Services Books

This book was very touching. It was also funny and made me laugh out loud at the things that two ninteen year old girls did. Although it was set in the 1920's and I could not catch every person to which they referred, I still got the point of the book and enjoyed it immensely. I would definitely recommend this book to other teenagers and older because this book was one of the best books I ever read. The things they did I would never have done and the people they met were werid, yet I felt that without being able to relate very much to the book made it all the more interesting to read. I hope this book is read by others so they can all laugh as much as I did.

This book was very touching. It was also funny and made me laugh out loud at the things that two ninteen year old girls did. Although it was set in the 1920's and I could not catch every person to which they referred, I still got the point of the book and enjoyed it immensely. I would definitely recommend this book to other teenagers and older because this book was one of the best books I ever read. The things they did I would never have done and the people they met were werid, yet I felt that without being able to relate very much to the book made it all the more interesting to read. I hope this book is read by others so they can all laugh as much as I did.

I've never read the entire book (I'm working on it!) but just excerpts from my eighth grade lit. book, but what I've seen of it is FUNNY! Cornelia Skinner and Emily Kimbrough get into such hilarious circumstances! This is one of the few books I've laughed aloud with!

If you enjoyed Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but thought the heroines slightly too worldly, you may be delighted by this autobiographical account of two relatively naive girls off for their first continental jaunt.

It's a delightful, charming little book about their misunderstandings and misadventures, and certainly introduced me to historical ladies' undergarments in an unforgettable manner!

There are sequels (like "Forty Plus and Fancy Free") if you find you particularly liked this one, but the first is the best, as sadly firsts so often are. This is a funny little treasure of a book.

Note: a 3 star ranking from me is actually pretty good; I reserve 4 stars for tremendously good works, and 5 only for the rare few that are or ought to be classic; unfortunately most books published are 2 or less.

Cornelia Otis skinner is the real comedienne of this pair of authors and injects a lot more humor into this book, as opposed to most of Kimbrough's solo works. You cannot imagine two more naive college girls traveling about Europe in the 1920's. It was a simpler time, and today has great appeal to one's nostalgic side. If you get a chance to pick up a used copy, do so!

To pick up Isak Dinesen's Seven Gothic Tales is to pick up one of the world's greatest literary masterpieces. Here in these seven stories we are presented with a universe that's compelling, beautiful and strange in a way that no other author has (in my opinion) ever equalled. If I was ever on a desert island and had one book I would hope it was this one.

If you enjoy stories by J. Sheridan Lefanu, Ray Bradbury, Hans Christian Anderson or Susanna Clarke, here you'll find similar ethereal qualities, but brought to a level of artistic beauty that surpasses everything that has been written before or since.

It is a mystery to me why this author is as little-known as she is - these tales represent, for me, the quintessential short fiction of the 20th Century.

dinesen/blixen was a true, living Scheherazade. this is an astounding collection of stories within stories within stories within stories. beautifully, elegantly written and set in various european locales, starring wonderfully alive characters straight out of fairytales, dreams and myth. these are strange, magical narratives (novellas, to be a stickler) with a modern sensibility. brimming with metaphors that will make you pause. kind of a cross between e.t.a. hoffman and a.s. byatt. definitely going to read more of her stuff.

This is a demanding work of seven multilayered and esoteric stories in this, Dinesen's first book.

We know of Dinesen more commonly by way of Meryl Streep, who played Dinesen, or the Baroness Karen Blixen, in "Out of Africa." But the woman we find here as the author of these stories is no easily-understood, Hollywood character. Her stories within stories are rich in symbolism, imagination, and a "long ago and far away" feeling that is carefully, carefully, controlled by the author. Dinesen wrote some of these tales in Africa, and finished others along with ordering the book back home in Denmark, after her farm had failed. She wrote, interestingly, in English (and did her own translations back into Danish later on). Many books follow this one, including LAST TALES and, of course, OUT OF AFRICA. Dinesen, while the heroic, strong, individualist of Streep's portrayal, is also kind of strange, introspective, and fabulously bizarre. She uses her stories' plot lines as a means, one feels, to work out her life philosophies, reshape and recast ideas and symbolic imagery, and impart creative insights. After getting to about the fourth or fifth story, one can see that she uses the same imagery repeatedly and even the same turns of phrase.

I have read this volume at least once before, and wanted to go through it again knowing just that much more literature and biblical references. (It helps to be well read in the classics when reading Dinesen.) Anything is up for her use, and if you don't see it, something will be lost to you as you interpret the stories and what they meant, or even, what happened. She loves Shakespeare (OUT OF AFRICA was written in five sections, after the five-act structure of Shakespearian drama), and Don Giovanni, she has interesting ideas about femininity and independent women, and symbolizes these issues with women who are doll-like, women who seem as if they can fly, women who are witches in some way or another, etc. She likes to toy with the mind of God, as well, having characters pronounce his proclivities, likes and dislikes, etc., quite often. I found these to be some of the most interesting passages, after some of the gender-defining ones, that is. (She chose her pseudonym, "Isak," as it is Hebrew for "He who laughs" and she definitely plays with many ideas here, many humorously.)

Of the seven tales (The Old Chevalier, The Roads Round Pisa, The Monkey, The Supper at Elsinore, The Dreamers, The Poet, and The Deluge at Norderney), The Roads Round Pisa is my favorite, and I have studied it for a graduate class. In the book, a mistake is the central event, and we learn of it only at the end. Our main character, Count Augustus Von Schimmelmann, is writing a letter to a friend, when a carriage accident occurs in front of him. An old woman, who seemed at first to him to be a man, is injured and asks that he go and seek out her granddaughter so that she may forgive her for an estrangement before she dies, as she believes she will do shortly. Augustus sets out for Pisa and in an inn meets a young man, with whom he engages in an interesting conversation. Soon, however, he finds out that this man is a woman, and whereas before he had been asking "him" for help in finding his way into the city, now he offers her his assistance as a gentleman. Their subsequent conversation holds a particularly compelling passage I have never forgotten. In it, Dinesen explicates a concept of women's differences, physically, psychologically and societally, from men through the artful use of the host and guest metaphor.

This passage is a key to the story's mood when toward the end the mistake around which the characters swirl is revealed. But the passage is also an interesting philosophical and societal analogy that provokes thought and discussion. This is, then, quintessential Dinesen.

The other stories deal with identity and loss (The Dreamers), a ghost who is allowed to rise up from hell whenever the sound between Denmark and Sweden freezes over (Supper at Elsinore), the mirage of lost love (The Old Chevalier), poetry and power (The Poet), the societal roles of women (The Monkey), and identity (The Deluge at Norderney), but these are very brief and basic categorizations. One could safely say that all the stories deal with many of the others' main themes. The book as a whole is an excellent study of the power of fiction to suggest and manipulate, with beautiful, evocative writing and deep and stirring underlying meanings. I recommend it.

These are strangely compelling stories, all of which evoke a sense of mystery and poetry. Floods and monkeys, skulls and puppet shows, vie with each other and figure here in short works that are too realistic for fables but too bizarre to be mistaken for reality.

Gothic surrealism might be the best way to describe the tone achieved by the author, whose real name was Karen Blixen (made familiar to modern audiences by the film "Out of Africa"). This is a reissue of a volume that first appeared in 1934.

Borrowing the author's phrase, each story is "like an echo in the engulfing darkness." Atmospheric and brooding, these tales are part Poe and part Brothers Grimm. Exotic in characterization as well as setting, we are introduced to a polyglot collection of virgin nuns and wandering n'er do wells, who cling to rooftops and journey on rhino-horn laden dhows.

Escape from the ordinary world is promised and delivered, but somehow, the people in these stories also remind us of people we know and situations that might not be as straightforward as we have assumed. A scarf may not be a scarf. The wind may be more than the wind. A scarf blown in the wind recalls to one character the memory of a little white snake -- madness is hinted at, at every turn.

They are seven distinctive tales. Yet, the evocation of place, the depiction of eccentricity, the precariousness of life, suffuse them all. They are magnetic and memorable. Even so, some readers may find the tales a bit too weird for their tastes.

If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction.

Why isn't I. Dinesen's work more widely known and accepted in the modernist pantheon? Her reputation seems to have settled into that of oddball literary personality and vehicle for Meryl Streep, however the work itself would have eluded me, despite a decent education in high school and university (for example, I was given Hesse and Camus to read in 10th grade, why not Isak?)had I not been attracted to this title in a dusty library. The work is about as anti-Hollywood as I could possibly imagine. Perhaps the answer is, she is not really a modernist but some sort of high baroque romanticist belonging more in the 19th century world of German prose; the "layering of stories" effect, especially in "Roads to Pisa", reads like she is channeling the world of Jan Potocki, enigmatic author of "The Saragossa Manuscript," who like Casanova moved in that incredible world of the international bohemian intellectual elite that Rexroth describes so well somewhere in one of his essays; that world of post-chaises and midnight rendezvous and military officers with seemingly endless resources of money, brains, education and cunning ... in fact "Saragossa" and Casanova's "Memoirs" were the books that came to my mind as I read her...reading this stuff is like eating a chocolate eclair with a brain more powerful than yours will ever be...why aren't there writers like this anymore? Was it all only a dream?

I have to rate this book highly, due to one thing in particular; a load of photos NEW to someone who's been buying all things Marx since the 1970's. Some of the candid, on-set shots; some of the very rare shots of Zeppo; and some shots from scenes that were later cut...these are the stuff of dreams. Crazy dreams, but dreams, nonetheless.

It just misses five stars for two reasons: a nice crop of pictures we've all seen a thousand times and, worse, a number of well-known, yet misquoted, lines.

Did someone proof this? There's not much writing, so it couldn't have taken long...and, after all, Arthur's an author in good standing.

You'd think he could take some of the money he's made off his pop over the past forty years and buy a complete set of Marx CD's. Then he could nab the quotes directly. No excuse for this.

Yet I, for one, still recommend it for the visual treasure it is. A great "coffee table book" - and on a hilarious subject that makes you long to crack it open and take it all in, as opposed to some of those paper paperweights you've typically seen gathering dust in living rooms various and sundry.

The best Groucho book to come around in years. I loved it!

I've owned this book for several weeks now and it continues to have this strange affect on me: every time I pick it up, my mouth opens wide in awe and then twists into a grin that runs from ear to ear!! I just can't stop smiling! This is not your average picture book on the Marx Brothers.

Make no mistake....this book is first and foremost about the pictures and all have been STUNNINGLY reproduced. There is a richness and depth to the photos that you find in, say, coffee table photography books (Ansel Adams comes to mind). Some of the photos have been published before, but the majority of them are being seen here for the first time in book form. But even if you've seen some of the photos before, you've never seen them like this! This truly must've been a labor of love.

Accompanying the photos is a casual running commentary supplied by Arthur Marx which is at once charming, engaging, revealing and entertaining. You can almost imagine yourself thumbing through a Marx family photo album with Arthur stopping here and there to share the memories he associates with each picture.

This book satisfies on so many levels, but don't expect it to be a primer on the life and times of Julius H. Marx. For that find a copy of Hector Arce's GROUCHO (if you can!) but keep a copy of this book nearby because it wonderfully illustrates yet another facet of the man we know as Groucho.

I give this 5 stars (and 4 hard-boiled eggs!)!!!

Initially the quality of the photos is striking. Then you look at the subject - a man who brings joy through his art of comedy - and some of the most emotionally moving images of Groucho emerge. And some gorgeous photos of the rest of the brothers also.

What fans of a dead artist always encounter is the lack of anything "new" out there. This fills a gap. I have been a Marx fan since my youth and have found the expenditure on this book, and the wait, worth it. The best picture book on the Marx brothers to date.

This book allows you to be in the Marx Family and experience what it must have been like to have a Father who was none other than the "One and Only, GROUCHO!!!"

I have nothing but the utmost respect for Arthur and thank him for sharing his memories and ALL of his fantastic photo's of his Father and Family.

If a picture is worth a million words then this book is worth at least two million ("or three for a dollar").

I adore this series by Mindy Starns Clark. I read this whole book in one sitting because I absolutely HAD to see how it ended! Jo and Danny are such lovable characters. Read it!!

Mindy Starns Clark's Blind Dates Can Be Murder was a fun read. Mindy has a way of putting the reader into the characters' minds--disconcerting when the character is a sociopath.

Also disconcerting is the way she ends this page-turner. Who in their right mind wants a cliff hanger ending to a suspense novel? Sure, a sequel is in the works, but do I have to wait and see where it's going? 'Tain't fair!

This book was so good. I can't wait until the next one comes out. I'll have to buy the other series of Clark's. She has me hooked on her books now.

Blind Dates Can be Murder. Just from the title alone you can tell you're in for a good read. I found the second installment in the Smart Chick Mystery series to be better than the first. Though, the story still drags a bit in the beginning, the pace quickens earlier. Plus Danny is planning on telling Jo that he loves her!! Danny is such a sweet and endearing character; my favorite parts in the story are when he's together with Jo. Even though you're just reading the words- the extent of his love is very obvious, it brings out the sappy smiles. Awww...

The mystery is also a little more developed here than in Trouble with Tulip. Jo has her own household tips website and is answering questions and chronicling her days in her blog. Her agent has decided that it would be good publicity for her to try a dating service and relate her experience to her readers. Her first (and only) blind date turns into a big disaster and a possible murder. Jo, of course, becomes Nancy Drew/Martha Stewart again, using household clues to try and solve the mystery.

Overall a good read; it's hard to put down once you're at the halfway mark. You want to make sure everything works out in the case and if Jo loves Danny too. It ends on a cliffhanger, so make sure to have the final installment, Elementary, Dear Watkins ready and waiting!

After finally getting over being left at the alter Jo has decided to move on by joining a blind dating service. Her first date isn't at all what she expected him to be and then even worse: he dies during their date! Suddenly Jo finds that she's the target of kidnapping, stalking, and death threats. She has no idea why but clues seem to lead back to her deceased date. Along with best friend Danny (who is now hopelessly in love with Jo) the two set out to find out why Jo is being victimized.

Once again Mindy Starns Clark has written a winner. I absolutely adore Jo, she is one of the best recent female characters I have read. Just like in Trouble With Tulip, you can find household hints sprinkled throughout the book (now in email format!) and which also help to solve the mystery. I'm really glad that Danny was able to talk to Jo, now the ball's in her court. It'll be interesting to see how all that happens. I found the blind dating service to be very interesting since I have never used one before. I was really chilled and frightened while reading this book. Especially near the end, I couldn't put the book down because I feared so much for Jo. It was totally like watching a movie: mystery, action, romance, suspense, drama, characters you hate- such a well developed story line. Actually I really think they should make this series into a TV show, you could learn household tips and be entertained at the same time. Sort of Heloise meets Alias type of deal. This was such an excellent book, I thought it was even better than the first one in the series. And with the cliffhanger at the end of this book, I can't wait to get started on the third which is in my TBR pile. VERY highly recommended.

We've all heard the saying, "Life is a choir and every voice is important." But we all also know that very rarely is this humane principle put into practice. Linda Stout, in her book "Bridging the Class Divide", shows us over and over again where these voices reside and how they represent important views, important values, and important cultures. Through life experiences, Stout identifies and calls out important characteristics that, when raised up and valued, create a truly well-rounded, truly inclusive society. She shows us how fragile and faint these voices are at birth, and how easily and mindlessly dominant beliefs can annihilate them. Her account of how she herself became more aware of the values and perspectives that shaped her, and began to believe in them and communicate them, is moving and illuminating. Knowing how to nurture and strengthen such contributions, according to Stout, is key to bringing them to the tables we all sit at every day, whether they be work tables, community tables, religious, race, gender, or age tables. Such affirmations of inclusion have a powerful effect on the political and economic webs that impact all of us. However difficult, giving voice and action to all our perspectives, not just the ones that reflect "the way we have always done things," is necessary. Only when each of us insists on communicating our unique perspectives will every voice truly be important to the song the choir is singing.

I have been working for social change thirty years now. I can wholeheartedly say that Linda Stout is one of the best organizers and resources there is on issues of overcoming class and racial divisions; so that we can be more effective in our work for justice, peace and a wide range of other progressive issues. I worked with Linda back in the 80's and she is still one of my most important mentors. Her book reflects her unique qualities which all come from life experience and wisdom born from life in the struggle and life in the spirit. It is both informative and inspiring -- a book that you don't want to put down and one that can make you a better person in your personal life and in your work for a better world. Herb Walters

Activists will find this book invaluable. Rev. William Sloan Coffin said it all: "Class may well prove a nut even tougher to crack than racism. With a wealth of wisdom, Linda Stout shows how to organize progressive movements that are genuinely inclusive. Grassroots organizers especially will be in her debt, which is where I have happily been for years."

I used this book as a text for an undergrad class on community organizing. it was easy to read and understand, and gave us so much to reflect on and talk about. it has so many practical tips on organizing, it should be a must read for anyone doing community work. i would love to read further reflections on PPP today, and what the leaders have learned about organizing and surviving as an organization since the book was written

If you care about helping to create a better world, this book will help. Class divisions are one of the most insidious, though least discussed, problems impacting our ability to effectively build movements for change. In an accessible style, with great stories, Linda Stout shares her years of organizing wisdom and makes it clear just what it takes to build effective cross-class alliances.

As the Executive Director of Class Action, www.classism.org, I have recommended Bridging the Class Divide many times. It is a useful resource for activists and non-activists alike.

Felice Yeksel

It is too bad that way too many managers, supervisors and leaders in the secular world will not follow the timely and true advise Mr. Sanders lays out in this book.

This is the first book I have read that has the correct way to view the secular world with a biblical reference. With that said, I dare you to read this book AND try some of the points in it and see if your work will not succeed!

An Important Book written by
Dan J. Sanders
CEO United Supermarkets

Reviewed by M. Joyce McMenamin

CALL IT THE CLEVERLY PACKAGED LITTLE BOOK
THAT CAPTURED MY ATTENTION & INSPIRED US TO
CREATE A NEW SECTION IN OUR
LITTLE MAGAZINE!

CALL IT WHAT YOU WILL, WE THINK THAT MR. SANDERS HAS DONE A SUPERB JOB OF POSITIONING THE IDEA THAT "BUYER & SELLER'S INTUITION", COMBINED WITH EMPIRICAL DATA, CREATES A BLENDED SUCCESS MODEL OF THOUGHTFUL & INTELLIGENT PROFITABLITY & LONGEVITY.

SANDER'S GOES BEYOND MERELY MIMICKING PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED MODELS AND
WE WERE ACTUALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE DOWN-TO-EARTH MODELS PRESENTED IN
THIS NEW BOOK BY THE CEO OF UNITED SUPERMARKETS. NO SMALL FEAT. THE CAREER,THE BOOK, NOR THE SUCCESS OF THE ORGANIZATION. ASIDE FROM THE
"INSIDE THE BOOK" ADMIRATION BESTOWED BY BEST SELLING BUSINESS AUTHORS,
STEPHEN R. COVEY & KEN BLANCHARD, THIS BOOK DELIVERS ON IDEAS THAT NEED
TO BE DISCUSSED MORE IN THE FUTURE. IDEAS THAT NEED TO BE TAUGHT IN BUSINESS SCHOOLS & NEED TO BE PUT INTO PRACTICE BY ANY ORGANIZATION THAT
WANTS TO GROW AND THRIVE, LET ALONE SURVIVE, INTO THE NEXT DECADE.
THIS IS A MESSAGE THAT ALL LEADERS NEED TO HEAR, BELIEVE & PUT INTO ACTION.

SANDERS SHOULD GET A TEAM OF FACILITATORS TOGETHER TO BUILD WORKSHOPS
AROUND HIS PRINCIPLES & TAKE IT TO THE MILLIONS OF MANAGERS OUT THERE THAT
STILL DON'T "GEDDIT". BACK WHEN I WAS CONSULTING & FACILITATING CORPORATE GROUP SESSIONS, I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE HAD MATERIAL LIKE THIS TO DRAW FROM. SANDERS GETS IT!

WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE?

IN A WORLD WHERE TOO MANY, WHO "SHOULD KNOW BETTER",MERELY SPEAK TO THE METRIC-MODEL, IT'S OBVIOUS THAT SANDERS & UNITED LEARNED HOW TO WALK BEFORE THEY TRIED TALKING. SOMETHING MANY PROFESSIONALS SHOULD EMULATE. IN LIFE LEARNING HOW TO WALK, STUMBLE, FALL AND GET BACK UP AGAIN, IS THE NATURAL PROGRESSION TO GROWTH. WHO KNOWS? IF THIS BOOK HAD BEEN AROUND 20 YEARS AGO MAYBE WE'D STILL HAVE A STRONG AMERICAN AUTO INDUSTRY! BY THE LOOKS OF THINGS, UNITED SUPERMARKETS AND THE GROCERY INDUSTRY IN GENERAL ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE... AFTERALL, WE ALL GOTTA EAT, RIGHT?

BRAVO!
UNITED, WE STAND & APPLAUD.

Reviewed by: M. Joyce McMenamin
Publisher, Producer and author of The Integrity Channel [m.j.m. estrada]
Network Abundance sponsored by Sensitive Pie Productions

This review originally appeared in NoNiche Magazine November 2007 Issue

This is a beautiful business book. It really teaches you that your business vision and mission must serve a higher purpose in this life. Your mission should not be money, but instead of servitude to humans. All businesses must serve, lead and help their employees and customers attain a higher purpose in this life, and you as a business leader must do just that instead of focusing on profits. Read it, you will have a different view of business after you are done with it.

United Supermarkets, the company Dan Sanders runs, has long been a strong presence in the community I live in...a very strong and a very positive influence.

The environment and culture Mr. Sanders talks about in his book are evident, from a customer's view point, so it was great reading what was going on behind the scenes of this corporation to help create this atmosphere. He does practice what he preaches.

The most difficult thing a person can achieve naturally is a requirement and achievable in Christ, and that is to serve another human being.

We try and do things our way only to end up pursuing wealth, power, status, stuff and things. All along we miss out on the one thing that will bring fulfillment into our lives.

There are many books written on Management and Leadership; most prescribing tools and processes that when implemented over time the companies eventually retreat to nothing but empty warehouses and broken livelihoods, placing cities and towns under a burden of unemployment and families and governmental structures in a deficit. Built to Serve hits the nail on the head by providing practical steps on how to operate in a process that is proven to work.

Serve the people and they will spend more money just to be served; serve them well and they will drive great distances to spend their money because of how being served by your company made them feel. The three keys that I feel made this book so outstanding is that it deals with the reality of a current business mindset which operates in most businesses today which is that you the customer should be glad we are here to take your money and treat you like the ignorant customer that we you and believe you are. Go into businesses and organizations right where you live and you will surely come across this mindset and current prevailing attitude. Serving, the value of people (internal/external customers), and keeping the faith, are all keys that this book really addresses. Combine all of these together and you find yourself in relationship with your customers. Greater is the fact that you can actually begin to reproduce quality leaders.

This book touches my heart for people and helping them to employ daily their talents to assist people and bless their employers. I look forward to the day when more businesses, PNP's, companies, and organizations begin to apply the right tools for today's business problems. This is well written and contains many great truths...good job.

If the "customer is always right," the next question is, "Why do so many customers stop doing business with companies?" The answer is, "bad service." Customers refuse to buy from companies that render unsatisfactory service and ignore their complaints. Sadly, managers usually sound the alarm and demand new customer service initiatives only after the customers have fled. Author Jeanne Bliss, a veteran chief customer service officer, tries to explain the problem and to suggest ways to correct it. She offers so many detailed trees - in the form of questionnaires, bullet points, details and checklists - that you risk losing sight of the practical forest: the motives and methods for implementing better customer service. There is valuable information here, even if it is a bit shaded. For this reason, we particularly liked her clear, helpful and revealing chapter of first-hand stories from the field of customer service.

Jeanne writes a book for now on a role that too many people will say is before it's time. It is always about the client and yet organizationally no one puts enough emphasis on the client voice within organizations. Jeanne clearly shows her battle field experience in helping those that embrace the client, get input, direction and organizational buy-in to doing what is right for the client and thus the firm without being shot as the messenger.

Jeanne Bliss' book, Chief Customer Officer, is a "must have" for any business that wants to pay more than "lip service" to customer retention. There are great examples throughout from someone who obviously has been in the trenches. This is a fun book to read, not some academic tome doomed to gather dust in a dark recess. Get it, read it, and share it with others in your organization.

Not that I have an opinion.

Jeanne Bliss has done a fantastic job of breaking down the challenge of actually "walking the walk" of a customer centric organization in a book that is informative, thought provoking and easy to read. Her concepts are spot on, based on real life experience during her very successful career. I highly recommend this book!

Jeanne Bliss articulates not only the importance of putting customers at the center of your business, but conveys the challenges that prevent most companies from successfully delivering great customer experiences. The real-world techniques she introduces are essential reading for senior executives aiming to succeed by improving the delivered customer experience.

This book was very helpful for my 4000 level Neuro class that I had to take. It took me back to the simple basics that I somehow never had or forgot and built from there, showing how the basic developed into the more complex structures. The simple explainations for different structures also includes functions which I need as a Psyc. major. No coronal views are included, but the other views are very helpful. Grab your colored pencils & have fun!

I bought this book to help my bachelor level students learn the parts of the brain. They found it helpful in their learning process to color the parts of the brain. Although, because they are bachelor level students, there were only a few pages that were surface knowledge...lots of detailed pictures that would be more appropriate for doctorate level.

This is a must for anyone interested in learning about the anatomy of the human brain.

It is also essential for anyone studying physiological and / or biopsychology.

I teach an interdisciplinary course in psychology and neuroscience, and my psych students have found this book helpful for getting up to speed on neuroanatomy. I've also started using some of the pages as overheads during my lectures, since the diagrams are uncluttered and easy to draw on.

I'm writing a review because I thought I should mention that I found this book *much* more useful than its better-known competitor. The other book has more fine-grained anatomical detail, of the sort that would be most useful to someone studying to be a neurosurgeon - but the result is that it's very hard for a casual student to tell what's worth studying or remembering. This book does a much better job of focusing on the important structures, the ones that you're likely to see mentioned in popular science books and articles. The second half (Functional Neuroanatomy, with chapters devoted to the systems subserving different functions) is especially useful.

For anyone interested in self-study, or who just wants a quick reference source for neural structures that they see mentioned in other texts, I'd strongly recommend this book.

If you loved your third grade art class, you'll love this brain coloring book. The truth is we learn by doing, using our hands, applying colors. Many areas of the brain are involved in what we think of as simple learning tasks. Adding manual tasks to learning the complicated anatomy of the brain strengthens the learning process - forces you to linger over the page and get involved in learning the structures.

I feel the text on each facing page is quite useful but could have been a little more detailed on the clinical end. You will come out of the 'coloring book' experience with far greater confidence in your understanding of neuroanatomy than you expected. You may find reading on neuropsychology a good deal easier, now that you have, in effect, overstudied the anatomy and physiiology underlying it.

For those who want to go beyond this text to a really superior text in this subject, I highly recommend Clinical Neuroanatomy by FitzGerald and Fokan-Curran published by W. B. Saunders. It is already marvelously colored and illustrated with much greater detail and clinical information. It is an exceptional medical text (and priced accordingly). The medical illustration, scans, photos and other teaching aids are excellent and profuse. The coloring book is just a sort of 'boot camp' to prepare you for this. I have not seen a better text on neuroanatomy. If you are seriously in need of learning or reviewing your knowledge of this subject, this is the one.

ADDENDA: I have just read Pinel's other excellent work called BIOPSYCHOLOGY. Illustrated by his partner (sic) Maggie - superbly and contributing greatly to the success of the book as a great teaching medium in neuropsychology and neurology. It is a textbook for undergraduates in Psychology and assumes little in previous physiology and anatomy, using extensive explanations of vocabulary and concepts. Frankly, you might as well buy this one instead of the coloring book. It will cost more but you will get a lot more out of it along with the same high quality of illustrations necessary to understand this challenging subject. John Pinel has an engaging writing style, some surprising personal anecdotes, and many case histories. I highly recomment BIOPSYCHOLOGY.

As a medical student, I found this book to be extremely useful. It is well referenced and offers some simple, but powerful techniques about how to best interact with patients.

What I liked best about Communicating with Today's Patient: The practical suggestions that can be used often and right away. For example, when broaching a difficult subject, ask "What has been your experience with (topic)?" This gives you a reading on the patient's perspective and prevents incorrect assumptions. Dozens of techniques like this make the reader a better communicator right away. Two thumbs up!

Many doctors take their communication skills for granted, but the sad fact remains that most of us do not do a good job talking to our patients. Learning how to improve your bedside manner is extremely difficult to do, but this book shows you how you can do so. Reading this book is likely to be one of the best investments of your time you can make - and it's full of practically useful stuff you can implement immediately !

I'm not a doctor, but I'm often a patient. This book has shown me how to communicate better with my doctor. In fact, I think it has excellent and helpful information for everyone, as we all try to make others understand our desires and comply with them.

This book is terrific. It zeros in on so many of the problems caused by a lack of understanding the needs for proper communication when dealing with people involved in a usually stressful situation. It presents these problems in a simple and direct manner and then shows in common sense language how to solve them. I majored in communication in college and was involved in the health care industry for over 30 years. I would strongly recommend this book for anyone involved in that industry or in a position where dealing with people is a priority.

CopShock hits the nail on the head, going beyond the trauma associated with "a single event," the battle cry of militant mental health professionals who refuse to recognize the long-term soul battering to which so many police officers are subjected. Instead, Kates dares to suggest that, while one traumatic incident is sufficient to set PTSD in motion, "sometimes a history of unresolved trauma will affect" the final diagnosis ('cumulative PTSD,' though he avoids the term). Officers are trained to repress their trauma and shove it away, drink it away, abuse it away for years, incident after incident. They can only do this so long before the scaffolding collapses. The lack of effective prevention programs only makes this worse.

I applaud Kates for coming right out and saying that "police officers cannot manage PTSD on there own," that they should consult a mental health professional for a diagnosis, and that "therapy is essential and medication, at least for a while, may be necessary." This is the direct kind of talk that agencies need to pay attention to as they enhance their programs.

CopShock reveals, however, that there is still dispute among the medical community on how to read the Diagnostic Manual's "official" definition of PTSD. Some take a restrictive, "sentence diagramming" approach, while others read it in light of modern learning, observation and realistic case observation. Personally, one might consider this when selecting between a departmental therapist and a personal one.

Bottom line--some gripping case studies that make clear the potent, life-threatening dangers of posttraumatic stress in law enforcement.

Andy O'Hara, Badge of Life program

For a time, Post-traumatic stress disorder was big news in the recovery of Vietnam veterans; it is becoming news again in the situations involving Iraq and Afghanistan conflict veterans. What has never been common in the news, but has been an ongoing situation, is the kind of post-traumatic stress that lingers with people who are in a sense on the front lines every day - policemen, firefighters, emergency responders, medical workers and others in helping professions. This kind of stress can even be present for victims of crime.

This book is a great resource for these people. It involves personal stories, recounted sometimes by those suffering from PTSD, and sometimes by those around the suffering people in relationships of family or profession. Different elements of the syndrome are presented here - flashbacks and nightmares (both of real and anticipated events), drug-taking (everything from steroids to gain strength, ostensibly to fight better and be more secure, to opiate/narcotic and other types of drugs to mask the pain and insecurity), broken relationships and more.

One aspect of the job of many civilian (i.e., non-military) workers is that they have had military training, and may be carrying PTSD baggage with them that somehow becomes reactivated. In a very moving story, the account of one Vietnam-veteran-turned-policeman is recounted with the difficulties that resurfaced over a victim similar to one of his own victims in Vietnam. While military veterans often make good police officers, they can also be walking powder-kegs of a sort.

About half this book recounts stories and tales from different angles of PTSD. The other half is one of useful resources - there are extensive notes, bibliographies, support services organised alphabetically, indexes (both subject and support services) and an epilogue. Author Allen R. Kates is a journalist with extensive experience covering police matters, and is particularly interested in the issues of trauma and stress. Assisting him in this book (providing a foreword as well as other information) is LAPD detective William Martin, whose retirement work includes serving as a counselor.

This is an important book for anyone who is in the emergency responder or law enforcement fields. It is also worthwhile for those who wish to have a greater insight into the kinds of situations people in these professions endure.

CopShock is a stunning book. Although it is focused on police officers, it helps anybody suffering from PTSD symptoms to cope--crime victims, victims of disasters, cancer, loss of a loved one, and all other emergency people like firefighters, emergency room nurses, doctors, and so on.
The book is filled with excellent firsthand accounts, is based on hundreds of interviews of cops with PTSD, and is easy to read. The second chapter in particular clearly lays out the symptoms of PTSD as does the Appendix. The last chapter tells you what do do about trauma and PTSD, how to cope, manage the symptoms or to prevent PTSD. And the 6 years of research is amazing. This author did his homework. Many police officers complain that they have few or no resources to help them with their PTSD symptoms, making the hundreds of resources the author provides invaluable. This is the best book I've read on the subject.

I have been working with police officers and their families for over 20 years and have debriefed over 800 officers who have been involved in critical incidents. COPSHOCK is perhaps one of the most comprehensive and helpful books for police officers. I like the way Mr. Kates breaks down the stressors and topics. For example, there is one chapter just on "flashbacks." The book is written in such a way that officers can immediately identify items that have personal meaning for them. However, what impressed me most as a clinician was that Mr. Kates opined that police officers do not fit the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD. Many clinical people have not caught on to this reality. (That's why in 1996, I authored the term, "Police Trauma Syndrome," to describe the unique reactions that police officers have to traumatic exposure.) I also like the helpful guides for officers who do not have the benefit of mental health professionals who are familiar with the unique stressors and concerns of officers. Mr. Kates has provided a much needed service for those who protect and serve.

When I read other customer's reviews on CopShock, I got the impression that the book is the ultimate in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and it holds all the answers. I was disappointed, however, because although there is some good basic info, the book serves better as an introduction to PTSD.

The author uses a lot of real-life stories to illustrate different aspects of PTSD and related syndromes. Almost the whole book is written this way, and this structure makes the book easy to read and not too scientific. On the other hand, is makes it difficult to use the book as an reference book. If you want to search for a list of symptoms of a given syndrome, for example, the information can be scattered along the pages of the whole book.

The book has about 450 pages, but the text really ends at about page 240. The remaining almost 200 pages is filled with listings of various support sources and so on. There is also extensive reference section, and bibliography of well over 200 publications related to the subject.

I rated the book as a whole, but the book's usefulness is directly dependent to whether you need the latter half of the book, of if you are just studying the subject. To someone who is suffering from PTSD (or whose member of family is), the book could be worth it's weight in gold.