Publications Books

These days, Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet" often gets dismissed as "hippie" literature. Yet, this book had been a bestseller LONG before the 1960s. Originally published in 1923, it almost instantly became a hit and even did well through the Great Depression. Today, Gibran's claim to fame is being the third best-selling poet of our time, behind Shakespeare and Lao Tzu... and pretty much entirely based on sales of this book. When his publisher, Alfred Knopf was asked who the audience for the book was, he flippantly dismissed the question. "It Must be a cult," he retorted.

Yet there is no such cult. What's incredible is that there's absolutely no marketing hype behind the success of this book. Gibran himself is long gone. There is no political, religious, or commercial enterprise attached to his name bent on winning souls and/or profits. The Gibran estate has merely been licensing copies year after year in response to the demand - a demand fueled pretty much entirely by word-of-mouth and chance discovery. The fact is, the twenty-six poems in this book have a surprising and suprassing relevance, insight and compassion. Broken down into several topics ("On Love", "On Work", "On Joy and Sorrow", etc.) the book itself recounts the sermons of a fictional poet leaving behind the gift of knowledge before he leaves his homeland.

I first found Gibran through a setting of his poem "On Children" by local Washington, D.C. singers Sweet Honey in the Rock on their album, "Breaths."

"Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you."

At the time I was about to leave for college and eighteen years of living under my parent's roof had made me restless for autonomy. That poem eloquently expressed everything I was yearning to say to them in my hours of frustration and adolescent angst. It later proved to be a reference to turn to in times where I needed confidence to live an independent and fulfilling life, while still maintaining respect and compassion towards the parents who had raised me.

I am not exaggerating when I say that the poems in this book have kept me grounded and sane throughout some of the most troubling times in my life. Our modern lives are ever hectic, stressful and busy - wrought with drama, frustration, depression, etc. The knowledge in these poems brings me back to a "middle ground" - there is a sage wisdom and clarity in the poems that has often been helpful for me in "unwinding" and coming back to earth. They bring me back to a place of clarity from whcih I can see my life from a wider perspective.

Though Gibran himself was a Christian and despite the title and conceit of the book, this is not really a religious book. The insight in this book would be applicable to your life even if you are an atheist. What's more, the poetry is mostly imagistic. Do not expect the academic poetics of Gibran's contemporaries Eliot or Pound or even Frost. They are written with the aim of being accessible and immediate to the reader and rely mostly on clear metaphors and vivid imagery.

Copies of "The Prophet" are not hard to come by. Perhaps check out the book's table of contexts either using Amazon's "Search Inside" feature or in your local bookstore and see if it addresses a problem or issue you are dealing with. That's a good a place as any to start with. Chances are, you will find something that speaks to you on some level.

I appreciate getting the book at the great price. I'm really not complaining but the book was quite yellow and the jacket was torn in various places. It looked like it was on the shelf for quite a while........Maureen

A very profound, deeply insightful and moving experience! One of my two favorite books of all times. No matter how often you read it, you find something new, some new insight, some amazing revelation, some word of consolation, another stunning example of wordcraft. A masterpiece! Inspired! This book should not be on a book shelf in the library, office or study, but on the bedside table, and the audiobook -- on your Ipod.

One of the ten best books I have ever read. A must for any on the path to Self-awareness. A book of profound understanding of the human dance. Gibran's writing in general is in a class by itself, and The Prophet is his finest work.

I have read this book over a hundered times in the last twenty years, and have given many copies away to friends and acquaintances. If God Himself (or Herself) were to give an opinion on various aspects of a person's life, I believe that his or her words would be very close to what Kahlil Gibran wrote in "The Prophet".

I used to read other sex books with my wife but she surprised me one day and bought Sex and the perfect lover by Iam... was a complete different thing all together, far far the best one I've seen. It's simply Amazing. My wife seduces me with the techniques in the book and I please her through the advice in the book. A reference book for your bedside table we have learn how to have fun and intimacy together, without just merely have sex put us on ground now. We have learnt how to have fun and intimacy together, without just merely making love.
Everyone wants to have a great sex life and some may even think that they know everything as I did! but this book will take your sex life to new heights.
I'm the one now that insists that we read one chapter every night, and then practice!
I am right now ordering several copies to give as a gift to my friends.

Wow. this is the perfect book for busy, active people who want to keep their sex life alive, but who don't have time to spend learning. When I thought there were not any more sex "techniques" I could learn from a book, this book just amazed me. This book just transformed my sex and it is never going to be better than after reading it. I've read my share of sex books but this one is very informative, gives great advises and covers many areas of relationships that are not covered in other books.

M. Iam seriously addresses intimacy issues and provides a step-by-step deep relationship-nourishing format that begins with the art of exploring the pleasures of the Kama sutra from the vantage point of the couple's balanced physical, mental and emotional energy. In addition to initiating and maintaining the purely sensual aspects of love-making.

Everyone should read this book. I have read a lot of relationships and sex books. This one, by far, is the best for me. Was almost like a total
pleasure, I am giving it as a gift for special occasions and recommending it to everyone I know.

Sex and the Perfect Lover is a guide for those who wish a relationships with love pleasure, and intimacy, This is by far the best book I have ever read. The style of the book is easy, clear and perfect to understand and the illustrations of the kamasutra are excellent. The exercises and illustrations are creative, playful, and unusual, such as rewriting a recipe in sexual imagery to create an appetizing and erotic plan.
I've shared it with some friends. I'm definitely going to give a copy of this book to my friends.

I have to admit, the only reason I chose this book was because of the 240+ rave reviews here at amazon. How could 99% of the reviewing public be wrong, right? Well take it from me, whoever translated this book into english (it was originally written in another language) did a pretty shabby job, unless their goal was to suck the life out of every paragraph. It is thoroughly boring, utterly useless and embarrassingly void of anything that anyone could apply to their sex life. I guarantee you 110% that you will be disappointed with this book, and after reading it you'll be looking somewhere else for the answers you were seeking. This was my first foray into a "better sex" book, and I most definitely made the wrong choice.

The chapters are so short, they feel like you're reading an outline. There is no content. There is so much filler in this book, you start to catch on by about page 50 that you're going absolutely nowhere -- page after page, chapter after chapter. She mentions some interesting ideas and concepts, but never once does she show any hint of knowledge or expertise in this subject area. Her solution to EVERYTHING is that with proper practice and techniques, you too can achieve an explosive orgasm -- but she tells you absolutely nothing about how to do anything. It's so ridiculous I was laughing out loud by chapter 10. Really, this book is a complete waste and joke.

There's a darn good reason--indeed lots of reasons--why Dan Poynter's manual has frequently been called the "bible of self-publishing." To the best of my knowledge, it was the first and certainly one of the very best ever published on this specialized aspect of book production. It covers the entire process from pre-pub requirements right through the mechanics of design, formatting and printing.

Dan doesn't simply throw out generalities about what must be done in each phase of the project; he delves into the nitty-gritty simplifying this challenging effort for those of us tackling self-publishing for the first time. I know. I did it after I studied his book from cover to cover.

Dan also includes a plethora of resources interspersed in the text as he illustrates each step. These can be most helpful to the uninitiated who are told what they must do in so many other books, but don't know where to go to accomplish each of those steps. At the simplest level, as an illustration, Dan doesn't just state that you have to procure an ISBN, he explains what it is and why it is needed and most important of all where to find it on the Bowker web site.

There are three excellent books that I have used to brief myself on self-publishing before producing my latest book. In addition to Dan's Manual, I suggest reading Peter Bowerman's "The Well-Fed Self-Publisher" and Patricia L. Fry's excellent study of the subject.

I attribute much of the success of the award-winning "The Writer Within You" to all three of them. I strongly suggest you start your effort with the outstanding guidance Dan has provided.

Poynter's book is the best and most well structured book on self-publishing I have found. It helped me imensely for from an author-to-be to a soon-to-be- published author.
Self-publishing is a great way to go with a small, first book and the organization tips, calendar, structuring chapters, ISBN #'s and copyright are perfect.

FOR ANYBODY WHO HAS THE DESIRE TO BECOME A SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHOR, SHOULD OWN THIS BOOK. THE BOOK IS JUST THE BEGINNING...BUT IF YOU GO TO HIS WEBSITE, READ, STUDY, AND ORDER HIS INFORMATION KITS AND ARTICLES. YOU ARE ON YOUR WAY TO THE TOP!

Don't self publish a book without first reading this one. It's the best. I also loved the grammar book from Jim Woods Two Dozen Lessons from an Editor

When I self-published my book, "Welcome Home: A Guide for Foster, Adoptive, and Treatment Foster Parents," I used Dan's book religiously. It's so worn out, I have to order a new copy for my forthcoming book [tenatively titled, 'Diagnosis, Assessment, and Treatment of Foster and Adopted Children, 2009]. I sold 5,000 copies, though two editions. Could I have done this without Dan's book? Perhaps, but he walks you through every step of the way. If you're self-publishing a book, this one gives you more information and guidance than you could ask for. You'll still have to do the leg-work, but he makes it less daunting.

I compared it with three other guidebooks, and this one is hands down by far the best. I also like his sense of humor, and his ability to give us foreigners a realistic taste of the local culture. It is down to earth, not superficial, and it must have been a lot of work to write this guide! The first thing I did when I arrived in Oahu for the second segment of my trip was to go to the bookstore at the airport and buy his book for Oahu.

This revised edition is very comprehensive, written with a sense of humor and candor. Looking forward to visiting the island with book in hand to "test out" the recommendations.

I found this book to give good recommendations for places to see on the island. Some were not as spectacular as described. Also it would have been helpful to have better overview maps. Those are obtainable for free in other publications such as rental car guides. Places to eat were good recommendations.

Whatever you need to know about the Big Island, it's in this book. Excellent info, updated and concise, in a very readable form.

First rate guide to the Big Island. I bought their Kauai book years ago when I visited, and this one is just as good. You truly feel like your getting insider tips, and not just a project for a travel writer on assignment. Don't hesitate on this one.

There are some cold people in this world and I think they were all featured in this book. Sad, sad story, but very entertaining. I finished this book in one day. I could not put it down. I just had to know how it was going to end. Highly recommended.

THIS BOOK SHOWS LIFE GROWING UP IN A TOUGH HOUSEHOLD/ENVIRONMENT EARLY. WHORE SHOWS WHY SOME YOUNG LADIES BEHAVE A CERTAIN WAY.

What can I say about this book!! I have one word I Love It!! I was such a good story. I couldn't let go of this book the momemt I started reading it. What a well written book. The Character of Kamone made me cry. I felt soo sorry for this girl and how life had treated her. There are scenes in this book that are going to leave you with your mouth open. But it is a great book!! I would recommended to anyone don't let the title mislead you there is so much more to this book besides its title.

This book is a real page turner. I read it in few hours. It was so touching. There were parts that made you say "aaawww" and others that made you say "oh hell nah!". Overall, this book is very good. A movie should be made ASAP!

This book was awesome! I was little apprehensive to get the book at first based on the cover and title. But as I read the book from start to finish I was impressed. The story line was awesome and well thought out. It was not the average shot em up gangsta boogie book. It was really well put and I loved the character development. I would recommend this book for anyone who is in the market for a great read with awesome details.

Well Done!

This book obviously already has plenty of praising views, but I read this book and found it so great that I can't live with myself if I don't write a review. Coming from a kid who grieved a traumatic death, this book *IS* the book to buy if you're grieving, want to understand death, or want to find a book to help out a confused friend (no matter what age) who's grieving. It's worth the price.

I am new to the genius of CS Lewis. I read the Narnia series as a kid, but have not read books for years, until recently. This book was deep, and full of the genius Lewis is known for. He expresses the pain of losing his wife, and the questions that those who mourn often work through, but are too guilty to express publically. The work is awesome, and may help some who are going through similar feelings of greif. Skip the aknowlegement at the beginning by Madeline Engle, I am not familiar with her writing, but have heard the name. I am surprised she was chosen to write the aknowlegement, but it is an amusing contrast to Lewis' intellect and spiritual understanding. The aknowlegement exudes an attitude of confidence in spiritual issues, yet reveals a cluelessness and spiritual blindess found largely in todays new age books. It does not belong in a CS Lewis book.

This small book is a blessing to those who have experienced a deep and pressing grief. It shows a bit of the journey C.S. Lewis made through his grief experience. It was a brief, beautiful read.

Although Lewis was, of course, a renowned and devout Christian, this book will speak to anyone who's lost someone with whom they shared real love. All of the questions, angers, and doubts that fill the mind during the numbing time following great loss are shared in the first person, generously, by Lewis. This is, I think, a beautiful, powerful, and deeply healing work.

Originally published under a pseudonym, this short book is a thoroughly reasoned but heart-felt analyzation of grief from the private writing journal of intellectual author and academia giant, C.S. Lewis. The object of his grief is the love of his life, his rare intellectual equal and friend whom he met later in life and fell deeply in love with, making her his wife.

Born Atheist, C.S. Lewis became a committed Christian, but spent part of his journalized pages in honest reflection of his anger at God and acknowledgement of fragile faith while in the throes of traumatic, life-altering grief. He boldly wonders and writes the thoughts and words most familiarly held at some point in the minds of others bereaved over their most beloved and cherished.

From page 23: "Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief. Apparently the faith - I thought it faith - which enables me to pray for the other dead has seemed strong only because I have never really cared, not desperately, whether they existed or not. Yet I thought I did."

After other thoughts about risks and beliefs, this is said, "And you will never discover how serious it was until the stakes are raised horribly high, until you find that you are playing not for counters or for sixpences but for every penny you have in the world. Nothing will shake a man - or at any rate a man like me - out of his merely verbal thinking and his merely notional beliefs. He has to be knocked silly before he comes to his senses. Only torture will bring out the truth. Only under torture does he discover himself."

On page 25, C.S. sees the human side of grieving when others try to console him with spiritual avenues of comfort: "Talk to me about the truth of religion and I'll listen gladly. Talk to me about the duty of religion and I'll listen submissively. But don't come talking to me about the consolations of religion or I shall suspect that you don't understand."

The social leprosy of bereavement is also mentioned on a couple of pages, including this: "Perhaps the bereaved ought to be isolated in special settlements like lepers."

At the end, C.S. Lewis seems to reconcile himself to a conclusion about grieving: "For, as I have discovered, passionate grief does not link us with the dead but cuts us off from them," as he tries to go about cherishing his beloved's every memory with gladness, a smile and a laugh. Not for long, however, is this a workable plan as he writes the next day's journal entry more in line with the natural phases of grief: "An admirable programme. Unfortunately it can't be carried out. tonight al the hells of young grief have opened again; the mad words, the bitter resentment, the fluttering in the stomach, the nightmare unreality, the wallowed-in tears. For in grief nothing `stays put.' One keeps on emerging from a phase, but it always recurs. Round and round. Everything repeats. Am I going in circles, or dare I hope I am on a spiral?"

As do we all of bereavement ask ourselves when finding that as much as we try clawing our way up the spiral, we suddenly lose our grasp, totally at the mercy of our humanness and that quality that never dies - love.

John Kremer's book has answered alot of questions that I had that I couldn't seem to get answered any where else. Now I have the ultimate tool to assist me in putting together a great marketing plan.

I recommend this book to anyone who really wants to make their book a success.

Susie McCray, poet & author
"See What I See"

Jam-packed with ideas to help you market your book. Writing amazon reviews is one of them!

Author, "Trust is Everything: Become the leader others will follow"

John Kremer's book is by far the best on how to effectively market your books. He gives idea after idea (many of them low cost and no cost) on how to get the word out.

Anyone who is in the know, knows that John Kremer's book is a must have.

You want your book to succeed? Get this book now!

Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Marketer
101 Ways to Get Your Foot in the Door: Success Strategies Guaranteed to Put You Miles Ahead of the Competition

PROS: Outstanding tips. Excellent advice and ideas. Original.

CONS: A bit expensive, even though it's over 700 pages.

CONCLUSION: Both small and large publishers do a lousy job at promoting their authors. With rare exceptions (usually for high profile authors), the publishers expect the author to do most of the work. Therefore, all authors should get this book if they want to promote their work. Without marketing, most books die a quiet death.

1001 Ways to Market Your Books is the bible of marketing books. I have read the book cover to cover once and refer back to it again and again.

I used up half of a highlighter and dozens (if not over a hundred) post-it notes to mark the important pages and key points in the book. The title of the book is quite humble. The material actually has probably 2,000 or more ideas to market books.

1001 Ways to Market Your Books covers it all. It addresses the fundamentals, how to open new markets, marketing and selling in bookstores, schools and on the internet. It also discusses selling overseas, selling subsidiary rights, offbeat advertising, promotions and more.

There are so many great ideas that every time I pick it up again I find more marketing ideas to consider. Even if a person cherry picks, there are still enough ideas to keep one busy for years!

What also makes this book a great resource is that is that John Kremer thoroughly researched the work. His common sense approach makes the book a page turner. Although there are 700 pages, there is essentially no fluff.

Thank you John Kremer for providing a path to successfully marking our books!


The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

The only guide book that gives you current detailed information. They even post updates online between editions. Things tend to be poorly marked in Hawaii and so the mile marker details help get you where you want to be.

This is the second book I have by the author and like the first, I highly recommend it for travel to Oahu.

Very good recommendations that I found accurate and was pleased to make my decision process based on his recommendations, though not with every one of them was perfect. But that is to be expected since alot of decisions are subjective.

It is a good starting point and of course it is fun to go off book and ask around for opinions from people who live there for some other ideas.

As with most resort destinations there's no shortage of written material to mull through when planning a vacation. I ordered this book based on the reviews on Amazon and once I received it I put all the other material in the recycling bin. It was simply the best! My only regret is that I didn't order two copies as we're a family of four and quite often we found ourselves arguing over whose turn it was next to look at the book. My teenaged children took a real interest in planning our day excursions using the recommendations in the book. We'll definitely purchase the books written about the other islands in anticipation of our next trip to Hawaii.

The honest opinions and insider information provided in this book are great, but there are two things that I found rather annoying. First, a lot of time is spent telling people turn-by-turn directions for getting to the various places on the island. It is painful to read all the right and left directions. It's like the way my grandmother used to give directions. Second, noticeably absent are addresses that could be entered into my GPS unit to get me to the destinations worry free. The author goes so far as to complain in the book about how difficult it is to navigate the island. It is even more difficult when there are 10 rights and lefts and no addresses. Good grief! Buy this book for the opinions, but get another guide to give you addresses you can use for your GPS units.

I might look at other guidebooks as well, but if I were limited to just one, this would be it. It covers pretty much everything, covers things in detail, and gives honest opinion. If an attraction, restaurant, or hotel sucks, they tell you. The text, maps, and pictures nimbly steer you toward what's worthwhile and away from what's not. They can't cover everything on Oahu, but we'll definitely be carrying this book with us on our upcoming trip.

Now, I loved this book, this is the second book by Ms.Ervin I have read (I need to get Mina's Joint)and I am amazed and very appreciative at the authors growth and how she's come into a style of her own, I could see it in Hold U Down but she was still trying to find her way and I saw to many other authors in that one too. And once again, the designer name droppin and talking about how much something cost and every detail in peoples clothes and all that stuff could be lessened. But this book is all MISS ERVIN! And she did a great, great job! This book took me back a little I can really understand Mo's pain, the up's and the down's, the in's and the out's. Mo is wayyyy better than me though lol(accept the kid part, she was bogus for that lol). What we won't go through for love, but this was very well written, with a nice pace, not to slow, not to fast, not overly dramatized, but nicely put together you really could feel the emotions, and the supporting characters were wonderful as well and fit nicely into the book. It was emotional, funny, made you mad, I mean I was ready to jump in the book and smack dude around a little bit, then smack her around a little then hug em both! I read it in a few hours(ok so I didn't pace myself and almost burned my rice) but it was that good. I loved how it ended with nobody holding grudges or wishing ill on the other. Good going Miss Ervin, keep up the good work!

From the Beginning to the end it was good.....Especially at the end. Good Twist Torn (Triple Crown Publications Presents) (Triple Crown Publications Presents)

I THINK THIS IS THE BEST BOOK THAT I HAVE READ IN LONG TIME. KEISHA TO U (YOU HAVE SOME MAD SKILLS)CONTINUE TO DO WHAT U DO.

THIS BOOK WILL SEND YOU THRU SO MANY EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTERS ITS NOT EVEN FUNNY. YOU CAN ACTUALLY FEEL THE PAIN MO IS GOING THRU. I THINK MANY FEMALES CAN RELATE TO THIS BOOK, I KNO I DID.I LOVED IT.

This has to be one of the best book i ever read. Torn kept me tearing through the pages, from the day i started it. The book hit so close to home because i went through the same experiance but not for 10 years. Its easy for people to say that Mo shoulda have left quan, but in all reality when you are in the situation,loves clouds your judgement. But otherwise the book kept you intrested, it made you feel like you are really there. I laughed and i cryed and i can proudly say that i am going to pass this book around to each and everyone of my friends. The book made me realize that you could easily think that you love a person,but it might be the idea of love, that makes you hang on for dear life.I WISH I CAN GIVE IT MORE THAN 5 STARS. this book deserves 100 stars.

I read this book while serving in Iraq as a Combat Infantry Soldier in the US Army. I was not a Fobbit, meaning I went on on patrol everyday into the 'dreaded Red Zone'. I conducted raids, TCPs (Traffic Control Points), responeded to - and found IEDs ( sometime the hard way, meaning they blew us up) and toom part in many, many QRF (Quick Reaction Force) missions... And yes, I shot people. And hit them.
Everything described in this book I went through. Memory loss, feeling outside myself, auditory exculsion, reacting without thinking, blah, blah, blah...
This book has it nailed. LTC Grossman knows what he is talking about.
If you are a Vet, read it. If you know a Vet, read it. If you are a nobody, read it.

This extraordinary book details the reactions and responses of the human body under battle conditions. During such an event, our physical systems transform for greater efficiency and effectiveness. The book is quite fascinating in its details on the nervous system, the heart, eyesight, hearing, breathe, etc., The author, Lt. Colonel Grossman, has considerable experience in the field as an expert in psychology. He has taught at West Point and is a Professor of Military Science.

The point of the book is to acquaint the warrior (including soldiers, police, citizen soldiers, etc., ) with the effects of combat to understand their own physical responses - and better perform in the field. This knowledge is critical. The warrior will begin to understand his own physical transformation in combat and perform better. Grossman examines the nature of combat and violence including its evolution and also the requirements both physically and psychologically which are necessary for the warrior. Grossman details research how to buttress the mind against stress and fear. He even explores the body's response in the post-combat arena.

Overall, this book is essential for combat training for the Police Officer, the soldier or America's Citizen Soldier.

Michael Mandaville, Author of the upcoming, "Citizen Soldier Handbook: 101 Ways for Every American To Fight Terrorism"

Although it is targeted primarily to warriors, 'On Combat' is a very valuable book that should be read by a much wider audience. It certainly has a wealth of information for soldiers and police officers, but it has much more besides.

I'll try to address some of the areas where it is particularly useful for military and law enforcement types (warriors) and also parts that are great for everyone.

First, the warriors:

1. Innoculation against fear and stress. By preparing psychologically for combat, one can be much better equipped to deal with it. This preparation also includes making the decision in advance if one is capable of killing another person in defense of oneself and others. (Hint: Those who cannot make that decision should not get into or stay in these fields.) As the authors state: 'When you are truly prepared to kill someone, you are less likely to have to do it.'
2. Debriefing - By talking through the events that have transpired, warriors are much better able to decompress. The authors even show the history of this and why PTSD and other psychological factors have been so much more problematic starting about the time of WWI.
3. Physical reactions - This includes the importance of such things as loss of bladder/bowel control, auditory exclusion, and tunnel vision.
4. Sleep deprivation and its toxic affect on performance.

Now, for everyone:

1. The powerful link between media and teen violence. A couple of the statistics cited in the book include these: A Canadian study showed a 90% reduction in teen violence when video games were removed. Also, there is a causal link between media and one-half of murders (AMA).
2. Tactical breathing - Although this powerful technique has a particular benefit for the military and law enforcement, its application can be of great help to those in accidents, undergoing medical procedures, etc. This one tool alone is well worth the price of the book.

Everyone can profit from the information in this book. I would recommend it for anyone.

I first read this book over a decade after my own combat experiences during the first gulf war, and it was a great help to me.

Now I gift a copy of this book to my buddies as they prepare for their own deployment.

A must read for a citizen-soldier.

WOW, this is a must read for anyone in the military or Law Enforcement. They cover things I had never before been told but should have. This will change the way you think and prepare for your daily task. A must read for everyone from a recruit to seasoned veteran.