New York Books

I bought this book years ago because of a glowing review in a book close out catalog. I really had no interest in beavers. I was suprised I could not put the book down. It is wonderfully written. Like a funny movie, I feel better after reading this book. The insights into the life and habits of beavers are overwhelming. I had no idea these creatures were so human like. The story is often funny, but we see the sad side when some punky teens try to destroy the beavers home. I have lent the book to many friends, after working hard to convence them it really is a great story. Each person, male and female, loved the story. I just bought multiple copies to loan, and some for gifts, something I have never done with any other book.

Hope Ryden describes the natural world like no other author. Her writing is informative and entertaining. You learn and love the creatures described in her writing. Lily Pond allows you to become a member of beaver family. You feel the pain of winter, the joy of new life. If you like nature, you'll like Hope Ryden's Lily Pond

This is a wonderful book by a wonderful naturalist. Follow a beaver family through seasons of plenty and hardship. Ryden weaves a delightful and moving tale while at the same time maintaining her integrity as a keen observer of animal behavior.

I really didn't have much interest in beavers, but when I was given this book, Lily Pond, I decided to go ahead and read it. I finished it in 2 days, it was phenominal. The way she talked about the beavers was like a sitcom, but at the same time you learned so much. I didn't have to force myself to concentrate, like I normally do with text books, for one second, but the abundance of information I got from this book never fails to amaze me. I have to give Hope Ryden 2 thumbs up for this book. It's one you can't put down no matter how hard you try. I was really sad when it was over.

An insightful look into the saga of a Beaver family. The lives of this Beaver family comes alive through the eyes of author Hope Ryden. You'll begin to feel you're right there with her as she studies this Beaver family over the course of four years painstaking work. Ms. Ryden does an excellent job of conveying what this family of Beavers is up to and you learn an outstanding amount of information about the natural history of Beavers. You become both attached to Ms. Ryden and the family of beavers, feeling both her joy and pain as you see their lives progress before you. I even shed some tears..it was that good. Thanks Ms. Ryden, for an outstanding piece of nature writing

This book is perhaps the most elaborate statement of general living systems theory yet to be written. Not recommended for those not well versed in both systems terminology and biological concepts. However, if you are adept in these areas, you will be rewarded with incredible insights.

Despite this is a book with an enormous and difficult text, since the very first chapter it enlightens the most basic message: that sciences, and knowledge, can be integrated, in a sort of unified theory, the "general theory of living systems", as the author puts it. And it does; since I began to understand the hole thing, it really makes me easier to think, and to view the world, like somekind of natural phylosophy, or organic phylosophy. It's really helpfull. (My email is galfroid@hotmail.com)

Although reading such a long book in its entirety seems at first measure a daunting task (and one that few people's academic credentials hold up to....), readers daring enough to try are pretty well rewarded across the whole of this book. This book is an introduction to systems theory (i.e. that the result of a conglomeration of small scale processes can be seen to accumulate into larger, predictable processes at macro levels, similar to how a person who makes individual knots can end up with a rug...) that straddles the mark from physics to political economy (which is running far indeed!!!)

This is a really big book besides having a lot of pages, and I have a hunch that not too many people are going to buy it outside of researchers or university librarians. But, I suppose, if you're either of these (though if one were going to research they'd probably look to a sucession of smaller books, no?) I'd buy this book.... your collection would be enriched through having it....

This is the Bible on the living systems we see around us in today's world. Years ago, a reviewer described Miller's theory as "fundamental yet capable of elaboration in great detail." No one has explained it better.

Here Miller lays out 19 processes which every living system needs to perform in order to compete and survive; eight processes for information, nine processes for matter and energy, and two processes for both. Miller also sees that there are billions and billions of different kinds of living systems in the world from microscopic cells to international organizations. So, he has categorized them into seven levels from the simplest and tiniest to the most complex and largest. And, he frequently makes interesting comparisons across these different levels.

Miller weaves volumes of information about the life sciences into his theory, particularly the biology of evolution. The concept of "emergence" appears to be its bedrock. New characteristics emerge as living systems become more complex, miraculously it would seem. In that sense, the book appears to be a detailed proof of Aristotle's famous conclusion that "the whole is more than the sum of its parts."

Many readers of this book have described it as a reference book, which it is. But, that description sells the book too short. Miller's prose is graceful and readable. I would say this book is enjoyable and well worth reading even if you have only enough time to read one chapter.

Two interesting companions to Living Systems would be Kevin Kelly's Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, and Economic Order and also Ruppert Sheldrake's Morphic Resonance: The Habits of Nature. It might be said that Living Systems is a sequel to Alfred North Whitehead's famous book Process and Reality.

Don't let the size of this book stop you from exploring it. The author has designed the book so it (slowly) reveals itself, working from basic concepts of how dynamic systems work through levels of biological and social complexity. It is a brilliant work, a must for anyone involved in any sort of analytical work. It is one of the most important books of the 20th century and, if attention is paid, will be an important guidebook to the 21st.

To see more of Miller's work and its implications, see the web site Principia Cybernetica.

Maeve Brennan was born in Dublin, which she wrote about in "Springs of Affection," a book that the editors at Amazon named one of the best of 1997. She came to the US when she was 17, and in her 30s hooked up with The New Yorker, for which she wrote the 50-odd sketches about daily life in Manhattan that are collected in "The Long-Winded Lady."

Where the Dublin stories are savage studies of failed marriages, these New York sketches are gentler in tone, more wistful and blue. Brennan, the "I" of all these pieces, eavesdrops on conversations in the bars, streets, and hotel lobbies of the seedier parts of Times Square and the Village. Her vivid, precise reports are then fleshed out with sepeculations, opinions, and little autobiographical details that reveal her own humorous, melancholy sensibility. The book ends up being not just an incomparable time capsule of the city of the 1950s and '60s, but also a self-portrait of one of its many silent "travellers in residence," a somewhat timid, ultra keen-eyed, super-sensitive exile trying to keep her bearings in an often inhuman metropolis. Brennan is never precious, never self-pitying. And there's not a dull or cloying or lame sentence in the book. "The Long-Winded Lady" is a small masterpiece, and both it and "Springs of Affection" are not to be missed.

This exquisite book of short essays is for you. She captures New York of the `60s in her highly focused vignettes. A long-time writer for The New Yorker, these sketches were featured in the "Talk of the Town" section of the magazine always beginning with "Our friend, the long-winded lady, has written us as follows:" I always looked forward to them and vaguely thought the author was likely to be a well-heeled matron of impressive family lineage with a flair for turning words. My impression was totally incorrect. Ms. Brennan emigrated from Ireland at age 17, never had much money or security and viewed herself as "a traveler in residence."

She gave personalities to streets, buildings, and stores as well as people. " Sixth Avenue possesses a quality that some people acquire, sometimes quite suddenly, which dooms it and them to be loved only at the moment they are being looked at for the very last time." Her focus is keen and unblinking, but she sometimes infuses the scene and the people with the magic of her imagination. Her word portraits are so incisive, I often felt that I was sitting beside her seeing a man "morose and dignified, as though humiliation had taken him unawares, but not unprepared."

There is a certain sadness and loneliness in Ms. Brennan's peripheral outsider remarks, but you never feel pity only admiration for an author that always looks outward to keep from looking inward.

I am so impressed with this book. Brennan's eye for detail, her descriptions of New York, her own loneliness are written in prose that any writer would envy. I have recommended this book to a couple of friends and also will suggest it for my bookclub. Brennan's writing sometimes reminds me of an Edward Hopper painting-the way she captures the light from a room across the way, her observations of situations in restaurants, hotel lobbies, and subways. I read somewhere that she had a terrible breakdown and her last column was written in the early 80's. After that she was seen wandering the streets of NY. I bought this book on a recommendation and never expected to be so moved. Also the book brings the reader back to the 60's.

Maeve Brennan's book is a collection of perfectly polished little gems. Writing just doesn't get any better than what you'll find here. "Howard's Apartment" is a piece that you won't just read; you'll also see, hear and feel it. Follow this wonderful writer as she leads you through a New York City that no longer exists.

She is a marvel, a gem. Each of these little expositions is so rich... You're walking down a street, when suddenly, gracefully, she turns a corner and glances into a window of our common soul, and describes what is reflected therein. Her observations are touching, without maudlin sentiment, dead-on accurate, and her language clear and hard. It is more a book about New Yorkers than New York; what I mean is that there is a certain approach to life that is genuinely cosmopolitan without being especially clever or reckless or cute, and we who love reading have a deep affinity for the well-tempered, understated observation that Maeve Brennan perfected. This is one of the two or three best reading experiences I've had all year.

I thought that this book was an educational yet fun mystery! The map at the front really helped me place what was happening, and relate it to what exists there now. I also found the main character, Sooncy, to be the perfect perspective through which to tell the story! Overall, a fantastic book for anyone looking for a fun and informative read! Best wishes to Ms. Killcoyne on future writing endeavors!

There are few opportunities offered our children to learn an important lesson about both our own past and our nature as individuals than that delivered by Hope Lourie Killcoyne in her gifted story, "The Lost Village of Central Park." Set in mid-nineteenth-century New York City, at the cusp of the construction of that seminal landmark of modern America, Central Park, Ms. Killcoyne's lyrical narrative traces the factual history of Seneca Village, a real establishment in which African-American and Irish immigrants somehow co-existed peacefully in pre-Civil War America. Creating compelling and believable characters, Ms. Killcoyne provides today's pre-teens with an invaluable and unique perspective on an important era in American social development, one which was cut curiously short by the idiosyncratic yet poetically inevitable advancement of New York City, through the creation of Central Park. The Park stands today, a monument to New York civic achievement; what is lost is Seneca Village, perhaps an even more meaningful yet necessarily ephemeral reflection of all that is possible, yet also lost, in the American dream.

Having lived in New York my entire life, I was surprised to find out about Seneca Village. I was never taught about the time, place, and events that surrounded the demise of that area of the city. The author successfully tells the story from the point of view of two young girls, one black and one white, and the strength of their friendship. It's a great way to teach children about their past. There's a lot going on here... plenty to use the characters again and turn it into a series. I'd certainly pick up the next one for my niece!

I had though the art of captivating storytelling in the realm of children's historical fiction was long gone. The last and one of the best was Ben and Me. Not to mention the fact that intelligent prose directed toward but not insulting children has disappeared with the likes of greats like E.B. White, Judy Blume & Madeline L'Engle... until now that is. Meticulous research has allowed Hope Killcoyne to create a captivating historical backdrop that most New Yorkers weren't even aware of including myself. Even as the story unfolded I couldn't help feel a sense of sorrow knowing the timely end to what was probably a fascinating culture within the tapestry of NY. Nevertheless, Killcoyne takes what might have just been an interesting footnote in NY lore and weaves a modern folk tale of ingenious promise and heart. Characters well developed for any novel not to mention one for young adults, add depth and almost tangible realism to a time and era long forgotten and sometimes better off forgotten. Hope Killcoyne places her characters in a small pocket of the American landscape dwarfed by slavery and the dawn of Civil War allowing us to glimpse what might have been and what should be in a world too often blurred with self-interest and prejudice. Although some readers might be wary of the melodrama of a culturally diverse Utopia Killcoyne has pictured, there is nothing contrived about the story and intent behind this book. A highly recommended book for any young or old reader... from any walk of life.

This is a wonderful story and fascinating piece of history for children as well as adults. As with so much in history, the more that is uncovered, the more it tells of the way things are today and why. As with many of the colorful stories from the annuls of New York, The Lost Village of Central Park illustrates a very important chapter in the history of the city as well as the nation. Educational as well as entertaining. The fact that such a place existed more than 100 years ago proves that which makes us the same far outweighs that which makes us different. As former grade schoolteacher, I think this book should be on the shelves of every school and public library.

The book arrived in a timely fashion and was in perfect condition. I would definitely order from this person again.

buildings there are until one reads this essential history of some of the greatest buildings in the city.

Architectural historian Andrew Alpern takes the reader through a survey of luxury apartment buildings on Manhattan Island. There are 34 chapters, of which 28 are descriptions of particular buildings, their histories, and their unique features, each illustrated by one or more large b&w photographs. The book includes four floor plans. Buildings discussed include the Majestic, Century, Ansonia, London Terrace, Beresford, Osborne, and Alwyn Court. There are also six chapters dealing with more general topics: British 'antecedents of American apartments,' famous courtyard buildings, office-to-residence conversions, classic buildings of Fifth Avenue, double-height studios for artists, and changing fashions in floor plans.

There is substantial overlap with Alpern's earlier book, 'New York's Fabulous Luxury Apartments,' although the two books were clearly separately written works. That earlier book is aimed at the reader whose interest is mainly in floor plans, while the reader who is more interested in detailed narrative descriptions might prefer 'Luxury Apartment Houses.'

An interesting overview of the design and evolutions of apartment bulidings in NYC, originally published as the very hard to find 'APARTMENTS FOR THE AFFLUENT.' Cretainly good fun for todays real estate conscious New Yorker with photos, floorplans and even original selling prices of NY's tonier buildings.

An interesting overview of the design and evolutions of apartment bulidings in NYC, originally published as the very hard to find 'APARTMENTS FOR THE AFFLUENT.' Cretainly good fun for todays real estate conscious New Yorker with photos, floorplans and even original selling prices of NY's tonier buildings.

Although I think I'll have to buy another NYC travel book in order to get more detailed information about places to stay and to eat, I really enjoyed reading this. It's full of interviews with interesting New Yorkers, like Wigstock's Lady Bunny and the guy who runs the sideshows at Coney Island. There's a great section on NYC neighborhoods as well. The charming personality of the Mad Monks really comes through in their writing--you learn a lot about what they don't like (yuppies, sterile architecture, the Disneyfication of Times Square) as well as a few things about what they do (drag queens, egg creams, and Rudy Giuliani, strangely enough).

Funny, irreverant and witty ....took me to places I never would have discovered . . . .what a mind expanding trip without drugs! BRAVO.

The Mad Monks' Guide to New York City avoids dwelling on well-worn landmarks such as the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty, focusing more on the eccentric and offbeat, such as Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls, Fly Fishing in Central and even Toxic Tourism like Staten Island's Fresh Kills Dump, the world's largest dump/landfill.

Along with the sublime and the bizarre is a cornucopia of the great city's diverse culture, from bars and restaurants to entertainment spots, making it probably as useful for those who live in the city as for those planning to visit it.

The Mad Monks' Guide to New York City is definitely the best thing I've read on that place in years, maybe the best book on New York since Washington Irving.

Here I am, spitting and cussing and followed by my tribe of beautiful wife, giggling baby, manic dog, neurotic cat, tiny overpriced one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, thirty-two South Bronx homeroom students, anti-situationist buddies in the Yale Art History Graduate School, coffee shop aficionados, strange relatives, no money, one as yet unfinished great American novel, an entire collection of badly washed decaying old college clothes, and, last but not least, one pristine, mint, delectable copy of "The Mad Monks' Guide to New York City." Genius! Genius! Genius!

But who are these morons who keep giving the Monks the cliched comparisons to Kerouac and Kuralt? Where are the comparisons to the greats? As convoluted, descriptive, and gratuitous as a Faulkner sentence! As minutely involved as Wolf! As sharp and evocative as Hemmingway! As full of life and extraterrestialy wise as Salinger! As innovatively plotted as Joyce! As romantic as Austin! As poetic and erotic as Shakespeare!

An excellent book for all people interested in Laing. Hopefully Mullan will find a way to publish the material so that those interested can read it rather than holding onto it and waiting for a publishing deal that isn't too far "beneath" his expectations.

In this huge set of interviews, the former king of counter-culture philosophy expresses his provocative opinions on all imaginable topics, from mystcism to politics. If you are the type of person who thinks for yourself and suspects that straight society is almost incurably ill, you will probably find a kindred spirit in this fascinating man. Being a prestigious psychiatrist and former military officer, he knows the system he's trying to change from the inside out (an advantage most radical thinkers don't have).

This is one of the most engaging books I've read in over 20 years: it brought back to me the stimulation of encountering a truly first-rate mind.

Mullan has brilliantly effaced himself so that you get 100% Laing direct. And a Laing worthy of his better reputation. Mullan limited himself to brief preface and introductions and, during the interviews, short guiding comments and questions. Another interviewer might have cluttered the interviews with his/her own agenda and introduced the book with lengthy analysis, all of which would have obscured Laing. Undoubtedly Mullan also had a mark in selecting and editing the interviews, but what he achieved was this wonderful effect of making the reader feel like he/she is alone with Laing listening to Laing pour out his life in great detail, with great feeling, and without pulling any punches.

In the section on "Influences", Laing's amazing retention and grasp of his existentialist sources is illuminating. In "Kingsley Hall", you get an inside scoop, with lots of warts acknowledged, on this famous and infamous experiment. These conversations are an invaluable complement (and more) to the other sources on Laing, including Laing's own books.

"Great men have great weaknesses": I was struck by how negative Laing was about many of his contemporaries including coworkers. He seems to have distanced himself from many people. As much as Laing seemed to understand Existentialism, my impression from the section "Buddhism" was that his understanding of Buddhism wasn't especially strong. He claimed to have been credited with having a rare kind of "Nirvana consciousness". Do you need a credited consciousness? At any rate, even with Buddhism, Laing poured himself into it and was not shy of insights.

Whether Laing had a "Nirvana consciousness" or not, he was most certainly extraordinary in these interviews. You'll feel why Laing was special if you read "Mad to be Normal". And you'll have a great context for understanding any of Laing's major books.

Mullan has done Laing a special favor. And us.

As the editor of MAD TO BE NORMAL (Ronnie Laing's last recorded conversations), I was pleased to read Matthew Morrisey's review. In response to his query - "what am I going to do with the material NOT included in the book?" Well, I have a lot of material I would like to publish from the conversations, but in this dumbed down world it is hard to get a publisher to agree to do it.

This book holds many treasures, for both beginning and advanced students of R.D. Laing. For beginners, the book serves as a valuable tool of clarification for many of Laing's ideas. For the more initiated, the book offers up juicy morsels of hard to find information. For example, how many people know that Laing actually obtained copies of Nietzsche's hospital records to find out if Nietzsche actually had syphillis? (Laing contends he didn't). It is little bits like this which make the book continually revelatory. Even moreso than in his autobiography, one gets a sense in this book of Laing as not only a brilliant conversationalist, but as a tremendously complex and conflicted person. As we listen to him describe his relations with the prominent philosophers, psychoanalysts, and critics of his day, his recounting of his emotional and spiritual development, and of his dashed hopes and unrealized dreams, we begin to get a sense of what it might have been like to be around Laing when he was alive. Mullan for his part does a wonderful job of asking Laing pertinent, incisive questions, no matter whether the subject is Sartre or his boyhood days in Glasgow. The only question which arise are, if Mullan spent hundreds of hours talking with Laing, what is the nature of the content he excluded, and what has he done (or is he going to do) with that material? Overall, an excellent and indispensible book for anyone interested in R.D. Laing.

The other reviews told what the book was about. I just wanted to add to their comments by saying that I couldn't put the book down and was sad when it ended. Her words flowed so beautifully.

The late Mary Cantwell charmingly recounts, in this 3 books in one volume paperback, her years growing up in a small New England seaport town and her youthful foray into the 'glamourous' magazine world of New York City in the 'fities. Sane, sensible and warm nostalgia--without being saccharine. Beautifully written. A must for the literate and for New York lovers-- especially those who remember the days!

The late Mary Cantwell charmingly recounts, in this 3 books in one volume paperback, her years growing up in a small New England seaport town and her youthful foray into the 'glamourous' magazine world of New York City in the 'fities. Sane, sensible and warm nostalgia--without being saccharine. Beautifully written. A must for the literate and for New York lovers-- especially those who remember the days!

Mary Cantwell's Manhattan Memoir is three books in one but you will never tell the difference. The stories flow together as Cantwell's memoir's cover her life. Cantwell takes you through a stroll in Manhattan. The good times, the struggles. The best memoir I have read. This is that book you will tell all of your friends about. Cantwell is a fantastic story teller.

Mary Cantwell bares her triumphs and joys as well as her shortcomings and insecurities in this collection of three memoirs that span her childhood, early adulthood, and middle- to late-adulthood respectively. Cantwell lead a wonderful, if unremarkable, childhood in an enviably Rockwell-esque seaside town - her depiction of her life through high-school is a real joy to read. Upon graduation from college, Cantwell hits the "Big City" appears to have forgotten some of the lessons learned in her idyllic childhood, however, she still manages to snag a plumb job with Mademoiselle Magazine and occasionally interacts with literary legends with her ambitious young husband. In her later life she is given interesting writing assignments and carves out a life for herself in Lower Manhattan, however, I found it discouraging that she wallows in the collapse of her marriage (which never appeared to be very strong), often to the detriment of her two daughters. I kept wondering how a woman with such a strong background could have allowed herself to sink to the depths Cantwell periodically allowed herself to hit. Regardless, she is not ashamed to remember less-than-glamorous moments in her life (which also include being jeered by fellow classmates as an elementary school student and suffering from paralyzing fits of self-doubt as a young career woman) - these are the events that have made her what she is.

It must have been incredibly therapeutic for Cantwell to write these memoirs. All three books can be seen as a view of the author's life from within her own head. Her message is simple: accept me for what I am. "Manhattan Memoir," in addition to being the story of Mary Cantwell's life, it also about trying to be true to oneself when one isn't always sure what that means. By writing her story, Cantwell examines her life and tries to learn from her experiences - and it can make the reader start to think about his/her own life as well.

While Cantwell's life is not particularly fascinating or different in itself, her writing style and manner of portraying her experiences are magical and riveting. She describes the joyous and painful events of her life in an easy, engaging manner - it is as if she is talking about the past with old friends. She manages to make the mundane fascinating. She also has a real gift for engaging the reader. I wasn't sure if I liked her writing style at first - Cantwell writes almost as one speaks - but within pages of beginning the book I became used to her rambling style and truly enjoyed it.

This book provides an added plus for those from or familiar with Rhode Island and/or New York City. It was fun for me to recognize the addresses of Cantwell's Manhattan apartments and know that the places she frequented, I often go to today.

I thought this a good book for anyone reading about or studying Major-General William Tecumseh Sherman's March to the Sea and the March through the Carolinas. It captures the thoughts and personalities of the Army behind the man and gives the reader an insight to why they did some of the things that are so controversial today.

I have to confess a bias; Professor Glatthaar taught me US history in my first semester of college and was a very engaging, entertaining and clear teacher.

This book is history of the very best kind. It is extensively documented from primary sources, it is well written and draws the reader in and the text of the book is free from cumbersome and often distracting academic citation apparatus. It also has selected a topic of almost epic proportions.

The March to the Sea, coming on the heels of the devastating fall of Atlanta was the straw that broke the South's back. After years of war and the related hardships, the devastation that this march produced in the South dealt a death blow to the South's war effort.

In one of the great strategic decisions of the war, Sherman breaks his lines of communication and supply and, like a modern day nuclear sub, disappears only to resurface at Savannah. The freedom of movement that this decision allowed made this march even more effective.

Further, the productivity of the South, even after years of warfare is evidenced. The author presents data showing an increase in the weight of soldiers due to the richness of the diet they were able to secure from those unfortunate enough to be in the path of Sherman's army.

To quibble with a prior reviewer, this is not a novel. This is academic history of the best sort but written in a easy and accesible manner. A great book.

This book contains an examination of the army that General William Tecumseh Sherman led through Georgia and the Carolinas, in late 1864 and early 1865. Instead of being just another narrative of the March to the Sea and Carolina campaigns, however, Glatthaar's book is a look at the individuals that composed the army. In it, he examines the social and ideological backgrounds of the men in Sherman's army, and evaluates how they felt about various factors of the war--slavery, the union, and, most significantly, the campaign in which they were participating. The result is a fascinating look at Sherman's campaigns through the eyes of the everyday soldier. Glatthaar makes the army come alive, and shows the men not as heartless animals who delighted in wanton destruction, not as mechanized marching machines who could perform the most difficult marches without even flinching, but instead as real human beings, complete with sore feet, empty stomachs, and minds engaged in contemplation over the ethical ramifications of what they were doing to the people of the South.

This book, and others like it (such as James McPherson's For Cause and Comrades), is a refreshing change from the norm in Civil War history. The value of this book lies in its helping the reader understand that the war was fought by individuals, not masses of blue and gray, and that these individuals felt and thought a great deal about the cause they were engaged in. I have read much on the subject of Sherman's march, but never before this book did I truly feel like I understood the mentality of the 60,000 man army he led. This book will not give you a detailed and thorough account of Sherman's campaigns, but it will give anyone who already is somewhat familiar with the marches an incredible amount of insight that, I believe, cannot be gained elsewhere.

Individuals who belong to a Civil War reenacting association, history buffs, and serious scholars of the Civil War will all find quiet enjoyment in Joseph Glatthaar's historical novel on Major General Sherman's march to Savannah and through the Carolinas. Glatthaar's perspective of bringing the war down to the level of the individual soldier is not always found in historical novels. He writes about the soldier's innermost feelings, not about the glorious generals, the great armies, or the magnificent campaigns. I believe that individual battles do not win wars, but that it is the men composing the fighting force that can turn a potential devastating defeat into a glorious victory. Mr. Glatthaar has done a great justice in his portrayal of the men who conducted the march to the sea and beyond. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who wishes better to understand the soldiers that fought for Sherman

Joseph Glatthaar wrote this book in order to examine Sherman's march across the South "from the level of the common soldier, both enlisted and officer". In the introduction he states that by writing the book from this perspective, he hoped "to restore the reality of the campaigns, to understand the underlying motivation of Sherman's men for adopting a policy of devestation and to shed light on the total-war concept in military history".

Mr. Glatthaar's efforts have resulted in this very informative and engaging book. I did not know a lot about Sherman's Army before reading this book, and feel that I now have a much better understanding of the men who filled the ranks and led the regiments in their famous march to the sea. In his text, Mr. Glatthaar presents many quotes directly from letters and diaries written by Sherman's men, which really enhances the story and his conclusions.

I recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn about Sherman's Army- why it was successful, why it adopted a policy of total war, destroying much of the South, and why it remains controversial to this day.

A short while back, my boss lent me a copy of The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews. It was one of the best self-improvement books I've ever read, and the seven decisions that were woven into the story were incredibly powerful. Andrews has a follow-up to that book called Mastering the Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success: An Owner's Manual to The Traveler's Gift. If you were taken by the power of The Traveler's Gift, Mastering is a must-read book that fleshes out the concepts and helps you to apply them in your own life.

Contents:
Introduction; The Responsible Decision; The Guided Decision; The Active Decision; The Certain Decision; The Joyful Decision; The Compassionate Decision; The Persistent Decision; Conclusions; Bibliography; About the Authors

Each chapter corresponds to one of the seven decisions from the original book. After a restatement of the key decision, Andrews goes into more explanation and detail about how that particular trait, that decision you need to make, plays out in your life. Interspersed throughout the chapter are activities to help you determine where you are at and what may need to change in order to get to where the decision can take you. Much of the activities at the start involve some level of journaling as you spend time thinking about your values and goals. Perhaps you've never even *thought* about your values and goals before! Being forced to put these things down on paper is a powerful way to start sorting through your life. As you progress through the decisions, many of these insights you discover become actions you take to incorporate these seven traits into your everyday life. I also enjoyed the end of each chapter, where Andrews shares a letter from some well-known person that illustrates how that particular decision has helped them get to where they are today.

What I most appreciate about The Traveler's Gift and Mastering the Seven Decisions is that the concepts are based on solid choices that are completely within your reach. There's no metaphysical mystery to it all. If you incorporate and personalize these things, such as taking responsibility, taking action, seeking wisdom, and choosing to be happy, you will separate yourself from the mass of people who live life feeling as if they have no input or direction. Granted, you have to work at it, but the results are worth it. Mastering the Seven Decisions should be the absolute next book you read after The Traveler's Gift. And if you're going to buy one, buy them both. The changes that lie in store will be dramatic.

I read almost 100 books a year. This is at the top of my list. Andy's exercises are so practical & thought provoking you'll want to dig right in & grow. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it an 11.

And the DVD goes right along with everything Andy says.

Ed Cerny

Andy Andrews not only has been successful in changing the attitudes and approaches to happy and successful lives in a large throng of followers, he continues to offer refresher courses in his philosophy that are solid, well constructed aids to gently polish the doctrines of his original Seven Decisions. This reader received a smart package from the publisher that not only contained the hardback 2002 book THE TRAVELER'S BOOK in a deluxe format, but the well designed box contained an advance copy of the latest addition to the Andrews library - MASTERING THE SEVEN DECISIONS THAT DETERMINE PERSONAL SUCCESS, a pocket calendar with the 'decisions reminders', and even a mouse pad with the seven decisions printed on a high quality pad, a daily reminder for the desktop of the important steps toward a happy life.

MASTERING THE SEVEN DECISIONS is a refresher course, one designed to repeat the information from the original book while fortifying that information with letters from established 'successes' who share their enthusiasm for Andrews' postulates. He gives stories, examples and revisions of the wording of his first book and while there is nothing particularly profound here, there is a lot of useful information that helps extend the reader's ability to incorporate Andrews' ideas.

One way in which Andrews freshens his approach is to 'rename' the seven decisions. In this book they become the following: The Responsible Decision, The Guided Decision, The Active Decision, The Certain Decision, The Joyful Decision, The Compassionate Decision, and The Persistent Decision. The concepts remain the same, and yes, for this reader, it does help to read THE TRAVELER'S GIFT first, but as with all refresher courses, this book retains the information presented in the first book and merely guides the reader more specifically in how to apply the information to the individual. He adds his opinions, such as 'A true friend holds you to a higher standard - he or she expects you to do what you said you were going to do, when you said you were going to do it. A true friend makes you better by his or her presence.' And he offers pauses for exercises, such as the section on The Deathbed Exercise, an exercise in imagining a eulogy that 'will help you clarify what you want your life's accomplishments to be and help you build momentum to achieve it'.

Andrews knows his material, understands how to communicate his thoughts and ideals, and, as in his first book, he relates this information in such a user friendly manner that reading the book is a growing experience for even the most doubting reader. Take charge of your life is a recurring theme and he says it well as in the following: 'There are generations yet unborn who depend upon the choices you make, because everything you do matters - not just for you, not just for your family, not just for your hometown - everything you do matters to all of us - forever.' There are many people who make snide remarks about books of this type: the comments sections of reviews of these books overflow with negativisms. But if each of us works toward making our lives happy and successful, who will have the last laugh?! Grady Harp, February 08

I've always been an avid reader with varied interests. Each year, I've always tried to read at least a half dozen or so self improvement books, so over the last 30 years or so, I've taken in quite a bit of information from a variety of sources. About six months ago, however, I found (on the bargain shelf of a local store) something that looked quite interesting called The Traveler's Gift. It appeared to be some sort of self-improvement book told in fictional story form. A unique concept that intrigued me. I'm going to make a very conservative estimate that in the course of my life I've read well over 100 self-improvement books. Not one of them has affected my life the way The Traveler's Gift has.

I'm not going to say Andy Andrews is a much better writer than Napoleon Hill was, or any of the other contemporary writers in this genre, although he does write very well. Perhaps it was just the right message at the right time in my life, but whatever the reason, the book truly resonated with me and touched me in ways other books failed to do. It has led to a complete transformation of where my life is going.

After reading the book, I typed out the seven decisions and taped them on my bathroom mirror, where I have reflected upon them each morning since and they have served as a catalyst to set the day in motion. Reading this book, MASTERING THE SEVEN DECISIONS, was a no-brainer. I ordered a copy as soon as I found out it was available.

All I can say about this is, it is an extraordinary companion to doing exactly what the title suggests, mastering the seven decisions. Here, Andrews takes the reader to the next level and what we have is somewhat of an amalgamation. It is mostly Traveler's Gift, with a few parts The Lost Choice, a healthy dose of Andrew's DVD, "The Seven Decisions", even a few letters from Andrews' early Storms of Perfection books, and a mixture of new material that will enhance even further, the understanding and application of the 7 decisions.

Self-improvement books are just that; they help us to become better businessmen and women, better husbands and wives, better leaders, better people. Few of them go beyond that and actually have what it takes to be life altering. This book does. Though it is not completely necessary, I highly recommend you read The Traveler's Gift first. It will greatly enhance what this book will do for you.

I ended up buying quite a few copies of The Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success for friends because I liked it so much, I read it cover to cover twice without stopping. I really believe in what the author has to say. The seven decisions are an attitude that (akin to positive thinking) can change how you view the world and deal with the world, and ultimately, how the world deals with you.

The seven decisions are:
The Responsible Decision: The buck stops here. I accept responsibility for my past. I am responsible for my success. I will not let my history control my destiny.
The Guided Decision: I will seek wisdom.
The Active Decision: I am a person of action.
The Certain Decision: I have a decided heart. Criticism, condemnation, and complaint have no power over me.
The Joyful Decision: Today I will choose to be happy.
The Compassionate Decision: I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit.
The Persistent Decision: I will persist without exception.

The problem with motivational books is that they are inspiring to read, they make us feel great, but then we aren't really easily able to change our behavior. Reading is passive, changing attitude and behavior is active and more difficult. The author gives techniques to master these attitudes. Some are as simple (on the surface) as smiling when you really don't feel like it. But smiling is a muscular action, and it fires neurons in the brain. The brain, even though it may be simmering about the hellish traffic you are in, the disastrous breakfast you just ate and the unpleasant meeting with the boss you are heading for, is not so bright. The neurons firing in your brain saying "I'm smiling!" tell the brain "I'm happy!" and you find you are turning on the good music and relaxing rather than tensing up and formulating curses at the driver in front of you.

There are many more of these techniques in the book. If you love "The Traveler's Gift" and want to get more out of it, I'd suggest this companion volume. I think it would make great reading with a book club or church group or at home for dinnertime discussions. Sometimes your future can be positively changed by something as simple as a smile--or this book. Highly recommended.