Anderson Books

I received this book as a Christmas gift. I am an occasional knitter so after a long lapse, I need a refresher on knitting. After my obstetrician put me on bedrest, I cracked open this book and started reading. My first project was the Frenchie hat. The instructions were easy enough for me to follow and not too time consuming. The yarns recommended are beautiful, but expensive (it's a good thing that babies aren't too big!). The author does a good job on explaining how to knit. She also has a blog which has video for some of the more difficult techniques http://susanbanderson.blogspot.com [...] I am looking forward to receiving Itty Bitty Hats!

I was leery to purchase this book online as I could not peruse the patterns. I came across it at a local book store and immediately fell in love! I left the bookstore and went to the yarn store to get started! SO MANY great patterns. Sure to please anyone having a baby or making gifts for friends!

I started with the Itty Bitty Hats, and have made most of the designs for friends and my own little one. I wanted to expand my gifting with this new book. It does NOT disappoint! I am so excited about everything in it that I can't wait to get the yarn on my needles. What a treasure!

too cute! a wealth of yummy knitting treats in this book, I love it just as much as I love the itty bitty hats...great for anyone who loves to knit for kiddos :)

This book has a bunch of cute projects for your baby's nursery. Projects include toys, blankets, sweaters, hats, bags, a mobile cover, box covers, stuffed pillows. All very cute, and different. I love the Susan Anderson's use of color, texture, and embellishment. She makes this so much fun. While I will probably use Itty Bitty Hats more often than this book, this is filled with fun interesting projects too. Buy them both!

It has been awhile since anyone reviewed this book. I reread the book about every three years to remind myself of the principles in the book. On completing my latest reading I decided to do a brief review.

This is a book not just for work, but for life. If you follow these principles, I can guarentee you from my personal experience that your life will flow with more grace and ease.

Thanks Judith.

Judith Anderson shows how we can use our life experience in a business environment to know ourselves, what mental tendencies we have and how these affect ourselves and others. At first she advocates that we can do this to improve our performance and that of our company. And this is of course true. But for me it was even more valuable to have her illustrate that life offers us the learning material at the workplace so that we can understand ourselves and become aware of the effect of our actions. Therefore, The Path to Corporate Nirvana could as well have been called The Corporate Path to Nirvana.
In this book Judith Anderson (carefully) avoids using the word spiritual. The corporate setting of her book suggests that she primarily focuses on the business world. Having spent years on a spiritual path, looking for the secrets of life, and heaving learned to enjoy the process of learning about myself, I know how difficult it is to incorporate this process at work. This book showed me how do this.

Anderson hones in on and stays focused on the reality of the workplace neglected or left as a vague assumption in most business books - namely human nature. Anderson combines the comprehensions of an intuitive and highly experienced psychologist with a clear understanding of the dynamics of the workplace and the purpose of business.

When I was first introduced to this book,I was put off by the title. The phrase "Corporate Nirvana" felt like an oxymoron and arose immediate cynicism in me. I thought, "Great, another step-by-step management book that tells me if I just do "A, B, and C" then "D, E,and F" will happen; and if "D, E, and F" don't happen, then obviously I have done "A, B, and C" wrong. Yet, because the person who gave me the book was someone I highly respected and trusted, I felt I needed to give the book a try. By the end of the first chapter, my cyncism quickly gave way to curiosity, appreciation, and hope.

Rather than "telling" me anything, Ms. Anderson shares her personal stories about nurturing and growing her Self in order to better nurture and grow others in the workplace. Her stories peeked my curiosity as I could see myself in similar situations. Was this what I was experiencing? Was this what others around me were experiencing? Are these the feelings that were driving the behaviors I or others exhibited? Was this how I was blocking my own and others success? I began to question "What place am I operating from? Who am I truly trying to serve? And why?"

I appreciated Ms. Anderson's willingness to make herself vulnerable to readers and to talk frankly about her fears--to describe them in detail--what they looked, sounded, and felt like, and the processes she used and continues to use to address them. Her descriptions and processes helped me to take action and start on my own journey of examining and addressing my fears and taking a frank look at how I enhance and hinder my own and others effectiveness in the workplace.

Ms. Anderson's book also gave me new found hope which continues to grow daily. Through her stories, I found new learning and new ways of being, which as I put into action, are getting different results--for both myself and my clients--moving all of us to greater success in the workplace--greater productivity, effectiveness, and self-satisfaction in the workplace. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in serving their clients better, producing greater results for their organization, developing a high-performance workforce, and bringing personal joy into the workplace and the work that one does.

I did not expect to enjoy this book as I am far from a new age person, and the title did not appeal to me. However, I was delighted with the unique out of the box perspective of the author. If you are a realist, you will find interest in this book.

This book is a good tool for entertaining. You can make the meals as fun or fancy as you like. The author helps you put meals together, gives timing ideas and the recipes are very good. The Sloppy Joes are just delicious, everyone at our gathering LOVED them. I used many recipes for our Easter Brunch,and all were very tasty and completed mostly in advance. I have given this book to my daughter-in-laws and they have all used it and enjoyed it.

This is a clever cookbook because it's written with lots of helpful hints and suggestions.
However, I did try the molten chocolate cakes and while the recipe is good, I would really like to know
how to use the paper muffin cups and remove them easily after the cakes are cooked. It doesn't work
and I'd love to know an alternative and/or a way to make them work.

This is one of my favorite cookbooks I own. I have had success with every recipe I have tried so far. The menu suggestions are great. She even gives suggestions for leftovers! LOVE IT!

I love to entertain and I do it just about every weekend whether it's entertaining family or friends. Usually I like to make up my own appetizers or entrees but when I ran across this book I had to buy it. I would have to say some of these recipes might be scary for a first time cook but a lot of them are easy to follow and so great to look at. If you love to entertain then I highly reccommend this cookbook for you.

This is a book I keep reaching for when entertaining. I've made many of the recipes and they've all been just great. It's set up so that there are main recipes and then lots of other variations. She also suggests appetizers and sides. It really makes for effortless entertaining. It's an especially great book if you are a bit new to entertaining or nervous about it.

This is a well-written memoir which covers a great deal of World War Two combat flying and ranks among the best books on that theatre of war that I've read -- and believe me, I've read an awful lot of them. The writing style is simple yet evocative and we quickly move from the author's training days to the moment when he first meets an enemy plane in combat. What I particularly appreciated about the book was the focus on Anderson's family and the stresses they suffered and the continual reference to the brutality of war and the number of the author's flying colleagues who died. The World War Two reminiscences end about two-thirds of the way through the book and then we have to wade through perhaps too much about his post-war experiences as a test pilot, a desk-bound bureaucrat and then a commander in the Vietnam war. But do buy the book for the World Wat Two material alone, which is excellent.

When I first bought "To Fly and Fight", I expected a book mainly about World War II aviation. Instead, there was much more. Colonel Anderson has a great amount of experience in many aircraft since World War II, as well flying F-105s as the 355 TFW commander at Takhli RTAFB in Thailand in 1970. If you are a military aviation buff, this book is a must

As an avid reader of World War Two History. And being a Viet Nam Veteran; I found this book to be a most fascinating history; Of "Not Only the Man"; But his recollections of his life growing up oin Rural California in the 1930's & 1940's. His enlistment in the Army Air Corp; And his experiences in England during the war. This is "No dry" mundane slow reading military text book. Colonol Anderson, tells of his love for flying and his vivid discriptions of Europe during World War Two; Help the reader to picture what it was like for an average guy; Who has a love for flying and trying his best to stay alive in a extremly hostile environment. He does not dwell on the sadder aspects of war. But trys to explain how he learned to cope with these stressors; And still fullfill his dream of flying. He also go's to great lengths to discuss the other aircraft he had flown. His adventures in P-39's and T-6 Texans. I found his book to be non-judgemental; But very fair to all the persons good and bad that he had come to know in his life. He only briefly discusses his flying career during the Viet Nam Conflict. But then this book was not written with Viet Nam in mind solely. This book is about the man; His love of flying.

I found this book to enlightning; refreshing; funny; sad; extrordinary; And written with a smooth tempo and hums along like the engine of a P-51 Mustang. The Book and the Man are unseperable. He takes you up in his Mustang with him through his rememberences. And brings you home to the runway just as a good pilot would do today. I would recommend this book to anyone who has not only an intrest in World War Two. But an intrest in a "Great Man" who lived an extrordinary life. Fighting for all of us; Flying for all of us. This man is a "TRUE"; American Hero.

Although this book has a different feel to it than the book to which it will invariably be compared, namely Chuck Yeager's "YEAGER" autobiography, I must say it stands on its own feet without any apologies. In this book, Anderson details a life full of accomplishments and adventure.

The chapters that focus on his World War II exploits are clearly the most interesting, although his post-war adventures (including missions in Vietnam) were entertaining in their own right. My only complaint is that he did not write more about this period of his life. It seemed that Yeager's book was a bit more balanced in that he covered his career from beginning to end with an even hand. Anderson (or his publisher) chose not to do so, and that is unfortunate, for I am sure there is much to be learned from this period of his remarkable life.

Despite these minor shortcomings, this one is definitely worth a look. The beginning may be slow to some, but keep going. It is well worth it.

I found "To Fly and Fight" to be an excellent biography of man who grew up with an intense love of flying, and who fulfilled his dreams. The book chronicles his growing up in the rural foothills of Northern California, and his growing love of flying. It gives a very personal accounts of his early days days with the Army Air Corps from training to activation in England. I enjoyed the accounts of his early friendships and escapades.

The descriptions and events as a P-51 pilot flying in the ETO are first rate. The first chapter grabs hold of you and doesn't let go with his account of a high altitude duel with an ME-109. It is a classic. He describes many of his combat missions and describes his growing friendship with Chuck Yeager. The story of his final mission with Yeager is priceless.

The book also includes some revealing sections about his tedious days as a recruiter and several stints with the Pentagon to heady days as a Test Pilot at Wright Field and later at Edwards. He also gives us some excellent insights into his days as a Squadron Leader flying F-86's in Korea and a Wing Commander flying F-105's from Okinawa and Thailand during the Vietnam Conflict.

I had the opportunity recently to meet Col. Anderson and his lovely wife Ellie. We spent several hours together discussing his flying days. It was a real priviledge. He is truly a humble man but has that touch of steel of man who has lived through a lot. He is still a hearty and it's great to think of him still tearing up the skies at Air Shows flying the Old Crow along side Chuck Yeager.

I highly recommend "To Fly and Fight" to all WWII aviation enthusiasts.

...

"The Cactus Family" is a handsome and impressive publication which lists 1810 species of cacti. The first chapter, Distinctive Features of Cacti, considers what identifies the cactus. Chapter Two: Ethnobotany of Cacti, describes the various practical, religious and recreational uses of a number of cacti. Chapter Three considers the Conservation of Cacti and Chapter Four, the Cultivation of Cacti. Chapter Five discusses the Classification of Cacti. The alphabetically listing the The Cacti commences on page 105 and runs to page 681. The book concludes with Appendix One: MAPS, and Appendix Two: Botanic Gardens and Herbaria with Significant Collections of Cacti; a Glossary; Literature Cited; Index of Scientific Names and Index of Common Names.

The main section The Cacti lists the plants alphabetically by Genera and then species. Each Genera has a general introduction discussing its characteristics, habitat, taxonomy and discovery. The listing for each species includes its date of finding, common names and synonyms, a botanical description and additional relevant information such as comments regarding variation, uses or habitat. Many of the species are illustrated with the illustrations appearing on the same page spread, the majority seem to be of plants in their habitat. The size of the illustrations varies from about 5cm x 8cm (2" x 3") up to half-page. There are over 1,000 colour photographs in The Cacti section in addition to the many photographs of cacti and their associations in the other chapters.

The presentation is excellent, it is well laid out and the typography adds much to the clarity and understanding of the information; the result is a page which looks appealing and invites reading. The introductory chapters make interesting and informative reading. I was a little surprised that the chapter on cultivation is somewhat brief and prescriptive, and that it does not consider different growing environments enthusiasts have to contend with or availability of materials which must inevitably apply locally; it is nonetheless informative.

The obvious up to date comparison for "The Cactus Family" must be "The New Cactus Lexicon" complied and edited by members of the International Cactaceae Systematics Group. While the latter two volume work does not pretend to be more than a descriptive list of cacti, their being nothing to compare with the first five chapters of "the Cactus Family" it does boast more than twice the number of illustrations, again mostly in habitat. The two publications do not agree 100%; "The New Cactus Lexicon" lists 124 Genera, 1816 species, "The Cactus Family" 125 Genera and 1810 species; and the difference is probably greater as the latter lists some as a separate species which the former considers merely as a form of one variable species. However "The Cactus Family" is the more accessible and certainly the better typographically, "The New Cactus Lexicon" text pages are unappealing and confusing by comparison.

On its own or in comparison, this is a splendid tome and indispensable for any serious collector.

Wow !! What happened to this book .. a great cactus book gone out of print and now being offered at $280. used ?? Cactus are not the only things that bite .. the cactus sharks are out !!

I bought my copy at about $100. and it is a great work on cactus family but it is however not the most detailed work .. Lyman Benson's work is still by far the template for a true classic botanical work.

Unlike Benson's work this book cover all cactii and unlike Benson's work it does not have taxonomic keys which I feel limit this work from becoming a true classic.

It does have lots of color photographs but all to often the images lack taxonomic detail to make a solid identification .. looking for an unknown taxa is a bit of a task. At least a key to the genus level would of been much appreciated. Although photos are abundant detailed drawings are lacking. This puts this book in a semi pro classification .. in my humble opinion.

The index is well done .. the listing of synonyms is very useful but the binding of the book is a bit cheap .. my copy seems to be getting a bit old before it's time.

In general it's a great book at the original asking price of $100.. At $280. .. well it's to bad if you have to pay that much .. use the library copy and hope that Mr. Anderson is working on a true complete classic.

I do so hope that happens in my life time.

It's just not worth $280..

This is considered the 'Bible' for cactus collectors and researchers alike. Well worth the money for the information and photos.

I can start with the old line "I I had only one book on cacti....." Well, this would certainly be the one. I spend a great amount of time traveling and photographing flowering and interesting plants, cactus being among them. I also collect this type of plant. I have found this work to be almost absolutely necessary for identification purposes and it certainly enhances by hobby of collecting and attempting to raise. As one reviewer points out, this is not a simple book of pretty plants. This is the real thing. There is absolutely a wealth of information here. I never travel area where cacti grow without it. The text is quite readable. There are indeed many, many wonderful color plates. It makes by hobby much more interesting and enjoyable. Recommend this one highly.

Where do you start with a book of this magnitude? (well I had to borrow a review copy from an editor friend of mine, unfortunately he wanted it back). The author a Senior Research Botanist spent most of his lifetime amassing the information that forms this book and then sadly died only two weeks after publication. This is a book for the serious hobbyist. If you are looking for nice photographs of plants in pots, this is probably not the book for you. Having said that there are enough photographs in this book to satisfy even the most avid plant spotter (1016 colour plates.) "Is this plant an Acanthocalycium or an Echinopsis?" This book will give you the answer. In one form or another the book covers most of the Cactaceae family. It is certainly one of the first books to use the nomenclature of the IOS Consensus group. This is a big book 776 pages, "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and digested" Francis Bacon 1561-1625. This book certainly falls into the latter category and it is a great shame that the author is not with us to take the acclaim he surely deserved, but what a legacy he has left. I would love to own this book and it will be one of the first things I order from Amazon after I've sorted everyone elses Christmas presents out.

I bought the book for my 3 sisters and me. I gave them to my sisters for Christmas and asked them to let me know when they read certain stories that reminded them of things they remember. I haven't heard from them yet, but I know I will, as all 4 of us are close at heart though miles apart. They all agreed it was a perfect gift.

I bought this book with the intention of giving it to my sister when I asked her to be my maid of honor at my wedding. I had forgotten that I already bought this book for her (I kept this copy for me). I marked a touching story in the book having to do with a wedding. She didn't get the meaning behind it, but it made her cry anyways and the best part is that she said yes!

I was bawling by the third story in the first chapter! This book is a real tear jerker.
Another great chicken soup book in the series.
A must to share between sisters and friends. There is a chapter dedicated to brothers as well. I would have to say this is probably the best chicken soup book i have read by far!!!

My First Chicken Soup book that I have read, and this was simply excellent. I laughed, cried, and it brought back all my childhood memories.

This book really touched me. It taught me to love my sisters whenever they are mean or do bad things. One of these stories was the most awesome story ever! I said that this one girl's sister had cancer and lost all of her hair. When she went to visit her sister she had a hat on that said "having a bad hair day," but when she took the hat off she was bald,she shaved all of the hair on her head off so her sister woulnd't feel bad about having no hair. That was the story that touched me the most.

An excellent book! Delivery was prompt and the book was in very good condition as promised.

Then this book is for you. Louie's description of growing up in a large family with an alcoholic father is both touching, sad and funny. It is possible to emerge from such a family fully intact with a sense of humor and to make something of your own life despite the bad parenting you received. To quote Louie, "we're all crazy people, raised by crazy people who were raised by crazy people." Whether you are a fan of Louie or not, this book is thoroughly enjoyable and a cover-to-cover read. One of my all time favorites! Thanks Louie!
Signed, A Big Fan

Louie Anderson is my all time favorite comedian. I never thought a book by him would bring me to tears, but it did. Fortunately, I did not grow up with an alcoholic father. However, I did battle gross obesity from elementary school through high school. I understand the pain behind Louie's fat jokes, and that pain is really brought out in this book. This book helped inspire me to lose 150 lbs. And, 14 years later, it still inspires me to battle my lingering demons. This book is a must read for anybody who has suffered psychological abuse as a child, whether it was the result of an alcoholic father, personal obesity, or any other reason.

This book was not only funny but really hit home for me. Louie, are you sure we weren't from the same family? Anyone scarred from a dysfunctional family due to addiction of any kind, will find this book very healing. I found that talking about your traumatic childhood helps you as an adult. I buried by memories of my father's drinking for many years, til my kids saw him once very intoxicated at my doorstep begging for money. I had him arrested and soon after sought Al-Anon for help with my guilt, shame and all other feelings I was carrying around. The sooner you talk about the past the better you will feel about yourself. Get this book. Makes you know that you are not alone. Thanks Louie.

An exquisitely powerful book that I just couldn't put down. I'm a grown man not prone to emotional outbursts, but when I was done with this book I had tears rolling down my face. I don't know what else to say. If you're even remotely capable of being inspired and experiencing emotions, you owe it to yourself to read this book. Life-altering is not an understatement.

Although this book was written in the middle 1990s, the information is just as accurate today as it was then. Network marketing is on the move. In fact, since the stock market bubble burst, more people are coming back into network marketing than ever before.

This book make a great tool to build your belief in this industry. Great prospecting tool as well. If your prospects read this book and still have no interest, then they are not prospects.

I also recommend Who Stole The American Dream and Wave 4.

This is a great book to help build your belief in the network marketing industry. If that is the reason that you are buying it, this book does a great job. However, if you are buying this as a training manual, try somewhere else...

For anyone wanting to realize the power of the Networking industry. Millions of people are turning to Network Marketing now and into the future. Find out why you may consider being one of them. I don't normally enjoy reading a book straight through from beginning to end. Future Choice caught my interest and I couldn't put it down until I was done.

I received this book in the mail today and within 2 hours I learned more about network marketing than I have in the last three years. This book was wonderfully informative. I got some great ideas that I can't wait to put to work for my business.

Anyone considering a career in network marketing, should read this book first, it really put the industry in a clear perspective.

Michael has done what many people have spent enormous amounts of time and money trying to deliver a statement about what Network Marketing can do for you in your life. This easy and fun to read book portrays what life can be like if one is willing to take advantage of that little positive slight edge philosophy that is available to all of us.

It is a must have for anyone who is wondering about a career in Network Marketing or some one who is already experiencing the benefits and joys of the industry.

Once you start reading it you will not want to put it down and you will be wanting to go back and read it more than once.

Thanks Michael, you have made a difference in my career and life.

The book opens with a history of the state of Iraq from its establishment after WWI to the present time. An understanding of this history is vital in coming to an understanding of the present difficulties facing the country. Two very salient points demonstrated persuasively by Iraq's history are that violence as a political instrument was institutionalized in Iraq long before the regime of Saddam Hussein. His regime was more a logical culmination of events which preceded it than a historical aberration. The second point relates to the primary reason for the development of institutionalized violence. The state of Iraq was constructed from disparate ethnic, religious and cultural groups to serve the political ends of the British at the time. This political expediency has lead to a state that has never been able to develop the sense of unity necessary to become a nation. Violence has been the primary means of keeping forces in line that could tear the state apart.

The history is followed by an examination of the perspectives of each of the three major groups that make up the state of Iraq - the Sunni Arabs, the Shi'a Arabs and the Kurds. Though this structure entails a certain amount of repetition of information from the first section of the book ( especially in the section on the Shi'a), it does help us understand the position of each of the three groups and what they stand to gain or lose as a result of different potential constructions of their future.

The third section of the book is devoted to examining the options available for the future of Iraq, including their potential positive and negative consequences and the likelihood of prevailing conditions allowing each option to become reality.

All three major groups in Iraq are shown warts and all. The book shows no favoritism in its analysis. The issues are analyzed with penetrating depth and the belief of the American government that the people of Iraq would welcome Western style democracy with open arms is scathingly laid bare as the ludicrously naïve position it is. A must read for all who truly want to understand the situation in Iraq.

Anderson and Stansfield have written a wonderful book that will appeal to both general readers and students. Its calm tone is a welcome change from a lot of the polemics about Iraq and it provides the reader with clear analysis of Iraqi history. My only complaint is that it is out of date. Hopefully a new edition will come out soon.

This is an interesting book. Anyone who is interested in an alternative to the right wing talk radio and tv news should seriously consider checking out the Thom Hartmann radio show opposite Rush Limbaugh weekdays at: thomhartmann dot com / showlisten.shtml

Whether democrat, republican, or indepedent, so many of the facts out there are completely ignored by the mainstream media and talk shows. This show is one strong example of an examination of the facts regardless of your political affiliation. I am not affiliated with the show in any way, just struck by the facts so many seem to ignore.

This book is structured in a very simple manner, following the history of this country:

First, the monarchy from 1920-1958;

Second, the revolution from 1958-1968;

Third, the Ba'ath Regime from 1968-1988;

Fourth, the wreck of Iraq from 1988-2003.

These chapters recount the history of Iraq from its beginnings after World War I--when the British created a country where none has existed before--with three parties holding very different views--Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds.

Each of these three groups is examined as the basis for speculation as to what is to come in the future. The authors wonder if Iraq might end up splintering into three distinct countries--Sunni, Shia, and Kurd. Questions emerge from this scenario: Is this desirable? Would the needs of all three groups be optimized in this manner? Will this encourage additional "ethnic cleansing"? Even beyond what we have seen? Would such a solution mark success--or failure--of the American intervention?

The future? America's role in that future? We cannot say at this point. However, it does appear that the American intervention never really understood the historical and cultural context. We can only hope that the Iraqi incursion turns out well. But it is also clear that Americans sadly misunderstood the context into which they entered. . . .

This book should have been required reading for those eager to enter Iraq, overthrow Saddam Hussein, and install a Western-style democracy. The book has three main points: (a) a history of Iraq from its flawed beginnings after World War I; (b) an analysis of each of the three main groups--Sunnis, Shia, and Kurds; (c) an examination of different scenarios that might illuminate the future of Iraq.

Each element is well done and provides context for the reader interested in something more than current events weith respect to Iraq. The end result of reading this book is to wonder at the arrogance of the war planners who apparently did not consider historical and ethnic and religious context as that critical for the outcome of the war. As one of the neocons once mentioned, reality is not so important to the United States; the country can create its own reality. To this point, the reality being created on the ground in Iraq is far different than it might have been had history acted as a guide.

God's Messengers is supposed to be a daily meditation. Forget it. You start reading until you are finished with the entire book. I read this two months ago but forgot to write a review until tonight. I had a dream I could not understand a few days ago. When I was looking for another book on one of my shelves (Oddly enough - Earl Mindel's Vitamin Bible!) I saw G-d Messengers. I took it off the shelf and then I the book opened to the page that had the answer to the dream. G-d bless beautiful wild animals, pets, and animals in shelters. This book is divine inspiration.

Expand your horizons and be blessed, don't wait until you loose an animal friend before reading this MUST HAVE book

... will find this book an interesting read. I found it purely by accident, and am really glad I did -The stories are captivating, and I can relate to most of them. I read Laurie Conrad's "The Spiritual Life of Animals and Plants" last year, and was completely mesmerized by her free-flowing, personable style. I think anyone who has read her beautiful work will also very much enjoy "God's Messengers".

I love GOD'S MESSENGERS!!! I especially loved the story written by Richard Simmons which is about his mother Shirley and her two Dalmations. I never knew Richard had a spiritual bent to his outgoing public personality. Dalmations also played an important part of my life as I grew up and as with Richard's mother my emotional and physical health was better because of our dogs. We have most of Richard's exercise tapes. Now we know a different deeper side to Richard Simmons. GOD'S MESSENGERS: WHAT ANIMALS TEACH US ABOUT THE DIVINE is a must read for those who want a feel good book filled with thought provoking wonderful stories. There are many great stories but I also really liked the story about Gonzo.

This is a heartwarming book full of many stories about how humans can learn a lot from animals. It is uplifting, will make you laugh and will also make you cry. It is a great coffee table book, I display it in my office and it has diverted many intense business conversations into those about our pets, their unconditional love and their devotion.