Day Books

I do not agree with the reviewer who said that the text was not very good. It is fun to read because of the rhyming text, and it is simple and brief enough to begin reading it to very young twins. I especially like the end that states, "Double hands, skin to skin, Double hearts, twin to twin." It is nice that it starts out at the beginning of the twins' lives and then as the book continues, it describes other events as they get older. Although the pictures are showing boy/girl twins, it is appropriate for all combinations of twins. I am going to be buying it for a friend who is having twins because we have enjoyed this book so much.

I was a little disappointed. The pictures were cute, but not very good text. The book itself must have come from the bargain bin. It had a black marker across the top and the cover was smudged.

If my 19-month old twin girls could give the review for this book themselves, it would be 5+ stars. The illustrations and story are just adorable. What really makes me melt is everytime we come upon the last page that says, "Double hands, skin to skin. Double hearts, twin to twin.", my girls hold hands just like the twins in the picture!

When our boy/girl twins were born, a cousin gave us this book for a gift, and it quickly became one of our favorites to read to them, starting when they were just a few months old. Now they're almost 2 1/2 years old and it is one of their favorites as well. The rhyme is concise and sweet, and the pictures are very endearing. It really celebrates the joy of twins despite all the little frustrations they may create along the way!

Bought this book to read to my two year old because we are expecting a set of twins. He loves the book about "his babies" It is a cute book, great for preparing a sibling for the arrival of twins.

Ms. Day and I have a few things in common. We both had our major crisis at age 32. We both had to fight for our child. I fought to keep mine alive. She fought to keep custody of hers. Both single mothers raising our child. She is correct when she says that crisis can be positive. However, over the many years, (I'm 66) I have seen women deny, deny, deny and end up, in a few cases, homeless.

I am not an intuitive, but am a sensitive. All my life I was able to 'see' things and have them turn into reality. I 'saw' some very strange events coming in my life that could not possibly, in a thousand years, occur. Yet they all did. Every one of them. Very few things surprise me now.

Trying to help people when you see their crisis coming is not always successful. Unlike Ms. Day, I do not work with rich clients, companies, etc. I have, over the years, warned my employers about events coming down the pike. Some listened, some didn't.

I have had clients over the years and still do, but I do not charge for my services. It is a pact I made with the Spirit World long ago. They will help me 100 percent if I do not collect money for their help. If I do, I chance losing my ability to see. It doesn't bother me that I am not wealthy or live the kind of lifestyle Ms. Day does. The Spirit World has kept me whole, healthy and happy all these years.

I would like to see her write a book that is current that speaks to what is happening now with regard to housing losses, job losses, gas prices, and what the future holds. She needs to take the gloves off and really lay it on the line. She doesn't sugarcoat things, but she needs to get down and dirty about people taking responsibility for their lives. Her stories are very interesting. I just wish we knew what happened to the father in San Francisco. Did his wife return and take their daughter back?

I did very much enjoy her book. I just wonder, if she was such a powerful intuitive, why she didn't save money over the years she was married to her millionaire husband. Why she didn't see the divorce and child custody battle coming.

I may have to break down and write my own book soon. Of course all proceeds from the book would go to charities. My clients, over the years, have begged me to do this. Maybe it's time.

Laura Day narrates her own journey out of a crisis ... first through the tragic loss of her mother at 14 ... and then the devastating divorce that left her life in tatters ... to its gifts of healing and intuitive ability and career as a writer and speaker. Laura Day has been there herself ... a crisis ... and the stakes have been high ... but she pulled herself out of it ... and now shares the tools that became her lifeline. Day addresses the unique response styles and how you can make them work for you in a crisis. Best of all she has set up a website for this specific book with resources and group support so you need not go through this alone. I first met Laura Day at a Circle workshop on the East Coast in 2002 and returned to her work when she published the Crisis. More than any other self-help book on the market, this is stunning in its brilliant simplicity. No New Age blame game, no woo-woo, no magical thinking. A great tool to have in a self-help tool kit that keeps you empowered with YOURSELF.

Day emphasizes the gift of a crisis because you cannot go back to the past. This is the best advice in the book. It is like an old episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where Captain Jean-Luc Picard is given a chance to return to his youth and change destiny. Instead of having the trauma of a fight in a bar that lead to his receiving an artificial heart, Jean-Luc averts the disaster. Good? Not really because when he returns to the present he discovers that his life has been mediocre rather than stellar. In fact, he is a low-level ship mate who is not seen to have any leadership ability! The gift of his crisis was the development of impeccable judgment and calculated risk taking. Jean-Luc opts to go back and claim his sacred wound and returns again the Star Fleet legend and Captain of the Enterprise. This old storyline depicts Laura Day's wisdom on why the rock bottom of a crisis can actually be starting point of a brand new life that outshines the old.

When a disaster directly affects us--an earthquake, a hurricane, a car accident on the freeway--we respond in different ways. Writing as a widely consulted expert on adapting to change and crisis, author Laura Day explains four different reactions to crisis: denial, anxiety, rage and depression. Most of us experience one or more of these typical reactions as we respond to the sudden setbacks and unexpected difficulties of our lives.

Yet instead of these largely negative reactions, Day believes we can train ourselves to respond to a crisis with positive energy, transforming what might have seemed disastrous into a life-changing experience that fills us with hope, vision, and fresh energy. The difference is not the depth or difficulty of the experience, but rather our attitude as we encounter it.

Counselor to the star and guest on major TV shows, Day believes instead of fearing change, she believes, we should learn to expect change and be empowered by it. The worst of circumstances can be transformed if we are willing to adjust our perspective.

As Day writes on page 77, "To be effective in your life...you need to grow from your experiences, rather than being derailed by them." This is the primary thrust of Welcome to Your Crisis, as the author teaches us that even a major disaster can become a stepping-stone to personal growth.

Many of her ideas are not new, yet she explains them with a fresh voice. Readable and easy to understand, her prose keeps you moving forward, turning the pages and continuing to learn.

Decide who you want to be, Day insists, rather than letting the difficult moments of life define you and limit your future. Transform the negative thoughts, attitudes and feelings
that you encounter into warmer, more confident beliefs and values.

"Good lives are not easy," Day writes on page 219, "they require daily acts of adaptation, courage, and love." Clearly, the author supports the idea that all of us can learn to face our challenges in these ways--and by doing so we can improve our own lives and the lives of those we encounter.

Armchair Interviews says: Thought-provoking information.

I felt guided to this book by a higher power -- and boy, am I glad I listened to that voice. (Or rather, to those Voices!) For so long, I was burning my candle at both ends, to steal a line from Edna St. Vincent Millay. And nothing seemed good enough, until my own personal crisis arrived. Well, needless to say, this book was -- as you can tell from the cute little life preserver on the cover art -- a lifesaver! Many blessings to you, Laura.

Life Changing.

Crisis or not, this book will help you find a new path if you let it. Your true path. The simple tools and ideas in the book provide immediate direction. Hope. Energy. I'm a big fan of this author, I absolutely adore "The Circle" and "Crisis" takes her work to great new heights.

It is personal and practical and immeasurably powerful.

Thank you, Laura Day.

Lorna Sass, Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way (Clarkson Potter, 2006)

Interesting combination of cookbook and whole-foods guide, this opens with a lengthy section describing an imposing number of whole grains and what one can do with them, then gets to the recipes. You've seen most fo the recipes before in other configurations, but unless you're a hardcore foodie, you've probably never thought of making some of the substitutions here. I mean, who even knew a grain called Job's Tears existed? And that's one of the less obscure things you'll find here. Of course, there are also the basics, and there are plenty of recipes to cover those as well, but if you've ever wondered about the right way to incorporate, say, amaranth into a muffin recipe, this is the book for you. *** ½

Excellent book providing easy to understand information on a wide variety of grains in addition to delicious recipes. Lorna's method for cooking quinoa described in this book resulted in the best tasting & easiest quinoa I've ever made. I have most of her other books and use them constantly. "Cooking Under Pressure" is one of my favorites.

Nearly two years ago, I decided to stop mixing up entire bowls of sugar cookie dough and calling that breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With the support of my husband and the apprehension of my three children, I stood in the pantry and threw out all of the processed junk we owned.

When I was finished, we had a few cans of tomatoes and that was it. I then purchased huge bags of all kinds of grains. Different kinds of wheat, spelt, Kamut, amaranth, buckwheat, and more. But I didn't know what on earth to do with them.

For about a year, we ate a lot of brown rice, and I learned how to make bread from my freshly ground flours, but what to do with pounds upon pounds of all of those other types of grain?

I stumbled upon Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way while browsing for healthful cookbooks at a book store. I flipped through eagerly, would this help me use all of those grains and cook good-for-us, yet delicious foods for my family?

I didn't buy it immediately, but went home to read reviews on Amazon. Encouraged, I purchased it and waited for it to arrive.

This book is fast becoming my go-to Food Bible. Every recipe I've tried, my family has adored. The directions are easy to understand, the suggested substitutions allow me to get more comfortable with the many different kinds of grains, and the results have all (so far) been wonderful.

My only complaint? I wish every recipe had a full color photograph. But other than that, this book is an absolute must for anyone desiring to eat more healthfully, or use up the fabulous grains pining away in their basement food storages.

This book contains many delicious recipes using a variety of grains. I especially like the quinoa and barley recipes; however, every recipe I have tried has been delicious. Also provides tips on the best way to cook the grains for the best results. This book contains recipes you wouldn't necessarily find in a "Betty Crocker" type of cookbook (not that there is anything wrong with Betty Crocker), so if you are looking for a cookbook with a lot of delicious and different recipes............this book is for you!

It is the best cook book about grains I have found! Fantastic ideas and great variety of recipes. My cooking has changed for better and my family diet as well. The best of all, is the idea of a grain bank in your freezer. It saves my time and helps me to vary the combinations.
Fantastic book.

I got this book for my pre-k class when we were learning the ABC's... they absoulutly loved this book! And so did I. It was so cute and funny, I was actually laughing out loud when I read it the first time, the humor probably went over the kids, but it was still a great book. They ask me to read this book to them atleast once a week. A must buy for any one teaching the Abc's to children.

We checked "Alpha Oops!" out at our local library on a whim and my 2 year old daughter loves it! She actually runs around the house reciting lines from it, like "Fair and Equal Turns for All!" and "U is for Unique!" I had to read this book to her every night for weeks and even though we've returned it she's still talking about it. The best part about this book though for grownups is the adult humor that is interspersed and the smart illustrations. You've got to love a book about the alphabet in which the letter Z prevents the letter V from taking a second turn by dragging him away and the letter G observes "Oooooh...V is for Violence."

This book is SO hilarious! Very silly and clever. I got it when my son was four and now he's five. It's one of our many favorites. The letters come in all out of order and they argue about who should go next, and at the end on the last page they are still all jumbled up. The story ends and then we play the game we invented of "find the letters in order." It takes a few minutes because the illustrations are really detailed. We won't get tired of this one any time soon.

This book is very clever and a lot of fun. We have two small children and continue to read it over and over (and over and over and over). Especially for our two-year-old, who only recently mastered the alphabet, finding the letters out of order has proved to be a treat. He delights in trying to explain to us where the letters should really be. Also, the word pairings are fresh and unique. Everyone knows A Is For Apple. This book gives you stuff like "B is for big beautiful balloons blowing briskly in the breeze above a bevy of bright blue bouncing balls." The illustrations are also wonderful. Highly recommended.

I bought this book for my youngest nephew's birthday, and I almost kept it for myself. I love the way that each letter has its own character that comes through in the text and illustrations. It really is a fun way to teach kids the alphabet - "A" doesn't always have to go first!

I think the book should be titled "Mildred Gillars". The "Axis Sally" period, although the most notorious part of her life was relatively short. Mildred Gillars life took so many turns I found it difficult to put the book down. The story is a real page turner. I applaud the author Fuller for doing an outstanding job of writing and organizing the story. The book should be made into a movie.

I must admit when I purchased the book I was expecting a bland biography of Mildred "Axis Sally" Gillars, but my curiosity of this person was strong. For years, the media likened the deeds of various women to Axis Sally without an explanation of her. Who was she? What did she do? M. Williams Fuller tells us by going beyond the limits of a biography and breathing life into the story with dialogue, and what a wild story it is.

I just finished reading Axis Sally and as often happened when reading a good book; I wanted the writer to go on. I'm sure the remaining part of Mildred Gillars life was a story in itself that someday will be told. .

Fascinating, entertaining, historical, thought provoking, all the above plus. This is a totally well rounded story of a woman unwilling to be satisfied with a mundane status quo life. The author had me laughing, crying and wondering all the while what next? My criticism is that I found it difficult to stop reading and get on with my work. I was constantly tempted to turn just one more page

Reading Axis Sally, I am amazed at the ability of the author to revive the era and quickly get into the person of Mildred Gillers as she is entering Hunter College as awkward freshman in the fall of 1925. At first, I felt a kinship to Mildred Gillars and her desire to exceed her ordinary birth given fate. As she proceeded to make choices to achieve recognition, I wanted to caution her as to the ramifications of the directions she was taking, but of then, I am only the reader. In the end, the recognition she received far exceeded her wildest expectations or nightmares. It is a magnetizing, story of one of the most notorious women of the 20th century. The author does an outstanding job of bring the people, the times and the events to life.

written on middle school level. boring. Go for the good stuff like Huxely or Alan Watts.

This book is fun!
My favorite story is "I Thought I was Over That"
Ariel and Shya are genius in a non-judmental seeing of how we are and don't
try to change, fix or make us better.
These stories give us compassion for ourselfs and I never, ever before
experienced Enlightment in such an easy, light way.

The Kanes have written a fun and inspiring book of stories that invite the reader to enter effortlessly into the brilliance of the present moment. These tales, that are at once humorous and touching, are filled with inspiration and enlightenment.

I find myself picking up this gem of a book whenever I want a connection into all that's possible in life. The beautiful thing is, I don't have to "do" anything to experience the richness of the moment. Transformation is a technology that the Kanes have discovered and share generously with all who want to experience the perfection of "now". If you're looking for magic, this is the real thing.

This is a great book written by modern sages Ariel and Shya Kane, shining lights of Presence in these (potentially) complicated times.

In a chapter called A Cluttered Desk is a Sign of Genius, Ariel talks in simple, straight-forward terms about finding well-being in the seemingly impossible task of keeping her desk clean. I responded to this immediately. I seem to live at a desk in perpetual disarray.

At Shya's (her husband's) prompting, Ariel slowed down at her desk work by no more than 5%, and actually spent a little bit of that slightly-decelerated time with each object on the desk. She gave each piece of paper its due attention, not long, and each piece of paper and the work it represented was completed. In doing so, she has kept the desk clean of clutter since. I have employed this strategy on my own desk, and have succeeded, not permanently, but often, and for longer spans of time each time.

The subtitle of this invaluable little storybook is Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment, and it's very fitting. Ariel and Shya teach a technology called Instantaneous Transformation that takes everyday occurrences like a messy desk and transforms them into opportunities in the present moment (Now) for well-being, and yes, even enlightenment. Their other books go into great detail about this technology, and are just as quick, easy, illuminating reads. They are Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation and How To Create a Magical Relationship.

For anyone who's into Eckhart Tolle's books The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, and A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (Oprah's Book Club, Selection 61) (like I am,) I strongly recommend the Kanes and their books. You can learn more about the Kanes at www.TransformationMadeEASY.com. They are amazing teachers, dedicated to bringing well-being and enlightenment to normal people, and easily.

This book is truly a delight. The authors, Ariel and Shya Kane, deliver stories of everyday life with a twist of transformation (which they define as an anthropological look without judgment into how you are living your life). We are all perfect representations of us. This book shows that if we bring awareness to our lives the opportunities for expansion are endless.

I would highly recommend this book as well as the Kanes' other two books, Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation and How to Create a Magical Relationship. These books can bring you out of an ordinary life and into a spectacular one. Reading the words in this book took me on a journey by teaching me about an easier way to live my life. With stories about Intuition, Love, Compassion, etc. the Kanes' teachings of Instantaneous Transformation is presented in such a way that is easy to understand.

A friend recommended this to me when I expressed the desire to read a little more about elephants (after reading Philosophy Made Simple and Water for Elephants). It makes sense... elephants and the circus go together, yes?

In this collection, Cathy Day plays with the structures of stories. Each is constructed a little differently than the last, but all interweave to paint a portrait of a small town with a unique past and a distinctly midwestern present. Experimental structures can fall flat as easily as they work. I don't require a linear narrative, but I do require that a story be told. This book tells one.

True to the title, the circus performers are mostly shown during the downtime, weathering winter and waiting to get back on the train. The way that their lives butt up to the lives of ordinary folks is interesting to read about. Several stories deal with the ways in which men do not comprehend the longings of women, and Day handles this theme beautifully and without accusation, especially in The King and His Court and the very tragic The Lone Star Cowboy.

It's a beautiful book. But...

(spoilers)

...the elephants are only shown dying. I can't stand it. Their deep eyes, their hairy hides, their questing trunks, and then they die.

Since the stories are called "exhibits," the question of human oddity ("born" and "made") is called into question. Well, this was part of the circus. One of the stories deals with a young man who has dwarfism, and how he happily accepts the role of town mascot, and what happens when that role is inexplicably (to him) withdrawn. I've read too many stories in which a little person comes in to serve as a metaphor, a symbol, as if somehow a person who has dwarfism is not a person, just the condition that makes him short. Day does a nice job of portraying a person. He is an innocent boy, then a clueless young man, and then an angry young man. He is more than the sum of his bones.

Very highly recommended.

I've never liked the circus. But this book made me want to learn more about people who live a life tied to it. Day paints beautiful and poignant images of her characters and she weaves a mighty beautiful web in the process.

The first stories in this collection are small masterpieces. Cathy Day can take us deep into the secret, hidden hearts of her characters. There were passages that I read, over and over, just to enjoy the beauty of her writing.

It was close to perfect.

I was worried that a 'circus story' would be all about the freaks and geeks. Instead, it was about real people struggling against the loneliness of midwestern winters, coping with broken dreams, the constraints of small town lives, and the endless allure of life on the road.

Sadly, the seams started to show towards the end of the collection. There was nothing bad, so much as a sense of that, in a few of the later stories, she was repeating her best stories (or giving us an early, less polished version of them). One story could have been dropped with no loss ("Jungle Boolah Boy" didn't feel very integrated with the rest of the stories), and another ("Boss Man") felt a bit strained although it did help to tie some of the themes and characters together.

This is a wonderful,short book that I really enjoyed.
The author brings you into the world of circus folks. Sometimes funny,sometimes sad but always interesting. She gives us the story many different ways,which at times can be trying.

Her characters are well fleshed out making you want to know more. She carries thru with this by bringing you from the past to the future and back. A good fun read!

This book of interconnected short stories related to residents of the old circus town of Lima, Indiana (it's real life counterpart is Peru, Indiana) is just excellent. Great writing, great characterizations and great stories that seem like they could have really happened. Do yourself a favor and read THE CIRCUS IN WINTER instead of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS which is more romance novel than literature but for some unknown reason is reaping a lot of positive buzz.

I love starting the day with this, eveyone wants my old ones when I finish. I think Dilbert seems to relate to every office.

This daily comic helps to relieve the stress and tension in my office. Scott seems to have his finger firmly planted on the pulse of corporate America with Dilbert, Asok, the "pointy-haired guy", Dogbert the evil HR guy, Catbert and more. If you need a therapeutic laugh to make it through your sometimes insane days at work, this is the calendar for you.

You'd think Scott Adams would run out of material. Sadly, today's workplace seems to provide plenty of fodder. Good calendar.

i look forward to getting to the office a little early, tearing off yesterday's sheet, reading today's calendar sheet, and laughing out loud. i use the old sheets to write notes for colleagues (instead of stick-it notes), which usually are apropros to the office goings on that day. i love adams' creativity - the ironies and utter stupidity are something that we all can really relate to at work! for the amount of laughter that this calendar has given me and my colleagues, it was well worth the price and i'm destined to purchase it again next year!

I've had this on my desk the last 3 or so years. This time around I ordered the desk diary by mistake.
I tried to persuade myself that I could use that one, and do without the daily, but I caved in, and ordered this again. Makes the working day get off to a routinely funny start, always a chuckle. A great gift too.

I can't fault it.

My 5 year old son & 18 month old daugher adore this book. They each have the opportunity to play with a different room at the same time - no pushing or shoving to get closest to the book as they sit in a circle around the opened book/house. The only thing I wish it came with was something to hold all the small pieces, like a plastic bag with a slide lock on the back cover (I got the idea to make my own too late). We've lost many of the pieces, but this book still hasn't lost it's charm. My kids love to put Maisey to bed at night in her bed & it even helped with my son's nightime routine when he was potty training b/c it has a bathroom complete with a toilet & toilet paper.

This book/playhouse is great and so cute but too detailed for my two year old. I should have paid attention to the age suggestion. If you have a 4 year old +, it would be very entertaining and fun.

I would have bitten my little finger off to have this as a child. I love this, very surprising with all the attention to detail and the sheer amount of things to look at and do in this toy/book. I've paid more for plain books. I immediately went on line to purchase a couple more, because I was so afraid that things would get ruined or lost and then I wouldn't be able to purchase it any more, and I want my daughter to have it for a while (19 months old now, and she's just still a little too rough with the paper). Really fun !

My daughter loves this book. It is a great activity book and keeps her entertained for long periods of time, due to the "playhouse" pop ups. So very cute too. It even comes with a paperdoll Maisy that she can move around from "room" to room. The details are great too...drawers and doors open and there is even a toilet seat. This is a great buy for children who love Maisy!!

All the children I work with love this book(pre-school age). They are engaged for extended periods of time in pretend play. Also a wonderful educational tool in which to elicit important vocabulary.

A key book(toy) to that should be in every a child's home.

Great book if you enjoy naval history. Unique in that it details the strategies, fears, tactics and human factor of MODERN naval warfare in the age of missiles and advanced capability sensors. Past, current or future Navy surface warfare officers will love it.

Woodward had done a masterful job, with his writing assistant, of describing the issues of command, the concern about sending others into combat where they may lose their life, the need to keep in mind what is central about a mission, and so many other thoughts about what leadership means. This book is a study of BOTH (1) management of a large task (be it war, be it a large company or nonprofit, be it of government) when dealing with an adversary compelled to fight you (be it the other side in a war, be it a company fighting you for market share, be it a Democrat or Republican that believes as you do not), and (2) of management of a military war where weapons are wielded by you and weapons are wielded or threatened against you. The real-life drama of uncertainty of events, of certainty of purpose, and of just what went on in this saga is of interest to very many readers. I have British friends, I have Argentian friends, and no matter which side you believe is right (both have their points) this is a good book about a mission one is given and how one needs to carry it out, and the thoughts and second-thoughts that must go through any leader's mind.

Read this as a book about leadership, and you will do fine. Read this as a book about war, and you will also do fine. Read this as a book about both, and you'll get even more out of it.

The book was received in excellent condition. The story is well written and very interesting. Would recommend it highly.

As Wellington famously said of the Hundred Days Campaign culminating in the Battle of Waterloo, the Falklands Campaign was a also damn near run thing, according to the Battle Group Commander, Adm Sandy Woodward, in this excellent book. Writing in what can best be called a distinctly British style, Woodward takes the reader into the bridge of the Hermes, his command ship for the Falklands expedition. What we get is a brutally honest, technically detailed, and gripping narrative not only into how the British pulled off a decisive victory, but also the self-doubts and mentally taxing minutia of a Commander sending troops and sailors into harm's way. This book is especially valuable for its detailed description of how navies fight. This is no small task. For example, the reader learns how:

1. submarines track ships and the risks they run to track them and shoot them. The example of the sinking of the General Belgrano is first rate
2. how a routine matter such as cross-decking troops between ships bedevils commanders and can end in tragedy
3. ship's tactics for defending themselves against aircraft (this is particularly helpful. In the US military, we have become so accustomed to air and sea superiority that those who operate on the ground take it for granted. It's not! It must be gained and earned - if need be, the hard way.)
4. The inevitable tension that will arise between sea, air, and land commanders during the prosecution of an amphibious campaign. We get Woodward's side here, but he is brutally honest on when he was right and when he was wrong.
5. The role of destroyers, frigates, aircraft carriers, amphibs, and supply ships, and the risks they ran -- and still do -- to do their jobs.

This is one of the only books I know of that actually explains how modern navies fight, and it is thus indispensable to navy officers and to those who seek to learn more on control of the seas.

This is an absolutely first-rate memoir by the man who led the British fleet to victory in the Falkland Islands War. Only 50 years-old when he was chosen to lead the battle group to recapture the islands in 1982 (hard to believe this gentleman is now 73!), Admiral Sir John F. "Sandy" Woodward was courageous and competent commander. That being the case, he is also refreshingly honest and humble as he tells his remarkable story.

As the Admiral mentions in the epilogue, many will always regard the Falklands as having been "a pushover war - the mighty Brits crushing the ridiculous Args" (349). But as this book makes clear, it was anything but a cakewalk. The Argentinian sailors and pilots were brave and worthy oponents. The British fleet took heavy casualties: 6 ships sunk (2 destroyers, 2 frigates, 1 amphibious warfare vessel and the transport vessel Atlantic Conveyor with its precious cargo of 10 Wessex and 4 Chinook helicopters). Another 10 ships were badly damaged. Many of these were not sunk only because the Argentinian bombs reguarly failed to detonate. The British, of course, won decisively though, thanks to the professionalism and courage of the British forces. But it was an intense and bloody six weeks.

The campaign was also a turning point in the history of naval warfare. Although anti-ship missiles were first used to sink Syrian missile boats by the Israelis back in 1973, the destruction of HMS Sheffield by the French Exocet missiles fired from Super-Etendard fighter-bombers grabbed the attention of the world's militaries. Newsweek's subsequent cover-story on the incident read "Falklands Fallout: Are Big Ships Doomed?" Many wondered if large warships had been rendered obsolete by the effectiveness of anti-ship missiles. Indeed, the two British aircraft carriers in the South Atlantic were very vulnerable. If even one of them had been put out of commission by an Exocet, it is unlikely the Falklands could have been recaptured. It is very interesting to read about how the British struggled with some of their new high-tech weaponry such as the Sea Dart. It took some failed attempts in battle before the bugs got worked out and they got comfortable with the new system.

Admiral Woodward is an excellent writer. His descriptions of the battles are riveting, especially the moments of calamity such as when HMS Sheffield was crippled by Exocets. You really get a sense of the fear, anxiety and adrenaline. It's as exciting as any Tom Clancy novel without a doubt.