Companies Books

I had purchased the book after reading a few reviews which were very positive. If you want to know more about the person, Mani Bhaumick, this book is a good one. If the topic of Quantum Physics and its journey towards explaning the universal truth in the same manner as old religions interests you, this book offers a good start. Unfortunately, I got bored reading the past of the author (which is no doubt interesting but why spend money to know this!!!). Further,the portions relating to developments of Physics went over my head - I guess this may be because I am a normal Accounting person or I am not be very intelligent. And then, there are photographs of the author with various celebreties (why was this necessary?). And I felt the end of the book was also very abrupt. The book could have been more simple and focused on the subject. I guess persons of normal intellect may avoid this book. It will be useful if someone can recommend books that are more simple (with illustrations, where possible) and where the focus of the book is purely Quantum Physics rather than spice this up with avoidable diversions.

I think this book is wonderful approach to the science of God's existence. If you've ever seen the "Elegant Universe" (I think it is called) on PBS where they delve into String Theory and explain quantum physics to the layman, this book is a perfect follow-up. I think that because I had seen this show, I absorbed much of the physics he presented very quickly. I remember stopping at one point and thinking, "this is some scientific stuff."

Even if you've never heard of String Theory or Quantum Mechanics, it is worth reading this book. Dr. Bhaumik's book presents complicated physics theories in simple terms, and then ties those principles into his statement that everything from human consciousness, to the farthest stars, to the smallest particles are all interrelated and have a single name: God.

When I got to certain points in the book, I could hear my brain frying ;-) These were some increbile points he was making and I was blown away.

The only reason I gave it four stars is because he spends a little too much time in my opinion on his upbringing in India. Yes, it helps set the stage for the life eventually goes onto, and underscores several of his ideas, but it should have been cut shorter.

Dr. Bhaumik nails this most difficult task of wedding his personal story as a beautiful metaphor, to the greatest story ever told - the unfurling of our universe. He pursues the question that his father refused to answer and aren't we lucky for it. His formidable intellect and acquired rags-to-riches wealth gives way to a humility and innocent passion that can only reflect what he is and always will be: pure unadulterated spirit. I flat out love the way he presents meditation as the sacred portal of entry to our birthing ground, the unified field. The description of our holograhic universe by using the analogy of the human genome replicating whole humans brought tears to my eyes. The implication that we ARE the united field brings me to my knees because it resonates with every fiber of my being. By celebrating the similarities rather than the differences, Dr. Bhaumik honors what we all know at some level: What we're looking for is looking for us. His is an invitation to step up to and behold an idea of God that we can all live and die with. What a wonderful additional gift for more of us to get and live the Big Idea. Thank you Dr. Bhaumik for your remarkable contributions to our little parenthesis in eternity. - Dr. Herby Bell

We live today in a world so divided by disparate religious ideas that there is a very real possibility that we as humans won't survive these differences.

The spectrum of this divde is great and varied. Extreme Christian fundamentalists longing for a biblical Armageddon promote political choices that could bring on an ultimate nuclear holocaust. More moderate Christians eschew science in favor of a literal reading of the Bible and turn a blind eye to scientific "theories" as varied as global warming, the evolution of our species or the age of the universe.

Extreme Islamic fundamentalists scoff at earthly political goals altogether and wish only to live in a world governed entirely by the Koran. Unfortunately, like the Judeo/Christian Bible, interpretation of these sacred scriptures is subject to whoever perceives that he/she has been selected by his or her god to do so. This has resulted, in many instances, in the wide-scale destruction of people by those convinced by these chosen spokesmen that they will achieve heavenly rewards by their own and their victims' deaths.

Obviously, examples like these can be found everywhere in the world and in many other religions as well.

In a fervent desire to get beyond religious misconceptions of basic spiritual concepts, many thoughtful people have followed one of two divergent philosophical paths of inquiry concerning the universe and our place in it.

Science and spirituality (as opposed to religion) both seek the answers to this most fundamental question. While never quite at physical odds with each other, proponents look askance at each other for the others' naive understandings of reality. Yet a few individuals in both camps have been able to take a "quantum leap" of understanding and realize that science and spirituality should not just "agree to disagree".

For some scientists, David Bohm, Rupert Sheldrake, Karl Pribram and others, the deeper science goes towards discovering the most fundamental nature of Matter and Energy, the more the paths of science and spirituality merge into one.

On the spiritual side, a person such as the Dalai Lama honors the discoveries being made by science; to the extent that he says that if science proves a concept that is counter to his own Buddhist tradition, then the Buddhist idea must succumb to science! Truly a remarkable statement in view of most religious orthodoxies.

Mani Bhaumik is one of these "leapers", whose early life happened to be suffused in mystical Hindu traditions. Yet, the talents for science and mathematics he displayed at a young age allowed him to escape the poverty and ignorance epidemic in his community.

Finding his way to the West and his subsequent invention of the Exemer Laser (known commercially as Lasek) culminated in his enjoying a fabled lifestyle of the rich and famous; coincidentally the name of a popular television show of the day in which he displayed his wealth. His Hollywood star-studded life of parties and luxury in Beverly Hills is the stuff of dreams.

But somewhere along the way, the dream ended. Like many others throughout history, he finally had to ask himself, is this all there is?

Even while climbing the ladder of success, however, he never forgot the ground below from where he began. His political and spiritual grounding as an acquaintance of the "living saint" Mahatma Ghandi (in the political struggle for independence by the Indians against Great Britain) demonstrated to him how true spirituality can be manifested in the everyday world.

Throughout his early life in America he used his practice of Hindu meditation as primarily a method of remaining calm and centered in the high-flying academic and business worlds he was increasingly a part of.

But when he began to ask whether "this is all there is", he wanted to explore the deeper realms of reality found through mediation; those spoken of in the Gitas, the sacred writings of his religious tradition.

As a man with one foot in Western science and one foot in mystical Hinduism, he came to realize that it was perhaps his dharma to create a bridge between the two.

The result is the narrative of a wonderful, poetic journey through his own life before he begins the even more fantastic journey into the realms of quantum theory and sublime mystical states.

In the process, he does a truly amazing thing. He makes the underlying scientific field of all physical reality--which is, in fact, non-reality--move so closely towards the highest mystical states that it makes the a non-belief in "god" the most non-rational and least plausible conclusion one could make for a human being.

As a formerly agnostic seeker of knowledge, I've spent the past few years, trying to reconcile the remarkable scientific discoveries of DNA, quantum theory and consciousness with the fantastic realms of mind explored and written about by mystics, shamans, artists, users of entheogenic plants and others throughout the ages.

Mani Bhaumik's journey is a wonderful stepping stone on our own journey through a life that offers so many unanswerable questions. I've found that the most wonderful thing about our journey is that once a stepping stone is reached, another one appears almost magically.

And it's only one step away.

Dr. Bhaumik's book should be required reading for all religions! Using the discoveries of Quantum Physics and other areas of science, he proves how the universe we know all comes from one source, Code Name God, beginning with the Big Bang. He explains the seemingly conscious evolution of elements and the universal laws that permeate and guide our universe. Then he shows that we are all made of the same material (a nucleus consisting of one up quark and one down quark and electrons). In proving the oneness and interconnectedness of all, he shows how we are truly brothers and sisters. Perhaps if we all got that, we would stop our senseless fighting revere this beautiful home we have been given and live in peace.

I found this book well organized and written as a first reader. The concepts were introduced in a carefully thought out fashion with progression from easy to difficult.

I studied French for two years back in High School. It has been over 40 years since I have had any contact with French. This book is excellent for someone with a small amount of knowledge of the French language and is trying to rebuild their reading skills. There is a small dictionary in the back which helps with some of the words.

This book is laid out in such a way that you progress with each chapter. It is divided into three sections. The first section is simple french dialogue; the second section covers French figures in history and the third section has four short stories from well known french authors (Alphonse Daudet, Emile Zola, Andre Theuriet and Guy de Maupassant)

If you are looking for pronunciation assistance, this is not the book you want. If you are simply wanting to ease your way back into reading French. I highly recommend it.

With very little French (what I got from a phrasebook on holiday for a couple of weeks), I bought this book and started reading it on the train to work. It was great. It has a good lexicon in the back, and as you progress most new words appear in the margin with a translation. It still takes effort, but is a great way to get your vocab and reading up and running. I am now reading it again, as my French improves, and it is still improving my vocab and comprehension.

It has been the best book I have had as a beginner learning French.

I am middle aged, poor at languages, and attempting to learn French. I have completed 50 hours of lessons that have mainly focussed on learning language fragments. With this book, everything started to click into place for me.

The book is in three sections, each progressively more difficult. I tried to read the whole book in one go and found the first section very accessible, the second section less so, and the third section impenetrable. It is a well graded book. The stories are engaging and designed to teach bits of French culture and history in addition to the French language. I have started reading the book a second time, and this time I am picking up more of nuances of the language. I will continue to use this book to supplement my formal learning, and when I am finished with it I know that my skills will have developed significantly.

Like others, I have found it annoying that not all the difficult words are included in the glossary/dictionary at the back. However, this book has helped me so much that I am willing to forgive this small point (that can be overcome with an accompanying dictionary) and give five stars.

Being a native speaker , I always have trouble finding a reader for my students that is without mistakes...This is it! Not only is it fun because of the topics but it is 100% accurate...what a thrill!

This cookbook wasn't exactly what I had hoped for. The recipes use a combination of farm stand and store-bought ingredients, some of which are a little more exotic than what my local grocery store may carry. My biggest caveat is that the recipes have no nutritional information listed and when you are dealing with something as luscious sounding as Raspberry Cream Scones, it would be easy to overindulge.

I absolutely love this cookbook. I have already made several things and everyone has raved about the meals. Easy to follow, lots of fresh vegetables and produce are used making it very healthy also. I would highly recommend this cookbook to anyone, it would make a terrific shower or birthday gift for someone who loves to cook.

I love every recipe I've tried in this book, and all of them are easy to follow, fun to make, and taste excellent. These recipes and all of the tips throughout the book have made cooking much more enjoyable for me, and they always come out great.

I stayed away from the meat recipes at first (I only occasionally eat a little meat nowadays), but I have found that some can be made without meat and are excellent! For example, the lamb curry with saffron couscous tastes amazing with no meat at all. The flavors of the indian curry spice mixture in this recipe is the best I've ever tasted anywhere and is perfect for veggies with either basmati rice or the couscous.

The salad dressings are also amazing. I had never tried a salad dressing with roasted walnut or hazelnut oils before, and it's so wonderful and brings out the flavors in a salad. They're so simple to make, I never buy the bottled kind at the grocery store at all anymore, and it tastes so much better and fresher when it's homemade.

There are lots of healthy, nutritious and at the same time delicious recipes, just real and delicious whole food with a ton of variety. The cookies recipes are great too!

This is fast becoming my new favorite cookbook. I have only tried a few recipes so far: Seared Scallops, Artichokes with Jalapeno Arugala aioli, Fusion Cole Slaw, and Cheesy Zuchini. They were all excellent. I look forward to creating many more. The pictures make me want to make all the recipes, just beautiful!

A great cookbook also tells a story. This is a wonderful story of a family, a business, and filled with incredible recipes. The discussion of why organic and the types of foods that are best for you start the reader off. There are personal touches with photos that make the reader feel a part of their story (so to speak). The recipes have history to them and are excellent. It is good sized book and is more than worth the price paid. A must for the serious cook or someone just getting started and wants to explore great food possibilities

This book is a great resource that challenges Christians to analyze their lives as followers of Christ. Moreover, Ortberg challenges the business of life which has infiltrated those who follow Christ.

I wish I had read the reviews here before picking up the book. Let me state right off (to prevent the sure-to-happen viscious replies) that this is a well written, thoughtful book. It is, however, written specifically for "serious" Christians.

The cover and title are somewhat misleading. I thought it was going to be geared to a more general audience. I am sure that for those looking to regain touch with their Christianity it is worthwhile reading. But if you're looking for something that is not so centric into 1 belief system, then this isn't the book for you...

I have read several books on spiritual development
/formation and this is "hand-down" the best and most practical I have ever seen. The Author has either been there or has been given devine insight from God (or both). There is no "air" in this book it is hard hitting, accurate and real life. Should be required reading for all.

I just finished The Life You've Always Wanted in about three days. Ortberg is practical, challenging, and honest. I love his insights on some of the less talked about Christian disciplines - like slowing down, regular confession, and servanthood.

Here is a non-dry, non-wordy, powerful book that any Christian should read. Takes the "pressure" out of spiritual disciplines and inspires me to focus my pursuit of God. Good stuff! I'll read it again.

First of all, I want to say that some of the material in here is among the most applicable and heart-rendering that I have read in a long, long time. It seems to me that this book is almost two different books. The books reminds me of some movies that I have watched where the first half was so magnetic that I could not stop watching. Then the second half of the movie loses my attention because it goes on a tangent or is just plain uninteresting.

Ortberg's discussion of boundaries resonated within me. He states that Christians use boundaries to dictate who is in their group and who is not. Drinking is a boundary. If you drink, you are outside my group. If you don't drink, you are inside the group. The same applies for smoking, dancing, caffeine, you name it. Ortberg implies that this is how many Christians live their lives. He says that our lives should be marked by a transformation of the heart, not by boundaries. Wow.

Another chapter highlighted the need to be quiet, to take things slow. This, he says, is necessary to hear God speak to us. That really does make sense. Being one who likes to speed (and people in Nashville drive SLOW), I found this chapter to be refreshing.

A lot of the book deals specically with spiritual disciplines in bullet fashion (before reading the Bible, do this, this, and this). That's where it started to get uninteresting. Not that this is not important. Far be it from that. But he starts the book with such fervor on the life we are all looking for as Christians and then moves to a bullet list of what to do. For me, I just found that change too much. But still a good buy.

My Grandson had checked out a couple of the Look-Alike books from the Library. He really liked them, so I decided to get him one for his 5TH birthday. He really enjoys finding the look alike objects in the pictures, and spends a long time for a five year old doing so.

My twin 5 yr old boys love these books. It has become a night time ritual with them. There are so many cool things to spot. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for something to do during quiet time.

My 3yo son and 37yo husband both love this book (as do I). We can easily spend half an hour or more every evening playing a modified I-spy game - and it's no easy feat keeping a 3 yo entertained that long. I would highly recommend it for travel, except that it's a large size book which makes it a bit unweildy to carry.

This is a another book filled with fascinating ways the author puts together pictures using common everyday items. You'll never look at ordinary items the same way again once you see how she creatively puts together her pictures. Children and adults alike will be fascinated by this book. If you want to give a child a book he or she will look at over and over again, this is a good choice.

My kids love these books. My son checked one out at the school library. My husband and I were amazed at the detail these pictures have. It puts I spy to shame. My kids look at these books all the time. Great for the car, or restaurants, they keep my seven and four year old happy, and I also enjoy looking at all of the cool pictures. They use everyday items and combine them into ordinary things. For example a chair might be made up of pretzel sticks for the legs, a ritz cracker for the seat, and something else for the back. There are hundreds on each page! Amazing!

This book hit home. One of my best friends gifted me with this book and it has been one of the best gifts ever. I work full time and have a 10 month old daughter. After reading just a chapter I felt relieved to know I am not the only one feeling stressed with all there is to do everyday while maintaining a home, work, relationships,etc. This book gives permission to slow down, and it says it's okay to stop and listen and not do the big birthday parties and attend all the holiday parties and events. Just being and listening and not doing anything together is time well spent.

As others have noted, this book is a series of reflections about motherhood and the importance of slowing down to savor daily life with loved ones.

This book energized me to make several changes in my own life. Part of my motivation for homeschooling this year was a desire to have a more conscious, contemplative, and purposeful life rather than a frantic-mad-dashing here and there life.

In fact, as the holidays approach, many of my friends are feeling "swamped", "overwhelmed", "stressed" - feelings I remember all too well from previous years. While I still have my moments, overall I am much less stressed than last year. The overall tenor of the holidays is much happier and calmer. I have done my best to pare the holidays down to the essentials, to keep things simple and personal, rather than grandly extravagant. Extravagance has its place, but when children are young, I think simplicity makes so much more sense.

I loved this book so much I chose it for my book club of busy suburban SAHMs. I was quite surprised to find only two (out of nine) loved it as I did! Three thought the book had "some good ideas", but they clearly didn't connect with the author.

The other four were quite negative about Mitten Strings. They felt it was too preachy and perfect and Pollyanna-ish, that "real" people couldn't live like the Kenisons without lots of money. But it's not a financial lifestyle she is talking about, it's an internal one, it is simply making a conscious effort to notice, appreciate, prioritize and streamline.

In trying to figure out the mixed response to this book in my book club, I came up with a couple of ideas. I think the crux of liking the book has to do with the following:

First, it depends on whether you are at a point in your life where you actually consider rushing madly to be a negative thing, rather than proof you are productive. Some people feel empowered and energized by rushing and being busy!

Second, it depends on how contemplative you are feeling when you read the book. The more contemplative you feel, the more likely you might enjoy the book.

Finally, it depends on whether you enjoy visual and poetic language. The author writes with a heartfelt, genuine sentimentality that, while I enjoyed it tremendously, can apparently be off-putting to people with more pragmatic sensibilities.

One reviewer said they would not give this book to a parent of an autistic child, or one with Down's Syndrome. I actually think this book has considerable merit for families with special needs children - the key is knowing WHEN to give the book. I have a child who was diagnosed with autism at 3, and when he was younger and we were rushing around madly from therapy to therapy, ransacking our home to make it an engaging learning environment, etc..., I would not have been in the frame of mind to appreciate it.

In fact, according to my three criteria above: the mad rushing was proof I was doing everything I could to help him; who has time to be contemplative when you are trying to save your child from autism; and poetic musings about the wonderful lives of families with typically developing children would have been quite upsetting.

NOW I see things differently. I think the ideas in the book have even MORE relevance for children with special needs, who often thrive in calm, centered environments. I think children with special needs deserve to have their progress, however slow or small, deeply savored and appreciated.

Well anyway. This is not a book that EVERYONE is necessarily going to love, in spite of the steady parade of 5 star reviews. Nevertheless, I join the parade and give this book 5 stars based on my own incredibly positive experience reading it.

I truly enjoyed this book. It is not a religious book (despite the title) nor a parenting guide; it is a deeply spiritual look at what it means to be a family.

Mitten Strings touched me in such a way that I felt like I was reading a letter from a good friend. There was a sense of peace reading it and imagining my family in her book. Her basic premise is to slow down, notice the details of your children's lives and be present with your family. But the book goes so much further than that. We all know to slow down...but to be reminded how magical it can be, with illustrations that are so tender is even better. I highly recommend this book and in fact purchased seven more to give to my friends as a special gift. I'd love to meet the author (Katrina) and sit over a cup of something on the front porch while our children run circles around the house!

It is rare to say but so true. It was given to me by an older woman and it truely changed the way I parent my two boys, see life and helped me create a summer that I will treasure. A must read for those who want to slow down and get off the "treadmill" of life.

My husband loves to learn about how things work. The title of the book told me this was just the book for him.

*Keep It Short and Simple.

If you doubt that technical information can be short and simple, read this book. It was written for anyone old enough to read well, and especially designed for those who find technology intimidating. It not only provides comprehensive descriptions of the way hundreds of machines and devices work, but also gives explanations of the scientific principles behind each. The book makes liberal, effective use of graphic diagrams, and describes most of the machines and devices in 200 to 300 words on 1 or 2 pages.

This is a great book. It breaks down complicated concepts into simple principles that a child can understand. A good start for budding engineers.

This is a fabulous book! I like all of David Macaulay's books because they have so many details of how things are made. This is my favorite, though, because it answers questions about objects and technology for budding engineers and architects or just anyone who is curious! My son has loved his and I just bought one for my nephew.

Put these four things together--ingenuity, imagination, depictions, diagrams-- and you have a double ID toward understanding how things work. David Macaulay and Neil Ardley put together a magnificent volume for children and children at heart containing a way of understanding the laws of physics and mechanics.

The first illustration even shows God busy creating the rotation of the earth. Then they go to the earth where wooly mammoths lived and pick up one to take us through the history of mechanics, machines, and the like. Dozens of movements in five sections: waves, electricity, automation, digital domain, and machines show us just how easy these things are to understand done in drawerings.

Just as in child's play, there is no seeming order to the arrangement of items in the book. For example here are a few pages next to each other: vacuum cleaners, aqualungs or oxygen tanks, the toilet tank, the water meter, dishwasher, spray nozzle, fire extinguisher. Are you seeing an order? Yes, so am I.

Flipping over a hundred pages, I find the jet engine, rocket engines, nuclear power, nuclear weapons, fallout, nuclear reactor. OK, a definite pattern. Another hundred pages show these topics: movie camera, movie projector, printing, paper making, printing plate, printing press, bookbinding. More discernible order and logical arrangement.

One last check: scanner, bits and bytes, flash memory, magnetic storage, microchip, processor, software. We know where we are and recognize the order--a computer and its parts.

This reviewer has a suggestion for the reader. Once you have this book in hand, take it home, take it out every night and read a comfortable number of pages. If you have a child, read one page, discuss it, put this one away and take out a night-night book to read. If this is just your book, read several pages. By the time you have finished the book, you will have added dozens of operating systems to the computer banks in your own brain, making your child and/or yourself an expert in the way things work.

I loved this book, it is definitely one to keep in my collection. Although I noticed that the type is very small and therefore a bit difficult to read ( and I have good eyesight ). Also I think something should be mentioned co: the pictures in the book, I knew it was tribal but I was not aware that there were photos. I still would have bought the book but I would definitely give it a PG rating.

If you are a Christian - this is a must read. If you are not a Christian - this is a must read.

This book should be a part of every Christian's library. I had heard Elizabeth Elliot talk on the radio and had known the story of "the five missionaries" but reading the book gave me great insight to the lives of these families- devoted to ministering to the unsaved. They gave definition to 'the purpose driven life!'

Great book. Poor presentation in this current printing. Words and pictures are small. Paper and physical book itself is low quality.

This book really makes one question: How much do I truly trust the Lord? What would I be willing to give up should I be called to it? Would I be willing to sacrifice the basic comforts I know and depend on? Would I be willing to sacrifice my life with forethought decision? Even harder for me to think of than the sacrifice of my own life, would I be willing to sacrifice that of my husband, packing him up for a trip not knowing if I would ever see him again on this side of heaven?

Elisabeth Elliot does a fantastic job of giving an account of the families' journeys to and in the mission field by using the journals and letters of some of the men and women. The men's and women's excitement at God's faithful attentiveness to their prayers is stirring, and their spiritual struggles are also encouraging. I give a lot of credit to Elisabeth Elliot for that. She doesn't fluff up the missionaries as uber-Christians. She shows through their struggles and lives that they have the same power as you and I, and that power is the blood of Jesus Christ.

Even if you are not a Christian, this book may shed some light on both tribal culture and missionary culture. Whatever you believe, this is still a powerful tale of sacrifice, struggle, hope, and forgiveness. It is also still well written and well organized with multiple story lines forging into one giant one. Elliot knows how to pull you into the story. If for no other reason, this book is an interesting read because it shows the developing stages that led to the historical event that captured the compassion of the world - Christian and non-Christian alike.

This particular version has updates to the story as well, which is a definite plus. I hope you are blessed by this book.

Do you know someone that can't live without cats? This is the perfect gift for them. The pictures are adoreable.

This calendar, I highly recommend for cat lovers. The photos are absolutely beautiful. I enjoy looking at it everyday. It makes me smile.
It is very well done.

This is the second year that I've purchased this calendar, and it again proved to be a great buy. The pictures are large, bright, and very high quality. The cats in them are diverse and usually don't look like they have been posed. The cats are shown outdoors, lounging, playing, sleeping, or a variety of other natural activities. A great desk calendar to brighten up your every day!

super quality, nice pictures..i look forward to coming to work to turn the pages every day.. yes my life is that mundane.

I have been buying the 365 Cats Page a Day Desk Calendar for a lot of years. This year (2008) they changed their format. It is a honey! The pics are HUGE and adorable as ever. I am SO HAPPY! I purchased a different type of cat calendar (which shall remain nameless) and was so disappointed, I threw it in the garbage and ordered this online since I was too late to find it in a store. If you love cats, this is a MUST HAVE!

This book is a must read for Boomers that lived in and through the '60s, and should be required reading for their children! Everything you'd want to know about a Boomer, from how he dresses, to how he talks and makes decisions is in this little known book.

Anyone aspiring to rule the world should be forced to read this book at the end of a "pointed stick".

It's also one the funniest books I have ever read. The first part of the book exploring world history through the lens that each great culture has had the absurd notion that they were (are) "the most chosen nation" is priceless.

I first read this book in the mid '90s. It's still funny and important. It's required reading for my teenage children.

SG

The amount of work that went into this brilliant piece boggles my mind. Long, drawn out, stunningly comedic, the passages are cleverly cross-referenced to other verses, something akin to a thousand page inside joke. I have read exactly one book that I consider funnier than this one, that being Christopher Moore's "Lamb: The Gospel of Biff, Christ's childhood friend".

The Boomer Bible begins with bad history: the kind of history that Boomers learned, but didn't pay attention to. It goes further into the invention of the Boomer culture: do what you want to, blame everyone else for what goes wrong. Finally, it ends with an invitation to surpass this most pathetic generation, knowing that while most of what they do is a mistake and misguided, they'll only blame someone else for it.

Read for enlightenment.

Laird has something to say about the human condition - and he says it with a striking amount of style and humor. Copying the format of an actual bible (books divided into chapters and verses, complete with cross-references) the Boomer Bible gives an irreverent and scorching account of every nation's history. The prose favors brevity and hilarity. Very quickly the reader gains the impression that we humans have botched it. From the very beginning we've been nothing but bad news, killing each other with pointed sticks and spending all our time inventing new ways of murdering one another. It's been the same all through the centuries; we're bad, bad, and worse. There's no reason to expect the future will be different, there's no point in changing, so why try? Or so says Harry, the Christ-like effigy that pops up in the "New Testament" portion. The Boomer Bible was poignant, touching, and so funny there were times I had to stop reading just to appreciate it. Praise is cheap, but this truly was an amazing book.

Why only 4 stars? The books meant to parallel the prophets of the Old Testament were just plain dry, and I suspect the author might have intended them to be skipped. I slogged my way through much of them hoping for something, but surrounded by the humor and significance of the rest of the book, they were a barren desert. I ended up skipping very many pages, though I hated doing so for fear of missing something.

I unconditionally recommend this book.