States Books

The author describes in just the right amount of detail, what his residency in orthopedics was like at the prestigious Mayo Clinic. The struggle between the incredibly demanding hours of training and his responsibilities as a husband and dad are intense. Throw in some moonlighting on weekends in the ER and "you're good to go insane." A perfect summer read.

I really enjoyed this book. The author was very down to earth and had a great sense of humor. He included a number of wonderful stories about his experiences during his residency as a surgeon. I found it very hard to put this book down.

From the moment I started reading it, it was like the initial incision with the scalpel on my brain and I could not stop until I got to the end (close the incision--take the patient to the recovery)!! Dr Collins has done a great job in this fast paced easy to read manual of the 4 years of residency at the prestigious Mayo clinic revealing to us the incredibly long hours of residency while raising up a family, living from pay check to pay check(earned mostly by moonlighting), driving cheap cars(esp the Battleship, ha!),dealing with life and death decisions on a daily basis and eventually making it through it all. The doctor has a great sense of humor (I guess 'tis one of the survival tactics in the battle of life.) His scalpel sharp pen can touch the soul of the reader! You will laugh and weep through it all(as must have Patti(his wife) and the kids). It has given me a greater appreciation for doctors--they have a high endurance coefficient! A must read for all the doclings and doctors-to-be.

After making the decision to return to school after 7 years to become a cardio surgeon- I seriously doubted my own abilities. I read everything I could get my hands on concerning others and there first year experiences. Hot Lights, Cold Steel was amazing. I was able to relate with Dr. Collins and soon realize that I too may be ill prepared for like as a resident but along with anything, time, experience and studying will prove that I too can be just as amazing as he is. (Only difference- he has 12 children, whereas I only have 5). This book is a 5-star hands down.

I can tell when I am reading a book that I really enjoy, it keeps pestering me until I finish it. Read it in 2-3 days!!! Very enjoyable. I even like the binding on this hardcover, large inside margins, etc. Hey Doc, how about writing another book??????

Anyone thinking of buying a house should read this book. It is thousands of dollars worth of advice from an experienced broker for only $13! Randy Johnson gives you all the essential tools and knowledge to make an educated decision about your home and your investment. I'm an MBA grad and a finance professional and found this book offered much info that I had never learned about. Invaluable for anyone - finance professionals or otherwise.

Randy Johnson is the best! He's a friend to you hoping to level the playing field so one gets the best mortgage for oneself - not for the banks or mortgage companies. A truly honest and sincere business man - however that might usually sound like an oxymoron.

I found this book (the first edition) to be informative when I bought my first house.

I have done a lot of research and actually took the training to become a real estate agent, so I had a lot of basic information to start with. But the book explained a number of things that I have not been privy to.

book good as far as it went. For my purposes the amortization tablez did not go far enough, The tables stopped at $200,.000.00

Delicious recipes, humor, and insightful remembrances are just a few of the components that have made this book a top-seller for more than 5 years now! The "Hushpeoples" are terrific... "Hushpuppies so hot they hush peoples too." The "Fleur de Lis Chicken" & the "Pasta St. Pierre" are two more outstanding offerings in this celebrated and mouthwatering collection. I first discovered this title when it was featured in Cooking Light Magazine for a Crawfish Story, that included some of the Cajun Recipes from "Jambalaya," there was also a great review in the San Francisco Chronicle a few months back. And what a bargain too! At this price you can have all of the famous flavors and local color of South Louisiana without breaking the proverbial bank!

You get a lot in this little book. Dozens of great recipes that include the essentials you likely are looking for as well as some creative recipes you won't get anywhere like his pasta st, pierre. In addition we get nice commentary, a bit of wisdom and some great poetry.

What runs through this book most of all is passion. This guy is passionate about his culture and his food! He is not just sharing recipes but a piece of himself and always with good humor.

He provides a great dry spice recipe that beats emeril's and is used often here and his shrimp creole that proclaims to be the "best ever" probably is!

The title is correct for gumbo and jambalaya are the heart of this book but instead of the typical gumbo-jambalaya recipes you may already own there are some you definitely don't own. Try the beef gumbo cooked in red cabernet. Out of this world..

The Pasta St. Pierre on page 28 is worth the price of the book, by itself. And the author suggest you throw in some candlelight and a good bottle of wine. Another recipe that was outstanding is the Hushpeoples, on page 94 (hushpuppies so hot they hush people too)We also really enjoyed the Coonass Cornbread!

The White Bean Creole Soup is good and so is the Mud Bug Salad. Nice collection!

I laughed out loud at a lot of the commentary in this book. One really funny example is the recipe on page 110 "Hotter Than Hell Sabbath Dip" (From a drag queen in New Orleans who claims to be the original Creole Lady Marmalade) Very campy, very southern, other recipes make reference to Tennessee William's "A Streetcar Named Desire" and there are so many with that distinctly New Orleans flair. This book shows the city and its cuisine from a new, refreshing angle and not the same old boring "BAM!"

This is an amazing story! Vividly written and really makes you think about what is good in the world. The characters stay alive in your mind for months after finishing the story!

This audio version is well narrated and easy to listen to. It's un-abridged, so all the wonderful descriptions of the book are in there.

Wendell Berry is a fantastic author - I can't wait to start the next book.

The book jacket calls this a "beautiful, lyrical love story," and it is. But it is not the romance of a man for a woman but rather the deep, fond emotion that Jayber Crow holds for his community, his friends, and all that has gone into his non-eventful but ultimately pleasant life. Here is a book that can be an antidote for the disillusion and despair we feel when we seem to be lost in the cosmos. As Jayber reminisces,

"I still do belong to Port William. Being here satisfies me. I have no thought of going away. If I knew for sure that I would die here, I would be glad. And yet definite as all this is, it seems surrounded by the indefinite, like a boat in a fog. I can't look back from where I am now and feel that I have been very much in control of my life. Certainly I have lived on the edge of the Port William community, and I am farther than ever out on the edge of it now. But I feel that I have lived on the edge even of my own life. I have made plans enough, but I see now that I have never lived by plan. Any more than if I had been a bystander watching me live my life. I don't feel that I ever have been quite sure what was going on. Nearly everything that has happened to me has happened by surprise. All the important things have happened by surprise. And whatever has been happening usually has already happened before I have had time to expect it. The world doesn't stop because you are in love or in mourning or in need of time to think. And so when I have thought I was in my story or in charge of it, I really have been only on the edge of it, carried along. Is this because we are in an eternal story that is happening partly in time?" (322)

Berry's lyrical prose helps us to enjoy the opportunity to be "on the edge" of Jayber's life, and we are the better for being carried along by it.

Reading Jayber Crow is like spending the weekend listening to your favorite uncle tell family stories. The conversational tone used by Berry could get sappy in the hands of a less skilled writer, but that doesn't happen on the pages of Jayber Crow. Wendall Berry's prose is exquisite. As the story moves slowly through another time and place, Jayber's voice draws you into his private mind. It is a tender place to be. The story is thought-provoking and deeply moving. I hated for this book to end.

I used to read a lot of books and I never felt the need to quantify or compare one book to another. But when I finished Jayber Crow I knew that this was the best book I had ever read.

As other reviews here will testify, it is astounding how Wendell Berry communicates with mere words the beauty of life, the human heart and the love that holds both together.

I've sold most of the books I owned but I doubt that I will ever part with my copy of Jayber Crow.

I'm 45 years old, from Indiana, and a barber's daughter. I'm pretty sure I know some of the people that Jayber talks about. The stories weren't only about what the people were experiencing, but what they were thinking and feeling. My favorite quotes: "I don't get paid to cut hair. I get paid to know when to stop." "He didn't yet know all that he was going to know." AMEN to that!

After reading both David McCullough's biography of Adams and now this one, I have concluded that Ferling's is the better of the two. The main reason is that although McCullough's is slightly more extensive, Ferling's book has a much more realistic view of the man. As his book Almost a Miracle shows the many tactical mistakes that Washington made, this book does the same with Adams. It makes sure to reckognize Adam's flaws as well as his virtues. For example, his frequent hypocracy, his recurrent neglect of family, his indecision, his self doubt, and his many political misjudgements are all fully acknowledged. Yet even with these faults, its overall view of Adams is still that of a great man.

In addition, Ferling's writing is practically as good as McCullough's, so read this book.

I will echo what others have written. This book gives almost every detail of John Adams life. It is an outstanding biography that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys historical books.

By the last page of this book you'll feel like you personally know John Adams. You'll know what drove him to succeed, his stregths, his weaknesses, his personality and most everything that can be known about a person.

As a detailed and thorough look at the life of a man, this biography is superb.

The first book I read about the times surrounding the American Revolution was "John Adams A Life" by John Ferling. It had the effect of tuning me in to the enormous impact the Adams had during that time. David McCullough has written an equally glorious work on the man who many are unaware of his historical relevance. There is no other American - no other patriot- with the exception of George Washington, who did more toward winning the Revolution and establishing our republican form of government than John Adams. I will go on record as saying that I believe Adams impact on the success of the revolution to be unparalleled. Yes, even George Washington's contribution cannot supplant Adams' role in history. Although Washington's work in the battlefield approaches genius, the key to the victory was Adams' diligent and selfless role in bringing the budding nation's leaders together for the common cause. Without his leadership, the likelihood of victory in the war would have been much more difficult for Washington. Although Adams was admittedly overly concerned with his place in history, his actions were selfless and directed to a single noble cause. Adams could very well have authored the Declaration of Independance but deferred to Jefferson as he knew that his value on the floor of the Continental Congress was much more important. His oratory skills were far superior to Jeffersons and they both knew it. Moreover, much of the verbage in the document came from Adams pen. Adams was a man with many personal flaws, but what makes him so interesting to study is his awareness of these flaws and his honesty in his personal documentation. Reading Jefferson's writings on the contrary seem to be made for the public. Jefferson was also one to avoid conflict while Adams had no fear. If the CC was filled with men like Jefferson, the revolution would surely have been relegated to the next generation. It is unfortunate that Jefferson has received more repute than Adams and hopefully books such as these will change this. Adams wrote to his beloved wife Abagail, "Yesterday the greatest Question was decided, which ever was debated in America, and a greater perhaps, never was or will be decided among Men". He may have been correct, but this question would not have been decided if not for his leadership. He also wrote "Mausoleums, statues, monuments will never be erected to me". Hopefullly this statement is not correct and the nation will more fully give him his appropraite due.

This is an excellent biography, following Adams from birth to death in one volume, and detailing both the positive and the negative aspects of the man clearly and fairly. I've been fascinated by Adams ever since seeing the movie "1776", which gives a marvellous "based on fact" dramatization of the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence, and this book gave me a more thorough, more strictly factual look at the man. I wasn't disappointed on that score; he's just as interesting without the dramatic liberties taken by the movie.

My only quibble with this book is that the editing, at least in the edition that I have, is rather poor. There are numerous errors in grammatical structure and word choice, the kind of errors that I have become accustomed to in mass market paperbacks but refuse to accept in a scholarly historical work. Things like "he requested that the Congress name his successor be named in his place" and "...the British ... was ready" and "the New England sates" (rather than "States") and "the House of Representative" (even back then, there was more than one representative in the House) and "the dreary weather proved not be a herald of the months ahead" and many others. I understand that mistakes happen, and don't demand perfection. But there are just too many of this kind of error in this book for me to say that it is well-written; probably two dozen, if I had to guess.

Overall, this is a worthwhile biography of a fascinating president. Hopefully, future editions will clean up the writing a bit more.

The passporter is a great tool for any disney vacation. It has all the info you need to plan your trip and guide you when your there. it also is a great keepsake as you have folders in the back to keep a log of your trip. Loaded with maps, resort information and lay outs. Park maps with reviews on every ride and restaurant. Some of the reviews i find a bit silly but everyone has there opinion. Will bring the world of Disney to you.

This is the best WDW guidebook for planning and organizing your vacation at Walt Disney World. It reviews and rates all the attractions at all the resorts, as well as all the resorts and restaurants. The maps are very useful. Of all the WDW guide books, this one is best at helping you prioritize each day of your trip.

This book has answered just about every question that me and my family has about WDW. It truly helped us make our decisions about our upcoming WDW vacation.

I've bought a few books for our upcoming WDW trip, and this one has by far the most detailed maps that I've seen. It shows where the restaurants are, the bathrooms, shopping areas, etc. so you can get yourself well-oriented with the layout of the parks before actually getting there. As far as the whole WDW complex, the map is not too bad, but I've been looking at google earth for that kind of detailed information - the proximity from the hotels to the different parks, where the toll plazas and parking lots are - things of that nature. This book doesn't have extremely detailed touring plans - just some general guidelines, but still a lot of very helpful information. It has some good tips and info regarding the dining plan - the breakdown of prices, which I thought was very useful because then you can straight up compare how much money you are actually "saving" if you choose to purchase the Disney Dining Plan. And it has a little journal where you can keep records/memories of your trip, and it's spiral bounded, which I love. So if your looking for planning info, it's great, but if you've already planned and want actual touring plans, you might be happier with a different purchase.

Loved this book. A must have if you are going to Disney for the first time or for the 100th time. Gave me lots of inside advice, great restaurant reviews, which were right on, and the maps were so much better than the ones you get at Disney. This is a must have. I will get a new one each time I go to Disney. I suggest getting it as eary as you can as it was so much fun to read and review before the trip. Made the vacation feel longer than just one week for me . . . .

Talk about terrific summer reading! Queen of the Road is a hilarious, easy read. Doreen Orion had me laughing out loud as she humorously related the adventures, and misadventures, she and her husband had in a year-long bus trip across America. There are also touching moments as Orion traces the parallel journey of self-discovery that the trip inspires in both she and her husband. Between her wonderful description of the sites they see, her funny portrayals of Project Nerd (her husband) and her own mounting bus phobia, and her reflections on the way they and others choose to live their lives, I never wanted to put this book down. I would highly recommend Queen of the Road to any reader.

Okay, how could you not want to pick up this new title from Broadway Books ??? The cover and subtitle grabbed me, but I was captivated in the first 10 pages of this travel memoir from Doreen Orion.

Both Orion and her husband Tim Justice are practicing psychiatrists. Tim is still seeing patients in an office setting while Doreen consults from home for insurance companies etc. Tim is a busy guy, always with a project on the go. He enjoys the outdoors as well. On the other hand, Doreen is more than happy to stay in her pajamas, work from home, watch television and never leave the house. Her record is 118 hours in without stepping a foot outside. Two seemingly polar opposites.

Without quite knowing how it happened, Doreen agrees to Tim's dream - to travel across America in a bus for a year. That's right - a bus. But what a bus it is! (Take note that their bus ends up being the September centerfold for Bus Conversions magazine.)

Orion is an extremely funny woman. I was laughing out loud right from the beginning and wondered if she could keep it up throughout the book.....she did.

After an initial 3 week test run, they set out. Not everything goes quite to plan - the bus has some issues and so does Doreen - she's terrified of the bus.

With a fantastic sense of humour, Orion describes the trip, her relationship with Tim, the people they meet and the situations they find themselves in.

Just a few weeks into the trip they notice a shift in their outlooks and attitudes.

"Getting to the top of the bell tower reaffirmed for me that Tim and I were making new choices about how to live our lives and whether it was finding time for that climb or putting our careers on hold, we were doing things differently that we had in the past, giving us hope that the lessons learned on the road about what was truly valuable might just stick".

And this is really the essence of the book. How do you want to live your life and what is really important? As we follow Tim and Doreen's travels, you start to look at your own life and wonder what you could do a little bit differently.

It's also a love story. They are together 24/7 for a year. Although they already have a good marriage, they rediscover each other on the road.

Fascinating as well is the ongoing travelogue. The places they visit are detailed, and an appendix gives web addresses for many of the places.

I love a good travel memoir and this was one of the best I've read. This would be a great selection for a book club. There is a thoughtful list of discussion questions to get you started at the end. ( Oh - and a cocktail recipe at the beginning of every chapter!) As well, Orion will attend your book group - either in person or by speakerphone.

The idea of a boat trip was bandied about at the end of the book. Sounds like a great idea Doreen and Tim - can't wait to hear what adventure you embark on next! You can always follow along at Doreen's blog.

I read the book in a few sittings and could barely put it down. I could find much to relate to: loving to sometimes work at home in PJs, remembering to appreciate my husband for his great qualities, the willingness to take an adventure, etc. On one part of the trip, Doreen gets her hair cut by Nick Arrojo from TLC's TV show "What Not to Wear." This inspired me to make a trip with my 20-something daughters to get our hair cut by Nick. Nick was fabulous, and it was a great bonding experience with my daughters. By the end of the book, you will be sorry the trip is over, but you will still chuckle when remembering some of Doreen's experiences (e.g., trying to close the door of the RV while it was moving.)

So buy it, read it, enjoy it, tell your friends, and then do something adventurous in the spirit of the Queen of the Road!

Thank you to Doreen Orion for filling several hours with such wonderful humor and fun. I laughed out loud so many times that I know it was great therapy! I love the way the book winds through life's journeys coincidently with her bus travels, becoming a very thoughtful book as well. Plus my husband would love to drive cross-country in an RV and the prospect of that trip has always unsettled me, so I truly had some measure of empathy for Doreen's bus phobia. Maybe I could just give my husband this book to read instead? I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

Never a dull moment on this ride. Two psychiatrists pack up and set off on a road trip around the U.S. on a retrofitted bus. Doreen Orion's wonderfully hilarious book is part travelogue, part late-night monologue, part inspirational memoir and part love story. For anyone who has wanted to throw caution to wind and do something against their better judgment, this book just might give you that final nudge you need. And for the rest of us, living vicariously through the adventure with this crew is well worth the trip.

"Tejano and Regional Mexican Music" by Ramiro Burr represents progress toward filling an information gap in Tejano Music. The book measures up in terms of providing authoritative information about a subject that's near and dear to many Tejanos, but that has not been adequately documented. It's a fascinating look at Tejano Music by a contemporary writer who is connected to the musicians themselves, their handlers, promoters and to the members of the media who cover the subject on a daily basis. As a writer for the San Antonio Express News, Ramiro is uniquely placed to gather and then spread current information on the subject, and he did exactly that in his book. But he also provides a historical perspective. The book is a real source for today's generation and for those who follow. Thanks Ramiro.

It's great to see that "Tejano And Regional Mexican Music" is available on Amazon.com and that it can be easily accessed by the thousands of Tejanos all over the world who are hungry for this type of information.

RAMIRO BURR deserves all the good he gets from this book.It is so informative and educational for everyone to read.TEJANO AND REGIONAL MEXICAN MUSIC book brings back memories from the days i was growing up in the valley.It will be a pleasure to have this book in my home to read over and over.To whoever is thinking about buying this book go for it you will not regret it. ROGELIO LUNA Freeport,Texas

Ramiro Burr's book on Tejano and reg Mex music is the most fascinating, most comprehensive and most illuminating work in the history of this industry. If you're a novice or beginner, this book will educate you fast, with fact-based bios, tons of info and ready made lists of what CDs to buy and listen to. Or, if you're a veteran you'll get much joy of reading interesting facts and juicy biographical info on your fave artists from trio and mariachii to Tejano and norteno legends. From Adalberto, Fama, Jay Perez to Los Lobos, it has it all. As Mr. Burr oftens says, the book is important because the history of a music, a culture or a country is incomplete unless everyone's contributions are documented. Finally Tex-Mex has its due recognition.JR

Ramiro Burr's book on Tejano and reg Mex music is the most fascinating, most comprehensive and most illuminating work in the history of this industry. If you're a novice or beginner, this book will educate you fast, with fact-based bios, tons of info and ready made lists of what CDs to buy and listen to. Or, if you're a veteran you'll get much joy of reading interesting facts and juicy biographical info on your fave artists from trio and mariachii to Tejano and norteno legends. As Mr. Burr oftens says, the book is important because the history of a music, a culture or a country is incomplete unless everyone's contributions are documented. Finally Tex-Mex has its due recognition.JR

I am a freelance writer for Latino oriented publications and have found Ramiro Burr's book an invaluable reference and resource tool when writing about Tejano music.

Like many other people, I had heard of Glen Turner, Koscot Interplanetary and Dare To Be Great. Like most people who rely solely on the news, I believed that Turner was a crook, a swindler and a thief. But at that time, I also believed that MLM was crooked and that Amway was a illegal pyramid scheme as well.

A friend of mine knew that I was into personal development and network marketing, had apparently come across some old tapes by Turner and gave them to me.

When I first listened to Turner, I thought he had a bad cold. Later I would find out that he had a harelip and consequently, a permanent speech impediment. Despite that, the man exuded enthusiasm that was incredible. I was glad that my friend gave me these tapes.

With the tapes came a book called "Con Man or Saint?" which reviewed the controversy behind this man. It was written by a pulitzer prize winner. I have no association with Turner other than these tapes and the book, but I came away feeling that this was a very unusual man.

Turner literally turned the MLM industry on it's ear at that time. He was also able to turn $5000 into over $100 million in 2 years. That would be close to a billion in todays dollars.

I did some internet surfing on Turner and came across alot of stuff, most notably I found several articles by Jeffrey Gitomer, America's top sales trainer praising Turner and the positive impact that Turner had on his life as well as others.
Gitomer also say's "to get any tape by Glen that he ever did."
After listening to the tape set, I agree. He is a great motivator.

While I can't say whether Glen Turner was/is a Con Man or Saint, I do feel that the man did a lot more good for this industry that what some people give him credit for. His philosophy is making a major impact for me in the network marketing company that I am in right now. Gitomers book The Sales Bible is also a parcel in my wealth training library. I highly recommend it.

I have no idea what Turner is doing these days, but I would like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed your tapes and the book and if Turner happens to read this and is open for an opportunity, contact me

http://www.myxango.com/platinumteam

In the 1970's, Glenn W. Turner was a walking and talking advertisement for personal development and positive thinking. "You can have anything you want in life" Turner would say, "If only you will build belief in yourself and go after it."

And how could you argue with the guy? Here was a man with a harelip, a speech impediment and had dropped out of grade school and had created a $300 million company starting with only $5,000 of borrowed money.

Turner would wave his harelip like a magic wand and would blow away any excuses you might have about not being able to succeed.
No matter where or who you where, Glenn W. Turner had started off with much less....but amassed a fortune in excess of a quarter of a billion dollars, lear jets, 78 companies around the globe and "American of the Year."

Turner, Turner, Turner" The King of Network Marketing tells the truth about what really happened to Koscot Interplanetary and Dare to Be Great. It tells the facts about the Great American Mail Fraud Trial.

If you have ever experienced a setback in your life or are experiencing one now, you will find Turner, Turner, Turner inspiring and motivating.

You will also find a thing or two about how our government works (or at least did back in 1970's America) and why you should beware of being Rich and being right. Beware of helping to create over 800 millionaires and positively affecting the lives of thousands more.

Turner, Turner, Turner is a great book about a great man who undeservedly was sold down the river for doing nothing more than challenging people to "Dare to Be Great" and "Better their Best." And then showing them how to reach their dreams if only they were willing to believe in themselves, step up on their toes and go for it.

Great book. Highly recommended.

In 1969 I was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident. As I layed in bed hopig to recover, I felt as though my entire world had collapsed. My old job was gone, money was running short and I wasn't sure if I would be able to walk normally, if at all again.Then a friend loaned me a record by Glenn Turner called; "Glenn Turner Speaks Out". I felt as though Turner was talking directly to me and it really inspired me. A key phrase by Turner; "Confidence is the bullfighter who goes into the bullring with mustard on his sword." really fired me up. (Previous to this record, my self confidence, self esteem and self concept had dropped to zero)My Doctor informed me that I recovered faster than normal and I truly believe that it was this and other records by Turner that made the difference. Easy to see why Turner recieved special recognition from the recording industry for this record and why it went on to reach gold status in sales.It is great.I highly recommend any and all records or tapes that you can get by Turner. He is indeed the master of motivation. Nobody, does it any better.Thank you Glenn Turner for getting me back on my feet.

I heard Glenn Turner speak many years ago at Notre Dame. The man spoke to our marketing class and commanded three standing ovations!

While I didn't get into his MLM program, I did abide by his principles of believing in yourself and becoming my own Santy Claus.

Turner spoke in parables and is a great speaker. Despite a harelip which made him sound nasal and slurred a few words, this man can speak and inspire.

After listening to Mr. Turner, I realized that h aving a college degree without knowing how to use it. I also realized that I had to "take back my mind" as Turner stated "because you lost it"

His speech on "the great brain robbery" was so true and awe inspiring.

I wish this book was still available. I know all of those members of the graduating class at Notre Dame would buy it in a second.

Great man--great philosophy.

In the early 1970's, a friend of mine invited me to go to a meeting to listen to a man who was the CEO of a high flying company selling a unique cosmetic line of products and a personal development program called "Dare To Be Great." Needless to say, I was intriqued. Not to mention, I had seent he changes in my friend both from the outside with her new personal appearance and skin tone and from the inside, she seemed like a more fun-loving, caring and optimistic persoan that ever before.

The announcer comes to the microphone and introduces the main speaker of the day, the company CEO, a man named Glenn Turner. The music goes loud, we hear the song "Dare To Be Great" which I was later told was sung by Kirby "Sky King" Grant and then Glenn Turner comes running down the aisle like a bionic man, leaps on the stage while the crowd chants:

GO-GO-GO-GO-GO!!!

I had been to meetings before, but nothing quite like this! It sort of reminded me of a religious revival meeting and it appeared as though Glenn W. Turner was the preacher.

As Turner started to speak, I thought he had a bad cold or something, then I was told he had a harelip which also caused his speech impediment. None the less, I sat there mesmerized by this man who sprouted motivational messages and quoted scriptures. I was also impressed at the incredible control this man had over the crowd of about 1,500 or so who came to see him. Turner would just wave his fist in the air and shout "GO" and the loud audience became silent.

So I ended up signing up in the cosmetic company called "Koscot Interplanetary" and later go involved with the motivational company "Dare To Be Great." I attended the regular meetings and the seminars that were held. They made all the difference in me, physically, mentally, spiritually and financially. I only wish I still had those tapes from Dare To Be Great I through IV, the four adventures as we called them back then. That information was tremendous, life changing material.

Regrettably, the government got involved and Glenn W. Turner was hoodwinked so to speak. Most of us felt that he didn't do anything wrong, but the government, the real lawbreakers of the time and the american media like 60 minutes (yes even before Dan Rather with forged documents) worked their "magic" and took this huge company down. Glenn Turner I was told, had close to 80 companies spun off from Turner Enterprises including "Koscot Interplanetary" and "Dare To Be Great" and Turner was worth over $350,000,000 in 1970's dollars. Today that would be around $1.5 billion.

Yes Glenn W. Turner changed my life for the better too along with many others. And certaintly he did a lot more to help people that the people who attacked him. I highly recomment this book and any tape you can get your hands on by him, especially the Dare To Be Great Adventures VOL I through IV.

Thank you Glenn and God Bless You!

My dad flew as a navigator (on some missions lead navigator) of B-24s in the last 5 months of WWII. But all the fellows he trained most closely with, the guys he became personally closest with, died in a mid-air explosion before my dad flew a single combat mission (my dad opted out of what was supposed to be a pleasant free day-trip from England to Ireland). This book helped me to understand my father's never-ending sense of loss and regret.

There has probably never been a more masterful account of what these young men went through, and the risks they took, in the combat mode of the massive campaign to cripple the Nazi war infrastructure from lumbering, unpressurized bomb-ships 30,000 feet in the sky. The comradeship among the crews is what comes through most clearly in Childer's remarkably poignant book. That, plus the randomness of the winnowing-out process that took so many of these brave airmen. The loss of Childer's uncle and several of his crew mates was especially pathetic, and not only because of the proximity of the end of the war.

WWII, the greatest conflict in U.S. history. The B-24 Liberator, one of the greatest bombers ever built. But those two in a book, and what comes out of the oven is Wings of Morning. Howard Goodner was drafted into the United States Air Force in 1943. He set off from his home state of Tennesee to prepare for combat in Europe. He trained as a radio operator and finished in the top of class. Howard recieved a job as an instructor, but instead of "sitting out the war" Howard instead, accepts combat duty, and is sent off to train with his new flight crew. Soon, Howard arrives in England, awaiting his first bombing mission. After many bombing runs, Howards crew is appointed leader of his flight squadron. On April 21, 1945, Howard's crew sets off on a dangerous mission over Germany which runs straight into enemy flak, and crashes.
Fifty years later Thomas Childers, author, and nephew of Howard Goodner beautifully recreates what happened during the few years Howard was in Europe using the countless number of letters Howard wrote, eyewitnesses of the crash, squadron members, government documents, and the only surviving member of Howard's crew. This book was written beautifully, but a bit too dry for my liking. This is the reason for my 4 out of 5 review of Wings of Morning: The Story of the Last American Bomber Shot Down over Germany in World War II, by Thomas Childers.

A fascinating but tragic story of a US bomber crew that almost made it home safely. The war in Europe was in its closing days and they were assigned to make one of the last bombing raids over Germany and were shot down, only two survived. The author is a wonderful and gifted writer who describes the story of his uncle, the radio opeator on the B24, his enlistment in the Air Corp, the training, the close bond that develops with the other crew members, the terror of flying through enemy flak and fighting off German Fighters. It is a heart rending story wonderfully written.

John Brennan

There are very few books written, and even fewer read, that will motivate or so move a reader to go to unusual lengths to want to know or try and understand who the protagonist of the story really was;who he must have been. This is just such a book, and this is no ordinary story. First, and foremost, it is a true personal account of one of thousands of American young men from a typical all American small town of the 1940's, who had everything going for him in his small southern town, with a bright future before him. Sports, a steady girl, maybe college. But the war in Europe and Pearl Harbor interrupted that future for Howard Goodner and the many like him. He stood on a train platform one morning and,like so many others, kissed his mother goodbye, assured her he'd be alright and went off to the army to become an aviator. But not everyone who trained could sit in that pilot or co-pilot's seat of the new B-24 Liberator heavy bomber. This amazing story is taken from the letters of SGT. Howard Goodner to his mother, and found, quite by accident, by Professor Thomas Childers locked in a desk, that Howard's mother, Childers' grandmother, had left for him upon her death. The letters, stuck in a drawer that must have been much too painful to open, describes in vivid detail the complete stateside training of a typical B-24 aircrew...the selection process,the daily routines, the nuances of the B-24, the incredible training accident rates and the midair accidents that Howard witnesses, that kill 10-20 men at a time, before even leaving the United States. The narrative is compelling and written so well that you feel that you are getting to know Howard Goodner as he operates the radio on board his plane and interacts with his crew. Goodner describes what a B-24 aircrew was like, personally, on the ground and in the air. The men in his crew...the quiet ones, the screwballs and the crewmember they even vote off the airplane. He describes the terror of the missions and the relief of seeing that home base runway. This is perhaps the best description of the training, deployment, combat and daily life in wartime England of an average WW2 American bomber aircrew ever written. The story is also a family one. Goodner's brother in law, also an airman, is within bike riding distance of his airfield in England and they often meet after either one returns from a mission over Germany or Holland. They write letters home telling of seeing each other and that all is okay, until the day that Howard's ship, The Black Cat, does not return from a mission. The entire crew but one is lost and the family's share an anguish for years afterward that Childer's describes in one of the few "Gold Star" families accounts you will read. Childer's writes movingly of the families of the crew as they desperately attempt to learn something from the War Department. Childer's narrative is such that you can feel the fear as though the fateful telegram is arriving at your own door. Victor Davis Hanson describes in his "Ripples of Battle" the ramifications of lives lost in wartime and the ripple effects, we almost never consider, on the surviving families. His theory is spot on in "Wings of Morning." It is a moving story of a nephew,Childers,who, decades later and against astronomical odds finds the lone survivor of the Black Cat and persuades him to return to England to a quiet deserted, unused airfield, where machines of war once roared and hundreds of men lived and worked. You will thrill as they find the cement pad where the Black Cat crew hut once stood and where Childer's uncle may have even had his bunk. You will become emotional when the surviving crewmember, now a senior citizen, while on the commercial flight into Germany to find the crash site of the Black Cat,tells Childers, "The last time I flew here was that day, with your uncle." The fatal flight was only two weeks before the war in Europe ended. This is a human history, a detailed incisive aviation history and a truly American family story. After reading this book I was so moved, unlike any book I have read of this period, that I drove to Cleveland, Tennessee with a colleague who also had read the book. We went to "Find" Howard Goodner. We saw all the surprisingly surviving places that Howard knew and that Prof. Childers describes in the book. The old hotel, the soda shop and even the old train platform where he said good-bye. Finally, we found Sgt. Howard Goodner. Or rather, he found us. Why we turned into that particular cemetery of the three that serviced the area we didn't know, and although we searched for his grave, after three hours searching in the hot sun we were ready to give up and drive the three hours home. We had ranged far from where we parked our car on the top of a hill and were heading back up to retrieve it, when just five feet from the car, we "accidentally" found the grave of SGT. Howard Goodner. Or, did we? We thanked him for his service and his sacrifice and we thanked Prof. Childers for writing such a vivid, moving and accurately engaging account of the short life of an average American hero.

Through the years, I've read a number of histories and memoirs on the Eighth Air Force in World War II. Many of those volumes, published over 6 decades, were more authoritative, complete, wide-ranging, and fact-filled than this volume.

Yet if I had to recommend a SINGLE book to give someone the flavor of all of those experiences represented by all those many books, this would be the one.

WINGS OF MORNING is an exceptional effort. The writing is wonderful; the information and tales presented colorful and telling. The author has a level of talent given only to a handful of non-fiction writers - the ability of a poet, to flash insights of feeling while describing facts. It's in the class of Bruce Catton and David McCullough.

In a plain and straight-forward manner, and without resorting to any plot gimmicks or other devices, this book wrings the reader through an emotional journey that doesn't start or stop around VE-Day. It is a *wise* book; informed by age and living.

I recommend it to everyone.