Companies Books

Ms. Hawkins nails this spirituality thing. Her book clearly tells us why spirituality in the workplace is not only appropriate, but good business. And she gives clear instructions on how to achieve it both personally and corporate-wide. Of course, she's not talking about coercing anyone to a specific belief, but making opportunities for people to incorporate their beliefs into their daily work ethic. Sound advice. I took her advice to heart and began incorporating the spiritual life into my own work and writing with zeal at www.WorldWantingPeace.com. Thanks so much Ms. Hawkins.

"SPIRIT INCORPORATED truly has exciting business principles for professionals in International Banking and Finance. In a global financial market too often driven strictly by 'bottom line' profits, country tax incentives, P/E ratios, down sizing, insider rumours, and market speculation, instant and sudden wealth is being created (and lost) through overnight M&A's and market IPO's, with little thought given for human considerations. SPIRIT INCORPORATED brings back the human spirit to the often dehumanizing business calculations seen by too many as a 'Zero Sum Game.' I have applied these exciting principles and philosophies while living and working in Europe, the Middle East, and the Republic of South Africa. Kathleen Hawkins, I applaud you!!!" -- Mark Douglas, B.A., M.B.A., International Business Manager, Johannesburg, RSA

"Spirit Incorporated turns the daily grind into a premium blend of ethics, integrity, and job satisfaction." -- Don Dible, coauthor, Chicken Soup for the Dental Soul

"I am in awe. SPIRIT INCORPORATED is the first book on spirituality that I have read that is so REAL and doable. So many of the others give you ideas but they are sometimes hard to apply to real life. I keep having to stop reading SPIRIT INCORPORATED to write down ideas that I want to remember and don't want to lose. What a great book by a great writer!" Patricia Boyd, Consumer Real-estate Advocate, Certified Finance Specialist, and author of How to Buy and Sell Your Home Without Getting Ripped Off! PBSem@aol.com

"Kathleen has packed Spirit Incorporated with so much truth and so many practical examples that I hope this book is marketed as widely as possible." -- Jim Collison, President of the Employers of America: the National Association for Workplace Leaders, and the Senior Editor of Smart Workplace Practices

This book is a thoughtful and comprehensive summary of most every critical aspect of the start-up process. As an entrepreneur who has started several companies over the years (and as an author of a book on the subject of entrepreneurship myself), I can say that I wish that I had a copy of this book early in my entrepreneurial career. If you studied this book and came to understand its content, you would be well prepared for the start-up process.

In reality, most readers will not plow through 500 pages of material to prepare themselves to be entrepreneurs. Instead, they will get going and reference the material in this book to explore the details of their current activity (whether it's getting started, putting a team together, writing a business plan, securing a round of financing, etc.) The book also helps entrepreneurs to better anticipate next steps. The bottom line is that this is a solid reference book for entrepreneurs and one that nicely complements other books on the subject.

There are over twelve thousand books available on the subject of entrepreneurship, ranging from the truly execrable to the really good. But Michael Stathis' The Startup Company Bible is one that I can recommend to every entrepreneur and every early stage investor.

As an active angel investor in the US, I have read dozens of books aimed at entrepreneurs. Usually I end up cringing at the misperceptions, bad advice and third-hand information they contain. The great thing about Stathis' work is that he gets everything right. And to do that over 600 pages of dealing with all the intricacies of starting and financing a business is quite an accomplishment.

If you are an entrepreneur who is considering seeking angel or venture capital financing, this book will help you understand what the picture looks like from the other side of the table, and what things you can do to strengthen your company...and thus improve your chances of getting funded.

This was purchased not to start a company (yet), but to increase my effectiveness in business dealings with startups. As director of business development for a pharmaceutical contract research organization (CRO), I work with VC, PE and Angel funded companies routinely to assure their product development goals are met. This book provides insight into key strategic issues on how these companies, my clients, are structured. Highly recommended.

As someone who worked in, worked with, and funded start-ups and now teaches the subject I've found two common categories of start-up books: those by academics that have been written in a vacuum and thus seem clinical and out of touch with reality, and those written by successful entrepreneurs who use the pages to relive their glory days. Stathis, on the other hand, balances the conceptual with the practical, providing prospective entrepreneurs with a thorough, well-rounded, yet technical step-by-step guide to starting a business. From the everyday minutiae - or what Stathis considers the boring, nevertheless crucial details - to more strategic concepts that can help ease the entry path, this book addresses the necessary tools to starting and running a new business. The appendices to the 400+ pages are a great addition, exposing entrepreneurs to what confidentiality agreements, stock option plans, etc. actually look like. This book should be not just a starting point for people considering starting/owning their own business, but a companion throughout the entrepreneurial journey. The title of Startup Company Bible is truly deserving.

This is a book with great strengths and great weaknesses. If you are a seasoned entrepreneur, this is a useful resource at a fair price. If you are just thinking about starting your first company, be wary of this book; if you use it to chart your course, it could drive you onto a reef. In the hands of the naive, it will cause a lot of damage.

Strengths:

- Comprehensive - it covers a very wide range of topics
- Honest - the book tries to be forthcoming and avoid biases
- Based on Experience - Much of the book is based on the real world

Weaknesses:

- Organization - the organization is simply awful and there are few navigation resources to help you find your way through tangled threads of thought
- Myopic - this book assumes that you want to use Venture Capital - the most expensive money on the planet
- Inconsistent Quality - this is the most severe problem (more on this below).
- Ad Hoc - beyond ad hoc organization, much of the content (tables, chapters...) is ad hoc. It's impossible to tell when a list is supposed to be a list of examples, or when it's supposed to be comprehensive.

In the hands of someone who has started companies before, this is a great handbook and could be a good coaching tool to help others. In the hands of a beginner, it would be incredibly dangerous, since the inconsistent quality makes using it a potential disaster.

Inconsistent Quality: The book lacks quality on several levels.

On the elementary level, it's full of typos. No editor is named, either because there was no editor, or because there was not a single senior editor to sign the work.

On the broad level, there are so many examples of inconsistent quality that it's hard to know what to cite. The intellectual property discussion is, for the most part, quite good, and offers valuable advice that is often omitted. But, at the same time, this discussion is very sloppy in its terminology, so the same people who need the advice could be misled.

On the "sophisticated" level, there is an odd mix of truly useful teaching, and vapid babble. This is most evident when the book quotes business schools, like Harvard. Anyone who has actually run a business and then spent time around a business school knows that many of the professors have never actually DONE anything, and they don't know that they don't know. So, you see B-schools publish books and articles that don't say anything and the authors don't seem to know they have not said anything. These are "vacuum publications" because they are void of any real content. In this book, you'd hope that the vacuum publications would be absent, but sadly there are some quoted, cited, and in some cases, even their figures

A new edition could make this a great book - you can see a great book in there somewhere.

In Straight, Francis gives us another of his honorable and vulnerable heroes who find themselves in trouble through no fault of their own. True, part of Derek Franklin's problems stems from not getting to know his much older brother, Greville, but the rest of his problems just seem to happen. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time is never in one's favor.

Derek is a successful jockey whose ankle is broken in a fall in a race. Just after he learns that his brother has been killed in a freak accident. Now, Greville was a gemologist who tended to be more than a little paranoid. He loved gadgets and puzzles and lives in a house outfitted like a fortress. Unfortunately, the strength of the house does not prevent Derek from being pummeled and otherwise abused nearly to the point of death. The worst thing is that he doesn't know why. This is a story of many mysteries most of which have nothing to do with one another. True to form, though, the villain once identified, proves to have no compunctions about doing whatever it takes to get what he/she wants and for self protection. Or is that villains?

As the story unfolds, the reader finds out as much about the deceased Greville as Derek, his brother and sole heir. (There are two sisters who live abroad.) It's difficult not to care about both and to feel the regret about not getting to know someone before it's too late.

Straight is a typical Francis novel in that it's a fast read, one cares about the protagonist, and pretty much despises the antagonist. Few surprises when it comes to it, but one of Francis's good ones.

I hve been reading Dick Francis books for at least 15 years. My father introduced me to them. When I go on vacation this summer, some of them will accompany me. "Straight" will be one of them.

Greville and Clarissa had concealed their love affair for three years.

Greville was a middleman, who had traveled the world to search out reliable sources of semiprecious gemstones. The successful London company he founded would have the stones cut in Antwerp, Tel Aviv, New York, or elsewhere, then distribute the gems in quantity to creative designers and producers of fashionable jewelry. Greville also owned racehorses, starting when someone had given him one in settlement of a debt.

Clarissa was the attractive wife of an older British lord, who had pursued her. Greville became Clarissa's first love, as she became his. When he was not on a trip, and she could come to London, they would meet. When apart, which was most days, they had agreed to pause at a set time of day to think of each other, knowing that each was doing the same.

A sudden accident ended all this. Greville had been walking down the High Street next to a construction site, when collapsing scaffolding from high up, struck him, sending him to the hospital, where he never regained consciousness and soon died.

Here are Dick Francis's very first words of the story: "I inherited my brother's life. Inherited his desk, his business, his gadgets, his enemies, his horses and his mistress. I inherited my brother's life, and it nearly killed me."

The speaker is Greville's brother Derek, younger by nineteen years. Too tall for flat racing, Derek is a steeplechase jockey, which is especially dangerous because of the jumping. In the story he is, in fact, on crutches recovering from a broken left ankle injured in a race.

Derek's racing world and Greville's business world collide throughout the book. Derek must pick up the complex gemstone business traces, while undergoing continuing pressure from racing owners and trainers to hurry up and heal.

The company employees tell Derek that Greville did not deal in diamonds. In going to the bank, Derek discovers otherwise. The manager tells him that three months earlier the bank had loaned Greville a million and a half U.S. dollars, specifically to expand into diamonds, and would soon be looking to Derek to start repayment.

Where are the diamonds? Stolen? Who are the customers who wanted them? Greville's company business and his house are broken into. Derek is assaulted and shot at. The action is nonstop. The book is a fascinating, literate page-turner.

Note: Probably all of us readers like to notice where a book's title appears in the text, and to see the meaning in context. I frankly lost count after more than a dozen instances, many of them different -- from Intensive Care Unit monitor lines going flat, to straight thinking versus labyrinthine, to honest test reporting versus shadiness, just to name a few. And a big one near the end of the book, which I wouldn't want to reveal here. Your reading will have to decide which of the many applies most strongly. Or perhaps they all do?

This has to be one of my all time favorite Dick Francis novels. It has everything a mystery should have in it - murder, missing jewels, mayhem... In my opinion, it's going to be difficult for Francis to top this one, but I can't wait while he keeps trying!

Straight takes the reader behind the scenes of the jewel trade and it's not an industry that's always on the up and up. Derek Franklin has been on a roller coaster ride of late as his steeplechase jockey career is nearing the end with him sustaining yet another injury. During his forced leave to heal, Derek finds out that his older brother, Greville, has been attacked and is on his deathbed. After his brother succumbs to his injuries, Derek is told that he has inherited his brother's business. Too late to protect himself, Derek realizes that his brother was a target and Derek suspects it has something to do with a fortune in missing diamonds.

This isn't a direct "who dun it" but also has a few subplots that are enjoyable in their own right. When Derek is summoned to his dying brother's hospital bed, the interaction (or lack there of) made me very thankful for the close relationship I have with my brothers and sisters. This thankfulness was reinforced throughout the story, as Derek learns more about his older brother and begins to understand him.

One of my favorite parts of the book is when Derek is sure that a clue is hidden in his brother's computer, but he is unable to access the correct password. Greville's secretary comes to the rescue. After hearing the clues left by Greville, followed by a brief mind struggle, she comes up with the correct code word and up pops a message on the computer screen congratulating her and promising her a raise. Now that's the kind of boss I want - he sounds fun!

The only negative some may have with this book is that it is a detour for Dick Francis. As most of his books revolve around horseracing, his devoted fans have come to expect that background. In Straight the only reference to horseracing is the fact that Derek is an injured jockey.

Want to read a mystery that will have you guessing until the end? If so, then this is the book for you to read next! It's very enjoyable and will have you wondering until the very end.

A reader knows what they are getting with a Dick Francis book. The mystery will be well plotted, the hero (usually a jockey or former jockey) will bravely face whatever trials that face him overcoming his troubled past and/or secret sorrow and the action will center around the some part of the racing world. Every once in awhile though a surprise pops up, this time the jockey is thrust into the totally alien world of gems.

Jockey Derek Franklin has been sidelined by a broken ankle, shortly after his brother Grenville is murdered. As Derek tries to settle the estate he finds himself drawn more and more into his brother's world of finance, gems and quirky little gadgets. Gradually he begins to sort out the mysteries surrounding Grenville's life and death but soon discovers that there are others who are determined to keep him from the answers. In the end, of course all is revealed.

This is a well plotted and clever mystery. The clues are all there for the reader to follow. The characters are well written, and draw the reader into the story.

This cookbook is actually very beautifull. Havent tried the recipes in it yet, it was a gift for my mom. She really loved receiving it. It took a little longer to come to my house than i expected, but i did order it right around Christmas, so i guess that can be expected. I cant wait to try the recipes. The pictures are georgous!!

This book is so charming. The artwork is lovely and the recipes are good too. It's a book to use and treasure for years to come.

I bought this more for nostalgia, so in that case it gets 5 stars for pictures and memories. Most of the recipes are modern, yet impractical. There are a few that I would say are great heirloom recipes, but that's all.

Anything by Tasha Tudor is a work of art! Her illustrations, and down to earth practicality, is revealed -- upclose -- in this delightful book! This is the kind of book you can give a little girl of any age -- even 99!

Tasha Tudor's cookbook makes you long for the past when your grandmother taught you how to make the perfect pie crust. Ms. Tudor's own illustrations add to the charm of a book that reminds you of happy times spent in the kitchen. Her recipes and personal stories encourage you recreate that time with your own children and grandchildren.

I read this book the first time when I checked it out of the public library. I loved it so much that I had to have my own copy. It is a fascinating account of how the nouvo riche in the U.S. basically bought acceptance to high society for their daughters. You can just pick it up and read sections - it's not necessary to start at the beginning and work through. Not a summer goes by that I don't pick it up!

Every time I read this book it becomes more and more interesting. Meticulously researched, with great little anecdotes and etiquette tips.
This book is a lot of fun! I especially liked the many photographs of the designer gowns (most by Worth, if you please!) that are liberally scattered throughout.
If you're ananglophile you'll want to get this one!

Those few of us who have wondered why in the world a comfortable, cosseted American girl would want to marry an Englishman and live in a cold climate in an even colder stone castle will find answers here, even if the answers aren't satisfactory to the modern ear.

Think of it: wealthy American society girls, products of generations of men and women who gave lives and fortunes to escape a Royalist society, thought it a worthy investment of their lives, loves and wealth to buy an English title in the form of a husband. It's understandable that men who have no money and are saddled with huge estates and titles with no way to support themselves "in the manner to which they have become accustomed" would search out these women. It's another matter to understand the women, especially if they were bright and energetic (like the fabled Jenny Jerome).

Of course the first women to get involved in this weird method of social climbing didn't realize what was involved. (Though why American society decided that an English title was important in the United States, especially if it could be bought with money, still escapes me.) The problems included loveless husbands who paid little attention to their wives and carried on affairs; cold and drafty castles into which Papa sank tons of money to no avail as far as comfort was concerned; families who refused to accept them in spite (or because) of the fact that they provided the money to keep the lifestyle intact; servants who often were sulky and rebellious ("but we've ALWAYS done it that way"); children they handed over to nannies. The first brides must have kept the hardships and loneliness from the succeeding generation, for the rage for English titles prevailed from the mid-19th century almost through the mid-20th century.

TO MARRY AN ENGLISH LORD is a fascinating and complete look at these women and the lives they led. Illustrations showing the homes and households of the times and how they operated, fashions, maps, photographs of the women and their friends, families and husbands all combine to present the core of that particular section of society in that particular age.

The book is meticulously researched and includes a bibliography, a register of American heiresses, a suggested walking tour of the women's London and a very handy index. It's built around the stories of these women and the men who wooed and won them. Who they were, what they did and what the consequences were -- all adds up to an intriguing and fascinating read.

As the other reviewers have noted, this is a great romp through a part of American history you don't learn about in school. I read it through once and then re-read it just to savor all the little bits and pieces the authors have so generously loaded it with. If you ever wondered about all those Vanderbilts and all those Whitneys, here is your chance (from an American point of view!)to find out just how and why these ladies ended up in the postions they did- all for the love of Edward VII. I wish there were more reader-friendly books like this that make history so entertaining.

Who says that history is boring and stuffy? This well-researched book is chock full of anecdotes, pictures, and facts to make the period and the subject come to life.

This book discusses the phenomenon of the "dollar princesses": American hieresses who married into titles abroad, particularly England. Amongst them were Winston Churchill's mother; a woman who was the second-highest ranking woman in the British empire (after only the queen); and maybe the most famous of all: Consuelo Vanderbuilt, who begrudgingly became the Duchess of Marlborough in a marriage aranged by her social-climbing mother.

Written informally, with lots of pictures, this might be a great book to buy a teenager who is just transitioning into "grown-up" non-fiction, but finds most of it dry and uninteresting. It is also a must-read for anyone who plans on traveling to country-houses in England, as it gives a more accurate view of what it was like to actually have to live in one of those monstrosities! Anyone who is interested in the history of class in America, or of the British Aristocracy, would also be interested.

Some concepts are not for the beginner. Let's you use your imagination to create outstanding layouts.

This is a great book on how to run and plan your next model railroad. Gives great idea's and samples of yards, train movements and point to point locations. Not just for beginers.

I don't think anyone in the model railroad hobby can say enough about the contributions of the late John Armstrong. His layout designs are masterpieces of getting the most out of a given space and working with the tradeoffs we all enevitably face. The book gives an overview of prototype operations and then goes into countless ideas and pointers for design and operation. I found the section on curve planning (p. 76), schematics (Chap. 8), and laying out an "easement" (p. 116) particularly useful. I recommend this to anyone planning a first layout or for anyone building a second layout after messing up their first. It is a good companion to "Classic Layout Designs," also by John Armstrong.

John Armstrong is one of the best known names to the model railroad hobby. He has written extensively but this book is his finest work.

A person interested in railroads finds himself caught up in lots of detailed scenes and complex trackwork. Armstrong explains what it all does and why it is arranged in the way it is. He does this by explaining railroad practice in the real world and then by looking at the problems faced by the modeler. He does so in a lucid and interesting manner...for the first half of the book.

While the first half of the book is dedicated to teaching about how railroads operate, the second is intended to teach how to model them effectively. He explains broad general concepts and then refines things and explains them in easy stages. He knows where the pitfalls are and he points out solutions.

This is a useful book for anyone from beginner to advanced but especially the beginner.

This book will teach you exactly what it claims. Numerous prototype examples are used throughout the book to give the reader an insight into how you can design a realistic track plan. This book has helped me to better understand why prototype railroads arranged track in certain ways. Excellent book, highly recommended.

This is a fun and exciting trek around the Red Planet. I absolutely love the "hike" format, and this book is probably the next best thing to actually being there on Martian soil. Tidbits like what to wear on Mars and how to tell time definitely give the book a light-hearted personality. Another great feature is the author's own "personal experiences" / Mars exploration observation sections entitled "My Martian Chronicles." Thanks to the author, a great guide, I felt so involved in my "trip" that I wanted to buy a souvenir T-shirt! LOL I love the Classic Martian Map and Topographic Map foldouts at the front of the book. I especially like the easy-to-read large font of the text. I didn't have to squint while reading the book, which is a good thing.

In this book, we see Mars treated almost as if it was a tourist region. The author has divided Mars into areas of interest. He then discussed separately each area. Just like Earth, Mars has many different regions and scenery.

Although I am keen on space, somehow this book did little for me. After awhile I found it too much and lost interest in the details of each region. What I would have preferred on Mars is fewer notes and more pictures.

The other point is the book is full of interesting pictures unfortunately to appreciate them you need a large size book then this one.

Having said that if your interested in Mars geography though you will find this author knows his information, it is current and he explains his points well.

A Traveler's Guide to Mars is well written and quite fascinating for anyone with an interest in the planetary geology of Mars.

Hartmann breaks down the history of Mars into three geologic eras (Noachian, Hesperain, and Amazonian) based on the amount of cratering on the Martian surface. From there, he explores each one of these regions in detail.

From the majestic Mons Olympus volcano and 2500 mile long Valles Marineris Canyon to the probable glacial "melting mountains" of Promethei Terra and controversial ancient ocean shorelines of Vastitas Borealis , Hartmann provides the reader with a sweeping scope of Martian history, replete with stunning aerial photography and images, that is simply quite amazing. He even discusses the "microbial fossil" Martian meteorites as well as the notorious "Face on Mars" in the Cydonia highlands.

Take a trip to Mars ... you won't be disappointed

This is a really cool book! I didn't know we had the so-called red planet (a better name is the butterscotch planet) mapped out to the extent that we do. I've always loved geography and to take a tour of the features of another world is thrilling. If you like astronomy, geography, or have an optimist's bent on human destiny being among the stars, read this great book!

Have you ever wanted to go beyond the headlines concerning discoveries about Mars and get a thorough overview so that you can put things into perspective? This book is more than a collection of pretty pictures from a far away place. It gives a good introductory account of what we think we know about the planet, and why.

William Hartmann has been involved in uncovering knowledge about objects in the Solar system since the time that mankind first developed the ability to go beyond the Earth's atmosphere for an unobstructed view. He is in an authoritative position for attaching meaning to the images, and yet the explanations he gives are very much 'down to Earth', so to speak.

Data from space probes (starting with the Mariner series) have literally redrawn the map of the surface of Mars. The time varying dark regions were found to be not seas, or canals, or vegetation, but rather wind blown sand. New names were needed in 1972 to identify actual terrain features. The contrast between old and new can be see by comparing the two foldout maps inside the front cover.

Does Mars have a global magnetic field? No. But it used to! Metal particles in rocks older than 3,000,000 years ago are polarized. Particles in younger rocks are not polarized. The core of Mars was likely molten for the first 1,500,00 years and then cooled. Lack of a magnetic field has resulted in more Solar radiation reaching the surface, and may have played a role in carrying away the atmosphere.

Is there life on Mars? Was there life on Mars? That's still an open question. It's clear that there is evidence of large quantities of liquid water on the planet in its early years. That at least opens the possibility that Mars harbored life at that time. What we are finding today is that life survives in very hostile environments here on Earth, and microbes survived on a Moon probe visited years later by an Apollo crew, so who can say at this point?

Of all the places in the Solar system besides Earth, Mars is the one which has the most resources that would support manned exploration and colonization. There is still water on Mars, although in frozen form. The atmosphere contains CO2, from which oxygen can be extracted for propellant and for breathing. The presence of an atmosphere itself if of interest for aerobraking and radiation shielding. The fact of a day/night cycle very close to 24 hours is conducive to agriculture.

Robert Zubrin and others have been advocating for years that travel to Mars is worthwhile and affordable, and NASA now has a congressionally supported presidential mandate to proceed in that direction. The concept that one day a reader of William Hartmann's Traveler's Guide will in fact make the trip is no longer so far fetched.

This is a good read for anyone interested in Mars as a destination, or who would just like to know a bit more about that pink speck in the night sky. It also provides food for thought concerning climate change on our own planet. We didn't destroy the atmosphere on Mars, but maybe we can learn how to avoid Mars' fate here on Earth.

In the Ultimate Deceit of the Human Race, Ezzrath totally loads the book with knowledge and information that most people never see. I have found that most people who oppose and fear her work have never read it or tried to understand it. I recently attended a lecture by Ms. Shem that offered more than just explanation and many references, SHE LITERALLY PROVES that we humans have been trained and manipulated to think that life is one way when in all actuality it is truly another. I myself never believed most of what she had said being born into a Baptist Christian family myself. Since the title was about deceit and she did not speak as I had been trained to believe I assumed that Ezzrath was putting my religion down. But she is quite the opposite. She teaches what she beleives to be deceit in the many religions, but says that the utmost deceit is to judge one another and put each others religions down. She doesn't condemn beliefs or religious practises that promote the well being of the human race, which she says is in each and every religion along with misguided information that seperates and hurts the human race. It is this information that she reports on and calls for people to use their own minds.

If you are looking for a book with no hidden agenda, a wide source of information and best of all not looking for a following, this is the book for you. Her argument is presented in a way that is clear and easy to understand. A great starting point for anyone thirsty for more than what you can currently see. She tries to remove the veils or blinders that have been placed over your eyes for so long. I have brought several books to share with anyone that would have the courage to read it. There response was GREAT!!! I think of her book like the scene in the "Matrix" where he had to choose what pill to take. The pill of truth or ignorance is Bliss. I hope you choose TRUTH!!!

In the Ultimate Deceit of the Human Race, Ezzrath totally loads the book with knowledge and information that most people never see. I have found that most people who oppose and fear her work have never read it or tried to understand it. I recently attended a lecture by Ms. Shem that offered more than just explanation and many references, SHE LITERALLY PROVES that we humans have been trained and manipulated to think that life is one way when in all actuality it is truly another. I myself never believed most of what she had said being born into a Baptist Christian family myself. Since the title was about deceit and she did not speak as I had been trained to believe I assumed that Ezzrath was putting my religion down. But she is quite the opposite. She teaches what she believes to be deceit in the many religions, but says that the utmost deceit is to judge one another and put each other's religions down. She doesn't condemn beliefs or religious practices that promote the well being of the human race, which she says is in each and every religion along with misguided information that separates and hurts the human race. It is this information that she reports on and calls for people to use their own minds.

In the Ultimate Deceit of the Human Race, Ezzrath totally loads the book with knowledge and information that most people never see. I have found that most people who oppose and fear her work have never read it or tried to understand it. I recently attended a lecture by Ms. Shem that offered more than just explanation and many references, SHE LITERALLY PROVES that we humans have been trained and manipulated to think that life is one way when in all actuality it is truly another. I myself never believed most of what she had said being born into a Baptist Christian family myself. Since the title was about deceit and she did not speak as I had been trained to believe I assumed that Ezzrath was putting my religion down. But she is quite the opposite. She teaches what she beleives to be deceit in the many religions, but says that the utmost deceit is to judge one another and put each others religions down. She doesn't condemn beliefs or religious practises that promote the well being of the human race, which she says is in each and every religion along with misguided information that seperates and hurts the human race. It is this information that she reports on and calls for people to use their own minds.

If your principles stand for love, truth, unity and peace, then this book will reflect a lot of what may be in your heart, but most of all it will elevate you to higher levels of consciousness. However, if you stand for destruction, fear, vengeance and division, then this book is written for YOU. Ezzrath eloquently explores and reveals with irrefutable proof about the Hebrew Israelites, who are they and where are they now. The truth about the Bible, or more precisely, the author shows you how to decipher the 'word of truth' as instructed by the Bible. The author reveals how and why the world is perpetually self-destructing and more importantly, WHO has led the human race to this ultimate deceit. This book is loaded with facts and information about the ALL THERE IS: religion, spirituality, metaphysical and esoteric. Soul provoking and should be on EVERY shelf of the people of faith. Better still, you should read it! "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident." - Arthur Schopenhauer

Back when I was a teenager, (in the early 1980's), I loved this book. It was my favorite sci-fi novel. Really good stuff. parallel universes, and a girl with violet eyes...

This book whetted my appetite for science fiction at a very young age and I still remember its wonders 35 years later. I kept checking it out of the local library so it would stay in circulation and I would always have it available. Time got ahead of me and we moved away. When I returned, I headed for the library to follow my same pattern and found it was no longer in the system. It was a science fiction book, with a poet's soul, for young readers and older ones who have yet to loose the excitement of what fantasies await in the future.

For several years in Jr High and High School, I was a SF junkie. I just couldn't get enough. And Nourse was my favorite SF author (with the exception of the Foundation Trilogy).

The Universe Between had some almost bizarre ideas about transporting between two universes. But the very strangeness was part of the fun. If we ever actually do get to travel to another universe, the method used may end up being just as strange as the method presented herein.

One of the things that I appreciated most about Nourse was that he was able to tell a story and keep your interest without pandering to sexual innuendos like some other popular SF writers sometimes do. I would be completely comfortable letting any of my young children read Nourse's science fiction.

--George Stancliffe

...

Dr Alan Nourse didn't write much sf -- though he had a prolific career writing non-fiction, esp. with a medical bent -- but what he did was solidly plotted and exciting. Most of his fiction is out of print now, sadly, but it stands up well with the contemporary works by Del Rey, Bova, Norton and Asimov.

This is a collection of ten short stories.

Like several reviewers, I discovered this book around age 12 in a Junior high school library. It was my favorite novel for about 10 years, and remains in my top 5, even 30 years later.
The author, Alan E. Nourse was a physician, who wrote SF novels and short stories as a hobby. Given that, the combinaton of qualities that shine forth from this novel are very impressive, in my opinion.
First, Nourse uses some unique ideas, based on speculation about scientific questions of the day (the short stories which this novel sprang from were first published in 1951, in short stories called "The Universe Between" and "High Threshold", per my searching on the internet).
An example: Using the highly adapatable "blank slate" of a young child's brain to imprint/adapt/learn an environment which is incomprehensible and even dangerous to a "rigid" adult mind - utilizing the normally unused parts of the human brain. (I hate to give others, because they would be plot "spoilers" to some extent - but most of these utilize hard science concepts and are explained in a way that entertains and teaches too).
As I've reread and rethought this book as an adult, it also occurs to me that Nourse is most likely writing on multiple levels and sending multiple messages. Such as:

1. An exciting adventure appealing to the young, young at heart, and both the hard and the fantasy SF lover.
2. A commentary on the difficulty of meaningful communication between people of radically different cultures/backgrounds.
3. A commentary on the surprising number and nature of the wonderful discoveries about our universe the pursuit of science brings us.
4. A reflection/reminder of the precious nature of life, and how close/uncertain death can be at any moment - a reminder not to take anything for granted.
5. Commentary on how important it is not to squander our natural resources, and the critical need to plan ahead for humanities' resource needs - given the inevitiblity of population and technological expansion throughout the globe over time.
6. And finally, repeatedly, a reminder of how little we know, and how little our limited perception allows us to grasp the true nature of reality.

This novel should leave you thougtful; hopeful, yet challenged. An exciting, interesting and unique children's SF novel? Yes! But also quite a bit more - very commendably written by this "hobbyist" for the thinking adult SF fan, in this reader's opinion.

This is a great book. I haven't finished it yet, but it has already given me many ideas. Unlike so many "self-help" books out there, this book actually gives you small, specific steps that you can take to change certain behaviors that others might find annoying (such as practical ways to teach someone about "personal space").

This is an excellent tool to help children look at their social skills and resolve issues. Children who become bullies and victims often do have poor social skills and difficulty making friends. This does a great job of helping the reader pinpoint the problem and find solutions. Another fabulous book I just finished and recommend to all parents that deals with these important issues is Bully-Proofing Children: A Practical, Hands-On Guide to Stop Bullying. Step-by step strategies on teaching children about making and keeping friends, confict resolution, expressing feelings and standing up for themselves (assertiveness training)are invaluable.

My 6 year old son and I read this book together. It was very helpful to him. The book is written in "kid friendly" stories. They are easy to understand and make it easy for the parents to explain.

Very well thought out, expertly written and easy to apply in a myriad of social situation that may have you and your child puzzled.
I found it to be very helpful and have been able to apply its lessons.
It could even help adults a little in hindsight and will certain benefit your child.

Finally a book with some answers. Up until now, they all seem to describe the problem, but offer little in the way of solutions. This one has really been helpful.