Publications Books

Thoreau's journals ran to two million words and contained survey information and other matter most readers would not find interesting. This smartly edited collection spans Thoreau's writing career and reveals him as he truly was, in dialog with himself and the world.

It has become a cheap fad in some quarters to criticize Thoreau as a would-be outdoorsman when in reality he lived at Walden Pond on his friend Emerson's land and visited Concord almost daily. But Thoreau never claimed to be a John Muir. As this collection makes clear, his talent had to do with focusing on the ordinary but neglected. His mood is one of almost constant celebration of natural images and forces he did not see (as we tend to do) as necessarily in conflict with urban human life. As he says about seeing the beauty in people and things, "If I seek her elsewhere because I do not find her at home, my search will prove a fruitless one."

There is, of course, the less admirable Thoreau. He was prone to moralizing and offering suggestions of the "let a man do such-and-such" variety about how to live one's life. His comments about women generally do him very little credit, and they also explain the lack of an enduring feminine presence in his life. Fortunately, those thoughts are brief and few. Thoreau the activist and lover of freedom is here too, and Thoreau the social critic: "The council of nations may reconsider their votes; the grating of a pebble annuls them."

An entire life cannot be summed up, but this journal entry hints at the shape of his own: "It is not words that I wish to hear or to utter, but relations that I seek to stand in..."

How could this man have read every thought of mine over 100 years before my birth?! Timeless truth in all of his writings...not just this one. This is a most intimate example being his personal journal. Every word, every well thought out phrase speaks to my heart and idea of what truth should look and sound like. It should make you catch your breath and Thoreau absolutely accomplishes this for me.

We all know Walden and some of the other famous essays but the journals are sometimes hard to get through. This book of excerpts provides some of the gems from the journals and shows Thoreau in a new way.

The Heart Of Thoreau's Journals provides readers with an intimate glimpse into the heart and mind of American literature's premier individualist. Consolidated into 218 concise pages by Odell Shepard from the 39 volumes Thoreau left behind upon his death at 45 in 1862, the journals reveal Thoreau as an irreverent and shrewd observer of the human character who was happily fated with the gift of forever seeing the king riding proudly in public without clothes ("The mass never comes up the standard of its best member, but on the contrary degrades itself to the level with the lowest," "After all, the field of battle possesses many advantages over the drawing - room. There is at least no room for pretension or excessive ceremony, no shaking of hands or rubbing of noses, which makes one doubt your sincerity, but hearty as well as hard hand - play. It at least exhibits one of the faces of humanity, the former only a mask," "This lament for a golden age is only a lament for golden men").

Requiring solitude in the manner most require food and shelter, the philosophical, ascetic Thoreau lived most of his life in isolation ("The poet must keep himself unstained and aloof") as an ardent lover and keen observer of the natural world ("All of nature is my bride," "My profession is to be always on the alert to find God in nature, to know his lurking - places, to attend all the oratorios, the operas, in nature"). A comedic misanthrope ("I have lived some thirty - odd years on this planet, and I have yet to hear the first syllable of valuable or even earnest advice from my seniors," "The society of young women is the most unprofitable I have ever tried"), Thoreau also wrote with sympathy, understanding, and concern about the townspeople whose company he preferred not to keep. Even his plain - spoken contempt for the boorish, the smug, the pretentious and the assertively conformist ("What men call social virtues, good fellowship, is commonly but the virtue of pigs in a litter, which lie close together to keep each other warm") was often tempered with humanity and matter - of - fact acceptance for the inevitable variations of man's psychology. The simple, the genuine, the uncomplicated and the sincere came in for high marks in Thoreau's estimation of people, places, and things.

A Harvard graduate who was born and spent most of his life in New England, bachelor Thoreau set the standard and defined the blueprint for all introverted American artists and thinkers to come. Though Thoreau wrote incessantly and found work as a lecturer, schoolteacher, editor, and tutor at different periods of his life, he typically worked as a gardener, handyman or land surveyor, and spent a particularly frustrating period working in his father's pencil factory. Though he knew himself to be misunderstood by most, Thoreau was uncomplaining ("Ah! How I have thriven on solitude and poverty! I cannot overstate this advantage"), confident, ultimately self - satisfied, and generally unconcerned with what, if anything, future generations would make of him. The respect, acknowledgement, and honor of society meant far less to him than his day - to - day, moment - to - moment freedom to continue to enjoy his perceptions, sensations, and ideas, which he rightfully understood to be his life's work and birthright.

As one of the founders of Transcendentalism, the idealistic Thoreau was a dryly passionate believer in man's capacity to overcome mundane (and often self - imposed) obstacles, identify and focus his attention on the eternal fundamentals of life, and enjoy personal communion with God by utilizing nature as a lens. The journals abound with declarative passages which readers have found enlightening, guiding, and inspirational for generations ("Despair and postponement are cowardice and defeat. Men were born to succeed, and not to fail," "We forever and ever and habitually underrate our fate...ninety - nine and one - hundredths of our lives we are mere hedgers and ditchers, but from time to time we meet with reminders of our destiny"). Thoreau's journals, along with key American text and masterpiece Walden, represent the cream of his work.

I found this book on the shelf at my school's library after I had read a selection of Ralph Waldo Emerson's in which he praised Thoreau for being a particularly clear-seeing individual. I had never read Thoreau and did not know who he was, but this book immediately became my most valued possession after my own journal.

The editor did a wonderful job of selecting from Thoreau's many (often tedious) writings those that offer most in the way of communicating what he felt about life, love, society, government, death, religion, nature, science, beauty and self. The writing is in many ways flawless. Along with Emerson and Whitman, Thoreau embodied the spirit of American Transcendentalism, the philosphy under which one aspired to realize a word beyong the physical and social world. "The Heart of Thoreau's Journals" is the best evidence that Henry David Thoreau realized such a world and lived contently in it many of the days of his life.

This book is probably the best possible choice for anyone looking to read or know Thoreau. It is necessarily as honest as any other work. And unlike "Walden" or other commercially-produced works, it lacks the endless musings and explanations of ideas and events for the audience's information. It is only the bare naked thoughts and feelings of the author. I would suggest it as preliminary reading for anyone who wants to read his other books. It will give you the foundation of an appreciation for Thoreau that puts all other work in proper perspective.

I do remember as a kid ( 60's ) picking books from my parents library in the middle of a desert peninsula in Venezuelan Caribbean , inside a Shell Oil Refinery and reading Alexander Kazantsev: The Destruction of Faena, Jules Verne and most of his known and unknown classics , the Bible and it's amazing human tales ; then moving to the Usa and discovering Assimov's Foundation , Frank Herbert's Dune , Kurt Vonnegut Jr's The Sirens of Titan ( after watching 20 or less times Slaughterhouse 5 ) and Galapagos , Aldous Huxley's Island and Door's of Perception , Gurdjiell's All and Everything ; then coming to the Mexican Caribbean and discovering Ann Rice and the Vampires , Daniel Quinn and his adventures of mind and spirit and James Tiptree Jr ( she spent the 70's in the now Rivera Maya ) . To bad i did not get to read her as a man , it does change some prespective , but the stories in these collection are Up there with the Classics ... Highly entertaining with provoking ideas that we have not been able to surpass as the slow learners we are as humans ...

In 508 pages we get 18 short stories by James Tiptree, Jr. Original publication dates range from 1969 to 1981. Time has overtaken many of the tales in a strange way, that makes one wish Tiptree were still around to appreciate developments. For instance, in "The Girl Who Was Plugged In," the world breathlessly watches the real-time antics of young, beautiful wealthy girls... who are actually brainless synthetic creations animated by what amount to brains in jars in an underground lab. What would Tiptree make of the Parises, Nicoles, Lindsays and Brittanies of our own day, who appear to have no brains located anywhere?

Tiptree really got rolling in 1973, when she published her three best-known stories, "The Girl...," along with "Love is the plan the plan is death," and "The Women Men Don't See." Along with 1976's "Houston, Houston, do you read?" these are the quintessential Tiptree tales. "Love is the plan..." is my favorite science fiction short story, and one of the best short stories of any kind ever written. It has not a single human character, and depicts the unbearably touching efforts of a gigantic, heavily-armored, multi-limbed alien to tackle and solve three deadly problems faced by his species, two internal--- stemming from instinctively programmed behavior--- and one external, a global climate change. That he will fail, and why he will fail, is evident early on from many clues fairly planted within the narrative. But he does his level best, which is indeed far better than you and I could hope to do, and like most Tiptree aliens, he is totally charming and lovable throughout his hopeless task. Our own species is currently failing completely to deal with a global climate change, and we are neither charming nor lovable in our miserably conflicted efforts.

"A Momentary Taste of Being" is another quintessential Tiptree story; an expedition of interstellar exploration inadvertently discovers the true purpose of human existence... a purpose which reveals all human effort, achievement and aspiration to be utterly pointless and futile. "With Delicate Mad Hands" is a key story, from 1981, that catches Tiptree in transition from symbolic War of the Sexes tales to space-operatic adventure. Almost all her stories from 1981 to her death in 1987 were space adventures set in the distant future.

Several tales here were completely new to me, particularly "Slow Music," from 1980, in which a chance (?) encounter of the earth with some alien stream of disembodied consciousness has made suicide so irresistibly attractive that there are only a handful of living humans. This story seems to contain a sly self-portrait of Tiptree herself, as the dying ancient human wreck that the two main characters discover on their way to see "The River," as the stream is called.

There's not a bad or mediocre story in the volume. And, alas, this is probably the only collection of Tiptree fiction currently in print in the US. Get it while it's still available.

All the best stories written by Sheldon are here, and they are as powerful as they ever were, and more cogent in today's violent world. We think we've come a long way, but there's so much more to be done. Sheldon says it all, and says it best. Buy this book for your collection, and for your daughters.

I am over the age of 13, but first started reading sci fi when I WAS 13, many eons ago!

I'm an unsure how James Tiptree/Alice Bradley's work hasn't appeared in more of the feminist/women's studies courses I took in either undergrad or graduate school. Her perspective on the future of humanity and the exploration of science has a viewpoint I have never read in science fiction up to this point and I'm glad a book review in a different source led me to reading these stories - in particular The Screwfly Solution, Houston, Houston Do You Read? and a Momentary Taste of Being. Both provocative and incredibly disturbing, I have already recommended this book to other female sci-fi aficionados.

Some of the blurbs about Alice Sheldon, writing as James Tiptree, Jr., indicate that her real gender was a mystery and, in fact, some commented that `he had to be a man' because of the writing. I have a hard time, in retrospect, seeing that. All of these stories seem to me to have easily been seen as a woman writing, if you were so inclined to think about those things. The other thing is that Alice Sheldon is described as an `ardent' feminist. Again I don't see that, but I do see a somewhat clinical misanthrope. The men in these stories tend to be ineffectual neuters or sexual-sociopaths. The women tend to be background or professional victims (with the exception of `Slow Music,' probably the best story in the collection).

Having said that I did find the stories very well written and I can well understand the awards and critical acclaim at the time. However they do tend to take on a rather common theme of hopelessness and profound melancholy at the future aspects of humans. One or two of the stories made a passing attempt at uplifting the future of humans, but mostly these are, to me, the writings of a deeply depressed person. I found it no surprise to learn that Ms Sheldon died at her own hand after killing her husband, probably as a suicide pact.

I do recommend these, especially if you are a fan of the SciFi short story. All are well written but the best way to appreciate them is to read one story at a time over a long interval. These have such a common `feel' to them that if you read them one after another you start to get the feeling that you've been there, done that.

This Book is one of the best books I've ever read....the insights and secrets revealed in it are staggering. It demonstrates the larger picture about the origins of life on this planet and much more. This book is a must read for anyone with an open mind who wants to know whats been hidden from the masses.

Slightly different from other Rampa books insofar as it is written in the third person. The contents switch easily between the life of the hermit and the story he is telling. If you believe that earth is not the only inhabited world in this or other galaxies then this will enhance your fascination of the subject. With some 'quite logical explanations' for some of the more profound happenings in our history it certainly gives food for thought. Some, perhaps not followers of the Lobsang mysteries, will consider this production from Lobang's imagination. Read it and judge for yourself - no matter what your thoughts on the matter - it's not to be missed.

At the outset, let it be declared that "The Hermit" by T. Lobsang Rampa is a genuine classic of UFO and abduction literature. While that may not have been Rampa's original intent, what he has written not only accurately predicts the future of what would be eventually learned by abduction researchers decades later, but also provides another dimension to the typical abduction narrative that is almost never present: In Rampa's book, the aliens actually SPEAK to the abductee and make him a conscious and active participant in what is happening.

But let us first look at the framework of the story Rampa tells. It begins with a young Buddhist monk's arrival at the cave of another monk who is a hermit greatly advanced in years. The hermit has been expecting the younger priest to visit for more than sixty years, meanwhile enduring deprivations of mind and body that would kill many less faithful to their appointed task. The young monk is to be the repository of knowledge that his elder counterpart has been waiting to impart to him.

The hermit's own story began when he was himself a young Tibetan priest and was taken captive by the Chinese, who falsely believed he was carrying classified information to their enemies. The hermit/priest is tortured as part of his interrogation, and eventually has his eyes gouged out before being thrown on a nearby dung heap to die. Now blinded and barely alive, he makes his escape to the mountains, where he is eventually captured by the aliens and taken to an underground location for indoctrination into the mysteries he is to pass on to the world.

The aliens tell him he has been chosen because he has an exceptional memory that will allow him to vividly remember the details of their message to the world for the rest of his life. At that point, Rampa begins the story of the hermit's abduction experience that, given that it was originally published in 1971, seems absolutely prescient today.

The hermit tells the young monk the entire story in a series of lectures. The hermit was initially placed on an operating-type table with only one pillar in the middle supporting it, one of the most familiar details of the standard abduction scenario. Various devices are connected to his body that seem to serve some kind of medical purpose. At one point, the top of his head is sawed off and a kind of brain surgery performed. There are also moments when he views other worlds on large television screens onboard a ship, as well as a fascinating extended out-of-body experience that teaches him about the slow process of alien-controlled evolution by which mankind came to dwell upon the Earth.

The aliens' message concludes with their many attempts to send religious role models to help keep mankind as much as possible on the straight and narrow. Historical figures such as Moses, Buddha and Christ are shown to be alien creations whose true purpose remains obscured behind the clouds of human superstition.

By now, you may be tempted to say, "But we've heard it all before." Which is precisely the point, it really HAS all been heard before. Whitley Strieber and Betty Andreasson Luca and any number of abductees have had similar things happen. But their stories began in the 1980s, more than a decade after Rampa's book was published in 1971. (Inner Light Publications has enthusiastically reprinted it.) At that point in UFO history, the only other widely read abduction account was John Fuller's "The Interrupted Journey," which told the story of Barney and Betty Hill's 1961 capture and medical examination onboard a UFO.

Rampa has quite simply assembled a narrative report so remarkably consistent with what would be learned in future years that it staggers the imagination and serves as a wonderful bit of prophecy that has been undeniably fulfilled by the abduction research that came later.

The story ends with perhaps one of the most profound scenes ever to grace the pages of a book of this type. Though Rampa is himself deceased, "The Hermit" will live forever as both a spiritual work of sublime depth and as another invaluable glimpse into the crucially important phenomenon of alien abduction, which may one day be the deliverance of life as we "know" it. And for which we will owe T. Lobsang Rampa and others like him a debt of gratitude.

This very special book I have read a long time ago in a french translation. It is an extraordynary book since it explains a lot about ATLANTIS and the human race. Everything had been planned by the E.T.s(the gardeners). In this book, as well, L.R. surpasses any possible imagination. Anyone who has read this book learns all of a sudden that reality is more complex as we have ever thought.

This book is amazing. More people should read this book. We hear people talk about aliens and U.F.O.'s and this book provides proof that they exist and interact with certain humans. It has changed my outlook on how we are supposed to live life. This book will leave you amazed and wanting to hear more.

Hospital Stay Handbook summarizes the essential issues needed to ensure your loved ones will survive a trip to any hospital regardless of duration. Ms. Buck lifts the "White Curtain" on standard operating polices calculated to cause harm to patients - policies not intended to harm, of course, just not carefully and tightly managed by the hospital system. She explains the concept of "body part Doctors" who see the patient as a Liver, Lung or Spleen, not a human being. The most important message Ms. Buck delivers is "be there 24/7" or expect the worse. Our family's experience bears testimony to her advice that some family members must be at or near bedside continuously - the consequences of not doing so are dire.

A Grateful Patient

Hospital Stay Handbook is a necessary read for anyone who is unfamiliar with how the hospital and medical system really works. It is an inside guide to ensuring quality care for you and your loved ones. Having been one of the health care professionals who assisted in the care of Jari's husband, Bill, I am keenly aware of the circumstances from which the book was written and am inspired by the amount of knowledge the book imparts. As a voice of advocacy for patients, Jari's efforts are unparalleled. Raise the bar for hospital-based patient care by educating yourself -- this book is the perfect primer.

Jari Buck has authored a book that enables the family of a patient to potentially make a most significant difference in the outcome of the loved one. The text imparts good common sense, as well as needed encouragement to step up to the bat and participate.

A serious illness can generate overwhelming fear and depression, which of course, makes it difficult for someone to become engaged in the process of healing. Yet, problem solving and just helping out when the staff is stretched too thin can work miracles.

Just try...and if you're lacking in ideas, please read Jari Buck's book.

Holly Fritch, M.D.
Leawood, KS

I purchased this book for my healthy, yet aging parents who have been facing some hospital stays recently. I was concerned they could be 'wiser consumers'.

Having a book lay out the risks and true dangers and how to prepare in advance is extremely valuable. The idea of 'advocacy' and advance preparation in this field strife with land mines is aided by Jari's unfortunate personal experience.

Thank you, Jari.

Having health insurance is a critical component in assuring quality health care ~ but there's another kind of "insurance" that is just as important. Being a patient advocate for someone you love can truly make the difference between life and death, as Jari Holland Buck writes in her "Hospital Stay Handbook." My eyes were opened when I witnessed the constancy and continuity of care that's required to support a loved one who's in the hospital for any length of time. Read this book now ~ before a crisis strikes ~ as a kind of personal insurance policy for how to be an effective advocate for your loved one if the time comes. As with most insurance policies, you hope you never have to use them but, should the need arise, you're always glad you invested in preplanning.

I have been using this gem of a book for almost 25 years, every since its first edition in 1984. As a dharma teacher, meditation instructor, spiritual director and Buddhist chaplain, I have found Ven. Sangye Kkadro's (Kathleen McDonald) book to be an invaluable tool in guiding students of meditation, whether they be beginners or with many years on the cushion.
Ven. Claude d'Estree (Lopon Konchog Trinly Dorje / KhaYa, Sunim)
Professor and Buddhist Chaplain, University of Denver
How to Meditate: A Practical Guide
Mindfulness in Plain English, Updated and Expanded Edition

After purchasing 5 books on meditation this is the first book that actually teaches you how to meditate step by step. Most books on meditation tell you "what" to meditate on and seem to forget to tell you how to do it, this book tells you how to do it. It's very easy to read and it gives even the first time meditators the instructions needed to start meditating.
It starts with the very basic (but very effective) way of meditation and then progresses through the book to more in depth meditations covering many different ideas to meditate on.
I highly recommend this book to the beginners in meditation and also to the more experienced.

What a practical book! Not only has it opened a whole new perspective in me in regards towards meditation, but as a beginner, it has also answered those nagging questions that kept me from doing it successfully.

With the rave of Hatha Yoga nowodays, you've problaby heard about meditating but you've been to scared to try it or you've put off as something silly. I can relate. I always wanted to bring meditation into my practice but I always felt it was such a waste of time and effort. If you are anything like me, you tried to meditate for at least 5 minutes, doubting yourself, and coming up frustrated and strained and asking yourself if you really did meditate that whole time. Boy, did that change.

The meditation sessions that Kathleen encourages are very engaging. She writes in such an inspiring and down-to-earth manner that you'll be meditating in minutes after reading this book.

I should add that this book and the meditations are inspired by the teachings of Buddhism. Dont let that discourage you. You dont have to be a Buddhist to do these meditations! The goal of any type of meditation is to take control of the mind. And you will. After performing the Clarity of Mind Meditation, an immidiate sense of peace and serenity will engulf you. You will take a calm approach to your everyday affairs and your ability to concentrate will improve vastly. These are but only a few benefits that I experienced.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this gem, now!

This book has enormous value for anyone who wishes to begin a meditation practice. Kathleen McDonald is a nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, but I feel that this book offers useful advice to anyone of any spiritual persuasion. I have to disagree with some of the other reviews who feel that this book is for aspiring Buddhists only. Meditation can be correctly seen as a highly effective technology that can be employed to tame the mind. In fact, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has stated that Tibetan Buddhism exists somewhere in between science and religion.

I also want to comment on the warmth with which McDonald has crafted this text. She writes with great simplicity, yet she manages to impart a great deal of valuable and sophisticated information. If a book can be described as being " friendly ", that would certainly apply here. Clearly interested in creating a book that in no way intimidates or overwhelms, her approach is gentle and reassuring. This is a wonderful book!

You may think 'an excellent book for non-spiritual meditation' is a strange recommendation, but as a mostly non-spiritual (agnostic) person who nevertheless recognizes the benefits of meditation this is one of the few books out there that is suitable as a practical guide; the subtitle is spot on.

I apologize to those of you who are spiritual, but I just can't sit through a book that starts from the sutras and then uses meditation as a means to that end. It means nothing to me. 'How to Meditate,' while coming from the Mahayana and Theravada traditions, starts with solid practical advice on how to meditate - best positions, what a session should be like, how to breathe, common problems, and visualization.

The second part of the book consists of different subjects for meditation such as 'Meditation on Compassion and Tonglen (Giving and Taking),' 'Meditation on Love,' and 'Dealing with Negative Energy.' These also include subjects such as 'Prostrations to the Thirty-Five Buddhas' which are of little interest to me except culturally, but even an atheist should recognize the usefulness of considering and dealing with your negative energy: 'The methods explained in this chapter are practical ways of dealing with attachment, anger, depression, and fear.'

The is the only book on the shelf besides Meditation for Dummies which I would wholeheartedly recommend for aspiritual people like myself. It's considered a classic in the field for good reason.

I am reading this book along with a class I am taking at a Dipamkara Meditation Center on Long Island. Both the book and the meditation exercises I am engaging in, have, in a short period of time, changed the way I live and view others. I accept anger and "delusions" as an opportunity to perfect my mind and make it peaceful and happy. I highly recommend this title as well as meditation to perfect your mind, body and soul.

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso opens with a few brief chapters on Buddha's first teaching -- the often misunderstood Four Noble Truths. Within this context, he proposes that the only source of our problems is an unpeaceful mind, and that, with a peaceful mind, we can stay content no matter what circumstances life brings our way. The main part of this book loosely follows the chapter on the perfection of patience in the poem "Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life" by the great Indian Buddhist master Shantideva.

The essence of this book's advice is encapsulated for me in the following excerpt:

"Just as there is room in the sky for a thunderstorm, so there is room in the vast space of our mind for a few painful feelings. And just as a storm has no power to destroy the sky, unpleasant feelings have no power to destroy our mind. When painful feelings arise in our mind, there is no need to panic -- we can patiently accept them, experience them, and investigate their nature and where they come from. When we do this, we will discover that painful feelings do not come from outside but arise from within our own mind."

In my mind's eye, I return to this passage whenever I notice my mind starting to "panic" and feel like my unpleasant feelings are going to overwhelm me. This book never fails to help quell the storm.

I liked this book. I found it informative and educational. I was a little sceptical at first. Not being what I call a religious person I was concerned that this might be an attempt to get me to subscribe to a particular religious cult. Howevever, the book goes beyond religion and tries to help you understand what your mind is doing (and doing to you).

I have "allowed" other peoples actions to cause great internal stress to me, which has played havoc with my mental and physical health and had a detrimental affect on my family. This book has allowed me to take a truly different perspective on what MY MIND is doing to me, and allows me to recognize a truth that other peoples actions only hurt me when I let them. As stupid as that sounds, I never looked at it that way before as I was too caught up in the hateful internal thoughts that would arise in my mind because of how I saw other peoples actions.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to those people who are angry and stressed-out about "other people", be it a lousy boss, partner, co-worker, friend or family member etc. If you sit and stew, and seeth and make yourself (and others) miserable because of what others say/do then this book can help you make much much better choices.

Make no mistake, it's not an aspirin: it does not fix "other people". But what it does is allow you to look at your response to ALL stressful events and shows you why it happens and what you can do to stop it.

It's helped me. And that was not an easy thing to do. I still have a long way to go, but for the first time in my life I can now see when my own mind is trying to make me suffer. I personally am struggling with this, but that in itself is a real breakthrough. Before, I just used to go down the path of misery without hesitation; becoming angry, hurtful, hateful and full of terrible emotions and thoughts at sometimes tricial things (casual comments from others - sometimes not even directed at me). Now I can see that start and I put the brakes on. Believe me, that alone helps. I hope that with practice I can stop the negative process even starting (it still does as of now), but I'll gladly settle for my new perspective over what I used to do.

Easily the best book I have read, quite possible EVER. Buy it. Read it. Give it to someone you care deeply about.

WiZ

The title says it all. I've been studying with this author for 6 years. It has changed my life to who I want to be. Life is a better place.

This is an excellent book by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. I started reading this book to understand the philosophy behind Anger, and How to control it, which this book explains in a very fundamental way. I got glued to the way the concept of Patience, Jealousy and Retaliation has been talked about in this book, and How to Control them? The style of asking Rhetorical questions followed by answers is a great way to explain the concepts; we normally ask such questions to ourselves in our daily routine. This book is a must read for anyone over 30 Years, who wants to improve themselves and understand their behavior better. There are certain philosophies, like rebirth into lower being and good karma bad karma, which many may not agree with and deem impractical. Leaving those aside, you can get many great things explained in this book. I started practicing the Patience; immediately after I read this book. Now, I could see the difference in its application at my work, personal and social life. I could understand my wife, kid better. This book is worth every penny. Good piece of work.

This book gave me a ton of new material for my humor emails to my neocon pals. Kurtzman totally nailed it when it comes to a fresh look at the political craziness that divides us. I especially liked the "Know Your Enemy" chapter, where he comes up with some clever new names for various liberal types (every time I think about "Hillary Krishnas," I crack up). All in all, this book is a thoroughly entertaining read. It's also loaded with practical advice that works. I love being able to zing my progressive pals, without first having to remove all the sharp objects from the room. I only wish the GOP presidential candidates themselves would read this book and lighten up, already!

Even though I am what would traditionally be seen as a Liberal, I have to say that I found this book quite amusing. I just worry that some people take some of these viewpoints a little too seriously.

Daniel Kurtzman takes all of the traditional jibes and cliches about liberals and turns it into a hilarious charicature that people of any political persuasion can enjoy. Perhaps the most enjoyable part of this miniature book is the 'Liberal Hall Of Shame'. It's packed full of deviants, miscreants and perverts alike and offers an amusing digression on the misdemeanours that are hidden in the liberal closet.

I have yet to read Kurtzman's companion book 'How To Win A Fight With A Conservative', but if it's as good as this one I'm sure it will be a worthwhile purchase.

My husband does not read for pleasure. I bought this for him for Christmas and he actually is **reading** it! Haven't heard any complaints, just a snicker or laughter now and then, while he's entranced in it. It's a miracle I tell you! He's enjoying it in spite of himself..

If I'd have known sooner that this book was so good, I'd have purchased it sooner! It doesn't matter if you read it start to finish or jump around, it just isn't possible to read more than a page without laughing.
And in a world that awards Nobel Prizes to people without any comprehension of weather patterns, it's great to be reminded that there is indeed a lot to laugh at when the topic is liberals.

When you can't stand to see any more of Hillary's sleazy grin on TV, pick up this concise little book. You'll be glad you did!

While the Liberals are selling out America, destroying the Christian faith, denying the existance of God and praying for defeat in Iraq, there is nothing to laugh at. America is the best place to live, the only country with freedom of religion and freedom of speech. If Liberals find Christianity is so hateful and if they can't stop complaining, we should show them the door...not giggle at their antics. Funny books about Liberals may be cute, but not taking our country's enemies seriously is a dangerous trap. We shouldn't be lulled into thinking Liberals are harmless kooks and tree huggers, or we'll wake up one morning to find that we have turned into Secular Progressives. How do you win an argument with a Liberal? Send him to Iran where he can join people who feel the same way about America.

I absolutely love this story. It was perfect for my son who at the time was a challenge at bedtime. I stillsometimes read this to him (now 5) but almost nightly to my daughter who is now 3.
The story is captivating enough to keep the little ones interestwith just the right number of words per page so that you are turning pages frequently. It is also educational in that kids learn number ordinance, and different animals. This book is a great find. It is a book you will definately read for years to come, my copy is already five years old !

This is a great bedtime book! I read it often to the kids, ages 3-10, at the daycare where I work when we are putting them to bed at night. In fact I've read it so often that I have it nearly memorized. The repeatizeness is comforting and the story is somthing they can identify with! I whole heartedly recommend it!

I have two young sons who are 3 & 4 years old. Everynight before bedtime, they get to pick out six books for us to read before they get tucked in, and everynight, this book is one they want to hear!

We've gotten into the habit of me pointing at them when it's time and they get to say, "I don't want to go to bed!"

Wonderful book! I highly recommend it to all children! Not only is it a great message, but it allows the youngsters to become involved in the story.

I don't want to go to bed is a great example of a perfect children's story. It has all the elements that are required for a children's story. These are, funny characters, good illistrations, the ability to relate to kids, and teaches them a lesson. It also has some much needed humor. It has all the elements and it isnt long and drug out and boring like many other children's storys. In conclusion, it is a great book and I would recomend it to any kids.

This book was a easy reading and totally enjoyable. All young readers having a bad time going to bed should read this book. This book is also really great for babysitters to read to thier children, whom they put kids to bed and which this is a really great bed time story book. I personally like this book because of it's beautiful pictures and kids get a kick out of this book.

my husband and i were instructed to read this book, as were many of our peers, during our engagement (1980!). more than just a moving story, it offers practical issues to think about as you're considering spending your life with someone. it weaves the personal stories of several couples with a series of sermons given by a traveling pastor on the subject of marriage. though until i saw it recently on amazon, it was a little tough to find, we have given it as a gift to several engaged couples. definitely worth it!

The reason why I value this book as a precious treasure is because it holds such truths and such valuable lessons. It gives real answers, even sincere "I don't know"-s, to all questions that young people have.
I have read the book three times, twice when I was single and once as a married woman. It truly is touching and deep. The Lord has spoken through this man, and may he be blessed for making His word audible.
Wheather in a relationship or not, married, single, with a boy/girl-friend, fiance, ... friend, please read this book.

This is an amazing book I recommend anyone from any culture. It's not a book that tells you Dos and Dons, rather a journey of an American pastor who was preaching about marriage, sex, love and God in Africa. I am especially impressed towards the end of the book when the good Christian African man, Maurice, asked weather if he was wrong as a 30 year old virgin to dumb his ex girl-friend because she was not a virgin. Good for Maurice to stand firm before God against temptation. But there are too many Maurice, justifying women who have a different path of life, which might be so wrong, but in needed for forgiveness and acceptance. The books raises a lot of tough and true questions, which sometimes is hard for us to even form. For me, it was tough for me to explain to my boy friend why I think it is problematic for him to not think about marriage, and keep saying that he will seek God first. It's contradictory. Do you not love a child because you want to love God first? Both can come as a practice. Practice how to love God and humble ourselves in marriage. To serve one another, the best way to display our love for God.

In the book, another character, Fatma, a beautiful young women, just like the Samaritan woman who met Jesus on the way to the well written in the New Testament. She and her 6 ex bf/husband, and still living with another man, non of them is her husband. This beautiful woman could not see a way out, do not find a place in God even though she was searching. This story of Fatma is also true to many women who became a Christian later in her life or was lost on the way as a Christian. How women like that may think the best way out is to commit suicide, because her body and soul are wounded, so wounded and dirty, that, abandoning it is the only way out. This is the best book so far I have read about sex, forgiveness, marriage, love and God. It's not a self help book, but I would recommend to anyone in any age.

The only book on marriage I have read that I thought worth keeping and periodically re-reading.

It is told as a (true) story of a marriage counseling couple helping people with marriage or marriage-like problems - a man looking for a woman to marry, an unmarried woman feeling trapped in a relationship, a pastor's wife feeling neglected because her husband puts church members' needs ahead of his family's needs.

This is the only book I have read about marriage that considers single people not merely as "not-yet-married" but as complete people in their own right. Singleness, then, is as wholesome a choice as marriage. Marriage, then, is the uniting of two already complete people, who together create something new - regardless of whether or not children result.

His explanation of how the Bible's statement that two people leave their parents, cleave to each other, and become one flesh is a picture of Jesus's relationship to each of us, is awesome, and goes way beyond anything I have heard preached elsewhere on marriage as an image of God.

I had to read "I Married You" for a seminary Premarital/Marital counseling course, and I found it to be quite fascinating. I was particularly intrigued by the setting - an unnamed country in Africa. That set it apart from most marriage books right from the start, since along with the usual relational insights, "I Married You" acted as a window into another culture's relationships with God and each other. Of course there were differences, such as the intriguing way the African church service was conducted compared to a typical white American one. However, the universal relational issues Trobisch portrays really enabled me to identify with persons I am united with by faith, if not by race or culture.

Regardless of where in the world one calls "home", Trobisch makes a solid case for the sanctity and strength of marriage as an institution. The book's theme is based on the classic Biblical marriage passage Genesis 2:24, boiled down to "leave, cleave, and become one flesh." Leaving occurs when the man and woman enter into a legal relationship and create a family unit that is independent from their parents. Then, they cleave together as one in an exclusive relationship, and finally become one flesh in body, soul, and spirit, sharing everything. It is this foundation that forms marriage as God intended it. Trobisch goes on to Biblically debunk the idea that the marriage union is meant to subvert women and empower men to dominate them. He also shows how pitfalls like premarital sex can damage the marriage relationship before it even begins. Helpfully, he makes his points by using intuitively recognizable allegories and illustrations that, while very relevant to African culture, are easily understood by the average Westerner. For example, a marriage philosophy that denigrates women and children is referred to as the "garden" concept (very agricultural in nature), while the ideal union is symbolized by the image of a three-legged stool (a visual aid suggested to Trobisch by an elderly African woman in order to liven up his plainer "triangle" illustration). As for the day-to-day aspects of marriage, Trobisch suggests ways that a couple can discover more about themselves and their relationship. An example is the "quarrel" test, where the spouses honestly question whether or not they can really forgive each other and resolve conflict. Unstable marriage relationships are discussed as well, such as the "empty" marriage, characterized by lack of love and an increase in alienation.

The book's main strength lies with Trobisch's skill in identifying the above principles within the context of real-life relationships, including his own marriage. "I Married You" is not just another dry, sugarcoated "how-to" marriage manual. Instead, we can identify with everyone Trobisch encounters, from the somewhat immature single man in his 30s with an idealized portrait of a wife that no real woman could match, to Trobisch's own long-suffering wife Ingrid. Indeed, one of the most affecting parts of the book is seeing Trobisch absolutely blow it with her, right after multiple days of teaching and counseling others concerning the ideals listed above! It is this kind of transparent honesty that really set "I Married You" above other books in the genre. My only gripe would be the inadequate treatment Trobisch gives to the single life as a valid alternative to marriage. However, such a rabbit trail would have veered too far from the book's central theme, so he can be forgiven for that small transgression. Overall, I can enthusiastically recommend this book as required reading for anyone interested in this topic, particularly engaged couples.

He says things in a way that gives the average person the courage to say what needs to be said.
From Barb M.

Warm fuzzies. I have to agree that this entire book says what many people would like to say but can't put it in words. My favorite is page 56 "My Music". I come from a very musical family, so this really gave warm fuzzies. And, I love the last line. I can imagine my daughter's fiancee reading this to her - because, her name is "Melody".

"I Need To Know" is a great little book. It takes you deep into the real definition of relationship and true love. For a guy like me, who struggles to find the right words, this book really hits the mark. I am truly committed to my relationship, and this book has helped me find the right words and ideas to share with my spouse. Many times, we simply read it to each other, which then generate a lot of great conversations that we would otherwise get lost in our busy lives.
This is a great book and should be shared by all who seek to nurture and grow in love and relationships. By the way, my wife and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary this year... we love each other dearly and we are setting our sights on 50!

With "I Need You to Know" Mr. Saylor invites the reader to uncomplicate the love relationship by exploring and expressing the most basic, yet most important of human emotions. This book is a journey of the heart. There is something here for everyone.

I loved the book I Need You to Know!

The book is an in depth, emotionally touching expression of the strongest human emotion, and the ideal level of communication in which we all aspire to reach in order to express that which is hidden, untapped or merely the lack of being unable to communicate the treasures that lie within the heart.

The gentle and tender expression of H.Thomas Saylor's poems have a way of melting the heart and is a refreshing fragrance of purity, truth and hope that transcends this expression.

Thank you H.Thomas Saylor for your gift from the heart!

This book is a MUST read for all who are single or in a committed relationship. It gives insight and direction in how to have a deeper, more meaningful relationship by communicating.