Resources Books

If you are a seasoned salon or spa owner or new to business, this is your complete serious success manual.
This little book coveres every aspect of business related to the salon spa industry, all your questions are answered in a precise and easy to understand manner.
My business went form strength to strength using this book. Now more than ever is the time to focus on business and this investment will pay for itself in no time.

If business were a religion, this would be the bible.
Awesome, practical information that can be implemented immediately!

Neil has written a remarkable guide for the salon and spa industry. His tested business methods have proven to become the standard in the industry. If you follow the systems and use the analytical models, you can't go wrong! This book should be on every salon owners desk to use as a referrence.

Fast Forward is a must read for anyone in the salon spa business and for that matter any business. This book addresses topics from A to Z on Quality management. I found excellent guidance for my many qustions from finance to teamwork. The needs of any business owner in today's rapid changing business environment must be met with the right information. No one has time for costly mistakes. Neil's book is a "must have" tool for any salon leader.

Owning a copy of Fast Forward is like having a PDR (Physician's Desk Reference) for your salon. If you need any answer, it's in there. This is a great reference book for anyone in the salon or spa industry. It's just chock full of useful information. Just the other day I needed wording for a help wanted ad. I picked up my copy of Fast Forward and bingo - there it was. I highly recommend this book.

When I received this book recently as a gift I was completely overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the considerateness of the donor. Overwhelmed by the high quality of the production. Overwhelmed by the large number of "big names" who had contributed. Overwhelmed by the quality and meaningfulness of the photographs. Overwhelmed by the quality of the message that it gets across. Overwhelmed by the ammunition it gives me in my own personal drive for safer, more reliable food. Overwhelmed by how helpful it will be to the waverers who have not yet plucked up the courage to break their links with the chemical establishment.

Let me start with the photos which are not only high quality but extremely helpful because side by side we are given a picture of crops grown under two systems which represent the two poles of producing our food. The text on the left page goes like this: "Industrial Eye: see what you are looking at: MELONS: More than half the melons sold in the U.S. are grown in California where industrial melon farms stretch for miles and miles ... Two of the most heavily used toxins in industrial melon production are ... Life is also difficult for the melon pickers ..." On the right page we have: "Agrarian Eye: See what you are looking at: MELONS: These melons are one crop among dozens at the Live Earth's 23-acre farm near Santa Cruz, CA. The melons are part of a diverse system of annual and perennial fruit and vegetable crops that rely on soil health to support the plant's natural ability to deter pests. But it's not done so easily - there are many challenges ... Coastal fog also poses potential fungal problems for melons, which Broz addresses by using fungal-resistant varieties of melons ... The melons are sold at local farmers' markets and through the farm's community supported agriculture (CSA) program, where families receive a weekly box of seasonal fruits and vegetables throughout the growing season."

Next the text. "Part One: Farming as if Nature Mattered: Breaking the Industrial Paradigm" is composed of seven articles such as "Global Monoculture: The Worldwide Destruction of Diversity". Then "Part Two: Corporate Lies: Busting the Myths of Industrial Agriculture" is composed of articles each addressing one of the seven myths such as "Myth Two: Industrial Food is Safe, Healthy and Nutritious". The book continues through to "Part Seven: Organic and Beyond: Revisioning Agriculture for the 21st Century" with nine more articles such as "The Ethics of Eating: Why Environmentalism Starts at the Breakfast Table."

In these 370 pages we have all the information we need to convince those sitting on the fence that we must reduce our dependence on industrial agriculture. When confronted with this volume it is difficult to imagine how all those involved in the industrial agricultural chain will be able to put up an effective argument. On the contrary, it should be convincing to the thinking service organization that this is where their future profits lie and they should climb on the band wagon helping rather than hindering. For the farmer who is wavering - and probably for good reasons as his livelihood is affected - he will find in this volume the encouragement he needs; others have forged the trail and he can follow in the knowledge that the forerunners have solved the major problems.

Bravo to all those concerned with the preparation of this volume. You have done mankind a great service. It is a long tunnel down which we are travelling, but I for one can now see the light in the distance. Because of your initiative the rest of us will travel our own path with more confidence and with greater speed. At last we can hope for some sanity in our food production. If we can get this volume into the hands of enough people - people who care - then we really can change the world. If Silent Spring was the book that woke the world to the evils of indiscriminate chemical use, then this volume will go down as the one that banged home the last nail in the coffin of industrial agriculture.

This book is beyond a book. It is like a movie on pages. The visuals are that powerful.
What is revealed in these pages is a secret that must be exposed. Andrew Kimbrell has done a wonderful job here. His work is pioneering a new awareness for the entire world.

After reading this book, your views about agriculture will be forever altered. Presented in a high quality, high impact format, the photography offers the reader the chance to see the stark contrast between the products generated by 'power farmers' and that of the 'small farmer' - the true agrarian. Upon opening the book for the very first time, you will be completely engaged; you will be unable to put the book down until you have rummaged through all of the pages. The images will be etched on your brain with a subtle permanence and the accompanying text is just as powerful.

The central message of this rather large book (put some legs on it and it could serve as a coffee table itself) is that industrial agriculture is unnatural, inhumane, dangerous; that big farms and big chemical multinationals are destroying the land and causing massive hardship for not only the ecology of the planet but for humans as well.

One of the arguments is that industrial agriculture actually leads to hunger and starvation for millions because it forces people off the land, land that is then used to produce foods or other products that are exported to the developed nations. The poor farmer cannot compete with the industrial farms and so has to go out of business. In the underdeveloped countries, land that once supported a variety of food plants that fed the local people has been turned into land that supports only a single crop destined for export, the profits going to middle men and the large land owners.

Clearly then, this is a polemic against industrial agriculture and in favor of a return to an agrarian life style. It is a tract against the use of pesticides and herbicides and in favor of organic farming. It is against monoculture farming and in favor of biodiversity and crop rotation. It is against genetic modified foods and Round Up ready seeds and in favor of the slightly blemished but flavorful produce from fields tended by hand and hoe. It is beautifully illustrated with breath-taking photos of farms, farmers, farm equipment and especially fields of verdant crops.

I am in substantial sympathy with the message of this book, but I do not appreciate facile or phony arguments in support of even the most agreeable message. I think unsubstantiated claims and superficial understandings do not help a worthy cause. Unfortunately there are a few of those in these pages.

On page 62, for example, the text suggests that "if biotech corporations really wanted to feed the hungry, they would...push for wealth redistribution, which would allow the poor to buy food." Obviously corporations don't work that way, and agrarian reform is not going to be helped by reviving delusive Marxist economics. On page 71 it is written, "...75 types of vegetables, or approximately 97 percent of the varieties available in 1900, [in the US] are now extinct." I am not sure what was left out here or misstated, but obviously more than about 2.34 vegetables (the 3% still extant) are still available. Worse yet is this from page 102: "In 1996...the fungal disease known as Karnal Bunt swept through the U.S. wheat belt, ruining over half of that year's crop and forcing the quarantine of more than 290,000 acres." However on page 100 it is reported that wheat fields take up "a total of 60-70 million acres" of land in the continental US. So how can a infestation that resulted in a quarantine of 290,000 acres (less than one-half of one percent of the total acreage devoted to wheat) ruin "over half of that year's crop"? Such slips tend to cast doubt on the credibility of the other figures in the book.

However, the central shortcoming of this otherwise laudable effort is the disinclination of the editor and the contributors to point to overpopulation as the root cause of hunger and starvation. Such a studied avoidance is disingenuous to say the least. The periodic starvations due to droughts that plague such places as Africa are due to too many people living on land that cannot reliably support them. In times of feast, the populations shoot up only to crash when the weather changes, as it must, as it has for millions of years. Furthermore to suggest (as the text on pages 50 and 51 does) that agriculture can keep pace with human population growth is mistaken. Fortunately, the essay, "The Impossible Race: Population Growth and the Fallacies of Agricultural Hope," by Hugh H. Iltis, which begins on page 35, presents a more realistic view.

Nonetheless, I applaud this effort by director Douglas Tompkins and those who contributed to the project. I was particularly taken with the photography and art design by Daniella Goff-Sklan who carefully avoids any "scare" photography. We are spared the sight of the bloated bellies of the starving poor. There are no photos of the horrendous conditions inside the poultry and meat packing industries. Clearly, the editors didn't want this book to be purely a propaganda piece. They wanted to get their message across without controversy; they wanted to be effective.

I am also in substantial sympathy with the agrarian movement itself. However whether it is possible or even desirable to return to an agrarian existence is in great doubt. Perhaps one might wax even more romantic and suggest a return to a hunting and gathering existence. Such nostalgic fantasies are just that, fantasies, like the notion of the noble savage or of an unspoiled garden of Eden. Humans have and will continue to alter the landscape. What I hope is that we find a balance between human needs and the needs of the planet's ecosystems before it is too late. Yes, a return to an agrarian culture (especially without the feudalism and warlord economies that existed concomitantly) would be a step away from the abyss that we are now approaching. But that isn't going to happen anytime soon. The surest way to save the planet from ourselves is to reduce our numbers. Until that message gets across, the planet will continue to be decimated by our insatiable desire to exploit and control. My vision of the future includes a large number of small farming communities with single family farms aplenty. But it also includes great tracts of forest and savannah, desert and tundra, unspoiled by human habitation. From my point of view the planet already contains too many humans. And that is why my vision and the agrarian vision so beloved by contributor Wendell Berry cannot yet become a reality.

Like other reviewers, I was unable to put this book down once I opened it. Although I understood in sort of a theoretical way that corporate agriculture was not a good thing, the pictures in this book connected all the dots for me. There is something about the photography that is simply transfixing - which seems odd given that the photos are of agriculture - but true nevertheless.

After reading this book I could not bring myself to buy any more non-organic produce, so be forewarned - this is not a "coffee table book" in any ordinary sense. It should come with a warning label.

"Comprehensive" starts the subtitle, and Comprehensive it is! Too many print-handicapped people are forced to stumble through the multi-layered service system, picking up clues almost by accident until they "strike gold" in the person of a skilled counselor or librarian. Here is a full set of Tools for Learning, along with a user's guide! Important for every visually impaired student and family, vital for every school or school system's Special Education department. No less useful for those with serious learning disorders like dyslexia, or with challenging physical disabilities that prevent the easy handling of printed material. Yes, addresses and phone numbers may change; new organizations may develop; but this is a book that will be USED and that will repay its purchase many times over.

A volunteer at VISION Community Services, A Division of the Massachusetts Association for the Blind, a lovely 85 year old who is legally blind and severely hearing impaired, mentioned that she was interested in the Guide (as the result of reading a review in our newsletter). I loaned her our library copy and here's what she had to say: "Spent several hours with the Field Guide. Every low vision person should have access to it. One bonus I reaped was a comprehensive description of major suppliers, what they supply and differences between them. Also, Leibs gave a useful assessment of assistive devices. This is bewildering to the newcomer to the field. In the end, I copied out several titles of Great Books to improve my mind. Several times I've tried Huckleberry Finn and quit in boredom. On the other hand, the Toni Morrison title caught my attention, I've been meaning to sample her. Don't expect to like it, but I might be surprised." She adds that it was also good to know the approximate cost of having a book reprinted in large print, and the major LP companies. Despite being legally blind, her vision is better than her hearing so she reads large print books. Her vision loss is due to glaucoma, so she retains some decent central vision.

This book is the "needle of a compass" for the blind and dyslexic. Kudos to Leibs for providing the best resource guide for the blind and dyslexic I've read! He's not only gathered countless resources and provided those in an easy to navigate format, but he's added his own personal struggles and discoveries that finally lead him to experience the sheer joy of reading. I've placed this book in a prominent location in my office and will refer to it often as it's truly the work of a research genius. Special attention should be paid to the Introduction as Leibs takes you on a poignant journey to his discovery of reading and shares his excitement as well as disappointment while uncovering the bliss of reading. Additionally, Leibs provides a "suggested reading" list with contact information on how and where to acquire these books. Truly, his passion for reading will no doubt inspire your own, whether you are a fully sighted reader or not. Kudos to Leibs! A gem of a book, and long overdue!

I picked up this book for the first time a few nights ago and was immediately hooked. As a legally blind consumer and as Director of Rehabilitation Services at an agency whose mission is to empower blind and visually impaired individuals, I was immediately moved by the significance of Mr. Leibs' work. I read late into the night, and my last thought before drifting off to sleep that night was that I wished that this book had been around 30 years ago -- it would most certainly have saved me and a lot of others who live with severe vision impairment or blindness a whole lot of struggle and grief!

This book is the only of its kind I've encountered. The information, both concisely and engagingly presented, opens a breathtaking vista of literature and learning to the lives of the visually impaired in providing guidance to independent access of the printed word!

This book is NOT another "how to live with a disability" book. It focuses on a very important aspect of life, the ABILITY to read, to INDEPENDENTLY access the written word. Leibs has put together an extensive listing of resources to empower the visually impaired reader. In addition, the personal experiences he shares in the book brought back a host of memories of my own educational odyssey. Like Leibs, I and many others with low vision have experienced much hit-and-miss in the process of learning what we needed to know to gain the access we desire and need to succeed. Leibs has put together all the pieces of a complex puzzle into a user-friendly guide that paves the way for others to learn the rudiments of what it takes to access our literary world!

In my opinion, this book should be put into the hands of every visually impaired child in this country. Leibs also targets librarians with this work, as their awareness of these resources may enhance their own knowledge and skills in providing support for visually impaired consumers. I would additionally recommend this book to seniors who constitute, by far, the largest population of visually impaired readers.

Many thanks to Mr. Leibs for a significant contribution to the education and quality of life of blind and visually impaired people!

This book should be in the hands of every sight-impaired student no later than age tweleve. Leibs has completely overhauled the orientation for reading among the blind from one of dependence on teachers and organizations to one of connecting INDEPENDENTLY to a really vast array of resources. This hardcover volume is quite easy to navigate - well designed and quite "user friendly".

We use this book on NOLS expeditions specifically because it treats conservation as a dilemma of competing moral values. It really helps our students, whether they are greenies or industrialists, to see all sides of an issue. And if we choose to carry a book like this at NOLS, it means we literally carry it in a backpack for the entire 30 day expedition, which speaks highly for the value of this book.

"I hope you read it [the book] for whatever understanding it provides. Then, when you get a chance, go and read the living things that it came from."
This, the last sentence in the book, powerfully wraps up an engrossing examination of both sides of the controversy on logging old-growth forests. Always on the side of the environmentalists, I came to understand and sympathize with the loggers who cut them down. Not an easy task for any writer to undertake. But Dietrich has done it, and done it well. No wonder he won a Pulitzer Prize. The writing is clear and sharp, and at times, poetic in imagery. Yes, I have been to the Olympic old-growth forests of which he speaks, and he is right when he says that the minute you enter them, there is magic. Even the loggers feel this. The stories of individuals, both on the side of timber and the side of trees, eloquently speak of passions and lifestyles, battles won and lost. Anita Goos is not someone I will soon forget. Dietrich tells of men and women who choose their battles, sometimes unwillingly, but who enter the fray with hearts and minds wholly in the cause.
It is well to follow this book with "The Hidden Forest" by Jon Luoma, written seven years later.

I read this book for my research paper on old growth forests. Originally I was going to just try to fly through it and take out the information that I needed for my paper, but as I read it I got really into it and almost forgot about my paper altogether! I think the best thing about this book is that it represents all sides of the issue. William Dietrich talks to cutters, truck drivers, biologists, environmentalists, foresters, and the community itself and tells all sides of the situation in his book. When I originally chose to do my paper on preservation of old growth forests, I was completely against cutting down of trees, and even though I am still not exactly for it, this book really helped me to be more open-minded and understand the different point of views...

I gained a deeper understanding of the conflicts surrounding forestry in the Pacific Northwest. The stories told in this book could never be explained or understood in a 30 second television news broadcast. And while much of the news is depressing, this book offers hope for a brighter future where science, conservation, forestry, and consumer interests can meet for the future use of our forest resources.

Natural resource management, like abortion, is one of those enormously complex political issues that too often gets reduced to dueling slogans and sound bites. William Dietrich does readers a great service by letting people from all sides of the issue (there are many more than two) speak at length, and by juxtaposing their views in ways that highlight similarities as well as differences. One of the book's running themes is that both loggers and environmentalists love the forests, but that each group has great difficulty seeing that quality in the other. Their mutual incomprehension is rooted in their utterly different ideas of why forests are important, and how humans ought to relate to them.

This deep philosophical difference is at least as old as the 20th century. John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, and Gifford Pinchot, first chief of the US Forest Service, fought battles similar to the ones Dietrich describes back at the (last) turn of the century. Dietrich, a journalist writing about a present-day controversy, says very little about that history, and that choice makes the book less informative (and less helpful as a means to understanding the problem) than it might be.

Still, _The Final Forest_ is a valuable, well-balanced piece of journalism. It's a great resource for open-minded people on either side of the preservation vs. development debate, and a superb introduction for anyone coming to the issue for the first time.

A few years ago, Americans were stunned one night to learn that David Bloom, a well-known and popular thirty-something reporter for NBC News, had died suddenly while covering the war in Iraq. The cause of death was reportedly "deep vein thrombosis," a blood clot brought about by immobility. In Bloom's case, this seemed to mean repeated immobility from cramped spaces in small vehicles into which he squeezed daily while traveling throughout the war zone.

The shock of Bloom's death led Maggie Melanson to commit herself to finding a way to educate others about the importance of keeping fit and healthy even while traveling. In "Fly Fit: How to Travel and Stay Agile" (HRD Press, 2007), she fulfills her promise, outlining health and fitness tips that can be observed and practiced even while trapped on a long plane flight or waiting endlessly at an airport terminal for the signal to board.

"Fly Fit" tailors its fitness recommendations to the restrictions of such travel conditions. While boxed in on the plane itself, readers learn how to manage resistance exercises. While waiting in the terminal, they learn suggested yoga poses. Whether on the plane or stuck at the gate, readers will acquire details aerobics and stress reduction techniques. All of these can be done quietly, carefully and unobtrusively, yet effectively.

Author Maggie Melanson comes to her book's subject matter with a wealth of personal experience as her guide. The founder of a successful "healthy foods" catering service, she once determined to change her own unhealthy ways by revving up a personal exercise and meditation regime as well as shedding fifty excess pounds. In "Fly Fit," she reveals her own personal challenges during this transformation as she advocates the value of toting healthy attitudes and practices alongside our suitcases even when traveling far, far from home.

NOTE: This review also appears on my website www.thoughtleading.com

Don't let this book's small size fool you! It's filled with good, practical advice on staying fit and active while in the confines of an airport, plane and hotel room. Ms. Melanson offers some great tips on how to keep your circulation moving as well as your muscles limber and fit. As a personal trainer, I will be giving this book to my clients to take on their travels!

Ms. Melanson makes it possible for the most unlikely candidates to succeed in exercising. I know. I am a new convert to her way of thinking. This is a simple recipe book for stirring up better circulation, better metabolism and good energy. She explains the exercises clearly and made me want to try a few of them out.

Fly Fit is a fun book that gives good advice on keeping fit while traveling. Not only is it informative, but it's small size makes it easy to toss into your carry on bag and take with you. I highly recommend it. This book will go with me on my travels!

I love this little book. Ms. Melanson offers so much sound advice that seems easy to follow in an airport or sitting on an airplane. I can't wait to try it out when I go to Chicago next spring. The book, although small enough to fit in a purse or even a jacket pocket, is packed with practical tips and concise instructions on how to get the most out of its advice. A great stocking stuffer or office grab gift. I sure could have used this book on my trip to Italy last year!

In her friendly, warm style, Maureen Wittmann shares her depth of experience in "teaching core subjects with literature".

Maureen has a special talent for describing an entire book in just a sentence or two. In this thorough yet pleasant guide, she describes 950 of them. She explains various educational methods, from classical education to Charlotte Mason homeschooling, as well as how to make the best use of your public library and how to build your own home library.

Whether you have been homeschooling for decades as I have - or you just want to enrich your child's education - or wherever you are on the parenting spectrum: this is a book you will want to own and cherish.

Approximately 250 pages of the book are loaded with titles broken down by subject and age group. This is really helpful, especially since lately I've been looking to make homeschooling easier. My goal is to use literature, cd-rom games and movies more so that my homeschooling can become less of a monumental task. This will be a huge asset! Thank you!

Maureen Wittmann, a Catholic homeschooling mother of seven, has been a library afficionado for years and handily organized her "finds" in this well-organized and very useful book.

For the Love of Literature is designed especially for Catholic homeschool parents (though other homeschool parents, grandparents, librarians, etc. will find many, many titles of interest). It's a guide to using real books - biographies, historical fiction, beautiful picture books, etc. to study any subject area of interest. The book lists (organized by subject) include brief descriptions, appropriate age level and a special notation to identify specifically Catholic titles.

The book lists are extensive and up-to-date (meaning that she only included books that are currently in print) which means, among other things, that this could be an extremely useful resource for using your library well and making suggestions for your library to purchase.

Introductory essays cover topics such as library tips, building a home library, reading aloud, creating a literature unit study, and detailed explanations of classical education and the Charlotte Mason method - both of which are very compatible with the use of living books.

This is a very helpful book that I've been recommending to all my friends. It's a great blessing for anyone who would like to use living books to supplement (or perhaps even replace) textbooks with their children, make better use of their library or simply find worthwhile books for their very voracious readers. There's something for everyone.

Maureen Wittman, Catholic homeschooling mom extraordinaire, has compiled the book list dreams are made of. She has created a subject-by-subject list that gives a brief synopsis, age range and a special note to identify Catholic titles. There are 950 books listed! They are all readily available (in print) and easy to find at your favorite bookseller or library.

My favorite part of the book are the essays. Maureen gives great tips for using your local library that I have already benefited from (think way less fines :)) and how to build your own library. The essay about creating your own literature study is worth buying the book for all on it's own!

Thank you Maureen for creating such a valuable resource that will be in use in my home for many years to come!

Any parent or teacher who would like to spice up a lesson in math, science, history, art, or music would be wise to obtain this helpful guide.

Divided into each core subject area, the book notes each of 950 titles as to the book's age and grade level, from preschool to adult, maturity level and if there is a need for parental guidance. In addition, most of the titles contain a brief description--enough for a parent or teacher to decide whether the book is right.

Other helpful features include guides to classical and Charlotte Mason based education, using the library, building a home library, creating literary unit studies, and more.

If you are a parent, a teacher or a homeschooler, you NEED this book.

This book takes the mystery out of cutting hair. As other reviews have noted, it is especially good for learning how to cut your children's hair. Doing so will save you a ton of money in the long run. There are many photos and plenty of simple instructions that make it easy for anyone to learn. Who knows - this may inspire you to become a stylist yourself!

The Four Most Common Haircuts That Anyone Can Master

I was given this book as a gift. It turns out that it was a very money saving tool. This book is very easy to follow. I especially was interested in the chapter on using hair clippers.

The pages of this book lay flat, which makes it much easier to follow the instructions while actually using the clippers. It repeats the important steps on each page, so that you are not constantly turning back pages. The print is large enough to see while it sits on the counter.

I started out using the larger guard as recommended , to get the feel of how much hair was being removed. This gave me the confidence to go to the next smaller size, etc. until I accomplished my finished cut. I now use the clippers with ease, and my family members are very satisfied.



Kathleen Scozzari

I used the instructions to cut my husband's hair and he loves it! The binding on the book is so helpful so you can refer to instructions while cutting.
I have several friends who are stay at home moms and also home school. This book gives great instructions on how to save a little extra money while spiffing the kids up!

This book is wonderful! It is easy to follow and has very good instruction. I found it really helpful because my son was very afraid of the "barber shop" and with this we are able to give him a great hair cut at home.

I bought this book a couple years ago because we have four boys and my husband had always cut their hair. They were getting old enough that they wanted it to look a little more professional, so it was either spend a bunch at a barber or learn how to do it differently.

This book was a huge help. My husband was able to learn new ways of cutting so that the boys were happy with the results, and they didn't look as if they'd gotten their hair done in the middle of the kitchen, which is an important thing for teens;-).

Viggiano's helpful step-by-step instructions and clear illustrations make the book very easy to use It's organized logically, and the tips included make it possible for virtually anyone to achieve good results.

I estimate that by doing all the haircuts for each of the boys for 18 years, we've saved almost $9000 (calculating one $10 haircut per boy per month for 18 years). And for the ones who are over 18, and still getting haircuts at home, the savings keep climbing.

Lisa's book will not only rescue a lot of people from bad haircuts, it will also help you save a lot of money. I highly recommend it!

A fun fraction workbook. I have used it with my youngest and with my niece, (they both have their own copy, of course) with pretty positive results. Give it a try, and you will probably find it helpful.

This book is amazingly helpful for teachers in the middle grades who are reviewing the operations of fractions.

This is a workbook! I own 3 of Dan Greenberg workbooks and this is the best one. The students reads the story. There are 10 - 20 problems in the story that the student solves at the end of the story.

I'm a homeschool mom whose fifth grader was having great difficulty with word fraction problems. He loves this book! The questions are presented in fun easy-to-understand stories that make the subject of fractions a lot less intimidating. Thank you for making this book available! I highly recommend it!

This book is amazing. I used it to teach my entire unit on fractions and it went over really well!

We are at a critical time period in church history, where we must be rethinking almost everything we have presupposed in our modern philosophy and methodology to reach post-seeker generations. Jim gives a portrait of the rising landscape that is forming in the Future Church.

Kudos to Jim for a great book that captures the essence of the emerging church movement. Often times when we think emerging churches we think of candles, poetry, tattoos, and experiential worship. Future Church is a great read because it boils down the movement to the core transferrable principles. As a new church plant it was most encouraging to hear stories from other new emerging churches and their struggles. I say this is a must read for all church planters and pastors.

Jim Wilson has shed light on the most crucial element for church leaders -- how to be THE CHURCH God needs to reach a lost and dying world. As a member of a church staff, I've witnessed firsthand how our church has grappled with finding the appropriate identity to draw those in need of the Gospel message into our church. FUTURE CHURCH helped me understand the issues and challenges our church faces. Rather than offering a purely theoretical approach, Jim provides case studies of actual churches -- from big to small; urban to rural -- which are shining examples of the FUTURE CHURCH. Thanks, Jim, for reaching out to us who are struggling to get where we need to be.

I lead a church plant in Seattle called Cascade Hills... We've been at this for 2 and a half years, and are discovering that "contemporary worship" is neither contemporary, or real worship. There is a stirring in us for more of God, and less of "churchianity." We have been on a journey of discovery, and have found ourselves outlining a ministry plan that literally has lined up with each of the 7 fulcrum points Jim Wilson so clearly articulates in "Future Church". Here's where it gets interesting . . . we did the plan, then discovered the book! I have not been able to get past the idea that this is a move of God on His Church, and that something huge is about to happen... Not just in Seattle or the West Coast, or even America, but worldwide. Thank you Jim!"

Finding our way into the future is too often like taking a trail, any trail, and hoping it leads to the mountain top. Jim Wilson has given us in Future Church a trail guide to creating a church whose best days are ahead,not behind. Based not on theory but on actual case studies, Wilson takes us behind the scenes of churches that most of us would never discover otherwise. There we meet fearless leaders and focused congreagations who are influencing the world in which they live in ways that lift up the hope and the winsome nature of the real Gospel. I'm recommending Future Church, not only to all my pastor friends, but to the leadership teams within our congregation. With a guide to a preferrable future at hand, we hope to continue the process of shaping our church into one that shapes our community for the better.

Ed Rowell, Teaching Pastor
The People's Church
Franklin, Tennessee

This book describes many impacts of environment destruction in many countries like Egypt, India, China and Arabia. But the best thing is its explanation of how this has affected women. The parts on the ancient Middle East offer important insights for understanding what happened to the women's roles in history.

I was surprised how much is packed in this book. It mixes the history of religions, empires, migrations of people, with big movements of environmental destruction and healing. Somehow it all fits into one huge story of people's efforts to live on our planet. Sometimes it's so detailed I had to put it down for awhile, but then I got curious about all the questions it raises. I never thought that making deserts could generate so many waves across the world, or turning the land green again could change life so much.

According to Griffith, we have been slowly denuding the land and turning it into desert for several thousand years. The places where civilization began in the Middle East were degraded first, and a circle of largely man-made desertification has spread outward ever since. As we've depleted nature, people in the affected areas often moved away in waves of migration toward greener areas. And where people degraded their environment, there have been big impacts on their culture and way of life. Griffith describes how environmental destruction has affected things like politics, religion, or economics. It's a very colorful, expansive book, and makes you realize how old a lot of our modern problems are. It also makes solving these problems seem quite possible, since many groups of people are having some good success. I found it a dense book that's packed with information on many countries in many periods of history. It took me a long time to read, but was well worth it.

This book tries to explore what happened in the past when people have turned their land into a desert. How has that affected society, politics, women, religion, etc? To answer, Griffith gives many stories from Africa, the Middle East, India, China, or Europe. One thing he looks at closely is the fate of women in areas where the land became unproductive. And in this he gives one of the most convincing explanations of of why inequality developed between men and women in certain parts of the world. To balance this Griffith tells inspiring stories of how local people have struggled to heal their environment and recover the benefits of a healthy countryside.

This book covers over 10,000 years of social, economic and environmental changes. It shows how our destruction of nature has changed society over time. The stories it tells are powerful and well written. I think it's a great book for anybody who really likes history and wants a peaceful and healthy environment in the future.