Bailey Books

Another reviewer was saying that it's repetetive and doesn't give answers. I too was wanting more answers halfway through the book. Then I realized that the one thing not mentioned in the book is how to deal with GUILT. If you practice the concepts taught in the book then dealing with that too will come with time. You come to the realization that you can't get more answers because there aren't any. As others said, it's based on Buddhist concepts. There is no order or closure or answer to your life. That is really the whole point of the book. Trust me, read it if you are having trouble enjoying your life, and then read it again. It comes with time, but it really did start to help me immediately. The authors can't make you change your mind through telepathy, you just have to read the concepts and start to implement them and it makes more sense as you go forward, just like any other thing that you learn. Like others, I appreciated the absence of religious aspects and found it to be incredibly practical, easy to implement, enjoyable and refreshingly helpful.

As CEO Coach, Poet and author of a leadership book that helps leaders unleash their genius, the genius of teams and the genius of corporations, I have learned to slow down my thoughts and live a more peaceful life. My mentor told me once that slower is faster. This book helped me realize the truth of that statement. I now help CEO's find a slower, peaceful place to lead from and their businesses seem to move faster. Read this one now. Paul David Walker Unleashing Genius: Leading Yourself, Teams and Corporations

Not a bad idea--one should not stress out about things you can't fix right away, or without all the info you need--but this book is rather hollow on specifics.

Personal Assessment
I am typically not a reader of self-help books or publications, but a colleague recommended this book to me after he continually heard me complain about how I can never seem to get ahead in my life with graduate school in the evenings, a stressful work environment with frequent travel, a 2-year old, while trying to maintain a healthy relationship with my wife. I was pleasantly surprised with the book. I always used to make lists, cross off items on the list which only resulted in new lists being made. I guess my (and everyone's) premise of making and completing lists was/is to hopefully realize a good feeling when all the items on the list are completed and crossed-off. Unfortunately, there is always another list to start and finish, so the good feeling, if one exists, will never last long, if you even get a good feeling...

The book is an easy read, but to completely grasp the basis of the philosophy presented in the book, as the book authors would say, requires a healthy, free-flowing state of mind to grasp the tools presented to the reader. In fact, the author states in the introduction of the book, to open/clear your mind in preparation for reading the book to allow the concepts to sink in.

I am agreeable to the general premise of the book. I believe in the Psychology of the Mind philosophy and in the presentation of said material in Carlson's and Bailey's Slowing down to the Speed of Life. The 2 forms of thinking identified in the book, Analytical and Free-Flowing modes, both seem to me to be realistic to me. I actually found myself recognizing processing thoughts that I was having both at home and work and was able to shift my mode of thinking away from these thoughts which may have prevented further unhealthy states of mind.

The book has 8 chapters, with the first 3 dedicated to understanding and learning to the philosophies and tools associated with Psychology of the Mind. The first 3 chapters are: Slowing Down to the Moment, Navigating your Thinking and Getting Back to the Moment. They discuss the 2 modes of thought, how to start recognizing your thoughts and how, after your realize your in a negative thought pattern, you can get back to the moment you are presently in. The final 5 chapters of the book apply the tools to the different facets of your everyday life. These chapters are titled, Stress and Your Innate Mental Health, Being Present in Relationships, Peaceful parenting Working Smarter, and Enjoying Life. Each of these chapters basically cover the same information but in a way relevant to each of these areas of our lives.

Working in an engineering capacity with my current employer, it was somewhat challenging to accept the book's view that shifting from an analytical thought mode to a free-flowing thought mode would result in a more efficient and productive use of my time. However, as the book states, there are times when being in the analytical mode are advantages and appropriate and there are times when being in the free-flowing mode is more advantages and appropriate. While working through problems at work, I've now realized that it is ok to step away from the project for an hour, day, or 3 days in hopes that staying in a more healthy state of mind will allow creative or innovative thoughts to replace fearful thoughts or thoughts rooted in an existing solution to a similar problems which may lead me astray or to dead-ends while trying to solve the problem at hand. This can be challenging given the ever increasing demands that the work environments can impose on technical employees, so a paradigm shift in thinking is required to accept the philosophies of the book.

In summary, I would recommend the `Slowing Down to the Speed of Life' to anyone willing to accept and practice a new paradigm in thinking. Having said this, I would also recommend the book to anyone who currently feels that they are always struggling to stay positive or feel they never get ahead in their personal or professional life. This book might be particularily helpful to persons with type A personalities or persons who are viewed as perfectionists, because it is typically these people that start the next to-do list just after completing their last to-do list or those people who tend to be perfectionists when completing tasks that would otherwise only require a minimal investment of time.

Many of the reviews say that the principles are taken from Buddism and Zen. As I read it I kept thinking that's exactly what the bible teaches.
With different names for free thinking and thought attacks etc.

I thought it was excellent and explained in clinical terms what the bible describes in spiritual terms. The ideas are ones that I have found to be true as a christian and was delighted to find that science had discovered the truth about mental health.

focusing on thoughts will lead to anxiety, frustration and a host of other mental illnesses. Trusting in Truth is the road to peace, happiness and love.

I work in a NYC high school. I discovered this title after searching for something other than House on Mango Street. I wanted a protagonist who was black who could speak for the black experience and a book that wasn't too melodic, whimsical, and schizophrenic. I wanted a book that my Black students, male and female could relate to. For three years, I have used this textbook in an alternative school. The students LOVE IT. One student returned to the site after graduating, searching for me during summer vacation because she forgot the title and wanted to buy it. She found me when school began in September. Luckily I had a copy and gave it to her. I was overjoyed to be hunted down for a book. Another student "borrowed" the book and returned it proudly; she was ready to discuss it, but the class hadn't finished the book. Song Byrd is a metaphor for every adolescent or teen brought up on in today's fragmented, disconnected, dysfunctional family. Song has the self-esteem issues, the no love issues, the never feel good enough issues, the why no one loves me and do I deserve to be loved issues, the I am ugly, too dark, too light, too skinny, too fat issues. I am surprised Oprah never had this author on her show and book on her list. (Ophrah never had J. California Cooper, and I love all her titles because they speak to the resilience, strength and vunerability of woman--just like Song). There are two instances cursing, but just enough to emphasize the harshness of a hate-filled mother who lives a hate-filled life. The book offers hope, not in a sloppy way, but in a "somebody has an angel looking over them" kind of way. Every high school without a censorship committee, especially a high school sitting in a community where the very life of family stability is at risk, should read this book.

I felt that much of this book was predictable and cliche. I did like some parts of the end of the book, but I thought it would have been better off ending a few pages earlier than it did. "Azul, the color of hope" left it ending on a cheesy, overdramatic note.

From the minute that Anthony is introduced to us over the buffet table at a party that poor Song doesn't feel that she fits into, its obvious that he is to become her lover. It did not describe too much, however, about their relationship and the vignettes that involved Anthony were distracting from the rest of the story.

I don't think that Nicole Bailey Williams exhibits much writing skill or strength through this book. The only reason I finished it was because of the wide-set type and the short chapters. By the 40th page, I was ready to give up on it, but figured I might as well spend one more hour to finish it. One chapter angered me in particular-"I wish." Talk about archetypical poor, distressed and diturbed teenager who wants to be worth something. I mean, how many times have we heard the line "I wish I could be enough"? Too many, and that line certainly did not help me have more compassion for the protagonist.

I thought many aspects of this book were immature-the order of the chapters, skimming the surface of many subjects, but not going into depth. I certainly don't have a problem with a writer changing subject often, impulsively-Sylvia Plath was a master at it. I think Williams still has a way to go as a writer, however. I didn't feel that we learned that much about Song Byrd's troubles and fight against herself. Some of it sounded like something I would have written in 7th grade.

Overall, I was not impressed.

A Little Piece Of Sky, from the title to the text works. It is the story of Song Byrd from childhood to adulthood. It speaks of Song's tribulations and triumphs in a heartfelt connected way. The story poignantly expresses how the trajedy of our past can still haunt our present and hinder our futures if not for hope. Song's hope came from seeing her life without limits through, A Little Piece of Sky. My only reason for giving 4 stars instead of 5 was because the book had to end. I really wanted more. The author's writing was so good and intriguing that I would have loved to have read this as a full blown novel with more details.

I so look forward to this author's next piece of work.

The book had it's moments. It's not very in depth at all. Its more of poetry than a novel. It beats around the bush. Chapters that are one page long. Such a short book. Also I don't understand spanish and hated her usage of spanish all throughout the book. It's annoying not to know what the people are saying. She could at least have followed up the spanish with the english translation in parenthesis. Average book.

As a forewarning to readers who decide to pick up Nicole Bailey-William's A Little Piece of Sky: this is not your average piece of fiction. The 155 page book is centered on the troubled female character named Song Byrd, and the novel is put together in much the same lyrical and poetic way as the character's name. The chapters are short, metaphorically deep, snack-sized morsels that the reader is treated to as they read about Song's struggle to overcome the ghetto of Philadelphia that has made her who she is.

The title of the book comes into play when Song divulges to the reader that her mother, who birthed four children from four different men, used to lock Song into the roach infested bathroom of their apartment when her mother was unable to attain a babysitter. Song would look up to the sky as a symbol of hope and day dream to pass the time away. A tragic event occurs, which rattles Song's foundation and makes her decide to never look up ever again.

Fast forward many years later and Song is a graduate of Spelman College with a great job giving back to the community and a man who adores her, but she's still holding on desperately to her past. Despite her personal uplifting experience of no longer relaxing her hair and the education she has under her belt, there are many old issues of hope and self-esteem that she has to struggle through before she can truly move on with her life.

Works of fiction of this sort are great for those who are looking for a profound, triumphant story. This novel does not skimp on major issues like classism, race, intra-racism, and the power of the human spirit to overcome. This should be required reading for every woman of color before heading off for higher learning.

Anna

R.E.A.L. Reviewers

Blake Bailey's page-turning and deeply resonant biography of Richard Yates -- whose sad and lyrically tragic life made him painfully suited to the task of writing some of the most powerful and wrenching American fiction of the late 20th Century--is as captivating and memorable as any biography of a great writer you're likely to encounter. Not enough serious readers know Yates' ouevre, but thanks to Bailey, they can know the man, and they will never forget him.

Well researched and thorough, although I am not sure how much the author really understands of the correlation between mental illness and alcoholism. Yates, who undeniably deserves more recognition that he received, lived a life as relentlessly grim as his characters - mental illness, addiction, poverty and loneliness. A man who had far more insight into his characters than himself, which is truly a tragedy, since his work was autobiographical.

Richard Yates is one of my five favorite novelists. Has been since the mid-80's when I discovered him. This biography is a must read if you're a Yates' fan or simply a fan of literary biographies. You'll admire the sheer willpower of Yates to wake up every morning to write. This is a man who lived to be a writer, and although however tragic his family life, loved his children deeply.

I had already read all of Yates' work and long ago wondered what this man's life was like; someone who could plumb the depths of human emotion like Yates did must, I thought, have lived a tormented existence. And he did. But thanks to Bailey I now know that my first impressions of Yates' writing were not wrong. He was a brilliant chronicler of all of our innermost devices and desires. As sad and lonely as he was for most of his life, it is my belief that were he not the man he was he could never have written such close-to-the-bone novels and stories. When I read Revolutionary Road the first time, I thought, MY God this man Knows Me. And certainly aside from being a genius of a writer what also counts as a true measure of the goodness of Yates was the love he had for his children. For a man who had little or no fatherly care of his own, he shines as a loving devoted dad. Oh how I wish I had known this man! Thank you Mr. Bailey for your excellent, insightful and most assuredly not "gossipy" work.

Blake Bailey's "A Tragic Honesty" is a terrific, very readable biography that makes one appreciate an author who is rather hard for some of us to warm up to. That author is Richard Yates, the American novelist and short-story writer who was for a while considered the equal of Updike and Cheever, but who was then cruelly forgotten for years until a recent resurgence of interest. (As everyone now knows, he was the model for Elaine's father in the "Seinfeld" episode "The Jacket"; Larry David used to date one of Yates' daughters.) Yates is the bleakest of writers; sometimes he makes Dostoevsky look like Steve Martin. He thought that "uplift" in fiction was a lie, and that honesty required the direst possible interpretation of the human condition. He apparently felt trapped, and Bailey make you see why. Yates suffered from bipolar disorder aggravated by severe alcoholism. This one-two punch of dysfunction made him have breakdowns every couple of years and had him bouncing in and out of mental hospitals. These troubles derailed his career for much of the 1960's through the 1980's and cost him a couple of marriages, and he survived in painful poverty by scrounging a living as an nontenured university writing teacher. Anyone who has any remaining illusions about the writer's life being glamorous should have their eyes opened by this book. Even as a semi-celebrity Yates was very nearly a homeless person at times.

Bailey's tone is interesting. Although his sympathy clearly lies with Yates, Bailey writes with ironic detachment so the effect is frequently darkly humorous (probably this is the only way to make many of these events bearable to a reader.) It's like "A Tragic Honesty" is a lost Yates novel where we watch the protagonist stumble towards a preordained doom. I kept hoping that Yates would do things differently. As I read I compared him to his friend Kurt Vonnegut (which is probably unfair, but still.) They started out on similar career paths, teaching together at the famous Iowa writers workshop. And their world views were similarly dark. But Vonnegut leavened his with comedy, with exhilarating games with form and excursions into genres like science fiction and the New Journalism, things which were apparently beyond Yates. So Vonnegut (as he might have put it) ended up fabulously well-to-do, while Yates ended up with diddly-squat.

I've finished two of Yates' indisputable classics, Revolutionary Road and The Easter Parade: A Novel. (That second, chilling book is practically autobiography as demonstrated by Bailey's book. Except for the switch of genders of the protagonist, it's Yates' life story.) "Revolutionary Road" lost the National Book Award to Walker Percy's The Moviegoer in 1962, and to tell you the truth I'm kind of glad. There's a place for hope in fiction, as Percy's work shows. But Yates paved the way for Raymond Carver and much of the best fiction of the past 30 years and that's something to be grateful for; and so is this excellent biography, written in poor Yates' blood.

This is quite an interesting book written in journal form about a sixteen-year-old girl living in Boston during the Vietnam War. She writes about her brother, who is a soldier, the peace marches, hippies, helping out at a local veteran's hospital, the woman's movement, and many more historical events that took place in 1968, including the murder of Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert Kennedy.

~~~Kat

This was a book I was supposed to read in school for a long-term assignment. I thought it was going to be another boring week trying to read it, but I found that it was very entertaining. I got into the character's thoughts and I could feel what she was going through. I was so impressed with it that I read her brother's journal(Patrick Seamus Flaherty). I had a great time reading it. I suggest young readers to read it also because you can learn a lot about how life was then.

I started reading this book and after awhile i put it down for awhile...because there were some boring spots. but once i finished it i was glad i read it.

The Vietnam War comes down tough on fifteen year old Molly Mackenzie Flaherty. All the pain and death the war is causing is too much for her to handle-especially since her own brother, Patrick, has gone to fight himself. She misses him more every day-especially when she is informed that he is injured. Molly's world is falling apart-no one is happy, nothing is good.
She decides to get a job at a near by army hospital-where her eyes are opened to the facts of life, and what war is really all about.
Everything is tangled up in her emotions. What can she do? Will she ever find happiness?
A good book about what it's like to be the sister of a soldier.

Fifteen-year old Molly Mackenzie Flaherty is lost in the 60's and the Vietnam War. In the book there are so many feelings around her. She faced with racial prejudice, women's discrimination, pro and anti-war feelings, and the absence of her father who's a firefighter. On top of all that she's just trying to figure out how to grow up. Molly is unsure about what to believe-is the war good, or bad? What I like about her, is she weighs everything carefully, examines it, thinks about it, and never just "goes with the flow."
Molly's a unique character. I had the feeling while I was reading the book that she was a real person, not just another Dear America heroine who did great things, but wasn't a real girl. She never saved someone's life, made it into the papers, or changed the course of a war, like some girls in the Dear America books. But you have a feeling that she did do something.
The main thing that is dominant in the book is her love and worry for her brother, Patrick, fighting over in Vietnam. She's not sure she agrees with the war, but she doesn't want to "betray" Patrick by wearing peace symbols, or being in protests with the "beautiful people", as the hippies called themselves.
You can tell towards the middle of the book that she becomes more confused. She faces the weary hatred in the VA hospital that she volunteers at, against her parent's wishes. The guys there remind her of her brother, and that's one of the reasons she does it. One of my favorite parts in the book is when a depressed attitude is going around in the VA hospital. "Okay, people," I said loudly. "New rules, starting now. I don't want to see any talking. I don't want to see any smiles. I don't want to see any fun. All I want to see is healing, got it? Lots and lots of healing." Molly ends up creating a whole new mood, she starts making pillow sheet footballs and throwing them around to the guys in the ward.
In the end when Patrick gets injured, Molly has to deal with all of those feelings, too. But she's just grateful that he's alive. You can tell that she's beginning to understand things a little. I was glad when she finally decides the boy she liked is a jerk. Molly knows she doesn't like the war, but still admires her brother and she never has racial prejudice.
It's a great book, and I definitely recommend it. It really helps with the feel of the turmoil in the 60's. Then why did I give it only four stars? Because I don't agree with some of Molly's religious or "Feminine Mystique" views. Other than that, I really enjoyed it, especially Molly's spunk and good humor.

I really enjoyed Ms. Bailey's approach to training gun dogs, especially the emphasis that she places on conditioning instead of formal training. Ms. Bailey's conditioning techniques allow you to train your dog without the dog realizing it. Her book and its methods are only intended for puppies to 1 year old dogs. She defers you to other books and techniques to use for training your adult dog. However, I feel that if you use the techniques she has stated in her book with your puppy/adolescent dog, you will be well on your way to having not only a great bird dog, but also a great family friend that is well mannered and socialized.

This is a good book to lay the groundwork to train a gun dog. The first year is important since this is when you have to teach a dog how to learn. This book gives great examples with details on how accomplish the most important aspects in the first year.

The book arrived earlier than scheduled. I just purchased an english setter puppy and have found some of the techniques quite useful and informative. Easy book to read.

This book is essential for anyone expecting a new bird dog in the house. Though I have trained several personal gun dogs, it was refreshing to see other,more relaxing ways to start a dog. While we are still working with our new English Pointer pup, many of the methods outlined in this book work great. The key to this type of training is to keep your cool, relax, and don't get frustrated. No matter how simple an exercice you have to end a training session with, always end on a very possitive note. It will pay off in the long run.

I enjoyed reading the book in preparation for the arrival of my first gun dog pup. Though personally inexperienced in training, I have hunted over friends' dogs for several years and have spent enough time with "dog people" to have a sense of what can work. This book presents an excellent overview for the first-time or experienced trainer.

Young and beautiful Rosemary Barton died while dining at a fine restaurant. Her death was purportedly caused by Rosemary's spiking of her own champagne with cyanide. A year having passed, Rosemary's grieving husband and younger sister are coming to believe that Rosemary's death was not by her own hand. There are, as one might expect, several good suspects and little good evidence. Rosemary's husband has a plan to flush out the killer, a recreation of the fatal dinner. Will the killer be given away or will death be again on the menu?

Remembered Death (or Sparkling Cyanide) has lots of the elements that make a Christie novel identifiably a Christie novel. There are the idle rich, a suspicious death with few and vague clues, a group of people all with good reason to want the murdered person dead and a subtle detective plodding to a revelatory denouement. This book, however, is clearly not one of Ms. Christie's better efforts. The plot lacks forward momentum, the characters are flat and non-compelling and, perhaps worst, the solution isn't entirely persuasive. Go ahead and read this if you're a Christie completist. If not, you're best off picking another.

What "improvements" have been made for the St. Martin's Minotaur edition? There are already major differences in punctuation, word choices, and scene breaks between the original Collins and Dodd Mead (REMEMBERED DEATH) editions of this novel. There are further differences between the Dodd Mead editions republished by Random House/Avenel and the Dodd Mead editions republished by Simon & Shuster/Pocket. There are further additions still in the Signet, Bantam, Berkley, and Black Dog & Leventhal editions. For every publishing house putting out her works, there seem to be a new batch of editors altering Agatha Christie's words and the sound of her voice. What's the matter with these publishers? Whose voice do they think we want to hear when we sit down to a novel by Agatha Christie? And what will she sound like twenty years from now? It's frightening that her estate has failed to see the importance of guarding her words as she wrote them. Please tell me I'm not the only one here who senses that a crime has been committed.

After the sad suicide of Rosemary Barton, life went on. Her sister, Iris, got used to her absence. Her husband mourned her, but began to pick up his life again. Suicide is difficult to recover from, but it appeared that recovery was in sight for the family. That is, it was until some mysterious notes make a terrible accusation: Rosemary Barton, they claimed, was murdered. Murder, not suicide.

With that suspicion, everything changes.

Sparkling Cyanide is loosely linked to The Man in the Brown Suit through the character of Colonel Race. The plot also has some similarities in terms of the romances between the respective leading ladies and their suspicious men. The Man in the Brown Suit is much earlier and somehow stronger. The rollicking romance of the first book gave way to the claustrophobia and cynicism of the second.

It certainly is not one of the weakest Christie novels, and for the period in which it was released, it stands quite firmly in its shoes. I enjoyed it, as I nearly always do when AC is involved. This was a first time read for me, which was delightful. I had honestly thought that I had read every Christie at one point or another. Nice to discover that I was wrong.

Recommended.

Sparkling Cyanide is definitely one of my favorite Agatha Christie novels. I love the setting in which the big bang of the story takes place: in a fancy restaurant with the lights out after a big musical number. Just imagine the setting as being in those 1950s night clubs, like in the I Love Lucy episodes. The murder takes place during a birthday bash, when the lights are turned off to bring in the cake. Cyanide is dropped into the birthday girl's champagne. Once the lights are turned back on, the birthday girl is found dead, slumped over the table.

You'll have to find out how the story revolves around this murder scene. I thought the pacing was really nice. The characters were very interesting, and if memory serves me right, the novel is narrated from the perspectives of several of the members present at the birthday party. In the end, the husband, of the woman murdered, tries to reenact the murder scene by holding a "birthday" reunion at the same restaurant a year later hoping that he'll be able to catch the murderer the second time around.

Charming socialite Rosemary Barton had committed suicide during her birthday party. Or had she been murdered? She had been a bit depressed after a prolonged bout of the flu but Rosemary had everything to live for, she was young, rich, had both a devoted husband and a lover. And why choose a busy glamorous restaurant during a dinner party held in her honor? Over the next few months doubts began to surface over Rosemary's death, but if she had been murdered then who could have done it but a guest at her party - her husband, adoring younger sister, loyal secretary, friend, her lover or his unsuspecting wife? Then the second murder happened.....

This 1943 mystery (also published as REMEMBERED DEATH) is told from the points of view of starting with Iris, Rosemary's younger sister, shifting to the other members of the ill-fated dinner party. The detective called in here to solve the crime is the mysterious Col. Race.

As always with a Christie novel the clues are all fairly laid out for the reader to follow, the mystery is clever with some interesting twists and turns along the way.

I have had problems with ear infections all my life, which ended once I started using a homeopathic rememdy---that made me a believer!

Having said that, I know almost nothing about homeopathy. I moved from the ear remedy to one for stress, which also worked, but these remedies have multiple things in them. Apparently, this is the thing to do when you are trying to mass market a remedy, however I understand that you really should just be taking one thing. After trial and error with the different remedies, I found that sepia was the part that worked. Now I am really anxious to know more. This book will not teach you how much of a remedy to take (which I still need to know), but what he said about the sepia type is information I have been looking for all my life. It has been more valuable to me than I can say. It explains things I experience and why I experience them---which no doctor or yoga guru or anyone else has ever been able to tell me.

This shouldn't be your first book on homeopathy, but if you are buying several books, this is one I'm really glad I bought. I'm back trying to find some nuts and bolts books, and I'm going to buy a handful of books this time, because homeopathy really does work and I think it's worth the investment to try to learn this.

As a Homeopathy student I have found this book extremely helpful as I thought it would be.

Thank you for asking.
Gloria:)

While I would have liked a more clinical approach, this book has a lot of excellent information. For some of the constitutional types the author dsecribes, the descriptions are too general and vague, but even in those chapters, there is a lot of very useful information. I definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting a more in depth understanding of constitutional types.

This book is a great back-up reference for aspiring or practicing homeopaths (or, truthfully, for anyone wanting better understanding of why some people act the way they do).

I think the author is a great writer. He really paints full pictures of the various remedy types he covers.

In reality though, I have found that no one is only one remedy type (constitution); people generally have a few "constitutions" that predominate. This is why not everything he says about a type is true. The profiles must be taken in holistically and intuitively, not as set in stone.

The only "problem" I have with this author is his never changing doses of 10M. This is really bad advice!! I take the LM potencies -- 10Ms would not only jar my system, but they simply don't go deep enough or last long enough to bring cure. Hahnemann created the LM potencies specifically because 20% of his patients didn't heal all the way with the C potencies (M potencies are at the high end of the C scale). And even if a patient doesn't want to do the LMs, he may need a 200C or a 30C or who knows? But all patients, most certainly (!) do not "automatically" need or respond favorably to the 10M potency. Potency is a very, very individual thing (see Sankaran's work, or read Neil Tessler's interview with Divya Chhabra as two examples of the highly individualist nature of choosing the best potency for each individual patient).

After reading, I am not sure if this book is an objective description the constitutional types or a ranking of Phillip Bailey's personal favorites. It is easy to pick up on a theme that the author has some kind of personal problem with the idiosyncrasies of the majority of the consitutional types. He goes on and on about silica, sulphur and phosphorous which he loves and basically trashes most of the others. It comes off as very judgemental.

He states with authority some concepts in here which are highly questionable. He states over and over that people can willy-nilly change constitutions, for any number of reasons, as they age. He also describes specific disease states as constitution types (e.g. tuberculinum). His thoughts on the "layering" of constitutions are muddled and leave you asking "does this guy think people really have a core constitutional type or not !?". When you start call the emotional state-of-the-day a "constitutional type" per se then that sort of waters down the concept of a constitutal type to nil doesn't it?

I also was skeptical about the claimed "rarity" of seemingly not-too-uncommon constitutional types (e.g. a male pulsatilla). If fact the -constant- gender polarization is annoying and I think misguided. Am I the only one who thinks this author does not like women very much?

Ok having aired my complaints, thanks to Phillip Bailey on addressing a subject in need with an interesting style. There are many intersting comments (and fewer facts) in the book. This is not a great book but I don't know of a better one on the subject.

I bought this book so I can find ideas for my wedding decoration, it has great and beautiful pictures, but obviously it's impossible to try to imitate Preston Bailey's ideas. I do recommend this book. You can use it afterwards for a coffee table book.

What a fabulous book for inspiration to all professional florist, Event and party planners every where. As a high end Event and Party planner in Seattle, WA we use Mr. Bailey's book for reference to customers who are looking to throw an "over the top" party or event.

I recommend this to all flower lovers.

Magnolia Village Florist
Seattle, WA

I love this book. The themes and pictures are great. It's more for the higher end weddings

This is an amazing book! While most people may not be able to re-create these parties, you can definitely get ideas from all of them. Take the ideas here and apply them to one or two tables or a small area. The pictures are wonderful and I am amazed at what is done in some of these parties. Would love to have a chance just to walk through one of these!!!!

Subtitled: Inspiration for Creating the Party of Your Dreams

Worried about the upcoming holiday party you have to plan? You (and all your friends) know what Martha would do but it's time to shake things up. The problem is you aren't sure where to start.

Luckily for you, Inspirations by Preston Bailey is available. Preston Bailey is a well-known event planner for Hollywood stars. Recently, he's worked on Oprah's fiftieth birthday celebration and Donald and Melania's wedding celebration.

Ten parties, eight of which are weddings, are photographed and discussed in this book. Locations include Niagra Falls, a Virginia stable that is converted into a wedding chapel and the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Each chapter celebrates a different theme. Yes, there are eight weddings covered but each wedding has its own theme, color scheme and something unique to offer. The last chapter provides ways to organize and showcase your dining table.

This book dazzles with its full-size color photographs. It celebrates colors, flowers and the unexpected. Reading this book was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon as there are a lot of things to ooh and aah over. Two of my favorite are pineapples made out of sunflowers and a dog made out of dogwood flowers.

Bailey's philosophy is you aren't just throwing a party, you are creating a theatrical event for your guests. It's important to pay attention to the details so your guests will know they are in for a wonderful, magical night. Some examples of small but important details that Bailey uses are: a wedding menu made out of edible chocolate, displaying sculptures that support the party's theme and embellishing cloth napkins with silk roses.

This book is not a "how to" because there aren't any step-by-step instructions. Rather, it's designed to be a "how about this idea" book. It's a peek into Bailey's creative process.

Bailey finds inspiration in nature, artwork and the various cities he has visited. He doesn't want you to simply copy his ideas but he wants you to use this book as a springboard for your imagination and personal style.

Armchair Interview says feeling ambitious and daring? Incorporate Bailey's suggestions into your celebrations.

This is an extremely helpful work on the topic. It is both scholarly and friendly to the reader. The author takes a position while at the same time objectively presenting opposing views. Exercises are included for the reader as well as the teacher who wants to get the class involved. An instructor's companion CD is available through Baker Academic which is extremely valuable if you plan to teach from the text.
In short, this book has become a treasure in my library and I am grateful to Henry Virkler and Karelynne Gerber Ayayo for writing it (and revising it - 2nd edition). Thank you both.

Hermeneutics: Principles and Process of Biblical Interpretation, did exactly for me what I was expecting it to do. It gave me a greater knowledge of understanding the science and art of word meaning. For a lay person who does not hold a siminary degree, this book was a good introduction for biblical study.

This book will teach you what you need to know and is very well put together. I advise anyone who wants to take the Bible serious this is the book for you.
Thank you Henry Virkler, i have learned more from your book than any other i used at Bible Collage and you put it in a easy format. You took a hard subject and made it accessible.

I was quite disappointed in this book. In a very "round about" way Virkler tells his readers that the Bible is to be interpreted personally, that is, no interpretation is wrong, and no interpretation is right, i.e., "to each his own." This type of new hermeneutic, though on the increase, decreases the authoritative nature of God's Word.

Virkler does an excellent job of presenting facts and theories, yet at the same time presents varying historical views of each sujbect. Some may object to the inclusion of alternative viewpoints on some subjects but I found this helpful in understanding how different people came up with their particular opinions. I found the research to be sound and extensive.

This was an excellent book which offered more insight into Malcolm's political believes and his work whith other countries which are hardly ever written about. It also made clearer why Malcolm left the Nation of Islam. The book helped to reinforce my belief that Malcolm X was the most sincerest leader in the African American Struggle.

Malcolm X was more than just a prominent civil rights activist. Amongst many things, he was a family man, a charismatic Muslim preacher, a spokesman for the Nation of Islam, a black nationalist, and the founder of the Muslim Mosque Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. He was controversial, influential, and often times misunderstood.

It is unfortunate that many people today regard him negatively, as a racist, an apostate, a criminal, an extremist, or all of the above. But who is this Malcolm X? What did this man stand for? What were his intentions? And what did he accomplish? In this book, Rodnell P. Collins, Malcolm X's own nephew, addresses these questions.

But this book is not solely focused on Malcolm X. Although he is the central figure in this book, Collins also writes about Malcolm's internal and external family members, and explains the impact they had on him, and vise-versa. Collins tells us about Malcolm's family background, including a little bit about himself. Personally, I found the story of the Little family very fascinating. I think readers will be pleased with the information Collins provides, such as the revelation of Malcolm X's first American ancestor, who was kidnapped from Africa and sold as a slave to the Little family. You'll get somewhat of a brief history lesson on the slave trade in America, here.

Writing from an eye-witness account, Collins touches base on many important subjects regarding Malcolm's life; family, religion, politics, ambitions, etc. Collins also explains why Malcolm X rejected his Christian religion and instead accepted the teachings of "prophet" Elijah Muhammad by joining the Nation of Islam. Other topics include; racism in America, corruption of the NOI, Malcolm's Assassination, Spike Lee's movie, and much more.

In the last pages of the book, you will find a few never-before-published letters from Malcolm and his family, as well as some disturbing letters from Christian extremists of the KKK.

Although an excellent book, there's only one minor flaw in my opinion. And that is the author's tendency to sometimes over-exalt his uncle. For instance, he praises Malcolm for being an intelligent and open-minded individual who saw through the fatuity of black Christians and their faulty beliefs, which prompted Malcolm's conversion to Elijah Muhammad's distorted Muslim sect. But what about Malcolm's own fatuous belief that Elijah Muhammad was divine? Even after Malcolm X was well informed about Elijah's corruption and contradictions, he still had faith in him. I understand where the author is coming from, but I still find it a bit hypocritical, albeit it's nothing too serious and it certainly won't diminish the importance of this book.

This may not be the most elaborate book on Malcolm X, but it's certainly a good one. I highly recommend it.

I JUST STARTED READING THE BOOK LAST WEEK AND CAN NOT PUT THE BOOK DOWN. I AM A HISTORY MAJOR AND READING THIS BOOK WITH ALL THIS INFORMATION ABOUT MALCOLM AND HIS OWN FAMILY HISTORY IS WONDERFUL.

MR. COLLINS DID A WONDERFUL JOB!...

This book gave me a greater appreciation of Malcom X as a world leader and a human being. I really enjoyed reading this book during a visit to the Middle East. If you are really into Malcom X and want to know more about him and who he was, do yourself a favor and read this book.

This is clearly one of the better Malcolm X books as it actually tells us something new and firsthand unlike so many other such books that glutted the market in the early 1990s. A bonus is the revelation of the name of Malcolm's actual African ancestor that he wanted to know about through most of his adult life (this was discovered by a family researcher. "Malcolmites" have much to enjoy and learn from here-buy it!