Personal Books

It is like Andy Andrews is standing there telling you the story. And it is an amazing story! If you want and need a good book, choose this one. You will never be sorry!

I loved the book. Andy Andrews does a wonderful job retelling a true story while he teaches eternal truths. Awesome!

.
....But is it?

Andy is an amazing storyteller, and this book is proof positive of his skill.

Pulled from the little known theater of World War II, the American Gulf Coast, Andy weaves fact and fiction into a story about two people on opposite sides of the war, but on the same side of the heart...

This was my first Andy Andrews book. I picked it up in a Christian bookstore off the discount book shelf and assumed it was a book with a religious message.

While it does contain a good message and I appreciate it even more because I see the "principle" as one that Christ taught, it falls somewhat flat. The fact that this "principle" is biblical doesn't excuse the fact that the characters end up being a bit too much of the "self-help" variety. True love works wonders and can teach us this "principle" because God modeled it for us, and the story is very effective in explaining why it is so helpful for all involved. This story is very much about good ethics and morals, but is also too humanist in it's approach to be considered profound or even remarkable.

The story is believeable, while the character development is bit light. The historical element was interesting and pretty accurate, I believe. This is the kind of book I'd recommend to a light reader as beach or vacation fare so that, if they don't get around to reading it, it won't seem like they've missed out on a life changing lesson.

I was surprised that the book includes instructions for obtaining a study guide and a video. That's a bit presumptuous on the part of the publisher I think. This is not ground shaking stuff and any study group based on this book might do better to wean themselves off Dr.Phil and Oprah for a more lasting benefit.

Read (and believe) your Bibles and you'll get a much deeper and meaningful explanation of this "principle".

When I picked up this book, I had no idea what it was about. I only knew it was written by one of my favorite authors, Andy Andrews. I found this to be a little different from Andrews' other books, but like the others, ISLAND OF SAINTS did not disappoint me.

This is a true account of Andrews' own personal discovery of some WWII memorabilia that just didn't seem to belong when Andy had found it. His curiosity sent him searching for clues as to how and why these items ended up buried on his little Gulf coast island property. What he uncovered was a riveting true story that promotes valuable lessons of forgiveness along the way.

The story does take a while to develop. Several times I wondered just where the story was going and it was not until about half way into the book that things really began to take shape. The subject is one I have long been fascinated with, and that is the German activity along the east and gulf coasts during WWII. The fact that we hear so little about this aspect of the war makes one wonder just how many prominent citizens were a part of the effort to supply the Nazis.

The underlying message here is learning how to forgive. In this vain, there are some very profound observations here, as one would expect from Andrews, although they do come quite late in the book. Overall, this is a wonderful true story that includes some valuable life's lessons.

I do feel obligated to point out a flaw. At the conclusion of chapter 10, Joseph and Helen are having a conversation in which Joseph describes the rise and fall of democracy, attributed to Professor Alexander Tyler of Scotland in 1787. The trouble is, even though the description of the self-destruction of any democracy is, I believe completely accurate, study has shown there is no record to indicate that this notion originated with Professor Tyler.

I was hesitant to buy this book at first; war stories from the Japanese captain's eyes? He is just gonna bad mouth the Americans and say a bunch of non-sense as to why the war wasn't Japan's fault I suspected.

But it turns out he is acutally pretty fair in his descriptions and most of his opinions of the war. He appears to be highly competent and realistic; traits not often seen amoung his fellow commanders. Description of the actions are very good and his career through the war is very interesting.

I would certainly recommend this as an addition to your war book colection.

If you, like I, have an interest in WWII, this book is for you. I've read many books on submarine and destroyer actions from WWII and this is the first one from the Japanese point of view. It was riveting and hard to put down.

Hara gives an unusual and frank insight in the workings of the Japanese Navy during WWII. He describes in great detail how he fought many battles as a destroyer captain and what he, his colleagues and enemies did right or wrong: many battles were stacks of blunders and were won by who blundered the least or simply was the luckiest.

Couldn't put it down: had to keep reading which cost me some sleep....

Probably one of the two books anyone interested in the Pacific naval war simply MUST have in his libraray (the other the brilliant 'Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy' by the unfortunately named Paul S. Dull). True experts and affecionados should overlook the occasional mis-identification of ship types (undoubtedly a result of either negligent editing or translation problems), but otherwise a superb recollection of the Pacific war from the point of view of a famous Japanese destroyer captain.

Having studied this war and its naval campaigns, one thing that always struck me was the peculiar paradox of the near-deification of Admiral Yamamoto (engineer of the Pearl Harbor attack) by the Japanese at the time, and many foreign historians as well. Frankly, from any objective point of view, it was Yamamoto who almost single-handedly ensured the disasterous defeat of the Japanese navy, first, by not in fact taking out the most important targets at Pearl Harbor (the enormous fuel tank farm, and the even more important ship-repair facilities and machine shops), and secondly, by repeatedly committing vastly insufficient forces at the places of most importance, and invariably sending these elements through the most convoluted and tortuous separate routes to get there (each element could be easily defeated one at a time).

Further, it appears that at no time during the war did the Japanese have the slightest interest in obtaining or using intelligence, by either method or desire, and this led them into one catastrophe after another. Guadalcanal is probably the best exemplar of this failed strategy, where neither the Japanes Navy, nor the Japanese Army had any idea of the strength of the American presence there, apparently weren't even interested, and instead committed and lost battalions, regiments, whole divisions of troops and squadrons of ships again, and again, and again, until both the Army, and Navy were bled white.

The Japanese submarine fleet was even more useless, not because of any real defect in the subs themselves, but the ridiculous manner in which they were used. This is even more stunning when you consider that not only was the Japanese submarine fleet largely founded by German engineers and specialist after the First World War, but the Japanese maintained close communications with the Germans throughout the war, even sending submarines to Germany and back several times, as well as German U-Boats sailing to Japan and being used by the Japanese Navy. Yet despite the continued availability of the very finest in submarine expertise, the Japanese apparently never bothered to discuss the topic of strategy and/or tactics with the Germans. Incredible!

With all my various studies of this war, I never came across any real recognition of these fundamental flaws, until I read this book, and it is apparent that not only were these flaws as real as i thought, but that many members of the Japanese Navy itself were fully cognisant of these same mistakes, and yet, were unable to convince their own senior command of the need for changes, and so went down together. Starting to sound familiar?

Japanese Destroyer Captain by CAPT Tameichi Hara

Japanese Destroyer Captain (JDC) is CAPT Hara's tale of his service in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). CAPT Hara divided his story into five parts; Born a Samurai, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal, The Tokyo Express, Against the Odds, and the Last Sortie. Each section details CAPT Hara's experiences at that time and provides insight into the Japanese naval officer in WWII.

My Likes:
Captain Hara has a take no prisoners with his writing. He's very critical of Japan going to war against the US and is very critical of other naval officers actions (both Japanese and allied). While CAPT Hara's perspective is that of a small vessel's captain, he provides excellent insight into his leaders and what he believes they should have done. This is best shown in the Tokyo Express part where he discusses Yamamoto's actions in the South Pacific and failure to develop a schwerpunkt.
The battle descriptions are excellent. CAPT Hara provides a first person view of the actions with excellent details on what his ship (or ships) did along with significant contributions by crew members. Most (if not all) of the actions have maps showing the general movement of ships and the actions they took. Favorites for me were the Battle of the Java Sea, the Battle of Guadalcanal, and the Battle of Vella Gulf (there's an excellent tribute from CAPT Hara to the Americans during his description of Vella Gulf).
My last like is how critical CAPT Hara is of himself and his actions. Whether it's when he's dating a geisha, forgetting to pay his tab, or mistakes he made in battle, CAPT Hara is his own worst critic. All of this is focused to making him a better officer and person. It's excellent to see a person who's telling their story of themselves and admitting they made mistakes (how many of us could learn from this).

My Dislikes:
Only one, CAPT Hara ended his book with his rescue during Operation Ten Go. I wish he would have included what he did after this point for Japan (you can read it on Wiki) and after the war.

The Rating:
Five stars all the way. CAPT Hara wrote an excellent book describing his actions in WWII and being critical of the IJN's actions, his own performance, and that of his opponent. The writing is direct and to the point, CAPT Hara doesn't mince words, if he has problems with something he calls it out. Interestingly he also is prepared to acknowledge his mistakes in character judgment and his actions. There are some excellent things one can learn from this book, particularly how IJN officers felt about going to war with the US and a little on the early actions against the Chinese. There are nice photos and good maps that support the battle sequences. I highly recommend this book to people interest in WWII naval actions or those interested in seeing how a man leads others.

I picked this book up while visiting my daughter in Alaska. As an educator from a very small midwestern district, I could relate in so many ways to the sutle communication styles and cultural secrets of these students. Many of us teach on "islands" where financial and social poverty play a huge role in our day to day contact with students. I could not put this book down. In so many ways I saw many of my own students in the characters, and quite unfortunately, saw some of my teaching peers in the negativity of certain Gambell staff members. I will share this title with my collegues and intend to reread it myself. It is a wonderful and inspiring novel for all teachers in remote areas.

You can almost hear the "Rocky" theme as you read the final pages as these Yuupik kids do the impossible!

Although these kids are from a remote sub-arctic island most will never travel to, anyone who has worked with youth as a teacher or other group leader will, or should, recognize them. Turned-off kids, trapped in an alien (to them) school system, who need someone who believes in them--we can find them anywhere. Suffering teachers trying to find themselves while unwilling to give up on impossible assignments--we probably know a few of them too. In my case, I have visited that community several times and even know some of the families involved. This is an authentic telling; the kids' victories, with Guthridge's unique facilitation, actually happened.
As a former high school teacher myself, I couldn't put the story down. Guthridge's remarkable honesty about the task he took on, his sometimes desperate struggle, his empathy, sometimes remorse, for the situation he had put his own children in, and how he painfully learned day-by-day along with the students made it for me. His tragi-comic relations with the other faculty are priceless. Although I have never felt quite that alone, I, like him, have gotten ill over teaching at times, and laughed myself sick over it too. The book made me wish I could go back and give teaching another run. George is a master story teller as well as a master teacher.

This book was well worth it's read. It is realistic to Alaska, heartfelt, inspiring and humbling for all of us who believe in kids and want to make a difference in their lives. The stories are great in their depth of emotion and in bizarreness, and for those who know Alaska Education, you know that they can be true.

As for the author, I met George out in Dillingham, AK while he hosted me at his B&B, the Thai House. We had some great discussions about language development, reading, writing and all the perils of teaching and/or being an itinerant in Alaska. As a person, he reminded me that countless people have felt the same stresses in education even though time and place separate our experiences. He inspired me to read his book as he spoke of his journey through the education system. From the moment I picked this book up, I wanted to read more and more just because it was real to me, and in very simple language.

In the 1980s an amazing thing happened. Siberian Yupik kids, who lived on a remote island in the Bering Sea and who spoke English as a second language, won national academic competitions. Their teacher was a writer who took the teaching job in order to support his young family and writing, but the experience turned him into a dedicated teacher as well as award-winning author. The Kids from Nowhere is his story of teaching junior high and high school students in Gambell, Alaska.

George Guthridge went to Gambell to teach in 1982. His students were Siberian Yupiks, who called themselves Eskimos, who got their water from the village's tank, and who missed school to participate in the subsistence activities of their families and community. Located on the northwest corner of St. Lawrence Island, Gambell has a view of nearby Russia on the rare clear day. When he arrived, the Gambell schools had discipline as well as academic problems, and teacher turnover was very high. The school district was considering closing the high school.

Coming from the "outside"--outside of Alaska, Guthridge had much to learn. He learned about Eskimo culture, teaching methods, public school politics, and academic success. His story is also the story of the kids he coached. These kids had the typical Eskimo shyness. Guthridge learned to read the raised eye brow that meant yes, and the lowered brow that meant no. He learned to listen to the silence exchanges among the students--and the discussions in Yupik.

Guthridge was assigned to coach Future Problem Solving at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels. Initially, he did not know what Future Problem Solving was. It is a method of solving a problem set in the future, and a program to teach youth problem-solving skills. Given an assigned topic, the students were to identify at least 20 problems that could go wrong, chose one of the problems, solve it at least 20 ways, develop criteria for evaluating the solutions and then evaluate their solutions, identify the best solution, and write an essay about the solution. In competition, all this had to be done in two hours.

Guthridge's challenge was to teach assigned Future Problem Solving topics like nuclear waste and genetic engineering to students who had seen neither a tree nor an escalator. At times teaching was frustrating, very frustrating. Gradually, Guthridge began to apply the tools of writing to teaching. He developed the "what because why" format to focus on the relationships inherent in any topic. He kept repeating to the students, "Original thinking is precise thinking," and he placed emphasis on research. He ignored grade-level complexity, and he borrowed techniques from Superlearning and educational philosophers. He also had to teach competitive strategies to kids in a cooperative culture.

He also remembered that he was coaching and teaching kids for life. He sent a smelly sock home with any student who insulted another student. The kids were to participate as a team and support each other. In the end, both the junior high and high school teams won national championships.

Guthridge tells his story with grace, modesty, cultural sensitivity, and skill. He stayed in Gambell for six years. He now teaches through the University of Alaska's campus in Dillingham, Alaska, and he continues to write short stories and novels. With full respect for cultural differences, Guthridge reminds us that kids can learn--even "the kids from nowhere."

Although written in the first quarter of the century, this book is still applicable. I constantly read and listen to motivation/success books and tapes, and this is the best I've read yet. I am striving to become a motivational speaker and writer, but, after reading this book I have to question my own abilitity. Sometimes it seems to me that everything pertaining to success has already been written, but I know there is always room for top-notch success teachers and movers. As Napoleon Hill states in Law of Success "I know your weaknesses because I know my own. It has required the better part of 25 years of ups and downs-mostly downs--to impress these basic truths upon my own mind so that they influenced me. I have tried both them and their opposites; therefore, I can speak, not as one who merely believes in their soundness, but as one who knows."

Laws Of Success

This book is a must read if you want to do anything worthwhile; while you here on this planet!

It sucks that most personal motivators today, such as Anthony Robbins, Brian Tracy, and men of the like, are taking all the credit for this book. Yea! They mention the man (Napoleon Hill) for his finds but they take the credit for being responsible for such a book available. I learned more from this book about this life and chemistry of every person and thing alive on this planet, from plant life, to animal life, than all my years in school classrooms.

High school students, College students, trade school students, people out there searching for their identities if you are, or have been raised in this world in a poor, or low middle class environment, the only real chance you have in this life is to get your hands on this book. While many people out there are trying to screw you of your belongings, such as money, reputation, self control and other personal possessions, this book will guide you through a hard core situation such as; depression, self control overeating, drug abuse, and all of the bad habits we acquire here on this planet, from TV commercials and Radio commercials and some bad influential so called friends.

Big companies spend millions of dollars on paid advertisement because they have read this book from cover, to cover and over and over and now they are using it against you.

I can almost guarantee you that a lot of big companies such as Mc Donald's, Starbucks and companies alike, have mastered this mans philosophy and now they are using against you to get you to spend all of your money on their over priced service. I would put my life on the fact that McDonald's took this mans writings and used it against parents by building a small playground in their restaurant so the parents can eat while the kids are safe playing. This is an idea that has been written by this man because I read it in the page of this book and McDonald's has been using it to fatten people up for two or three decades now.

This book will tell you how someone's last five hundred dollars paid for a simple chemistry ingredients that produced Coca Cola. And now it has become a great support of jobs for so many. I learned more about this Country's freedom from this book than every History book I passed by when going to school. Learned about Autosuggestion, the number one agency to getting anything you want by applying this formula to your daily prayers. Learn about how some Doctors are keeping the fear of Ill health in the hearts and minds of millions of people for their pocket book.

Find out how to use a mastermind alliance for your only true success if things seem helpless today. Know that all big companies today have mastered the law of this idea called mastermind alliance and that's how they are becoming Giants through a mastermind merge. This was the first man to describe the philosophy of a mastermind alliance. First time heard through the words spoken by Andrew Carnegie. Know that a positive and mental attitude is only one of seventeen principles of true success. "Yea! You hear about having a positive and mental attitude by other Authors. But those Authors don't tell you the rest of the principles and how to apply them successfully. Learn about why is it that every application you fill out, has the question of how much is in your savings account???

Napoleon Hill describes how a simple habit of saving five or ten dollars a week can add to substantial amounts and not in money alone, but! In other areas of your life. Through good or bad habits you build definite life style. How are your habits?

This is where the term The Golden Rule became produced through building facts, upon facts, and other people's trial and error. Know how important it is to have a definite chief aim in life and how to build a burning desire to acquire it's final destination. How to apply the habit of going the extra mile, when people today don't even want to go the first mile.

Self-confidence? One must have this formula to succeed in anything, But here Napoleon Hill doesn't only tell you one must have this ingredient, he tells how to apply this by an autosuggestion formula that you must write down and than read it everyday again and again, until this formula becomes the burning desire that will work for you day and night through a metaphor that a lot of people want you to believe does not exist but it does and that my friend is ETHER! What is ether? (Look it up in your dictionary) This book will explain it to you how it works on humans, but only after your mind has been opened to accept such a formula.

It is a formula you cannot see, it is a formula you cannot touch, taste, feel, or smell, it is a formula that if you learn to believe in it, will protect you through an agency indescribable. And know that everything that you do bad or good will come back to you many times over. Sometimes the get back waits until it has time to build and all of as sudden there it is, smacking you right in the face of reality. "So you better be good for goodness sake!"

Reading this book alone will not manifest a thing until it is applied and used accordingly. I have proofed this man's writings to be true because I am applying the formulas to my life now and so have a lot of other people. Who am I, to disagree with them? "IT AINT NO FREE RIDE BUT IT'S WORKING!" FIND THIS BOOK AND GO GET IT!

If you were to read just one book by Hill, this one should be that book. It is powerful and loaded with information. Using this information accelerated my professional and personal life. Nobody does it better than Napolean Hill.

And by the way, I don't recommend that you read only one book by Hill. I have a nice library of Napolean Hill books, still don't have them all, but am working on it. Each one seems to add to the previous. They are similiar, yet different.

This one should be read perhaps even ahead o f Hill's classic Think and Grow Rich.

Napoleon Hill was commissioned by the richest man in the world at the time, Andrew Carnegie, to create an economic philosophy. Carnegie said philosophers had concentrated on morals, and there were plenty of moral philosophies, but not one economic philosophy, and it was a shame. Every person who had risen from poverty to wealth had to do it on his own, learning from the brutal (and slow) trial-and-error method. Carnegie thought that was wrong, and he challenged Napoleon Hill to correct it.

Carnegie then gave Hill letters of introduction to the most successful men of the time: Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, F. W. Woolworth, William Wrigley Jr., etc. Hill interviewed (and in some cases LIVED WITH) over five hundred extremely successful people, many of whom you have heard about, to discover what philosophy they used in succeeding. After twenty years of this kind of research, he created an adult education program. The writings for that program were eventually bound into eight volumes, and now they are all bound into one giant book. It's great. I'm the author of the book, Self-Help Stuff That Works, and I know from personal experience that the principles Hill writes about WORK! And he is fun to read.

i have read this book many years ago and have told a lot of people about this book law of success. and even after about 6years after reading it i still apply the thing he says and it helps me 110%. so if you want to succeed and change the way you think about your life this book will do it! it done it for me and done it for other people so why not you.The book is so good im going to teach and show my daugher this and tell her everything in the book when she gets older to understand it! buy it and become a success forever! all the best keith jones

I am a 37 year old that is usually only interested in sports and sports related literature. I meet Thoi through my feed store and seed buisness. He talked me into reading his book. I thought I would just skim through it but I was surprised with the content and was not able to put it down until it was finished. I learned so much about the Veitnam War and about different cultures. This book gives a very powerful message about heroism and patriotism. It tells a very detailed story about a mans determination for the freedom of his family and their escape to America. I would recommend this book to anyone. I also talked my mother into reading this book and she couldnt put it down either. Great Book!

I have recommended this book to all my friends. It is a great read. The author keeps you engaged at all times giving you a very insightful look at the Vietnam War. As an American who has often woundered about how I should view the War, it was very helpful. He also shows how his new Christian faith was directly involved in his escape to the Iowa cornfields.
Very inspirational.

My husband and I have just returned from spending three weeks in Vietnam. This book gave us real insights into causes of the "American War" and the horrors the author and his young family experienced during the war and as they escaped to America just as South Vietnam fell to the communists.Although religion is not the theme of the book, this author tells how changing from being a Buddist to a Christian changes his life.

I never thought I would enjoy as much as I did in reading a book about the Vietnam war. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. This book is not just about the war (a subject that has been written by many before). It's an inspired story of one's true love and sacrifice for righteousness.

This book is EXCELLENT!!! I could NOT put it down! It is so interesting to read about the vietnam war from the perspective of a person who lived there. I believe this book will be on the best seller list before too long. It would make an excellent gift too. I can't imagine anyone not loving this book. But, beware, by the time you are done, you want to look up this family and go visit them!

This book is a true page turner. I couldn't put it down. Tales from his childhood were very interesting. I was especially interested in the story about how Li and his friends were shot at (by the guards at an abandoned airport), as they were trying to find used charcoal. Tears came to my eyes when he later describes flying back to his village so many years later, and discovering that they had landed at the very same airport.

I also enjoyed reading about how his family treated his wife, when they met her for the first time. They went out of their way to treat her like a longtime member of the family, even though they had just met her.

Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin is the memoir of a famous Chinese international ballet dancer (now retired) who struggled from poverty to reach soaring heights. I was enraptured from page one, when Li describes a traditional Chinese wedding that seems like it is irrelevant to his story but is in fact the wedding of his dear niang and dia (mother and father), whose love for him leaps in bounds.

Li grows up in the Li Commune in the Qingdao (or Tsingtao, named after the Chinese beer) province in China. He has many brothers, and his niang and dia struggle everyday to make ends meet. Chairman Mao is at the height of his power, and so all his teachers indoctrinate Li and other children about Mao's Red Book and the Communist ideals. At age 11, Li is chosen to attend Madame Mao's Dance Academy in Beijing, where it is a totally different world from the fields that he lived in. There, he suffers intense homesickness and torn hamstrings as he and his classmates go through rigorous dance training.

Li meets many friends and teachers that influence and support him, especially Teacher Xiao and his words of inspiration about a mango. Li eventually gets to go to America to dance with the Houston Ballet under Ben Stevenson, and that trip of freedom changes his life forever as he realizes that for years, Chairman Mao manipulated all of China with his communist ideals and twisted portraits of capitalist America. In America, he meets even more people that shape his tumultous life as he finds international success in the dnace world and his true love.

From his parents' wedding to his own, I was never bored for a single moment. His journey from a poor peasant to international success is amazing because the reader never knows what is coming up next! Li inserts a lot of anecdotes and Chinese stories/fables that his dia or someone else told him. His emotional outbursts will evoke the reader's own emotions as he struggles through excruciating pain, humiliation, homesickness, his feelings of love, and his confusion about capitalism and communism. I cheered him on when he has his first taste of freedom in America. Also, the reader reads about the importance of a cohesive family. When there is nothing, one will always have family to love and support, and his large loving family is the biggest supporter Li has.

Li's poignant memoir is one of the best in its field. It is easy to read and enjoyable. It is not short (445 pages) but the pages will go by in the blink of an eye because this story of a remarkable Chinese dancer is so fascinating and awe-inspiring. Highly recommended!

I have a deep interest in Chinese history & am always on the look out for good books written on the subject.

This particular book is a very heart-warming book indeed. After having read so many positive reviews about it, I decided I had to buy it. It was one of those books where you just have to read it from start to end. The story itself is quite incredible & told from the heart. The endurance, strength & courage of Li Cunxin in the backlight of the decline of Mao's power & the ascent of Deng Xiaoping really makes this a must read for anyone interested in Chinese history!

Richard

I've read many, many memoirs about life in modern China, however, I've never read one with such a dramatic tale to tell, and I've read very few books in general as well written as this one. This is a true rags to riches story---starting out in a commune as poor as it could be and ending up world famous.

It was very interesting to read a book set during the Cultural Revolution from the perspective of someone from the class that was suppposed to be the one being glorified at that time---the peasants. It's amazing to see Cunxin's progression from true devotion to Mao to realization of how much he was lied to and manipulated.

This is also a love story, the story of the love between Cunxin's parents---an arranged marriage which became a true love match, and the pride and happiness despite their very tough lives they had in their seven sons. It is obvious the author cares so very much for his whole extended family. The speech his usually quiet father gave at a family wedding is one of the most touching passages I've ever read.

I hope Li Cunxin writes more. I would love to hear more about his life in Australia with his wife and children, and to hear about their journey with their deaf daughter. He is obviously a gifted writer as well as a gifted dancer. Highly recommended to all.

I must join in on the praise for this wonderful memoir. Li Cunxin's account of his early life in China was so vivid that I literally shed tears for him. Later,I found myself cheering his brilliant successes in the ballet world. I could not put this book down, as I felt compelled to find out what was happening to Li Cunxin. The pages of pictures contained in the book added much to the telling of this story. You must read it.

I have read many books that reveal the essential truths. This book, however has both a simplcity and a new insight that has not only provided me with new insights, it works when placed into action. It does not require years of learning, rather you can begin to experience a change imeediately.

If the process of manifestation suggested in this book were to be sincerely followed, you can manifest your own reality.

As someone who has read innumerable 'secret of success ' books , I hold very high regard for this book because I have had
practical demonstrations of its truths.

The one point that the master does not dwell upon is while visualizing the desired situation , one has to pour deep feelings
of joy and gratitude to 'Infinite Intelligence' , 'Intelligent substance ' or God according to your predisposition.

If the appropriate visual blends with your thoughts and feelings and if you can sustain the mental image along with the
thoughts and feelings about the desired manifestation you will see that what was once in your consciousness is now in your
surroundings ( 'As it is within , so it is without ').

I want to quote Swami Vivekananda here -- " Imagination properly employed is our greatest friend ; it goes beyond reason and
is the only light that takes us everywhere ".

It is natural to be skeptical about these topics, but all a person needs is one specific ( be very specific ) manifestation.

I also suggest you to read " The Way Out " by Anonymous , " Door of Everything " by Ruby Nelson , " It Works " by RHJ. Proper
study of these books will help you gain deeper understanding and help you manifest your own reality.


Truth is way stranger than fiction. Have patience and strong will to manifest.

You can create your own miracles.

Good luck.

This is a short book with a wonderful story. I love this book, I have read it many times. It is very inspiring, sometimes you see it in the bookstores but it's hard to find. I loved it so much I bought if for a friend. The message is short and simple, the best books are the ones that get to the point quickly. Very good book.

If you like "The Secret", you will love this book. It is very small and deceivingly very simple but I found it very profound. I couldn't find anything about the author which intriqued me. There seems to be alot of books out like this really talking about the same "Laws of Attraction", with a different way of presenting the material. This book struck a chord with me.

This book gives you an approach very similar to the Soka Gakkai Buddhism, same idea, different wording. This is a very simple book, that will blow your mind. that book changed my life, in a very deep way. I'm telling you, just do it, believe in it, it works!

What a fabulous book! This book is for anyone who grew up in Mexico during the 50's, 60's and 70's or anyone who loves a great true story of adventure, humor and the life of a fascinating man who lived life on his terms. It is very easy reading with a storyline that makes you never want to put the book down.

Having grown up as an American in Mexico City during the 60's and 70's, I remember listening to Larry Johnson on the radio with his Top 40 Hits and dedications in english and loving the show. What I did not know was how interesting and special Larry really is!

A heart-warming, inspiring, sometimes humerous and delightful book about a blind man's experiences in early life. A book that is difficult to put down--and one that is enjoyable a second and third time. After meeting Larry, it even has more impact. For anyone who enjoys autobiographies and being enlightened. AMR

Larry Johnson's book shows the reader what we are all capable of doing when armed with a large dose of determination and optimism. He doesn't quit regardless of the adversity and he inspires the reader to do the same. He encourages us all to stop using excuses to be nonproductive and start living productive and fullfilling lives.
For example, if you don't have eyes, use your ears, if you don't have ears use your sense of smell. It encourages you to go around obstacles and proceed with life full speed ahead. It is quite a positive life affiming book.

What an inspiring book this will be for anyone with or without a handicap. The author shows us that through hard work and ambition you can not only overcome obstacles but you can excel in life by maintaining a positive attitude. The account of his years in Mexico city coupled by the many humorous anecdotes he shares with us offer a fantastic read.

Now THIS is a great book. I loved it!

It is funny, exciting, thoughtful and most of all, it is the most inspiring book that I have ever read.

Mr. Johnson's credo must be "no challenge too large."

Imagine a very young man traveling by rail from Chicago to Mexico City in the 1950s without human companionship. Now imagine that very same young person doing it totally blind! And, if that is not inspiring enough, he then goes on to become the #1 DJ, on the #1 program, on the #1 radio show in Mexico City. You gotta' love this guy.

As I read about his adventures, failures and successes, the people he met including the love of his life, and the fun he had along the way, I found myself rooting for him so much that I couldn't put it down. I also enjoyed the way he writes because it didn't even feel like I was reading, it was more like being entertained by someone re-telling me some really great stories.

It was a very pleasureable read and I'd recommend this book to anyone who has ever faced a large or small challenge in their life.

Well, I guess that includes just about everyone!

"MY BOUQUET OF KISSES IS A PHENOMONAL STORY. IT TAKES YOU ON SUCH AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER. YOU WILL LAUGH AND CRY FROM YOUR HEART AND FROM YOUR SOUL.
WHILE READING THIS HEART BREAKING STORY, I FELT EVERY BIT OF THE PAIN, DISAPPOINTMENT, DISCRIMINATION, EMBARRASSMENT, FRUSTRATION AND HEARTACHE THE TWINS ENDURED, FROM THE SEXUAL ABUSE AND THE SNATCHING OF THEIR SELF-ESTEEM, TO THE LOYALTY AND LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER.
EVERYONE WHO READS "MY BOUQUET OF KISSES" WILL BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY WITH AT LEAST ONE OF THE CHARACTERS OR ONE OF THE TERRIFYING OBSTACLES THE TWINS BRAVELY SURVIVED!!
CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK FROM J. D. ANDERSON! FABULOUS JOB JANICE!!"

How can hope live when everything around you is painful and negative? It took inner strength and the memory of the warm kisses received from an estranged mother.

Adopted when they were babies, Jan and her twin brother Joe lived with a lady they would call, 'Mom'. From the time they could remember, three things reigned supreme: Mom was physically abusive, there was no one to save them, and no one to love them. Around the age of five, a tall African Queen, at least that's how she looked to Jan, visited them, showering them with what Jan called a bouquet of hugs and kisses; their birth mother. But her stay was short-lived, and they were again smothered by the cruelty of Mom. The twins responded differently, Joe retreated into himself and Jan became the protector, but they both feared and hated Mom.

Before their fourteenth birthday, the family relocated from California to Mississippi. Jan hoped desperately that it would be a positive change, but it wasn't really. The one plus from that move is it acquainted the twins with their maternal family. Immediately after graduating high-school Jan enlisted in the Marines and began yet another saga of her tattered life.

MY BOUQUET OF KISSES is a painful account of a woman's struggle to rise above the emotional and physical pain which desperately fought to rule her life. Their childhood was full of secrets, with bits and pieces of truth revealed in underhanded and accidental ways. After over thirty years Jan found some retribution and began to find herself. J.D. Anderson shared this story because writing it was her way of releasing the demons that kept her afraid of life. It vividly captures the suffering of young lives due to human fallacies in programs erected to help innocent children.

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

My Bouquet of Kisses is an emotional life story of the struggles and heartbreak of a young girl growing up in an unknown world. Along with her twin brother, the feeling of being loved is all J.D. Anderson ever longed for. This book makes you laugh, cry, and wish you can save her from this life. From the first page to the last, J.D. Anderson pours out her heart to tell her story and the importance of love and forgiveness.

I really enjoyed reading "My Bouquet of Kisses."It was a page turner. Once you start reading it, I promise, it will be hard to put down because you want to know what happened next and pray for the silver lining in Jan's life. She really had a tragic childhood, but she never gave up. Reading this book will make you laugh, make you cry and make you wish you could have been there for her to give her the love and support she needed as a child. I feel this book could possibly make it to the best sellers list if it can get the right sponsors. I met Jan because of this book. She is in deed a beautiful, caring person as she is in her book. I really wish her the best. She deserves a break.

This book was a X-mas gift. From the first page I couldn't put it down. On every page I felt like I was there. I am a father myself and I wanted to reach out to the author and hug her tight. When I got to the end of the book I wanted more but it was the poem that got to me. It shook me. I became emotional. It tied the entire book together. I had never heard of this writer before. I just found out this was her first book. I can't wait for her next. Right now my wife is reading and enjoying it. Everyone should read this book.

Journaling has enjoyed a sort of renaissance of late. The availability and portability of pocket notebooks such as the Moleskine and the advent of the blog have brought this simple, valuable tool into 21st century witha vengeance. I, personally, have saved thousands in therapy bills from just keeping a journal. But I couldn't have done this on my own. As personal and freestyle as a journal is, the ability to gain any PRODUCTIVE benefit from the practice (i.e., not merely creating a written record of your existential angst and wallowing in your own sorrow) requires a mature, informed approach. For this, Tristine Rainer's classic "The New Diary" is a sensitive, practical, and insightful guide to creating he guidebook of your life.

The book itself has enjoyed popularity since its publication in 1978, and for good reason. Instead of merely bombarding the reader with a series of boring writing prompts, Rainer frees the diarist to begin writing immediately whatever he feels needs writing at this point in his life. Her simple advice for a productive initial writing session: "Write fast, write everything, include everything, write from your feelings, write from your body, accept whatever comes."

The next part of the book is devoted to specific diary devices. These include four basic devices: cathartic writing (basically what everyone thinks of when keeping a journal: spilling your guts onto the page), free-intuitive writing (stream of consciousness), descriptive writing (describing the situations, people, places, circumstances of your life), and reflection (thinking maturely about your life). Then comes a chapter with seven "specia" devices. These includes more specialized approaches such as dialogues, lists, the unsent letter, etc.

In the remaining chapters, Rainer offers her own insight into specific problems such as anger, fear, loneliness, depression, apathy, and jealousy. I have found this an invaluable reference. Rainer has a nuanced and informed understanding of psychology and quotes exceprts from her students' journals as well as famous diaries from the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Anais Nin (who appears frequently throughout the book - she was friends with the author), and others. I have never read the book straight through from cover to cover. Instead, I read up through the chapters outlining the diary devices, and started my journal from there. I then used the rest of the book as a reference whenever I needed.

One chapter that delves into a topic that no other book on the subject dares to touch in much detail is that on "Eroticism." Initially, I avoided this chapter because I never felt I had any need for it. I had no inclination to record lurid, pornographic entries for posterity. One night, however, after a rather chancy encounter with an ex-girlfriend, I found myself dealing with some confounding emotions. It turns out, Rainer's chapter on reclaiming your sexuality was just the guidance I needed to explore these feelings in a journal. One refreshingly astute observation Rainer makes is that modern society dehumanizes sexuality and estranges it from our larger personality. Many of us are carrying around a sexual vocabulary that isn't ours and doesn't reflect how we really feel towards our bodies and what we find erotic. Rainer encourages the diarist to create his own vocabulary and thus facilitate a reconnection with one's erotic life that can be extremely informative.

Another chapter on "The Diary as a Therapeutic Device" is well-researched and Rainer has a broad understanding of human psychology ranging from Gestalt therapy to modern cognitive therapies. It offers a seamless bridge from any supplemental therapies that you may be participating in. There are also references to Ira Progoff's "Intensive Journaling" throughout as well. While Rainer pulls some suggestions from Progoff's approach, her's is thankfully not as regimented and compartmentalized.

This new revised edition preserves most of the material from the first edition, with a few stray updates here and there - in particular references to computers and the advent of the internet. One conspicuous detail I noticed, however, is that this edition seems to be more inclusive towards men. The original edition was noticeably geared toward an audience of women in the choice of pronouns, excerpts, and assides. This has been remedied in the newer edition, with a more equitable distribution of both male and female diarists. While I was never horribly bothered by this aspect of the original edition, I did find it a judicious revision.

This is an excellent resource and has proven invaluable to me over the years. While many other books on journaling have appeared since, I've found this consistently the most complete and accomodating to different personality types and issues.

Fantastic book for experienced diarist or beginners. Beautifully written and easy to read, I will use this book for reference purposes in the future. I can't praise this book enough!

Only one regret... I bought this book very late!
It is the best one I read about journaling. I'm gonna sell every others books I have about the subject. All you need is there.

I've kept a journal/diary off and on for over 20 years. The biggest problem I have is that I have been stuck in the little locked book/calendar frame of mind with my journal. Tristine Rainer gives her readers some really great tools to break out of that thought pattern. Before reading this I didn't fully realize that I was in this pattern of self-editing/self-consciousness with pretty much all of my journal writing. It really held me back. Instead of not having enough to say, not thinking that my life is interesting enough to track on a regular basis, I now feel freed to explore my inner life. The combination of encouragement and practical tools to do this make it an invaluable book for the journaler.

My only complaint is that the language is dated and I would like to see it updated. It took me out of the moment book too often.

This book by Tristene Rainer is reccommended reading for this U 3 A course and although I have not completed my reading it is very helpful with good advice and pracices to do I would highly reccommend it to anybody beginning a Diary or journalling.