New Books

I must say that the simpler management frameworks are the ones that stick with me. This book puts forth a few key management principles that are helpful for most companies.

This is by far the best business book I have ever read, and I have read many. This book is full of "roll up your sleeves" "get er done" practical tools and techniques. All referenced forms are available on Harnishe's website as well. The book is so readable, succinct and full of "Well Duh!" techniques and procedures that I found myself amazed that these basic techniques are not being used in more businesses.

This could be the only "how to" manual any consultant would ever need to initiate transformational changes within client organizations.

I have met Verne and have attended his workshops in the past, so I am a little biased; but, his book is really good. If you are a business owner or leader, his ideas will really help you grow your business. Not only grow in terms of revenue and profits, but also in terms of employee satisfaction and productivity. Do yourself a favor and read this book!

Our executive and management team read the book and attended Verne's Rockefeller Habits workshop. We have implemented everything from the book and workshop and our company has aligned itself, communicating much more effectively, and executing on goals and initiatives. I can't say enough how much the daily huddles have helped our organization break down road blocks faster than we could ever imagine. I recommend this book to anyone interested in growing your company into a 'Gazelle'. Check out Verne's website at: www.gazelles.com. I highly recommend attending the workshop.

Bring organization to your organization. Hold people accountable for their work. These are some of the biggest problems I hear over and over from entrepreneurs who have emerged from the start-up phase and are trying to grow their business into a profitable machine. This book is an easy read and gives you all the tools you need. A must have for anyone looking to take their business beyond their garages.

Easy reading and great guide to becoming vegetarian and even vegan. Highly recommend for those just beginning. Also recommend as a refresher for nutritional needs.

This book is fantastic, it goes over many vegetarian issues and teaches you how to eat to get the maximum benefit from your food.

This is an excellent book for anyone wanting to change their eating habits and improve their health. highly recommend this book

You can never have too many books on health, and this is a great one to add to your library.

This book is extremely comprehensive. It is the first book about becoming vegetarian that I have read but I am completely satisfied that it covers all the requirements of a vegetarian diet. I would also recommend this book to non-vegetarians, particularly those seeking to reduce meat intake and increase nutrition from plant foods.

I'm vegetarian and have been for over 10 years. My husband on the other hand, doesn't like "healthy" food. So every time I present an argument for trying one of my dishes, he always wants to know what that particular food 'provides' him. This is my savior, when it comes to quick and easy reference to what food have what nutrients. Also contains helpful suggestions on how to shop and buy the foods as well as cook them.

I got this book 2 years ago when I was interested in finding out more about whole foods, even though what we ate was already almost entirely whole foods. I wanted to know about the benefits of each food, and find some new ones as well. This book quickly became, and still is, my most used book. I always take it with me when I travel. It's fascinating to pick it up and read about 1 or 2 specific foods at a time. The amount I've learned about the foods we're eating is tremendous, and for curious food-loving people the book is tops.

Every time I open this book, I find some new fascinating information in it. There are also great recipes and interesting anecdotes sprinkled throughout.
I'm very glad to have this one in my library.

A must have reference for those that need to know more about what they eat and how they can maximize their nutrtional needs through the understanding of "whole plant based" foods,...flavor need not be sacrificed!

I absolutely love this book! Although I have only had it a few weeks, it is already a constant resource in my kitchen. I look something up in it almost everyday, and I've never been disappointed with the entries in the book. I am pregnant, and my doctors are concerned about me getting enough of certain nutrients. This book has helped me alter my diet to get as much of those nutrients naturally as I possibly can. It's informative, user-friendly and well written. I am definitely glad I bought it, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to eat a more balanced, healthy diet.

Jonathan Eig is developing an expertise at rehabilitating hackneyed young-adult biography heroes. First with Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig and now with "Opening Day", Eig takes a baseball player whose legend has become tarnished by excessive praise, and retells the story from its original context, restoring a sense of wonder.

The story of Jackie Robinson has with time become a story about the heroism of Jackie's white teammates. History now tells us that they bravely accepted and embraced him, over society's disapproval at the ending of baseball's color line. At least, that's how Eig first approaches and then rewrites the tale. In "Opening Day", the spotlight rightly shifts back to onto Jackie himself, as well as to his wife Rachel, the rock at the center of his life. We hear from Jackie himself via contemporary interviews and from his assigned beat-writer from the black press.

The discussion of Jackie's acceptance among his teammates is limited to how they did not in fact accept Jackie as one of them: Eig fails to uncover any evidence that the rest of the Dodgers tried to socialize with or befriend Jackie in any meaningful way once they stepped off the field.

Branch Rickey, who gets rightful credit as the man who integrated baseball, is also shown as the shrewd businessman he is, in both the good and bad sense. Rickey was the executive who refused to trade one of Jackie's most vocal teammate critics, realizing that his pennant hopes resided in that man's bat. He further refused to give Jackie a significant raise for 1948 even though Jackie's presence generated value in publicity and gate that far exceeded his meager rookie paycheck.

Most compellingly, Eig retells the story of the 1947 season month by month, primarily through contemporaneous newspaper accounts. We see the variable way Jackie was treated by the press, and whose agenda affected which stories. A national publication tried to anoint Spider Jorgensen, a strictly league-average third baseman, as the league's top rookie, in a veiled slap at Jackie's aggressive Negro League style of play. We also learn things not commonly told: we know, for example, that Larry Doby was the second black baseball player in 1947, but Eig goes further and tells us who came third and fourth (a cynical move by the St. Louis Browns), and which white owners opposed integration in the disingenuous name of preserving the Negro Leagues.

"Opening Day" could stand to go farther and tell a bigger story. Jackie's post-1947 career and personal life is shunted into a brief epilogue that hints at a possible second book of equal depth. Of course, the space within "Opening Day" is well used: the three chapters devoted to the 1947 World Series are well researched and lively told. Even in a book about Jackie Robinson, the other unlikely heroes and goats of that series (Bill Bevens, Cookie Lavagetto, Al Gionfriddo) still deserve their space.

A complex, nuanced portrait of Jackie Robinson, told with stunning detail and insight into the first black man to play major league baseball in the 20th century. As an historical account, this book goes beyond myth and revisionist morality to create what feels like a genuine account of a complicated man in a complicated place. As a baseball book, it is wonderfully expansive on an important era with lots of legendary players. As a literary work, it is a top-notch narrative told in an elegant, rhythmic cadence. It also gets high marks for journalistic technique and style. If all writers of sport possessed Jon's rare combination of gifts, the genre would be a lot richer.

This is the second book that I have read from author Jonathan Eig. The first, Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, was such a great retelling of the life of the Iron Horse, that my expectations when picking up Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season were quite high.

Opening Day is the story of Jackie Robinson's first year in the majors, and the challenges he faced when he became the first black American to play Major League Baseball. Any true fan of baseball knows the story of Jackie Robinson, his importance to the game and the lasting impact he has had on the United States. But, Eig manages to provide a fresh look at this historical year, focusing not only on the challenges and bigotry that haunted Robinson, but also on the lives that he touched in 1947 and for years to come.

One of the more intriguing stories from the book was that of Jackie's teammate Dixie Walker. When Robinson's Dodger teammates were informed that he was coming up from the Montreal Royals to play with the team, Walker wrote the team's general manager, Branch Rickey, asking for a trade. There were also rumors that he led an effort by the Dodger players to get Jackie off the team. Dixie always denied the accusation, but nonetheless, he was basically a self-proclaimed bigot - worried about what his family and friends in Alabama would do if he played alongside a black man.

Like authors before him, Eig could have easily cast Dixie as the villain of the story. But instead, he details how playing with Jackie helped Walker evolve into a better man. Within time, Walker started to respect Jackie for his toughness and determination. He started giving Jackie pointers on how to improve his game, and later in 1947, he stood up for him (along with all of Jackie's other teammates) when opposing teams would hurl racial epithets at Jackie. Robinson made Walker start to question his views on minorities and Walker came to realize what he learned about blacks while he was growing up was wrong. After that, Walker played with, coached and managed black players throughout the rest of his career, and later said Jackie was "as outstanding an athlete as I ever saw."

This is just one example of the impact that Jackie had on the lives of others. Stories are sprinkled throughout the book about the significant impression he left on his teammates, other players in the league, broadcasters, league executives - and most importantly, the next generation of black Americans who would continue the struggle for equality in America.

Opening Day, definitely lived up to my expectations and surpassed them, and I highly recommend it for any fan of baseball and/or American history - and to anyone who is interested in understanding the important role Jackie Robinson played in the evolution of the United States.

I found Mr. Eig's book very well written and felt it was well researched, though not until I read the `Acknowledgments' section did I realize how much leg work he put into "Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season." He interviewed Rachel Robinson three times and that background is readily apparent throughout the book. She tells how Jack felt about certain situations, which sometimes were in complete contrast to published reports that historians rely on when writing these types of books. (Interesting also that Mr. Eig's research uncovered the fact that Mr. Robinson did not like to go by the name `Jackie' but preferred `Jack.' And my recollection is that every time I've heard Rachel Robinson talk about her husband, she always referred to him as `Jack.') Mr. Eig also interviewed some of the principals written about in the book like Ralph Branca, Carl Erskine, and Joe Garagiola, as well as the Robinson children and Branch Rickey III.

The book did a fine job of painting a picture of the United States circa 1947 and with that perspective, made the reality of Jack Robinson's first major league season much more believable. I'm in my 40s and what I learned about Jack Robinson's first season - from watching baseball games first on Saturdays on NBC and then later on cable, was much more passive than what was presented in this book. However, as much as I would have wanted to stay comfortable with my pastel-colored memories, I do believe this presentation in part because of my own life experience, but also because of the copious research Mr. Eig invested in the writing.

I would recommend this book for any baseball fan, as well as for people interested in the history of civil rights and the long, not-so-steady growth and improvement of equal rights for African Americans in the United States.

Eig's extensive research and thoughtful treatment of Jackie Robinson does not vary or question the general truth of his legend: Robinson played the game well under tremendous pressure with little or no support and demonstrated in the process the skill and courage that entitled blacks to equal opportunity. But Eig does add some new perspectives that make the legend far more interesting.

First is the general unpleasantness of Robinson. He's like Pete Rose in his burning desire to win at all costs and would rub some people the wrong way regardless of his color.

Second and perhaps most important is Eig's ability to introduce more subtlety into the story. Eig destroys the legend of Pee Wee Reese publicly encouraging Robinson on the field in the face of racial abuse. That did not happen, at least not in 1947. Robinson is utterly alone in 1947 and has to prove himself to his teammates. Branca is the only guy to make a point of shaking his hand when he first appears, which adds to Branca's own legend as a man of character, but even Branca essentially ignores him for much of the season. Some of this is racial, of course. But some of it is the culture of baseball: a rookie must prove himself.

Robinson's ability to peform in these circumstances, under the most tremendous pressure possible, adds to his legend and makes his 1947 season perhaps the most admirable of all seasons. Eig is also good at introducing subtlety into the legends surrounding Robinson's oppressors. There is some rumbling on the team, but that quickly dissipates. Most interesting is the role of star player Dixie Walker. Walker felt compelled by his southern roots, and by his desire not to have his business punished in the south, to make a point of objecting and asking for a trade. But thereafter, he drops the protest. The problem for Robinson was not simply the obvious bigotry, but his freeze-out by the rest of his team until he could prove himself under the most trying of circumstances. Walker may have given Robinson a few batting tips and may have dropped his trade demands, but neither he nor anyone else took Robinson under his wing. Even in baseball's demanding culture of ritualized abuse of rookies, a rookie will eventually be taken under someone's wing. Robinson did not have that benefit.

The protests of other teams has also been exaggerated. It appears that there were some murmuring on the Cardinals to try to boycott Dodger games, but that fizzled before it started. The Phillies were grossly racist in their bench jockeying, but backed off early in the season. The Yankees in the 1947 World Series had a few nasty bench jockeys.

What emerges from all this is the pain of the gross racism aggravated by the agonizing loneliness of Robinson as he has to endure everything and prove himself. Eig convincingly shows that by the end of 1947, Robinson succeeded in proving himself and was the MVP of this team. Only then was he accepted by Pee Wee Reese, the team's captain.

All of which demonstrates Branch Rickey's wisdom in choosing Robinson as the man to break the color barrier. Robinson had mental toughness and competitive fire. The rap on black athletes was that they were not mentally tough, and Robinson was exactly the right guy to disprove that myth. Choosing a more passive personality would not have made the point, and choosing a less disciplined soul who would have got into physical fights in 1947 would not have worked either. But it is interesting to learn how Robinson sometimes crossed the line (such as spiking Rizzuto in the 1947 Series) and how close Robinson came to losing it.

Robinson emerges as a complex and truly great man in this narrative. This is an excellent book that I highly recommend.

This is either one helluva pun or it's some divine knowledge or something... I laughed, cried, and hit myself in the eye. Taking a stand back from the hype: this book isn't a joke. It can lead to some very confronting issues such as: the ambiguity of belief, the need for dogma and many other "shattering" realizations. I don't feel that a proper review can be written for this book--it is too stupid, profound and obscure. Pegging this book down is like kicking a hyena in the face for laughing.

We are all attracted to (or attracted by) the appropriate elements at the appropriate time. If you're considering buying this, then you're in rarified air; you might as well make the leap and...

JOIN US...

You can thank me later

These profound scriptures come close to rivalling James Robinson's edition of the Nag Hammadi Library as the most important contribution to 20th century metaphysics. And not only for those who consider Discordianism as a form - albeit a weird one - of Gnosticism. Certain passages are more inspiring than others, like "The Enlightenment Of Zarathud" and Lord Omar's "Epistle To The Paranoids", although only the orthodox version of the latter appears here. According to the Samaritan Codex and the Octuagint there is an additional verse which reads: "Ye build high buildings, only to cast yeself from the roofs." The same Codex (but not the Octuagint) also contains "The Epistle To The Neurotics" by St. Euthanasius that sadly didn't make it into this edition. These minor gripes aside, I do recommend this work to all those who are searching for the meaning of life, the universe and everything. Eris, goddess of Chaos, is ready, willing and able to help you. For more information about spirituality and chaos, read Peter Carroll's Liber Kaos or Liber Null And Psychonaut. And if you appreciate this type of humour, you will love the work of Robert Anton Wilson.

This book changed my life! I simply would not be who I am if not for this book.

A refreshing look of religion, beliefs and ethics formed from a giant collage of chaos. Malaclypse The Younger avoids running around his ideas and giving hints to the reader. Instead he forces a reader into a head dive sucking him into his world. A true work of poetic terrorism.

To some this might seem as an explanation for just another religion, to others a blasphemy and a selected few as a whole new way of approaching the world. This book is a must have for any chaos magician, a big giant sigil designed to awaken your mind.

CAUTION: After purchasing this book expect Eris to play head games with you and tasting chaos early in the morning.

NOTE: Principia Discordia and Principia Discordia or How I Found Goddess And What I did To Her When I Found Her are the same book except for a special afterword and a collage found at the end in the later book. Of course Eris did not inform me of this and I bought both. Twice the fun.

Assume Nothing

Like many before, I received this book from my mom when I was growing up - I went through a fantasy stage . . . anything w/princesses, fairies, etc. was read.

This is a children's book, but I have enjoyed reading it again as an adult. It has great imagination, and is well written. Nick is able to take the reader and take them into Jennifer's dream world.

The plot starts off w/Jennifer on her way to school in her school bus, stressing about her written report. This is a girl that gets good grades, but hasn't written anything because the assignment wanted her to write about a dream, but Jennifer has never experienced a dream before - until she looks out her window and realizes that she's no longer in the school bus, but in a carriage. The story takes off from there as she becomes "Princess Miranda" and finds out the kingdom is under some evil spell.

I would definitely recommend this book to any young girl. . . I just had my daughter last year, and I will be giving her my book when she's old enough to read it. :o)

WOW!!! I totally LOVE this book!!! I got it from my second cousin Brittany. I have NO IDEA why the heck she got rid of it. It's such a good book! I've read this book twice because it's so dang good! The story starts out with Jennifer (just an ordinary girl) riding to school on a bus. On the bus she falls asleep. When she wakes up she finds herself in a really fancy carrige. She knows she definitely hasn't gone crazy! After she gets out of the carrige, she sees that she's in a different world! People are calling her Princess Miranda and stuff. Later on she finds out that she is the next -and last- target for Duke Rinaldo and Swenhild, a witch. What will she do? She's just a helpless little girl. Or is she? I won't give away the ending. You'll have to read it yourself. This is a must-have book. I suggest you buy it right away. If you don't, you're missin' out!

I loved this book so much. I loved it just as much as harry potter except I read it in a day and it took a few weeks to read harry potter # 5!

Well, I am 25 now and my thoughts kept straying back to this great book I read when I was a kid about princesses, a guy named Prospero, and a girl on a school bus. I wanted to find this book again since I loved it so much!
It has a simple beginning, and a simple way to end it, but the in between stuff is so rich and you get pulled into the beautiful fantasy of it...and wish that you too could be transported somewhere else while riding in your own school bus. I definetely recommend adding it to your collection.

Jenny's a normal girl having a normal day on a normal school bus. Then she closes her eyes and wakes up in a...carriage. In a strange land. Where she is adopted by the king and named a princess.

But she isn't just any princess. She's the seventh princess of a line of five other adopted princesses who were turned into harpies by an evil witch. If she doesn't want the same thing to happen to her, she's gotta do something about it.

This was my favorite book in the fourth grade. A definite keeper, which I still remember almost a decade later. A girl can really relate to Jenny's predicament, can really believe that maybe she herself could be in Jenny's place. As for the adventure...unbelievable. The only strange part was the simpleness of the counterspell--it was a little weak for me. Still, it's all part of the fantasy.

Magic, switch from the normal world into the magical world, hapries, spells, witches, royalty, and good old fashioned school buses.

A great, great book.

THIS IS A GREAT DESK REFERENCE GUIDE FOR TERMS REGARDING SPIRITUAL WORK. IT ALSO IS A QUICK REFERENCE FOR FAMOUS SPIRITUALISTS NAMES, PLACES, AND SUCH.

If you're curious as to the purpose of our very existence as human beings, I highly recommend you read this book. It is a question and answer format that makes sense of the human experience.

This is the one of the most comforting book I've ever read in my life. I found out more about Spiritual life and God's promises through Jesus. It's a real step ahead of our time, and very clarifying book for the ones who are really serious about spiritual evolution. You will not be able to stop reading this book!

This book makes sense of many experiences and knowledge gained from
"somewhere". It is a book for the serious seeker of spiritism.

Amazon, are you listening? I originally read this book in French and really loved it. It is a wonderful book for those searching for the meaning of life, spiritual truth etc...and is a very serious, credible work by someone whose main line of work was scientific study and medicine, Allan Kardec.

I was so thrilled that I ordered copies in English for friends and was disappointed to find out that this copy is the original English translation dating from the late 1800s!! The book is still worth a read, but why suffer needlessly? The language is difficult, and the typeset is even worse. Great news: a new, modern American English version does exist, and frankly, it is a huge mystery to me as to why it is not being sold here. FYI: I bought my modern copies fon the Allan Kardec Education Society's website...

This is a great tool to use continuously to help focus one's thoughts and actions on setting goals and staying on track to realize them. Keep it handy, it will help you every day of the year with it's timeless and practical applications.

I know opening success 2000 has changed my life for the good, and has unmasked my true life and purpose.

I love this book and am grateful for having it as a resource to share with my coaching clients. It's practical, with steps that make sense for being happy and fulfilled in your career and life as a whole. It's all about integration and the author is a fabulous model for that in her life.

Success 2000 is a basic tool in my coaching toolbox. It is the starting point for all of my clients, whether they are seeking a change of employment, feeling unsure of their future, or looking for fulfillment in life. I have suggested for family, friends and those inquiring about coaching to read this book as a way of beginning to examine what is important in their lives. Are most people innately able to look at themselves and figure out what to do next? I know I was not able to do so, despite having advanced professional training in an allied medical field. I did not know where to start to make the changes I felt somehow were necessary for me to find fulfillment. Vicki Spina presents a user friendly format to assist the reader in self-assessment, and to start the process of reflection which precedes change. I appreciate the straight-forward philosophy and techniques which gently move the reader forward on the search for meaning. This is a book worth reading and rereading. It is a great resource for learning to move from A to Z in finding what one wants in life.

This book is a practical and fun guide which will help you become successful focussing/defining your goals and working towards whatever you wish to have greater success in. Whether you need a drastic change or just a tune up. This book is the ticket! I just loved it! Thanks Vicki for sharing your experience, knowledge and caring.

At last, a voice and a reasoning to make sense of the chaos, drama, physical, emotional violence of my parents and my own inner dialogue as an adult from this toxic environment. If you are willing to do the work and wish not to repeat the family dynamics, this is the book to guide you.
One of the best resources written on this subject; gets to the heart of the issues from all aspects and provides a mental and emotional reprieve from the pain.

For those who have suffered for years and not found help because not much was known and the illness had no name until the last 25-30 years, this is a very practical handbook.

I loved this book...it was if someone had written my life story! I loved it so much I bought my brother a copy as well!

I carry this book around with me in my purse because it feels like a good friend I've been searching for, for 50 years who finally understands. Very helpful, I am finally hopeful about living the rest of my life with joy in it.

I actually HAVE Borderline Personality Disorder and ran across this book in searching for others to help me learn more about the disorder. I have 2 young boys and am determined not to let my problems become a part of who they are and damage them but I couldn't find a book that dealt with how to be a good mother in spite of BPD so I read this book to see what children who were raised with a borderline parent had to go through so that I could avoid those pitfalls. Thankfully I was able to correct some behaviors I didn't even know I was doing, before I harmed my babies emotionally. Maybe the authors of this book would consider writing a book for those of us trying to do better while being a parent, maybe "How to Parent, when you have BPD" or something like that? Anyway also I wanted to add that my mother who has a mother with Bipolar also found this book VERY helpful.

A must read for anyone with type 1 diabetes, or who knows someone with type 1 diabetes, or who likes to read a great book.

I was driving when my 8 year old daughter announced that "Stacy has type 1 too, mom!" "Who is Stacy?" I asked her. "Stacy, the babysitter..." she replied. I started to tell her she didn't have a sitter named Stacy when I realized she was talking about the book she was reading, The Truth about Stacy. How cool! My daughter has type 1 diabetes and had found a heroine who she could really relate to!

We got other BSC books from the old series to read (not the graphic novels), but they hadn't been updated the way the versions Raina Telgemeier illustrated and adapted. Kudos to Raina, who took the time to learn about type 1 and make sure the information was up to date and accurate.

I love the BSC, and the earliest books in the series are my favorites. Ann Martin is one heck of a writer, and this third book in the BSC series tackles some serious issues - Stacey's struggles with diabetes, moving to a new town and fitting in, the loss and re-gain of old friends. A subplot in this book is the girls dealing with a copycat club called the Baby-Sitters Agency that threatens to put them out of business.
Ann, I wish you had written every single book in the series and not used ghostwriters for so many of them!

Raina Telgemaier has outdone herself in this adaptation of a book from the incomparable Baby-sitters Club series!!

This book was one of the best books in the baby sitter club serious and you know there were a LOT! This book really got deep in to Staceys feelings about having deiabets and her strugles with that.
Also the whole club is faced with a problem...some one else has started there own baby sitters club!!!!!!!
Now this wouldn't be so bad if that club wasn't getting more people calling them....and then when that club pays a trick on them the baby sitters club knows the other club HAS to go!!!

I thought that this book was brillantly written! go AMM!I mean of course there is going to be compeition and everything with the club, and how sometimes parents can be so impossiable! even though we know that they do care they seem a little overprotective and dont really listen to what we have to say, so i like this book a lot. and i like it when stacey and charollete bonds, this book is realy good. and its so sad how stacey was upset because she cares about the babysitters club because she doesnt want to lose any of her friends, and i liked that her and laine[her former best friend] were cool again.