Johnson Books

Only the hardcore mat fans will "get" this book. The regular marks like the babyfaces but the hardcore fans and wrestlers themselves love the heels. They make the sport and drive it. Skandar Akbar says the bussiness is about dragons and dragonslayers. Dragons rule.

I was really impressed with Oliver's other two books about the Tag Teams and Canadian wrestlers so I was pretty excited when I saw this title. And it did not disappoint. The bios are solid and I really liked the way that he split up the heel types and didn't try to mash it all into one big list. For any fan of wrestling, hardcore or casual, this is a must for the library.

When it comes to wrestling history and writing wrestling books Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson rank right at the top. This is the third book of theirs that I have bought and I must say, "they know their stuff". Entertaining, informative and very professionally done and researched. I give them every star you have and recommend their books to any wrestling fan.

this is one great read. being in the business for 30 years myself, and being trained by one of the legends in this book, i have great appreciation for the homework the writers had to do. hope they do one on the babyfaces at some point.

This book, and its companion pieces, are the best references on pro wrestling history out there. They are not self serving bios or sponsored by WWE. They are written by someone who researched the subjects meticiously and has a great love and respect for the sport. This book is a great read, covering the history and colorful characters, the heels, that made pro wrestling so entertaining. I have just two minor nits to pick. Despite what previous reviewers say, I felt this book wasn't as detailed and personal as the first two of the series. Secondly, I questioned listing Moose Cholak as an all time great heel. Nothing in the narrative suggests any nastiness and I've seen him in action and he was a face through and through. Ox Baker and/or Bruiser Brody would have been better choices.
P.S. I have a feeling the next book will cover the "Faces", but I hope the next book should cover the top 100 wrestlers of all time. There is currently a book out there with that title, but from what I seen in the reviews and knowing the author from his magazine editorials, (Metzner), this one would be far superior.

Such a great book. I like the look of stars on quilts but have never tried doing any myself. They always sound so difficult. Not any More. This great book has given me an easy way to make great stars!! Thanks to the author for sharing her ideas.

This is one of the easiest ways to make quilt stars that I have ever encountered. It is a must have in any quilters library.

I FOUND THIS BOOK AN EASY WAY TO MAKE BEAUTIFUL STAR BLOCKS.EASY TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS AND SEVERAL SIZES OF EACH BLOCK WERE GIVEN.A MUST FOR ANY QUILTER WHO LOVES MAKING STAR BLOCKS.

This book will forever put to rest the notion that eight pointed stars are difficult! Anyone will be able to make those pesky stars with complete confidence and perfection. Nancy has done ALL the work by giving us 30 stars in many different sizes. She also gives us some beautiful quilt projects to make. She also shows us how to use the "leftovers" to make absolutely beautiful and imaginative quilts. Nothing is wasted. There are some techniques out there that are so wasteful, that I hesitate to use them. With fabric prices steadily climbing, I am very happy to use this wonderful book. Thanks, Nancy. I love the book. It's one of my favorites.

As I was reading "Stars by Magic", I wondered just how many more star ideas could be presented in this book than was given in "Block Magic". As I continued through the book, I found out that there are literally dozens of ways to put these squares and rectangles together to make wonderful new patterns.

But I am ahead of myself. In the very beginning of the book, Nancy provides two "No-Fail" tips sections; one on sewing on the diagonal and one on pressing. Learn what she says and it will give your blocks a more professional look. Then, there is the "how-to" on reading the charts which tells you how to figure out the sizes of the squares and rectangles you need to make the blocks.

30 block ideas later - no make that 90 blocks later as each block shows three different color-ways - I was eager to get out my fabric and try a few. The blocks range in size from 4" to 18". Putting a few 18" blocks together and you have a quilt in a hurry. By now, you realize there are cut-offs from making the blocks. WAIT! Don't throw them out (and what quilter would anyway!?), put them together and you get "bonus blocks and borders". The final pages of this book provide ten quilt maps. Oh my, which one do I start with first? If I have such a difficult choice to make, think what my students will have!

Since my students now realize that making star patterns are not that difficult, they are eager to try other ideas such as taking one-fourth of a block to make borders and by just turning that same quarter block, they get whole new look. But don't just use them for borders, use the quarters together to make a whole quilt! With this book, I will be teaching "Stars by Magic" for several more classes!

I bought this book because I was never a tea drinker, but always felt left out as the popularity of now drinking tea started. I knew nothing about different types, how to serve it, what to serve with it, and just the simple things everyone knows. This book helped me with all of that and now I even like tea. After a few hours of reading, I know more about tea etiquette than anyone I know.

This is a wonderful little book. If you enjoy "all things tea" then this is the book for you. Easily read, with details about proper etiquette for every type of social and business situation. It truly would be a nicer world if people (including children) were more often taught these things. Mrs. Johnson intersperses the chapters with interesting personal stories and recipes. I highly recommend it.

I am starting a small catering business doing tea parties! This book is perfect! It has everything you always wanted to know about preparing, enjoying and serving tea. From the different types of tea from Cream Tea to High Tea and what to do with the tea bag after you've taken it out of your tea cup. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to serve and to enjoy a proper afternoon of tea. Thank you for being so thorough.

This is a very informative and enjoyable book. A pleasure to read, it gets right to the point and does not waste time. I would recomend this book to anyone interested in Tea for Business and Pleasure!

I find this book very useful and informative. The author presents the material in a concise and down to earth manner. The etiquette portion of this book contains do's and do not's that leaves no questions. The tone of the book is conversational just like the topic it explains. If you are thinking about having a tea party for the first time or attending to one, this book is a must read!

This is an absolutely unforgettable book because of Francisco's honesty and openess, as well as the clarity and beauty of her writing. I read this book a year ago, and have read many books since then, but the author's story of perserverance has stayed with me.

As difficult as it was for me to read this book, due to it's similarity to my experience, I found it to be so extremely compelling--I couldn't put it down! Ms.Francisco has an incredible command of the English language and was able to communicate in painful detail, her inner-most thoughts and feelings, before, during and after the rape. As I read this book, I went through and highlighted many many many passages that I felt pertained directly to me.....so that my husband could read it and gain better insight into what I was and still am thinking. This is a wonderful, amazing book, that both rape survivors and non-rape survivors can benefit from.

What courage to share this experience for the benefit of many. As more women share the experience of rape and the devastating affects on the lives of the victims the more we can do to help. Another great story is Ultimate Power Enemy Within the Ranks by a woman officer in the Army. Both are telling and offer hope for the many victims who need help.

This was truly a great book. I could identify so well with all that was said. I had all the members of my family read it and have recommended it to many because it is of such high quality.

This was the 1st book I read on my road to recovery 35 years after having been a victim. It helped give me the courage, strength and hope to move forward toward on my own journey towards healing.

This has been a good year for disability rights in terms of publications. First, Mary Johnson published Make Them Go Away and now we have Harriet McByde Johnson's much anticipated Too Late to Die Young. Read together these texts provide a powerful one two punch for the disability rights movement in an era which has seen the courts gut the Americans with Disability Act. Both authors have been champions and leaders of the disability rights movement and each are gifted writers.

Harriet McBryde Johnson is a gifted story teller--although I wanted to savor the text and make it last I was too spoiled to do so. I read the book cover to cover the day I received it. Now, I am going back to re-read each and every chapter. Each story told resonates at some level regardless of the subject matter. What truly struck me the most was that my life is not so different, that I am not so unsual, and that the bigotry and discrimination I encounter on a daily basis is no different from what other disabled people face. I am not the only one that is subjected to unwanted attention and grossly inappropriate comments. I am not the only one that found Christopher Reeve comments about disability offensive. I am not the only one who is treated poorly when I travel on an airline. In short, discrimination against the disabled is rampant and it is heartening to know others are experiencing and fighting against this. To know that I have two gifted authors on the side of equal rights lets me not only feel better about myself a feel less alone but know the future, in spite of the courts, will be better than the past.

As a child, Harriet McBryde Johnson never thought she would live a long life. At least that is what the telethons on television kept saying. However, she has. Yet, this is not a "triumph over disability" story. It is a story of a woman who is living her life fully. From a law student schooling the University of South Carolina on the subject of civil liberties to experiencing a disability-themed conference in Cuba, the reader is taken on a journey in which he or she just might view disability in a different way by the end of the book.

This book was really powerful for me. I was born with Cerebral Palsy. However, it has not been until the last couple of years that I started feeling comfortable with myself as a person with a disability. I read this book as part of a class I took this semester and I'm very glad I did. Stories like these remind me that disability is not a negative and that we are worthy of full, rich lives.

While I disagree with a fundamental premise argued in the book, I do recommend it for many reasons. First of all, the author can write! She has filled the book with interesting and unusual experiences, described them with wit as well as passion, and she challenges people like me on some basic assumptions and conclusions. I do hope readers of this book will follow up with Peter Singer's Writings on an Ethical Life (referred to in Harriet Johnson's book) in order to hear Singer's opinions in his own words.

The chapters in this book are arranged chronologically, but each is a discrete story. The episodes varied enough so that I was never bored: Ms. Johnson protested telethons, resisted a search of her dorm by the Secret Service, ran for office, served as a delegate at the Democratic National Convention, visited Cuba for an international conference on people with disabilities, argued in a jury trial, and more.

Her views on disability as a civil rights issue aren't presented in a didactic way; they become clear to the reader as she confronts her opponents. I liked being privy to the details of her experience, even though she presents herself as nearly always right. While I read I was thinking that she came off as SO sure of herself that I would find her overbearing and a little obnoxious in person. However, she acknowledges the thorniness, and clearly isn't out to be the reader's best friend.

Other than that note, I felt myself in good hands. I have a better understanding of what it's like to need and live with a personal assistant. I was familiar with the basics of disability rights, but the book got into nuances I hadn't considered-- the pressures and trade-offs in Cuba, where genuine intentions for equality butt up against severe economic limits, for example. And it reinforced ideas that non-disabled people glide over: most of us will be disabled sometime. Disabled people aren't necessarily more "terminal" or "suffering" than the rest of us, because frankly everyone suffers and dies. And if that sounds depressing, don't worry: some of the stories in this book were so funny I had to read bits out loud to my spouse.

This is a four- instead of a five-star review because I didn't feel I quite got a fair view of the author's opponents; it was just a little too one-sided, although that enhanced some of the humor. But the book was still well-written and fascinating. Definitely worth reading.

This new book by Harriet McBryde Johnson, a civil rights attorney in Charleston, SC and disability activist, is a must read! Her book, Too Late to Die Young, provides insight into aspects of her life and career, but the author states upfront that "This book doesn't have a tidy message." Ms. Johnson is a gifted writer with a provocatively tilted perspective that is worth hearing. She accurately describes herself as a story teller in the great tradition of southern story tellers. I knew her stories were worth reading when, early on in the book, in describing a German doctor's bedside overnight care, she wrote "Now I remember how he kept vigil at my bedside so my parents could sleep and then fell sleep himself. As I listened to his deep, barrel-chested rumble, I imagined he was snoring in German." Later in the book, Harriet, after having noted that her normal viewpoint of most people is at crotch level (due to her posture), described her first impression of someone she met: "It's love at first sight - at my first sight of his shoes." Wonderful!

This easy to read book (a mere 258 pages) includes the bulk of the text of Unspeakable Conversations, a 2003 New York Times Magazine article she wrote that described her conversations with Princeton Professor Peter Singer about his beliefs that the severely disabled, in some circumstances, can justifiably be killed. Interestingly, she is conflicted about the accommodating and courteous man versus his "evil" ideas. She acknowledges that she stands outside the radical mainstream simply for having engaged Mr. Singer in a conversation. Sundry other topics this self-described "crip" covers are her personal crusade against telethons, her atheism, her battles with the Secret Service, caustically amusing anecdotes from the 1996 Democratic Convention in Chicago, a trip to Cuba, and battles with a New York Times photographer who wants to shoot her nude ("nekkid" in her parlance) and does -- but not for publication, and many more amusing and unsettling stories.

If you want to read a sweet story about a courageous and noble fight against disability that profiles an individual who overcomes great obstacles to achieve self-fulfillment, this IT NOT the book to read. Johnson`s book isn't about her disability (adamantly so)...but the fact that she is disabled inescapably colors her stories in powerful ways. You won't necessarily fall in love with Harriet, her politics, or all of her causes, but I think you will love her passion for what she believes, what she does, who she is, and why she does what she does. Ms. McBryde is a new and profound voice (at least to me) that is worth listening to.

My granddaughter recently lost her copy of "The Velveteen Rabbit" which I bought 4 or 5 years ago, and was heartbroken. It was heartwarming to see how delighted she was with the copy I gave her for Easter. A true classic for children and adults.

this was my favorite book as a child. i read it to my grandkids, read it to my kids, too. i still own my original copy from the early 1960's. it's a great story about how illness can become a happy thing.

This book was a birthday present for a three year old girl.
I am sure her little brothers will enjoy it also.

The classic story of the bunny who learns the hard way that you are not "real" until you are loved, and sometimes being loved hurts. It's a beautiful love story between a boy and his bunny and how the bunny evolves into a "real" rabbit because of the boy's love. The illustrations in this edition are some of the nicest I've seen -- just beautiful!

I love the story and it's my friend's favorite book. I was hunting for a gift for her that she'd like and ran into the cover of this thing wich is probably half of what drove you to buying it as well. After I bought it, I discovered that it only has seventeen pages. (The Original Book as like 47) And despite what the cover would suggest, some of the illustration is a bit .. "crappy". I'm not trying to be a tough critic. The story goes along just fine untill the fairy gets into the picture she looks like a goldenbooks gingerbread-man and the diologue drops flat right there and I could almost see a big red "ADAPTATION" stamp across the page. If you want to read your kids or significant others "processed classics", then this is right up your alley. Enjoy.

How can I do justice to this book? I was saddened, redeemed, my soul touched. Ray reminded me of Scout from "Killing a Mockingbird" in his maturity and in how he cuts across deeper and deeper layers of human experience and emotion.

Like every single review so far here, I strongly endorse this novel with 5 stars. For me it was especially moving because I have known the author (Craig Johnson) as my teacher in high school, who taught me many things including the power of ideas and thoughts.

Wave Watcher is the story of a boy, Ray, and his very special relationships with his family. Ray lives in a particularly close family. His father is a struggling but brilliant writer. Ray's mother is as nurse and primary wage earner for the family. Then there is Ray's little brother Louie. Louie has been born with a number of disabilities: a single lung, an enlarged heart, and dyslexia. Despite these challenges, Louie is so normal and so extraordinary that after meeting him people completely forget about his so called disabilities and tend to focus on his extraordinary abilities: his charm, his ability to love completely, and his sharp intelligence.

Ray isn't without his own special talents. He has inherited his father's flare for writing and his love of reading. Though Ray sees his brother as the one with the big heart, Ray also shares his brother's ability to love in extraordinary ways.

Wave Watcher is a beautifully written and touching story. It's not often that a book has the ability to make me cry and leave me feeling like a better person for having read the story of these characters. Yet, I am having to fight back the tears even as I write this review. I am glad to have met Ray and his family.

Wave Watcher is a beautifully written first novel about a thoughtful, sensitive young teenager who one night decides to write the "story of his life," as well as the tragic event which has been haunting him and keeping him awake at night for the past year. Under one hundred and fifty pages, this is one of those little gems which, under the author's gifted pen, manages to accomplish so much in so little space.

It is through this young narrator, Ray, that we listen to the story. "I have difficulty sleeping at night. Everybody thinks it's because I have bad dreams, but it's not. Little do they know, I don't even get far enough towards sleep to dream," Ray writes in his journal in the simple yet lucid, sparkling language which characterizes the book. "I wish I did, but I can't. My mind is too full of thoughts, thoughts that are just bits and pieces of so many things that I have seen or read or done. I relive them all over again, with more life, when the lights go out. Actually I relieve them larger than life when it's dark. I think the darkness makes them faster and deeper, colder and definitely clearer than they were with the lights on."

In this honest, fresh prose, Ray tells about his family, his childhood, and how he came to live in a house by the beach in Brazil. He tells about his special relationship with his little brother Louie, who was born with an enlarged heart and only one lung. His past and that of his parents are no ordinary ones, and his tale includes places as far as India, where his father lived for many years. But most importantly, his father is a writer; this has a great impact on Ray, who is also talented with words. The special relationships between Ray and Louie, and Ray and his father are the core of this book.

An intelligent young "man," Ray spends long hours watching the waves and finding a pattern--a strong metaphor in this book. "Nothing can stop a wave from breaking," he writes. "It's like a wick in a candle. The wave will break, just as the wick will burn." He later adds, "Respect the consistency, respect the pattern, respect the truth."

The reader will come across many lovely images and philosophical, sometimes poetic passages about waves, such as "Like your heartbeat, so are the waves. At times they are faster and harder and much more exciting, like when the sun hides behind dark and heavy clouds or when the hills let the winds blow through to lift the waves higher. And when the nights are bright, when the sky is crowded with stars and the trees are still, the waves are slow and drowsy, as quiet as an arm of driftwood lying in a shallow pool upon a tranquil beach, as soft as the sight of a gliding gull in the light of the rising sun." The serene, contemplative, almost healing tone exemplified in this passage permeates most of the book.


It is not until the end that Ray finally recounts the devastating event that changed his life one year ago, and which impelled him to write this journal overnight. The ending is sure to have an emotional impact on most readers.

Author Craig Alan Johnson has done such an excellent job in bringing the character of Ray to life that the reader will at times forget that the author of the book is other than this young teenager. The narrator's voice shines with innocence, insight, a delicate touch of humor, and an awe and respect for the mystery of life. It is an eclectic read, rich with metaphors, and quotes and allusions from such works as To Kill A Mockingbird, Hamlet, Of Mice and Men, Huckleberry Finn, and A River Runs Through It.

The only negative aspect of this book is it's cover. I urge the reader not to be put off by its cover. It simply doesn't do justice to this beautiful book. There is a reason for this cover, one the reader will understand as soon as he begins reading, but a better cover would have attracted those browsers at a store who have no idea of the reason for it.

A touching, healing book about the special love between father and son and between brothers, Wave Watcher comes highly recommended from this reviewer.

Wave Watcher is not only a moving book, but a love letter to all families. The language is simple enough to appeal to almost any age, yet the story is complex enough so that you can find new elements in it every time you read it again.

Wave Watcher can make you cry, laugh, think and remember. Johnson does not weave a story, but braids it with such skill that you'll want to read the book from the first page to the last without stopping.

One of the most emotionally moving stories of the year, Craig Johnson reaches into the deepest part of your soul and touches the things that really matter in life. This is the story of a family that draws you in and beckons you to become a part of it while making you feel it is somewhere where you belong. This story will help you remember what it means to be a child and see the world through a child's eyes. Be prepared for a spiritually refreshing read. Wave Watcher is highly recommended.

this is a great book i used this book at home and in my office.

If you need to know the correct format for an office document or the correct way to address an official, it is in this book. This book covers the traditional means of communication as well as the electronic arena. It is well organized and very easy to use.

We are a small firm, and I am a licensed professional who types his own correspondence, contracts for clients, transmittals, etc.. Because the styles and forms of business letters have changed since I was in college, I decided I needed a good reference to help me with the tricky stuff that comes along occassionally.

This book did the job. Whether I need to know how to address a letter to an elected official, or pressure someone to pay an invoice, the Secretarial Handbook covers it. From punctuation to collation, this is the best single office reference I have ever used.

If you do your own administrative tasks, buy one for yourself for National Secretaries (Administrative Professionals) Day.

A superb one-stop reference volume covering topics highly relevant to the duties of secretaries and personal/admininstrative assistants, this handbook has withstood the test of time. The third edition dates from the early 1990s, but most of the many tasks treated comprehensively in this handbook have changed very little over the years: forms of address, basic grammar and punctuation rules, formal business correspondence, organization of meetings and travel, postal mail procedures, telephone etiquette and procedures, and so on. A few chapters that are very technology-sensitive (computers and word-processing equipment, desktop publishing, etc.) have dated considerably, but the handbook overall is so useful that it's worth having within arm's reach in just about any office-for both secretaries and their managers.

In an increasingly global business environment, this handbook is also very useful for assistants and secretaries outside the U.K. and U.S. who must deal with English-speaking colleagues on a regular basis by phone, e-mail, or mail.

We are a small firm, and I am a licensed professional who types his own correspondence, contracts for clients, transmittals, etc.. Because the styles and forms of business letters have changed since I was in college, I decided I needed a good reference to help me with the tricky stuff that comes along occassionally.

This book did the job. Whether I need to know how to address a letter to an elected official, or pressure someone to pay an invoice, the Secretarial Handbook covers it. From punctuation to collation, this is the best single office reference I have ever used.

If you do your own administrative tasks, buy one for yourself for National Secretaries (Administrative Professionals) Day.

Steve Ilg is an interesting character and an incredibly fit man. I have been working out for 15 years, but when I tried some of the programs in this book--they tested my will! Its a terrific book to give an athlete new training ideas. The concept of changing your training routine it really useful. How many of us fall into the routine of doing the same thing over and over again? Of course, Ilg's merging of the spiritual, intellectual and physical is also awesome.

I never dreamed that working out could be such a spiritual journey.This work is TRULY innovative.There is NOTHING like it in the world. I have studied this work for over 7 yrs.It has taken me taken me on a journey that to this day continues to inspire me.We are blessed to have this book!

this book is one of the best bargains about outdoor sport on the market today. it's 450+ pages are jam packed with tips on equipment and technique, other books to read, phone numbers . .on and on and on.

nearly one third of the book is devoted to sport specific training programs-complete with illustrations-distilled from a lifetime devoted to outdoor sport both competitive and non competitive.

besides nordic and alpine skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice climbing and mountaineering, the winter athlete covers a lot of ground that's not snow covered as well. there are chapters on cycling (road & mtb), skating, rock climbing, trail running, kayaking . .

there is something in this book for everyone. everytime i pick it up i learn something new.

along with sport specific training advice, ilg also covers general strength and endurance training, nutrition, flexibility and mental preparation.

ilg's training philosophy is not without it's critics. he believes that everything an athlete does can be considered training. how you live your life is how you perform your sport. ilg is apt to tell a weight lifter to free his mind and his body will follow or a runner to "run with the earth not upon it." ilg's writing style is informative and fun. he loves the natural world and it shows.

you can accept his philosophy or not. for the humble sum of twenty bucks you get a stunning buffet of information that you can partake of or leave alone.

what more can i say. winter athlete rocks.

This book is a must read for all people who venture outdoors in pursuit of sport. While the emphasis is on the winter sports, the lessons transfer easily to all seasons. What is refreshing & unique about Steve's approach is his refusal to compartmentalize sport and exercise into another item to be checked off a to do list. His approach teaches that the lessons of effort and grace and persistence learned on the slopes & trails & tracks can and should transfer to the daily activities of life. A more unique book you will not find. Buy this to increase your enjoyment & skill of your chosen winter sport and you will get that benefit & much more.

"The books arrived today. I have informed Messr. Albert Camus that, despite his having won a Nobel prize in literature, he would have to share my mind, bedstand, and reading focus with The Winter Athlete." - George Watson, Boulder, CO

Great seller and great book for the series WJIII student. It has case examples that are essential to put the pieces together from testing to recommending accommodations. I used this text to give presentations in class and to figure a lot of things out on my own. If you are in a program and you feel you are own your own learning the WJIII you need this book.

I already had the book, but this cd was recommended as you could actually cut and paste the recommendations, etc. It is a fantastic resource and worth the money.

I found this book very helpful in developing strategies and interpreting data from the WJ-III. It's a great tool for anyone who assesses children or adults.

Thanks. Book arrived. Great condition, fast service. Am happy with it. But I was under the impression it was supposed to come with a cd... ?

This manual is extremely useful when preparing for PPTs and when you are writing reports. I have found the new forms very useful. I would recommend this manual for every special education teacher.