Recreation Books

I've been a boater all of my life, a sailor for the last 20 years, boat owner for 15 years, racer for the last 7 years and I'm ready to take my boat off shore to do the Newport to Bermuda race. For a costal racer there is a tremendious amount of boat preperation and this book has been my most helpful resource, lot's of great thought staters and direct solutions you can apply immediately without spending huge money. There answeres to questions I hadn't thought of yet and it was an entertaining quick read. I'm reading it for the 2nd time now and then will pass it among crew. I feel confident that you will agree that Bill Seiffert has been there and done that and can keep it from happening to you. Must have for any do it yourself sailor looking to prepare for an open water passage.

THis book has the most concise, complete and useful presentation I have seen on preparing a sailing boat for offshore passagemaking.

I have previously spent a year living aboard a Hans Christian 38 on the west coast and in the Sea of Crortez. The sailing bug has hit me again and plan to get out again in a few years. This book rekindled knowledge that I already believed in and offered insights that I wish that I had had before. A true joy to read.

So many ideas, most will save you time, some safety tips could save your life.

I recommend this book to all novices and many experienced offshore sailors to prepare for the unexpected problems that you need to address or avoid especially when you are so exposed to the extremes of nature, and completely disconnected from any immediate help. Lots of good lessons learned and references.
Chris C.

This should give you a general idea of how good this book is: After reading the last page, I turned to page 1 and started reading it all over again.

When was the last time you read a book twice?

Ziolkowski's style is like a perfect wave--clean, gorgeous, and unique. It's not just about a surfer searching for perfection, but a boy searching for himself in post-Vietnam era of sunny Florida, where everyone is tan and bleachy-haired, Led Zeppelin is on every radio, and pot is as prevalent as palm trees.

The story begins with the author at ten, still reeling from his parents' divorce and craving diversion like any normal kid. But it is surfing that becomes his ultimate grace, giving him confidence and the room to dream outside the troubles at home. When his family begins to unravel, his heartbreak at dreams realized and lost will strike a sympathetic chord in anyone who is connected to the sea, to family, and to one's true self. The author's search for his identity comes full circle--beginning, ending, and beginning again--on a wave.

I loved this story of a young boy's passion for the ocean easing his growing pains. Very well-written.

thanks for the prompt delivery! I will definitely look for you again when ordering

Thad hits the nail on the head! Having grown up in Melbourne Beach during the time period described I feel qualified to speak on the authenticity of the scene depicted: perfect, took me back in time! Anyone who grew up in the space coast area during the 70's will be able to identify some of the characters described. This is an execellent book for the non-surfer as well as the surfer. This book will remain on my annual reading list along with Caught Inside, Lighting out and West of Jesus. Thanks Thad for an execellent read!

Excellent.This book will stay with you long after you read it. As a 50ish surfer from the Texas gulf coast this book reminds me of why I consider myself lucky.

A scholarly effort by a great Negro Leagues historian, evidenced by Oxford University Press imprint. Highly informative, a tremendous read! Five-star plus*****

"Negro baseball," writes Robert W. Peterson, "was both a gladsome thing and a blot on America's conscience."

And in that one sentence, Peterson defines the glory of Negro Leagues baseball and how it also magnified the sordid race hatred of this nation, with the ramifications still being felt today.

When the book was published in 1970, the Negro Leagues was not really known by a whiter (oops, I mean "wider") audience. Peterson, who had a journalism background as an editor for the New York World-Telegram and The Sun, set out on this journey in 1966 by interviewing players, studying microfilm of black newspapers and delving into game accounts & features in sporting publications.

He traces the history of some of the greatest players and teams ever in the game from post-Civil War to 1947. Along with a history highlighted through extensive interviews are a recap of yearly standings and a register of players and league/team officials.

Names such as Cool Papa Bell, Judy Johnson, Buck Leonard and Rube Foster & teams like the Kansas City Monarchs, Cleveland Buckeyes and Pittsburgh Crawfords come to life and opened a door to a wealth of research into NLB that continues today.

Peterson, who passed away in February 2006 at the age of 80, was on a 2006 committee that selected players/executives from NLB and the pre-NLB era for baseball's Hall of Fame. His ballot was filled out before his death and used in the vote.

It can't be forgotten that NLB welcomed whites and women on the field of play, in the grandstands and in the front offices. Truly, Peterson shows in Only the Ball Was White that there were no rear entrances, separate facilities and racial hatred in Negro Leagues Baseball. The book will never lose its standing as a true beacon to a history that must never again be forgotten.

I consider myself a self-educated baseball historian, but had very little knowledge of the Negro Leagues - until I read this book. It's a wonderful introduction to the proud but sad history of the African American experience in baseball in the first half of the 20th century. I now have a strong working knowledge of the dominent personalities of the Negro Leagues and its many extraodinary athletes - many of whom would have been certain stars in the Majors.

As I read it, I kept thinking to myself what a tragedy it was that these great black ballplayers were barred from the Major Leagues. How different the game would have been. Cool Papa Bell - maybe the fastest man ever to play the game. Satchel Paige - one of the greatest pitchers of all time, black or white. Josh Gibson - the Babe Ruth of the Negro Leagues. Pop Lloyd - the Black Honus Wagner.

It's a overwhelmingly sad chapter in American history for sure; but it's also a compelling story of perseverence and dedication that allowed the Negro Leagues to succeed for so long in the face of incredible obstacles. If you love baseball history, do yourself a favor and read this book. Your baseball knowledge will not be complete without an understanding of the Negro Leagues.

Robert Peterson (1925-2006) wrote this pioneering history in 1970 when many ex-players were living. Drawing on interviews, Peterson makes the Negro Leagues come to life. Readers learn of stars like Bullet Joe Rogan, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson ("the black Babe Ruth"), Cool Papa Bell, Oscar Charleston, etc., and teams like the Kansas City Monarchs, Homestead Grays, Indianapolis Clowns, Chicago American Giants, etc. The Negro Leagues were one of the largest black-owned businesses, though a couple teams (Pittsburgh Crawfords) were run by racketeers. Readers learn about Rube Foster, who founded the Negro National League in 1920, the annual All-Star game in Chicago's Comiskey Park, barnstorming against white big leaguers, and travel conditions that ranged from decent to difficult and discriminatory. There is also an appendix with team rosters and yearly standings.

The Negro Leagues began to fade as Jackie Robinson joined the Dodgers in 1947, and folded completely in 1960 - a sad day signalling a better era. Then this book arrived to bring attention to the Leagues and its players. One, Ted "Double-Duty" Radcliffe (1902-2005), became a fixture at White Sox games, signing autographs, and throwing out the first ball on his 101st and 102nd birthdays.

Today fans can visit The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, buy team merchandise, and enjoy several good books on the subject, including I WAS RIGHT ON TIME (by Buck O'Neil), BASEBALL'S GREAT EXPERIMENT and several others. Peterson deserves at least a little credit for this.

Robert Peterson originally published this book in 1970 so it's really the original and standard history of the Negro Leagues. Peterson not only tells the history of these leagues and some of the great players, but also provides brief biographical sketches of dozens of players whose big league service would otherwise be lost to history. The book also has extensive appendices with annual standings and box scores of all-star games. The book gives us glimpses into Jim Crow America (and it was not just in the South).

Peterson portrays the often overlooked fact that the Negro Leagues were a business venture run almost exclusively by and for black people. And it was a tough business at that, but one that drew often sizeable crowds, especially on exciting and exhausting barnstorming tours. The Negro Leagues could not survive integration as its best players were siphoned off to the 'majors'. Despite the obvious benefits to those men who were finally broke through the wall of prejudice, the reader also understands that there was a sense of loss when the leagues shut down in 1960. More powerfully, the reader experiences the lost opportunities suffered by those players who never got the chance to play in the majors and make major league money, like Jimmie Crutchfield, the Black Lloyd Waner, who barely made a living on one side of Pittsburgh playing for the Crawfords while Waner hauled down $12,000 a year (a princely sum at the time) playing for the Pirates.

A must read for anyone interested in baseball, race relations, or American history.

The best instruction is interactive, visual, instruction. This terrific book comes with an instructional DVD and, between the two of them, really has the potential of improving your pool game. My game improved in a very short time which, in turn, motivated me enough to purchase my own cue. Now I play often at three locations in my area and can play and talk pool with expert players without feeling inadequate. Thank you very much Matt!!

I could call myself an intermediate regarding pool. Still I did not had the results I wished for. Many times I found myself missing simple shots. I started to search the internet for clues regading how to aim and so on (note: my aiming was just empirical, nobody ever taught me how to play pool). I found this book, I bought it and I must say it's very good even for an intermediate like me.
It's quite simple to read and understand, it's a lot of pictures that make learning very easy. Also the book is well structured so I you are interested in just one thing, you can read about in the book without the need to read the previous chapters.
It's a book the you defintely must have if you are a pool player. If you are intermediate like, I suggest you read the whole book. You will be surprised how many things you did wrong in the past, without being aware about it.

A few years back while still at the University of Florida, a friend of mine and I decided we wanted to get into the billiards league at the school's student union. We had taken a class in it and thought we were doing pretty good - then we met Matt, and the people Matt had taught.

This dude not only knows his pool extremely well, but is also a wonderful teacher. It used to be worth showing up at the pool league just to hear Matt's "tip-of-the-week" before proceeding to get our rear-ends handed to us. And even though we weren't winning much, Matt always did his best to make newcomers to the game feel extremely welcomed, and it worked. He cares passionately for the game of pool and the people who play it, including the new guys just as much as the pro players.

Even though I'm not at the University any longer I've stayed subscribed to his mailing list to get updates from him. And now that I've found out that he has written a book, I plan on buying it very, very soon, because I already know that it's going to be great.

Though I haven't read this book yet, I'm sure that this book will be helpful for beginers. Matt had kindly taught me how to play pool, when I was his pool student. Matt's teaching was easy to understand even for non-native English speaker, because he taught me pool technics with many example shots.
Please enjoy Matt's teaching as I did!

I'm a woman who grew up with a pool table in her home at a time when it wasn't particularly fashionable for a girl to be a good player. But - I beat the pants off all the guys! Forty years later I picked up this book, revived my skills and well, the rest is history. With Matt Sherman's book and DVD it's like getting back on a bike. He makes it easy and fun - even for us old sharks.

After going to Brian Enos' website and checking out the Amazon reviews, I have to agree; This is undoubtedly the best shooting book available! Chapters two and three alone are worth the price of any shooting materials thet you're apt to find.
Mind you, I have no desire to enter competition shooting at this time but if I did, this would be the book that I would want to learn from. I thought that I was doing pretty good at the range but Practical Shooting Beyond Fundamentals is taking me even further.
Because I have been granted a concealed handgun permit in my state, I thought that I had better learn to handle my weapon to near perfection. I began with Tactical Pistol Shooting by Erik Lawrence for situational drills, moved on to the Practical Shooting Handgun Techniques DVDs Vol 1-3 (which has an interview with Brian Enos btw) and then bought this book as a third stage to compliment the two other purchases. None were disappointing but Practical Shooting Beyond Fundamentals is the cream of the crop. I can feel myself getting better with each practice session.
If you want to continually increase your shooting skills then this is the book for you. If you own a handgun for home or personal protection I still highly recommend this book.
Brian will also autograph the book if you request it!

Like the title says, anyone who shoots pistols (whether competitively in USPSA / IPSC, IDPA, other sports, or defensively) needs this book.

Enos' name is widely known throughout the pistol shooting community, and for good reason. His book is not a "how-to" on pistol shooting; rather, it is an articulation of a way of thinking about shooting. Change the way you think and the skills follow.

No other shooting book compares! Brian provides a fundamentally different approach to improving your shooting speed and accuracy. This book goes way beyond the fundamentals of shooting including grip, stance, trigger control and sight picture (although he provides excellent pointers on these concepts). This book will take you to a new level of shooting, well beyond what you may have thought possible, and you will do it with a new way of thinking about shooting.

This is an outstanding book by a shooting master, it improved my skills a great deal. Its so good, I've referred to it several times. What impresses me is he gives you the tools, but yet he encourages the reader to even grow beyond what is given.

This book is initially difficult to read; I enjoy challenges. Especially mental ones and Brian will challenge you to challenge Self. NO book approaches shooting in a more cerebral way. Well, that's not true because he'll move you beyond Thinking about what it is you wish to do and simply Doing it without the Mind "thinking" away and slowing you down.

I cannot possibly over sell this book (just like Surgical Speed Shooting) and I push the book to all shooters who fancy themselves as "serious" about competition or life skills with a pistol.

I find the book difficult to put down now and reading it is "a breeze" once you get to the point that you've internalized his definitions. I rather enjoy studying the Mind so it took a day or two before all fell into place and I breezed through it after that. In fact, I breeze through it twice a year. It's one part of my "shooting bible" which must be studied dutifully.

If you decide you don't like his book I'll buy it from you and cover the shipping. It's that good. I don't think you'll find a better endorsement than that. I'll add it to the other three copies - two of which are worn out...

This book is very very raw and gritty. I saw the movie before I read the book so I started reading with certain expectations but it went above and beyond. The writing style is simple; I'm pretty sure anyone (who likes the sport) will be able to get into it. Jake LaMotta is a love/hate kind of guy with a very sad life even considering that as a reader I did care about what would happen to him during certain incidents... The book was a quick read (read it on an airplane)...once I finished it pretty much stayed with me...unlike many other books I have read. This is probably my new favorite book to date.

Beyond what the public has seen from Jake Lamottas incredible bouts in the ring, there is much more people should know about Lamottas life. Through this book you will uncover Jake lamottas Physical and mental struggles, whether it be taking a tremendous amount of abuse in the ring and still staying on both of his feet, Or his madness at home with his family and closest friends. He tells his separate problems which included his best friend, his wife(s), and the mafia. His childhood alone as a thug living in tenements in the early Bronx will draw you to read more and soon you will start to understand where all the rage came from.

"Bull" is one of the most powerful biography's written. La Motta went step by step relaying his life story, in a transparent way. He not only draws us in round by round to him being on the top of the world, he also clearly gives the reader his blow by blow decent into hell, and even worse for a showman, anonymity. He became a nobody, because of his unhealthy actions.
I for one give La Motta a tremendious amount of credit, for coming to terms with his greatest opponent and knocking him on the mat, himself.
The movie is equally as engrosing.
Great read.

There just isn't another biography/autobiography involving an athlete that can measure up to RAGING BULL.

The book depicts self-hate and the self-destruction that goes with it in the kind of succinct style you expect from a ghetto-bred boxer. What sets it apart though is that what one finds between the lines is often more revealing than the lines themselves.

Jake's method of confessing to grotesque acts without the vocabulary of rationalization says volumes about the pathologies behind them. Instead of getting lost in Freudian buzzwords, La Motta recounts his life in terms that sum up and surpass every treatise on self-destruction ever written.

No need for Psychology 101. RAGING BULL is the real textbook on the subject.

A Page Turner - More Like A Page Pounder

Reading this book I felt like Sugar Ray Fighting La Motta - couldn't put it down -

OK - that's a stretch, but you get the idea. I could not put this book down. It reads like a bull charges. A little bit of wind up - I'd say the first 19 pages - then it's a charging bull.

Jake's story is much more than what the movie shows and is different.

As we all know and heard so many times - the book is always better than the movie and again it's very true here - the book is Jake's exact story not changed one hair for Hollywood. It's such an intense, real and gritty story.

It starts off in Jake's childhood as a tuff Bronx kid taking a beating from his father and the world - and as he got older the beatings continue and get worse - the biggest beatings coming from himself.

La Motta is brutally honest and doesn't try to hide anything or paint himself in a special light. It's a powerful and straightforward look at his life, his heart and a candid look at the sport of boxing back then.

It's a great book, you'll pound through the pages like a raging bull.

I was laughing so hard reading this that my husband came in to check on me because he thought I was crying.
Having read all 3 of Joe's books, I was inspired to check out his website and find out what he is up to now (he is running Camp Creative to rescue America from the couch).
Cycling will save America, and these books are what will bring the rest of my family (somewhat taken aback by my recent cycling obsession) over to Our Side.
I'd recommend this one for the single cyclist, Metal Cowboy for anyone, and Momentum is Your Friend for the cylist with family.

Joes adventures are fantastic. The story telling is good and I like particular the mix between meeting people, funny situations, and the bicycling itself. That makes the book a great travel book, a great cyclo touring book and, just as important, a real funny book. Highly recommended!

I bought this book about 2 days after starting "Metal Cowboy." Joe Kurmaskie's storytelling makes something so foreign to most of us (bike touring in the extreme) seem so possible. Why not get on a bike and ride to the coast? Why not chase a bagpipe troupe across Ireland? Now, I'm not going to start wearing a "What Would Joe Do?" bracelet or sell my earthly possesions to take his message to the streets, but I am challenged to try something a little outside my everyday existence.

If you love biking adventures you will hate this book. I just rambles about with very little concerning biking of any kind. My trips as a preteen were were more interesting. Also, the author tries to hard to be witty.

[...]

A while back I reviewed Metal Cowboy by Joe Kurmaskie which I thoroughly enjoyed. Joe is an amazing writer with a flair for getting to the best of a situation or person and he always has a way of making me laugh out loud while reading his tales. After finishing Metal Cowboy I immediately went out and picked up the follow-up called Riding Outside the Lines.

In Riding Outside the Lines Joe tends to focus more on his international adventures which made for a nice change of pace coming off of the mostly U.S. centric Metal Cowboy. One line in and I knew I was hooked again. I wouldn't be able to put this book down until I finished it off.

The cast of characters this time around was impressive. I always wonder how he meets such interesting people time and time again. My favorite stories in Riding Outside the Lines took place in Ireland because I had spent a decent amount of time there and backpacked across the country with Laura (I hope to someday ride across Ireland but that's a whole other story).

Joe is a masterful storyteller and this book showcases that talent. His descriptions truly bring the people to life in your mind and you begin to feel like you are there with him every revolution of the pedals. In fact, I call Joe by his first name now as if I we were lifetime friends. It's pretty crazy!

From his run-in with the local lifeguard trainees in New Zealand to the the brush with death in Ireland that lead him to the best impromptu B&B in the country to the mountain biking trip that ends the journey in Mexico Joe shows us what it means to be alive and that people, while they have their problems, are generally good and kind. The book is a great read for cyclists and non-cyclists alike and I guarantee you'll become engrossed in Joe's stories within a page or two.

Needless to say I have since purchased Joe's most recent and third book called Momentum is Your Friend and am eager to read it. In Momentum Joe takes along his two young sons on the journey which should yield some interesting stories.

Why am I not jumping into that book right away you ask? Well, I picked up Miles from Nowhere by Barbara Savage which I am going to read first. I actually got the name of the book from the chapter in Riding Outside the Lines where Joe nominates people for cycling sainthood. Barbara is one of the nominees and in the paragraph about her Joe calls Miles from Nowhere the cyclists bible. After that kind of recommendation how could I not read it?

Please go check out Metal Cowboy and Riding Outside the Lines when you have a chance. They are top notch reads and will really get you thinking about what you want out of life. Ride on!

I had next to zero knowledge about electricity. This book completely changed that. It showed me the importance of mapping out electrical requirements, how amps are affected by wire lengths and how to determine wire sized needed for jobs. All of these were completely foreign to me before reading this book. You'll be surprised at the brevity of the descriptions of things and how they all inter-relate. I now feel comfortable tackling the wiring of my 28' foot.

The reviews did not disappoint. This book has very clear illustrations and covers all of the essential information to understand boat electrical systems. I have not read the AC sections since that does not apply to my single engine outboard powerboat, but the DC information is very good.

Sailboat Electrics Simplified
This is a very good book. I recently bought a small trailer sailor which I wanted to add a stereo to and a new 4 channel distribution panel. The book explained everything in an easy to understand manner from testing and trouble shooting, to theory , wire sizes necessary, and battery selection and maintainance. Even installing solar and wind charging systems. I am glad I got this book.

As usual Don Casey has taken a cryptic topic for many of us and opened up it up into a very clear and easily understood system. Reading what he says about batteries will pay for the book ten times over, and reading the rest will save your boat. I will never leave the dock for more than a day sail without his complete library.

Execlent Manual
Note: Don't buy if you already have "Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual" as you will find this manual inside the "big" one.

A year after Bob and Phil's excellent adventure, I had the extreme pleasure of roadtripping from Charlottesville, Virginia (Where Waldo was holed-up putting the finishing touches on the book) to New Orleans to see Florida State University and The University of Florida play in the Sugar Bowl. It was by far one of the most memorable experiences of my life. (Notwithstanding Waldo's penchant for singing Bruce Springstien songs (badly I might add)at the top of his lungs.) Waldo showed me firsthand what it was like to be completely insane, and introduced me to the heaven on earth that goes by the name of "Dreamland." Has a better book on sports ever been written? Probably! Are there better ribs in the world than those at Dreamland in Tuscaloosa, Alabama? I don't think so. Has anyone ever put the two together in the same place in such a unique and creative way? Most definitely not! Bob and Phil, You really put it through the uprights with this one! (Waldo, I'll roadtrip with you anytime)

Buy a well-worn Cadillac, chuck your jobs, drive around the country to watch rivalry games in the meccas of college football. What a great plan and what a great book. This is among my candidates for best sports books ever, along with Loose Balls and Ball Four. Saturday Afternoon Madness captures the essence of college football from the point of view of fans of the game. They did drive all over the country attending the biggest games the sport has to offer, but college football is much more than just the actual game on the field. There's a great culture around all the best football programs and this book relates that better than any football book I've read.

The bulk of the book actually is more about the football culture at each location. The authors plunged into the world of that game, getting to know the fans, participating in the pre and post-game rituals for each school, sampling local cuisine and tailgates all over America. The book is neutral, written from the perspective of fans of the sport rather fans of particular schools and picked a first-rate list of rivalry games to attend. These guys lived what the late Adrian Karsten used to give glimpses of on ESPN, with each game and college having particular traditions and rhythms on gameday that make it so colorful and addictive. NASCAR is the only other sport in which the activities around the arena are as important to the fans as the actual event and this book gives the reader a good feel as to why.

Saturday Afternoon Madness is hilarious, thoughtful and respectful of what makes college football such a wonderful spectator sport. College football fans should definitely read it and if you're not really into college football yet but wonder what all the fuss is about, Saturday Afternoon Madness will tell you. Any football fan who also collects books should have this on their shelf.

The definitive book for the FUN-loving college football fan, this book details in a hysterical manner the great and wierdest and most FUN traditions in college football, at the best football schools in the country including my Alma Mater the U. of Alabama, where I got my autographed copy. The book details the best places to eat-(the most important thing of all) places like Dreamland Barbecue and the Pinecrest Lodge, the great players and coaches and games, and the bands, rituals, rivalries, crazy incidents, and fans that makes college football the TRUE American pastime and the greatest game in the Land. Bob and Phil are American originals and write some of the funniest stuff you'll ever read. If you love the game-you'll love this book.

From out of the blue, these two unknowns have written what is quite possibly the best sports book ever. The perfect combination of humor and in-depth reporting.

For a shoeless, candy eating, office leeching guy, Bob Waldstein is an am amazing author. I was absolutely amazed by how well these two authors both wrote an excellent depiction of their journeys across the country and made fun of themselves at the same time. I do not beleive anyone could have "hit the nail on the head" any better than these two have. I would like to meet these two great men at some point in my life. These men truly are college football gods. I can't wait to read the sequel. I would love to have a college basketball madness book in my library.

I am a ham radio operator and quite comfortable talking on the radio, yet I found this book to be a valuable resource in how to properly communicate with the tower and air traffic control. I would expect it to be that much more valuable to someone who is not familiar with radio procedures or to whom the prospect of keying a microphone and talking to someone is scary. It covers all the way from your first communication with Ground and then the Tower, to Flight Watch, Flight Service Stations, Class G through Class A airspace, and how to announce your intentions at an airport not serviced by a control tower -- and even airports serviced by a control tower at a different airport. I recommend this book to anyone considering flight training.

I am an aviation enthusiast with minimal flight communication training. This book is written using plain english to explain pilot to ATC communications. The maps, diagrams and illustrations are incredibly helpful as well.

Should be required reading for all begining private pilots and some old pros could use it too.
Clear and to the point. This will take you beyond just simple communication etiquette. I found the glossary alone to be worth the price of Bob Gardner's book.
Communicating clearly makes all of us better and safer pilots.

This book is the best way to learn the lingo expected of you, once in an aircraft. It will inform and educate you on all aspects of talking with towers, ground crews and the likes. As an aspiring pilot, I wouldn't have tried figuring it all out in the plane. Great read, and great instruction.

I am a new pilot, and this book is amazing. It clearly explains all aspects of talking on the radio, from untowered airports, to complex Class B hubs, and everything in between. I recently read chapter 10 on the flight service station system and used that to great effect on my solo cross country flights. It boosts confidence and explains all the ins and outs from the pilot's view and more inportantly, gives insight to what the Controllers are dealing with. This is an exceptional book, highly recommended for all types of pilots.