Howard Books

I just finished reading "Black Jews, Jews, and Other Heroes" by Howard Lenhoff (Gefen Publishing House, Jerusalem, 2007), which deals with the politics behind the rescue of the Ethiopian Jews. As a
scientist who has served 10 years on the faculty of Bar Ilan University in Israel, Lenhoff's descriptions of
Israeli and American attitudes and practices resonate with my
experience. His book was engrossing from beginning to end! It is truly
a heroic tale of struggle and compassion. I congratulate him on writing
such a compelling account of this moving exodus. May the example set by Lenhoff and his colleagues inspire others
to agitate and to right wrongs for people in need

Early in this book Howard Lenhoff interrupts his narrative with a discussion of what constitutes history. It is a particularly apt discussion because, as is said of journalists, in this book Howard Lenhoff is writing a first draft of history. As he also makes clear, this is not the story of how the Jewish population of Ethiopia, the Falasha, was rescued, although it is an important part of that story. The struggle to accomplish this rescue, carried out over decades through the work of many individuals in many places, was as complex an effort as any battle, military campaign, or war - so it is perhaps appropriate that as I read Howard's account I remembered the words of the Duke of Wellington,

"The history of a battle is not unlike the history of a ball. Some individuals may recollect all the little events of which the great result is the battle won or lost; but no individual can recollect the order in which, or the exact moment at which they occurred, which makes all the difference...But if a true history is written, what will become of the reputation of half of those who have acquired reputations, and who deserve it for their gallantry, but who, if their mistakes and casual misconduct were made public would not be so well thought of?"

It is to the author's credit that he states simply he is telling the story of "how grassroots activism led to the rescue of the Ethiopian Jews," in the form of the American Association for Ethiopian Jews (AAEJ), which he helped found in 1974. This book delivers that story while also citing many other works that address other aspects and elements of the story as seen and experienced by others - from individuals to government agencies.

As I read the book I had the feeling that I was actually sitting at a kitchen table as Howard Lenhoff - aided by former U.S. Refugee Coordinator officer Jerry Weaver - recounted the tale, complete with digressions, interruptions, some meandering, but always with a determination that the whole truth be told. In a similar interest of full disclosure, I should point out that during my own U.S. Foreign Service career I served as the Embassy Refugee Officer in Kinshasa dealing with the refugees in then-Zaire (again the Congo today) as they sought to escape an ongoing civil war in neighboring Angola. I was also familiar with Ambassadors Lyman and Horan, actually serving as one of the latter's intelligence briefers during his time as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs before his posting as Ambassador to Cameroon, and these contacts left me with very positive assessments of both. I am also happy to say that nothing in Howard Lenhoff's account of the role played by these two men in this effort on behalf of the Falashas has caused me to alter those opinions.

The author suggests that the efforts of the AAEJ as told in this book could present the reader with a model for activism. However, while it captures the required enthusiasm and persistence demonstrated by Howard Lenhoff and his many collaborators, it is not as written a "how-to" book. The discerning reader may even find in its pages a revelation that may have escaped several of our current presidential candidates - the often-hard reality that the politicians, officials, and bureaucrats in government are locked in a symbiotic relationship with the activists, agitators, and general political troublemakers outside of government. The former frequently need the latter to keep them focused on issues that really are of importance to society at large - and the latter need the former because for all of their energy and commitment, they lack both the legislative authority to make new laws and the executive power to make the government act.

This book also makes clear the importance of one other essential ingredient for making anything happen in the world at large - money. Ultimately, individuals, corporations, governments, and all organizations have one sure way of identifying and demonstrating what is important to them and that is to spend money to obtain it or to accomplish it. All of the good intentions and wishes in the world were not enough to help rescue Ethiopia's Jews until the AEJJ and people like Howard Lenhoff, Jerry Weaver, and others demonstrated that it was important enough to them to spend money on actually achieving that goal.

As Howard Lenhoff noted early in this work, "Black Jews, Jews, and Other Heroes" is not the story of the rescue of the Falasha. Nevertheless, the story told here is an important contribution to the telling of that story. Anyone wanting to know the whole story of that rescue, whether scholar or general reader, will need to read this book along with the many other works generously cited in its pages in order to come close to knowing this story.

Inside story of a momumental achievement--rescuing Ethiopian Jews and getting them to Israel.

Writtten by a trailblazer-- Howard Lenhoff-- whose grassroots organization helped awake American Jews to the need to help rescue their forgotten black sisters and brothers and bring them home to Israel.

This historical achievment is a modern day miracle. Today there are two Ethiopian-born Israelis in the Israeli Knesset (Parliament).

Howard Lenhoff's book is important because it tells how a small group of dedicated people helped to save thousands of lives. In fact, the entire culture of Ethiopean Jewry was saved. This book goes to the heart of our humanity.

The book is well written and is presented in first-person form. Highly recommended.

Lenhoff relates, in clear and riveting style, the compassion, courage, ingenuity and tenacity required to achieve an epic humanitarian goal in the face of inscrutable and overwhelming odds. Thus the rescue of ancient tribes of enslaved black Jews from Ethiopia (Falashas or Beta Yisrael) and their immigration to Israel (aliyah) during operations Elijah, Moses, Sheba, Pidyon Shevuyim and Solomon required catalytic activism of a host of heroes from, among others, the American Association of Ethiopian Jews (AAEJ; 1974-1993). Lenhoff was President of AAEJ from 1978 to 1982, a fledgling group that first irritated, then involved established organizations in American and Israel Jewry. He reveals the oscillating evolution of an intricate tapestry of motivation, information, recruitment and insertion during the growth of AAEJ, including conflicts and compromises, in religious and political arenas, with bureaucracy of the government of Israel.

The exodus began slowly by trailblazing efforts to smuggle single or small groups of Falashas, eventually totaling about 1000, to the squalor of refugee camps in Sudan, then at war with Israel, and to Kenya, and then onward to Europe and Israel. Mass exodus of more that 10,000 Beta Israel from Sudan, orchestrated by Jerry Weaver during Operation Moses, occurred late in 1984, followed by Operation Sheba during which 500 remaining refugees were liberated. Still, some 25,000 black Jews remained in Ethiopia. In the next five years, more than 1,000 of them were transported to a refugee camp in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, then on to Israel. In the first few months of 1991,about 5,000 Falashas made the trip to the Promised Land. Amazingly, an additional 14,000 were airlifted from Addis Ababa to Israel during Operation Solomon on May 24 and 25, 1991, under the direction of LaDena Schnapper. A few thousand Ethiopian Jews in outlying communities missed the Airbus and were rescued over the next seven years.

For this non-activist Christian scientist, heroics behind the monumental triumph of liberating Ethiopian Jews merit award of a Nobel Peace Prize!

Trust me, this book is a heck of a lot more entertaining than it appears to be via that old adage about book covers. Still, I must admit those crazy old Southern names and those exressions on the characters drew me into what turned out to be a truly hilarious story that the working class will appreciate--at least the babies and puppies of the working class folk. The prose demands to be read with a western or southern accent and the names are so stereotyped I cracked up. But under the whole stylized theme was an extremely sweet story about the true meaning of friendship. Hilariously written and adorable.

The Bubba and Beau books are amongst the sweetest, most colorfully written, picture books I have seen and we have loads :-) ! Kathi Appelt captures the Texas drawl perfectly and Arthur Howard's illustrations are just charming. For baby showers to birthday presents, Bubba and Beau is one of my top five choices.

Our school librarian read this to our preschool class. They all loved it, as did I.

Bubba is a baby and Beau is a dog. Like the title of the book says they are best friends! They have so much in common. They both are very loud, they don't like baths, they chew on everything and they both crawl on all fours! Join them for all of their adventures!


The illustrations were cute and the cover caught the eye of our 3 and 1 year olds.

It's a quick read. Perfect for the lap sit age!

Appelt's funny and charming tale of the almost simultaneous birth and budding friendship between a boy named Bubba and a puppy named Beau is heartwarming and enchanting. With no apparent idea that they are different species, these naïve babies" bond over their shared first traumas - i.e., the laundering of their beloved "blankie" and their own first baths. Howard's simple charcoal and watercolor renderings of Bubba and Beau could capture the heart of the most hardened soul. Their eyes, expressions, and movements are all enchanting. Howard's equally charming and amusing renderings of the human and dog parents and the Texas ranch where the story takes place provide the "icing on the cake." The result is a book that oozes with life, warmth, security, friendship, and love. Child judges awarded it the 2002 Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature. To accommodate short attention spans, Appelt has even broken the story up into five well-defined chapters. Readers wanting more of Bubba and Beau will not be disappointed - there are already two sequels, Bubba and Beau Go Night Night and Bubba and Beau Meet the Relatives. Highly recommended for ages 18 months to 4 years.

Having this book with three young kids is a must! Great reference for sick babies and also loads of interesting stuff about growth and development.

I got this book as a gift, and I admit I rolled my eyes a bit and wondered what the person was thinking. That was then...this is now! With three kids ranging from 1 to 7 years old, this book is my essential health reference. Despite that fact that you can look up anything on the internet nowadays, this book is so well-organized and lists almost every condition you can think of, from vomiting to Fifth's disease to bug bites. The best part is that it lists very concisely which symptoms you can treat yourself, need to call the doctor for or go to the ER for. Certainly you should always go with your gut (I have a few times, wisely) - but this book is a huge help with guiding a parent through an illness. I pull it out at least five or six times a year. Highly recommended!

I bought this book after I had my first child 6 years ago. I have consistently referred to it and found the information very useful and the recommendations quite reasonable. It covers every subject you may encounter in a true reference format. The book comes in VERY handy when you have a sick or injured child, but are unsure if a trip to the ER is necessary. This book has been my standard gift to anyone expecting their first child.

This book is awesome. I'm a mother of 2 and didn't need any help with my first child, but my second child was very difficult and I found this to be an invaluable resource. It even lets you know when you should contact your doctor or when you should head to the emergency room. Being from Boston, I know that Boston Children's Hospital is one of the best in the nation. What is also great about this book is that it covers the developmental tasks of a typical child for a specific age group. It is a great basis to know if your child is under or over performing and helps you find your strengths and weaknnesses. It also has all of the growth charts in the back and an amazing appendix of different child illnesses. Anything you could possible want to know or have questions about when and if you need to be concerned is in here. It's like a Bible!

If you are about to have your first child, buy this book. If one of your children or grandchildren is about to have a first child, give this book to her or him as a gift. If you like this book as much as I think you will, you should consider having a copy at home and one in each of the family cars for situations that arise while away from home.

This book deserves more than five stars. It is the only comprehensive guide to childhood development and illnesses that I have seen. The content is remarkable for being easy to understand, concise, and representing many different perspectives (including those of moms, dads, elder siblings, physicians, and other health care professionals). The book exudes a respectful sense of optimism that parents will do a good job, and avoids taking stands about issues related to religious preferences. At the same time, the book is quite up-front about pointing out what works best for children and their families.

The book is organized so that the first four sections deal with developmental issues, from learning to mimic to toilet training to dealing with jealous siblings to school adjustment, on through the school age years in considerable detail. The fifth part gives you information on childhood illnesses, injuries, and conditions.

I particularly liked the way the development sections talked about how children usually regress just before making a major development, and that this is healthy. The book even points out the good sides of childish outbursts. I wish someone had told me these things many years ago!

Having been a parent of four children over the last 30 years, I checked out the book against every illness, emergency, and developmental issue that I ran into for my own children and their friends. In each case, there was relevant material that told me more than I knew when I had to deal with each of these issues, despite having read every book on child care that I could lay my hands on prior to the experience. In particular, the book is very good at explaining both the near-term and the long-term consequences of a situation. For example, one of our children went into severe convulsions with a sudden spike in fever to 106 degrees. The book points out that this happens to about five percent of all children, more often to boys, and that there usually are no long-term consequences. I wish I had known that at the time.

I would especially like to praise the chapter on child care, which has 31 pages that summarize the best and latest research on how to select the right kind of child care if both parents work. You even get what the ratio of child-care people should be to children at different ages. Further, there's an excellent section earlier on what's involved when a child is sick, including how parents should think about how to balance their work and the needs of a sick child who needs a parent at home.

Of particular value to new parents will be the sections in each area called "When to Call the Doctor" which gives you a sense of not only "when" but "how quickly" you should seek help.

To get some idea of how contemporary and extensive this book is, you will find a section on "Body Piercing Infections."

Unlike many books on childhood and pediatric illnesses, this one is not the views of one person. Instead, over 80 physicians and pediatric experts combined to share their expertise, drawing on individuals practicing at Boston Children's Hospital or teaching at Harvard Medical School. I have great faith in Boston Children's Hospital having often taken our children there to deal successfully with important illnesses. I am also pleased to say that one of our children has survived the experience to become a staff member in the hospital's emergency room.

The section on emergencies is not only good, it is also organized to help you prepare to handle emergencies before they occur . . . and to avoid them in some cases. Those pages are rimmed in pink so you can find them quickly if you are in a panic.

Give children the best informed and most loving attention you can!

When I first found out about this book, I immediately came to Amazon and read the reviews listed with this one. I must whole heartedly agree with my fellow reviewers that this book is filled with a lot of never before seen photos and information about George Lucas that the public has never had access to before. It is graphically beautiful. When I first received my copy, I literally couldn't put it down for hours. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning more about the man behind the Star Wars saga.

This guy has got it together - a great look inside the creative process and genius of the modern film maker. Absolute must have for a Star Wars fan or anyone wanting to learn more about the cause and effect this one man has had on the film industry, movie making, motion pictures and the technology to bring them to life - far beyond any one else has ever done before..... travel into hyperspace with this book.

By now, most people have seen one George Lucas film, just as they have most likely seen a film by Steven Spieldberg. This wonderfully photographed and informative coffee table book has everything you need to know about the directoral genius and the history of his films. It all began in the late 60's, when he and Steven Spieldberg graduated from USC in Southern California. They would both go on to become leading American film directors. Lucas's first attempt at film was a successful student film- THX 1138, a chilling science fiction film about a futuristic, militant society akin to George Orwell's 1984. Already, there are signs of his most recognizable movie Star Wars as in that film a young man defies the oppressive regime and attempts to rescue himself but fails to do so. In the mid 70's, Lucas had already created the storylines for his Star Wars saga. It is a 9 part saga. We have seen Episodes 1-6. Beginning in 1977 with Episode 4 A New Hope, the film that won him instant fame. The book recounts the making of the film on location, the casting of Mark Hammill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford- actors who at that time were in need of a successful film role. The book even details original scenes that were cut off. In 1980, The Empires Strikes Back was released and it proved to be the highest grossing sequel of a film ever made. 1983's Return of the Jedi, as wonderfully made as it was, has never been as successful as the first two, though it raps the saga nicely. In 1999, Lucas released Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, the first installment of his space opera which tells of the growth and downfall of the young Anakin Skywalker who becomes Darth Vader. 2002's Attack of the Clones dealt with the Clone Wars and the budding romance of Padme and Anakin. 2005's Revenge of the Sith describes the Sith takeover and the destruction of the Old Republic and extinction of the Jedi, all except for Yoda, Obi-Won and Padme's twins Luke and Leia. Lucas had a hand in the making of Spieldberg's popular Indiana Jone series. We have seen how he has become a film-maker who relies on great stories and the magic effects of cinema and computer graphic/digital technology. He is the only director who can point us to the path of how future movies will be made.

This book is filled with rare and beautiful images from the Lucas archive. If you're interested in George Lucas, there is no alternative. The story is pretty good, although a little limited. If you combined the images from this book with the detailed story in DROIDMAKER (subtitled- George Lucas and the Digital Revolution- which i just read straight through and LOVED), I think you'd have the perfect Lucas book. Still, i highly recommend this.

Excellent book about Lucas' life and projects. Special focus is of course on Star Wars and Indiana Jones. The Star Wars (original film) is the best chapter and there is some excellent stuff there - including segments from the first draft of the film and how the story changed from the first and final draft. This tells the real story about Lucas and his incredible path from the shy film student to the man that would change film making forever. A must for all fans of films. This is a truly interesting book with some great pictures and it is very easy to read. Highly recommended.

After reading this book, I thought of two beautiful dancers who are so intune with each other that the one who is following knows instinctively where the other is leading. What a beautiful book and the what possibilities for a beautiful dance with my heavenly Father.

Jeff Walling brings a fresh approach to an ancient subject: finding God's presence. At one moment you will laugh; the next you will be wiping tears of encounter from your eyes. But at all times, you will be coming to understand that finding God is not just a dry exercise in religion, but a dynamic revelation into the very presence of God. Read it VERY slowly and dare to ask God, "May I dance with you?"

Jeff Walling used to speak at least once a year where I attended college, and I never missed him speak if I could help it. When I heard about this book, I bought it as soon as I could, and I'll never regret it. This is a wonderful book that takes a good look at the walls we build that keep us from experiencing the joys of life. Jeff discusses many ways to give up guilt and control to God in order to experience the great joys, and even the sorrows, that God has intended for us, by letting God lead us in the dance of life.

This book is an absolute for anyone but particularly for the Christian who desires more than just a church life. Dancing, romancing and falling in love with the Savior all over again is a wonderful experience and worth it all. Stoping with Him to smell the roses in life was worth it all. Thanks Jeff Walling and Max Lucado for letting Him lead in your Dance. You've saved another soul from dispair. I have, over the last year become a Max Lucado fan, which lead me to this book. Man was it worth it!

Jeff Walling gives a great analogy of our relationship with God as a dance with him. He talks of the steps we must go through to truly let God lead us and allow us to enjoy the journey we take with him. Chapters are a bit long (I'm use to Lucado!) but they are filled with valid points and useful information!

Excellent book for any new manager as well as managers with experience. I like Mr. Blair's approach to leading people vs managing them. His examples of situations he has experienced really show his understanding of leadership and ability to execute results. This would be an excellent book for companies to give to new managers before they have the opportunity to make unnecessary mistakes with their employees.

There is not a lot of good information on the important considerations for a new manager. Howard Blair has done a good job of describing some of the most important things a new manager should know. I wish that I had been able to read a book like this when I first started as a supervisor many years ago.

"Don't be a Dead Fish" has sixteen of the fundamental rules of great leaders in an easy to understand and logical format. The author says this book is designed for new managers (leaders), but even experienced executives will find some areas where they can improve. "Don't be a Dead Fish" is easy to read, concise, to the point, and contains advice all managers can use. You can't go wrong with this one.

Don't be a Dead Fish is definitely not a dead fish - it's a great read! The author is speaking with over forty years of experience in higher management and he presents several management techniques in a clear, concise and entertaining manner. I think this is a must read for both new and veteran corporate leaders alike.

Who should read this book? Anyone who supervises people, who is going to be supervising someone, or who will be working for someone else (in order to find a boss that will be a joy to work for).

It is a marvelous list of examples to show how to avoid being a "dead fish" manager, and instead, become a real leader. It is applicable to any organization: big business, small business, government offices, non-profits, volunteer organizations and, to some extent, even a family.

If everyone who reads this book takes the suggestions to heart, organizations would be more productive, more efficient, happier places to work, and the leaders would progress up the ladder of success much more rapidly.

This is a book on the life and work of Dr. Max Gerson written by his grandson Howard Straus. It tells the story of Gerson from his boyhood in Wongrowitz, Germany through the years of his education in Breslau and his subsequent fame as medical practictoner, and curer of Tuberculosis throughout Europe. It then tells of his with the rise of the Nazis migration to New York establishing his practice , and coming to concentrate on curing cancer. The book claims that Gerson was the first true holistic physician who took into account the whole person and the environment in treating illness.
Straus relates how Gerson as a young man had cured himself from migraine by radically changing his diet, moving away from the salt and fat rich diet of processed food common at that time to one based on wholly organic and natural foods.
The cancer therapy of Gerson is controversial. One major story thread has to do with Gerson's persecution by the medical establishment on both sides of the Atlantic. There is one especially moving chapter on Gerson's treatment of Johnny Gunther, the son of the well- known correspondent John Gunther who later wrote the book 'Death be not Proud' about his son's struggle. Gerson's treatment seemed to be working but then a hormone treatment was given which he initially opposed doing. This led to the decline in the young man's' condition, and his death. The genuine soul- searching displayed by Gerson are an indication that he was not simply a formula- driven - fanatic but a caring physician.
I have no way of evaluating the effectiveness of the Gerson treatment. It would seem however on the surface that were it the cure- all it is claimed to be it would have been universally adopted. I simply do not know.
I do know this is a very interesting book, a story of a pioneering physician who cared about healing and developed original methods for doing so.

Here is the story of an authentic struggler; of a man of strict discipline and iron will; of a humble server of Humanity and courageous and strong defender of his profound convictions.

With the historical contexts provided by writer Barbara Marinacci, Howard Straus leaves the realm of his academic field with the noble purpose of doing justice to his grandfather in a biography that ought to be required reading in more than one college subject.

Its reading is not only beneficial for anyone who is curious about knowledge, but also for those who take courses on the history of medicine, on nutrition, and even on the History of Europe of the beginning of the past century. Its reading certainly is indispensable in the field of the research of cancer as a specialized and highly lucrative industry.

The smoothly flowing account is organized in two parts on a chronological basis "The European Years" and "The American Years." It begins with the years Dr. Gerson lived in Europe because it was there, in Germany, where he was born in 1881. It ends in America because it was in the City of New York, in the American hemisphere, where he took refuge with his family in 1936, without knowledge of English, after he anticipated the imminent Nazi's barbarian affront against Humanity.

Without sacrificing details and without being boring, Straus describes the life of animosities, persecution, rejections, and reprisals that doctor Gerson faced on the part of the so-called medical class ? as well as an attempt to kill him with arsenic ?for having dared to dedicate the power of his genial intellect to finding a cure for patients who had been sentenced to a certain death that their physicians believed to be imminent.
With his careful research and daring innovations, Gerson made those galens look bad when he brought many of them back to health ? something they could not forgive him for.

In the course of doing research for this book, Straus had the support not only of his relatives and of former patients of his grandfather, but had also the benefit of abundant clinical files, handwritten notes, Gerson's formal and personal correspondence and of the book the intrepid physician got to publish: A Cancer Therapy: Results of 50 Cases (1958). Reference is made also to the numerous articles that this pioneer of holistic and alternative medicine wrote, as well as to the many that the entities that tried to discredit him, systematically refused to publish.

Although the justified pride with which the author describes his grandfather's odyssey in scientific research and in his unconventional practice of medicine is evident, the fact that he allows to see personality traits of him that could seem negative, at least at first glance, such as his rigid discipline and self esteem, is no less evident.

Moreover, plenty of evidence is shown pertaining to the role of some well known organizations to sabotage Gerson's work, that is, of entities which historically have reaped lucrative benefits from the fact that cancer is deemed an incurable disease. Within this context, Gerson told one of his patients in a letter in October 1954, that his "main opponent" was Dr. Cornelius P. Rhoads, whose name the American Association for Cancer Research has dropped recently from one of its awards.

When he learned that his physician and friend died of chronic pneumonia in March 1959, his compatriot, patient, and colleague, Albert Schweitzer, said about Gerson that he was "one of the most eminent geniuses in the history of medicine." Read this book and you will see why.

J. Ortiz
San Juan, P. R.

This book is a wonderful and informative read. I found the storyline
portions to be riveting, especially the story of Dr. Max's escape from
the Nazis. Additionally fascinating were the historical facts of
Dr. Max's discoveries and disease-curing results and how they were
received by the mainstream medical establishments in Europe and USA.

The author's writing style is superb and very enjoyable to read.
I think that all readers will find the book interesting and will enjoy
learning Dr. Max's scientific & personal history and will recognize
the repeated chord the AMA strikes with regard to Dr. Max & the Gerson
diet. Also if readers follow recent health news & studies, they
have already seen many scientific studies
converging on the basic truths of Dr. Max's discoveries.

I strongly recommend this book and have bought copies for many friends
and relatives, and my primary-care MD... But in the
meantime, please buy your own copy and read it. It's a great book.

After talking with Howard (the Author) during business, he piqued my interest in his new book. He sold me a copy and I read it in a few weeks, and I was very impressed. This book opened my eyes to a lot of things, mostly things that I already knew, but never quite pieced together like that. (You ever get that? Know something but have it never really hit you?) the practice with Nutrition, the way doctors behave it all sadly made so much sense.

This book is a tragedy in my opinion, a man constantly shot down for his efforts. But we should all learn from his example, Dr. Gersons efforts are not in vain for his legacy lives on in this book.

More on the book however, I love many of the metaphors and vocabulary used IE "The Exodus of the Ants". Also, the book contains information that should be in everyone's thoughts. Now the reason it took a few weeks to read is it drags along toward the middle (as biographies tend to do). Taking a break solves this, reflecting on the information you've read for a while then starting it up again.

I put it in my great book category, and have already lent it to many friends.

This book is extremely well wrote. You will be entertained from the very begining as you are hurdled through the multiple emotions of ones mans struggle to be able to truely heal all who have illness. The book tells the life story of an incredible healer and doctor and his nutritional and detoxifying diet therapy that he found was able to cure some forms of degenerative disease and benefit many other far reaching illnesses such as cancer. It is the story of a heroic man full of passionate veracity who was able to escape persecution from Hitler and the orthodox establishments that found him a threat to their standard treatments of disease. Yet today people do not have the knowledge of Max Gerson's treatment in order to make their own decision about their health and the treatments they would choose for any disease they might have.
Thank God Howard Straus wrote this book!
I think it is time that the story the American Medical Establishment and Pharmaceutical Companies have been hushing the last 40 years or more be told. Max Gerson is a genius that has worked next to all the greats of medicine. His concepts were early for his time. Now is the time that his treatment methods should be accepted, publicized and used mainstream as an alternative choice for those who would prefer something beyond pharmacy pills, surgery and radiation.

A Fantastic and Inspiring Book. Elston Howard was a great man who had guts and charisma. This is a must read for ALL baseball fans and even non baseball fans! Enjoy!

MRS HOWARD AND MR WIMBISH DO A SUPERB JOB IN TELLING THE LIFE AND CAREER OF FORMER YANKEE GREAT ELSTON HOWARD. ELSTON DESERVED A MUCH LONGER LIFE. THIS IS WRITTEN WITH MUCH HONESTY AND SENSITIVTY. . FROM THE JIM CROWE LAWS TO ARROGANCE AND PREJUDICE, ELSTON HOWARD FACED MANY BARRIERS ALONG THE WAY TO STARDOM. HE WAS QUITE A PLAYER AND DESERVED MUCH MORE RECOGNITION. THIS BOOK BEAUTIFULLY DESCRIBES THE TRADGEDY, TURMOIL, AND TRIUMPHS THAT CAME TO HIM AND HIS FAMILY. A MUST READ FOR ALL YANKEE FANS AND HISTORIANS OF BASBALL. A GREAT READ.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. It's not just a well written story, but it seems to give true insight to life inside the Yankees during one the franchise's most notable eras. Mickey, Yogi, Elston and company made history together. Arlene stood tall in her role as the first black Yankee wife and Elston prevailed with honor and sportsmanship during these difficult transitional years. Mrs. Howard and Mr. Wimbish's collaboration deserves kudos and more readers. Even long suffering Red Sox fans (just like me!) won't be disappointed.

The story of Elston Howard's climb through the baseball ranks during the height of the Jim Crowe laws is not to be missed by anyone who likes baseball or history. His widow Arlene sees his great rise and tragic end to a debilitating disease with the eyes of an old-fashioned story-teller: passionate and dispassionate, an actor on the stage and an observer from the audience. A must read for baseball fans, black history buffs, and those who want to know what it was like to live inside a separate America during one of its greatest and worst eras.

For those of us who grew up in the 50's with the Yankees, Dodgers, and Giants all in New York, it is a great story evocative of those days told from with a fine eye and keen perspective. A must read for young and old alike - a story that should never be forgotten. Elston Howard's widow is direct and unsparing in this straight forward narrative of their life together with Baseball.

I have the listened to the BBC dramatization of Enquiry at least a dozen times and the unabridged version several additional times and it never fails to entertain me. It was the first of the Dick Francis stories I listened to or read and it is brilliant from several points of view. The development of all the characters is done so well, especially Kelly Hughes and his helper Roberta and minor characters such as the sleazy detective and the horse trainers and owners. You meet so many memorable characters as Kelly seeks to clear his name and Dexter Cranfield's as well. Kelly Hughes was the kind of hero several stories could have been done about and I wish there were more. While not all the Francis stories were written quite as well as this story, I listen to this one several times a year. I strongly recommend this book/audio to all fans of Dick Francis and the hourse racing business.

Jockey Kelly Hughes and trainer Dexter Cranfield have their licenses suspended by the Oxford stewards for supposedly throwing a race. Hughes believes that they were framed and he sets out to clear their names and get the licenses restored. Who would want to ruin their careers? As the truth is revealed we hear a story of sexual deviation, blackmail, fixed evidence and attempted murder.

"Yesterday I lost my licence."

That's how the book begins ... and indeed Kelly Hughes, a leading jump jockey , has been indefinitely suspended from racing after being found guilty of deliberately losing a race.

He knows that someone has rigged evidence against him, and rather than sit back and wait for the ban to be lifted , he sets out to find his secret enemy.

Hughes isn't a detective, and just as he doesn't really know how to carry out an investigation, the reader can't guess at how the plot will develop. My favourite highlight is when Hughes is driving home after a dance. At first it seems to be just a 'filler' scene, but it turns into something more dramatic - and the writing here is particularly well-crafted.

The two main characters are Hughes himself , a widower, and Roberta, the snooty daughter of his employer. Near the start of the book Roberta asks him:

" "That picture .. that's your wife isn't it?"
I nodded.
"I remember her". She said. "She was always so sweet to me. She seemed to know what I was feeling. I was really awfully sorry when she was killed"
I looked at her in surprise. The people Rosalind had been sweetest to had invariably been unhappy. She had had a knack of sensing it, and giving succour without being asked. "

Unfortunately Roberta has been brought up by her father to regard jockeys as an inferior social class, and it takes a long time for the two of them to kindle any real friendship, let alone romance.

Francis is particularly good in this book with the minor characters - such as the aristocratic Bobbie, who clearly is very fond of Roberta but can't help hinting that Hughes is a better match for her, or Derek the diffident mechanic who kept most of his brains in his fingertips.

The plot doesn't flag, the tale builds to a satisfactory climax and I only wish Hughes had appeared in another of Francis' books.

This was the first Dick Francis book I have read and I must say that I am impressed! I bought it because I had nothing to read one rainy afternoon and because I am interested in horseracing. I read it in one day. The characters were real and the plot was interesting. If you look at the copy I have you will see all kinds of scribbles in it where I have marked quotes and phrases that I liked. For example, Kelly describes how he feels after his accident as "Not so much as banging the head against a brick wall as being actively attacked by a cliff". Yep, I know that feeling...Francis just said it better than I could have. Just one warning...don't pick up this book unless you can afford to spend the whole afternoon reading it.

The primary reason I continue to seek out and read Dick Francis is that he continually creates heroes that are efficacious and rational. He avoids the common pitfalls of most modern writers, and instead invents characters who pass the ultimate test: "Would I like to meet and know this person?" If you can answer "yes" to that question then there is great potential for enjoyment in the fiction centered around that character. If you answer "no" to that question, why even bother reading further?

Dick Francis' characters almost always recieve an unreserved "YES!" Read "Enquiry," it's not the best from Francis but it's still furlongs beyond the rest.

This book is a great example of what a good philosophical collection can be -- both an introduction to a problem and a valuable addition to the work on the problem. This book contains many essays (by Howard-Snyder, William Rowe, Peter van Inwagen, Alvin Plantinga, Paul Draper, et al.), but I have found each of them invaluable. The only problem I have with it is that I wish there were more nontheists in the mix (with 10 of 16 articles and 3 of 5 people who were allowed two articles being theistic); but that's just my partisanship showing. No matter what antecedent leanings you have, this book will probably shake you up in one way or another. This is a gem.

The existence of evil - undeserved human and animal pain and suffering - has been a barrier to religious belief for many people. One of those people was this reviewer's mother, raised Catholic but turned atheist after witnessing terrible suffering in her native Scotland during World War II. As she once told me, "when you've seen mothers holding their children, both riddled with machine gun bullets from German planes, it's impossible to believe there's a good God in heaven". Bertrand Russell once made the comment that "no one can believe in a good God if they've sat at the bedside of a dying child."

C.S. Lewis called this issue "The Problem of Pain" in his book of that title. The current preferred term is "The Evidential Argument From Evil" because, as explained in the Introduction, it's not a "Problem" except for people who believe in God.

Readers of this book will discover why belief in an all-good, all-powerful God, in the face of human suffering and evil, is not necessarily "cognitively dissonant". It provides a balanced, fair treatment of the issue by both believers and atheists.

The book is quite technical at times. Several of the essays feature complex equations purporting to illustrate various logical propositions. There is also a good deal of philosophical jargon used. Nonetheless, while the book is not as readable as anything by C.S. Lewis (or Ayn Rand for that matter), it provides the best treatment I've seen in print of the arguments for both sides in this perennial issue.

This book is a collection of articles from theologians and philosophers alike on "The Evidential Argument From Evil". What makes this book a fantastic read is the approach of the book: every article takes the arguments of the preceding article into consideration. Thus the articles build up an interesting dialog to the problem given. If the topic appeals to you, grab this book to obtain fascinating insights into different views on this problem and their respective flaws.

Anyone interested in the debate over the evidential argument from evil simply must have this book. It includes two influential but distinct formulations of the argument--those by William Rowe and Paul Draper--followed by a number of essays written in response to one another. The list of authors who contributed to the anthology is impressive. Besides Rowe and Draper, the book also contains essays by Richard Swinburne, Alvin Plantinga, Richard Gale, Bruce Russell, Peter van Inwagen, and Stephen Wykstra.

Like Cole Mitchell, I was also somewhat disappointed by the demographics of the book (10 of the book's 16 articles were theistic). Despite this flaw, I was still so pleased with the book that I rated it with 5 stars. Any serious student of the problem of evil will want their own copy of this book.

The existence of evil - undeserved human and animal pain and suffering - has been a barrier to religious belief for many people. One of those people was this reviewer's mother, raised Catholic but turned atheist after witnessing terrible suffering in her native Scotland during World War II. As she once told me, "when you've seen mothers holding their children, both riddled with machine gun bullets from German planes, it's impossible to believe there's a good God in heaven". Bertrand Russell once made the comment that "no one can believe in a good God if they've sat at the bedside of a dying child."

C.S. Lewis called this issue "The Problem of Pain" in his book of that title. The current preferred term is "The Evidential Argument From Evil" because, as explained in the Introduction, it's not a "Problem" except for people who believe in God.

Readers of this book will discover why belief in an all-good, all-powerful God, in the face of human suffering and evil, is not necessarily "cognitively dissonant". It provides a balanced, fair treatment of the issue by both believers and atheists.

The book is quite technical at times. Several of the essays feature complex equations purporting to illustrate various logical propositions. There is also a good deal of philosophical jargon used. Nonetheless, while the book is not as readable as anything by C.S. Lewis (or Ayn Rand for that matter), it provides the best treatment I've seen in print of the arguments for both sides in this perennial issue.