Services Books

Why someone didn't think of this 100 years ago, I'll never know. Before making a 5-7 figure investment in your home, you'll never spend [your money]wisely.

I became addicted to the 1st edition of this guide book last Christmas. A temperature check of interior design and architecture, and an unrivaled resource for the more mundane (however talented) window washers and plumbers -- The Franklin Report offered good sport and hard information. So I was pleasantly surprised to find a brand spanking new NYC edition has hit the stands. The most noticeable difference this year is that the understated almost medical-journal like cover has been replaced by an equally elegant yet more consumer friendly facade. I liken it to the new twenty-dollar bills. Inside, the book is about a hundred pages longer, including an index that makes a name-search a million times easier. To my delight, every entry has been rewritten and customer comments expanded. And while the design establishment pantheon hasn?t been rewritten, every category in the report offers some great new finds to choose from. Looks like I picked the wrong year to stop studying up on designers!

Thanks!

This first rate book not only provides authoritative guidance on household services, it also provides very practical and informative advise on how to deal with the service providers and scope out the jobs involved. To have a rating for all relevant aspects of a renovation/price, quality and reliability, makes this effort very instructive.

This is truly a welcome compendium for New York City dwellers.

I have often wondered why this guide did not exist. You select a restaurant, you have a guide, you select a hotel, you have a guide -- you select an electrician and you end up with the guy with the biggest ad in the Yellow Pages. By definition, the guy with the biggest ad also is probably the most expensive -- he needs to work at least two jobs a day to pay his Yellow Pages bill.

This book finally give the consumer a leg up -- separates the pros from the inept. The research is top rate -- who does all this leg work? Certainly will become the bible -- now if only they will do a guide for my summer house locale. . .

Once you discover this book, you wonder how you ever lived without it. It fills a real need for any homeowner or renter who will ever need to find a professional to fix up their home or just to fix (repair, clean, install, redo) something in it. I got my Franklin Report a few weeks ago and already have answered a desperate friend's cry for help about who to call to get a dining room chair fixed in time for a Christmas dinner. The book is surprisingly entertaining, and has an informative section for each specialty that helps in choosing a service provider and negotiating the work agreement. It also has that all-important but very hard-to-find information about pricing.

Every home should have a copy. I'm giving it to my friends for Christmas this year. I know they will thank me!

Until search engines get a heck of a lot more intelligent than they are now, the best source for web site recommendations is from human beings. Particularly humans passionate about their subject matter. Judy and Gloria won't waste your time with a bazillion irrelevant links. They know their subject matter, and they know a good site when they see one. They're also a stitch. Or perhaps two stitches. Buy this book!

In addition to extremely helpful tips throughout, this little book is jammed-packed with great sites that are nicely arranged. No more wasting time with a search engine for me! I give it two thumbs way up!

Judy and Gloria have done it again! They've boiled down all the obfuscations of the net into discussions that quilters will enjoy. They offer their picks for the best Web sites to find free patterns, free quilting how-tos, and even free stuff for doll-makers. It would be hard to find this kind of stuff with a searcher. The net information in this book is completely different from what's in their Quilter's Computer Companion. That's a good book too, but this is more updated and complete. This is a very easy book to read, learn from and enjoy.

This book is a valuable resource for quilters at all levels of computer knowledge. It explains away a lot of the "mysteries" of why your computer acts the way it does and points you in various directions to research out your own particular interests. Written in an easy conversational tone, it imparts a lot of information without talking down or over your head.

Every quilter should own this book. Thanks Judy and Gloria for putting together such a wonderful book. Keep up the good work!!

I"m not usually a big reader of corporate how-to type books. They're dry, they all have the same jargon, they all say the same thing, and they're all awash in their own self-importance. This book, however, is different. Heisler and Baldino-Jones have done a great job of taking a concept and making it "real", writing an engaging story around a way that they have developed to bring the usually disparate worlds of sales and service under the same umbrella. They really understand how to make that process work, and provide many examples from their own work as a guide to make this type of integration work in your organization as well. And, in a nice bonus, very little jargon - it's all written in a way that is easily understood and not dry and bland. Definitely recommended.

This is truly a great book and a must read for business leaders in all industries. Mark and Suzanne are not talking about a new fad; I believe converting from CellMates to SoulMates is critical to the survival of companies who have not figured it out.

Having gone through the process of getting sales and operations on the same team and having seen the benefits of the change prior to being introduced to Mark and Suzanne, I highly recommend embarking on the change process. That said, this book will be of great assistance, and may even be the difference between success and failure.

Every company is different and requires its' own plan and leadership. This is not a "cook book" where you pour in some ingredients and bake it for one hour and everything comes out just the way you want it. Instead, this is a guide book or a map that helps you decide where you want to go and then points you in the right direction. You have to supply the thought processes for your company, your politics, etc. It will allow you to gain an understanding of the need for as well as the process you must go through in order to be successful.

The examples in this book are numerous and extremely helpful in understanding the why as well as the how to.

It is not rocket science but it is tough work. As the book points out, the benefits are huge but there are dangers and hardships to consider as well. This book will help you identify those areas and avoid the pitfalls.

Heisler and Jones have created a practical and realistic approach to one of the more vexing problems that occur as companies interface. Their method is based on sound psychological priciples that have been successfully applied to other areas of human interaction. The clarity and conciseness of their writng makes this a very readable book.

In every aspect of business I have been in, sales and service are forever at odds. Each blames the other for overselling or underdelivering without ever realizing that for any organization to be successful, each must not only understand the other but work together to ensure company success.

Suzanne Jones and Mark Heisler not only have lived in the trenches but have also come up with a "roadmap" to fix this age old problem.

Their thoughtful insight and practical solutions will work for businesses of any size and dimension. This book is MUST reading for all businesses and their team members.

Making sales and service work well together is huge undertaking that has to be done for a company to work. This book is a great tool to showing you how to do that! It's well written showing the symptoms of your problems and how to devise solutions. Heisler and Jones demonstrate their incredible experience and know-how to help you improve your profits by getting your company to work!

Lori Soloman is a college student and she is interning at a local radio station as she searches for her career goal and learns about life.

Ellen Weisberg uses emails and conversations to introduce us to Lori's many friends and lets us see their quirks and needs.

Lori struggles with the overwhelming advice from her friends. She learns about deceit, lies, tricks, and hidden meanings, and she learns about affection, caring, commitment, grief and loss. A sobering story.

Review by Wanda C. Keesey

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (8/07)

Lori met Nick during her college internship at a radio station; she worked closely with Nick, the morning DJ. He was an enigma, a challenge, something to acquire. His demeanor was cold and unemotional. Lori always pushed herself to extreme limits, always wanted to attain the unattainable. After she got it, she usually found she no longer wanted it, feeling that if she could achieve it, then it must not be good enough. His aloofness was what made Nick attractive to her; he was the unattainable. Lori saw Nick as a challenge and she would go to any length to acquire him. Nick has health problems which influence his dark outlook on life.

"Gathering Roses," by Ellen Weisberg, is a story for young adults. She successfully describes the lives of young professionals and the struggle they face in today's world. Women face struggles with self-image and isolation. These are situations young women endure, but keep hidden, preferring not to talk about them. Ms. Weisberg demonstrates how technology, the internet and email have an impact on the daily life of the characters. There are email messages throughout the book from Lori and her friends. They add humor and insight to the storyline. While email may be quick and easy, it has its own set of communication problems, it does not allow you to hear a person's voice or see their face so that you can judge their emotions. This is a very contemporary, coming-of-age story. Lori is coming to accept who she is. I could see her growing and maturing throughout the book. This is a book of relationships; it steps beyond the issue of gender and reaches to the heart of interaction. Ms. Weisberg is a very talented author. I recommend "Gathering Roses" to young adults.

Gathering Roses merges the timeless concepts of love, self-image, the need for security, to belong and feel loved, while also looking for adventure, something that lifts us beyond the mundane. These basic and timeless themes are woven into the recent and perhaps fleeting superficial elements of modern society, comprising shift work, career flexibility, mobility, and the wide cross section of people we inevitably meet along the way. Making full use of modern communication media, the increasing use of emails to maintain and drive relationships is explored effectively to illustrate the deeper feelings of the characters involved by creating opportunities for people to communicate in a time frame that allows rapid responses, but with more time to articulate responses than face to face conversation allow, and with less of the etiquette restraints of social gatherings. The opportunity to fully articulate ones darkest and most intimate feelings are thus allowed to fully expand. I found the emotional confessions astonishingly vivid and empathetic. The author displays an exemplary depth in understanding human feelings. At times the story goes very close to the bone and is therefore a welcome addition to modern literature for readers looking for a sign that they are not alone in this chaotic modern world. I read the entire book in about a day finding myself caught up in the development of the relationships, and really wanting to know how on earth the heroine would escape the trap(s) she found herself in. The development and resolution of these problems are managed in a masterfully subtle fashion, in a way that reflects the outcome of so many relationships and segments of our lives.

Lori Solomon, a New England college co-ed tackling a dual education in science and communications (broadcasting) is an attractive, shy, woman who, until entering this current period of her life, had always thought of herself as one who is remembered by friends for her brilliant mind not her physical attractiveness or appeal. Not until she meets Nick, a morning DJ at the radio station site of her communications internship, did something awaken inside of Lori which she had never experienced before in her life and which changed a part of her forever.

Gathering Roses is the 21st century coming of age story written as a semi-autobiographical work by a writer with a gift for language and observation. In this work, Lori Solomon, along with her friends Angela and Rutherford, faces many experiences which, although fictionalized, are primary examples of what the modern, career-minded, attractive, independent woman does experience in the modern-world; where women are objectified and alienated or isolated from the cooperative experiences that the women's liberation movement of the 1970's would hope to bring to a woman in the 21st century.

Lori's life-long companion, Rutherford, provides a philosophical backdrop for discussing modern-morality and the male-female conflict as the story unfolds. The presence of Angela, her talented, beautifully-buxom but self-conscious friend exemplifies the struggle of women with self-image when not meeting the physical expectations imposed upon modern-society by popular culture. An even larger presence of character which appears in this novel is technology - the use of network & internet technology by all characters in their communications if not in their daily, activities. From these characters, the author demonstrates the difficulty of communication between people regardless of the gender combination; be it male-to-female communication, or female-to-female communication. The media of internet technology in which these communications are based, demonstrates the phenomenon suggested by Howard Besser in The Information Superhighway: social and cultural impact (in Brook & Boal's Resisting the Virtual Life: The Culture and Politics of Information, 1995). That despite the closeness of these people to Lori, one can't help but feel the isolation that she experiences during her inner struggle and conflict about life and her relationship with Nick.

However, it is the presence of the character Paul, a supportive and strong, positive constant for Lori, who serves as a lifeboat of reality to the outside world, which provides a more stable relationship in the novel. Because of Paul's presence, Lori's fate is less ambiguous and less tragic than some of literature's most historic heroines - there is more hope for Lori as she embarks on her adult life and all the promise that the world holds for her.

In my opinion, Gathering Roses is an excellent read because I feel it touches upon themes which young adult women do face in the modern world but may not openly discuss with others, due to the sensitivity and nature of these situations. The author has a great sense for description and propriety in defining the situations that the main character has faced in the context of this work, while being true to their nature and not robbing us of the narrative by leaving too much to the imagination.

The relationships of the characters with Lori and the journey she takes in this novel is serendipitous; in that by experiencing and then reflecting on these experiences, the character has evolved to a higher plane of thinking which was not the original design for her reflection. The messages that I have learned from this character and her experiences are these: that life is a very fragile and precious thing and that we should not be afraid to go out and experience what life has to offer; that it is our connection to each other and our ability to share (emotions, experiences, contact) which enriches our experiences and that we all really do need each other ...and that a significant, positive relationship in our lives, be it male or female, can greatly contribute to our involvement in life experiences.

This is an entrancing book. I usually read for 30 minutes before bed, but found myself unable to stop with Gathering Roses. I read the whole book in two nights. The main character, Lori goes through many conflicting feelings but throughout remains true to herself. The ending is heartwrenching. A must read!!!

Goblin Market, a verse fairy tale that was first published in 1862, is a rather fascinating piece of masterful poetry. It tells a wonderfully sensuous tale that has inspired a myriad of interpretations. I've spent more time reading about Goblin Market than I did actually reading it - savoring it, rather, for it really calls for a much more personal treatment than a mere reading. This pre-Raphaelite work harbors latent eroticism that echoes with both renunciation and desire. Thus, some term it a work of repressed Victorian eroticism and grin knowingly (and leeringly) as they recount the fact that Goblin Market was quite a popular children's fairy tale in its day. Christine Rossetti was herself a recluse along the lines of Emily Dickinson, allowing her heart to sing freely even as she kept herself separated from any possible objects of her latent desires.

In the poem, one sister gives in to the temptation of the forbidden fruit offered by the dark goblins forever lurking in the twilight to seduce their victims to a first taste of their exotic wares. The desire to obtain more of the passion fruit overtakes her young life, yet the goblins appear to her no more; as a result, she begins to waste away near to death. At this point, her sister, who sensibly avoided temptation, willingly seeks to bargain with the goblins, only to have them force their juicy wares upon her. The fruity residue is enough, however, to revive her sister. The act of salvation is obviously the juiciest part of the story on a number of levels - such a sensual act between sisters, with lines such as "Hug me, kiss me, suck my juices" and "Eat me, drink me, love me," cries out for interpretation of all kinds - and those quick to criticize the hypocritical prudishness of Victorian society have a veritable field day with it.

Some say this is not a poem for children's ears? Balderdash. Like any masterful work of poetry, Goblin Market can be read and interpreted on many levels. Children will delight in its lyrical rhyming patterns, its allusions to wee goblins hawking the most delicious of fruits, and interpret the salvation of the tempted sister in comparatively innocent terms. I say leave the interpretations to the adults. And what interpretations there are of this lengthy poem. Some see in it a recreation of the genesis story, a story of sacrifice and redemption, a tale of lesbian yearning, a declaration of the power of sisterhood, a commentary on women as commodities in market society, evidence of sexual molestation by Rossetti's father, etc. There's no limit to the interpretations put forth about what is, on the surface, an engaging fairy tale set to verse.

This is a fascinating work of lyrical poetry that can be read fairly quickly yet will sustain your interest through multiple readings, all sorts of fascinating research into analysis and interpretation, and just plain wonderment. As sensual as it is beautiful, Goblin Market is probably one of the most fascinating and insightful products of Victorian literature.

I wonder if the good folk at the end of the 19th century when this poem was originally published were just too obtuse to understand the gist of Rossetti's work; if so, we have an innocent artifact that has evolved into something erotic because of our twentieth century sensibilities (we have dirtier minds than our compatriots from the past).

Don't let the word "erotica" scare you away. This is not a blatantly sexual work in its language; it is not a "dirty" book. Just understand that despite what anyone else says or writes, this is about as unambiguously EROTIC as you can get. With phrasing like "Eat me, drink me, love me; Laura, make much of me; For your sake I have braved the glen; And had to do with goblin merchant men."

Since the original work is now in the public domain, if you want to read the full text online just do a search using most standard search engines with the terms "Christina Rossetti Goblin Market" and you should turn up a number of links to the actual poems, go read it, and decide for yourself about it.

This makes a wonderful gift for people you are very close too. However, it is also a very personal poem, and if given inappropriately could actually scare someone away!

Noted Italian/English poetess of the 1800's Christina Rossetti's imagination catching poetry has stood the test of time, being still loved and studied today. Because of its title, Goblin Market sometimes gets put into a juvenile category, but this is a poem for mature readers. This moral tale depicts the epic struggle between bad and good. The goblin's onslaught on virtue immediately engages the reader's inner ear and heart. This poem is really gripping reading. Goblin Market is often considered Christina Rossetti's best poem. This re-issue, replete with noted illustrator Arthor Rackham's beautifully eerie drawings, is a book worth owning.

A children tale for adults. It's a light and thoughtful reading. The story of two sisters and lewd goblin men. Innocence, temptation and emotions all together. This inspiring story has wonderful work of Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

This tale is not about sexuality but about redemption and the need to help others. Read deep into the story to find the meaning that Rossetti intended.

This book is a must read for anyone in any profession. I couldn't put the book down and I don't even play golf. The Reiss Brothers make an awesome analogy by showing how the game of golf relates to learning new strategies for building networks and improving communications, not only in one's professional life but personal life as well. The book is honest, insightful and enjoyable to read. It gets down to the basic psychology for a successful business. Jennifer Amlen, LCSW

I just started golfing and i love this book! It was easy to read and I think it will be helpful in every aspect of my life for a long time to come!
Sam Leibowitz

I am not a golfer, so I was a tough sell on this book. But its content transcends golf as a sport or even as an ideal. The strategies, insights and ideas are practical, usable, honest, and not limited to any industry. Really good stuff.

The book gives you a terrific prespective on the value of customer service and understanding the potential sales leverage in a positive feedback loop. You don't have to be a golfer to like this book!

This is a book that has simplified the complex ideas of best business practices. By breaking down the parallel principles of golf, The Reiss brothers have given us digestible thoughts and actions we can apply every day in almost any line of work. I will suggest all my colleagues read this and encourage all staff members to do the same.

Kids love dogs, no doubt. But I do doubt that most kids know anything about this facet of the dog world -- what a guide dog does, how it's trained, how a stranger should interact with it, the special relationship between guide dog and owner. I admit that I didn't know much about these things before I read Finke's book.

Her tone is warm, friendly and educational. The illustrations are beautifully done with a warmth that echoes the author's voice. It's a refreshing take on the dog-as-hero book, of which there are many, and of which too few are as truly unique as this one.

Hanni and Beth Safe & Sound is a children's picturebook about the daily life of seeing eye dog Hanni and her owner. Based on the real-life experience of author, Hanni and Beth Safe and Sound is a wonderful introduction for young people to the rules in how to treat a seeing eye dog; for example, a dog is working when its harness is on, and a working dog should not be petted or distracted. Told from Hanni's point of view, and beautifully illustrated by professional artist Anthony Alex LeTourneau, Hanni and Beth Safe & Sound is enthusiastically recommended for children's library collections.

My son, 7 yrs, got this book for Christmas and he simply loves it. The subject matter is different and interesting and it has created an opportunity for us to talk about all kinds of things (and people) we never thought about. Plus it is fun and sweet! I've already ordered a copy as a birthday present for a friend of his. I could give this book to every child I know. It's well written and illustrated and fun for parents to read (and learn from) as well.

Hanni and Beth: Safe and Sound by Beth Finke is a delightful book about a Seeing Eye dog and her owner, the author, as told by the dog. In warm and straightforward language children (as well as adults) learn about the training, daily responsibilities, and activities of service animals for the blind. Many people don't know it is not okay to pet a working dog.

This book is a must for any houshold with children so that they may grow in knowledge of working dogs and the challenges of people who depend on them to function more independently. The richly colored illustrations by Anthony Alex Letourneau create an inviting atmosphere to share the story with young children; and as the children grow, they will return to enjoy it again and again.

Review of Hanni and Beth Safe and Sound

Hanni and Beth Safe & Sound is a splendid story of friendship, loyalty, and courage.
Hanni, a Seeing Eye dog, recounts her day as a companion to Beth. Author Beth Finke's blindness occurred in adulthood as a result of diabetes.

Faithful animal stories are not unique. What makes Hanni's story special is the determination and confidence that both characters exhibit as a result of this special relationship. "Blind trust," a cliché that totally describes this relationship, is apparent on each page. Whether Hanni and Beth are dodging garbage cans or traffic, Beth knows that Hanni will do her best to keep them safe.

Anthony Letourneau's illustrations are so life-like that as soon as my students saw the cover of the book they knew immediately it was a book about Beth and Hanni. Beth visited our school last year for an assembly and told her story. The students couldn't wait for her book to come out and were thrilled to see the final copy.

The students were amazed that Beth could lead such a normal life despite her blindness. I think tales where adults are vulnerable (not bumbling fools) help children relate to their own vulnerability in the world. Certainly, if Beth can make it with Hanni's help and her own tenacity, then they can make it too.

Hurray Hanni! Bravo Beth! Thank you for showing us anything is possible.

I have perused many books about magnet therapy and found this one to be the best. Unlike other books on the market covering this topic, "Healing Magnets" explains the complicated science behind magnetic healing clearly and concisely. I appreciated the comprehensive documentation and practical applications for a therapy that has worked for me but remained a mystery as to why until I read this book. I encourage anyone who is using magnets now or is wondering if they should for health reasons, to get this book and use it.

My patients often ask me questions about magnet therapy. This book answered all my questions and then some. I recommend it both to my patients and colleagues who want a clear explanation and well-documented resource.

Sherry Kahn has written a very readable, thorough and informative book on a complex subject. As a fellow medical writer who has authored a book on the perils of electromagnetic pollution and our ever-increasing ambient radiofrequency exposures, I often get questions from people who are confused about how magnets can be used therapeutically if EMFs are supposed to be dangerous. Ms. Kahn sorts through these, and many other questions well, giving the reader a comprehensive understanding. Although caution is warranted with very strong magnetic fields (such as those used in MRI diagnostics), the human anatomy has been found to be fantastically responsive to low-level steady-state magnetic fields. The problems arise in energy fields with the introduction of artificial characteristics not found in nature -- alternating current, digital pulsing, unusual wave forms, and exposure strengths unlike anything we've encountered before in our evolutionary history. We -- and all other species -- have evolved within the protective cradle of the earth's own steady-state magnetic fields. How arrogant to assume it wouldn't be an important factor in our well-being, or that abnormal inbalance wouldn't adversely impact our health. Although energy medicine is considered ancient knowledge in eastern cultures, it is only now coming to the foreground in western medine. But energetic healing modalities can be quite powerful. People should not use strong magnets willy-nilly or without guidance. That's where Ms. Kahn's book comes in. No one considering magnets should be without it. For a slim volume, it packs a lot of punch.

If you're going to buy one book on magnetic therapy, this is the one. It is very clear and makes the science easy to understand. It is also very well organized so that you can find out what is known about the use of magnets for various conditions. I found the buying and treatment guidelines particularly useful.

If you want to quickly get your arms around magnet therapy, read this book. Having first used magnets a few years back, I knew they worked - but I didn't know how or why. There was very little accessible information on the topic then, and I ended giving up on understanding why I was having such great results. This book does a fantastic job of explaining the hows and whys in language I can easily understand. So many people say there's not much evidence that magnet therapy works. Maybe not yet in the US, but this book summarizes studies from around that world that prove that it helps a far wider range of conditions than I ever imagined.

It's comprehensive, well-researched and easy to understand. Two thumbs up!

My wife and I are both first person volunteers (Red Cross and St. Vincent de Paul Society) and we both have full time jobs. I thought that we know about helping until I read this book.

Basically, it starts with a focus on knowing and understanding yourself, tossing in a little mediation practice for good measure. If you are helping to feel better about yourself, you are not really helping.

Along the way there are, as other reviewers have said, inspirational stories that (well) inspire. It is a great balance of discussion and insight with stories about service.

When I got to the section on burn-out, I presumed that I know the answers. I have survive burnout and read several really good books on the subject. Relax, step back, etc. This book has an entirely different perspective that I think is more useful than the other books.

If you want to help people, and I presume if you are reading this book that you do, then you should consider reading this book. Thanks for helping.

This book is filled with insights. These insights are hidden gems of wisdom revealing our personalities desire to seek and find what we all have in common. This unity is driven by our need and desire to find peace in the midst of life's most difficult moments. As our heart goes out to those in need, our acts of service contain our soul's longing to connect with a fellow soul. Once our soul is awakened in service, a path opens and leads us into a sacred human relationship infused by the power of peace. Thanks, Ram Dass, for your guidance into the realm of spirit through the words written in this book.

I also recommend: What the Dying Teach Us: Lessons on Living by Samuel Oliver

I am a social worker and an author. I have recently become involved with writing about medical as well as human rights issues. (My book BEHIND THE BURQA, which is to be published in October by John Wiley, is the memoir of two women who escaped the brutality of Afghanistan and the suffering they endured in the US.) Through my work, I have come into contact with people, such as the two subjects of my book, who have endured excruciating circumstances. HOW CAN I HELP sits on my night table so that I can read it after I've come home from interviewing someone in pain. It addresses all the issues that come up when people try to help each other, whether as "helping professionals" or simply as friends or family who are reaching out--guilt, burnout, fear, sense of helplessness--the myriad emotions that afflict those who want to make a difference in the lives of others. HOW CAN I HELP is psychologically astute, spiritually enlightening and written with great gentleness, compassion and occasional moments of humor. I feel the authors have become my mentors and friends. They accompany me to detention centers when I interview imprisoned asylum-seekers who have fled horrific tortures. They're with me when I visit people in the hospital. Their wisdom and guidance inspire me and inform my ability to remain intimately involved with people who have undergone horrible suffering. This book should be required reading in medical schools, psychology and social work programs, and any other context in which people are being trained to work with others in need.

An excellent book on helping ourselves which in turn act in helping others in a life of service. The awareness first must be found in ourselves before we can exercise the compassion for others. It is here we gain insight into a larger order of lawfulness we cannot understand rationally but which nevertheless resonates within. Compassion becomes an increasingly automatic response.

Ideas conveyed rest in the process of ambiguity and paradox in the realm of not knowing, resting in mystery. Living in the game of subjectivity, we always remain in touch with the silent observer, the witness self in calm abiding and when caught up in subjectivity to see the absurdity of the game and using absurd comedy to deal with it. We end up trusting in a larger pattern beyond the absurd surface world of our actions. We see the truth in uncertainty, we maintain the Zen beginner's mind. We work on ourselves as a vehicle for our higher selves. And we recognize that all of us have a flag to wave which is the folly of our human existence. We are conscious of our lack of integrity while trying to convince others, as we see ourselves from the outside as the silent witness. We see compassion and peace as the only way to make peace in everything we do and are in touch with the quiet self behind all our subjective roles, behind all the thinking, actions and experiences. We see the polarization's of differences as our habits of thinking, seeing beyond the circle of opposites knowing that our mind acts in Gestalt as it perceives and decides in categorizing what is essentially neutral information.

The way to compassion is simply to just listen, stop thinking, stop speaking and listen. be the observer. Its our reactions that determine our pains and sufferings as opposed to the happenings themselves. We acknowledge our weaknesses and refrain from blinding ourselves in subjectivity. Its our dispassionate need as the observer, the we see our own reactions from the view as an outsider watching our reactions as habitual patterns our physical and mental beings perform.

Our thoughts act as clouds that pass by and we can be aware of this if we can gain the ability to observe them as an outside consciousness, alert to when we get sucked up in subjectivity. To rest in awareness in ourselves, with company, allowing and helping others to find themselves. The sage helps the ten thousand things find their own nature. We move away from viewing the world strictly in concepts and recognize the intellect blinds intuitive awareness. We see our self image as a prison we create, roles to survive in this game of life but also a prison for us if we fail to find our higher objective observer selves. We need our roles to survive as humans and communicate with one another but in order not to get trapped in them we have to enter behind our roles out of the blindness.

"The most familiar models of who we are - father and daughter, doctor and patient, helper and helped - often turn out to be major obstacles to the expression of our caring instincts; they limit the full measure of what we have to offer one another . . they are delusions of separateness. Our task is to free our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty . . " p.20

I read the book called "How can I help" by Ram Dass and Paul Groman when I attended a seminar for care givers. It was intended to help us not get "used up" or "burned out" as the saying goes. The book has a number of vignettes followed by commentary. Each vignettes has proven an inspiration and the commentary has always added to the insight.

I do something I call "peer counseling". What it means is I simply try to provide a really safe place for them to express themselves. I have a structured way of developing that environment but that's too complex for this email. I believe that even if we think very hard about an issue we still need to say the words before we get a complete perspective. When we say the words out loud the first time to someone else we some times think, "Damn I'm right!" other times we think, "Boy is that stupid." and I try to provide a non-judgmental place to reach a conclusion. I also expect that if the outcome is the second they will try to distance themselves from everything that was associated with time spent working in the wrong direction. Generally that means they distance themselves from me too. I have to help them leave me with no feelings of guilt because they are "abandoning" someone who has befriended them. That is the second part of my counsel letting them go guilt free. I sometimes fear "losing" clients will drain me but re-reading the vignettes in the book renews me.

There are so few books out there that give a realistic look at a professional groom's life. If you've ever considered becoming a groom or even going into the pro-horse world, this book is an amazing investment. Nusser gives almost every type of information you could want, including typical pay, benefits, housing, and insights into the personalities and habits of the grooms. It follows three pro grooms: a woman who just wants to learn everything she can, a woman who is wishes she was winning the medals, not grooming the horses, and a man who works for the money. Though it's non-fiction, it's written like a story and you can't help but be draw in. This is one of my top five favorite books - I can't impress on you how much you should buy it.

Follows the grooms in 3 areas of horse sport: eventing (grooms of the O'Connors), show jumping (of Anne Kursinski), and racing (of the breeding stallions at Lane's End). Very interesting, and for the most part not too dumbed down or inaccurate.

The stuff about Parelli got to be very annoying-this was back when the O'Connors were actually fans of him. The author seemed to be a bit too impressed with the man.

Some history of the horse was mixed in, as well as plenty of stuff about each discipline. It was very interesting to see how the horses were treated by each group of grooms. For example, the race horse grooms didn't seem to have a ton of affection for their charges and were very pragmatic. The O'Connor's grooms thought of "their" horses almost as if they were their pets or kids. Also enjoyed seeing the true lives of these people: long days, hard work, little pay, not much time for other people in your life.

Don't recommend this book for young kids: Some bad language, references to drugs and sex. Also some graphic scenes in the breeding shed of Lane's End. But for adults, this is an informative, entertaining read that doesn't make riding and horses out to be glamorous (unlike many horse books today). Nice book for the 99% of horse owners who do their own work, and for those that want to see what goes on in high-caliber equestrian operations. And it really makes you respect these incredibly hard-working people who get relatively little credit for any wins.

This book will certainly give you an appreciation for the hard work grooms put into caring for "their" horses, as well as the difficulty proffessionals have in finding and keeping gooms. Grooming is often a thankless job (more often than not, unfortunately!), with long hours and hard work, as well as little to no time off, but most people are unaware of this fact, even many horse enthusiasts. It's nice to see the grooms get the attention they deserve, as well as being an enlightening look into the world of professional riding.

My only qualm is that the book reads like a 200 page newspaper article, not like a novel. The writing (especially the tense of the writing), distances the reader from getting into the "story". Nonetheless, it's a worthwhile read for anyone interested in horse care or professional riding. Those with only a casual interest in horses or without any real experience in showing or stable management may want to look elsewhere for a book, but those with a working knowlegde of horse care and terminology will find this an interesting read.

This book left me thinking about grooming and a grooms life for days after I read it. Straight forward, with lovely descriptive passages about the things grooms do and are, it reads easily and quickly--and is over too soon. Nice too, that it parallels three types of grooms: racing, jumper, and three day. Well done.

What more can you ask of a book? When first I picked out this book, it was with the intention of learning about the world of a professional horse groom. What I did not count on was learning all about that and so very much more. I would not have given the equine sport called Three Day Eventing a second thought before reading this book. This author describes it so brilliantly & colorfully, I could not wait to turn each page to, as they say, "find out what happens next". It is the true account of this groom's daily life in the professional stables of World Olympic Champions David & Karen O'Conner. Many other well-recognized names at the top of the horse world are featured as well, as this skilled writer takes you on an intimate journey few spectators are ever privey to. This honest & intrigueing portrait of life at the top of the equine world is one that no horse enthusiast should miss. However you feel about the sport of Three Day Eventing, this honest & compassionate portrait will engross you page after page. The sheer strength & beauty of the writing made this book a joy to read.