Burnett Books

It was because I enjoyed the author's Tithing and Still Broke that I read From Broke to Broken. I was not disappointed. The former book explored the reasons why some Christians suffer lack, even as they "tithe", and pinpointed the main reasons as spiritual. Unlike other books on the monetary tithing message (which I've read) that focus primarily on debunking it as unbiblical, the author didn't leave it there but took it to a more important level: fulfilling one's personal God-given calling as a faithful steward of His resources. This is true spiritual abundance, regardless of one's external circumstances and current financial situation. This new book builds on this point and takes it to an even higher level: enduring and overcoming adverse circumstances, even running towards some of them under divine inspiration like David ran to Goliath to take his head off. This may sound exciting, but one must be aware that sometimes adverse circumstances will test your endurance. "Endurance will be the difference between a fulfilled vision and a lost one." Also, "the real evidence of faith is our level of endurance while we rely on a loving God." But this comes only through something else: becoming broken. This does not mean what some may suppose: self-loathing. As the author perceptively puts it: "If we are to go from broke to broken, we must begin to love ourselves by denying ourselves." This sounds paradoxical but it is based on an important distinction between self-love (love your neighbor AS YOURSELF - internal) and life-love (loving one's life in terms of external attachments; carnality). The author expounds on the differences, but they could have been better explained, especially as they relate to the subtitle of the book (notice my review title). I would add that the distinction is based on the difference between one's human nature or true self, created in the image of God, and one's sinful, "carnal" nature or false self which acts as a parasite on the former, producing deception. When one becomes born again, uniting the true self with the divine nature, one is spiritually circumcised from the sinful nature (Colossians 2:11), the false self, although that nature isn't eradicated and still deceives to a certain degree, and internally tempts one to fulfill its sinful desires. Only by renewing one's mind with divine truth (our being a new creation in Christ) and walking in the Holy Spirit will one overcome the sinful/carnal nature with its deception and sinful desires. In the last chapter, the author discusses the internal battle with the carnal nature and speaks of that nature as a mountain that God will make into a plain. It is only through realizing that the sinful nature does not define who you truly and completely are in Christ that the mountain is made into a plain, and it is through the Holy Spirit's motivation of love (which extends self-love to one's neighbor) that one is progressively sanctified.

Chapter six discusses unshakable confidence. Some Christians erroneously think that all confidence is arrogance which results in false humility through self-condemnation and doubt. May God use this book to help overcome this deception what weakens the body of Christ. It is through God-given, lion-like boldness that the body is enabled to fulfill its multiple love-motivated purposes through Christ as the Head, enduring and overcoming all suffering to the glory of God. Although there is much more that could be said regarding the truths that the author shares (and I would word some things differently), one is given some important biblical basics to build on. I was encouraged by this book which bore witness with my own spirit, sharing the same vision. May those who read this book be blessed with the same empowering contentment wherein Paul spoke and ministered in love through divine inspiration (Philippians 4:11 - 13).

Being broken? Actually, no. Brokenness is something to be attained. Brokenness sets us apart from the masses pretending to be okay. We don't have to be "all that." Someone else wants to be that for us. Burnett reveals how we can live a blessed and even prosperous life when we enter this honest and vulnerable state of brokenness and allow God to be everything we need.

I can't say enough about this series, but this book is my 21-month old's favorite. This book explains house, street, town, state, country (U.S.), continent, planet, and universe. My daughter always races to the back of the page where the planets are. She has memorized the planets and loves to show off about it! We've read it in English and Spanish. The translations are wonderful and professional.

I loved this book! It will really help any child learn the basic words that place us in the world. The book begins right at home and then each page backs away from a home, to a state, to a country, to a continent, and so on until the pictures are showing where earth is in relation to the other planets. What a great way to show children where they live. The back even has a pronunciation guide for the main words. A perfect introduction to the Spanish and English language!

Of course, this book is not really about being blind; it's about looking past appearance to see the person underneath, it's about recognizing that personal qualities are more important than physical attributes, it's about treating people with respect. ~Karen Gedig Burnett

Why do we treat people in various ways? Why do others treat us with respect or disrespect? In "If the World Were Blind," Karen Gedig Burnett addresses the issues of how we judge people based on their skin color, nationality, clothes, body shape and looks. This is a book about judgment and prejudice.

This book is made up of pages with black backgrounds that fold out into full color scenes of people saying various negative and positive sentences. The point is well made because if you were blind you would not be able to see the scenes filled with people of different ethnicity, action and dress. White words are printed on the black background and a sentence in a white box at the base of the closed page states what a person would not see if they were blind, for example:

"If the world were blind it wouldn't matter what color skin a person had: black, tan, white, red, yellow...

Next page: "...it would matter only that their voice is kind and their touch is gentle."

In the black section of the page you might see:

"Go back where you came from," "It's so good to see you," "Stay away from people like that. They're no good."

When you open the pages you can then see who is saying which phrase.

An interesting way to explain that we should treat people with respect and to care more about their internal motivations all while learning to reach out to one another with kindness.

Even if this book is teaching children not to judge by appearance, I still think it is good to teach children to respect themselves and by improving our own appearance through exercise or by dressing in a way that shows others they respect themselves. Often people do show how they feel about themselves by the way they dress or by the way they take care of themselves. So, the issue of self-esteem is not really addressed fully in this book and is definitely an issue to consider. The author does give advice on choosing friends who are good for you.

I guess the main point of the book is that no matter what, we can treat people with respect and in order to make the world a more nurturing place, we have to be the catalyst for change. We can diffuse anger and hate with love and be part of the solution.

~The Rebecca Review

If The World Were Blind... is an especial picturebook written by Karen Gedig Burnett and illustrated by Laurie Barrows for the purpose of teaching young readers about judgement and prejudice. Every two-page spread of the book is initially colored black, with only people's words and thoughts as well as main text standing out. Every two-page spread then folds out into a long mural twice the length of the open book, which brings the words in darkness to vibrant, colorful life, showing the people of all shapes and sizes who are thinking or saying the words that were printed on darkness before. While the foldouts make If The World Were Blind... more delicate than an ordinary picturebook, it is much sturdier than a pop-up book, and the format soundly drives home the book's conceptual message - that if people were not so quick to judge based on what they see at first glance, then everyone could learn and accept more from one another. "If the world were blind it wouldn't matter if someone were/short or tall, large or small, had an athletic body or a potbelly, perfect teeth or a toothless smile.../...it would matter only that they were / honest and fair." Very highly recommended for school and community library collections.

Darling little book. A joyable read with many activies, recipes and ideas for ones own little secret garden entertaining and planning events. Any one who enjoys Frances Hodgson Burnett's writings will want to add this to their collection. Wonderful illustrations by Tasha Tudor and Mary Colllier, which is an added bonus. Both Carolyn Collins and Christina Eriksson, did a wonderful job in writing this book

For anyone who wants to learn more about "The Secret Garden" and its author--where the original garden really was, how an English robin differs from an American robin, how to make a nesting station for birds in your garden, what "oatcakes" and "doughcakes" are and how to make them (along with other recipes from the book), how to plant a miniature secret garden, how to make a windchime from keys like the one that unlocked the Secret Garden, and lots more! Wonderful gift. Tasha Tudor illustrations.

Graham Burnett has taken an obscure 19th century court case (Maurice v. Judd) and evaluated the case in an unusual light - not on the technical merits of the case but on something much more expansive.

The premise of the case was that a merchant in 19th century New York, Samuel Judd, was fined by the fish oil inspector (Maurice) for having 3 kegs of uninspected whale oil. Judd proclaimed that the oil was not subject to inspection under the law because it was from a whale, not a fish. The technical merits of the case were simply to determine whether or not the whale oil was subject to the law and thus obliged to be inspected. Burnett, however, has evaluated scientific knowledge in the 19th century to determine whether or not the law was created in conformance with contemporary understandings of whether or not a whale was a fish or not.

Starting with biblical interpretations, and proceeding through the understandings of "common" New Yorkers, evaluations of natural historians, and seamen, Burnett demonstrates that this case did indeed demonstrate that the standard understanding in 19th century New York was, despite some views to the contrary, that a whale was indeed a fish.

The book is well written and quite enjoyable. The only reason I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the epilogue/conclusion - I felt that they did not flow nearly as well with the standard subject matter as the rest of the book. I consider this to be more of a scientific history crossed with an intellectual history of a group of people - a fascinating approach and quite a diversion from the standard histories of the period.

Just as schoolchildren now so easily learn that the Earth goes around the Sun, they easily learn that whales are not fish but air-breathing mammals. So it all seems so obvious, except that everything that lived in the sea was for millennia obviously a fish, and it took a while for us to get the classification right. When we did get it right, let's say starting with the 1758 classification system published by Carl Linnaeus, we didn't all get it right immediately, and it took a while for our education system to catch up. It also took a while for our legal system to do so. In _Trying Leviathan: The Nineteenth-Century New York Court Case That Put the Whale on Trial and Challenged the Order of Nature_ (Princeton University Press), historian D. Graham Burnett has brought back a legal battle that some might regard as fully worthy of being forgotten. After all, it had to do with the classification of whale oil, an important article of trade at the time of the 1818 trial, but not at all part of our world today. Nonetheless, the trial at the time was a sensation which interested New Yorkers not just over financial issues. It was a confrontation over natural history between the type of folk taxonomy people found in the Bible and the then-controversial scientific classification proposed by biologists. Although Burnett is not writing for the purpose of comparison with current events, readers will be reminded of the current clashes between Biblical literalists and scientific instruction; and if you regard scientists as the good guys, in this case, the good guys didn't win.

Whales were extraordinary creatures, to be sure, but for most people, even whalemen, they remained fish. Burnett says "the Genesical division of animals into those that fly, those that swim, and those that creep was pervasive and tenacious." One of the lawyers in the trial covered in this book indeed said, "We shall rely on the sacred volume as conclusive." Scientific taxonomic systems were subject to change and rearrangement; this is, we know, one of the strengths of science, to change models when more data become available, but during the trial, lawyers were able to make such rearrangements seem arbitrary or capricious, while the Bible's taxonomy was eternal. The trial, _Maurice v. Judd_, was based on the question of whether whale oil was fish oil. There was a New York state inspector of fish oils, the plaintiff James Maurice, who was quite interested in inspecting (and being paid for inspecting) barrels of whale oil, and Samuel Judd who dealt in spermaceti oil who did not want to pay for such testing. The star witness, physician and professor of natural history Samuel Latham Mitchill. When he declared, "As a man of science, I can say positively, that a whale is no more a fish than a man," he was calling upon ideas that would be more fully examined thirty years later with the publication of _On the Origin of Species_, and hinting that there was no sacred gap between animals and humans. Lawyers who cross-examined him challenged the elevation of whales to some sort of kinship with humans. Since this was a time when New York was considering extending citizenship to former slaves, Mitchill was twitted with the question of whether biologically an "orang outang" was close enough to us to be considered a freeman and given the vote. Poor Mitchill, who was deeply interested in advancing science and making New York a center for scientific thought, became a laughingstock, a target of satires in poetry reprinted by one newspaper after another long after the trial was over.

The jury deliberated for all of a quarter hour before announcing a verdict for Maurice, the inspector of fish oils. In the eyes of the court, the whale counted as a fish, but the New York legislature within a month deliberately exempted whale oil from inspection. Thus ended the matter under consideration for the trial, which played its role in the eventual acceptance of scientific taxonomy. _Trying Leviathan_, though, is about far more than just how the trial turned out or whether whales are fish. Definitions regarding an altogether scientific issue had to jostle with popular belief and democracy as well as economic interests. Burnett reminds us in a volume that shows admirably broad research and clear writing that this sort of trial drama, "the one that pitches society against science (or vice versa)", is a drama that always draws a crowd, "from Galileo's travails to those of Lysenko, from Scopes to intelligent design." It is one way that the order of nature gets encompassed into the order of popular and legal thought.

This is a heartwarming story with discripive phrases throughout. Very enjoyable for both my grandson and myself.

The incredible journey is about three dogs who are left home with mrs oaks when she went to work the two dogs and the cat when to find there owner which is the hunters. When mrs oaks came home she saw that the dogs and the cat where gone she got worred and when to try to find them.Mrs oaks called everyone she nows and asked them if they have seen two dogs and a cat walking down the street every one replied that no one has seen two dogs and a cat.The hunters where on vacation the dogs and the cat had to go threw the woods and they came to river the dogs where going to go threw but the cat refused so the dogs somehow got the cat to go threw they over over the most dangerios hills and the dogs got tired and worn out one of the calapsted and almost died but the cat went out and found food for the dog when the hunters got home mrs oaks told the hunters and they called the game worden and they helped look when the little girl heard a cat meiw and told every one but no else heard then the boy heard it to thats when the cat came out then the dog came out to thats all im going to tell you so i dont give it away.My opinion of this book is this book was boring but thats my opioun.
By Dakota Sanford

A classic children's book - or is it? Sheila Burnford (1918-84) has said she never wrote it to be a children's book, and indeed it's written in a very realistic manner - no talking animals here. The main theme is loyalty - pet loyalty to their masters, to one another, and human loyalty to animals. It's all very saccharin sweet. A more believable story would have shown the animals internal struggle between returning to the wild (going feral), versus the safety and comforts of remaining captive under human care (one of the great themes of literature). Alas, Burnford is not that kind of writer, and anyway Jack London did it best in The Call of the Wild. Interestingly though, Burnford did adopt London's technique of describing the dogs actions and mannerisms as a third party observer, and not delve into the animals thoughts (such as in Black Beauty). The more I think about it, the more London's influence seems apparent, Burnford is sort of like London's better half (who was somewhat dark). For what it is, the story is appealing, love conquers all, it was Burnford's most famous work and spawned at least 2 well known movie adaptations.

I think that the Incredible Journey Book is really good. I like it because it has lots of adventure and lots of different points of view. The beginning is pretty boring but gets exiting soon, like around the setting change. The things I don't like are the excessive phone-talk, and I-know-what-will-happen-feeling that it gives you. Overall I would rate it between Harry Potter and your barely-better-than-average book that you will find. The fun of it is that you never know the detailed parts outcome which has great effect in this book. I think it is very original to make the characters split up for some time and rejoin the others. I like the lazy feeling that I'm not interested. See you later -- don't care about friendship. These parts are very amusing. It may sound predictable of the ending but it is so exiting that you never consider thinking of a different part of the book because it's so addicting. I recommend this book to public readers.

In the Incredible Journey by Shelia Burnford 3 animals go on a dangerous current owner (John Longbridge) is not clear but they somehow know their former owner is coming back.

Three animals venture from their own home off to their old home and encounter many dangers along the way. Not long after they leave they meet a bear who starts scratching and swiping at Bodger the bull terrier. Then a couple of days later they meet helpful Indians who feed the animals and clean Bodger's wounds. After a few hours they leave the Indians. When the animals come to a river Luath gets across it fine but has to encourage Bodger to come over. Once Bodger comes over the cat won't cross the river. When he finally does the dam breaks and Luath and Tao are swept away. They meet many other exciting dangers that I'll let you read about.

My favorite character was Bodger because he was the funniest.

I would recommend this book to 8-12 yr. olds because of challenging vocabulary. I would also recommend this to animal lovers and adventure readers.

I just re-read this book for the third time. Honestly, it keeps getting better. Part of that is b/c Denton doesn't always write for the masses and therefore many of his points are more deeply appreciated only after more familiarity with evolutionary theory. After this past reading I also realize how much his book has influenced other popular anti-darwininan writers, such as behe, wells, and johnson. I was also amazed at how many points parallel ones made by Dawkins: numerous instances where they use the same concepts and metaphors but derive very different conclusions. quite illuminating.

in short, a must for anyone interested in the "evolution debate".

I have finally read Michael Denton's book "Evolution, A Theory in Crisis". While this book was written some twenty years ago, by an evolutionist about problems with evolution, it is as apt today as it was then.

Overall the book is easy to read and understand. Where there are terms that may not be familiar to the average reader, Dr. Denton provides adequate explanation to ensure that his arguments are understandable. I did however find that there were times when Dr Denton would rehash a point just covered or covered in a previous chapter. I am uncertain if this was deliberate or if the author tends to ramble at times.

Otherwise, Michael Denton takes the reader through a clear path of evidence that essentially refutes almost all the major tenets of Darwinian Evolution. This is not done in the typical Creation versus Evolution style, but rather as a scientist objectively criticizing the tenets of evolutionary thought. Dr. Denton focuses on each aspect, from the overarching concepts of random mutation and natural selection, through the fossil record, all the way to the complex structure of proteins and their fabrication at the cellular level.

While never truly abandoning evolution, Dr Denton closes the door on Darwinian Evolution. And while appealing to the apparent design in complex machinery of the cell, he proposes no external agent to facilitate the creation or specification of the apparent design. One can sense his frustration with the current state of affairs, but he refuses completely abandon the possible future discovery of purely naturalistic causes. Yet he insures the reader that random mutation and natural selection are not part of the equation.

Dr Denton closes his book with a rebuke of the scientific community for placing the a priori assumptions of evolutionary though before the objective search for real answers. He stops short of calling it religion, but refers to it as a myth. Interesting conclusion for a man still dedicated to the term evolution.

The book may be twenty years old, but the information and discussion are still correct. It is an excellent resource for someone looking for an objective critique of modern evolutionary theory.

Amazing how the evolutionists clamor that this is "out of date", yet essentially what this book shows is that the data "to date" does NOT support macroevolution. And while I will just have to leave this hanging here without supporting evidence - the data since then do not either. A few (very few) transitional fossils notwithstanding.

An excellent critique of "evolution", and yet greater than 20 years later, darwinian naturalism is still going strong. Why? Because there is no other "natural" explanation. And hence, one must ask, why must there be a "natural" explanation? The last pages of the last chapter are excellent reading in this regard.

I did a comparative study on this and the Species of Origin. I have to say, I was once an evolutionist, but I now I realize how much blind faith I held in it.

Michael Denton's book, Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, is yet another work that fits into the Intelligent Design category of thought. It is a very profitable read to the extent that it gives the reader the opportunity to consider the theory of evolution without the dogma of a Richard Dawkins who pontificates:

"Today the theory of evolution is about as much open to doubt as the theory that the earth goes round the sun..." Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, p. 1.

What is lacking within the scientific community today is any willingness to debate and contest even the most primitive assumptions of Darwinism. The prevailing expectation among far too many today is that one must never question the majority view, or else they will be punished with childish ridicule, and thus suffer condemnation from those who pride themselves to be "scientists." This point is easily verified by just reading the critiques and comments that are often found lurking around much of the Creationist and ID literature. But works like Denton's should be read, understanding that he lies somewhere between the views of naturalistic evolution and Creationism. It is apparent in his book that he too is frustrated by the dogmatism of men like Dawkins who would cease all discussions about evolution - simply because Mr. Dawkins said so - and those who disobey will be subject to an inquisition by the new majority:

"The lack of any scientifically acceptable competitor leaves evolutionary biology in a state of crisis analogous to the crisis in medieval astronomy when, although the Ptolemaic system was admitted to be a monstrosity, the lack of any conceivable alternative imprisoned the science for centuries within the same circle of belief (p. 357)...that [Darwinian theory] is neither fully plausible, nor comprehensive, is deeply troubling. One might have expected that a theory of such cardinal importance, a theory that literally changed the world, would have been something more than metaphysics, something more than a myth." p. 358.

In saying this, Denton does not deny evolution in all its facets. In fact it is important to note here that most (if not all) advocates of ID, as well as Creationists, accept the concept of the special theory of evolution (microevolution). The real problem lies within the realm of the general theory:

"For Darwin, all evolution was merely an extension of microevolutionary processes. Yet, despite the success of his special theory, despite the reality of microevolution, not all biologists have shared Darwin's confidence and accepted that the major divisions in nature could have been crossed by the same simple sorts of processes." p. 86.

What Denton is clearly denying is the notion that Darwinism necessarily suffices for all of the facets of the general theory (macroevolution). Denton advances several arguments in order to expose Darwin's general theory as mere metaphysics. As evidence of the many problems which plague Darwinism, he discusses the typology of nature (see page 117), incongruities in the fossil record (see chapter 8), complexities relating to the soft anatomy of supposed transitional forms (see p. 177), flight as the product of macroevolution (see chapter 9), the enigma which molecular biology presents to Darwinism (see chapter 11) and in the last few chapters, Denton reveals the fantastic notion of the spontaneous generation of life from an abiotic environment:

"...the possibility of life arising suddenly on earth by chance - is infinitely small. To get a cell by chance would require at least one hundred functional proteins to appear simultaneously in one place. That is one hundred simultaneous events each of an independent probability which could hardly be more than 10(-20), giving a maximum combined probability of 10(-2000). Recently, Hoyle and Wickramasinghe in Evolution in Space provided a similar estimate of...'10(40,000) an outrageously small probability...'" pp. 323-24.

In view of such odds, Denton then says:

"The Darwinian claim that all the adaptive design of nature has resulted from a random search, a mechanism unable to find the best solution in a game of checkers, is one of the the most daring claims in the history of science. But it is also one of the least substantiated. No evolutionary biologist has ever produced any quantitive proof that the designs of nature are in fact within the reach of chance. There is not the slightest justification for claiming, as did Richard Dawkins recently: '...Charles Darwin showed how it is possible for blind physical forces to mimic the effects of conscious design, and, by operating as a cumulative filter for chance variations, to lead eventually to organized and adaptive complexity, to mosquitoes and mammoths, to humans and therefore, indirectly, to books and computers.'"p. 324.

Denton's work is quite excellent, and I commend it to you for careful study and consideration. If you are a dyed in the wool general theory Darwinist - then read this book in order to broaden the spectrum of your analysis of the subject. As a former atheist and evolutionist, I can assure you that you won't be exposed to any of Denton's important questions within the spectrum of the standard texts on evolution today. If you are a Christian, I would encourage you to read this work too, but do remember that ID books are not a defense of biblical creationism - they are secular critiques of Darwinism. But the critique is quite clear - Darwinism is more than a scientific hypothesis as it was in Darwin's day. Now it has become an organized and mostly unchallenged religion.

I guess I didn't miss much by not reading this book as a child. I don't really understand why it became a classic. It starts out interestingly enough with a very gothic setting. A little British girl named Mary survives a cholera epidemic in India and is sent to Yorkshire to live with her distant relatives. The author gives a vivid description of the beauty of the moors and the mysterious mansion that the girl goes to live in. The only other interesting part is really when Mary discovers the boy...more I guess I didn't miss much by not reading this book as a child. I don't really understand why it became a classic. It starts out interestingly enough with a very gothic setting. A little British girl named Mary survives a cholera epidemic in India and is sent to Yorkshire to live with her distant relatives. The author gives a vivid description of the beauty of the moors and the mysterious mansion that the girl goes to live in. The only other interesting part is really when Mary discovers the boy who she hears crying in the mansion and when she discovers the secret garden. Everything else beyond that (which is most of the book) isn't all that interesting. The author spends many pages explaining how miraculous and magic fresh air is for healing and fattening up the crying boy and the girl who escaped the cholera epidemic in India.

The bits that get old after a while: Oh, look, it's a garden! Look, I can run and play! I'm not a cripple after all! Look at the pretty birds! The garden is alive! Now I have an appetite! Isn't it a magical miracle that I'm having fun playing outside?

I just wasn't really impressed. If you're going to write a novel in a gothic setting, you at least need a small ghost or a mysterious disappearance or something.

I love this movie! I grew up watching this version and plan on showing it to my own children. The newer version didn't have the same "magic". This is definitely a classic and worth purchasing. Also, notice a VERY young Colin Firth at the end!

The acting was terrible. The girl began with an English accent, then lost it halfway through the movie. The original Secret Garden is MUCH better.

Unfortunately, my copy of this title is a VHS Tape print, therefore, my opinion may not carry much influence (?). That being said, I found this to be a very good story produced by one of America's best corporate sponsors of family entertainment!

For those who have enjoyed the work of Irina Brook and Colin Firth for many years look for her and his brief appearance!

The beginning may be a little dark and frightening to very small children, those below the age of 6-8, the film does become much more bright and more up-lifting as the story unfolds.

I recommend this title to all families that worry and are concerned about what their children are learning from todays movie titles and the adult content they are introducing to our young.

I also loved the movie when I was a kid, but back then it was more difficult to get copies of the movie unless you recorded it on your VCR at home when it came on TV.

I enjoy this one much more than the more recently made movie. More drama, more story shared, before, during and after. The characters have much more depth and really shows much more the variation of the changes to each person as Mary changes.

We just watched it yesterday and the music is excellent and the scenery and location was superb. Perhaps not a movies for very young children but any around 10-11 on up could handle the drama of it...

My niece had not seen this version and she liked it much more and was more scared around that big old castle when Mary walked around in it at night searching for the mysterious source of what she heard.

I bought Dangerous Waters after recently seeing the author interviewed on CNN. This book is a real eyeopener and is a must read for anyone with the slightest interest in international security -- our security. The fast-moving pace of the book makes this a great read. It helps that the writer also had his own experience with pirates -- he survived while many at sea today apparently don't. Well written and highly entertaining and highly recommended.

I'm on Chapter 4 and though I want to read about the subject I am really not looking forward to slogging through all the swampy fictional embellishment packed in here.

The many paragraphs like the following make we want to throw the book out the window (preferably at the author.)

-"Donny could never quite forgive Vimala for refusing to leave the bridge, but he could not be displeased with her determination to stand by his side when the rest of the crew had taken cover. It was the defining moment of their marriage. She was a strong, intelligent woman and he loved that in her; he knew that while he commanded men and ships, Vim showed she had a will of her own."-

Dragging through hogwash like that I feel my brain starting to melt and turn into jello. Is this a journalistic book about modern Piracy or a bloody romance novel? COME ON!! Show me the subject matter, not all this foul fluff.
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OK - I am editing this review after having read the rest of the book. After reading Chapter 3 and starting Chapter 4 I nearly put it down. I'm glad I didn't. Those were the only two chapters written in the style I ranted about above. The rest of the book is just fine and I enjoyed it very much.

I think that besides illustrating the serious vulnerability of the world economy to shipping security problems, this book points to a real need to examine and address the economic and other issues that are behind this situation. Increased security and law enforcement are necessary, but without the other half of the equation - the human side, the problem will not be addressed. Desperate people will do desperate things. You have to take away the desperation. Not sure who's going to deal with that though.

Thanks for a good book. Four stars (won't let me edit that)

This is the stuff that Randall & Cunningham do at Decature-MS ... I think the other big security provider is Hudson Trident. I don't think Blackwater or Dyncorp even touches it... it is very specialized.

The thrill of the high sea has new meaning today. The romance is gone and the adventure is more ominous. In Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas the author, John S. Burnett, has thrown a damper on what was once every boy's dream and every man's secret longing. In startling detail and tight-knit writing, Burnett has presented a new danger that is real, threatening, and not easily set aside by some sentimental vision of wind and water.

John S. Burnett and his family actually survived being attacked by pirates in the South China Sea south of Singapore. Knives and guns were brandished, money was demanded and, because he didn't have much money aboard, Burnett had his head gun-butted before the motley crew sailed away with a meager haul of a set of binoculars and some cigarettes. The incident prompted Burnett's interest and closer investigation of piracy.

Through research, interviews, and personal travel in some of the most set-upon waters in the world, the author has presented a riveting study of the fear of pirates felt by the crews of the ships who pass through every day - and night. One might wonder how a tanker that is larger than three football fields could be compromised by a ragtag crew of four or five hijackers but it happens regularly. Sometimes the crew members escape any real harm, sometimes they don't.

I always assumed that my friends Smith & Wesson could ward off trouble but ship owners are advised not to allow firearms on board. Cooperation and compliance with the terrorists' demands are believed to be a better way to escape harm. That may be true but entire crews still disappear and ships are turned into ghosts, never to be seen again. I understand the principle behind the no firearms policy, but it would take a steely will to face machetes, knives, attack rifles, and even rocket-propelled grenades, be shoved around and threatened, and then trust in the goodwill of the attackers to leave docilely after their mission is accomplished.

Some of the protection techniques outlined by John S. Burnett seem to be effective. The larger shipping companies have resorted to patrols, mercenary protection placed on board, negotiation, and even payoffs to the main forces behind the attacks. Ships no longer carry much money but now the cargoes themselves have become the targets. However, in spite of best efforts, piracy seems to be escalating. As Burnett points out, it's probable that some accident caused by piracy will cause a major environmental and economic disaster. We know that terrorists could intentionally cause enough damage to a Very Large Crude Container (VLCC) ship to spill nearly two million barrels of petroleum product into these vital waterways. But pirates could cause the same damage by taking over a ship and crew while allowing the tanker to continue out of control down a narrow, heavily trafficked corridor only to collide with another heavily loader tanker or to break up on the shoreline rocks.

Burnett leaves you with a lot to think about. There aren't any satisfactory answers as to how to handle the ever increasing threat. I strongly recommend this book as an early warning about a problem that must be solved.

Mr. Burnett has done a terrific job on describing what every national security agency should be focusing on right now -- piracy. The stories he tells and the research he has done is exceptional. Well done.

I picked this up as a discount-price eBook, and thought it would be worth the risk, seeing as I'm an ardent fan of SURVIVOR and THE APPRENTICE.

Upfront, I have to say that I expected more from Mark Burnett.

There ARE things to be learned from his approach to doing business. He makes reference quite a lot to 'jumping in', which is a bit of a pun on his paratrooper background.

Problem is that many of his insights and thoughts about business are really just rehashed old bromides. I don't think there are any 'original' insights in this book.

His anecdotes are fascinating. When he drops the business posturing, he's great. Very entertaining, gripping, and educational. But ONLY in the stories he tells.

The biggest disappointment for me is that this book appears to be two things...

1. It's an advert for his dud show, THE CONTENDER, which he praises lavishly.

2. It's a way of blowing smoke up the bums of people he's in business with. He uses phrases like, 'the best [fill-in-the-blank] I've ever experienced'. And he uses them often. Specifically when it's to do with people he wants to make money from. Like Donald Trump and Martha Stuart.

It's a good, riveting read, if only for some of the behind-the-scenes stuff. But it's not uncensored. It's not hard-hitting. It's not the bare truth. It's glossy PR-speak.

Worth it if you can find a discount version somewhere.

Blue skies
love
Roy

I'm a huge Apprentice and Survivor fan - so of course I had to get the book of creator of both these concepts. This book was such a page turner for me. It provides such an engaging mixture of Burnett schmoozing with Hollywood royalty like Spielberg to his first entrepreneurial exploits selling t-shirts to his own survivor-esque experiences. It's described as a rags to riches story - which it is but to me it showed that the real currency in the world is ideas - and Mark Burnett is full of them!

This book authored by Mark Brunett, the producer who popularised reality TV, not only in USA but throughout the world - beginning with Survivor and his other hit series, Eco-Challenge.

This book accounts of his journey mainly on these two TV series which he produced. Survivor fans would be most pleased to read the insights on what went behind the scenes to set up each Season's series - from location scouting, logistics and negotiations, not to mention his dream and passion. And this is where it comes in handy and useful for us, who want to learn the art of negotiation, and to be inspired by how a simple British who made good in the American dream.

Mark also shares his insights on how to continue to be creative and re-invent the Survivor series, plus his other hit reality TV series, which shows that we should not rest on our laurels.

There are a lot of interesting points in the book which are highlighted in boxes, giving emphasis to us readers. These are helpful pointers to note what Mark wants us to pick-up and learn.

There is one particular interesting section of the book which he mentioned during his training days where he and his mates were trained to do somethings 'impossible'. Of course they succeeded, and that truly inspires that nothing can stand in between us and our dreams!

In this book, Mark also mentions about how he met idol Donald Trump, and finally even worked with him on The Apprentice. Together with his meeting with Martha Stewart too.

In all, this book truly inspires those who inspire to be in the entertainmenmt industry especially TV producers, Survivor fans, and even those who just want to read an inspiring book.

I would have loved to hear more about the steps Mark took towards success. Reading about survivor for over half the book got rather dull, although the show is his bread & butter. Reading about his experiences coming over from the U.K. as a Para-trooper, ending up a Nanny, selling shirts in Venice Beach from a fence, to his first experiences before Making-It bigtime were very enjoyable.

If there would have been more detail on these things and a little less emphasis on every single survivor show then I wouldn't have been able to put it down.

If your a survivor nut (which I'm not) then this may just be the book your looking for. If your looking for a truly interesting bio on a power player within the entertainment industry I highly recommend checking out The Operator by Tom King which is all about David Geffen (The G in Dreamworks SKG movie studio, Geffen Records, etc...)

I'm a big fan of anything inspiring. Mark Burnett is the father of reality TV. He is a man of vision, and unafraid to take "calculated risks"--something a lot of people would like to do, but are either afraid of failure, or procrastinate "jumping in". Though I didn't read his first book, I did scan through it briefly. This book is much more in depth. I do agree with other reviewers; the book does lack detail concerning his earlier life, and some of his failures (1st marriage eg.). All in all, this is a great book, written by someone who has accomplished a great deal in his life. Personally, I am bored to tears with 'Reality TV', but it has played a big part in television entertainment the last decade. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants more from life, and is willing to make the effort.