Services Books

What a terrific read for a cold snowy day. I couldnt put it down-the author draws us right in from the start with details of the Crag Rats' rescue/recoveries and how medical emergencies in the wilderness are handled.

I got this book from the library and it was so good that I just had to buy it for my son (who is a climber) and my grandson who is in pre-med.

Life-threatening situations don't always result from poor planning or risky behavior; sometimes a single misstep on a muddy trail can result in a fall that leaves a hiker stranded on a rocky ledge, close to death. Whether injured or lost, people's lives depend on the courage and commitment of search and rescue organizations like the Crag Rats, a volunteer SAR group living near Mt. Hood, Oregon. Dr. Van Tilburg's book is an account of rescues the group has made. Gripping, fascinating, and always well-written, the book has only one flaw: it comes to an end far too soon. I'd love to read more about the Crag Rats and wilderness medicine. Five stars.

Van Tilburg's account of rescues on Mt. Hood will hook you early and keep you up late. His account of the heroism and humanism of the Crag Rats is unforgettable. You got to thank men and women like him for the courageous work they do. Kudos to Van Tilburg for bringing us their -- and his -- stories.

There is a human side to rescue in the backcountry, and Dr. Van Tilberg tells that story very well. From the effect of our SAR missions on our loved ones, to dealing with the emotions that flood a rescuer, particularly when you get "off the mountain" or "out of the woods". He also throws some very good information about wilderness medical techniques, without being overly technical or distracting. I read it straight through, and now it sits on my wilderness medical bookshelf, right next to "Doctor on Everest". I will be recommending it to my next Wilderness First Aid class in January.

THIS BOOK IS POWERFUL, ITS SHOCKING, AND IT IS ASPIRING. THERE IS NOTHING ON CHANNEL 11 THAT BRINGS THE HONEST, INSIGHTFUL, VERY REAL ACCOUNT THAT MR.DOUGLASS DOES IN HIS BOOK. FROM SLAVE TO FREE-MAN, THIS IS TRUELY AN AMERICAN SUCCESS. SKIP THE INTRO, AND JUMP INTO IT.

Douglass's second, and lengthier, narrative fills in many of the gaps left in his first autobiography: we learn about his mother, his siblings, and more details about his psychological transformation from brute to man. It's quite insightful, as Douglass is careful to relate each of his personal experiences to the innate evil of the peculiar instituition, for both the slave and the slave holder.

What are your impressions of Frederick Douglass? What would you say about Douglass observation that "conscience cannot stand much violence? Do you think it was possible to be a good slave owner?Why or why not? Why does Douglass view slaveholders as well as slaves as victims of slavery? Why is education incompatible with slavery? Why do you think the white children's attitude toward slavery is different from that of their parents? How would you describe Douglass attitude towards Mrs. Auld?

Having read a biography of Douglass many years ago, I thought I knew his story. Hearing through his pen was an entirely different matter. What a master of the language and insighful set of observations on human nature.

I am a man of many words, but words fail me in my endorsement of this book. The letter to his former master in the appendix is worth the price of the book by itself.

Standing in line at the Lincoln Memorial, a book beckoned to me that I previously hadn't seen before. The face of Frederick Douglas grabbed my attention; a man that I've respected for many years, encountering him mainly through my study of Abraham Lincoln. On the spur of the moment, I snatched up a copy of "My Bondage and My Freedom", and within a few days, my admiration in Frederick Douglass was transformed from interest to awe.

Frederick Douglass orginially penned his book as a response to people's accusations that someone as articulate and composed as he couldn't possibly be a former slave. With that goal in mind, Douglass wrote his memoirs, in a straight forward, powerful way. In the book, he painfully and honestly documents the path his early life took; the memories of being owned, how slaves coped during these times, and how he managed to pull himself out of it all.

While Douglass' life in itself is amazing, (as he describes the amazing process he undertook to learn how to read), what amazed me even more are Douglass' discourses that he sprinkles through the book, discussing relevant issues during the time. In one instance, he addresses the concern about why slaves simply didn't run away from their oppressive situations. It's almost as if you can actually hear the people talking to Douglass and he responding to them.

This book does not only tell the tale of a truly amazing American, but gives us a unique insight to the times. This book should be required reading in every high school in this country.

When you think of an "explorer" you think of a guy like Hedin. From an early age he ventured again and again into large swatches of Asian geography where few or no Europeans had ever trod. Hedin graphically and realistically portrays his travels with such detail that you can feel the cold, the heat, the parched throats, the curious indigenous eyes and the scenery staggering in its beauty. When you come to the end of this book, you will be all "adventured" out, for on almost every page there is a suspenseful, fascinating episode. Hedin was truly an explorer's explorer. His greatness is dimmed, however, by his fervent support of Naziism during WWII. As someone has writen elsewhere, Hedin knew about the death camps and never disavowed them. He was a solid Nazi partisan. In an epilogue to this book, author and admirer Peter Hopkirk urges us to look at Hedin's many and major contributions and to forgive his pro-German activities in both world wars. I'm not quite willing to forgive, but I will segment my views of Hedin into Hedin the explorer and Hedin the Nazi sympathizer. Anyhow,if you're looking for a fascinating book about exploration in the most forbidding sectors of our planet at the turn of the 20th century, this is a book for you.

(This refers to the National Geographic Reprint edition)

This is truly a great book, full of the amazing adventures of an incredible explorer. You have to admire Hedin's determination and stubborness, although sometimes I wonder about his planning. It seems like every trip all his animals die, and the men are on the verge of starvation. And as for his trips in the desert, I would have thought the concept of "take some extra water" would have occured at some point!
Hedin is a fine writer, and his descriptions are not only accessible to the average reader, but often quite poetic as well.
Nevertheless, I only reluctantly give this a full 5 stars, because I feel that National Geographic missed a great opportunity to make this an almost perfect book, and it wouldn't have been that difficult to do. As a previous reviewer mentioned, some good maps could have helped. There's almost no excuse for NG not to have included some decent maps of Central Asia in their edition. Furthermore, one tends to forget (although Hedin mentions in the text), that he also took photographs on many of his travels. These might have been included as well. (To see some, refer to the Photos section of the website of the Sven Hedin Foundation, "http://www.etnografiska.se/hedinweb/htmsidor/organi.htm"). Aside from the simplistic drawings that are included, Hedin also did many detailed sketches and potraits on his travels. Now one can assume that none of these were included in the original, and this is only a reprint, but nevertheless, it is a missed opportunity. The introductory chapter by A.Brandt also adds little insight, and might as well have been left out as well.
However, despite the lost opportunities, this book is highly recommended.

The Swede Sven Hedin was the last great explorer we will see on this well-traveled planet. Hedin was born in 1865 and this autobiography describes his life up until 1908. Hedin's career was hardly finished, however, as he continued to traipse down the old Silk Road in Central Asia until the 1930s when he was 70 years old.

In a happy trait that should be copied by more auto-biographers, Hedin doesn't spend much time on his childhood. By the third page of his narrative he is 20 years old and off to the Caucasus Mountains which only whets his appetite for the little-known peaks and deserts of Tibet and Central Asia. He spent the years between 1893 and 1908 exploring these regions and filling in blank places on the map.

National Geographic's "Traveler" magazine put this book on its list of 100 best adventure books and, truly, the tales of Hedin's adventures make for good, exciting reading. Hedin displays both charm and generosity in his account. He traveled without the company of other Europeans and he enjoyed the companionship of his local helpers and the dogs he adopted along his way. He draws many clever portraits of the people he met in his travels. Hedin, however, was no mere adventurer. He was a serious, sober scholar who produced dozens of scientific studies of his findings.

One of the most hair raising tales in the book concerns Hedin's first expedition into the sands of the Takla Makhan (desert) of China in which he and his companions nearly died of thirst. A second high point of the book is the account of his attempt to visit Lhasa, the forbidden capital of Tibet. He failed after getting nearly to the gates of the city and was denied the honor of becoming the first foreigner to visit Lhasa in half a century. Amidst the plethora of adventures, the stoic Swede brushes over incidents others would consider high -- or low -- points of their lives. "Fever kept me in Kashgar a long while" is his complete description of one serious illness.

The book is illustrated with many of Hedin's drawings, including his hand drawn maps. I suggest that you read the book with a good modern map at hand so as to trace his routes with more precision as his constant tooing-and-froing can be confusing.

Smallchief

This is a tale wonderfully told of an explorer's quest to fill in the blank spots on the map of Asia. Not only does Hedin present a clear and highly entertaining view of his travels, but he also gives us a portrait of his character. He shows us that he is a man with high goals and is undeterred in achieving those goals, even when all odds are against him. He shows us that he is also a very caring man, very much concerned about the welfare of his men and his animals. He also is a man that is awestruck by nature and is very concerned about not unduly intruding upon it or unnecessarily destroying it.

But most of all, this is an adventure story that is just plain fun to read.

A suggestion to readers who are not very familiar with the geography of central Asia would be to have on hand some good maps as the ones Hedin draws are quite limited and often fail to give the perspective that may be desireable.

I concur with NDylanRay@aol.com. This book is exceptional. I could hardly put it down. You feel the excitement and intensity of his adventures, you begin to understand the force that drives him (and you respect him for it), and you meet the people and the places that make Turkestan and Tibet 100 years ago like no place that you could ever imagine.

We used this book in a university class I am taking called children's literature. I was amazed at the quality and the brillance of the writing, it is remarkable. The language is so vivid and beautiful, that it could be out of a literary novel. The illustrations are equally as beautiful and the storyline is very well thought out and original.

I love books that begin with a fanciful, "what-if" premise. In this case, what if a sliver of the sea -- a wave -- followed a family home from the beach like a stray animal? The illustrations, humorous in a borderline-grotesque way, capture the muscular spirit of this fantasy. I need not convince my children to read this story again and again, and they need not waste time coaxing me. I love it because it permits every reader to imagine the delightfully surreal.

My Life With The Wave is, by far, my favorite children's book and just fascinates my 6-year-old daughter. The story, the writing, the illustrations are all wonderful. We've taken this book out of our local library many times. Now, we are buying our own copy, one for my daughter's teacher and one for a friend.

Kids are always bringing things home from the beach, but you have probably never seen a kid who brings home a stray wave. "My Life with the Wave" is based on the story by Octavio Paz, the Nobel Prize winning author from Mexico. At first the boy finds it is great fun to have a wave in the house; the sun comes to play with it and there are fish adorning the wave's hair. But waves are affected by the moon and the sun, and the boy discovers that the wave can get very moody at times. How do you get a wave to go back to the sea? This charming and imaginative tale has been translated and adapted for children by Catherine Cowan and illustrated by Mark Buehner, who has skillfully hidden a cat, a dog, a mouse, a whale and a sea horse in almost every picture (just to drive us even more crazy, I imagine). The best thing about this book is that no matter how much you kids are inspired, they will never, ever be able to bring home anything like a wave. At least, I certainly hope not.

this book plays on the beliefs of a child; wanting the impossible. i must admit that i wanted a wave of my own after reading this book! the artwork is magnificent, the dialogue is intriguing yet understandable...this is a MUST have for anyone with children...or anyone with an imagination.

An excellent Recorder/Journal for those who may have significant or multiple Health Problems.
There are enough categories (Tabs) to cover most of one's personal Health information. since I received
and entered the 'information' asked for; I, along with my family, now have a more detailed format - in one
place - to access my most necessary (Type I-Brittle Diabetic) data. Yearly calendar is outdated -but - I was
able to overcome this by creating my own. (3) hole punch Binder with re-fillable tabs and pages; it can't be
any easier than this.

My son is 10 months delayed and we take him everywhere to get check ups and are always looking for new treatments to help him progress so we have built up mounds of paper work in 3 short years. My Medical Assistant has taken an already stressful situation and knocked the stress level down a couple of notches. No more flipping through paper work trying to find out what he's allergic to, the medications he's taken or the tests that have been done, it's all right in front of us. The way My Medical Assistant is set up makes it easy to use and I highly reccomend it to anyone, it's not just for people with disabilities it's a great record keeping system for anyone of any age and also a great timeline of your life. Thank You Donna for making this great idea available to everyone.

David Wrobel

This book is one of the most useful items you could ever puchase. It is not only great for personal use, but also a great gift for friends and family.
You can document all of your medical information and have it on hand for immediate use.

I would highly recommend this book.

I have had 6 surgeries in the past 7 years. Each one was difficult and different in nature. Each procedure had to have numerous medications for healing. I was able to keep all of this organized with "My Medical Assistant." It allows me to put dates down, so that in the future, as today for instance when I had yet another MRI, I had it all at my fingertips. Dates of surgeries, what caused the previous surgeries, what medications I am on now, etc. I just carry it with me. My husband went along, but trust me, he would have no idea, but "My Medical Assistant" does. This is a valuable article for my life.
Thanks for the creation.

This has been a great help for me in tracking my children's health information. No longer do I get confused on what happened to which child and when. I carry it with me to all doctors appointments for each child. The best part is that I just pack it in their suitcases when they spend time with their grandparents in other states. I feel very safe in knowing that if anything happens to them that the doctors there have the medical information they need to give my children the best possible treatment. I strongly recommend it to anyone. I also used it last year after having surgery. I was amazed at how overwhelming the medications and things were. This book helped me stay organized.

I have read all the works of Harold Weisberg, included "Never Again" which is a summary of other books of Harold Weisberg. After studying his work for many years, is HW in my opinion the foremost researcher of this american tragedy. Read "Never Again" and be convinced.

As the leading civilian authority on the U.S. Secret Service (and President Kennedy's interaction with the agency), I was much interested in this book by the late, great Harold Weisberg. Despite a shrill writing style, the man was and is a legend; his work is rightfully seen as some of the very best ever produced on the case. I highly recommend this book, as well as Weisberg's "Post Mortem." vince palamara

I spent a lot of time with Harold before he passed away and he was without doubt, the very best researcher in the field. All of his books, including "Never Again" should be read by any person who is serious about the JFK Assassination. Weisberg was not part of the research group that tells readers that "every thing is false or faked" like many modern day researchers. Read all of his books first, even if you don't agree with him, you have to respect his work. One last thing; his books don't present theories, only answers and he proves what he writes unlike many authors on the subject.

This book appears to have been written by a man who was very mad at the JAMA article on the assassination. He wasted lots of space repeating and repeating that he had received info through the FOIA. I have not read the JAMA article, but it must have mentioned Weisberg by name to get him this cranked off. He also spent lots of time trying to tie down exactly what Dr. Hume had destroyed. Yet he has no proof that what was destroyed is any different from what Dr. Hume submitted. I found the book a "difficult read" and considered throwing to away as opposed to finishing it.

In yet another triumph of research, Harold Weisberg proves why the critics are slow to attack when they walk past "Old Yeller." The grandfather/watchdog of the JFK community, Weisberg puts time-tested wisdom to the post-Posner world of JFK, revealing new insights into the JAMA claim that supports the pro-Solution position, but in flagrant disregard of the physical evidence. Weisberg makes no qualms about his anger in this book, but the reader all the more appreciates the passion and animation that this brings to this factually solid, well-planned book. To the new and old alike, you WILL learn something here!!

I've been using this guide in Southern Africa for the last 6 years, and it's never let me down. Great book for those traveling to the region, but keep in mind that most guides at the wildlife parks will already have a copy, so you could save the weight and space in your luggage.

Have not actually been to southern Africa yet, but plan to do so next summer. I have been an avid birder for 3 decades, and it looks like the format of this book will be very useful for my trip.

this is the best bird guide for birds of the region. I have carefully looked over others on the market.

Excellent book with very good graphics and organization. Just what is needed to confirm your observations or identify your sightings.

Now in a fully revised eighth edition, Newman's Birds Of Southern Africa is a field guide to 125 species of Southern African birds illustrated throughout with realistic full-color artwork. Each species has an entry with a map indicating their distribution, their common and scientific name, a brief paragraph with a basic physical description and notes on distinguishing characteristics, and a gorgeous, realistic color illustration. A revised introduction teaches the reader step-by-step how to use the guide to quickly identify avian species, and a glossary, index and birdwatching checklist round out this first-class resource. A treat for bird lovers due to the top-quality artistry alone, as well as being a quintessential identification guide, Newman's Birds Of Southern Africa is enthusiastically recommended for amateur birdwatchers and professional biologists alike.

This book is very practical, and proven tohelp anyone get a job. You can buy it fromthe publisher at 626-820-4447 new for the list price of $29.95! Get it.

While this book is not just about disabilities, it is by far the best, most useful book for job seekers (or employed people) who have any kind of problem getting hired. It is organized in a kind of encyclopedia style and discusses an amazing number of problems that people may have at work. The book takes the EMPLOYER'S POINT OF VIEW as well as discussing ways that job hunters or employees can respond to objections. The author also suggests specific ways that employers should approach employees about issues that are problematic.

In addition to disabilities, the authors also discuss having been on welfare, having a criminal background, issues with chronic lateness, having been fired, memory problems, and former drug or alcohol addiction. The discussion of offensive body odor is a great example.

Most job-hunting-for-people-with-disabilities books focus primarily on people with visible, physical disabilities that do not affect their job performance if they have technological accomodations in place. Hidden disabilities need different solutions and even the ADA keeps changing.

Unfortunately, the ADA does not protect against prejudice and that is what this book focuses upon. The book pays a lot of attention to issues dealing with co-workers. While a boss may be accomodating, co-workers often are not.

The authors show you how you can be the best possible employee with the right job. But it just isn't possible to explain why you would be the best possible hire if you don't know what the employer is, and isn't, looking for. For example, the authors give specific advice for ex-con's and recovering alcoholics to explain why they would be the BEST possible employees for certain jobs, not just "ok" employees. Just about every situation can be an advantage, depending on how you look at it. And some "problems" aren't really problems if you know how to deal with them.

If you have a disability or know someone who has any kind of barrier to employment, beg or borrow a copy of this book. It is wonderful.

Every member of the staff at our non-profit job search and retention program has a well-worn copy of this book at their side. Helps us let our clients take ownership of the job search process. Also highly recommend this author's Career Development Curriculum and Materials for the hard to place.

Helps potential employees think about things from the employer's point ov view. Very readable and easily understandable, if you don't have a counselor to walk you through it.

This book is both brilliant and inspiring. Every excuse for calling someone unemployable--from body odor to burglary, is met with savvy creativity and solutions that turn your head around. Angel and Harney don't let up until they've got YOU convinced that No One Is Unemployable. And this stuff works in the real world. Genius level advice in the most down-to-earth, usable terms, author of Damn Good Resume Guide

The book Nothing About Us Without Us: Disability Oppression and Empowerment written by James I Charlton is profound. It really gives an insight to the history, psychosocial history of disabilities all around the world.

It is a profound book (very deep) and at times difficult for sensitive people like me but it is a must read book. I would like for the people in Puerto Rico to read this book to really comprehend the story behind the movement of Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The community of Persons with Disabilities in Puerto Rico need to comprehend deeply the situation that is going on even in Puerto Rico. The system provided in the territory of the United States does not work. On the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico the ADA Law is not enforce. I personally cannot wait until the Ammendment to the ADA Act of 2008 is pass by the Senate and finally signed by the President of the United States.

The "ADA Ammendment Act of 2008" was passed on the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly with 402 votes to 17 NAYS on June 26, 2008.

There are few books that can clarify the civil rights concepts and disability... This is one. I sat in a meeting of a government training program for Fair Housing investigations, and two of the lawyers/instructors as well as the Academy's Director stated that they do not need people with disabilities to be involved with the training or policy decision-making - now I give this book to persons who do not have a disability. What if we plan a celebration of women or Black History Month and only white males were invited?

RedGimp

Even though America may be one of the world's most enlightened
countries when it comes to treating people with disabilities
with respect, we still have a very long way to go.

As proven in "Nothing About Us Without Us", the revealing
expose by James I. Charlton, so does the rest of the globe,
to varying degrees. Listen to the voices of people with
disabilities in different countries that carry the same
messages of fear, shame, discouragement, and even hope:

Maria Paulo Teperino: "There is a cult of the body in Brazil.
We call it 'culto ao corpo'. Machismo is very strong, and
it affects the way many men think of women. Because of its
prevalence, machismo leads many men to believe that a disabled
woman can't satisfy him. Many even believe that disabled women
cannot have children."

Fadila Lagadien: "In South Africa, families don't educate or
support the education of disabled women because of the attitude
that no man will pay a 'bola' (dowry) for a disabled woman."

Joshua Malinga: "I had an inborn attitude not to accept the
attitudes at the institution. These ideas were very bad. For
example, disabled people were told when to eat, when to sleep,
that they couldn't make love, it was banned...By the mid-1970's
I and a few others wanted to reject all these ideas and start our
own organization. By 1965, I began organizing disabled people
because I knew things were not right."

Charlton's book reveals the often-ignored truth that 'things are
not right' for people with disabilities all around the world.
Whether it's being called a 'chirema' for 'useless' in Africa
or being 'ai duan' (looked down upon because of your disability)
in Asia, if you have one, then good luck NOT being treated as a
second-class citizen or worse. Things are looking up, however...

Rachel Hurst: "I decided I had to do something. I quickly realized
that a single person never gets anywhere, so I tried to figure
out how I could do something collectively." --London, England

More and more people with disabilities are joining Rachel in
organizing to stand up and fight for the human rights that other
humans take for granted. After you read "Nothing About Us Without
Us", I sincerely hope you will want to join them in their just cause.

I'd thoroughly recommend this book. It provides a global overview of the disability rights movement, and includes interviews with many activists from different countries. I found it easy to read, and thoroughly interesting.

This is a well written, thoroughly researched work dealing with the treatment of disabled people in various cultures. The book explores the impact of religious institutions, charities, schools and various other institutions on how the disabled are treated. It also does a remarkable job of explaining how consciousness needs to change in order for progress to be made. It is an extremely thought provoking work which raises many issues. I recommend this book to anyone who may some day be disabled - which is any of us.

This is must reading for the serious marketing strategist. It's a prescient look at how companies will have to interact with customers in order to break through communication clutter and sustain growth. I plan to use it as a regular reference for strategic planning. The section on customer care is an important addition to the current thinking about marketing communications. I like that it lays out a disciplined process for creating, implementing and measuring effective programs that provide lasting value, not just tactical applications. The last chapter of checklists alone is worth the price of the book.

There are things in this book that you can't get elsewhere...at least I've never been able to find them. At our company, we've tried for years to successfully integrate our direct marketing and sales teams. We also want to lengthen the lifetime of our customers. The authors have been doing this for years and it shows in their case studies. If you can learn what's in this book and pull it off in your organization, you'll join the less than 2% minority of companies who have achieved this level of marketing excellence.

Good to see individuals in the marketing/advertising field who truly understand the complexity of people and organizations. Consistent with the most up-to-date approaches in the field of psychology (specifically psychotherapy research), the authors of this new book are quite persuasive in showing readers the enormous value in tailoring marketing approaches to the individual needs of different organizations. Moreover, they use statistics in a quite user-friendly way and they also offer a great and quite readable variety of case material to support their views. An engaging, persuasive, and innovative look at contemporary marketing. Well worth a look; you'll find yourself hooked.

Roman nails it. He preaches the golden rule - as applied to marketing. He shows how to use permission and precision timing to win at marketing. Even better, while he has a fortune 500 client list, the strategies he recommends are not just for the big guys. In fact they are easier for small companies or even individual salesman to use.

There are 3 keys to your success: Execution, Execution, Execution. Roman and Hornstein deliver - with precision - on the who, what, where, when and how of each. A must read. John Wanamaker would give it 'two thumbs up'