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This book is not *just* about Hollywood Royalty from the 30's and 40's , although her whole family hails from that golden era. It's not *just* about love affairs with Rock and Roll Legends, but you will find kisses from the likes of Denny Laine( Moody Blues & Wings) & father of her son), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones),and Jackson Browne have graced her lips. She counts Roger Daltrey (The Who),Pamela DesBarres,Patti D'arbanville amoung her closest friends.

However..This is NOT a book of casual name dropping. This is a memoir of a turbulent childhood, a peek at the demons that she faced,and the many legions of angels who have come to her rescue.

Catherine James takes you on a journey that is simply amazing. For those who don't "like to read", this book is SUCH an easy read. It's like sitting down with her and listening to her chat with you.

Catherine comes full circle and I enjoyed every single minute of it.
I look forward to the sequel.. and Catherine? maybe Diane Keaton can play YOUR double in the film version? :)

Pattie xo

Catherine James is a inspiring,loving,inovative spirit. She over came all the obsticals that life tossed at her and came out a true winner. I wish her the best in what ever she does.

This is my first book review and I decided to write a little something because this book made me feel so happy, and I think it will make someone else happy too.I have been reading many books on LA rock early 1970's, and then I came upon this little TREASURE. It captured me immediately, and I really hope that Catherine will write another book, because she brought joy to me, and through the thick and thin she remained spiritual and asked and she received! I think this book gives more than just insight to the wonderful days of English rock stars and American poets (which is what intrigued me in the first place), it is inspiring and gives you courage to see the good in any situation.I hope you pick it up, you may just want to read it again and again.

Can you imagine a fictional story about a woman who marries a man who she knows is a closet transvestite, then discovers that her estranged father, who was a macho race car driver, has also turned into a closet transvestite and then into a transsexual? And how about the glamous but psychotic and perennially drugged wife of this race car driver who routinely feeds her children only rotting food laced with tabasco sauce and treats them sadistically in so many other ways, in her Beverly Hills home. Can you then imagine that the paternal aunt of this woman was a Miss American runner up and a Zeigfield girl who couldn't keep a string of husbands for more than 2 years each, and ends up making a dependent impotent alcoholic mama's boy of her son, as the only constant male in her life. An impossibly contrived plot, right? Well, once again, reality is more unbelievable than fiction, according to the author, Catherine James. This is quite a readible account of a bizarrely improbable life, with a very twisted start, but then with a series of mentors related to the pop music business, who gave her a shot at a more normal life.
I would have liked some thoughts on what might have caused her mother to be the extreme monster reported. Apparently, she had beauty as well as many talents, including being a compulsive cat burglar. But this was a wasted drugged life, in which she regularly dished out sadism and jealousy toward everyone. Was she probably just born to be such a monster, or were there events in her young life that soured her attitute toward others? Surely, Catherine could have absorbed some evidence from her grandmother. In a similar vein, perhaps she could have offered some explanation for her father's transformation from a macho race car driver into a transsexual. Nor does she offer(as I did above) a plausible explanation for her aunt Claire making a disfunctional mama's boy out of her son Blake.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I have not seen it in my local bookstore as of yet. It is an extremely moving book (especially the end).I had taken an interest in her story after I had read another book with an excerpt about her in it. I truly was not dissappointed with this read.

Every time I have the opportunity to recommend a book, I recommend the entire Benjamin January series. I've done a lot of research into the period in which the series is set and Hambly's facts are dead-on. January is one of the more interesting characters in series literature and Hambly deftly brings the period to life. Her use of actual historical persons such as Marie LeVo makes it even more interesting and fun. The whole series is really worth the time and money. I hate to get to the end of each book, then find myself waiting impatiently for the next one.
Do yourself a huge favor and read the whole series.

What a wonderful series!! Lots of history and plenty of intrigue. If you've ever been to New Orleans you'll be able to imagine yourself there. Do yourself a favor and read the whole series.

The Benjamin January is an enjoyable read for any lover of New Orleans and historical fiction

I have to start out by saying that I really enjoy this series. Oddly enough, I read the first one while on a trip to New Orleans years ago. This story gets away from N.O. a bit and out into the Gulf. Very enjoyable, very memorable!

Thank god Ms. Hambly is back. This installment of the series was infinitely better than the previous one. The characters were far more interesting, the plot more credible, and the solution more satisfying. I'm looking forward to the next chapter of the series again.

This book had me captured from the first page!! It's a must-read! I can't wait for the sequel!!

I can't remember when I have read a more engrossing book. The author brings her fascinating characters to life in such a way that one cannot help but connect with them from the very first page, rooting for them as they travel on their life's path, anxious when they turn an unknown corner, sympathetic when they stumble, sad when they fall, and happy and excited when you pick themselves up again. Ah, was it my destiny to discover Patricia Sheehy and Field of Destiny or was it a happy accident? Whatever it was, I am the richer for it.

Field of Destiny immediately peaks your interest and keeps it with twists, turns and delightful surprises. Great bookclub item too as it sparks a curiosity of life's purpose. Loved it!

This is a wonderfully written, thought-provoking novel. It makes you think about the chances we take, the choices we make, and the path we follow. Does our free will really change our destiny? All the while, you will become engrossed in the lives of each one of these characters. They have such depth and such personality. You can actually feel the turmoil within their human spirit and the difficult decisions they must make throughout their lifetime. As a reader, you become the "fly on the wall" taking in the all of the surroundings, urging Natalie to make another decision, yet you still understand why she chooses the path she decides to follow. I loved every minute of this book - it is intriguing, filled with hope, filled with reality and it certainly has a destiny of its own!! ENJOY!!!

Imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered that the lead character of Patricia Sheehy's novel, "Field of Destiny" shares my fascination with one of the world's most multi-faceted fragrances, Aime Guerlain's olfactory wonder-of-the-world, `Jicky'--created in 1889 and touted as one of the first modern perfumes, one of the first to blend the natural animal note of civet with synthetic elements. A less oriental `Shalimar', `Jicky' imbues the wearer with a classic freshness that hints of the past yet can fully compete and reign victorious with more contemporary fragrance. As someone who uses both `Jicky' and `Shalimar' as her signature scents, immediately, I felt a connection with the author of this book and the inimitable soul, Nunki, both of which obviously share my sensual obsession.

On another, more spiritual level, the subject of reincarnation of which Ms Sheehy very definitely explores within the pages of this 274 page quest for character assessment and development, also enthralls this reviewer as a potential explanation for many happenstances in life that seem otherwise difficult to explain. After all, how do we elucidate on instances where we come across someone we have never before met and immediately sense a kinship and an unmistakable familiarity that is uncanny in its thorough knowing?

In "Field of Destiny," Patricia Sheehy illustrates her definition of the concept of reincarnation and all its cyclical implications by centering her plotline around the life of Natalie Davenport and heralding this journey of a troubled woman born in 1947 with the short unhappy life of Noelle Robidoux, a woman who, in the opening chapter, dies violently at the hands of her husband Charles in France circa 1898. What could these two women living in two different centuries have in common? Much it seems--they share an eternal soul named Nunki complete with a guardian angel, a soulmate and a raft of life lessons to learn. According to the Masters, Nunki's past life motivation has consisted of only selfishness that has propelled her helter-skelter through countless irresponsible acts none of which have helped her soul to achieve any semblance of enlightenment. As Natalie, she will again come into contact with other souls from the past all of which will afford her the chance for spiritual growth if she so chooses.

Ms Sheehy, it seems believes, not so much in the power of fate, but in the element of free will and how this comes into play with a soul's ultimate development. We see this over and over again as the character of Natalie stumbles through both good and bad choices. We cringe when she lies and cheer when she makes a decision that will move her up a rung on the ladder of personal enrichment.

From the moment of her birth in 1947, Natalie's life is chronicled with a constant eye on her reencountering the other souls that have influenced her development. Sheehy accomplishes this effect with simplicity---her story line follows the soul Nunki from the Noelle incarnation to that of the newer Natalie embodiment, even offering a stage where the soul is actually identified in transition phase--this portion of the story being unfortunately the most difficult for her to render without suspending the belief of the reader.

Although not great literature, Sheehy has the ability to tell a story that keeps the pages turning. I, for one, read the entire book in a two-day period and admit to thoroughly enjoying the more romantic aspects of this tale, especially the very credible relationship between soul mates Nunki and Jabbah as incarnated as Natalie and Johnny. Their reunion although expected elicited a few well deserved tears, so intense is Sheehy's skill in recreating that feeling one gets from a gift of mutually shared love. The predictable as with many other novels adds to that sense of satisfaction that a reader receives when their plot forecast comes a fulfilling climax. The reader nods with adamant "I knew it" and allows emotions to overflow with a shameless unsophisticated abandon that refreshes rather than frustrates.

As I was a bit surprised by the novel's ending, I do look forward to encountering all characters again in Sheehy's sequel entitled "A Thousand Whispers." Hopefully, in this one, she will not use the rather hackneyed technique of hawking another of her works by having the main character act as a surrogate author. In a similar sense some of her secondary characters although indicative of the time period being rendered seem superfluous to the overall action and pace of the tale.


Bottom line? Patricia Sheehy does a fine job of depicting the concept of reincarnation as she sees it in her very readable novel, "Field of Destiny." From one page to the next, as the reader, you will move through each phase of main character Natalie's existence, wonder what she will learn in terms of her own enlightenment and clamor for more when the story ends. Like a whiff of `Jicky,' "Field of Destiny" creates a world built of molecules that restructure themselves to formulate elements of greater depth when experienced by those willing to explore that which seems familiar from the perspective of a novice on the ladder of life and its epiphanies. Recommended for its ability to entertain with the caveat that the soul transition portion of the tale may be a bit hard to swallow.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"

I met Karen Ford at a book signing in Knoxville, TN. Her enthusiasm and confidence inspired me to read her book. This book follows through... Karen and Tina don't just throw ideas out there, they gave me practical usable techniques that are changing my life!
Great book, I recommend it!

Free to Be Beautiful is a great gift book for any woman. It will help to inspire and bring out the beauty in any woman. The authors write from their hearts, and that comes out in the book. You feel like they are writing it for you. What a great way to honor all women.

Karen & Tina did such a great job writing this book, and being so honest and upfront. It makes you feel so good about who you are and to help you realize just how special you are, because God made you and we His daughters - WOW - why wouldn't you feel special!! Karen & Tina also help you to realize you can achieve your dreams and goals. I also loved their stories they shared - what a great addition to the book. I highly recommend this book to everyone - it is easy to read and will be one that you will want to highlight those special thoughts and read it again.

I loved this book because of the simple, no nonsense approach to how we should look at life. Karen and Tina's stories mixed in with their awesome advice made this a book that you could really relate too. You actually got to know them as people and authors and could laugh as much at the stories as you do relating yourself to the situations. I recommend this book to anybody!!!

I am a busy, now single, stay at home mom, who owns her own business. Initially I fell in love with this book because the chapters are "snippets"--I can easily read and grab enough to go on for the day simply reading for 10 minutes while waiting in carpool! I enjoy making the most of my time, and this book affords that luxury!

On a more inimate level, over the past couple of years my self confidence has grown in leaps and bounds because of my accomplishments and the accomplishments of those I work with. However I found that many times I have avoided dealing with "life's complications" by staying busy. Through their book God has used Karen and Tina to very gently peel away the proverbial bandaids from the wounds, and allow the healing process to begin. I am learning not to ignore the hurts and disappointments of life, not to pretend there are no struggles, but to face them head on--actually embrace them, and find myself and my children more empowered for it! As difficult as it can be to do this, it is worth the effort...I am loving who I am becoming, and what I can offer to others--especially my daughters!

I highly recommend this book to any woman, as it speaks to females at any age or time in life...teaching us to take an honest look at our lives and our thinking, and challenging us to become who God intends us to be. Karen and Tina have given us the tools to define the core of feminity--and it's a beautiful place to be!

This book will make you forget you are on a no sugar diet. The cookies are great. I have a sweet tooth and I was craving something sweet and crunchy. The Goldenmarsh Cookies cured my every woe.

There are so many phenomenal recipes in The Grain-Free Gourmet. So far I have made the meatloaf, the spiced honey chicken, the decadent onion crackers, the gourmet pizza, the cranberry muffins, and the lemon-cranberry tarts (also great with blueberries). Everything was delicious and my family members who are not on the SCD enjoyed them all. Bager and Lass did a wonderful job on this book and I look forward to making more items.

I have this cookbook as well as Breaking the Vicious Cycle, Lucy's SCD Cookbook, and Eat Well Feel Well. This one is my favorite. I love "The World's Best Meat Sauce", which I make thick as recommended for a sloppy joe spooned over the "Basic Bread" recipe. Fantastic! The apple galette disappeared immediately among a group of non-SCD dieters. I also like the cole slaw, and the cappuccino ice cream is fabulous!

I also have Eat Well Feel Well, but find the recipes are expensive and require ingredients not typical even in the SCD kitchen. Since the SCD can be expensive on its own, I have found that I've used that book very rarely. With the exception of nut flours and standard SCD staples, most ingredients used in Grain Free Gourment are reasonably priced and easily located in your neighborhood supermarket. The recipes even include the standard rather than SCD ingredients, so this book will remain a favorite even if strict adherence to SCD is no longer necessary. Thank you Jodi and Jenny for quality recipes that are easy to follow, kitchen tested, and sure to please even non-SCDers. This is a lovely cookbook with beautiful photos. It would be a welcome addition in every SCD kitchen.

I've made several of the muffins in this book, and they're all pretty good. I plan to make a lot more of them. The grain-free baked goods use lots of almonds, other nuts, and eggs. One problem is that the author/editor included no nutritional info. with the recipes. If you're counting calories, fat grams, fiber or carbs, you're on your own. It would be great if they would correct that on a revised edition.

This is my FAVORITE cookbook and I refer to it time and time again for muffins and other treats that would normally be grain-based. My whole family is gluten free, and I have to be fully grain free. I can't say enough about the book. My favorite is the carrot muffins - YUM! And, if you can't do eggs they work just fine with egg replacer (but add ground flax seed as well to further help them stick together.) Great book!!!!!!!!!

I met Lolly Anderson when she opened her home to law students of her alma mater to share the passion for life she expresses in this book. Single, 20 something and in law school can be overwhelming for a woman. Inspiration is much needed in my life, and this book gave me what I needed. Lolly's refuse to give up spirit that led her through most people's worst nightmares (cancer, divorce, bankruptcy)allowed me to appreciate each day. My friends and I even went and got the Statue of David on our fridge in hopes of finding a prince charming.

I am very impressed w/Lolly's book and plan to purchase many copies of it for my friends and family for Christmas! Her words are music to my ears and I want to tell everyone of her wonderful wisdom. I carry her book in my purse and take it out and re-read it b/c it is full of positive affirmations I can always use in my everyday life. I can relate to the heartaches life hands out (divorce, death, etc.) and still do my very best to maintain a healthy and happy attitude. Everyone needs to know they deserve to be happy in life and this book will do it! Well done Lolly! Please write another book b/c your viewpoint feels like home! Laurie R. Gillespie

Lolly's example is one of triumph beyond what our natural vision can bring and the reliance on the unseen goodness that awaits anyone who's willing to venture to that place of audacious wonderment. She had many "reasons" not to believe things would come to her or work out, but she held on to the dream and was not averted by fear, which can derail many dreams. This book will show you how to move through any situation and to create dreams that will allow you to live to your fullest potential. Thank you, Lolly! - Gina Rowsam

Lolly's zest for life, refusal to stay down when the hard times come, and her desire to go for what she wants until she gets it - or something better comes along! - entertained, inspired and left me reassessing my own aspirations and taking a look at what I needed to do besides just "sit and wish."

Charlotte Lankard, Oklahoma City

Lolly Anderson writes as she is, positive, uplifting, and always with an eye on the future. To most of us, the difficult times in her life would have been crippling, but Lolly always expects good to come from challenges. This is a book that gives you hope, and is a romping good read.

Forget harry potter, forget politics, this is your time to evolve!
This book will change your life and set you free. You'll be able to see the reality as you want it to be not as they want it to impose it on you!
It's time to escape from our own-made prison, it's time to wake up and use our eyes for our very first time!

We give and receive love, unconditionally to EVERYONE, we are ONE, WE ARE GOD!

"I am me, I am free" is an outstanding book that will rattle your belief system, drop kick your social and religious dogma, but nurture you with a new perspective on the world.

Whether you take his teachings as gospel or continue to exist in this matrix, the book will leave its mark on your conscious. You will not be able to see the world the same again.

The above is the subtitle of the book and exactly what the book is about. "Robots", the name first brought to the world by Czech writer Karel Capek. Robots represent the herd mentality of the human race as mentioned in the first chapter: "The nail that stands out from the rest is the first one to be hit." Add a little bit of religion, "We still believe too much and think too little" and politics, "Humanity has given its mind away and allowed the few to run the show", corruption in governments, exploitation of millions by financial institutions, indoctrination of kids, child abuse, mind control, and you get the picture.

You may not agree with everything, but I assure you that you will see eye to eye with a lot of things David Icke says. The book is an "early" Icke, circa 1996. It was written during the period when the author was still SEEKING the answers (today, he KNOWS them). Some of the past reviews dealt with subjects that might be considered either "extreme" (shapeshifting reptilians controlling the world; world leaders - including former Canadian prime minister Pierre E. Trudeau - killing, torturing and raping human slaves), or "personal point of view" (extra-marital sexual relationships flooding us with new knowledge and energy that allows us to evolve to a higher-level of consciousness). A subject I would consider as "radical" deals with AIDS (claims re HIV/AIDS transmission are nothing but lies). Could any (alternative) doctor or healer out there read and comment on this?

By the way, Mr. Trudeau had the privilege to share his bed with the world's most beautiful and distinguished women (Leona Boyd, Barbara Streisand and Karen Kain among others), had a 30-years younger charming wife and had to chase women away so he could get at least a few hours of sleep every week. Why the heck would he be interested in a hamburger when he had steak in his own bedroom?

The book is brilliantly written, both in form and substance. What is absolutely amazing is the clarity and openness with which the author presents his view of the world. He doesn't want to please anybody. He doesn't want to convince or convert anybody. He doesn't camouflage his thoughts and words. That is very rare, indeed, in today's society where people turn off their cellphones, switch off the lights and shut the doors when they want to talk about the world. My compliments to his courage and honesty. "I am me I am free" is a mind-opening and thought-provoking read for those who want to see another point of view.

Unique, articulate and lovable David Icke is successfully searching for truth and knowledge and has fantastic gifts of wit and humor, openness and honesty. It is PURE PLEASURE to read his books, watch and hear him talk. Doesn't matter how much you agree with him, he WILL enrich and inspire your life!!

The Information in this book is simple and yet extraordinarly powerful insightful and lifechanging but only if your willing to put the information into practice. you must read this book with an open mind!!true happyness is within ourselves not any Relegious dogma or whatever society has forced down our throats!!Mr.Icke teaches us to be different to be ourselves.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BOOK!!!

This product was shipped to me quickly and was in good shape when it arrived.

As a digital citizen and knowledge worker, I found this book valuable in explaining how, more than ever, corporations and their executives are being held more accountable by the public. And because information is instantaneous due to the internet, this book advises that corporations should have transparency plans built into their organizational strategies, lest they fall victim to bad press at some point. What is surprising, is unlike what companies want people to think, the average worker is now more empowered then ever to make companies have more integrity. The book also provides suggestions to planning around transparency and they site the companies who have come back after bad press. This book is complimentary to the books written by Peter Drucker and by John C. Bogle. Excellent!

This is from my blog (which is why it is written this way)

On the Flight to Fremont, I read "The Naked Corporation - How the age of transparency will revolutionize business". You likely think I must have issues since I always read about "naked" (Like "Naked Conversations") but don't worry - its not like that. In this age of Search Engine Optimization, I wonder if the authors thought they might get more hits but that is another topic.

The Naked Corporation talks about the transparency needed in todays post Enron, post Worldcom environment. The basic thesis of the book is that this transparency is good. I agree. It talks about the benefits to the company for being transparent and how it saves money and builds support for the company.

If I have a counter view, it is not to transparency it is to Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) which attempts to legislate ethics and in doing so imparts a huge cost and overhead which ironically might hurt the very shareholders they seek to protect. In some cases, SOX is like buying a safe for $1000 to protect $500 worth of valuables.

The book actually did make the point that often companies are not transparent because the law requires them to complicate things. Just look at the filings and annual reports of many companies. Warren Buffet says "you should be able to understand the financial statements of a company in a few minutes".

One part of the book I found interesting was the story of poor ethics and no transparency at Chiquita Bananas. Fortunately, they have moved to high transparency and appear to have mended their ways. (Fortunate because I like bananas).

One quote which I love (and will use) is by Warren Buffet "If you lose dollars for the firm by bad decisions, I will be very understanding. If you lose reputation for the firm, I will be ruthless." I have believed for a long time the reputation is far more important than money. I like many of Warren Buffets' philosophies and in a article some years ago, EMJ was cited as being a perfect Warren Buffet company. I am not sure when it comes to ethics though that selling sugar water (Coke - on of Warren Buffets' companies) would count as good ethics. So as with everything, I need to filter what I like about someone from what I do not. Learn from the good.

Authors Don Tapscott and David Ticoll examine the managerial implications of the age of transparency. Now that the Internet has enabled employees, suppliers, consumers, gadflies, critics and casual lookers to get and swap previously confidential information about companies, the business environment will never be its old self again. Companies have no confidentiality, no privacy and no way to dodge the truth. Those with nowhere to hide must to get accustomed to life in the open. It's not so bad. But to prosper in this wide-open world, managers need to understand that the new way of life has different demands than the old one. Although many of this book's recommendations have become fairly well known, we find plenty of insights that remain fresh and worth reading.

This is a very good book which has opened my eyes into looking for companies that are honest and transparent with their customers, shareholders and employees. This book calls companies to stop hidding behind secrets that destroy corporations (Enron and others) and start being transparent, by providing informaiton to your customers, shareholders and employees. Companies need to show that they are responsible to the environment, to their stakeholders and other corporations. This book is calling companies to be ethical in their daily transactions and gives example after example of corporations who have fallen because they tried to hide the truth. This book shows that we need strong ethical people to run todays corporations and we as investors need to reward companies who are starting to become transparent. At the same time we need to punish companies who are not taking responsibility for their actions and wrong doings. This book also points out that most investors are blind with their investments and don't even realize what their largest investment is invested in (for most people their largest investment is their pension plan, and I admit I don't know what mine is invested in). This is a very good book and has opened my eyes to at least see what's going on out there and provided me with the tools to do some research and make sure I reward companies that are making an effort to save our environment and be honest with employee's, investors, stakeholders, and customers. The one question I have is are we raising a generation that will be able to have the
qualities needed to run the corporations of tomorrow... Great book...

First off, don't let the generic "self-helpy" cover and title of this book turn you off. This is one of the better parenting books I've read this year. It's extremely well written and engaging with endless amounts of useful tips and food for thought. The author is not just a PhD, but also an experienced parent who has clearly spent ample professional and personal time working with kids of all ages.

I completely agree with his premise that:
1) parenting isn't easy and certainly isn't (and shouldn't) always be fun
2) the most successful parents are those who work hard to remain flexible, open, and calm
3) we owe it to our kids to set appropriate boundaries and enforce those boundaries consistently
4) rules are not "one size fits all" but should be tailored to fit not just the child's age but also the child's individual needs and personality
5) the judicious use of "no" with your child -- while it may produce some acting out in the short term -- will eventually pay off for your entire family (and, dare I say it, society) in the long term

Why four stars? As a parent who is very focused on my young child's nutrition, I was surprised this author recommended witholding meals from toddler/preschool age children who refuse to eat/finish lunch or dinner. While I think this is a valid technique to use with older kids, the fact is toddlers a) are natural grazers and not likely to eat everything put in front of them for the "big" meals of the day and more importantly b) have smaller stomachs, higher levels of energy, and are prone to low blood sugar and therefore should eat at least every two to four hours a day. I totally get how important it is to teach your children that their choices can either lead to a positive or negative outcome. But I personally don't feel witholding food is the way to go at this age. Should you withold desserts and treats? Totally! But don't send a toddler to bed hungry -- look for alternative food sources (fruit, carrots, crackers) to ensure they aren't sleeping on an empty stomach.

Aside from the one negative, and regardless of what your personal parenting style is (laid back, strict, etc), I recommend you do yourself and your kid(s) a favor and get your hands on this book. Chances are it will either confirm that you've been doing the right thing all along (and provide some additional tools) or give you the wake-up call you need to get your family back on track.

A great book for parents, children, brothers and sisters alike. Fantastic insight to society settling for mediocrity and allowing the "inmates" to run the asylum. Many of our parents used to say, "No, because you don't get everything you want, and that's just tough." But we find ourselves saying, "Maybe" or "Next time". If we REALLY want to see young people in our society excel saying "No" is a great place to start.

Generally insightful and helpful. The author provides a number of specific examples that are applicable to real-life situations - educators and parents would get a lot from this book, as it's an easy read and practical.

I purchased two copies of this book after seeing Dr Walsh on television. I sent one copy to our daughter, who was expecting our first grandchild, and kept the other for myself, as a refresher course. After reading it, I was so impressed, I decided to get copies for my nieces and nephews, and my adult children who aren't parents yet. Dr Walsh shares the same kind of pragmatic approach to child rearing that my own parents used, but he shows us how to teach "old fashioned" values in the modern world. Every parent should read this book, and grandparents should read it as well. Raising children has always been a tough job, but never before has a parent had so much competition from outside influences. Parents, grandparents and other adult family members need to work as a team, and provide reasonable, but consistent limits.

The first few chapters about the influence of media and advertising, and how they have shaped our culture and values over the last 40 years is very enlightening. They explain a lot about issues we see in the workplace with younger employees.

The primary message of this book is that in the past few decades, there has been a slide in the number of parents who are able to set limits for their children, and that this inability to set limits has led to a generation of children who no longer can control themselves, so it is up to parents to take control again and say "no". When children are able to get everything they want, they lose the ability to set limits for themselves. In addition, Dr. Walsh believes that the role of the media in encouraging a consumer society makes parents jobs even tougher.

This book will be a great support for parents who are considering how to raise their children. In addition, I would recommend this to readers in general. The behavior described applies not only to children, but to many adults that you may see in the workplace as well. You may get some ideas on how to deal with people who can't set limits for themselves. The best method is to teach children when they're young. If you have children, definitely pick up this book. You'll be glad that you did.

Professor McMillan has written an eminently readable book on the markets. He uses short sentences, rarely makes use of technical jargon and has thrown in numerous real world examples. As a reader, you will be surprised with the sheer depth of material that he covers.

It is a real pity that he passed away in March, 2007. Perhaps, if he were alive today and were inclined to update this book, he might have added a chapter on Google and its search/ads market place; maybe, even commented on the recent brouhaha surrounding on "Cap and Trade" systems (which have been installed to reduce carbon emissions but in turn might reduce growth!); and most important to me, he might have thrown in an analysis of the role of speculators in oil markets. But all of this is mere speculation on my part because Professor McMillan is no longer with us.

He spends the first half of the book exclusively on the five aspects that are needed for designing a market. They are:

1. Information must flow smoothly.
2. Competition must be fostered.
3. People who form the market must be honest and stand up to their end of the bargain.
4. Property rights must be protected but not overprotected.
5. Side effects on third parties must be reduced.

I've decided to commit these principles to memory as I design my market simulator.

a fantastic review of the idea, basic history, and pros and cons of market economies. McMillan writes in a very accessable and yet erudite way, and his personal experieces (which he shares) demonstrate his authority on the subject. In looking for a good, basic introduction to macroeconomic ideas this is a helpful read. If you ever encounter leftist or rightist ideologues or a college student who is enticed by communism (a great IDEA, even McMillan agrees), this is a good reference book to silence unfounded criticisms. McMillan is empirical in his reasoning and his potent examples from history and real life are very helpful.

I hope I can express how excited I am about this book. As an economics amateur, I recommend this book to anyone with even a sliver of interest in politics, international development, or contemporary social issues. John McMillan's book, Reinventing the Bazaar, presents in a logical and detailed manner the inner workings of markets: both their strengths and weaknesses. McMillan demonstrates very compellingly the idea that markets and all of their necessary appendages are simply tools used to facilitate efficiency. In his words, "the market system is not an end in itself, but an imperfect means to raise living standards. Markets are not magic, nor are they immoral." Usually the goal is increased economic efficiency and therefore increased standards of living, but those same principles which promote efficiency in markets will increase efficiency almost anywhere they're properly applied.
The key, he explains, is to establish the framework and the rules in such a way that the principles acting through the actions of the market participants can work to create an efficient outcome. It's basic economic theory to state that markets are the best way to coordinate the actions of millions of people, but McMillan explains further. Those essential building blocks of market economies, that is prices, and the pursuit of profit, and competition, are necessarily sustained by a good market design. Good "market design" he explains, entails well defined property rights, the free flow of information, and other critical ingredients. In today's modern and incredibly complex economy, more often then not this requires that the government take some hand in establishing this efficient market design.
One of the most exciting things about this book is that I truly feel it gave me a rational basis on which to judge government policies. If anyone, from the right or left, has any desire to gain a greater grasp of what constitutes good public policy, I recommend they read this book. For example, both China and Russia have privatized in the past several decades but with completely different results; chaos and economic stagnation in Russia while smooth growth in China. The difference is how they implemented their market policies. The same with an example of California's privatization of energy in the 1990s; inefficiency and price gouging because of stupidly designed government policies. McMillan's point is that some things work, and other things don't. The key is to have the right supporting market conditions, either by government policy or by culture, or else the market economy can't work.
Anyways, this book is amazing. Click the button, buy it, read it, ponder it deeply, and walk away with a new perspective on the world around you.

Well organized, very well researched, surprisingly readable prose for an academic, and a well balanced mix of case studies from a wide variety of actual markets and more abstract reflections based in good part on these studies. I'm not giving it the full accolade of 5 stars because of some repetitiousness and a "target audience" problem: most readers will either find themselves reading relatively long passages that teach them nothing new (if they're already well-grounded in microeconomics) or else faced with some concepts that are pretty hard and not adequately taught in this book (if the readers lack any previous study of microeconomics) -- that's a difficult problem to solve, and I don't claim to know a solution, but Professor McMillan hasn't found one either. Nevertheless, I'd recommend the book to all levels of readers, as just about everybody will get many useful notions and ways of thinking from it, and it is, all in all, quite pleasant to read from cover to cover.

I had never expected to give a 5-star review to a book about markets. But this book is a very even-handed description, favoring a case-by-case approach to "market design". Government is neither all bad nor all good, and markets are neither all good nor all bad, in this view. Nor does McMillan wrap markets in the mantles of politics and/or religion, a la Milton Friedman, George Gilder and others. The writing style isn't as felicitous as Tim Harford's "The Undercover Economist", which covers a lot of the same economics theory as this book; nor is this book quite as quick a read. But it has more real-life examples and more intellectual depth overall, while still being very much a popular, non-technical book. Like Harford's book, this one gives orthodox neoclassical economics theory (Arrow-Debreu, equilibrium, supply and demand, and other "Econ 101" stuff) more credence than it merits, but McMillan's pragmatism and professional humility somewhat compensate for this defect. Sadly, John McMillan passed away in March 2007 from cancer while still in his 50s. This book assures us that such a reasonable voice won't vanish completely -- which is lucky for us, since such voices have always been in short supply.