Communications Books

Bruce Harrison is the foremost authority in environmental communications. His counsel is excellent from years of experience with corporate clients. I have known of his counseling and his speeches on the key subjects. He knows what works. When it requires advice on climate change, sustainability, corporate greening, or communication strategies, he is the best expert and his book is well worth reading for any communicator. It will remain on my shelve, providing the best answers to our extensive problems that we face creating a sustainable environmental strategy.

In an engaging, readable style, this book explores corporate greening from the standpoint of a communicator. At first I was dubious, thinking that starting with the science of climate change would be more sensible. But communications-first turns out to be a powerful way to grapple with these issues. Bruce Harrison has the wisdom and experience to make the most of this approach. (Full disclosure: Bruce is a colleague in this field.)

What's even better, Harrison puts the evolution of corporate sustainability efforts into a persuasive historical context. After absorbing this book, readers will have a much better grasp of why trends are unfolding along their current path. He writes with a solid sense of history that blends his personal experience, information gleaned from a lifetime in the field, as well as some valuable empirical research about corporate greening.

He also links these climate change themes with corporate social responsibility and the general practice of corporate communications. He connects time-tested communications strategies and tactics with the specific needs of business greening, and does so in detail. He cites examples from his own business practice as well as others, plus the activities of NGOs, as well as doings at international events. Quite convincingly, he shows the dangers of overpromising, and the long-term value for all stakeholders of transparency and commitment a green agenda. He stresses that companies must foster trust among all their stakeholders, and that the bar keeps rising for what counts as credible green business.

Sometimes Harrison sounds a little too optimistic, as if it's all onward and upward with sustainability, with few serious obstacles. But that's a quibble. Harrison is quite sober and realistic about the challenges of running a green business and the dangers of greenwashing your corporate performance - or even appearing to greenwash.

For Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, CSR and SRI executives, I highly recommend Corporate Greening 2.0. Whether you want to get the latest pulse on views of global warming, sustainability, climate change, carbon emmissions trading, or simply want a better understanding of this topical issue (Just what is Being Green mean for a company?) -- by one of the great Public Relations communicators, you should get a lot out from this, the second book/loose follow-up to "Going Green" by Harrison. I have to say that this book really made me think ... it helped me to clarify my own views on the subject. Harrison has a special ability to clearly and succinctly address the points that go right to the heart of an issue --- he neither "dumbs down" the text nor goes into the clouds with overly complex theory or mathematical models. I liked the fact that I could just pick up the book and read a chapter while sitting on the train. It will definitely be a reference tool on my office bookshelf.

This eagerly awaited book does not disappoint. In it, the author draws on his unsurpassed experience as an advisor on environmental issues to corporate senior executives. His advice, as in his earlier book Going Green, is judicious and nuanced. He sets forth a series of principles for companies to use in managing their response to the complex issue of climate change. Corporate executives, particularly those overseeing corporate communications and public affairs functions, will find much to hearten them as they seek to counsel senior management on a strategy that will build the relationships and positioning needed for future survivability and success.

Full disclosure: I have known and worked alongside Bruce Harrison for a decade, and I know from firsthand experience how highly his insights are valued by organizations who are seeking to stay ahead of the curve on environmental strategy. His wisdom, which has enabled many companies to turn potential perceptual liabilities into significant marketplace assets, is on full display here.

There are few practitioners in corporate sustainability with the experience and vision of E. Bruce Harrison. His new book, Corporate Greening 2.0, reveals the DNA code of companies' sustainability strategies worldwide, providing a clear blueprint for what can be done and a comprehensive overview of what has been done to wrestle the global warming beast. Harrison asserts that the future of carbonomics -- managing cost and revenue factors related to climate change -- will introduce a complex balance of corporate responsibility, government participation, and global market implications. Corporate Greening 2.0 defines how through sustainability communication tomorrow's leading corporations will gain advantages in winning the carbon neutrality war in the hearts, minds and trust of their stakeholders. This new book is a C-suite handbook for how to manage tomorrow's carbon wars, and should be required reading for anyone navigating the changing winds of social, political and economic realities.

I think dthe book is great. It has wonderful ideas and great teaching methods. Its a fine teaching tool and it a great project to work with.

This is an excellent book. The tools and origantially of it is amazing. If you are a teacher and are looking for a group project to do with other teachers, get this book.

B.Harris, R.Kiel, and K.Kohlmeier are my current english, science, and history teachers. When we did the crime scene, it was a great learning experiance and a great way to find out what lawyers and jury members REALLY go through. I really enjoyed doing this project. We took fiber samples, hair fibers, fingerprints, shoeprints and analized them in science. We wrote out the reports in english, and in history we recived our jobs from Kris Kohlmeier. I was a Defense Attorney. We had about two weeks to prepare for the real trial. It was really fun, but everyone was really nervous. I thought it was fun that they filmed us and that we had a real jury. My favorite part was when we found out the final verdict(even though 2 of our 3 clients were guily). But it was still fun! Over all I had a blast doing this and I learned alot!! I am really glad my teachers wrote this book, so other teachers can read it and teach other students, and give them the same experiance that I have recived. Student from Wilson Middle School, Windsor castle Brittany Cuen

B.Harris, R.Kiel, and K.Kohlmeier are my current English,Science, and History teachers. When our class did the crime scene investigation we picked jobs and wrote out an application to see if we were qualified. I wanted to be a prosecuting criminolgist and I made it....this project was fun, exciting, and about the real world. I enjoyed doing this because we not only had fun but did learn something as well. Kathy Baroutgian-pupil of Wilson Middle School.

It was a pleasure not just to read but also to be in the audinance. I think all of the teacher did a great job. Not only did the kids learn but they found out how the system works. We can look forward to alot of great kids when teachers like these go out of their way not just teach but make things almost life like.

It is vital we form mutual understandings between cultures so that stereotypes and prejudice don't start cultural conflicts. Cross-Cultural Communication has helped me in my way of thinking. I am more conscious now of other cultures than I have ever been before. My interaction with others will change gradually as I attempt to work successfully with different people. I will need these skills especially when I leave Tennessee State University and have to work in a multicultural setting or organization.

I would highly recommend this book to any student who is seeking a great source of knowledge in the communication area. Dr. Norales is obviously an expert in the field and delves into the issues by using her knowledge as well as other experts in the communication field. I hope she continues to assign this text to her future classes at Tennessee State University as I feel it will be a benefit to all who read it.

This book proved to be a thorough and detailed text of cultural relations worldwide. I found the book to be full of positive knowledge and culturally beneficial. The information and tools contained in this book could inspire many individuals to communicate well with all people of various cultures. The facts related to cultural negligence and violence are certainly disheartening. However, the reality of "cultural clashes" is not pleasant. It is my hope that more people will read books of this nature to inspire a positive change worldwide.

I would like to say that the Cross-Cultural Communication book was great. It was helpful in many ways. I feel like it will help me as it relates to communicating in the business world. It has expanded my knowledge of cultures. I would recommend this book to anyone. I think that the writers did a great job. They were excellent in relaying the information they had in each chapter.

This book is very easy to read. The sentences are concise. It provides some interesting concepts about intercultural challenges. It inspired me to write a report about my African-American culture.

Wow - I had to have this book. They are right, he explains everything wrong with Oracle and all about vulnerabilities and exploits.

So, there I was. I was about to buy a new book and I really had to think hard about what to buy - after reading The Shellcoders Handbook, I was really interested in grabbing a copy of this book, in the end, that's exactly what I did.

I am happy with my decision to the fullest extent. Not only was it a great brother to The Shellcoders Handbook, but it was also just good reading in general. It covers seven of the most popular databases around, and each section of the book goes over it's history, it's flaws, how to propogate after a successful exploit, and finally how to lock down your database. You'd be suprised at how easily and how asinine some of the flaws found in database servers are - it's almost laughable, some of the flaws that many servers have been prone to are ridiculous.

The book, like it's brother, covers information that is somewhat dependent on context, but the general concepts you will see and learn are going to remain relevent to all types of research related to the topic at hand for a long time to come.

If you own the Shellcoders Handbook -- or even if you don't --, you should not at all miss on this, The Database Hacker's Handbook: Defending Database Servers is something security enthusiasts everywhere should have on their shelfs.

David Litchfield is arguably the foremost expert and evangelist when it comes to database security. He, and his team of compatriots from Next Generation Security Software, have written a book that any database or security administrator should be familiar with.

Even if some of the attacks or exploits described in the book were previously obscure or unknown, the fact that they have been outlined in this book means that administrators need to know about them and defend against them before the "bad guys" read this book and take advantage of them.

One of the best aspects of this book is the way it is organized. Splitting the book into sections devoted to specific database systems makes it exceptionally simple and convenient to use. If you only use MySQL, you can skip all of the information regarding Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server, and just focus on the section of the book that applies to you.

Within each section, the authors provide a tremendous wealth of knowledge. Aside from describing weaknesses, potential exploits and protective measures to defend against them, they also look at the general architecture and the methods of authentication used by the database.

Any database admin should have a copy of this on their desk.

The Database Hacker's Handbook (TDHH) is unique for two reasons. First, it is written by experts who spend their lives breaking database systems. Their depth of knowledge is unparalleled. Second, TDHH addresses security for Oracle, IBM DB2, IBM Informix, Sybase ASE, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and PostgreSQL. No other database security book discusses as many products. For this reason, TDHH merits four stars. If a second edition of the book addresses some of my later suggestions, five stars should be easy to achieve.

The first issue I would like to see addressed in a second edition of TDHH is the removal of the 60 pages of C code scattered throughout the book. The code is already provided on the publisher's Web site, and its appearance in a 500 page book adds little. The three pages of characters (that's the best way to describe it) on pages 313-315 in Ch 19 are really beyond what any person should be expected to type.

The second issue involves general presentation. Many chapters end abruptly with no conclusion or summary. Several times I thought "Is that it?" Chapters 2, 5, 7, 10, 13, 15, 18, 21 and 22 all end suddenly. The editor should have told the authors to end those chapters with summaries, as appear in other chapters. On a related note, some of the "chapters" are exceptionally short; Ch 9 and 12 are each 3 pages, for example. Chapters that short are an indication the book is not organized well.

The final issue involves discussion of various databases. I preferred the "Hacking Exposed" style of the 2003 book SQL Server Security, which included Dave Litchfield and Bill Grindlay as co-authors. That book spent more time introducing the fundamentals of database functions before explaining how to break them. For example, more background on PL/SQL would be helpful. With 60 pages of code removed, that leaves plenty of room for such discussion in the second edition.

On the positive side, I thought TDHH started strong with Ch 1. The Oracle security advice was very strong. I thought the time delay tactic for extracting bit-by-bit information from the database was also exceptionally clever.

Although I have not read it, I believe Implementing Database Security and Auditing by Ron Ben Natan might be a good complement to TDHH. Natan's book appears to take a functional approach, whereas TDHH takes a product-specific approach. The drawback of the product-centric approach is repetition of general security advice, such as enabling encryption, disabling default accounts, etc.

At the end of the day TDHH is still a revealing and powerful book. Anyone responsible for database security should refer to the sections of the book covering their database. I also recommend keeping an eye on the Next Generation Security Software Web site for the latest on database security issues. You should also see the authors speak at security conferences whenever possible.

My review relates only to the Oracle chapters.

This is the first book to actually expose real Oracle hacks. Most security books are just glorified papers on Oracle security, written by people in grey suits with image consultants.

The real fun of this book is in the "Attacking Oracle" chapter. These guys gave the phrase "thinking outside of the box" real meaning. They look for a feature or bug open to the security attack, then they shake it until it breaks. You will see exploits of AUTHID, PL/SQL injections, app. server, dbms_sql.parse bug,... most of them relevant to 9i and 10g versions.

The hacks are mainly in the sections called "Real-World Examples". Most of the exploits are already patched by Oracle and they are also available on hacking forums, but there were some new ones that were quite a revelation.

The security recommendations in the "Securing Oracle" chapter were too general, you can probably find Internet white papers on hardening Oracle that give more details. But, this book is not really about hardening Oracle, even if it says "Defending Database Servers" with small, blue letters on the front cover. This book is about attacking database servers.

I have seen David Litchfield's previous work and I am sure he knows (and has tried) more than what is written here. Can we expect to see that in "The Hacker's Handbook" part II?

Jeff Conklin's work is inspiring, thought-provoking, and practical. The book gets you to think about how we communicate and what gets in the way, then gives you powerful and immediately useful tools to bring out the best in our interactions. Whether you're a facilitator, team leader, manager or software developer, Jeff shows how to bridge our thinking and build shared understanding, and does so with delightfully accessible and easy-to-read prose.

Imagine a world in which most meetings are rich, stimulating, effective gatherings that we actually look forward to attending.... Sure, it sounds far-fetched! But that possibility is already here today, and that's what Dr. Jeff Conklin's book is about.

This book is NOT about how to "herd cats", nor is it about learning to "control people better". In fact, it's just the opposite... it's about encouraging each person's creativity through a process where each and every point of view, no matter how difficult or "contrarian", ends up adding value to the larger "map" of the conversation that is being created.

Based on my experience with Dialogue Mapping, I recommend this book highly as an exciting breakthrough for anyone wanting to develop highly-functioning work teams, group synergy, and collective intelligence. Since this process is specifically designed to help groups address "wicked problems", it is particularly relevant for those of us who are tackling the complex social issues that are at the heart of public participation and deliberative democracy projects.

While the principles described in the book can be applied with chart paper and markers, the value of this approach is greatly enhanced by the powerful and easy-to-use software that Dr. Conklin and his colleagues have developed. Compendium allows the facilitator to track, manage, organize, and display all of the various perspectives and considerations that emerge in a group during the Dialogue Mapping process. This high-powered program has been designed as open-source shareware, and is available freely through a link on Dr. Conklin's website to the Compendium Institute.

We need only to look at the wide array of technologies that are available in our world today to realize that, as a species, we are amazingly creative and capable. It's high time that we applied our capacities to enhancing our human interactions with one another! Dialogue Mapping is a highly effective way to help groups enter a state of "flow", analogous to a sports team entering the "zone" of outstanding performance. As such, it is a real cause for celebration.

This whole thing of mapping dialog, on first impression seems too uncomplicated, too unsophisticated

BUT.. then when a really able musician plays his/her instrument ....
I does look very easy

There is a subtlety here, the result of a lot of hard work by a lot of people
I tnink this little book does a pretty good job of introducing the uninitiated into this subtlety

Good Work Mr Jeff Conklin

This is a book that I wish that I had been able to read 20 years ago. In my work with groups I have always appreciated the art of facilitation. However, the process and the endpoints of group diaglogue have often been less than clear.

Jeff Conklin provides an excellent framework as well as some very accessible and useful tools in approaching the complex challenge of promoting effective dialogue within groups. He makes a persuasive case for Dialogue Mapping and then clearly outlines its use in a manner that is clear and compelling.

I would highly recommend this work to anyone who works with groups.

I read this book recently and my facilitation and project management efforts have improved as a result.

Some of the key subjects/topic areas that jumped out of this book for me are:

-- Practicing the listening cycle, especially the sub-section of the book that discusses validating information.

-- Learning to ask the 7 questions and in particular using these questions as a lens to assess the health of a collaborative effort

-- Helping me better understand the meaning of shared understanding

This book was written in 1955 as a summary of the changes made in the subject of Dianetics up to that time. However, it is far more than that. It is a manual of communication. What are the component parts of communication? How do you integrate these parts so that your communication (verbal, written, artistic) actually gets across. The book helped me a great deal

This book covers communication very thoroughly. Maybe that sounds boring - but really, communication is at the heart of all our dealings with other people. And the material in this book applies to everyone. It's presented in a very readable format, and I highly recommend it!

I decided I ought to write a review to let people know a) this is a great book, and b) they really ought to read Fundamentals of Thought first. But I see that another reviewer has already pointed that out.

What I WOULD like to stress is that this is a book that puts a very powerful tool in the hands of anyone who is honest enough to use it without having some other axe to grind. The communication principles outlined by Mr. Hubbard can be used (easily!) to analyze and improve every area your life, and to remedy many common problems.

Are there areas in which you are waiting anxiously for someone else to communicate something or to do something you want? Are you hoping for some sort of acknowledgement that you're not likely to get? Do you have unanswered letters around, or things you've wanted to do or agreed to do but haven't yet found time for? Is there someone around who keeps talking to you or directing some other communication your way, and it's driving you nuts? Are there people around you who just don't seem to listen?

If the answer to any of these questions is "yes" (and this is not by any means a complete list--I just took these off the top of my head), or if you're having any OTHER kind of problem in life, YOU NEED TO READ AND APPLY THIS BOOK.

I would recommend reading The Fundamentals of Thought (ca. 1952) before reading this one (written in 1955). In any case, it answers just so much that some people simply cannot take it. Beware the dogs of the manger. Now, this book is really dynamite, frankly, and equally frankly, I would recommend some of the Basic Dianetics/Scientology books first.

In short I can only say that after reading this book I have understood things and changed conditions in my life in areas that I never dreamed was possible. It has to do with very basic principles in life and existence - I am sure it will touch some basic issues in everybody - if they dare to look at themselves and their surroundings.

Don't Just Do Something, Stand There!: Ten Principles for Leading Meetings That Matter is a practical guide to organizing and leading productive business meetings. Rather than fruitlessly try to change someone's behavior, Don't Just Do Something, Stand There! emphasizes the importance of changing the conditions under which people interact. Packed with techniques for helping people discover common ground, apply dissent to positive and productive use, and promote responsibility through action in oneself and others, Don't Just Do Something, Stand There! is both insightful and inspirational. "Act when you hear people make statements so emotionally charged that they put themselves at risk of being isolated or labeled... Sometimes people jump in to challenge the statement, putting the speaker on the defensive. The temptation is to let the antagonists have it out while everybody watches.... You can do better. What is needed now is neither confrontation nor a search for 'truth'. Rather, you need to head off the split so that people keep working. The best way to do that is to get an informal subgroup for the risk taker... Usually we discover they have a spectrum of frustrations. Speakers see that they are not alone. Frustration is OK. Confrontation is avoided. Everyone has new information on where others stand. The group moves on." An absolute "must-read" for business leaders, human resource personnel, and group managers of all fields.

I have just stepped into the world of facilitation six months ago after switching from Investmente Banking to Human Resources at my company. My personal interest consists in helping people find insipration in their places of work, and this book was a powerful guide since it starts stating that we don't have to teach anything to anybody; rather, it focuses on describing how to set appropriate conditions so that people can be able to cooperate, one meeting at a time.

Most books (and courses) on how to run more effective meetings offer prescriptions based in a paradigm that effective meetings are those in which agenda, participation, information and decision making are as controlled as possible for the sake of efficiency. But participants in such meetings have natural reactions to any sense of being controlled and tend to argue positions or withdraw from discussion and never really commit to act on the outcomes. There is another paradigm for meetings, one of engagement. Marv and Sandra have been among the leading practitioners of this other way of meeting through their work, teaching and writing.

This book lays out the tools, philosophy and behaviors for leading meetings that engage others. Their approach is distinctly different from almost every other meeting book or course that I know (and I have made a pretty comprehensive study of this field). If you already own a book on meeting design and facilitation, you need this one to give you different insights into how this can be done better. If you are looking for your first book on meetings, this is a great place to begin. For me, after 15 years as a student and practitioner of more effective meetings this book will help me continue my learning with each meeting I run.

Don't Just Do Something, Stand There: Ten Principles for Leading Meetings That Matter
The title, Don't Just Do Something, Stand There, caught my attention and knocked me off balance. As a member and leader of a number of organizations over the course of 76 years, I have often been referred to as an "activist." The reverse of the title has been almost a mantra of mine. If something needs to be made right, is it not my job to do something? Anything less is a kind of cowardice, and I become an accomplice to the wrong-doing. You would think I would know better, but
the problem seems to be getting worse. The book came my way none too soon.
In college at Penn State, in the 50's, William Werner, a literature professor, said to me in an aside, "There are two reasons to read: one is the confirmation of something you already are familiar with and appreciate; second, is the thrill of new experience." His comments have stayed with me throughout these many years better than the contents of the course in The European Novel that I took with him.
I did find much in the book that I already know and apply, drawing from psychology, group dynamics, organizational development, etc. and presented in a readable, user-friendly manner. My copy is full of notes in the margin of comments like "yes," and of exclamation marks. And for sure, there was also much that was new, again drawing from the same fields, but with practical examples that made the reading alive and here and now, and answered questions that had come to me a moment earlier. The authors have years of hands-on experience throughout the world in their work, and have done their homework, learning from and sharing relevant research in the field.
What surprised me was a third dimension that emerged - a challenge to some of the ways I have come to work, both employed and as a volunteer. Is it too late to teach an old dog new tricks? I hope not. For example, one of the things I loved was in the section, Principle 4 - "Let People Be Responsible." I quote from the anecdote on page 78, "Legitimizing Opposition In A Tense Community Meeting." The issues were so contentious that the sponsor had hired security people to head off potential violence. At the start of the meeting, Lisa, the meeting manager, carefully set up the structure of a number of ground rules. For example, "We are here because we want everyone's ideas, even those you may consider 'wrong' or 'silly.'" During the meeting, one person rose and spoke in a way that attacked the facilitator verbally in an attempt to derail the meeting. The group was flabbergasted and told him to sit down. Lisa now invoked the ground rule she had established in setting up the structure for the meeting. This is how she responded.
"This is what Jim is thinking right now, and you are not required to agree or disagree with him." By using the ground rule to cushion her own shock and to support the dissenter, she defused the attack and the people returned to the task.
The book is full of hands-on examples of this kind that bring you right into room in experiencing the "Ten Principles for Leading Meetings That Matter." Eighteen useful and delightful illustrations by Jock Macneish are sprinkled effectively throughout the text.
Weisbord and Janoff's book, Don't Just Do Something, Stand There, has been, on all counts, a kind of tonic for me. The book has helped me - in this third half of life - to move from wanting to learn more skills of what to "do" - to beginning to experience a "letting go" and to move into allowing a to "be" - a just stand there. In effect to trust, and use the group more fully.
I recommend Don't Just Do Something to anybody who ever said, "Oh, no, not another meeting," and also to the folks like me who look forward to the next one.

Dr. Robert E. Young, Associate Professor, Eastern Virginia Medical School [retired]
676 words

There are very few people anywhere who know more about how to lead and run groups than Marvin Weisbord and Sandra Janoff. Twenty years ago they designed Future Search Conferences. Since then they have used these conferences to work with businesses, organizations, communities and diverse cultural groups around the world. Even more importantly, they have trained hundreds of other people to lead and run these conferences. Unlike other books that teach you about group techniques for your tool kit, this book talks about the person carrying the tool kit. The authors share what they have learned about the skills you need for group work: how to become conscious and discern the energy and spirit in groups; how to develop a positive attitude; how to create workable boundaries and structures; how to sense changes and transitions; how to handle confusion and chaos; how to respect the self-organizing capacity of groups; how, to determine how, when, and if you should intervene; how to build positive relationships in a group; and how to foster and support emerging visions. It's all in the book-in plain language, descriptive images and meaningful stories. If you lead or run groups, regardless of the process, or even if you are simply a participant in a group and want to help your group become more effective, this book, based upon years of practical experience, will prove invaluable.

This book tells some amazing stories of one man's experience with animals. I've met Dr. Fisher before and he is an amazing person. If you enjoy animal stories, I would highly recommend this book!

I love this book.

None of the stories contained in this book are more than a few pages long, but each one is as fascinating and memorable as the last. Dr. Fisher's penchant for brevity may leave some readers wanting more details, but the the good doctor gives us just enough to get his stories across. His simplistic approach to storytelling gives the book an almost intimate feeling.

The writing style may not be for everyone, but I felt like the pacing fit perfectly with the anecdotal nature of the stories. The whole book feels like you're sitting down with Dr. Fisher and he's just rattling off story after story about things that happened to him once. In some ways, it's the casual way that he talks about remarkable things (from taking care of Patton's dog to delivering a baby cow in the middle of a ferocious storm to tracking down escaped gorillas) that makes this book so interestings.

Many of the stories are funny. Some of them are sad. All of them are fascinating.

Dr. Fisher's Life On The Ark is the autobiographical story of Lester E. Fisher and his adventures (and misadventures) arising from his responsibilities of being the director of the famous Lincoln Park Zoo. From the ups and downs of training at veterinary school, to safari adventures at Africa and around the world, to establishing a successful track record and legacy in gorilla breeding and much more, Dr. Fisher's Life On The Ark is a story of one man's real-life animal escapades, and his work to preserve and promote awareness while transforming one of the oldest, most-visted, and last free zoos in America. Highly recommended reading -- especially for animal lovers!

Every kid who grew up in Chicago in the 70s remembers Dr. Lester Fisher from his "Ark in the Park" segments on the Ray Rayner Show. Now, Dr. Fisher has written an interesting and anecdotal book about his years as head veterinarian and director at Lincoln Park Zoo.

Here are his tales of gorillas getting out of their cages and being coaxed back in with snakes, of which they are afraid; of the polar bear whose fur turned green, and the polar bear who ate too many marshmallows; of the leopard who ate his own mate; of Prince Phillip visiting the zoo and getting ape waste thrown at him (and taking it very kindly); of the flamingo who flew away; of the chimpanzees who had "tea parties" - two of whom, Keo and June, are still living at the zoo. Fisher also talks about his appearances on TV, including the Halloween show in which he tried to pass his black cat off as a "Scottish wild cat." He ends the book with a long description of his African travels.

The book is well-written and easy to read, and would be enjoyable for anyone interested in the inner workings of a major zoo. The photos are excellent - notice the spectacled bear and the gorillas. Chicagoans, of course, will enjoy this book even more. I wish he had included maps of the old and new zoo configurations, so I could see how things changed over the years, but that's a minor quibble from a long-time visitor.

To sum up: You'll read about green alligators and long-necked geese, some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees, some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born, you'll enjoy this book even with no unicorns!

As a child, and still as an adult, I have always enjoyed seeing how things worked behind the scenes. Especially famous things, like theaters, bike factories, commercial bakeries. So it was really great to read this book and find out how it was to run a veterinary clinic, to be a zoo vet, and to get behind-the-scenes stories about life at the world famous Lincoln Park Zoo, especially from its 30-year director, Dr. Lester E. Fisher. Zoos are amazing places, and incredible things happen at them that the casual, or even the frequent, visitor will never see or hear about. Animal escapes, animal births and deaths, the movement of wild animals. This book is full of interesting, funny, and scary episodes of life in the zoo world. To top it off, we get to go on African wild animal photo safaris with Dr. Fisher in the latter portions of the book, and these trips give rise to a whole different kind of crazy and interesting happenings. This book will provide pleasure to all those who love zoos and animals, and also to those who simply enjoy engaging stories about the world and its inhabitants, human and otherwise.

This touching and very personal story of one couple's courageous experience of breast cancer is both informative and inspiring. The honest journaling of both the husband and the wife "During" the cancer treatment, make this an unusual format for treatment information. It is a very effective, beautifully written look at the ways in which breast cancer can affect a marriage. It speaks the truth about the fears and the challenges, and inspires both husband and wife to insist upon answers from all the medical professionals that get involved with the treatments available. The patient and her husband must be confronting and challenging all the time, and take a united stand in order to get the best medical advice that is out there. The authors of this book have provided a very important guide for maintaining a good marital relationship in the midst of all the pain and frustration involved with the diagnosis and treament of breast cancer. I very highly recommend this honest and beautiful book!!

"During" is the inspirational story of a brave couple facing her breast cancer. It is a "her and his" journal about the range of emotions each is going through. You'll learn about cancer treatment and the treatment (or lack thereof) of the person with the cancer. Despite major advances in medicine, bedside manner has regressed. Jody and Kevin share their compelling and courageous story. You will probably cry. You will definitely get angry. From time to time you will laugh out loud. After you have read During you will have a deeper understanding of human courage and the will to live than you did before.

This is an incredible book of honesty, courage and most of all love. It is one of the rare books that I have read not only in one sitting, but also more than once. 'During' is more than a "cancer book", it is a love story that speaks loudly to each listener on the importance of family, faith, friends and HOPE.

'During' documents a couple's battle of breast cancer with an incredible (and welcomed) sense of reality. I found myself unable to put it down as I shared their tears, pain and laughter. The book transformed my values and fears as I embraced chapter after chapter. 'During' defines the universal story of love and survival through a true warrior and her handsome prince.

After looking at the statistics, you know that we will all know someone with breast cancer even if we manage to be one of the lucky ones who will not have first hand knowledge of the deadly disease.

You will live the months with Jody and Kevin as you see what they saw, hear what they heard, and because they are wonderful writers, felt what they felt.

The thing you will come away with is not horror, or sympathy, or grief. You will close the book after the last page and feel the love, passion and attachment of two people who were made for each other. Through their lovely and loving words, you will know that destiny smiled and these two melded into an incredible team...a team that blasted back at the killer in their home...and won.

You will laugh and you will cry. You will smile past the lump in your throat. You will, in the end, be changed forever.

Good reading to all who pick up this book.

I have a love/hate relationship with Chris Heimerdinger's work, but Eddie Fantastic is probably his finest novel. It's not overly "churchy" and it only does a little bit of preaching. The story is fun and interesting. The characters are believable. The dialogue is great. The inventions showcased in the book almost seem realistic. I often find myself wishing I had them. This is a fun, quick read, even if you're not LDS. Give it a try. Even if you don't like it, you didn't waste too much time reading it.

This book is amazing. Everything about it is thought provoking, interesting and amazing. It gets you thinking "What if..." and will definatley make you want to read it again and again.

I myself have read it countless times and have done at least 3 book reports on it. Don't pass this one up, even if you are skeptical of it.

This book is yet another of the many outstanding books written by Chris Heimerdinger. Not only entertaining to read, this book also provokes thought into spiritual matters. And the technology was cool, too.
As a hopeful writer myself, it is nice to read books written by good authors, so I can know how to make my books interesting, but still keep them clean.

This book is good, especially if you have an open mind. Heaven knows many people today don't have one. It makes you think about how it all fits together in life. Held my attention, was entertaining, exciting, and provoked genuine thought. All in all, an excellent book

Dang.

This book has got to be one of the most imaginative things I've ever read. It is exciting, funny, scary, romantic--everything you need for a good read.

The story is about a teenage boy named Eddie Fanta who is going through some troubles. He can't get over his grandfather's death or his parents' divorce, he's unpopular, he couldn't get a girl if his life depended on it. Most of all, he's doubting God. But then he meets Louis, a crippled recluse who also happens to be an inventor. Eddie gets his hands on some spectacular inventions, and his life is completely changed.

While extremely entertaining, "Eddie Fantastic" makes you think. God is easily recognized as the Master Scientist, but what can copying His inventions bring about? I am strongly reminded of the scriptures "precept upon precept, line upon line." We could be given the most wonderful gifts imaginable... but are we ready for them?

Exciting and thought-provoking, this book lives up to its name: Fantastic.