic. I can relate to George's hard work and his work ethic. I beleive in hard work and doing it right the first time.

This book is sad and tells of struggles he had to go through. It is not easy reading at first because the chapters jumped around. But overall, it is a good book to read.

"Life is good just like it is"(233). "Don't worry about what someone else thinks. Just do the right thing and take pride in yourself"(214). The owner of this optimistic way of thinking toward life was George Dawson, the grandson of an African American slave, who worked hard his whole life but was illiterate until he turned 98 years old. From the time George Dawson was a young boy, he learned the importance of hard work from his father and gave up going to school to help raise his younger siblings since he was the oldest son of five children. Dawson felt that school was only for children, and he was never aware of adult education classes until he attended an ABE (Adult Basic Education) program. He was ashamed of his illiteracy, but no one around him knew it, not even his children, until Dawson told them. When signing a sheet, he had to mark his name with an X.

Dawson grew up in South, Texas, where there was a prevalence of strong racial discrimination. As a grandson of an African American slave, he suffered social injustices his whole life, including racism and poverty, but his cheerful view of life was the key to his mental and physical health. Dawson's wholesome life philosophy despite a racist society was transmitted to him from his father who taught him how to get along or deal with white people without friction; this was a realistic and functional survival skill. However, throughout the book, strong racism was well represented in every story and left me feeling sad and angry.

Nevertheless, their family worked hard so they could make enough to feed the family. Moreover, he left home to travel and work for about nine years here and there, not only inside the USA, but also in Canada and Mexico. These experiences away from home let him become acquainted with the ways of the world. During his lifetime, Dawson did not waste his time and tried as best as he could in any situation and he did not lose his warm heart nor fall into any misbehaviors under difficult circumstances.

He married four times and had seven children, but he sent all his children to college; for his life, he had always valued the importance of education. He had lived in three different centuries, from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century. His life's journey in education as a member of the labor class and minority is a prime example of the American history of adult education in the 20th century. Interestingly, he traced back in memory to important social events or movements by looking at old photos or listening to past historical stories. Because he could not read the newspaper, he received the news from other people or the radio. His excellent memory enabled him to become literate in an ABE program at the age of 98 years old.

All through the book, I learned many actual philosophies of life. I thought that every ethnic group has its own specific life style, but I am reminded that the basic philosophy of life is not different between different races or classes; Dawson said that "...Every colored man had the same talk with his children: how to get along, how to survive in this world" (202). His philosophy was that, "A man is born to die. You got to keep that in mind and don't do no wrong" (257). This thinking was not new, but hearing these advices have produced a profound sense of meaning for me. He also said that, "You have no right to judge another human being,"(12) and "People forget that a picture ain't made from just one color. Life ain't all good or all bad"(233). He did not complain toward social injustices but kept his composure illustrated by his ability to keep calm. For example, when he was gardening for a white woman, he refused to eat a meal she served when he discovered she provided the same food to her dog.

However, I think that many parts of his optimistic perspectives towards social inequality were influenced by his illiteracy and non formal educational background. Without education, he was unable to articulate his human rights and desire for social reform. Criticisms directed towards social injustice were out of his realm of concern.
"I want for people not to worry so much. Life ain't going to be perfect, but things will work out" (246). "I guess the heat doesn't bother you people. You're fortunate that you can just keep working"(209). These positive thoughts were the cause of his long life; this book was published when he was 101 years old.

The school started at nine, but he got up by five-thirty and made his lunch, packed his books, and went over his schoolwork. He had always gone to school early and had not ever been late for three years since he began to attend the adult education program. When he turned one hundred years old, Dawson could read on a third-grade level.
I would definitely recommend this great book for any student over ten-year old children to let them know the importance of education, the value of literacy, and the sadness of a distorted social and racist environment. I also would like to recommend it to older generations who have been afraid of learning something at their age. I already handed this book to my teen-aged child with a brief explanation.

Those of us who are literate and highly educated people do not know the difficulties of illiteracy, but it is a shameful secret for many illiterate people. I think that illiteracy is mentally as debilitating as poverty. As a non-native English speaker, I have a similar sense of shame in many situations as Dawson might have had; this feeling is well synthesized into the story. This easy to read, meaningful, and impressive book kept me reading non-stop from the beginning to the end.
"Life is so good and it gets better every day" (260). I always would like to remember this philosophy of life.

I picked this novel up way back in elementary school at a book fair. I'm in college now, and it's still on my desk shelf back home (I'm a little sad that I keep forgetting to bring it with me!). The Long Night is one of those books that you can read over and over again because, in my opinion, you get so attached to these characters that you don't want to let them go.

Even if the relationship between Elizabeth and Max seems slightly reminiscent of Jack and Rose, the story of Katie, Paddy and those in both first class and steerage give a good parallel for comparison. In fact, one could even sat that it is the side characters that help make the story good and believable, be it the vanity of Nola Farr, the selfishness of Eileen, the tragic bravery of both Martin Farr and Brian, or the innocence of Kevin and Bridley amidst the horror.

All in all I recommend this book to younger readers (or those young at heart) who want a book that stays with them long after the last page is finished.

I wanted to like this novel, but I couldn't get past what seemed like plagiarism of James Cameron's screenplay for the movie Titanic. There are some differences between the book and the movie, but a few snippets of dialogue seem as if they were taken straight from the movie. The heroine's dilemma and her artist lover will also seem oddly familiar, as well as the relationship between her and her parents. There are also a few scenes that moviegoers might find quite similar. By the way, this book came out one year after the movie. Coincidence?

Two young women, an American daughter of wealth (Elizabeth) and an Irish immigrant (Katie), travel on the doom-fated Titanic. On board, they sort out tangled love affairs with a roguish playboy in steerage (for Katie) and a painter who plans to refuse his parents' wishes in first class (for Elizabeth). Elizabeth fights with her parents about her future, while Katie is already a strong willed feminist. While the plot isn't spectacular, the prose is decent, and--best of all--it isn't overly preachy (about the culture of the time or the mistakes of the ship) or contrived, but very historically accurate. Some parts of the whining teenager and description get overly long, but the characters and their human dramas are moving enough to be engaging. In my opinion, the best part is that the author conveyed the feelings on board as the ship sinks with accuracy rarely seen in Titanic fiction. The emotion is restrained, but nether-the-less there, as would be accurate for Edwardian society. The infamous lines, like "you've lost your beautiful jewelry" are more appropriately credited to psychological shock. The logical hope of another ship coming to rescue them and the deep fear of being in a lonely, cold lifeboat on the open sea is so perfectly portrayed (and oddly rarely in other works), one can't help but understand what went through the minds of those passengers. Grade: A-

I liked the conflict and tension between Elizabeth and her parents. She wants to go to collage and her parents have planned a big debut and marriage to an older man named Alan. On the voyage from England to New York (the Titanic's maiden voyage), Elizabeth falls in love with Max - a wealthy artist who has studied in Paris against his parent's wishes. Broke and hungry, he asks his grandmother for money to go back home. Elizabeth wants to be like Max, but living without money is not exactly the way she wants to live.

However, as the ship is going down, she declares her love for Max and he for her, but is it too late? Kate and her mother wind up on a lifeboat and now she has to wonder if she'll ever see Max again? I wondered too, so will you. This is a terrific story, made all the better by the stories of the other characters involved as well.

I could not put this book down. I read it in 1 day. I became so attached to each of the characters. I cried as well. Great writing!

Commander Werner has written a fascinating account of his experiences as a German U-Boat captain during WWII. A variety of books have been written about overall submarine warfare, but this author provides us with an interesting perspective based on his personal experiences.

We quickly learn that the submariner leads a harrowing life in a claustrophobic metal tube where the humidity quickly turns everything into a sodden mess, including the food which turns moldy and covered with slime, but is still eaten. For the men aboard it was a glorious time for the first full two years of the war in which only 47 boats were lost while millions of tons of allied ships were sent to the bottom. Then things changed. In 1943 alone 237 German submarines were sunk. By war's end close to 800 boats were lost at sea.

The book describes an interesting form of evolutionary warfare. Unfortunately for the Germans the Allies evolved more quickly as they developed better radar detection systems, began using more fast convoy escorts, and inaugurated the use of small aircraft carriers to provide air support. An interesting innovation that I hadn't heard of before was the planting of buoys in the areas around England that sent radar signals. A U-boat surfacing would detect these signals and, thinking they were about to be attacked, would submerge again. Werner also slowly becomes aware that the Allies had broken the submarine codes. Everywhere he went the enemy was waiting for him. If you wanted to stay alive you had to maintain radio silence.

Mr. Werner salts his account with descriptions of his life ashore during the war. Going on leave was pleasurable, but as the war progressed he details the gradual destruction of his homeland. Even close to the end he and his comrades expected Germany to win the war. The author concludes the book by discussing his unpleasant experiences as a prisoner of war.

This book is a fantastic evocation of what it was like to fight in a u-boat in WW2. It is also great at recording the way the tide of war turned against the Germans and the U-boat arm in particular.

However: It is not factually accurate as far as I can tell. Werner consistently overstates the number of ships sunk by the boats on which he serves. While this might be thought to represent a genuine mistake caused by wartime conditions it is clear that Werners' story telling goes beyond that. For example: he provides a detailed description of an attack on Convoy SC122 which sinks several ships and which must be fantasy. Not only is the U230 not recorded as having sunk anything in this convoy, it is also not recorded as ever attacking the convoy although it was involved in the operation. Werner must have made it up.

While this doesn't detract from this being a good book to read,and while it is obviously based on wartime experience it certainly isn't anything like an accurate history.

This is a very well written account or Commander Werner's life durring WWII from an ensign in the German Navy to Commander of his own UBOAT. From the best times of the war for Germany to the fall of Germany. Werner's entire journey through the war as told from the perspective of a navy man serving on a German Uboat. It also gets into his personal life a bit, family etc. He even has a run in with the Gestapo, I would highly recomend this book to anyone who appreciates history and a perspective from the German side of the war. The uboat tactics are very intresting as well.

I was a bit biased about the view from the other side. I was told that the Germans considered anything on this side of the Atlantic to be American, such as Newfoundland,Nova Scotia,Canadian destroyers & Corvettes,etc...all American apparently. Despite most of the warships in the North Atlantic (after 1942) being Canadian, the Germans rebadged them as American. I guess they found some common ground with America after all. I just couldn't identify with the story. The books about the Tang, Wahoo, etc were far more entertaining. Anyway, still not a bad book.

this book at times stretches credibility,it almost seems like a work of fiction because of the numerous hairline escapes of Werner.When he was interviewed at the end of the war even the British post war interviewers couldn't believe his miraculous escapes of the subhunters.With the British domination in the field of electronic warfare,the Germans might as well have pumped embalming fluid in with the fuel oil of their,"Iron Coffins".then as if the tale isn't already stretched beyond believability, he has even more narrow escapes from numerous prisoner of war camps at the end of the book.The detail of the tales however make the book credible and entertaining,maybe a higher power allowed Werner's escapes in order for him to write this book.Unknown to Werner when he wrote the book and unknown to WW2 Uboat commanders,the confidential command communications between German U-boats was compromised in 1943,by the British cracking the Germans'Enigma code.U-boat operation locations were known to British subhunters simultaneously with the German command. There almost couldn't be another reason behind Werner's phenominal luck(although he was undoubtedly a skilled professional).So get ready for a tale of shattering nerves and physical pain(as one of the captains'crew chiefs can't keep the submarine trimmed and the vacuum from the snorkel send the submariners popped eyes and shattered eardrums.Still some of the accounts of Werner's survival of the depth charges and aircraft attacks stretch credibility.

Ugh, I don't know where to start. Poorly written and researched, at best. Try to remember that it is 'based on a true story'. But the true story part doesn't resemble the climax of the book, at all. I've read plenty of books that are baseball related, this is the only one I've ever been viscerally disappointed in.

Elroy Face learned the forkball in the MAJOR LEAGUES from Joe Page, the Yankee reliever who ended up his career with the Pirates. Save your money on this one. In honor of a great Pirate, Elroy Face, don't waste any money on this book.

Gary Moore has written a wonderful book. As a baseball fan and a military buff, Playing With the Enemy it has become, simply, one of my favorite non-fiction reads of all time. It has earned a place on my shelf of books to keep, and will be one of those books I give as gifts. But it won't be given only to fellow baseball and military historians, as this is a story that will peak the interest of anyone who likes to read of ordinary people doing the most extraordinary things while living out their private lives.

Moore's book tells the story of his father, Gene Moore, a baseball prodigy whose promising baseball career was interrupted by the Second World War. Drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers as a teenager, Gene Moore entered the Navy in a little-known program that allowed Major League talents a chance to serve their country, play the game they love, and entertain the troops. Unlike Steven Bullock's Playing for Their Nation (2004), an exhaustively researched book which explained the various baseball programs that existed in the U.S. military during The War, Moore's book comes to life. While Playing for Their Nation is a must-have reference for any military baseball historian, Playing With the Enemy is a page-turner that anyone with an interest in human drama that seems too unreal to be real will enjoy. The saga of Gene Moore is as unlikely as any of the far-fetched but fun-to-read baseball stories by W.P. Kinsella; but Moore's is even more compelling because it is true. Readers will find themselves rooting for Gene Moore to make it: through The War, through a tragic and impossibly unfair injury, and through his fall into the darkness of alcoholism and lost dreams.

Gary Moore's book actually has much in common with another book, Flags of Our Fathers (2001) by James Bradley, the son of Iwo Jima flag raiser John Bradley. James didn't know much about his father's experiences in World War II until his father passed away. Gary didn't know much about his father's War experiences either, but was able to have a magic moment with his father just before he passed away. The result of that magic moment is Playing With the Enemy.

Playing with the Enemy is Gary Moore's first book. Either he had a helluva good editor or he is a natural storyteller. I prefer to think the latter, since the subject of the book is one very close to his heart. It's the story of his own father, Gene Moore, a small-town boy from southern Illinois who could hit a baseball "a country mile" and was one of the best catchers in the game, good enough that he was drafted at only 15 to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. But then WWII intervened and young Gene's dreams of making it to the "bigs" were shattered, along with his ankle in an historical "friendship game" between German POWs and their U.S. guards at a camp in Louisiana. After a privileged wartime enlistment of playing ball as entertainment for the troops in North Africa and the Azores, Gene and his Navy baseball teammates had been detailed to this guard detail. It had been Gene's idea to teach the game of baseball to the German U-boat sailors. There is a lot of very strange history here that has received little or no attention before this book. Also a first class story of fathers and sons, this book pulls you in from page one and is very hard to put down. I finished it in just two sittings. And I'll bet it will make one great film too! Whether you're a history or baseball buff - or if you just appreciate a good story - read this book. I guarantee you'll like it. - Tim Bazzett, author of Love, War & Polio: The Life and Times of Young Bill Porteous (RatholeBooks 2007)

I absolutely loved this book. I read it to my 8th grade classes because of the historical aspects, and they LOVED it. I had kids who would normally sit there and sleep coming in to class everyday asking me what was going to happen in the story. It is just an amazing story of sacrifice, courage, and love - for not only baseball, but also for mankind and friendship. I would recommend this book to anyone who teaches American History because the historical part of it is great. Kudos to Gary Moore for pestering his father enough for him to tell his story.

How many of us wish we had our fathers back to ask a few more questions, to learn more of his life, and to let him know how much he meant to our lives? Gary Moore had a father who held secrets, like so many of the WW2 era fathers. The fathers of that era always thought they had to be strong, they could show no weaknesses, and also could show little emotion. When we lose a father, we lose forever all that they had kept inside. But Gary's dad gave Gary a gift during his last few hours....he shared some of those secrets with Gary. Gary then made it a mission to learn more of his father's life story and ended up with an inspirational book about his father, WW2 prisoners and the life that his dad had kept secret. We all have regrets, and we all hope our father's know that we loved them. This book is Gary Moore's "I love you" to his father and we get to go along for the ride. Very enjoyable read. I'm sending it to my baseball playing nephew.

Definitely among my most treasured possessions. This is my introduction to meditation that wasn't too drastic. It offers an approach to serenity that includes and coexists with the routines and distractions of daily life. The language and layout lend themselves well to the kind of practical advice that is evenly parceled out at the reader's choosing. The steps are easily implemented which naturally leads to sustainable practice, important if you have work duties or family obligations to fulfill amidst the search for inner peace. Whether you read it through in one go or take time reading parts out of order, this thing works wonders. You will always get as much as you put in, which is better than a lot of other pursuits.

While I recognize that the power of some books rest only in that they come along at the right time of one's life...this book was simply beautiful. From the first chapter until about 3/4 of the way through, I was completely drawn in and found most of what Kabat-Zinn wrote to be compelling, relevant and so totally perceptive. He spends the first half of the book building the case for meditation and what it means for live life in the present moment of everyday. He then goes into detail about how to effectively meditate. I also purchased the tape companion meditation tapes and have used them to great effect. The book and the tapes have been a great introduction to the power of meditation in one's life.

People consider this book a contemporary classic on meditation for good reasons. It's lovely and accessible. Jon Kabat-Zinn tackles the difficult task of explaining the nonverbal practice of meditation, which many find alien or even threatening, and makes it accessible, useful and even homey. He explains meditation not only with references to classic texts, but also by recounting his own experiences, drawing parallels with Thoreau, and discussing work and family contexts. The chapters are brief, some as short as a page, each focusing on a single topic. Many are accompanied with prompting questions or simple exercises you can try immediately. getAbstract recommends this book to people interested in reducing their stress, deepening their self-awareness and sharpening their focus.

This book is a classic. I often give it to friends who are struggling or are just looking for a new way to live more freely. I also give them FREE YOUR MIND by Sensei Anthony Stultz. His book makes all of Kabat-Zinn's ideas more clear and in a how-to fashion that is really pragmatic. I highly recommend them both (I read Free Your Mind while in the UK where it is a bestseller).

In the introduction to his classic mindfulness book, author Jon Kabat-Zinn writes, "This book is different. It is meant to provide brief and easy access to the essence of mindfulness meditation and its applications. It is offered particularly for those who resist structured programs and for people who don't like to be told that to do but are curious enough about mindfulness and its relevance to try to piece it together for themselves." In exquisitely austere prose, this text describes the rationale for mindfulness practice in daily life, enumerates formal meditation exercises, and introduces applications and perspectives on incorporating mindfulness in daily living.

Kabat-Zinn is lightly witty throughout the text. In `Keeping It Simple' he writes, "every time you get a strong impulse to talk about meditation and how wonderful it is, or how hard it is, or what it's doing for you these days, or what it's not, or you want to convince someone else how wonderful it would be for them, just look at it as more thinking and go meditate some more. The impulse will pass and everybody will be better off--especially you."

The 10th anniversary edition of Wherever You Go There You Are is a durable paperback on heavy paper stock with jacket flaps meant to be used as bookmarks. I made notes in the wide margin of my copy, highlighting the "TRY" paragraphs with specific meditation or reflection practices of appeal to me. I enthusiastically recommend that you pick up this book from your local library. You will be buying your own copy soon enough. Each of Kabat-Zinn's three books (of which this is the second) is also accompanied by a set of audio CDs that can be ordered from the author's website.

I've lived in Pennsylvania all of my life but I never knew too much about the Johnstown flood. Now that I've read McCullough's book, I'm hooked on the story and I'm getting to the flood museum as soon as I can.

This is an incredible story set in another time, yet I couldn't help be reminded what Katrina did to the New Orleans area and how similar these stories are. Man, in all of his wisdom, relies on those around him to ensure that their great works are safely monitored. The Johnstown flood provides historical proof that we shouldn't be quite so trusting.

I love ordering stuff off Amazon. It is so easy and affordable. I'm in the middle of this book right now but so far so good. Lots of great history.

David McCullough tells a compelling story of this tragic event. As always, he does a thorough job and gets behind just the basics of the story he is telling. It is a wonderful presentation of history.

McCullough once again proves his talent for making history enjoyable with the Johnstown Flood. His book is very readable, but does not skimp out on the details. The aftermath portion of the book gets a little long, but the build-up and actual flood descriptions more than make up for it. I was entertained and taught at the same time.

My husband is the history buff in our family & I bought this book as a Christmas stocking stuffer. I began reading it because, well, just because. I'm glad I did. David McCullough's writing put you on a floating roof and carried you down the Little Conemaugh. His development of many of the minor characters was astounding, considering the fact there was not much anecdotal history to go on. Extremely informative, the evidence and roles played around the re-building of the South Fork dam & the rapid growth of Johnstown was eye-opening. An exciting ride.

I had very bad neck pains due to stress. Doctors prescribed muscle relaxants, but after doing Chi Kung neck exercises and the exercises, I have finally found relief. I truly believe these Chi Kung exercises work. Even my doctor testified to these exercises.

I thought it was wonderful. So easy to understand and follow the movements; along with lovely personal ancedotes and helpful nutritional information in the text.

I usually don't write reviews about the books I bought, but I felt that I should do it about this one after reading the amazing review from the "avid reader".

I have the book, I have done the exercises, and from my experience, I can tell you that they work, very easilly. In fact, I felt to my surprise the movement of chi in my body, the first time I did the first exercise. What else can you want from a book that actually delivers what his writer promises?
I have the book and also the videos from the same author. In those you can hear several persons reporting the "miracle cures" that ocurred with them, that this "almost" costumer complains about.
You know that is something that puzzles me: how can a person criticize a book that he doesn't know (he doesn't bought it, and as so he didn't invest time reading it,and doing the exercises)? How can a person judges a work "from the table of contents"?
If any of you is decided to buy the book and invest your time in these exercises I guarantee you'll be positively susprised.

One last thing: English is not the only language in this world, and when someone write a review in a foreign language usually makes mistakes. That is natural fact. I would like to see this gentleman trying to do a review in a foreign language without errors.

I am in awe of this man who calls himself Luk Chun Bond, it could be James Bond for all we know, who is a true master of the martial arts that not many can even begin to realise just what it takes to become one. Just read his book, The First 16 Secrets of Chi, and you will have a idea of what it means to sacrifice your life to what you believe in, no matter what field of endeavour you attempt to achieve. And to think he once shared part of his art for free, for years and years to whomever and whatever, no questions ask, just come and be healthy and happy, unheard of in this age of money, money and more money. Read the book first, then you will have a small idea of what this "man" is all about. By the way I had my book autographed which to me is priceless.
Brian Nakamoto

75 five-star reviews??? And all of them from first-time reviewers, many of whom seem to be struggling with english and making the identical mistakes, and each of them writing reviews of roughly the same length, and most of them reporting miracle cures for some ailment of other??? Puh-leeze. Instant healing just does NOT happen with Qigong. It's not supposed to.

The story available in the "Look Inside" link on this website is ridiculous. Did Deng Ming Dao write this book as a ghost writer?

If you want a reputable, reliable Qigong book, look to Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming or Roger Jahnke. These very excellent, well-established, highly esteemed authors don't have as many reviews combined as the unknown Luk Chun Bond has for this one book! Believe me, that reflects more on Bond than on them.

The excersises in this particular book, judging from the table of contents, may be good, but the insecurity demonstrated by the bogus reviews here and the make-believe story in the introduction cast a poor light on the book from the get-go. If the "sixteen secrets" are just sixteen basic Qigong excercises and some diet tips, then where's the secret?

And to think, I *almost* ordered it.