D Books

This book is an excellent introduction to the world of classical physics for NON-PHYSICISTS. While some physicists will no doubt find it accessible, there is considerable reduction of physical concepts in order to get to the heart of the ideas underlying the formalism. Also, the material goes beyond what most physicists (non-theoreticians) will find practical.

He focuses largely on a geometric presentation, in the language of differential geometry, symplectic geometry, differential forms, Riemannian manifolds and includes a large amount of algebraic necessities. This is not a cookbook for learning how to solve classical mechanics, nor is it a math book per se, but it is a wonderful collection of introductions to a vast amount of useful mathematical formalism that permeates the physical literature. I would strongly recommend it to someone needing a thorough supplementary mechanics text, one that relies on very little physical insight and focuses on the geometric and algebraic structures underlying them.

The chapters are very well self-contained for the most part so you can skip to topics you find more appealing without feeling lost. Also, his presentation style is very clever, in case you're a fan of quick thinking and novel presentations (who isn't?).

The prerequisites are familiarity with somewhat advanced calculus and "mathematical maturity". Basic knowledge of group theory would also make it an easier read.

Extremely stimulating, uses Galileo to motivate Newton's laws instead of postulating them. Treatment of Bertrand's theorem is beautiful, but contains one error (took me 2 years before I realized where..). However, I know of only one physicist who successully worked out all the missing steps and taught from this book. I know mathematicians who have cursed it. I used/use it for inspiration. The treatment of Liouville's integrability theorem, I found too abstract, found the old version in Whittaker's Analytical Dynamics to be clearer (Arnol'd might laugh sarcastically at this claim!)--for an interesting variation, but more from the standpoint of continuous groups, see the treatment in ch. 16 of my Classical Mechanics (Cambridge, 1997). In my text I do not restrict the discussion of integrability/nonintegrability to Hamiltonian systems but include driven dissipative systems as well. Another strength of Arnol'd: his discussion of caustics, useful for the study of galaxy formation (as I later learned while doing work in cosmology). Also, I learned from Arnol'd that Poisson brackets are not restricted to canonical systems (see also my ch. 15). I guess that every researcher in nonlinear dynamics should study Arnol'd's books, he's the 'alte Hasse' in the field.

The book is full of little enjoyable details (jewels). Arnold is one of the few mathematicians which approaches problems with a very geometric point of view. In his interview with S.H. Lui he mentions how algebraic picture has dominated the research in mathematics and how he has tried to counter that. One can see the trace of his ingenuity all over this book. What some may call as handwaving in math circles is indeed called as physical (or geometric) intuition in physics community and is being actively encouraged.

The chapters on oscillations (chap. 5) and perturbation theory (chap. 10) are very instructive. For example, parametric resonance is discussed concisely in chapter 5 which you won't be able to find it anywhere else. where can you learn about "Arnold's tongues" better than in Arnold's book?

There are so many appendices at the end of the book. They are often very specialized and I don't recommend you to read them on your first read.

In conclusion, I recommend this book to any physics graduate student. In fact, I hope one day it will be used as a text book for courses in classical mechanics.

I have to admit that I haven't thoroughly read through this text. But judging from the first 10 pages, there is a lot of mathematical handwaving. In contrast, foundations of mechanics (hereafter FOM) is far superior in that it provides all the necessary background beyond calculus and linear algebra to the reader, and is logically consistent so far in my reading. I want to mention that there are certainly complete and excellent texts out there on functional analysis, differential geometry, and topology, but many texts include way more stuff than you would want to know. In particular, it is my humble opinion that once you get to a certain point of knowledgeability of a subject like algebraic topology, you have enough of a taste for it that to learn more of the subject would only help if you were to go into research. Therefore a book like FOM provides a concise and practical treatment of those various advanced mathematics topics.

Best book on CM (based most on symplectic formulation). Extremely clear if one has enough patience to follow exactly the author's way and to work out the proposed stimulating problems. Contains an original way of introducing differential forms, integration of differential forms and homology/De Rahm's thm.: you fully get in the subject in few pages ! The first part does not make use of symplectic formalism but is also quite original and stimulating. The level is last yr. undergr. 1st yr. graduate. Very useful if used with E. ott (Chaos in Dynamical Systems) for studying nonlinear dynamics.

This book is great! I have read it at least half a dozen times over the years and it is a story you will never forget about Stephanie, a girl who runs away from home to find her true love- Maxwell Harrington, whom her father dislikes. She finds a ship Heading to California- the Gold Rush Country and stows away, until Chearlotte and her son - Jack, find her. In Charlotte, Stephanie finds a great friend who helps grow up and be courageous. Stephanie finds true love, but it just might not be who she thought it would be!

This is a great book! This book is my FAVORITE out of all of the Hearts nd Dreams series. It is worth the read. In the beggining she is all snotty, selfish, and inconsideret but by the end of the book she has changed SO much it's incredible! Ms. Dokey really has out done herself in this book. I've read other books of hers and this one is on my top list. If I could, I would give this book 10 stars but I can't. :-( BOO! Don't miss this exciting book about apperences and finding true love in the least expected places. Happy reading!
P.S. You wouldn't BELIEVE the ending! It's really surprising!

This is by far the Best romance pocketbook I have ever read! The plot is suspensful and the feelings are intense. Wow! I could even picture myself there! Its about a girl learning to be a better person and the meaning of true love. And, most importantly, sometimes you just have to open your eyes and see that true love is glaring right at you...

This has to be the absolute best of all the Hearts and Dreams series! I think that it has the a great plot, and it is wonderfully told. If you like reading books that have great adventures and a dash of romance, I swear you will love this book! Heck with the book, you'll love the whole series!

Stephanie Burbank is absolutley tired of listening to her father tell her what to do. But she will never forgive he lastest action: he has sent the love of Stephanie's life, Maxwell Harrington, to California to join the gold rush. Determined to be reuinted with Max, Stephanie stows away on the first ship she can find that's headed for California. When she's discovered, she's lucky that it's not by a crew member, but by a nice woman, Charlotte Kelly (Who was the main character of book two) and Charlotte's son, Jack. Charlotte decides to let Stephanie stay in her cabin, and it is that way that Charlotte makes it to California. But when she searches for Maxwell, she gets the shock of her life, and discovers he wasn't who she thought he was. Betrayed, Stephanie must start all over. Can she find a new love in Jack? And can she earn her father's forgiveness? This was a wonderful historical love story about a selfish girl maturing into an intelligant, courageous young woman who finds the true love of her life. I highly reccomend this book to teenage girls who love historical love stories.

Bob Nozik knows happiness! It isn't that he was born happy; he found happiness after many years, starting off by doing the wrong things, then through a journey of study and self-discovery. In Happy 4 Life, he offers a short cut by condensing it all into his twelve keys to happiness. Master these, and you will be happy for life.

Bob Nozik does a wonderful job of explaining happiness; providing real-life things we can do to further our own journey towards lifelong happiness. In countering the arguments of the sceptic Glumbunny at every turn, he adds an extra dimension for a balanced, easy to read manual and checklist for happiness.

One thing I really liked about "Happy 4 Life" is the amount of detail given to the effect that happiness is likely to have on you and those around you. It is strange, but true that not everyone will like you being happy!

Here's my "Bottom Line" - This is a wonderful book!
Bob Nozik, MD has written a great book to give us the valuable understanding on how to create a happy life. I highly recommend
this book! Of course we each have to take the time to read it and then decide on how to change.

Happy 4 Life: Here's How To Do It is a straightforward and recommended self-help guide by Bob Nozik (Professor Emeritus, University of California Medical Center, San Francisco) offers psychological secrets for pursuing and achieving lifelong happiness. From the importance of self-esteem, appreciation and gratitude; to balancing responsibility with a non-judgmental view; to the detours and pitfalls to watch over as one works to improve the quality of one's mood and life, Happy 4 Life is useful, accessible, and offers concepts that are easy for the nonspecialist general reader to put into the practice in the course of their everyday living.

Nozik's little how-to-be-happy book is a field manual for pilgrims on a quest for the grail of happiness. Happy himself, Nozik has organized his accumulated wisdoms into a step by step map for how to get to the Emerald City. For a literary Strawman we have Glumbunny, who over the course of the book misunderstands every principle of happiness, but Glumbunny and glum readers are slowly helped onto a more positive path to happiness by means of patient explanation, assigned homework and various mental exercises. All this in a succinct package of new age insights and popular, self-help psychology. The book is an easy read, as hopeful as a John Denver song, non-judgmental of human foibles, and packed with practical tips. Recommended for the glum, especially those who derive benefit from self-help exercises.

We have the Twelve Commandments, Twelve Step Programs, and now the Twelve Steps to Happiness, Bob Nozik's very practical and systematic guide to living happily. As one has a cooking book of recipes for creating culinary feasts, Bob serves up a series of life feasts providing all the ingredients necessary for life to be a feast of happiness. As a physician, his academic background is quite evident. He sets up a dialogue throughout the book between himself, the teacher, and `glumbunny', the student. He deals with `glumbunny's skepticism about living each step of the happy life, i.e., conscious awareness, self-like/love, self-esteem, appreciation, acceptance. These steps have practical anecdotes included with excellent quotes. Each step has its own very intriguing and unexpected approach. His exercises and practicums are very worthwhile.
However, beware this is not an academician's tome. It is meant for someone looking for a `how to' approach. I would recommend it to coaches, psychotherapists, those who are pursuing and are curious about self-development.

This book is not just for people who have anxiety or panic disorder. It encompasses healthy living for the mind, body and spirit. I recommend this book for anyone attempting to live a peaceful, healthy existence.

these books (by Edmund J Bourne) don't miss a thing. I was never diagnosed with anxiety disorder, my md hadn't heard about those disorders, and he'd run out of tests to do, and ideas. So,sometime later, when I read this book, everything fell into place, and I could then know what i needed to get(a qualified behaviourist) which i did. I'm still agoraphobic, but won't be for much longer. It's just when your md doesn't know- it wastes alot of time. These books go past informing and cover everything you need to make a recovery.

Although the title of my review may sound a little cliche and gaudy it is actually not far from the truth. Having read the excellent Anxiety and Phobia Workbooks and gaining immense insight from them, I was eager to read one more book from Edmund Bourne. This book is an excellent read/resource for a number of reasons. Bourne, himself has suffered from anxiety for over 30 years and in the first part of the book he shares his struggles with the reader which gives us a sense of connection with him. Healing Fear does have some similarities to his previous books but it has evolved and expanded. Bourne now believes that there are far more circumstances when medication may be appropriate and even necessary. Also, there is a section on herbs which are relatively new to western civilization in the treatmentment of anxiety. Something else that is different about this book is the second section which has some definite ties to spirituality. Developing Your Observing Self is one of the most powerful and meaningful chapters that I have ever read in any book. Additionally, the numerous forms of relaxation are discussed as well as finding meaning in life. There are undoubtable ties between these subjects and lasting recovery from anxiety. True recovery ofter requires a shift in the way we look at things and the pace at which we live our lives. Incorporating a certain amount of relaxation and thought calming in our everyday lives is in many cases very necessary to our complete and full recovery from anxiety. In the last chapter there is a list of things to do everyday to avoid an accumulation of stress and there is a complete appendix to the book filled with suggested readings that are inspiring. Healing Fear does just what the title says it does and you will not be disappointed with your purchase.

Chapter 1 -- The Author's Own Story
Chapter 2 -- Restoring Lost Connections (family, community, nature, self, God)
Chapter 3 -- Simplifying Your Life (reducing stress, doing what you want for a living, reducing exposure to television, increasing exposure to nature, delegating, learning to say "No")
Chapter 4 -- Caring for Your Body (relaxation, abdominal breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, pacing and downtime, exercise programs, overcoming excuses for not exercising, energy balance)

Chapter 5 -- Caring for Your Body (improving your nutrition, minimizing caffeine, reducing sugar, identifying allergic foods, reducing saturated fats, eating whole and unprocessed foods, organic foods, vegetables, fiber, daily fluid intake, protein-to-carbohydrate ratio, vitamins, amino acids, tryptophan, GABA, DLPA, herbs, glandulars, hormones, detoxification, fasting)
Chapter 6 -- Tools that Work: Help for Overcoming Panic and Phobias (The truth about panic attacks: [1] Panic attacks are unpleasant but not dangerous [2] A panic attack cannot cause heart failure or cardiac arrest [3] A panic attack will not cause you to stop breathing or suffocate [4] A panic attack cannot cause you to faint [5] A panic attack cannot cause you to lose your balance [6] You won't fall when you feel "weak in the knees" during a panic attack [7] You cannot "go crazy" during a panic attack [8] A panic attack cannot cause you to "lose control of yourself" [9] Don't fight panic. Coping strategies for managing panic: [1] Use the anxiety scale [2] Abdominal breathing [3] Coping statements [4] Other diversion techniques [5] Revising catastrophic thoughts that contribute to panic. Examples of how to change self-talk: [1] Fear of driving on a freeway [2] Fear of flying [3] Fear of contracting a serious illness. How to face what you fear: [1] Taking manageable steps [2] Relying upon a support person [3] Coping strategies [4] Avoid flooding [5] Practicing exposure to phobia 3 to 5 times each week [6] Maintaining the right attitude)
Chapter 7 -- Medication (Serotonin, tryptophan, St. John's wart, exercise, exposure to light. Types: SSRIs, benzodiazepines, cyclic antidepressants, MAO inhibitor antidepressants, beta-blockers, buspar. Should I take medication? For how long? When should I discontinue it?)
Chapter 8 -- Addressing Personality Issues (Fear of abandonment or isolation, fear of rejection or embarrassment, fear of losing control, fear of death or injury, fear of confinement)

Chapter 9 -- Developing Your Observing Self (Meditation)
Chapter 10 -- Finding Your Unique Purpose
Chapter 11 -- Enlarging Your View of Life (How spirituality can help overcome anxiety, your concept of God, deepening your relationship with God, viewing adversity and difficulties from a spiritual perspective)
Chapter 12 -- Letting Go (relaxation, humor, patience, creativity, doing for others, overcoming perfectionism, relying upon others, tolerating uncertainty, faith)
Chapter 13 -- Affirming Your Recovery
Chapter 14 -- Learning to Love (forgiveness, compassion, generosity, kindness)
Chapter 15 -- Conclusion: Acquiring Courage (Ten ways to heal fear daily)

Dr. Bourne has an excellent track record for providing real help for real people, and this book is no exception. I always love it when a self-help author is willing to put his own story out there, and Dr. Bourne does so in a way that helps readers know that they are not alone with whatever degree or variety of anxiety that haunts them.

As a psychotherapist and author who also teaches about overcoming fear's control in our lives, I have tremendous respect for Dr. Bourne's well-thought out, thorough approach to the subject. He is not a "one technique fits all" kind of author, but instead offers a very complete catalog of options from which to choose.

Last, but not least, Healing Fear has something many self-help books don't have: humility. Dr. Bourne understands that cognitive/behavioral techniques are very powerful in the face of fear and anxieties, but he includes respectful and intelligent information about the value of medication and of spiritual practice. This is a book to which I never hesitate to refer a client, friend or family member.

-Thom Rutledge, Author of Embracing Fear (HarperSanFancisco)

This author is fantastic - each book I read draws me further into this world and into the characters that exist in all the books. I want a heartmate too!

Straif Blackthorn is the last of the Blackthorn family. His entire family had been wiped out by the Celtan Angh virus fifteen years ago due to a defect in the family genes. He had decided to move back to the T'Blackthorn Residence, his ancestral home. The morning he made his decision to move back to the ancestral home, a wet cat informs him that she is his Familiar. "You will adore Me. Everybody adores Me." They adopted each other and became companions. The Fam's name is Drina. She's a beautiful half-Siamese cat, the daughter of the Cat Zanth, which is Familiar to T'Ash.

Mitchella is a member of the Clovers family. They are a family that pride themselves as the most fertile family on Celta. Mitchella cannot bear children of her own. She's sterile, a condition caused by a disease when she was a child. She has a ward, Antenn, who she loves as much as she would any child of her own body. Mitchella owns The Four Leaf Clover, a store specializing in interior design.

After returning to his ancestral home and activating the spells for housekeeping and general habitation, Drina informed Straif that the house was not up to a cat of her degree. They must go shopping. After all Drina is female, she likes shopping. She insists they shop at The Four Leaf Clover. Drina will not allow the gloom to remain in the residence. Besides, she needs an adequate pillow to sleep on. Mitchella had been pondering how she was going to keep her store open without getting a loan from her family. When Straif introduced himself and told her he needed his home redecorated and refurnished, she just knew this would be an expensive job. Sexually attracted to the man and a good paying job, could a woman ask for more? But, he's a noble of the highest class, and a relationship between them would never work.

Robin D. Owens has written another winner with HEART CHOICE. This is the fourth book in her Heartmate series. I was fascinated by the magical environment. The house itself was amazing. It was like a living being. It was able to communicate and use Straif's flair in order to take care of itself. Mitchella was able to use her flair to redecorate the rooms. She could even make walls into moving scenes. I absolutely adored the Familiar, Drina's snotty attitude. Her diva attitude had me laughing out loud many times. Straif and Mitchella's hearts had both been grievously injured in the past. Straif by the deaths of his family to the virus he had survived, and Mitchella by men's rejection due to the fact that she couldn't bear heirs. Their love for each other is almost tangible. Straif's determination to find a cure for his family's genes keeps him from seeing the possibility that Mitchella could be his Heartmate. It was wonderful to revisit Celta and get to read about some of the characters we learned about in previous books. HEART CHOICE is a wonderful book to lose yourself in for a while! I'll be anxiously awaiting the next book in this wonderfully imaginative series.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

"Hear Choice" is a romance set in an alternative world, were magic is common place. S hires M to redecorate his mansion, and suddenly discovers that he is under attack. While working closer and closer with S, M is drawn to him but worries about the future of their relationship. S is a powerful mage with a hereditary problem that leaves him vulnerable to disease. He wants more than anything to solve that problem and have children. M is a weak mage who is infertile, and that infertility pains her greatly. She is drawn to S, but knows that her inability to provide him with children ruins any chance of a long relationship.

"Heart Choice" was a pleasant surprise. The issue of infertility is addressed in a considerate manner -- no last minute "surprise" that M isn't really infertile. Unlike Owens' previous novels, S and M don't both have talking cats, and the one talking cat has a unique personality. Hurrah! M is a friendly woman, fairly considerate of S's feelings, and you could really imagine S loving her. Alas, the infertility plotline is poorly developped, including far too much fretting, an abrupt closure, and awkwardly sudden personal growth. This is regretable, since the treatment of infertility could have been such a strength of this book. The other plotlines start later in the novel but executed better.

Like Owens' other leading ladies, M issues ultimatims and walks out on her man, but M is far less prone to this behavior than the ladies in Owen's earlier novels. The relative infrequency of this hostile behavior makes it possible to enjoy M for the rest of the book. Hopefully Owens' next leading lady won't ever run away or issue an ultimatum.

Overall, "Heart Choice" provides pleasant entertainment, worth the purchase price for a little escape.

Others have written good synopsis of the characters and plot. I would like to add my recommendation. This is one good book. It makes you feel horrible with Michella when Straif rejects her because of infertility. Not many authors can make you connect to characters the way Robin Owens can. I am waiting eagerly for number 6 in the series.

Oh yes, a cat like Drina can make you really glad to be a dog person.

I absolutely love this 4th book in the Celtan series.
It is the tale of Straif Blackthorn and Mitchella Clover. Straif is the only survivor of a plague that killed off his entire family. His primary goal is to cure this plague and rebuild his family. Mitchella Clover is his Heartmate, she is perfect for him in everything except she is sterile.
I read this novel in 2 hours because the emotional journey of both Straif and Mitchella as they both realize that a family is not a unit made by blood but by love is fantastic. Together with the help of an orphan named Antemm, Straif and Mitchella rebuild the Blackthorn family. It's also a plus that Robin also writes about Famcat Drina, who is not only sassy but a Diva("Everyone Adores Me").

The contribution of Delai Lama's writing's in this century may give the world a significant change as it struggles in material pleasures of life. May his message of love and peace win over human suffering and bring about a positive change in people.

Author of "A Hot Pot of Roasted Poems"
Editor of "The Blue Fog Journal"
Rohitash Chandra

Like a few other reviewers, I am in the beginning stages of my practice of Buddhism, and I have struggled with some of the concepts I have read about from other authors, lamas, and practitioners. However, when I read this book by the Dalai Lama, the veil was lifted from my eyes and I literally felt the sudden rush of understanding. Never have I meditated on a topic so deep and full of mystery and felt that it had been explained so thoroughly and with such clarity.

The pages just fly by as you get lost in your own thoughts - your world will be literally turned upside down as you proceed through the chapters. This book will have you thinking long after completion and will allow you to experience your life through completely different (and more compassionate and understanding) eyes.

Highly recommended for experienced practitioners, as well as beginners like me who wish to grasp an extremely deep and insightful concept that will not be explained with better clarity.

This was a wonderfully insightful book that challenges you to take a hard look at the "true you". It makes you think on the choices you have made in life, and where you want to go from where you are now. I found this book very enlightening and found great peace in it's reading. I learned many things about myself that I feel have made me want to be a better person, and I believe it has helped put me on that path. I recommend this title to anyone looking for self awareness.

This book asks you to look at the world and yourself in a new way.

As a beginner in Buddhism, this was the first Buddhist book that I read. Before reading this, I had heard of many ways of Buddhist thought through small online writings, but His Holiness' 'How to See Yourself As You Really Are' truly helped me to gain a more meaningful understanding of impermanence, dependent arising, and compassion.
I suggest anyone new to Buddhism and still confused read this book.
Also, I'm currently reading His Holiness' 'The Way to Freedom' and I feel as if It's the perfect thing to read along with 'How to See Yourself As You Really Are'.

A self-described "working class intellectual" with a passion for collecting jazz records and a "flunky gig" as a file clerk in a VA hospital, Harvey Pekar pioneered the literary comic genre. His long-running series American Splendor portrays not caped superheroes with bulging muscles, but the everyday life of an ordinary guy in Cleveland. Pekar's autobiographical vignettes are introspective, honest, and often funny, candidly revealing his flaws and failures as he pushes on heroically in pursuit of love, companionship, and creative fulfillment.

Pekar's realistic dialogue (the characters speak in different dialects, which helps you "hear" them in your head) accompanies a wide range of art styles by a number of comic artists, from the quirkiness of R. Crumb to the stark realism of Greg Budgett and Gary Dumm and the meticulous, photographic detail of Gerry Shamray.

For me, this book was a great introduction to an addictive series. Chock full of amusing anecdotes and musings on everything from race relations in Cleveland to the joy of a good pair of shoes, it's a slice of life in comic book form.

I've been a fan of Harvey Pekar's work for over fifteen years. The first time I ever read his self-published comix, American Splendor, I was impressed by its examination of everyday life. His self-effacing humor grows on those who want more than mainstream comics starring spandex-clad teens with superpowers. Compared with Pekar, Spidey has it easy.

I was happy when this movie tie-in release of his early collected work was published. The everyday brilliance of the real life interactions between Pekar and his friends, co-workers and loved ones merit more attention by discerning readers. It would behoove anyone who cares about the comix medium to claim a copy for their personal reading enjoyment. This volume is not for collectors, but for fans of alternative graphic literature who want more meat and potatoes rather than the visual eye candy of more mainstream publishers.

Pekar has been described as a "working class intellectual" (The Comics Journal), and this label is respectfully accurate. He comes from a generation who grew up devouring a culture that had more respect for intelligence than is common today. Instead of just mourning this trend, Pekar rebels from it in true beatnik fashion. His long-time association with R. Crumb (who drew the very first American Splendor story, "The Harvey Pekar Name Story") attracted other artists within Cleveland as well as from other locations as the series has progressed.

The everyday heroism of Pekar working a civil service job in order to create his vision of the potential of graphic literature comes through in every page of this collection. I am glad that there are other collections and issues of American Splendor that are available. It would be grand if future generations of comix fans could gravitate around the work that Pekar has never tired from creating. Even at the worst of his lymphoma and chemo treatments, he has never quit observing and relating the drama of everyday life.

i own i think every american splendor collection book there is, and this one is my favorite. there's a few in particular that really blow me away (the one with pekar wondering around a park, reflecting on his past marriage, his present, and whether there is a God is spectacular). there are a wide variety of artists, from the goofy robert crumb drawings to more serious ones. there are certainly weak points IMO, but not as much as in the other collections. while "the quitter" is his most consistent i've read so far, there's no replacement for finding a really cool comic collection like this and reading through it, finding a bunch of random pekar stories and seeing which ones you enjoy best.

American Splendor: The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar is the largest published collection of the comic series, containing the complete text of American Splendor and More American Splendor. With an introduction by R. Crumb and art by Kevin Brown, Gregory Budgett, Sean Carroll, Sue Cavey, R. Crumb, Gary Drumm, Val Materick, and Gerry Shamray this is 320 pages of a classic American comic.

Pekar's work is a cerebral approach to the comic medium. Many of the panels have no dialog and only illustrate the external while the text reveals the thought stream of Pekar's mind. His ability to portray the inner workings of his thoughts, in a humorous and sympathetic manner, is the key to the success of his writings. The comic is a working class version of Seinfeld with a populist self-made intellectual as the leading character. Yet there is a Existentialist angst to this work that puts it in a class by itself.

This collection of Pekar writings from the 1970s and 80s was issued on the heels of the film "American Splendor," and it collects some of the best of Pekar's earlier work. Although not exclusively chronological, the presentation of the material gives a good idea of Pekar's life from his post-high school days through his meeting and marrying Joyce Brabner. (For a strictly chronological memoir, see Pekar's recent The Quitter.)

In the later Pekar work, the centerpiece of much of it is Pekar's obsessive-compulsive anxiety. But a lot of this work focuses on what might be described as Pekar's existential anxiety: his terrible loneliness, his anger and alienation, his dark reflections on the meaning of life, his desire for recognition, his regret over wasted opportunities and adolescent hubris, and his worries about future contingencies (financial security, illness and death, old age). The Pekar who comes through in these pages isn't the lovable crank of the film. Rather, the person who comes through is the outsider, a self-educated man, extremely knowledgeable in literature and music, who disdains a "normal" lifestyle and seeks freedom through nonconformity. Perhaps the finest single piece Pekar has ever written, "I'll be Forty-three on Friday (How I'm Living Now)" speaks to all this. The collection's lead story, "The Harvey Pekar Name Story," in which Pekar winds up asking "Who IS Harvey Pekar?" is a perfect set-up.

Of course, there are also lighter moments in this collection. Mr. Boats (wonderfully illustrated by R. Crumb) appears here a couple of times, and he's always good for a bit of gently funny homespun wisdom. "Mrs. Roosevelt and the Young Queen of Greece" and "On the Corner: A Sequel, June 1976" are touching pieces about the bittersweetness of memory. And the penultimate story in the collection, "Common Sense," would make even a dyed-in-the-wool misanthrope love humanity.

Highly recommended.

Excellent resource!!! I found it useful at work the first day I
received it.

The item was just as described. Very fast shipping. Would do business with again. Thank you!

This book is a great refrences book for medical staff professionals. I work in a hospital and when ever I need to find out dosing, stability ,or even description of a intravenous medication it's in this book. Also this book tells you all about how to store IV medication properly. This book really helps me alot. It's also a great resources for pharmacy school as well.

I am a pharmacist with the Cleveland Clinic and need to have a reliable, thorough, and handy reference available at all times. This book is one of the best resources I have come by thus far in my career. It is a must have! Quick and easy look up to a wealth of organized information. All hospital pharmacists should not go without it!

As a hospital pharmacist, this is the book I have at my side at all times. Gives important information on infusion rates, stability, and usual dosages and concentrations. This information can be found elsewhere of course but I have been accustomed to looking here first.

I wish I would have had this book a few years ago for our middle child, he too had "poop" issues. My friends could not even begin to understand the torment we went through weekly knowing that our son and now our youngest daughter - needed to poop. It was a week long battle of "bumping" as we called it (holding it in), dirty underwear, screaming fits, suppositories, yelling, bribing, etc...

Our son has somewhat outgrown the problem, although he only poops every two or three days. However, it is not the ordeal it once was. But we still have a four year old daughter going through the same torment. This book was an INSTANT success, I'm talking overnight. I wish I could pinpoint the thing that made the difference, but part of me has to believe seeing it on paper that another child "just like me" has the same problem, that it's okay and there are solutions. She has pooped a total of six times without much problem...we sit her on the toilet every other night and read her the book (of course at her request). My husband and I almost fell off our chair when the other day she was making motions like she needed to poop and he asked her - She said "yes" and proceeded to the toilet like it was the normal thing to do. It almost brings me to tears as I write it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Don't hesitate to get this book, it WORKS!!!

This book helped my son understand that he is not the only one with withholding problems...however it is a little wordy and loses his attention probably 1 out of every 3 times we read it.

Overall, if you have a child with bowel movement problems, I would recommend you purchase this book for them.

After 2 years of problems with pooping, this book was an overnight success for my four year old. I thought she'd be struggling with these issues into grade school and this book was so perfect in helping her to work it out and she is now totally fine. Seriously, you MUST buy this if your child struggles. A miracle book.

This is a great book but the story is quite long and hopefully will hold your childs attention to get the message across. Overall a great find.

My 3 year old son was afraid to poop in the potty and would always hold it in until it was unbearable and then go in his underwear despite all our efforts. I ordered this book and read it to him and two days later he was pooping in the potty, not once but twice a day. I strongly recommend this book if your child is experiencing pooping issues. The only downside to this book is it is a little long requiring some paraphrasing, but well worth it.

Yesterday I was having one of those "I need to have an attitude adjustment sort of days". My parents are both deceased, my mother having been buried the week of Christmas in 1988. I get sort of melancholy this time of year, and without meaning to, can slide into a "funk". Anyway, it was that kind of a day. I was looking for something in the bottom, deep drawer of my desk when I came upon Tim Richardson's book, JUMP STARTS. I had actually forgotten I had it. I read the table of contents and knew IMMEDIATELY the place I was to begin reading: Part Seven: Life Teaches Us Lessons in Attitude Adjustment! Yesterday I read "The Sun". This morning I read "Music in the Morning". Thank you, Tim, for the gift of your book. Thank you for writing it for people like me. And I thank God, who always in His timing, knows who or what to put in my path. It was no coincidence that I came across your book yesterday.

Inspirational and thought provoking vignettes. There's no reason NOT to read this book.

It was fun reading Tim Richarson's book, JUMP STARTS. I'm glad Tim has such insight and glad the proceeds go to such a worthy cause. Amazon.com is wise to carry this book. I know it will be a big seller. Businesses would be helped by including this book in their training program.

Tim Richardson displays insightful and inspiring stories in his book, Jump Starts: Wit and Wisdom to Jump Start Your Day. Tim captivates the essence of what it's all about.

Yesterday I was having one of those "I need to have an attitude adjustment sort of days". My parents are both deceased, my mother having been buried the week of Christmas in 1988. I get sort of melancholy this time of year, and without meaning to, can slide into a "funk". Anyway, it was that kind of a day. I was looking for something in the bottom, deep drawer of my desk when I came upon Tim Richardson's book, JUMP STARTS. I had actually forgotten I had it. I read the table of contents and knew IMMEDIATELY the place I was to begin reading: Part Seven: Life Teaches Us Lessons in Attitude Adjustment! Yesterday I read "The Sun". This morning I read "Music in the Morning". Thank you, Tim, for the gift of your book. Thank you for writing it for people like me. And I thank God, who always in His timing, knows who or what to put in my path. It was no coincidence that I came across your book yesterday.