Training Books

I love to see our progress using this technique. We (me and my horse) are having so much fun! Highly recommend this book.

I've trained horses for years using positive reinforcement (eg. clicker training). I am no expert, so I love to read & collect any new titles I can. I will say I've met Alexandra and brought my horse to one of her clinics.

This is an excellent book. It's almost too full of information. You could stay busy for years doing all the exercises in it. It might be a bit daunting for a beginner. I'd suggest starting with her first book before reading this one.

You may even need to watch her videos and/or do a clinic with her to really understand & appreciate all that's in here. To be honest when I first bought the books there were some sections I skipped thinking "who needs that stuff?" Then as my knowledge came along, I realized the applications for the extra exercises. Wow! She could've almost split it into 2-3 books and expanded on some of the sections.

The book is full-color and larger format which is nice for reading. The photos are a bit cheesy (lower quality). I learn better from video or watching someone, so to me the photos weren't my focal point.

Of all the clicker training for horses books out there, this is one of my all time favorites.

I have tried everything with my extremely smart straight egyptian mare. I believe in prayer. The L-rd wants us to involve HIM in everything, yes even the training of our animals as these animals are HIS, they are just on loan to us and we are accountable for their well being and if you are not humane & patient with training them (as they do want to please) you will be held accountable. CLICKER TRAINING IS A 'G-D SEND' and I can't begin to tell you how my mare loves to learn with this! If you want a truly POSITIVE, HUMANE WAY OF TRAINING, HERE IT IS!

Whether you're just getting started clicker training, are an experienced clicker trainer who wishes to translate your skills over to horse training, or have clicker trained your own horse are are simply looking for new ideas and a clearer approach, Alexandra Kurland's book will be an asset to your collection. It gives very clear steps, from introducing the clicker to your horse, to more advanced skills on the ground and in the saddle. The examples given for the various skills are great, because they always offer more than one approach to achieving the goal, and the reader gets to choose the options that work best for them and their horse.

The traditional, and even the more modern "natural", types of horsemanship all rely to some extent on punishment ... whether it's direct punishment or the applying of uncomfortable pressure. Clicker training gives the horse lover another option, a gentle, positive approach that yields great results without intimidating the animal.

This book is a highly recommended purchase for anyone looking for a more positive approach to horse training.

I bought this book to start clicker training w/ my horse. I LOVE it. Its a great book to start out with. Describes how to start training, clicker for manners, trick training, using clicker to help stop unwanted behavior such as biting, and even how to use it under saddle. Photo's help a lot, easy to read and understand. Great book. I am having a lot of fun w/ clicker training, but my horse is having even more fun!! He loves it :)

This summer i leave for San Deigo, for boot camp. After reading this AMAZING book, i am now even more motivated and pumped to become a MARINE!! This book is great for anyone planning on joining, or anyone that knows somebody in the Marines.

The final challenge each Marine faces after bootcamp is the struggle to find words to describe the ordeal of the previous three months. Gunnery Sgt. Will Price has answered the impossible question, "What was it like?" If you are plannning on joining the Marine Corps or know someone who is this book is a must read. This book is also a valuable tool for friends and family members to understand what their Marine is going through, this is the only thing closer than to going to bootcamp itself.

Gunny Price has hit the nail on the head, with his account of Boot Camp at Parris Island, SC. The book is also well documented with photos. If you have been through P.I. or not, you will enjoy the read.

What an inspiration to read this Gunny's account. The transformation of a boy into a man via the USMC. I had to order my second copy as I was not quite finished with my original, when a Navy Captain spyed it sitting on my desk, and "borrowed" it. That was over three weeks ago and I'm tired of waiting for it to return. Any young man (or women) who is thinking of stepping forward to become part of the greatest fighting force in the history of the world, has to read this book!
If a majority of civilians would just take a minute or two to investigate this diary, the conclusion could only be additional respect for the men and women who choose to wear the cloth of this nation. Highly recommend this to all. OORAHH!

Reading this book brought me back to my days in bootcamp. Having graduated only last year, I find the journal of Gunny Price to be extremely accurate. His description of the training not only describes the twisted world of the drill instructor, but it also reveals the emotions and the everyday worries of Marine recruits. I haven't heard of any other book written during basic training by the recruit who lived it. This book blazes a path where "Ears Open, Eyeballs Click" could not. It goes through a recruit's mind.

I enjoyed reading this and passed it on to my kids who are visiting the Loire Valley this summer and living with a family there. Proper etiquette is always noticed, and a general knowledge of fine wines can only add to their experience.

Highly recommended! The audio format is a great idea! It makes learning very easy and the information is all relevant. This is one lesson that is interesting and easily finished.

This was my first wine book, and it is still the best beginner's reference. It covers everything you need to get started. The real benefit, however, is the audio format. You actually get to hear the narrator (who is fantastic!) pronounce the names of the various grape varieties, wines and terms. This is a huge benefit and something that cannot be replicated in the written word.

A good etiquette book should sit on every professional's bookshelf alongside "how to win friends" and "7 habits." I purchased this book along with Essential Etiquette Fundamentals, Vol. 1: Dining Etiquette and The Etiquette Edge: The Unspoken Rules for Business Success to cover all the bases. These books do an excellent job covering the important etiquette skills often overlooked in today's environment. Although often underappreciated, exhibiting proper etiquette signals to others (especially your boss and clients) that you are well educated, care about detail, and have respect for others. I highly recommend these books for anyone new to the business world or for those of us who may need to brush up on the basics.

Although drinking good wine isn't difficult, learning about wine can be. Once on a winery tour a vintner explained that there are 15,000 different choices that can be made from grape to bottle. Sometimes picking out a wine can seem daunting. Food Scholar's Wine Selection & Etiquette does a superior job of teaching those of us who would like to learn more without the information being overkill.

While there are more comprehensive books out there on Wine, I really like this book because it excels at being written for the average person. The book is divided into logical sections. I also like that the effect of climates in a region on the grape are covered. This is an easy way to tell what kind of wine you are getting just by looking at where the grape was grown.

This book will enhance your knowledge as well as your ability to pick out wines that you and your guests may enjoy. I would highly recommend this book to those who want to learn about wine, as this book does an excellent job of giving a basic education about many of the wines of the world.

i really like this book. touching stories that open your brain to different dilemmas in medical ethics, a subject i enjoy reading about. i lent it to several friends, all of whom loved the book.

I enjoyed the book. Makes you think about ethics a bit and the reality of financial constraints on the practice of medicine.

Despite the major advances in knowledge, skills, and technology in the field of medicine, this book shows that ultimately life and death fall back on the human touch. Following the workings of an Ethics Committee in a major urban hospital over several months, Belkin clearly shows that medicine continues to be as much an art as a science and in many cases there are no "right" answers, even when decisions can affect whether a patient lives or dies.
This is not a dry, mechanical review of how ethical decisions are made. Quite the opposite, the book captures your full attention from the very first page. You become fully involved in the heart-wrenching lives of actual hospital patients, as well as the no-win situations health care professionals and family members find themselves in when struggling with decisions that literally have life or death consequences.
For example, when she describes the process in which the life support devices are withdrawn from a young patient you feel you are there in the room witnessing the tragedy. Some readers might scream within their minds not to do it - perhaps there is something else can be done? Others may feel a sense of loving compassion over the ending of someone's suffering. Both types will feel incredible compassion for those who had to make the actual decision and hopefully will never have to make such a choice in their own lives.

Lisa Belkin has created an amazing book here - she definitely did her research. The book consists of a few case studies of patients who pose ethical dilemas. Belkin takes you inside meetings of the ethics committee at the hospital, she takes you to the patient's bedside to see what the patient actually wants. Some of the patients she follows are a young kid who has been hospitalized for 15 years with a terminal condition, beating all odds by staying alive that long, several premature babies, and a man who was paralyzed almost completely after getting shot in the spine. It's a great look at medical ethics - Lisa Belkin's book asks all the right questions.

The book is in a very easy-to-read format - the stories of the patients she follows are all intertwined throughout the book. For example, you'll read about Patrick for 30-or-so pages, and then she'll switch over to update you on Taylor's story. She does this because you are reading the stories in "real time" as they happened; all of this took place in a certain time span in the hospital. It's exciting and fast-paced non-fiction - I read it in two days and didn't put it down.

It will break your heart, because often the ethics committee has to bring money into the discussion, as much as they would like to treat every patient as if money was not an issue. This book is SO worth reading, for anyone who is interested in medicine and healthcare at all.

This book will keep you wanting to turn the page and make it hard to put down the book. This is a great explanation of real life situations that patients and hospitals face everyday. Some of the situations that are hard for some people to understand why hospitals are concerned with matters like money and certain treatments of patients can be explained.

Both enlightening and practical. This book is clearly written and makes points in way that Mark Rashid himself (I love his books) is not always able to. I think this comes from this author's more "traditional" horse training background, which so many of us share. (BTW: If you are into jumping then this book is definitely for you!)

I found this a wonderful complement to Mark's own books. It stands well on its own, too. I would recommend this as a first exposure to Mark Rashid's philosophies for anyone who wants to "get to the point" a little quicker than reading through all of Mark's books. But if you've already read all of Mark's books, you won't be disappointed either!

It is often good to see the insights and opinions of those whom have been affected by someone elses knowledge and abilities. In the Company of Horses: A Year on the Road With Horseman Mark Rashid puts you on the road and in the clinics with the eyes, ears and emotions of many of his students.

Of sharing true openness and self observation. Kathleen shows how being open minded to learning from not only Mark, horses and her students but also learning from herself and what she is really doing when she is working with a horse. Which shows that if you are not honest with yourself and what you are really doing, or not capable of doing while working with a horse, the horse will reveal it for you.
This book is hard to put down once you start reading it.

In the Company of Horses is such an inspiring story about not only finding your role as a horse trainer but also how to identify and work within your own psyche. There were so many ways that I could relate to what Kathleen had written about her own experiences, doubts, and insecurities. The inspiration comes when she helps the reader to realize their own potential for success- in life as well as with the horse.

After reading the first five pages of this book, I put my pen down as I knew I'd underline about 80 percent of what I was reading.

Chapter titles include 'Point of View', 'Softness', 'Mean Well' and within the chapters are well thought, priceless vignettes of self-discovery ranging from learning with Mark and horses, the life style of an on-the road clinicians, working with students and how this thoughtful style of consistent horsemanship changes self and permeates life.

This time through, I'm devouring it - skimming words, slowing down here and there, nodding in agreement, delighting in the aha-moments. As soon as I compete the book, I'll start my second reading - going slowly, savouring the Lindley's words and experiences along this horsemanship road that beckons and calls us just over the next hill.

This is one of the best books I have read. I am a SD user, but have never used any hearing tasks, and I don't think I will ever need to. The book was incredibly detailed, especially in terms of determing the appropriate temprement of the dog, which is the most important thing for any Assistance Dog. Hence I felt this book is a must read for anyone in the Assistance dog community. The tasks may not be relevant to you but the rest of the book certainly is.

I had a servicedog I am training for hearing help so the first 2/3 of the book were of limited use for me though it was very interesting and would be applicable for choosing almost any service dog. The last 1/3 was very good and I look forward to using them to teach my dog while I still have enough hearing to train her.

Wonderful book. Everything there is to know about hearing dogs is in this book. It takes you from point A to point Z. And has some very informative pictures.

I read Lend Me An Ear specifically for its huge section that analyzes breed
types (as groups, not as individuals) when selecting a dog for service
(specifically hearing) work. I found the training tips to be very helpful,
as they address some of the more obnoxious personality traits found not only
in what the author termed "reactive" dogs but also occasionally in our own beloved
trained service dogs. The book is hilarious at times with many personal
examples of the trials and tribulations of training hearing dogs to alert
their partners to various sounds

This book needs to be appreciated as being far more than guidance for a specialized field. The author's insight regarding the balance of reactivity, intelligence and temperament make this a must read for any serious student of animal behavior. Liberal use of photos illustrate the often difficult job of interpreting canine behavior and further discussion of the system used by the author to evaluate suitability and the successful progression of training are so informative.

I bought this bought in anticipation of my husbands hearing loss and only started reading it after it sat on my shelf for months. It has great relevance to every animal I handle, horse and dog, and I only wish I had read it when I first bought it.

This represents a tremendous synthesis of all the best information in the field and more! Highly recommended.

If you have ever had that special once in a lifetime horse you will relate totally to this book. I sure know I did.

It is A good book to read whether you are into horse or not. It is more of a self help book than training. Worth reading for anyone. Good book on communication between your horse and you.

I am not good at reviewing books, but I will say that if you had a six star rating instead of just five, I would definitely give it a six.
Anyone who is fond of horses or has ridden and/or worked with horses would love this book written by a totally likeable man who looks at training, riding, working and just being buddies from the horse's point of view. This book shows great understanding of the subject. Mark's writing is easy, compassionate, humorous and you just hate it when the book ends. From now on I will buy any book written by Mark Rashid. (TOLD you I was not good at writing reviews)!

a book showing that there is a lot to be learned from our horse if we only care to listen to him/her.

I have read most of Mark Rashid's books, and I had greatly anticipated reading this one hoping for more insight into horse training. If you are looking for training advice in this book you will find very little of it. The book deals mostly with what Mark learned about his own personal behavior through observing his horse Buck. One could take advice from the book I suppose but you have to dig much deeper to come away with useful tidbits. Also, don't expect any of the colorful stories of the "Old Man" that appeared in other books by Mark, there are none of those here, and only a smattering of stories about working with horses other than Buck. It is a good read, but don't expect much in the way of tips on working with horses.

As a person who trains in the martial arts and also spends time learning and reading at various martial arts related message boards, I have noticed that when Mr. Miller talks, I and just about everyone else pay very close attention to what he writes. More important than the opinion of a relative beginner like myself, I have noticed that consistently, the men and women on these sites who have decades more experience, also pay close attention to his words. The reason is not only the current and critical personal experience Mr. Miller brings to the table, but also the way he writes in a no-nonsense manner. You will not find a sugar-coated fairy tale loosely conveying the nature of real and brutal violence in this book. So, if that is what you are looking for, do not waste your time reading this well written, and detailed piece. Otherwise do yourself and those around you a favor and read this book.

Sgt Rory Miller was an unknown quantity to me before I read this. He was spoken of very highly on the Uechi Eastern Arts forum, and this volume has made big waves in that community. Meditations on Violence lives up to its name. It is a deep look into interpersonal violence: what causes it, what forms it takes, the perpetrator's motivations, and the means of surviving it. It is a challenge to the martial arts world: to stop living a fantasy: find out what works, and teach it.

Violence is a topic most people are uncomfortable with. Just having this book on your desk at work is enough to get raised eyebrows, stares, and/or a quickening pace from passing co-workers. The author, on the other hand, is very comfortable with this subject. He categorizes violence, separating it into several fields, a few of which he excels in. When violence happens, and you are on the receiving end, it is a safe bet that your attacker has planned this out in their mind, in advance, and you are already three steps behind in the equation. You are behind the curve.

If you claim to teach self defense; if you wear a black belt; if you are a martial artist; at the end of the day, you are a Priest of Mars: a person who is supposed to be able to survive, even excel when things get physical, and show others the way. He offers a plethora of training strategies to increase the survivability of martial artists.

Sgt Miller will not teach you `secret' techniques or how to finish a fight. He might teach you how to stop one before it starts; how a criminal selects their victim; what it feels like to be subjected to a planned attack you never saw coming; and how to (mostly) avoid walking into one. He'll teach you what criminals are like (he's around them every day). He'll teach you about things you may not have heard of before: the OODA loop, Hick's Law, the `Go Button,' the Golden Rule of Combat, and knowing the difference between strategy, tactics, and techniques. He also addresses fear: fear of getting hit, fear of hurting others, and the fear of dying.

The fear of human violence is a powerful force in many lives. One of the most valuable contributions this book can give you is the permission to do whatever it takes to survive a life-and-death encounter. This may sound campy to some, but a large number of people don't feel they have the right to harm or end a human life in defense of their own. Giving someone permission, even symbolically, can empower them to change the way they react to the world.

The author has seen a lot of stuff I hope I never do. As a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force, and as a martial artist, I am a Priest of Mars. I am also a medic, and I have seen the aftermath of some of the kinds of violence he lived through. Sgt Miller has performed a great service in bringing this information to light. Along the way, he bared his soul. That takes an awe-inspiring level of courage and self-awareness.

Thank you, Sgt Miller.

(A note on the construction and editing: the book itself is well-made. The cover conveys the material accurately, the binding is solid, the photos are clear, and the paper is suitable for its purpose. The editor missed only one spelling error that I noted, likely a simple typo. On the other hand I found four juxtaposed words dispersed throughout the text. This did not detract from the material, but it was enough to blink for a second and wonder what the author was trying to convey.)

Rory Miller's thought-provoking observations about violence: planning for it, understanding it, dealing with it, surviving it. His writing is clear and reasoned and expertly sourced; these are smart observations peppered with real-life anecdotes.

_Meditations on Violence_ is an adjunct to a martial artist's training and a valuable resource for anyone who writes about violent conflict or wants to understand more about violent behavior. LEOs and potential law enforcement officers will also gain from this book.

One of the valuable messages in _Meditations_ is in encouraging readers to recognize their blind spots and the holes in their training, the things *not* taught that need to be learned, and why. What you don't know can kill you.

My favorite gift Miller that gives in this book is *permission*, and for more on that, you should read it yourself.

As a firearms instructor one of the most difficult tasks I face is cultivating my students' understanding of the ugly realities of personal combat. Sgt. Miller has done an exceptional job of explaining the structured chaos of violent conflicts.
Anyone familiar with the art of combat will recognize, relate, and learn from this book. Miller's writings will take the individual who is training to defend themselves against the possibility of an attack one step closer to understanding and defeating their foe. For anyone who believes they live in a "safe" world, beyond the reach of bad people, this should be required reading. As Miller states, "You don't get to pick what kinds of bad things will happen to you."
Meditations On Violence is a book I will highly recommend to both my students and fellow instructors.
Tiger McKee
Director, Shootrite Firearms Academy
Author of "The Book of Two Guns"
The Book of Two Guns: The Martial Art of the 1911 Pistol and AR Carbine

At the beginning of this exceptional book is a black and white photograph of a bathroom with a swirl of sticky-looking muck on the floor and a few little droplets splattered across the side of the toilet. Since there is no color it takes a moment to realize what you are looking at, but this mess is clearly human blood, a LOT of human blood. You don't know what happened but it was obviously something awful. A slowly drying pool of blood is not what one might expect to find at the beginning of a typical martial arts book, but then again real-life violence is not a subject that martial artists typically understand or write about.

Like a pool of blood, violence is a very sobering subject; one that must be treated seriously in order to do any good. Meditations on Violence certainly fits that bill. It is a refreshingly frank, honest, and in-depth assessment that teaches readers how to think critically about the subject, determine how to evaluate sources of knowledge, and understand how to identify strategies and select tactics to deal with violence effectively.

As a corrections officer and tactical team leader Miller regularly tangles with hard-core predators. He describes his job this way: "I beat people up for a living. I can pretty the phrase up a lot, but in the end I get paid (and paid well) to go into a situation, usually alone and usually outnumbered by sixty or more criminals, and maintain order."

This is a guy who routinely survives brutal encounters that would leave the average person physically and emotionally shattered. Unlike most martial arts instructors, he has first-hand experience that separates longstanding myths and heroic fantasies from merciless reality. Using interesting personal vignettes backed up by solid research and undisputable logic he conveys this hard-earned wisdom in a highly effective manner. His insights on how to make self-defense work and overcome subconscious resistance to meeting violence with violence could very well save a reader's life one day.

While the author's no-nonsense tone can be a bit "street" and his examples a bit graphic at times, his psychology degree shines throughout the writing as well. This combination makes for a fascinating read. One of the best features of the book is an informative matrix that addresses various types of violence, demonstrating how they differ from each other and how the lessons from one type may not apply to the needs of another. Other important topics include the dynamics of violence, predator mindset, adapting training to the realities of violence, making physical defense work, and the after-effects a sudden assault or long-term exposure to a violent environment.

Miller's book is extraordinarily well written. Packed with interesting, informative and, most importantly, useful information, Meditations on Violence should be required reading for all serious martial artists, law enforcement officers, security professionals, and anyone else who might have to deal with violence in some capacity. It is illuminating and very likely lifesaving as well.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults and Martial Arts Instruction; co-author of The Way of Kata, The Way to Black Belt, and The Little Black Book of Violence

Note: This review originally appeared in the July/August issue of ForeWord Magazine.

What I like most about Pfitzinger's and Scott's book is that it is a very friendly efficient book that gets right into the subject matter and it breaks down what others describe in more complex fashion, like VO2 Max, into much simplier terms making the comprehension easy and in far fewer pages. Although written in the very late 90s, this book is still an excellent guide for HS and runners virtually up to local elite status. "Daniels Running Formula" is probably mote satisfying, and more detailed for top guns but Pfitziner and Scott give you a lot of the same information with a variety of workouts based on goal times at various distances. The authors even quote Daniel's research and others so it still is in the game. If you want a quick grasp training book that is top knotch, pleasant to read with examples and pictures, then this is your book.

Pfitzinger's book finally delivers on what I always want from a book on a complex subject, simple explanations and simple solutions. Why write 800 pages when 188 will suffice. If you are only looking to train for 5K's then you can skip the section on 10K and marathon training and get even more concise explanations. This book gives short, simple explanations to the key elements of a training program. We now know everything we need to know about VO2 max and lactate threshold training, their relative importance, how to improve them and how to incorporate them into your training program. Pete indirectly points out how most of us are doing no lactate threshold training (by running most of our daily runs to slow) and doing all of our interval work to fast. I recommend this book to anyone looking to improve his or her racing times.

I would also suggest buying "Daniels Running Formula". I bought it last summer and my 5K's times went down from 19:40 to 18:50. I bought "Road Racing for Serious Runners" to basically get a second opinion on Daniel's theories. Actually these are not opinions or theories. These are time-tested methods back by sound science. I'm 43 years old and I'm living proof that random training will yield random results. Both Pfitzinger and Jack Daniels book will eliminate the "lets try this" approach to training. Both books cover the same topics and both authors come up with the basically the same training program. Daniels book breaks his schedule into 4 six-week phases while Pfitzinger has a 10-week and an 11 phase. When you look at both plans it becomes obvious and almost laughable on how easy it is to improve on your racing times (and in my case actually cut back on the training intensity).

I would buy both books so you can really feel good about your new training methods. Pete's book is simpler and has separate schedules for some of us low 20-40 mile per week folks. Daniels book has slightly more science and covers more topics. Daniels also has been around longer and has trained more athletes. There are only a few contradictions in Pete's book. He states on page 21 that your volume of Vo2 max workouts (your hard intervals) should be 1 workout per week with a total distance covered of 4 to 8K with the possibility of adding a second lower volume session each week. This corresponds with Daniels book where he has 2 Vo2 max sessions each week (or 1 Vo2 Max and a race). But when you get to the detailed 5K schedules for the 20-40 miles per week you only see 6 Vo2 max workouts scheduled in 21 weeks, despite them being listed as the number one priority. Also only 5 threshold workouts are scheduled in the last 11 weeks for the 20-40 mile schedule. I guess Pete is no dummy. He knows that Bill Rodgers may not use his book and that it will be geared towards people like me. He knows that I'm going to sneak in a combination of ten 5K and 8K races this fall before I attempt to peak in early December. The Daniels book just encourages it and has those realities clearly shown on the schedules. Just buy both books, start training smarter and in some cases a little easier. I've bought bad unhealthy lunches for [PRICE]. If you run this will be the best [PRICE} you will ever spend.

Very good book for learning to race everything from 5k to marathon distances. There is no fluff, just the facts on how to prepare for a specific race distance. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is the authors schedules are a little too general for those of us who must have a detailed schedule. This book is not a beginner's book. To get the most from it you need to have some experience running races, even if you are a slow runner.

I can't imagine a better, more concise book on running training for distances over 1500m. A great introduction to the physiology of endurance racing, and how to apply this knowledge directly to your own workouts.

If Jack Daniel's book is the bible of running, this book is a close second. Clear, concise, and with good training tables, this book is a nice tweak on Daniel's book.

Using the methods espoused in these two books has improved my race times dramatically. Instead of random training, every training run now has a purpose; be it a slow easy run or speed workouts at the track.

The author does a great job of thoroughly explaining our memory, how it works and more interestingly, he gives you over 150 key ideas you can use to improve YOUR memory.

While there is no drug that's proven to improve memory in healthy adults, Klemm's techniques work!

It's ironic that he gives his readers (presumably who perceive themselves to have less-than-stellar memories) so many techniques to learn - I will be hard pressed to remember them all - but how many techniques you remember is not important, as long as you focus on the key techniques that really matter to you.

For small business owners, his techniques will be especially helpful for remembering customers and contact names and faces, details about your business - and for remembering what you read in this fast-paced world we live in.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their memory, look smarter, network more effectively and feel more confident in your ability to remember key information and make a good impression on others.

Bill Klemm has been with us for a while. For about 40 yrs now he has been teaching and publishing books and articles on brain function. And if we've been paying attention we've been adding to our brains capacity throughout this period. But, if you're like me, and have just discovered Bill and his work, your in luck.

Bill's new book has a slightly silly title, but it's no lightweight little piece of fluff. Instead we are treated to a delightfully thorough, behind the scenes analysis, of how we create memories. As you can imagine, being a Ph.D. an all, there are some big words included within. But no to worry, Bill's worked long enough with his students to realize that everyone learns in a specific fashion and he offers several slants on his subject.

While he includes numerous common methods such as pegs, the picturing of related things hanging off a system of pegs, to acrostics, where the first letter of each word serves as a cue, to acronyms, think YMCA, he also offers us a host of other easy methods to increase our memory.

But the real helpful bits are why, how, when, where, and how much we are capable of remembering. And along the way we also learn how sleep can play an important part, how alcohol can be detrimental, and why we no longer need to subscribe to the myth that getting older means getting forgetful.

This is science at it's most fun. We all can't be Ph.D.'s, but with this little book we can astonish the grandkids, one up our college buddies pulling all-nighters, and best of all remember the name of that hunky guy or gorgeous gal we met at that party last week and now run into at the grocery store.

Here's a book on improving your memory by one who knows what he's talking about. Bill Klemm is a professor of neuroscience who, for 40 years, has been publishing research on brain function.

Patt Morrison of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "What a maddening thing a memory can be, dodging away from you when you're trying desperately to snag it, descending around you like a collapsing tent when you most want to forget it." How true.

Bill Klemm comes with help for this "maddening thing." He offers insight on how to remember. He shows the reader how to cooperate with his brain, learning how it works best. He gives advice on how to best study for an exam. He clues us in on the role of sleep and dreaming in forming lasting memories. Are there supplements which can help us? Are there chemicals which hinder?

I've read lots of books about memory. This book, though, isn't like others I've read: it isn't a book of tricks ("How to amaze your friends in ten easy lessons"). This is a book of substance: a review of the science of memory. I've grown from it, and I enjoyed it.

The work of Bill is very relevant for absolutely every age group from
young to old. As I read this book, I realized some of the issues one
has to keep remembering things, places, events, people's names; and the
tools one can utilize to turn the situation around. Because of the
insight Bill provides, this book is a confidence builder; a must read
for those interested in improving their memory, becoming more effective
at what they do and feeling empowered.

Dr. Klemm strikes a chord, again and again, addressing a variety of situations in which we think our memories "fail" us: in school, at work, at a party, around the home, the office. Scientific and lab experiences aside, the book offers a lot of tips for changing the way we learn and recall. / Simple ways to learn social skills like remembering the names of 10 people you just met. Using a skeleton outline instead of taking notes in class. And, for long-term recall, figuring out the answers rather than memorizing them. But Thank You Brain is more than a how-to book. When Klemm points out the short attention spans of today's kids he opens a discussion about the need to change the way our teachers teach their students. "Yes, it's true that learning is hard work," he says. The brain works harder to learn a new thing than it does to maintain a memory or a process. Exercise the brain by learning unique, foreign processes and the brain gets intricately involved in learning the requirements for the new subject, and you keep it active, alert, sharp. Klemm talks about the FOCUSED brain and how difficult it is to divide its attention, for example, when driving and using a cell phone. And how drug abuse hijacks the brain's coping system, takes it out of the loop and removes its power to manage emotions. He says recall is not the same as memory. Recalling someone's name is easier when all the original cues are present, such as when and where you knew that person in the first place. This is a fascinating read and one that gives the reader the knowledge to sharpen his own memory and recall.