References Books

Dr. Misner does a good job of seperating fact from myth for those who use networking as a means to grow their business. While any business can benefit from networking the application is especially helpful for small companies and entrepreneurs. No one is a greater authority than Dr. Misner on the subject of networking. Whether you are an experienced networker or are just starting to build your network this book is an excellent guide to maximizing your efforts.

The authors of this book are experts in the field of Network Marketing. This is a short read full of information that you can refer to over and over. If you are a network marketer you owe it to yourself to purchase this book for your library.

Plenty of business books unilaterally promote networking as a key to business success: but how many delve into the basics of cultivating a networking relationship for maximum gains? TRUTH OR DELUSION? BUSTING NETWORKING'S BIGGEST MYTHS is key to understanding the pros and cons of networking capabilities - and is also the key to a well-rounded business library. Its chapters different networking truths from delusions, from fallacies in the concept of the Golden Rule to developing the right kind of information networks - which can even include parents. An important key to understanding exactly how and why the networking relationship works - or doesn't.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is a book for relationship marketing or networking for sales. However if you're looking for a broader book on networking in a professional arena then this is not the book for you. I purchased this book thinking the content would cover the later but I was sadly disappointed. Perhaps the term `networking' has other connotations in the US where many of the other reviews were written.

We all have very busy lives and to have a book that will clear up the BIGGEST MYTHS in networking in just 49 points....IT'S GREAT! Taking the quiz and scoring it before you read the book is a MUST! One thing I have learned directly from Dr. Misner is that "you don't know what you don't know!" Do any of us want to be out there networking incorrectly? NO....but what if we dont know if we are doing it right or not? This book is the solution! We can all learn something new, and this book wont let you down! Being involved in BNI and the Referral Institute, it has been great learning from Dr. Misner, Mike Macedonio, and Mike Garrison. This book is a collaboration on items that they teach all the time! It is a GOTTA HAVE IT, GOTTA LIVE IT, GOTTA GIVE IT TO MY NETWORK MEMBERS so they can do the same...type of book. Order it now, and dont forget some for your network too!

This book awakened me to a new concept that is the life of the soul. This book can be a light to human journey in this planet.

This is a follow up book to Grand Master Lee's Best seller book, Healing Society. If you enjoyed the book Healing Society, you're sure to enjoy this book. This book is a must read for those wanting to make a difference, and those who can make a difference. as Dr Lee says, "What we need now is an Earth-encompassing awareness. Loving Earth means that you recognize yourself as a member of the Earth community,". We are all members of Our Earth's community, and it is up to us to protect it.

The time is now for all of us to come forward as one to claim our inheritance of enlightenment. Dr. Lee tells us enlightenment is already ours, we only have to choose it. We need only allow ourself to "deprogram" the old and let in the new information that will heal ourselves, our community, and our society. Dahnhak is one way to activate our choice and learn tools to actualize our inherent enlightenment. This book will bring hope and peace to all.

The Lee's book re-packages the basic teachings of Eastern Mysticism and conveys them to a modern audience. For instance the authors write about a mass spiritual awakening in which humankind finally comprehends the truth -- that "we are all one." This idea of monism has been around for ...well, a long time. In short, there is very little that is 'new' in the Lee's book.

1. The author refer to an energy called "Ki" which they claim is the natural bridge that connects body, mind, and spirit, and is the perfect tool for allowing people to feel and understand the universe's most profound truth. That 'truth' is the idea that everything is one. This they state is the thing, which allows humanity to go beyond current problems into a higher spiritual plane.

2. And it's here that the ideas stumble. Are you having family problems? Are you having work problems? Are you having health problems? The Lee's claim that you are not. You are rather experiencing an illusion. You aren't seeing things correctly. Everything is one. It's all the same. Good and bad circumstances don't exist - just circumstances.

3. See, the book tries to get people to go beyond the categories of ethics. You can't call rape or murder 'bad', because everything is one. The good is the bad and the bad is the good. If everyone would just understand that, then this world would be a better place.

4. However, this isn't ultimately a very satisfying answer. In fact, it's an answer that asks the person to ignore what they know to be true in their heart; that evil is real, the good is real. The Lee's ask their readers to pretend that all is one and to not 'solve' problems, but to see them as not problems at all. This is escapism - It's running from the problem instead of facing it.

5. The Lees ask why this most simple and important truth gone unheeded. For one, it's a very difficult world to live in. It's hard to believe that justice, mercy, hope, love, and goodness and all illusory.

6. The authors sate that the world is in political, religious, economic, and ecological crises of our own making. We need a mass spiritual awakening, in which billions truly realize that we are One. This would transform our world: children wouldn't starve, women wouldn't be brutalized, and young men wouldn't die in battle. I can't agree with their conclusion. People would still starve, and women would still be brutalized, and people would still die in battle, but nobody would care. Why? Because it's all good, because it's all one.

7. The Lees claim that the purpose of life is really no big deal, although people have generally viewed the question, "Why am I here?" as the ultimate in self-exploration. This is true. If someone truly believes all is one, then my life is no more significant than the lives of the bugs on the bumper of my car. The authors teach that we are here on earth in such and such shape, form, and mind to strive for the completion of our spiritual selves, not only as individuals but as the whole. That 'completion' is a recognition that all is one. We are a drop in the bucket. Far from offering hope, this offers hopelessness, and asks that we accept that and come to terms with it.

If you were wondering what you could do to help change the world, then you must read Dr Il chi Lee's new book "The Twelve Enlightenments for Healing Society." Dr Lee's words go straight to the heart and show that with choice, a change in perspective, vision, and action, we can heal society. Give yourself a gift and buy this book, then buy one for someone else. It truly is a gift to the world.

This is a practical straight forward guide to Architecture for the non-architect. Also of use to those interested in building design and architectual history.

Vision is better than a thousand words. This graphic book makes you very easy to understand the architectural vocabulary. Not only good for student but also good for architectural practicer.

My husband bought this book for me when I decided to go back to school to study architecture, and it has turned out to be sooooo helpful. I have used it in every course I've taken; it makes studying for tests so much easier. It has a fabulous index so you can find what you are looking for right away, and the illustrations and page layouts are great. This book is a must for any architecture student. I really can't recommend it highly enough.

As with other materials by Francis D.K.Ching, the illustrations are not only clear and precise but aesthetically pleasing. It is a pleasure to read through the material for a comprehensive understanding of architectural concepts, presented in an historical perspective which clarifies the how and why of modern day building technology. The Visual Dictionary of Architecture
is an invaluable reference for the student and architectural practicioner as well.

This book is really good for architecture students. I do not use the book every day, but when I need it, it proves very usefull. All books from this author that I purchased are really good so far. This one has a lot of details drawings which are great.

This book is an incredible resource for women struggling with depression. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars; I credit it with helping me save my life. The research is current, thorough and on point. It is particularly useful if you have post-partum, are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant. My husband also found it extremely helpful in learning more about my situation. This is absolutely worth the investment because it is a resource you will use time and time again.

I have suffered ppd for the last 1.5 years. It was so bad I had to go on medication and since then had to up my dose. This book has helped me see why this has happened to me and how a person gets depressed in the first place. IT is NON judgemental and also validating but besides that it tells you how to RECOVER! It is a wonderful book. It doesn't leave anything uncovered. I want Valerie Raskin to know THANKYOU for saving my life and my marriage from the demon of ppd. I also got your book This isn't what I Expected and it is a wonderful addition to this one for the PPD sufferer. Big hugs and big thankyou to you Valerie.
You changed my life :)

This was the best book I have ever read on depression.

This book was easy to understand and very helpful. I myself already had some knowledge about depresssion so it was not as useful to me as it would be to most people. I really learned some very interesting new things though. It clearly described the types of depression and how to know the difference. It gave me some new knowledge about hormones and their role-which is KEY. I definetly recommend if you have a relative with depression(like me) or you feel you may be depressed- even if you don't want to admit it (like me.)

I have suffered ppd for the last 1.5 years. It was so bad I had to go on medication and since then had to up my dose. This book has helped me see why this has happened to me and how a person gets depressed in the first place. IT is NON judgemental and also validating but besides that it tells you how to RECOVER! It is a wonderful book. It doesn't leave anything uncovered. I want Valerie Raskin to know THANKYOU for saving my life and my marriage from the demon of ppd. I also got your book This isn't what I Expected and it is a wonderful addition to this one for the PPD sufferer. Big hugs and big thankyou to you Valerie.
You changed my life :)

I purchased this book to help me in reading the Hebrew words and recognition of the letters. Some letters are easily recognized as other than they are. Rabbi Munk's explanations of the stories behind the letters are interesting and helpful in learning some aspects of the Hebrew culture. This is a wonderful book. A "keeper" and good reference.

Very interesting book, full of wisdom and revelations.We highly recommend this book for all those who want to know about Hebrew letters.

I was so impressed with this book I would wake up in the middle of the night and want to read more sections of it. It has given me a strong desire to learn more about the Hebrew alphabet and what relevance it has in understanding the nature of the true Master of the Universe!

This book is very helpul in gaining a personal and deeper understanding of this "creation lanuge." I have found it simply profound - meaning for the complexties it covers, it is put in such a written word that I found it easy to understand and relate to our world of today.

What if you had the chance for all of your dreams, as easy as A-B-C, or should I say A-B-D, to come true? Read above the pages - this book is worth it. If you want to learn Hebrew, this book will give you such a closeness to the letters, the hard parts of learning this language will remove the blockage. If you want greater insight into the secrets of life, and how to make life doable - PURCHASE THIS BOOK! If you are a serious scholar related to this area, read and make this book a part of your library.

I have read 4 or 5 collections of travel adventures and this is by far the cream of the crop. I would gift this to any man or woman who loves to explore. A real treasure.

I bought this book to accompany me on a long trip, and wished I hadn't. The stories are very similar to each other, with platitudes of the 'my eyes met with the old woman in the rice paddy, and something wordless was exchanged' variety. I know there are better examples out there: why couldn't the editor find them?

This book is amazing. With a full-time job and a toddler, I need a book I can pick up and read a little at a time. I found myself thinking about this book all day and pouring through it each night. I love to travel, but haven't been able too as much as I'd like in recent years. This book not only makes me feel as though I've been on an adventure - several! - but it has inspired me to make mental notes of where I will be off to on my next trip. The great thing about the stories is the feeling that with a little motivation, any reader could be the next to take a trip and write a story. A great pick-me-up, there's-so-much-out-there-to-experience, carpe-diem, kick-in-the-patooty book! I highly recommend it.

In a hurry, I pulled this gem off the shelf and took it to work for lunch time adventures. Inside of a page I realized I'd read it a couple of years ago, but I never turned back. Bond collected no near misses; every story in this volume is outstanding. Its full of longing, rough and tumble, sensitive bonding, self-realization, hilarious mix-ups, reality checkpoints, stark terror and pain, transcendance, and pride of achievement--all crammed into a heavy volume you don't want to end. Read it. Read it again.

Ride a horse through China. Trek in Nepal. Ride on the back of a motorcycle from California to Northeast Canada. These women are adventurous... yet are normal women with real fears. After reading this book you'll have the courage to be more independent and challenge-seeking. The stories range from the thrill-seekers (think African safari) to conservative travellers (such as going to Gatlinburg for a weekend with the girls)...but illustrates that stepping out of your comfort zone means different things to different women. It's the effort that counts.

If you have toyed with the idea of someday becoming a writer, this book will encourage you to pursue it. Many of us doubt that we can write; Pat Schneider convinces you that you already are a writer. Whether for pleasure or for publication anyone can write. This does not, however, diminish those with extensive formal educations in writing. She means to say that anyone with the ability to take pen in hand can relay information from their heads to the paper. She does not promise a career in publishing or that others with enjoy your writing; she merely strengthens your confidence in your ability to articulate your thoughts in a physical form.
This book is the text for a my college-level writing class. The encouragement in the first chapters has everyone in the class excited about writing and anxious to get started on our projects. Some of my classmates and I have even spoke of planning a trip to Pat Schneider's home town to attend one of her workshops.
I would recommend it, however, for anyone with an interest in expressing themselves in written form. Whether you want to document your family oral history or someday publish a novel, you will find something here to help you along the way.

I'm 50+, with education in creative writing. I've written privately and with others most of my life. Pat is the teacher for whom I've been waiting. Her voice and style are empowering. Her ability to cast light on creativity and how we teeter between fiction and non, is among the clearest I've read - balancing craft with magic. Her practical advice is just what I was looking for in leading writing groups - she is honest and approachable.

If you are a writer, a prospective writing group leader, or are interested in joining a writing group, do yourself the kindness of buying and reading this book by the founder of the AWA method. I have read many books on writing over the last couple of years, including all of Natalie Goldberg's and If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland, and have found Schneider to be an unparalelled treasure trove of wisdom, gentleness, and practical advice. She speaks from many years worth of experience with writing, leading writing groups, and helping underpriveleged people find their voices in writing. She is inspirational and is the most trustworthy teacher of writing I've come across so far. She is also a excellent writer and poet herself.
In the first section of this wonderful book she gives advice to the writer writing alone, including lucid chapters on dealing with fear and maintaining discipline, and practical advice about exactly how to start and keep on writing-- what to do when you put your pen to the page-- that other books rarely give. In the second section she deals with writing groups, and the ethics of maintaining safety within those groups. Even if you are a solitary writer, this section is enlightening and moving, and if you are a writing group leader, or hope to be one, or are thinking of joining a writing group, this section is invaluable. She also discusses at length writing groups focused on empowering the underpriveleged; I found this information eye-opening and incredibly moving. In the final section she offers scores of writing practice exercises developed through countless writing group sessions. These are exercises relevant to all levels of experience in writing, which can be used for the solitary writer or in a writing group.
This book is a must-have for any dedicated writer, and Pat Schneider joins Julia Cameron, Natalie Goldberg, Brenda Ueland, Anne Lamott, Susan G. Wooldridge, Annie Dillard, and Virginia Woolf as an essential and luminous writing guide.

It was only two or three pages into the introduction of this book before I realized that Pat Schneider had given me the one book on writing I had looked for my entire life.

The great barrier between each of us and our own unique genius is fear. Writing -- at least deep, personal writing -- results from a direct confrontation with that fear. Some writers abandon their genius for fear of the pain of introspection. Others develop the courage to face themselves and move forward. Genius can flourish within an incubator of safety, self-confidence, focus, and practice. A nurturing environment allows some the freedom to take greater risks and plumb greater depths of personal understanding than those trapped within the cycle of their own fears.

By perfectly articulating the unspoken dread that many writers face when they seat themselves before the empty page, Schneider puts a face on the unseen enemy -- the writer him- or herself -- and allows one to move forward and deal with issues that otherwise may remain unidentified. Schneider demonstrates how to confront these scenarios not only to the solitary writer, but within the group workshop experience as well. As someone who has participated in workshops AND faced the terror of "alone," I can attest that her book can touch in a single sitting what sometimes years of therapy fails to unmask.

As theraputic as the book may be for one's writing, it may or may not be a therapy for the writer. As Schneider says in her book, "Whether or not writing heals the writer is irrelevant. What matters is the power of the work itself." This book is about writing and resolution, not about self-healing, though often the two go hand-in-hand.

This book should become a staple for all high school or university creative writing classes or for any writing class -- fiction or no -- that aims to put the writer in touch with his inner voice. In the beginning each of us brings so much unnecessary baggage to the pen or to the keyboard. And there is so much to regret for the needless time we lose in learning to know ourselves. Let's get on with it.

I teach several writing teleclasses and teleseminars and workshops and I am always on the look out for writing books which will both serve me as a writer and as a facilitator AND will serve my students.

"Writing Alone and With Others" by Pat Schneider does that and more.

Schneider's tone is a perfect blend of the business of writing and the sacredness of writing and the individuality of each writer.

She writes of genius within each writer - and she goes further to say "Genius needs a lifetime of dedicated practice." In this book one would certainly find a companion to nurture that dedicated practice with such a wide variety of writing exercises that anyone and everyone would find gold.

My favorite chapters include: Chapter 3: Toward a Disciplined Writing Life and Chapter 7: Growing as a Writer. I had really looked forward to hearing Schneider's take in Chapter 9: The Ethical Questions: Spirituality, Privacy and Politics. I wasn't sure why or how Spirituality fit into that equation, and I still don't after reading the chapter.

In re-reading it, I see how Schneider speaks of "ethical questions in writing will of necessity touch our most primal spiritual orientation" so seeing that, perhaps the chapter would have been better titled differently. Even so, it doesn't detract from the content of the book, it is simply a moment of saying "Hmmm. That is interesting. I wonder what is up with that?"

I can not recommend this book highly enough for all writers at all stages of creative growth. It is expansive and expanding, intriguing and evocative. It is bound to become a classic - if the writers of the future are especially blessed..

Easy to read and easy to apply. I have a whole new thought process for copy on our website and brochures. This is a can't miss book for rookies!

This book is for a non-writer who needs to write advertising or marketing for his company.

The material is comprehensive and includes many good tips. A couple things to note--

1. The focus is on style and construction of materials (e.g., how to put together a direct mail piece), not on grammar, style, and construction of words.

2. Most of the book covers B2C marketing, not B2B.

All the advice is tried-and-true. If you follow it, you can't go wrong.

Kranz opens with a brief and witty definition of copywriting: "[it] attempts to persuade you to do or believe something-usually in regard to the surrender of your cash," then he launches into an explanation of the different things copy can do-everything from direct mail to branding to sales support; an explanation of "the basics" that is exactly that; and a truly step-by-step guide to writing sales letters and brochures.

Sidebars chip in along the way, occasionally offering a true gem, like the real difference between website headlines and their printed counterparts. And Kranz tells you why you should never waste your time and effort on a MISSION STATEMENT.

Based on the number of notes in the margins of my copy, I've found the chapters on websites, collateral, problem solving and "looking for ideas" the most helpful. Kranz also gives a detailed breakdown of what goes into a direct mail package, that should be enough to get any beginning mailer off to a promising start.

There are many books written about copywriting, that are aimed at business owners or the unfortunate folks who get stuck writing copy for their company because they once correctly used "presume" in an email. The nice thing about this one-and "nice" is a good word, because Jonathan Kranz is nothing if not a nice guy-is that it's a book about copywriting that doesn't assume non-copywriters know all the copywriting jargon and secrets. It takes its "For Dummies" title seriously, and that's a good thing.

I bought this book for a good friend of mine, a skilled creative writer, but with little experience in writing professional copy. Like most creative types, he was looking for a job to support his writing and other artistic habits. With the help of Kranz's book, he was able to land a well-paying job that makes use of his talents, suitably focused by the advice in Writing Copy for Dummies. If proof of the pudding is in the paycheck, I can vouch for the effectiveness of this author's approach and suggestions for aspiring professional writers.

I've been a copywriter for 14 years, most of the time as a freelancer. I've also been a senior copywriter for an advertising agency and worked in the creative department for a major newspaper.

This is the first book on copywriting I've bought in several years, and I'm now the newest fan of Jonathan Kranz's "Writing Copy for Dummies." Mr. Kranz has written an excellent book for the novice or pro, providing a complete, common-sense guide that covers the full range of marketing communications (including PR). Whether business-to-consumer or business-to-business, direct-response or branding, print or online, for-profit or non-profit, it's all there in an engaging writing style and easy-to-digest format.

After being in the freelance trenches for many years, I know how far-flung assignments can be. It's invaluable to have an all-encompassing reference to reach for when I need knowledge in non-specialty areas. In fact, just last Friday I reviewed parts of Chapter 17 in preparation for a fundraising project with a major university.

Some of the material might be a refresher for veteran marketers. As for me, I'm glad to benefit from a fellow pro's perspective on marketing and copywriting topics. As I told Jonathan via email, "I'm glad you took the time to write this book."

If you are interested in the history of the International Left in the first half of the 20th century or are a militant trying to understand some of the past lessons of our history concerning the communist response to various social and labor questions this book is for you. I have reviewed elsewhere Trotsky's writings published under the title The Left Opposition, 1923-1929 (in three volumes) dealing with Trotsky's internal political struggles for power inside the Russian Communist Party (and by extension, the political struggles inside the Communist International) in order to save the Russian Revolution. This book is part of a continuing series of volumes in English of his writings from his various points of external exile from 1929 up until his death in 1940. These volumes were published by the organization that James P. Cannon, early American Communist Party and later Trotskyist leader founded, the Socialist Workers Party, during the 1970's and 1980's. (Cannon's writings in support of Trotsky's work are reviewed elsewhere in this space). Look in the see all my reviews aection in this space for other related reviews on and by this important world communist leader.

After the political defeat of the various Trotsky-led Left Oppositions 1923 to 1929 by Stalin and his state and party bureaucracy he nevertheless found it far too dangerous to keep Trotsky in Moscow. He therefore had Trotsky placed in internal exile at Ata Alma in the Soviet Far East in 1928. Even that turned out to be too much for Stalin's tastes and in 1929 he arranged for the external exile of Trotsky to Turkey. Although Stalin probably rued the day that he did it this exile was the first of a number of places which Trotsky found himself in external exile. Other places included, France, Norway and, finally, Mexico where he was assassinated by a Stalinist agent in 1940. As these volumes, and many others from this period attest to, Trotsky continued to write on behalf of a revolutionary perspective. Damn, did he write. Some, including a few of his biographers, have argued that he should have given up the struggle, retired to who knows where, and acted the role of proper bourgeois writer or professor. Please! These volumes scream out against such a fate, despite the long odds against him and his efforts on behalf of international socialist revolution. Remember this is a revolutionary who had been through more exiles and prisons than one can count easily, held various positions of power and authority in the Soviet state and given the vicissitudes of his life could reasonably expect to return to power with a new revolutionary upsurge. Personally, I think Trotsky liked and was driven harder by the long odds.

The political prospects for socialist revolution in the period under discussion were, to say the least, rather bleak, or ultimately turned out that way. The post-World War I revolutionary upsurge has dissipated leaving Soviet Russia isolated. Various other promising revolutionary situations, most notably the aborted German revolution of 1923 that would have gone a long way to saving the Russian Revolution, had come to nought. In the period under discussion there is a real sense of defensiveness about the prospects for revolutionary change. The specter of fascism loomed heavily and we know at what cost to the international working class. The capitulation to fascism by the German Communist and Social Democratic Parties in 1933, the defeat of the heroic Austrian working class in 1934, the defeat in Spain in 1939, and the outlines of the impending Second World War colored all political prospects, not the least Trotsky's.

Organizationally, Trotsky developed two tactical orientations. The first was a continuation of the policy of the Left Opposition during the 1920's. The International Left Opposition as it cohered in 1930 still acted as an external and unjustly expelled faction of the official Communist parties and of the Communist International and oriented itself to winning militants from those organizations. After the debacle in Germany in 1933 a call for new national parties and a new, fourth, international became the organizational focus. Many of the volumes here contain letters, circulars, and manifestos around these orientations. The daunting struggle to create an international cadre and to gain some sort of mass base animate many of the writings collected in this series. Many of these pieces show Trotsky's unbending determination to make a breakthrough. That these effort were, ultimately, militarily defeated during the course of World War Two does not take away from the grandeur of the efforts. Hats off to Leon Trotsky.

As to the 1929-33 Supplement the reviewer recommends a careful reading of the following articles: Tactics in the USSR (on how the opposition should conduct its propaganda campaign toward the rank and file of the Russian Communist Party); Prospects of the Communist League of America (on the internal difficulties facing the leadership and how to keep it from wreaking the fragile organization in the `dog days' of its existence), Andreas Nin and Victor Serge (notes on two key Left Oppositionists who would later break ranks with Trotsky): On an Entry into the SAP (an important organizational article on the tactics of revolutionary regroupment with forces moving to the left of the Socialist and Communist Parties in Germany); and Trouble in the French Section (how the personal squabbles of a propaganda group paralyze a small organization).

The years 1936-37 were decisive in the struggles of working people to defeat fascism and prevent the holocaust that was called World War II.The Great Depression was devasting the working people round the world. In this book, the co-leader with Lenin of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, Leon Trotsky, exposes the Moscow witch hunt trials, through which the bureaucrat-dictator Stalin ( NOT a communist ! ) began the process of the final rubbing out of communist opposition to his regime. The civil war in Spain raged and was in its crucial phase: would the workers and peasants of Spain defeat the fascists through revolutionary means or would the coalition of liberals, "democratic" socialists ( read: pro-capitalist "socialists" ), Stalinists, and sadly, anarchist leaders who sold themselves and their powerful unions to the reform-ist coalition - the Popular Front-open the gates to the fascists, making World War II inevitable ? How could working people help out the fight of the Chinese people against in Japanese invasion of 1937: the opening guns of World War II? How to build a revolutionary leadership, both in the countries mentioned above, around the world, and in the U.S. itself? In this valuable book and two others-"The Spanish Revolution" and "Leon Trotsky on China", also published by Pathfinder Press, the great revolutionist poses these question and attempts to answer them in terms of action. As world capitalism sinks into a new depression, and as world imperialism, Yankee imperialism in the first rank, drives us working people towards fascism and a new world war, those who fight for a new and human world in the streets and on the strike picket lines need this book BAD.

This volume begins with Trotsky's writing on board the ship Ruth the Norwegian government used to deport him to Mexico. His "In Socialist Norway," is a humorous well-written account of how the Social Democrats who ruled Norway in the thirties, buckled under to the pressure of native fascists and Stalin to first restrict Trotsky's right to defend himself against the slanders of the Moscow trials, and then placed him under house arrest until he was invited to Mexico. I found his analysis of Kamenev, Zinoviev, and Stalin himself, in his articles written in Mexico explaining the Moscow trials to be interesting studies in how personal character is a factor in revolutionary leadership and retreat from that leadership. Also very interesting is the correspondence and proposals Trotsky wrote around building the commission led by American philosopher John Dewey that investigated the Moscow trials. As always with all of the Trotsky Writings Volumes, there is a week-to-week, sometimes day-by-day, chronicle of world events, and of Trotsky's struggle to build a revolutionary movement.

This is one of a 14-volume series of writings by Leon Trotsky, who along with V.I. Lenin was a central leader of the 1917 Russian Revolution. These volumes cover the years 1929-1940, when Trotsky led the political fight world-wide to maintain the continuity of Bolshevik's revolutionary perspective and leadership against the reactionary policies imposed by the Stalinist regime in the Soviet Union. Reading Trotsky carefully, one can learn a lot about history and about today's world, as well as how to apply Marxist methods to orient oneself for working-class political action.

This volume includes more than 100 articles and letters. They cover topics ranging from the economic depression and the rising inter-imperialist tensions leading to World War II, to the Stalinist frame-up trials in the Soviet Union, the Spanish Civil War, and detailed leadership questions posed in workers movements in different countries at the time. These volumes are lively, pointed and have extensive notes and chronologies to aid the reader today.

I'd also recommend some other titles written by Trotsky at this time, including The History of the Russian Revolution, The Fight Against Fascism in Germany, Trade Unions in the Epoch of Imperialist Decay, and The Transitional Program for Socialist Revolution, all available from the same publisher, Pathfinder Press.

If you are interested in the history of the International Left in the first half of the 20th century or are a militant trying to understand some of the past lessons of our history concerning the communist response to various social and labor questions this book is for you. I have reviewed elsewhere Trotsky's writings published under the title The Left Opposition, 1923-1929 (in three volumes) dealing with Trotsky's internal political struggles for power inside the Russian Communist Party (and by extension, the political struggles inside the Communist International) in order to save the Russian Revolution. This book is part of a continuing series of volumes in English of his writings from his various points of external exile from 1929 up until his death in 1940. These volumes were published by the organization that James P. Cannon, early American Communist Party and later Trotskyist leader founded, the Socialist Workers Party, during the 1970's and 1980's. (Cannon's writings in support of Trotsky's work are reviewed elsewhere in this space). Look in the archives in this space for other related reviews on and by this important world communist leader.


After the political defeat of the various Trotsky-led Left Oppositions 1923 to 1929 by Stalin and his state and party bureaucracy he nevertheless found it far too dangerous to keep Trotsky in Moscow. He therefore had Trotsky placed in internal exile at Ata Alma in the Soviet Far East in 1928. Even that turned out to be too much for Stalin's tastes and in 1929 he arranged for the external exile of Trotsky to Turkey. Although Stalin probably rued the day that he did it this exile was the first of a number of places which Trotsky found himself in external exile. Other places included, France, Norway and, finally, Mexico where he was assassinated by a Stalinist agent in 1940. As these volumes, and many others from this period attest to, Trotsky continued to write on behalf of a revolutionary perspective. Damn, did he write. Some, including a few of his biographers, have argued that he should have given up the struggle, retired to who knows where, and acted the role of proper bourgeois writer or professor. Please! These volumes scream out against such a fate, despite the long odds against him and his efforts on behalf of international socialist revolution. Remember this is a revolutionary who had been through more exiles and prisons than one can count easily, held various positions of power and authority in the Soviet state and given the vicissitudes of his life could reasonably expect to return to power with a new revolutionary upsurge. Personally, I think Trotsky liked and was driven harder by the long odds.

The political prospects for socialist revolution in the period under discussion are, to say the least, rather bleak, or ultimately turned out that way. The post-World War I revolutionary upsurge has dissipated leaving Soviet Russia isolated. Various other promising revolutionary situations, most notably the aborted German revolution of 1923 that would have gone a long way to saving the Russian Revolution, had come to nought. In the period under discussion there is a real sense of defensiveness about the prospects for revolutionary change. The specter of fascism loomed heavily and we know at what cost to the international working class. The capitulation to fascism by the German Communist and Social Democratic Parties in 1933, the defeat of the heroic Austrian working class in 1934, the defeat in Spain in 1939, and the outlines of the impending Second World War colored all political prospects, not the least Trotsky's.

Organizationally, Trotsky developed two tactical orientations. The first was a continuation of the policy of the Left Opposition during the 1920's. The International Left Opposition as it cohered in 1930 still acted as an external and unjustly expelled faction of the official Communist parties and of the Communist International and oriented itself to winning militants from those organizations. After the debacle in Germany in 1933 a call for new national parties and a new, fourth, international became the organizational focus. Many of the volumes here contain letters, circulars, and manifestos around these orientations. The daunting struggle to create an international cadre and to gain some sort of mass base animate many of the writings collected in this series. Many of these pieces show Trotsky's unbending determination to make a breakthrough. That these effort were, ultimately, militarily defeated during the course of World War Two does not take away from the grandeur of the efforts. Hats off to Leon Trotsky.

I am a perpetual beginner but I have enjoyed the benefits of yoga for years. Most of my yoga books and manuals show postures and sequences but they don't give me enough context to quickly or easily understand which asanas or sequences I should focus on. Since I am have little time...I don't like to work to hard figuring out what to do. This is the first guide that makes it quick and easy to decide what I want to do. It is smartly organized with its anatomical/chakra color-coding, anatomy reference and super easy fan format for scanning postures and stuffing into a briefcase or pocket.

I am keeping my other books for reading, but this is the guide I always take with me for my active practice...

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I've found the Yoga Fan to be a great tool for my individual practice. Developing my home practice is an integral part of my yoga practice, however left to my own devices it's easy enough for me to reinvent poses and confuse or lose sequences; having the Yogi Fan is like having a Yogi in my pocket to guide me.
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