Becker Books

I enjoyed reading this soon after my doctor prescribed a pet. Attributes are its varied content, volume of experiences, positively helpful advice and Dr Becker's insight. Supportive and encouraging but also keys in on the responsibility we have to add quality to our pet's life. Was a huge factor in obtaining a "good match" in my adopted pet.

If you are interested in the ways animals and humans have found ways to help and heal one another -- then this is the book for you. I am deeply impressed by the layers of information and deeply researched examples of ongoing pet and human partnerships in living well, healing, and transcending personal tragedy. If I were to offer one book to both the pet lover who is already persuaded at the amazing gifts of animals, and to the skeptic who isn't sure that pets do more than entertain or receive our projections -- this would be the book. It is a serious book with beautiful, remarkable stories and scientific efficacy to support its claims.

The book arrived in an excellent condition at the promised time.
As this was a present for a friend it was greatly appreciated
Susan

The fact that this book was written by a co-author of "Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul" (a book that I loved) is one of the things that made me pick it up. However, "Healing Power of Pets" is more than a collection of animal anecdotes. There's a lot of good, solid scientific information woven in, too. Dr. Marty Becker, a veterinarian who has worked with Animal-Assisted Therapy programs, cites numerous studies which show that people who are bonded with their pet(s) lead longer, heathier lives.

On page 74, for example, he refers to a 1995 study conducted by Erka Friedmann, a professor at the Department of Health and Nutritional Studies at Brooklyn College. She recruited 392 patients who had suffered heart attacks and were part of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial. Of these, 87 owned dogs and 282 did not. A year later, only one of the dog owners had died, while 19 of the non-dog-owners had passed away. In other words, people who own a dog are far more likely to be alive a year after having a heart attack.

Why is this? Many reasons are given in the book: dog owners get more exercise, they take better care of themselves because they feel responsible for the dog, they relax while petting the dog, they are less lonely because of the dog, etc. Other studies have shown that the act of stroking an animal's fur lowers the human's blood pressure like a form of meditation.

As a Jewish educator reading this book, I could not help but reflect on the fact that, compared to the general population, far fewer Jews have pets. In the Orthodox and Hasidic communities, especially, it is rare to see a dog in the house. One reason is because dogs were used to track and kill people during the Holocaust and other persecutions, so they have bad associations for many Jews. I understand this. Still, I found myself wondering how many of those 282 non-dog-owners in the Brooklyn College study were Jewish. (Brooklyn has a high percentage of Jews.) Are we allowing Old World fears about dogs to deprive us of a valuable form of therapy?

The pet doesn't have to be a dog, however. Cats (of which I have ten!) are equally therapeutic. So are other species, such as birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc. Even watching a tank full of fish can help a person to relax. The important thing is the Bond between the animal(s) and the human(s). Reading this book confirmed in a scientific way what I have always believed in my heart: this special Bond is a healing gift that God designed into the very fabric of creation.

I am a dog lover in particular and a pet lover in general. Pets definitely have healing powers. The interaction between human and pet is healthy. In terms of my love for a dog the benefits are extensive. This book is scientific and gives the evidence that proves the healing power of pets. It is not speculation. As you read the book you will learn of the many ways in which your interaction with pets will maintain and enhance your good health.

This book was written in 1959 by a young French Jewish man who fought with the French resistance, was himself imprisoned, and somehow survived the holocaust. Mythical and artistic and touched with a bit of magic realism, it is the story of the persecution of the Jews in Europe in the context of history dating back to the eleventh century. The basic premise is a fictional Jewish myth of 36 just men, one from each generation, who absorb the burden of humanity's suffering so that mankind can survive.

The first third of the book relates one gruesome story after another, all the in the context of Jewish persecution as it moves through different historical periods, with some of the stories even including a bit of humor. It gave me the feeling of the inevitability of Jewish suffering and how long it has been going on. Once this concept is firmly established we are soon in the beginning of the twentieth century and are introduced to a family in the Polish ghetto. Each one becomes an individual and I was drawn into the personalities, especially the courtship and marriage of a young couple who later figure prominently in the story. We watch them move from Poland to Germany and then to France, each time hoping for a better life. We meet their grandchild, Ernie Levy, as a child in Germany, suffering the mental and physical violence of his schoolmates. Later, we see him as a young man in France, as the Nazi war machine moves in. Always, we are aware of the realities of history and the horrors that still await him as he gradually realizes his fate as the "last of the just men". Eventually he and the woman he loves await death in a concentration camp surrounded by Jewish children who have all lost their parents. I shuddered throughout at the awfulness of it all. But I just couldn't stop reading.

This book is a small masterpiece and a literary gem. Yes, it is sad. It is very sad. And yet, there is beauty in it too, and love and courage. I will never forget the impact it had on me. I give it my highest recommendation. It is a true work of art.

An immensely illuminating and personal history of the Jewish people. It educates and elicits emotional response. Brilliantly written. Essential for anyone interested in Jewish history.

The Last of the Just
THis novel ,in my opinionis the greatest,most moving and most unllifting book about the holocaust ever written; about a jewish boy ,a just man ,in the midst of NAzi Germany and finally the concentration camps.The belief that there a a finite number of Just men ,who keep the balance of goodness in the world, in any given generation and the holocaust ,by killing them tipped a cosmic balance is a powerful . I first read it over 20years ago and I have never forgotten it .It is one of the world's great books .
I have just replaced my copy { my old one stolen by book lover]because it bears a re read often to remind us all of us may be "just men/womenTHe world can then will be a better place . Read this book to remind yourself of your humanity and that of others who suffer .

My father got me this book and it took me a few years to get around to reading it. After I did, I found "The Last of the Just" to be quite a memorable story, to say the least. Once you get a couple of chapters into the story, it becomes emotionally gripping as you begin to get to know the characters. The story weaves together fiction and legend against a historical backdrop. The writing is poetic, haunting and beautiful. To me, the spiritual and emotional depth of this novel is unmatched. I plan to read this again some time, after taking some time to digest the entirety of this story. This book is definately a first-class work of art in my opinion.

This book is a deeply personal account of a Jewish family in the 19th and 20th centuries. Part of it's power comes from following the lives of the family well before the holocaust began... thus showing that anti-semitism was not only a Nazi trait and making the continually worsening conditions even harder to bear in contrast to their lives before. Ernie Levy, our main anti-hero, is so real. Every moment of his roller coaster of life is so charged with real emotions and desires that you cannot help but be 100% invested in what happens to him. The paragraph on the final page is possibly one of the most powerful in all of literature. I finished this book two days ago, and am already ready to read it again. It is a cleansing, miraculous experience.

Angel Cats is a wonderful reminder THAT the presence of a Divine Spirit, usually attributed only to the best humans, informs our feline companions as well.

The story "Throwaway Kids and Throwaway Animals Found Each Other" alone is well worth the cost of this amazing collection of stories. Linda Lansdell who shared her story helping inner city troubled teens grow into responsible and loving adults is a very good writer. And it all happened because of the animals that the inner city teens helped care for. All the stories in Angel Animals are good but this one story hits home on what animals can do to help change human lives for the better.

I bought this book and read it after reading Allen and Linda Anderson's other book titled GOD'S MESSENGERS: What Animals Teach Us about the Divine. ANGEL ANIMALS is a feel good and thought provoking book to read! All the well written stories offer a unique viewpoint on the special (some would say spiritual) bond we have with our pets and with animals in the wild. Dr. Marty Becker writes a wonderful foreword and endorses the spiritual theme of the book with enthusiasm. I highly recommend this book and the Anderson's other book, GOD'S MESSENGERS!!!

The connection between animals and people is quite profound. The lessons about fidelity, love, caring and relationships are all in this book. My husband and I took time each day to read one of the stories out loud. I can think of my experiences with various animals I have had and realize the spiritual connection.

Great book about humans and animals! Good reading material for young and old alike.

OMG i LOVED this book. I couldn't put it down once i received it. It really brings her life together with all of the photos, scripts, letters etc. It is most definately a must read.

I bought this book because I was a big Celine Fan. I didn't think it possible to become a bigger fan but this book proved me wrong. I couldn't put it down, I read it in 2 days and then read it 3 more times right after another. I loved all the memorabilia and the detailed descriptions of the best singer in the world. BUY THIS BOOK, YOULL LOVE IT!!!

This is a wonderful book. It is truly a work of art, any fan, especially collectors will love the beautiful pictures, inserts, letters and cards contained inside the book. The author did a wonderful job. You can tell that this book was written and put together with love, pride and devotion.

I consider myself a die-hard Celine Dion fan ever since hearing her French-language Incognito (1987) album. I own all of her French-language recordings (including out-of-print LPs and singles from 1981-1988), have watched her early French music videos and numerous French-language biographies and TV specials, and have read her official MY STORY, MY DREAM. biography several times.

When I saw Celine Dion: For Keeps, I bought it to round out my collection, erroneously thinking that when it came to Celine's early years in Quebec, I'd seen / heard it all. Not so.

Background

Similar to The Sinatra Treasures: Intimate Photos, Mementos, and Music from the Sinatra Family Collection, Celine Dion: For Keeps features rare photos and removable reproductions of important documents from Celine's career and personal life, such as an early Quebecois report card, the handwritten sheet music to her audition song Ce n'etait qu'un reve (written by her mother), tour schedules, Grammy nomination letters, and even a copy of Celine's ultrasound (translations are provided for all French documents).

There are recollections that I'd never heard before, such as Celine touring the mall circuit in Quebec during her earliest years as a fledgling artist, and many remembrances from acquaintances, fellow celebrities, and music personalities. This combined the appeal of a text-only biography with multimedia; my only wish would have been for a CD with rare / unreleased performances as was done with the Sinatra Treasures collection.

I purchased this book for my upcoming birthday, it is simply a beautiful book. You can see the great care put into making this book, from the pictures to the little insights. I have always loved Celine, for both her outstanding vocal abilities and her unwavering faith in love. This book is very touching, it brings the Dion Family, Rene, and little Rene Charles to life. This book contains lovely candid photos, one of my favorites is of her wedding, not the photo we usually see with Celine dressed formally to the nines, but one with her in a rather plain frock, and in Rene's arms as he carries her over the threshold, both with happy wide smiles. I would also suggest purchasing "My Story, My Dream", having read both myself it makes for a complete read.

Excellet recount of experience and most enjoyable, written with inteligence and sense of humor. This book gave me a sheer sense of living "vicariously" through the author's varied experiences. I found it to be full of anectdotes and an honest retelling of a very rich and rewarding personal story. It is sure to please people of all ages and backgrounds.

This well written memoir is a must read. It is frank, funny and filled with amazing insights into the life of a middle-aged woman. I did question her reasons for staying in an Arab country but in the end was happy she remained. The author catches hold of your interest from page one and leaves you wanting a sequel at the end of her story. It is a quick read and guaranteed to hold your interest. I highly recommend it.

This grandmother sees a Morocco that few other interlopers experience. The story is honestly related in a personal tone that makes the reader feel he/she is co-traveler with Ms. Marchick. Her experience with culture shock is classic while her survival is admirable. This is a must read for anyone who finds a good read a good companion. Don't buy one. Buy two and give your best friend a treat.

"Shalom in my heart, salaam on my lips" - dieses Buch ist ein wirklich sagenhafter Reisebericht. Es ist das Erlebnis einer sehr bewundernswerten Frau, die ein großes Abenteuer gewagt hat. Gloria beschreibt sehr genau wie sie sich in der Zeit, in der sie in Marokko lebte, fühlte und lädt so den Leser dazu ein, sich in die einzelnen Situationen zu denken. Durch Glorias Art zu Schreiben, fühlt man sich mitten im Geschehen. Es macht großen Spaß, sich mit Gloria auf die Reise zu begehen. Erst wenn diese abgeschlossen ist, kann man das Buch zur Seite legen. Wer das Buch nicht liest, ist selber Schuld.

This is a powerful and moving work which portrays a fascinating view into the life of a woman "d'un certain age" confronting cultural, religious and social problems of the ages with courage and humor, insight and empathy. It is an easy to read book, yet it is totally compelling, each chapter drawing the reader onward into the next. I recommend it highly.

Hey - I wrote a story included in this book - it really is awesome (the book... and my story)- I actually teared up a couple of times while reading it (the book, not my story) - even bought a few copies for friends, which looking at the sales ranking here, prolly accounted for a doubling of sales. Woohoo!

P.S. something tells me Pamela won't be gettin' a holiday card from Gina.

Rock On,

[...]

You can feel confident your dollars are well spent when you buy a book that Gina has her name listed as one of the authors.

Gina Spadafori amuses and informs us about the pet world--she has many of her own such as parrot, cats, dogs, chickens.

If you want to be educated about dogs--this is the book to buy!

Gina Spadafori is an imbecile. I can't imagine how she is making money writing books about animals, let alone animal welfare...?
I'm surprised she doesn't promote the NRA and hunting!
Her personal views are hidden well in marketing.

Dr. Marty Becker knows the bond between animal and human better than anyone! He knows what the mere touch of human hand to animal can do for the health and stress levels of both. And now he and his co-writers have extended this phenomenon to the written word. I finally started this book to get away from a miserable stress filled morning, and in no time at all I could actually feel the blood pressure go down, the heart rate recede. I gathered up the book, a bottle of water, and my favorite canine and slipped quietly away from my study leaving my cell phone purposely on the kitchen counter so when Kathleen tried to find me she'd hear it ring and know I wasn't wearing it. I dropped into the hammock hidden behind the tack room and had the best time I've had in months. This is one exceptional book. If you really want to feel good, at any time or any place, just open it to any page and start reading. Or do like I did. Soak up about half of it in one sitting. I highly recommend The Ultimate Dog Lover.

I'm not normally a fan of books of tips and short stories. You'd think they'd work well for someone with my short attention span, but usually I flip through and put the book away forever.

That didn't happen with "The Ultimate Dog Lover," because this book has heart. Tons of it. While it's full of good advice, the single word that describes it is, as other reviews here have demonstrated, "heartwarming." Which means it will make you happy (even if it also makes you cry).

Yes, as others have said, this is a great gift book. But it's one you might want to give yourself, too.

I have purchased this bible for many friends and everyone loves it. They say it really helps them to understand the bible in everyday life. I would recommend this to everyone, especially those who shy away from reading other bibles.

For those recovering from alcoholism this is a great aid. I find it wonderful for relating my 12 Step AA program to my Christian religion. It is a great gift.

This is an excellent resource for anyone that is working through the traditional 12-STEP program, which was first introduced with Alcaholics Anonymous and now numerous groups. If you choose to read the Bible from cover to cover, you will find daily meditations to accompany your reading that will use Scripture to explain and give application toward your recovery. In the columns next to the Scriptures, numbers indicating the various STEPS are listed to show their relevance to the 12-STEP program. This powerfull tool comes in the New International Version of the Bible, which I believe is the best modern English Bible. Of course, there are many more valuable treasures that are within this great resource, but you will have to discover them for yourself.

Connects the Holy Bible and the 12-steps. Throughout you find easy to understand analogies that explain how this or that verse of the bible relate to recovery along with notations in the margins of which steps relate to which verses. I have this bible and use it at a recovery-friendly bible study held at my home - it makes the Bible easy to read and encourages discussion for deeper understanding.

My sponser loaned me her Recovery Bible. I went online and brought my own. It has been by my side on my journey, Today, words have a new meaning from my Bible..

In hardly more than 200 pages, Ernest Becker has written a book of remarkable and startling insight into human nature, the culture that arises from that nature, and how to see what most people cannot: the way we've been programmed from infancy to cope with the anxieties of the human condition according to the symbol systems imparted to us by our parents and our society.

Culture, religion, political ideals...they are nothing but neurotic defenses against existential terror.

We're born from out of nowhere and dissolved back into nowhere--and the anxiety this produces we must somehow forget if we're to get on with the day-to-day business of living. But as a result, we end up living largely shallow lives, finding "meaning" in material pleasures and possessions, in patriotism, professions, catechisms of one sort or another, even in parenthood because that's what our society rewards us for doing.

But do these pursuits really satisfy--or are they only neurotic responses to feelings of powerlessness and fears of meaninglessness in the face of an inescapable death we'd rather do anything than face?

Becker lucidly traces our development as individuals and as a species from a basic sense of helplessness to a mastery of our environment through the manipulation of symbols, primarily language, self-reflection, and abstract thinking. This mastery is, in fact, a desperate and necessary quest for self-esteem in the face of our cosmic irrelevance that is literally a matter of life and death.

That seemingly stupid and pointless exchange of nods and raised eyebrows that transpires when you pass a workmate in the office--it's loaded with codes and cues. The dumb small-talk you're compelled to make at cocktail parties--it fulfills a social contract whose terms we've agreed to by default, just by being a "human" being. We are all engaging in a drama, each with our parts to play, and if you don't play yours, the rest will turn against you because what you are doing is threatening to expose the whole show as nothing but a charade. The unemployed, the ostracized, the homeless, the lonely, those committed to prisons and mental hospitals--their ranks are filled with people who, for one reason or another, cannot play along successfully.

Most people can't handle the truth--which is largely how the world keeps going round.

Becker is talking to those who can. He urges those strong enough to cast off the fictions we live by, the fetters that bind us, the falsehoods that protect us from fear--but that also keep us from authentic living. Because even if we play along, many of us are unhappy, even if we don't realize why. The world is a violent place filled with neurotic and psychopathic "normal" people...society itself is a neurotic response taken by the majority to an intolerable condition. Instead of merely playing our roles, Becker calls us to a new kind of religious sensibility--one that asks questions rather than repeat traditional answers. A religious sensibility--not a religion--that enables us to hold in balance our paradoxical position somewhere between god and animal.

The goal, Becker seems to say, is to choose a role for ourselves but never forget that it is a role. Like the existentialists, Becker suggests that the "meaning" of life is the meaning we give it--but that's "all" it is, the meaning we've decided to give it. And to be truly free is to never become so wholly lost in the role we've assigned ourselves, nor the drama we've written to star in that we mistake ourselves for our role or the drama for reality.

We are, in fact, what lies behind all that--an actor whose face we never see in full light, who appears on stage and disappears off-stage, who remains unknown even when the final credits roll.

It may well be that most people cannot endure such uncertainty--nor so much freedom. And, sadly, that's why the world is in the sorry condition it's in, has always been, and most likely will always be.

But "I" is a candle that can only be lit one at a time. That's the good news Becker delivers in this bluntly provocative but ultimately inspiring book. If you've often felt like a character in a Twilight Zone episode, the one sane person in a lunatic asylum, Becker is good company. You're almost certain to enjoy his work.

Becker again posits brilliant insights into the human condition and the psychological forces which motivate us. This is an early work, not as complete and relevant to his later, brilliant, The Denial of Death, but still definitely worth the read.

This book is in one sense an overall anthropological history of the development of Mankind. In another it is a kind of Freudian- Adlerian-Frommian analysis of why we humans are what we are. For Becker the central element in the human condition is our search for self- esteem. I found illuminating his whole description of this subject, and the way in which human beings seek to have their value affirmed in the judgments of others.
Becker tells the story of how children in seeking the approval of their apparents, are taught to limit themselves and develop the guilt of conscience. He tells how each of us may conceive our own lives as a kind of drama in which we are the hero. And how often what we do is artifically constructed to meet our human need for self- esteem.
There are many deep quotable passages in the book.
" The basic question the person wants to ask and answer is 'Who am I''What is the meaning of my life"'' What value does it have'? And we can only get answers to these questions by reviewing our relationships to others,what we do to and for others, and what response we get from them.Self- esteem depends on our social role,and our inner-newsreel is always packed with faces- it is rarely a nature documentary. Even holy men who withdraw for years of spiritual development come back into the fold of societyto earn recognition for their powers.'
This is work which leads us to ask how we know and understand our own meaning and value in life.
And if it is difficult to know where exactly Becker comes out in the end, and what exactly he is advocating ( Reveling in the paradoxes of our own being? and our inability to solve the riddles of our life and death?) this work has great value in inspiring reflection on the meaning of our humanity.

Introduction

When the name Ernest Becker is mentioned, it is time to pull out the superlatives. Like his other books, this one too is panoramic in scope; magisterial in its command of the material it covers, and as always, comprehensive. It is another synthesis that constitutes an odyssey on the meaning of man. And, as with his other analyses, this one begins with anthropology, adds psychology, psychosocial history, and as needed, biology and philosophy. Because it is so comprehensive, yet so readable, this remains one of the most important books in the social sciences. It is near the top of my "Hall of Fame" list of must read good books. It sums up in an elegant, simple, yet profound way, what we know about man's existence on this earth up to the present.

Becker's Ontology of Man

Becker has put forth here nothing less than a full ontology of man. At the center of his theoretical (and theatrical) edifice is man's urge to achieve self-esteem. In Becker's ontology, the pursuit of self-esteem is the supreme motive of man's existence. Self-esteem (a point that Freud missed) is the construction material out of which the "Grand Hotel" that houses all of man's meaning, is built: That Grand Hotel is culture.

Man comes about self-esteem as being his primary motive for existence in a very natural and logical way. The meaning begins with Becker's unraveling of the mystery of how the mind evolved. Mind, is simply an organism's style of reacting to its environment. The world of meaning is built up out of the range and subtlety of its reactivity. Through "fine-tuning," the animal learns overtime to condition his reactions, and from there, on to mental association. Mind then is just a progressive increase in the freedom and sophistication of an organism's ways of reacting. Freud gave us a map of how this process of reactivity is constituted within the brain's architecture. The "id," a remnant of the instinctive and reptilian brain, is uncontrolled "reactivity; the ego seeks to control and delay the reactivity of the "id." This delaying allowed for the ability to see ahead, plan and decide. From this basic understanding, of reactivity, Becker's story of the development of mind is simply this:

That the imperatives of man being a "meat-eating mammal" and the complex social requirements of, being around females in constant estrus, caused the turning of a complex evolutionary wheel that ended in an unfolding of all the characteristics we now recognize as human: the ability to plan and reason; the use of language and the invention of social organization and culture. The ensuing developmental sequence in Becker's mind is clear and straightforward: Meat-eating required hunting; a successful hunt (especially of larger animals) of course required cooperation. Cooperation on the hunt, and the avoidance of conflict -- over the continuous sexual stimulation due to monthly estrus -- mandated, planning, symbolic or abstract thinking, and complex social interactions, which led to social organization. Social organization and symbolic thinking led directly to a culture based on language and then on to its most evolved social expression, with the end-product being a "hero system;" a system where the primary sustenance was no longer based on fighting for sex and meat alone, but also on symbolic rewards such as status and roles based on self-esteem: Pride in ones own ability became a survival tool that replaced the familiar animal need to fight over food and sex.

The Drama of Culture as Meaning

Culture is the treasure chest in which all of man's meanings reside - effectively a conduit to man's historical memory. It is where character, identities and personalities of individuals are constructed, shaped, and sensitively maintained. It is where the rules for "self-esteem maintenance" are transacted and enforced through the process of socialization. In exchange for the safety of one's self-esteem, and being allowed to become "an object of primary value in a world of meaningful action," man is asked to give up most of his freedom "to be." The price for a room in the Grand Hotel of culture thus at first seems negotiable: It is to become a "reality-adjusted" and a "socially-adjusted" being. Sharing the same "worldview" and sharing the same "social customs and meanings" is the price for a key to a room in the Grand Hotel of culture. But there is a paradox: one can "opt out" of the negotiation only at the peril of his own psychological and physical existence. Thus, one is either "socially-adjusted, or abandoned from the Grand Hotel of culture.

Inside the Grand Hotel, the drama of culture is "played out" each night on the stage in the main opera house. It is a comic-tragic self-referential drama of social heroism. Society writes the scripts, assigns the roles, shapes the identities, choreographs all meanings, and orchestrates the plot about itself. It is a drama in which, anyone seeking a room in the hotel, cannot "opt out of." If ones life is to be an object of primary value in a world of meaningful action, then his self-esteem must be hitched to a culture. In short his freedom must be "cashed in" at the theater window. There are no other choices. Opting "not to play a role" is in fact a role in man's cultural drama of heroism. Thus all of the dramas of man's meanings are existential in character. In all the plots about man's heroism, the highest form of existence for him is to be able to act with freedom and independence in a world of meaning. But everything that man does is self-referential, self-objectifying and self-justifying, because the world in which his meanings become operational is primarily symbolic: that is to say, the world of meanings itself is negotiated through language.

The Death of Meaning

In a paradoxical tautology that is inherent in man's linguistically based world of meaning, man posits, as a creative act of mind, theories about what is meaningful within his own world. He then, as a way of confirming the theory he has just concocted, goes about trying to objectify and prove that these meanings are what he said they were in the beginning.

Invariably these theories are about what man must do in order to survive physically and mentally in a disordered, chaotic and always hostile environment (the most hostile of which is man himself). The hero is always the one who "knows, and can lead the way to order, safety, and survival." However there is a limit to what man can do in order to ensure his own survival, and the survival of his meanings: Man's existence on earth is finite. There is a definite endpoint. There is no light at the end of the tunnel, only darkness. The existential drama must always end in tragedy. Inevitably, the drama of heroism always ends in death: the death of man, and the death of his meanings. Man has not yet learned how to overcome death. But even in this case where he learns to deny his lack of mortality: where he must struggle with his own finitude, man must create symbolic ways of overcoming and defying death. These ways are called "immortality projects."

If one looks closely enough at all of the dramas of heroism staged in the Grand Hotel, they all "pretend" to sidestep and ignore death, yet despite this, if you examine them closely, they are always about how to go directly to the act of building "immortality projects," or about how to invoke gods who will rescue man and his meanings from the inevitability of the very death he is "pretending" not to know is there? In this state of collective denial, man's dramas of heroism are always both comic and tragic.

1000 stars

Ernest takes your innocent little hand and walks you through human organismic life from the beginning, and quickly paralyzes you with observations like this: (quote-page 67) "The child learns painfully that he cannot earn parental approval...by continuing to express himself with his body...(his) self-value no longer derives from the mother's milk, but from the mother's mouth. The change is momentous because of what is implicit in it: the child's basic sense of self-value has been largely arificialized." From these brutal observations, Becker lays the solid groundwork for his Pulizer Prize "Denial of Death" and final "Escape from Evil". PLEASE DO ME A FAVOR: If you have always sensed that the world is artificial and want to begin to reset your mind for further thinking, buy and read all of Becker's work. In doing so, his philosophy will never leave your mind. Intelligent people owe it to themselves to give it a glance and apply their own thoughs to it.

This book has been an excellent source in helping to plan my daughter's wedding. The time line has helped us stay on track.

The book arrived just as promised and was in perfect condition. The information in the book is invaluable! As a first time mother of the bride I had no idea where to start or what to expect to spend. This book saved me from making tons of mistakes and gave me so much helpful information!

This book helped me mostly to organize my thoughts and my binder, and gave me good questions to ask potential vendors. Beyond that, nothing really sticks in my head.

I have to start out saying that I am not the type of person to write a review. Now there are so many wedding planner books that all say the same thing, but this is by far the best and most informative book I read. There are so many stresses when planning a wedding and this book tells you what you have to do and when. You don't need to spend thousands on a wedding planner, all you need is this book. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone needing help on planning a wedding...and if you are planning a wedding, you know you need all the help you can get! This book if worth every penny! THE ONLY WEDDING PLANNER YOU NEED IS THIS BOOK! TRUST ME!!

This book has the amazing ability to cover absolutely every thing you need to think of when planning a wedding and also walks you through the step by step process to making it a huge success. Other wedding planning books were a bit too "on the surface" giving me pointers that I had heard before or weren't realistic. The tips within this book, whether you are a bride on a budget, or have limitless funds, will show you how to add the special elements that make it your wedding. Joyce has managed to create a planning timeline that is realistic, not overwhelming, shows you how to be incredibly creative (even if at times you be creatively challenged) and makes planning your wedding an enjoyable process.

Yeah, I think that this is the ultimate cat lover's book. It's a collection articles on cats - fun stories about cats, loving stories about cats, stories about mischievous cats, and also many articles full of helpful hints on what to do for the loving little tiger that shares your life. And along the way, the reader is treated to many excellently shot pictures of cats.

This is a great book, a great gift idea that is sure to please the cat lover in your life...especially if it's you. I really enjoyed this wonderful book and don't hesitate to recommend it.

Another great one! This is a MUST READ for everyone that finds themselves being "owned" by a cat! Easy reading, great stories and photos, and great advice and information, too! I think everyone can relate to at least one or two of the stories, weather in remembering a lost loved one, or enjoying the companionship of a new friend! This book will definately be a gift for many friends!

A great resource for those of us who love cats! From start to finish, tips and tid-bits that I know MY cats will appreciate - - they expect the best from me.

Like its companion canine volume, "The Ultimate Cat Lover" is loaded with that one quality that makes or breaks a pet book: heart. Another reviewer described it as "endearing," and I had to laugh and nod at the same time.

Yes, the advice is terrific, as anyone would expect from a team of experts assembled by Gina Spadafori and Dr. Becker. But don't expect this to be a dry or even fluffy collection of helpful hints for cat moms and dads. It's a beautiful collection of stories that will move you, make you smile, and bring tears to your eyes, all while teaching you something important about your feline family members.

A wonderful gift for other cat lovers, and don't forget to buy one for yourself.

This is a great addition to the cat lover's bookshelf. A helpful collection of cat care tips with warm and fuzzy stories about our favorite lap-sitter. Current information and tales recommended by this librarian for all public libraries too.