F Books

I first got this book through the library on a recommendation from the Book-A-Day Calendar series and after flipping through the pages I figured I'd buy, not one, but three copies for gifts. The combination of the three contributors to the book make for a great read, whether or not you've experience the French Quarter. The fact that all proceeds go toward the preservation of the French Quarter sealed the deal for me

This book is a treasure. The photography and text are super, and extremely enjoyable. When I get homesick I pick up "Embrace", having been a resident of New Orleans from 1978 to 1988.

Congradulations to Morgana Press for 2 fine books. My sister, jenniferporterartist.com did the illustrations for Morgana Press's 2nd book "Hearsay From Heaven and Hades" also by T.J.Fisher.

I'm proud to own both books.

Thank-you, Kristina

This beautiful book with a purpose deserves the 10 national awards it has won. It is poetic, haunting, poignant and touching. The prose and the pictures transport you to another place. Anyone who loves New Orleans will not want to miss having this book on his or her coffee table! But read it, too! The author won the PMA Benjamin Franklin Award 2007 for "Best New Voice Nonfiction" and the book also won the "Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book." A treat for all the senses, the eyes and the heart.

No ordinary coffee table photography book, "Orleans Embrace With The Secret Gardens Of The Vieux Carre" is a 388-page memoir of the New Orleans French Quarter featuring 49 historic black-and-white photographs and 320 full color illustrations. While the overall book draws from the previous work of Roy F. Guste, Jr., the photographs by Louis Sahuc are bonded with a personal and compelling narrative text by T. J. Fisher. Readers will encounter a work originally intended to be of local interest, but in a post-Katrina world, has emerged with universal attraction as a memorial and a motivation to restore a once great American city to its unique and original glory. Enthusiastically recommended, "Orleans Embrace With The Secret Gardens Of The Vieux Carre" will prove to be of immense interest to several categories of readership including: gardening enthusiasts, historians, architects, photographers, and anyone who has every walked along the avenues and admired the parks, gardens, and buildings of the New Orleans French Quarter.

WOW...what a big beautiful book! For anyone who has a connection to New Orleans...buy it...give it...treasure it...well written, throughly researched, amazing photos and layout...sure to be an award winner! Thanks for putting your heart into this volume!

I worked for Hughes during the time of the event described as his "kidnapping." At the time, the entire Staff on Romaine street was in a major uproar, ostensibly because of a "falling out" between Hughes and Noah Detrich. However, the behavior of some members of the staff subsequent to this event have convinced me that a great degree of truth is contained in Gemstone.

I just recieved this book some days ago and I just cannot put it down (well you know what I mean). It is VERY well constructed, and previous knowledge of the "Gemstone Files" and connected theories (I see them as truths) need not be a requirement for this reading. This is in NO way to undermind/understate this superb book. I have shown it to people who know little or nothing of the Onassis-Kennedy connection conspiracy, how even just reading the introduction sparked intrest in some of the most non-believers I know (or have talked to about these subjects). This is a true 5 star book... If any of the subject matter makes you wonder, question or as I said just spark some interest. Get this book! Other popular books on the Gemstone Files are also worthy reading... The full Gemstone Files will be released soon, and all the skeptics that still believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone will be in for a BIG surprise. The Kennedys were right on, dismantle the CIA, crack down on mob activity (well infused within the CIA) and get the United States of America back on a rightous track. Something we are suffering from since the "cold-war" and the "arms-race"...to today with the Bush (let's kill more people and lie to the American public) USA I feel so ashamed to be a part of. But I am only a man, a civilian, who feels he deserves to know the truth like the rest of the America and the world should. I am not a patriot at all (at least not in the right-wing way), I do love the USA and our country. This is why these books that reveal how corrupt our government is, and globally connected to other countries for well, POWER SUPREME are SO important. The couragious people who revealed these hidden truths, are primarily dead and from "suspicious circumstances" are no conincidence... Read for yourself. Be Aware, beware and be a "true" American. Big Brother is upon us and growing day by day. Project Seek is a great starting point for those seeking to piece the "Global Puzzle" together...piece by piece it will come out.

Peace everyone and I wish it was as simple as that...

Gerald A. Carroll spent years researching the Gemstone File history, and produced the best volume of documentation and analysis yet available. Well written and great reading, reads like an excellent mystery story but it's all true.

Gerald Carroll did a marvelous job of seeking out the truth behind the "Skeleton Key to the Gemstone File." With several hundred pages from Bruce Porter Roberts' original Gemstone papers published in "The Gemstone File - A Memoir", "Project Seek" is still an excellent, well-written and well-researched supplement for people who want to understand more about what has happened to our world over the last 50 years.

This thick new volume on the famous Gemstone Files is complete with additional research and photos. An extremely valuable book that looks into the roles of Howard Hughes, (Aristotle) Onassis, World War II conspiracies and the Kennedy assassinations in the light of a mysterious document known as the "Gemstone File."

Raymond Miller Jr. was thought of highly by his congregation but little did they know, he wasn't practicing what he was preaching. He and his mother, Ruth were trying to create the perfect family for the eye of the public; however, this family is far from perfect. Ruth Miller is determined that her family will be perfect even if it means taking a life. Just when Ruth and her son, Raymond Jr. thought everything was working in their favor, their secrets that are hidden start coming to light and all hell is about to break lose. Raymond Jr. may have preached against adultry, lies, and deceit but he was far from practicing any of what he preached.
Author Peron F. Long has written a book that is definitely a page turner that will keep your attention from beginning to end.

Continual twist and turns in this book. A very strong storyline that is the worse case of church folk gone crazy. A page turner, you will not put it down.

As a child, Raymond Miller, Jr. would pretend to be a preacher like his father, Raymond Miller, Sr. His mother Ruth Miller took on the task of grooming him into a powerful preacher. She was very persuasive in convincing him that it was his calling to become like his dad. She controlled his life from the time they lived in Montgomery until they moved to Fort Mill.

With Bishop Miller, Sr. getting older, Mother Ruth would make sure that Raymond Jr. would take over for his dad at God's Deliverance Ministries. Mother Ruth took care of everything that a First Lady did, and even things that did not fall under the criteria of First Lady. She planned all events that were held at the church, and this included Raymond Jr.'s eventual marriage to his wife Katherine.

While Bishop Miller, Jr. became a very powerful minister, this did not stop him from his adulterous activities and destroying lives along the way. At the same time, his mother conspired to keep his "activities" and hers under wraps. After being Bishop Jr.'s wife of 20 years, Katherine was beginning to feel neglected by her husband...so she finds someone to feel the void that her husband had left. Both of their daughters are now adults and her husband was always gone, so Katherine wanted to have some fun of her own. When she finds out what her husband is really up to, Katherine decides to bring her own secrets to light.

Pulpit Confessions by Péron F. Long was quite a page turner. I really enjoyed reading this book. There were times when the story seemed a little predictable. But just when you thought something was going to happen, Long would toss a twist in to throw you completely off. The author did an excellent job with the plot line, but there were too many grammatical errors for my liking. Overall, Pulpit Confessions was a good read.

Reviewed by Jackie
for Urban Reviews

I MUST SAY THAT PULPIT CONFESSIONS BY FAR IS ONE OF THE BEST READS FOR 2008. KEEPING SECRETS IN THE FAMILY AND TRYING TO KEEP THEM HID IS WHAT THIS BOOK WAS ALL ABOUT FOR ME. I ENJOYED THIS BOOK AND CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE. THIS BOOK WAS EXECUTED PERFECTLY. MR LONG KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK........DEE

Author Peron F. Long penned a novel filled with twists and turns, family drama and secrets, and ultimately a reckoning day that changed the lives of everyone involved.

Ever since the age of 12 when Raymond Miller, Jr. picked up the mic to mimic his father's preaching, his mother, Ruth, groomed him to become a preacher. She encouraged and controlled his life, making sure that beginning with the fame, growing up as a child in Montgomery, would continue to do so and thrive like never before when they moved to Fort Mill.

Once his father, Bishop Raymond Miller, Sr. started having "senior moments," Raymond Jr. became the Bishop of God's Deliverance Ministries with the help of Mother Ruth. She strategically planned every thing that went on at GDM, including Bishop Raymond's marriage, her son Anthony's call to the ministry, and a host of other things that would not normally fall to the First Lady of the ministry.

In the meantime, Bishop Miller, Jr. continued to live his adulterous and fornicating lifestyle, destroying lives along the way, while his mother plotted ways to cover for his antics along with those of her own. But now Bishop Miller, Jr.'s wife, Katherine, of over 20 years, has grown tired of the loveless marriage she shared with him and began searching for ways to fill her void. Both of their daughters were grown, and Katherine's husband was always gone (even on their wedding anniversary!) doing what he does best, so why not find fulfillment elsewhere?

From the beginning of Pulpit Confessions, I thought I had the story pegged and what the outcome would be, but the prologue threw me off and the surprising shock a little past midway of the book had me reeling! Bishop Miller, Jr. had plenty of skeletons in his closet that turned his family upside down, sideways and inside out before the true climax of the story. Hidden secrets that changed lives forever were revealed and addressed in a big way, even those secrets Bishop Miller, Sr. kept in his closet.

I really enjoyed this book and would like to have given it a `5,' but the grammar and errors prevented that. The story has a very strong plot line, and I am looking forward to reading more from Author Long. I recommend Pulpit Confessions to those who love to read storylines with lots of drama, secrets, reckoning and ultimately healing.


Reviewed by Sharel E. Gordon-Love
APOOO BookClub

This is another great book from Pat McManus, he was the only reason I used to read Outdoor Life. Pat's ability to take outdoor situations and put a clever dry twist to them is the best.

Real Ponies Dont Go Oink by Patrick F. Mcmanus is about a whole bunch of outdoor humor stories. He tells about different things that happend in his life but he uses other peoples names. The humor that Patrick Mckmanus puts into the stories makes the book hilarious. Patrick Mckmanus not only showed that he could write a funny book, but it was also easy to read. His style in the book would like you're seeing it from different angles. One minuite it feels like you are in the book , the next minuite it feels like you're watching other people. Patrick Mckmanus went from funnny to hilarious. Overall, this book was the funniest book I have ever read. I highly recomend that you take the time to read this book and enjoy it. It will make you lagh untill you cry.

Real Ponies Dont Go Oink by Patrick F. Mcmanus is about a whole bunch of outdoor humor stories. He tells about different things that happend in his life but he uses other peoples names. The humor that Patrick Mckmanus puts into the stories makes the book hilarious. Patrick Mckmanus not only showed that he could write a funny book, but it was also easy to read. His style in the book would like you're seeing it from different angles. One minuite it feels like you are in the book , the next minuite it feels like you're watching other people. Patrick Mckmanus went from funnny to hilarious. Overall, this book was the funniest book I have ever read. I highly recomend that you take the time to read this book and enjoy it. It will make you lagh untill you cry.

Real Ponies Dont Go Oink by Patrick F. Mcmanus is about a whole bunch of outdoor humor stories. He tells about different things that happend in his life but he uses other peoples names. The humor that Patrick Mckmanus puts into the stories makes the book hilarious. Patrick Mckmanus not only showed that he could write a funny book, but it was also easy to read. His style in the book would like you're seeing it from different angles. One minuite it feels like you are in the book , the next minuite it feels like you're watching other people. Patrick Mckmanus went from funnny to hilarious. Overall, this book was the funniest book I have ever read. I highly recomend that you take the time to read this book and enjoy it. It will make you lagh untill you cry.

Wow!!! This is the funniest book I have ever read. The way McManus writes is so unique, subtle humor along with out right hiariousness (if that's a word). Both men and women, country and city will enjoy this outdoor humor. I liked the fact that it was a bunch of short stories that you could read like a novel. It had the same main characters so you didn't have to always learn new people, but you could set the book down for days(if you could last that long)and not get confused. This is my first book of his and I cant wait to read more.

This is my favorite Concrete design book of all time. It is my first reference to anything regarding design. It is an excellent reference for students and engineers as well. I used it a lot for my graduate classes and I always use it in my office. Highly recommended!!

I receipt the book very quikly and in excelent conditios of use, as a new book.

Reinforced Concrete: Mechanics and Design (4th Edition) (Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics)

I think this book is very good quality, and shipping is not bad...

I have the 2nd edition of this book which I loved. This edition is excellent and is easily the best text on Reinforced Concrete there is anywhere.

This book is the best for those who want a deeper understanding of reinforced concrete design.Since the author presents a step by step way to introduce the concepts,the reader is able to get a more detailed information and retents more concepts instead of procedures

As an avid reader and self proclaimed "self-help junkie" I found Dr. Singh's book to be one of the most well written, thorough and applicable books that I have ever read. Dr. Singh does a great job of linking together the pieces of a broken heart and putting the information to restore your heart right in your lap.

I have worked in Christian ministry helping people working through their relational brokenness for over seven years. Often it is hard to find books in Christendom that speak to the core of what is truly going on in the human Spirit. For this reason it is with great joy that I recommend Rekindling Your Spirit to you. I used Rekindling Your Spirit in my men's group. The book really helped the men to see below their symptomology to the their core need for God and His love. How refreshing! Three cheers for Rekindling Your Spirit!!

You will see yourself in these pages. I have. You will see the struggles you've been facing ... the ones that most of us don't know how to put into words ... brought out into the light. Paul Singh helps us get a clear view of what is at the core of the issues we face, and even more importantly, where and how to find the freedom and healing we all so deeply desire.

Most of us need help for our own life journey, and there are many around us who could use some help too. This book will impact you personally, but it will also help you bring freedom and healing to those around you. Wouldn't you like to go from struggling ... to freedom ... to having something you could give to help others?

This book is a treasure all the way through, but let me leave you with this: ACT ON CHAPTER SIX. I've needed what's in that chapter more than I ever imagined.

I would highly recommend this book if you want to see your life and/or your marriage truly transformed. Most therapists (Christian Therapists included) deal with the 25% above the surface, namely, the pain/hurts you're experiencing. Dr. Singh takes it to such deeper levels, that you will be amazed and be saying, 'wow, I didn't know that' over and over again. He speaks the truth in love and has a gift of doing it with gentleness so that you're open to listening, taking it in. He teaches to daily spend some time worshipping/focusing on the Lord (taking the focus off yourself). My own experience has been that Dr. Singh's book/teachings/conference led me to a place where the Holy Spirit delivered me from bondage in my life and my marriage is being transformed.

Dealing with the brokenness and pain that are common to humankind, Rekindling Your Spirit delves beneath the waterline, below the iceberg-tip symptoms to the deep issues of soul and spirit that drive addiction - and offers hope. There is such concrete and personal content here, real-life application of the theology of atonement and sanctification. The material is not difficult to understand, but it is difficult to look deeply into one's own soul and relationships and see the wreckage that exists - not just the pain done TO me, but worse, my own sinful and damaging responses. The chapters are potently able to disrupt long-standing patterns of self-deception, self-absorption, and codependency, and lead to the grace, healing, and peace of God.

Rekindling Your Spirit is best read slowly, honestly, and in the company of a few intimate friends who will join in the journey of spiritual growth and change. The Christian Gospel really is true; and transformation really is possible.

The book arrived almost immediately, in better shape than promised. Seller followed up to confirm receipt. I was very satisfied with this vendor and would recommend them without hesitation. MOM

This book by F.A. Hayek is eye-opening and terrifying in this age of Obama and Socialism (which is a code word for Marxism and Communism). In the book, you learn of the reasons for the failure of socialism and why it always fails and always will fail.

This definitive edition has been edited and provided with a Foreword and Introduction by Bruce Caldwell who retained the prefaces and forewords of earlier editions. The text has been enhanced by explanatory notes and new appendices that are listed at the end of this review.

Even after six decades, The Road To Serfdom remains essential for understanding economics, politics and history. Hayek's main point, that whatever the problem, human nature demands that government provide the solution and that this is the road to hell, remains more valid than ever. He demonstrated the similarities between Soviet communism and fascism in Germany and Italy.

The consensus in post-war Europe was for the welfare state which seemed humane and sensible for a long time. Now it is clear that this has led to declining birth-rates amongst native Europeans, mass immigration from North Africa and the Middle East, and a tendency to exchange their ancient cultural values for multiculturalism and moral relativism which is just another form of nihilism as the French philosopher Chantal Delsol observes.

In this timeless classic, Hayek examines issues like planning and power, the fallacy of the utopian idea, state planning versus the rule of law, economic control, totalitarianism, security and economic freedom. He brilliantly explains how we are faced with two irreconcilable forms of social organization. Choice and risk either reside with the individual or s/he is relieved of both. Societies that opt for security instead of economic freedom will in the long run have neither.

Complete economic security is inseparable from restrictions on liberty - it becomes the security of the barracks. When the striving for security becomes stronger than the love of freedom, a society gets into deep, deep trouble. The way to prosperity for all is to remove the obstacles of bureaucracy in order to release the creative energy of individuals.

The government's job is not to plan for progress but to create the conditions favorable to progress. This has been proved by the impressive economic expansion under Reagan and Thatcher and by the amazing growth of the Asian Tiger economies, and most recently India since it started implementing sensible economic policies. Everywhere entrepreneurial energy is unshackled, massive improvements follow.

Nowhere is this more obvious than in the contrast between phenomenal growth in formerly communist countries like Estonia or Poland or even the economic health of the UK as measured against the stagnant economies of Germany and France during the first years of the millennium. Old Europe would have benefited by a Thatcher and the French would have welcomed Polish plumbers instead of being resentful.

Hayek warns against utopian yearnings that are exploited by politicians, the stealthy way in which welfarism diminishes individual freedom, the totalitarian impulse and different types of propaganda. As pointed out by Chantal Delsol in Icarus Fallen, lack of personal responsibility leads to perpetual adolescence where citizens conflate desires with rights. Defining this process as the "sacralization" of rights, she shows that freedoms are then transformed into entitlements.

What a pity people don't learn; what a blessing we have in The Road to Serfdom as a reminder and a warning. The new Appendix of Related Documents include: Nazi-Socialism (1933), Reader's Report by Frank Knight (1943), Reader's Report by Jacob Marschak (1943), Foreword to the 1944 American Edition by John Chamberlain, Letter from John Scoon to C. Hartley Grattan (1945) and Introduction to the 1994 Edition by Milton Friedman. The book concludes with an index.

I read this book while in high school, many people thought that I was radical and was being taken in by ideas that sounded great but never worked in principle. Essentially I was surrounded by people who approved of government expansion, as long as it was in their interest, this included fellow students and teachers, who in lectures about US history and government espoused the greatness of the government and those presidents who contributed the most to its expansion. This book readily refutes many of the claims that government expansion is not bad so long as the people helming the expansion are benevolent.

It has become to be interesting to watch the news after reading this book, you will instantly see claims to more regulation of the lives of others and appointing people from academia to run these operations. If ever someone questions this arrangement, such as with the Fed, people will either claim that they do not know enough about the area being regulated or that the examples they point to of regulation gone wrong was an anomaly, enlightened and well-written legislation will solve the problems that may arise from regulation. But through reading this book you realize that the very nature and incentive structure of the bureaucratic system leads even the most well-meaning individuals to stray and even those that do not face the inevitable negative consequences that develop when the government tries to defy economic laws and limit the freedom of its constituents.

This book should be required reading for those in high school (maybe even middle school, but many would not have the historical or vocabulary necessary to understand much of the book) and above. It was relevant in its time, yet it is even more relevant now, because then the fight was obvious, the enemies clear, and the motives and goals of all involved clearly defined. Now the enemies are those who wish us well, those who believe they are doing good when they are actually doing the most harm. The enemies of freedom today, more than ever, use gradual erosion, much like boiling frog, of liberty until waking up one day, we realize much of our freedom is gone. Hayek discusses concepts like these and more, it is a testament to his understanding of the workings of government and the incentives that go along with in addition to understanding basic economic principles that make this work so timeless.

This edition is indeed the definitive, it corrects some of the citation errors in the original and provides many footnotes that help with some of the references Hayek makes to lesser known historical figures, works and events. The index is well done and helps greatly in finding those concepts you want to look over. The Preface to the Original Editions, Foreword to the 1956 and the Preface to the 1976 editions are welcome, they provide added insight, such as what the author wished to change and why he left certain elements the same across the editions. The introduction is something else, a great summary of what Hayek went through to publish this book and what lead him down the path to publishing the book while also putting the book into a historical context and explaining its continued relevance. It is a wonderful look at the history behind the book itself and Hayek as well. Lastly, the Appendix provides several reads that are insightful, the introduction to the 1994 edition by Milton Friedman is welcome. Bruce Caldwell has done a brilliant job with this edition, I find it hard to see anyone making a better edition, this is indeed the definitive.

People, scenarios, governments - these all change with time, but the basic laws underlying economics and the workings of government do not. Just because people want to end poverty, hunger, unequal distribution of wealth and other malaises of modern life, does not mean using force and the government will cure them. As Hayek noted, "Is there a greater tragedy imaginable than that, in our endeavour consciously to shape our future in accordance with high ideals, we should in fact unwittingly produce the very opposite of what we have been striving."

Friedrich Hayek, the Nobel prize winning economist, wrote this brilliant classic as a critique of government intervention and manipulation in markets. I am neither an economist nor a political scientist, but I was led to this book after watching with horror the recent outrages that are consciously being inflicted on us by our elected officials, most recently the bailout and socialization of the two giant mortgage lenders, Freddie and Fannie. I couldn't remember that I ever received any share of the loot when those companies were making huge profits and their CEOs were earning tens of millions per year, but now I find that our elected officials have written a blank check in my name, the taxpayer, to bail out these companies' losses and stupidity, and then handed the check to a group of unelected officials (and, surprise, surprise, those two companies spend hundreds of millions on congressional lobbying). Privatize the gains, socialize the losses: sounds like a win-win situation for somebody.

This kind of disastrous socialism is exactly what Hayek critiques in devastating form in this book, specifically government control of the economy. Apparently, they say, this book has been very influential, but a layman could certainly never tell by looking around. Hayek was writing from the perspective of a central European who had recently witnessed first-hand the unfolding development of National Socialism (Nazism) in Germany, and he is warning that the exact same attitudes and policies that had been followed in Germany were uncritically being followed by the Allies, merely at a few years distance.

He begins by recollecting the ideals of old, classic liberalism, "the forgotten road". Of course, in Hayek's context, "liberal" means the true, historic liberalism of limited government, free markets, and private property, not "liberal" in the bastardized sense somehow hijacked by Leftists to mean unlimited government, socialized markets and massive forced wealth redistribution. He looks at the rise of collectivist thinking versus individual (it's all for the greater good); the problems of central planning in a democracy (someone in power makes the economic decisions for everybody else); the downfall of the Rule of Law (government is no longer bound by fixed rules announced beforehand but instead possesses arbitrary power limited only by its own discretion); the inextricable link between centralized economic planning and totalitarian regimes (if we're going to follow a plan, someone's got to force everyone to follow it); the problem of deciding how the society's production will be distributed; a chapter showing that "nothing is more fatal than the present fashion among intellectual leaders of extolling security at the expense of freedom" (Republicans apparently didn't get the memo); how in a socialized economy the worst individuals inevitably rise to the top (Really? Can it be? Obama and McCain?); the necessity of manipulating truth in a socialized society; and the fact that Nazism was a direct outgrowth of socialism and socialist ideology.

The relevance of the points enumerated above does not require comment. We are running madly down the road to serfdom, which is the road of socialism. Unfortunately for those of us who are being dragged along against our will, history is not neutral, and we will suffer the consequences of other peoples' decisions, just as the Jews in Germany did and the Russians in the Soviet Union did. Socialism has always led to poverty and oppression, and freedom, on the rare occasions it has been tried, has produced unparalleled prosperity. Hayek shows in detail why. We've decided to give socialism another try. God help us.

Sun Ra has remained one of the most misunderstood musicians of our time. And in the case of many music geniuses, Sun Ra would keep the critics and fans at arm's length, but welcome musicians into his world of philosophy and art.

Author John F. Szwed does an almost impossible task of peeling of the layers of myth and disinformation to present the real life, struggles and triumphs of Sun Ra. Szwed brilliantly weaves through the situations which shaped his life while growing up in Birmingham, Ala., the highs and exteme lows in the jazz world of Chicago and New York City & how persistence finally yielded an understanding - on various levels - from fans who also wanted to challenge the barriers erected in the music industry.

The philosophy of Sun Ra is explained and Szwed shows how it influenced every facet of his life on and off stage. I strongly believe Szwed ends any debate on how Sun Ra lived his life and what he demanded from those around him.

This must have been a very difficult undertaking for Szwed, but his outstanding research and balanced reporting yields a fantastic biography on a person we can continue to learn from.

Great book.
If you have an interest in who Sun Ra was you ought to read this. Not a lot of musical analysis, but an extrordinary explanation of the ideas and philosophies behind it. Good job on the life as well.
I wish the highly-praised Lewis Porter Coltrane biography was a quarter as good as this.

The book is well-written and does what it sets out to do - explain who Sun Ra was and what he was doing. This is no mean feat. Sun Ra was a man of many interests and beliefs, of whom many misconceptions exist. Even most of his fans (I've been listening to Ra's music for about 10 years now) will probably learn much and gain tremendous perspective on him from this book (I certainly did).

The book's story is one of a man with artistic genius within him, who probably could have been a millionaire and musical "star" - who chose to do other things instead. Here is the unusual story of what he did and why he did it.

There is room for another book in the world on Ra's discography, that traces the patterns, forms, and themes of his vast catalogue of recorded music. There is room in the world for a book that tells the stories of the members of Ra's Arkestra. But this is not those books, this is the first logical step in studies : an explanation of Sun Ra himself. It's a difficult job very well done.

Frankly, Sun Ra seemed to go out of his way to make a biography pretty much impossible. Professor Szwed is to be commended for his effort, though I think at times the professor takes Ra and himself too seriously. It is a hip jazz disease that Ra played off of brilliantly and would have been amused by.

What is of value is you get some idea of the depth of this fellow, the complexity, the seriousness and simultaneous playfull nature. In being too deep or altogether dismissive of him, we missed the amazing creations.

The book confirmed my evaluation of Ra's heart and motivation. A few years prior to reading this book, I went with my family to an assembly of jazz musicians who processed, played outrageous free jazz, and did this while listening to an old woman recite Sun Ra's poetry while "dancing" and "singing" in Wichita. My young daughter was squealing with delight and loving the wild affair. The adults were being so "into it", solemn, and so serious. This book confirmed to me she was likely the only one Sun Ra would have concluded got it. He probably would have commenced to direct the band to improvise off of her squeals.

He from above probably was smiling and particularly happy that a little white girl "understood the vibrations" and would have been encouraged for the future of the earth which he was convinced would take all the races working in harmony to rescue.

This is, simply put, the greatest jazz biography I have ever read. Sun Ra is a complex and fascinating character, and Szwed's narrative more than lives up to the challenge. The most impressive thing about this book is that Szwed places Ra's, shall we say, bizarre beliefs in a context that makes him seem brilliant, lonely, compassionate, and vulnerable--in a word, human. Interwoven with the facts of Ra's life, his childhood, his musical development, his status as 60s cult icon, Szwed goes into long, fascinating digressions on the roots of Ra's beliefs--from ancient Egyptian mythology to the Bible. After reading this book, it was as if a whole world had been opened to me, and I now enjoy and appreciate Ra's art so much more. I wish I could convey how much this book moved me...it is more than the best jazz biography I have ever read, it is one of the best biographies I have ever read, period. If you are at all interested in Sun Ra, experimental jazz, or modern mythmaking, then DO NOT hesitate to pick this book up.

Starting with a simple idea, that a company must capitalize on available technology to outshine competitors, the authors offer advice on how to use the power of technology to outperform the competition. The authors start out with a simple example: The sneaker.

Consider the sneaker. Thirty years ago sneakers were just an inexpensive canvas shoe that came in a few colors and even fewer designs. Today, however, their descendants come in dozens of styles, colors, materials, and a re truly high-tech wonder shoes including those with inflatable air bladders and gel inserts. All sport functional treads and distinctive logos. No longer is the term sneaker even used replaced by "athletic shoes." Not considered just a shoe anymore, they are not considered sport equipment. Most importantly, they are no longer inexpensive. So, what happened?

Technology happened, according to the author F. Michael Hruby. What a company has and how they will use it will determine whether they stall or move forward in today's marketplace. If companies fail to find new ways to apply the latest technology, they will fall behind.

Footwear makers learned this lesson well. They not only learned new ways to apply technology, they also learned to apply diverse technologies, such as adhesives, ergonomics, foamed plastics, injection molding, industrial engineering, and material planning. They literally transformed the sneaker from shoes to a status symbol. Consider the household names that
have resulted: Nike, Reebok, and New Balance.

The author argues that any company can do this. They must first start by searching for ways to solve customers' problems. Decide which technologies are needed and how to apply them. Fully exploit all opportunities. Companies must not leave gaps open for competitors to fill. They must also learn to capitalize on their technology by, for example, licensing it. Develop complete systems instead of just single products. Find new markets. Measure success. These are just a few of the author's points in a book designed to teach one to use the power of technology.

Using Technoleverage is absolutely imperative for start-ups and emerging growth companies. While larger companies may be able to coast for awhile on pure momentum (often risking long-term failure though); the opposite is true for entrepreneurs which have no such luxury. Entrepreneurs must be the hunter or end up being hunted. According to Hruby you must "Find new ways to apply technology and you'll leave your competition far behind."

As an example, Hruby uses the simple sneaker. Thirty years ago sneakers were inexpensive canvas shoes that came in only a few designs and colors. Now sneakers seem to come in infinite varieties of colors, styles, and features. In fact, recently I've been reading how several sneakers are now integrated with computers to constantly adjust the shoes characteristics.

Using real-world stories from companies in dozens of industries, Technoleverage shows how wisely using technology may very well be the differentiating factor in exponential success. Technoleverage shows how to get technology under your business to literally "lift" its profits, visibility, size, and value. A technology-driven business strategy applies to all types of firms, whether they invent new technologies, manufacture technological goods, sell technological services, integrate technology for others, distribute technology -- or just plain use it.

Technology is a competitive weapon for entrepreneurs and it must be seen as exactly that - a weapon to be used to provide exceptional value to customers and reduce internal costs and inefficiencies.

Michael Davis - Editor, Byvation

Among the increasing publications of books in Management, "Technoleverage" emerges as a help-full handbook for the year 2000. It provides guidelines for top managers willing to create change, understand where their company is, where to go, and how. In an original approach the author unveils methods and describes the processes in a realistic way. How to identify opportunities, produce brand-new ideas, differenciate and implement in a cost effective manner. How to deliver value to customers and stay ahead from competitors, how to measure your company's success.... With a clear vision, the autor shows the way to run business.

TechnoLeverage was genuinely the best business book I've read, simply because it's practical and "real world". It provided me with new ways to look at new business development and has provided me with new personal and business challenges. I am going to buy twelve copies for my collegues.

I found TechnoLeverage very insightful in its approach to corporate strategy for technology management. It was clear from the beginning of the book that a company did not have to be a high-tech or even a technology-based company to be able to put technoleverage to work to raise profits. In planning for the "big picture", I found that the book had many useful checklists and action items. It also had a very helpful chapter on financial measures and what can be learned from them. I would recommend this book to other managers in Marketing, Strategic Planning, Finance or Research and Development.

I echo the review from "A Customer".
In addition...
I'm a preschool teacher and the kids definitely understood the story. It's a great addition to a multi-cultural program and can open up conversation about culture.
As for the book, I enjoyed the illustrations!

I bought this book for my three year old daughter. She absolutely loved the story. Now when she plays in her kitchen she makes me homemade tamales. :-)

Our family loves this book! We checked it out from our local library and soon it was my four year old daughter's favorite. When December rolled around, I checked it out again, bought tamale makings and my four year old and I made cheese tamales. We took them to her pre-school class for snack along with the book. Her teacher read the book to the class and then they all had the tamales that my daughter and I made. It was a huge hit!! Now that she is in kindergarten, we will do it again (I am buying the book since I have two girls and I think this tradition will go on for a while!). Tamales are a really kid friendly activity and it was a great experience for both of us. You should try it!

I love this story because it brings back memories of when my family would get together at Christmas time to make the annual batch of tamales. Everyone was involved and when all the work was done, we couldn't wait until they were ready to eat. The story is well told and my students look forward to hearing the story year after year.

My class of second and third graders really enjoyed this book. Many of them make tamales at home every year. They enjoyed reading about someone else that shares the same traditions. It opened up a lot of discussion about telling the truth. The only problem was all the talk about tamales made them hungry!