L Books

Barnabas Sackett's life from his evasion of the Queen of England in Europe to fighting and befriending different tribes of Indians North of Jamestown and South of Plymouth. Makes a long drive seem much shorter! John Curless has a perfect voice for this story. One of Louis Lamour's best!

I discovered books on CD from a coworker. Having a one hour and ten minute commute each way makes listening to books on CD a great way to enjoy the travel time.
I found this book very well written and very well spoken. One person having to read the voice of many characters is probably not the easiest thing to do. This reading is well done. I found myself sitting in the company parking lot just to finish a chapter before facing my workday. This was my first L'Amour book on CD and it was very enjoyable.

Sackett's Land and To the Far Blue Mountains make a complete story of the life and times of the Sackett progenitor. The combination is entirely satisfactory. L'Amour had the ability to tell the story well, and he developed that ability with years of work and research. It is probably fortunate for Sackett enthusiasts that he wrote the first books in the series later in his writing career. We benefit from his seasoned skills.

As in his westerns, in this book L'Amour focuses on what he finds interesting and what he thinks the reader will like to know. For the most part, he doesn't go into the technical detail that some authors pursue, but he paints a clear picture. The reader has a feeling of being there, or the strong sense that they could be there, right along with our hero.

The Sackett family saga is the story of an American family. Like all of L'Amour's work, it is wholesome and educational. He consistently hits on themes that his readers recognize, the importance of education and critical thinking, respect for our fellow creatures and the world in which we live,loyalty to family and friends, and taking positive action to shape one's own life. All that and a fun story too, for the cost of five bucks.

Dramatically narrated by John Curless, To The Far Blue Mountains is an flawlessly recorded audiobook presentation of yet another of Louis L'Amour's classic western novels featuring the hardy endurance of the Sackett clan as they addressed the challenges of life in the Old West. To The Far Blue Mountains follows Barnabas Sackett, who is on the run with his steadfast wife Abigail and his only escape is to the west. This is a superbly written adventure story of earning a life for oneself on the frontier, surviving all manner of hazards both human and environmental, and eventually prospering despite the hostilities of nature and man alike. To The Far Blue Mountains is an enthusiastically recommended audiobook for personal and community library collections!

I picked up this book because the intro on the back cover sounded good and I've liked almost every L'amour book I've read. Its written in a first person narrative as though he was sitting across from you on the couch telling the story.

The first half of the book is terrific, following his escape from England. We learn of his thirst to be out in the wild open spaces of the newly discovered America, he is falsy accused and is running from the law collecting people to join him as he describes the new beginnings they can have in the New World. Its very tightly written (though I think his escape from prison was way too easy) and you really love the character.

Once the group got to America things changed. In an effort to show the WHOLE life of Barnabas the whole story changes, now we have 50 years of history in 100 pages. So the narrative changes from a day-by-day upbeat story where friends are joining the group to a list of significant events, usually where one of the group dies from an indian raid. It becomes a series of "we built a fort", "xxx died in an indian raid", "the fort burned down", "we went down to sea and traded our skins for supplies", "yyyy died in an indian raid", "we built another fort", etc.

I didn't like the ending either, I think the whole story basically got pretty depressing towards the end with all the group dying or leaving to go off and do other things. All the next generation were grown up and strong but we don't have the emotional connection with them that we did with the first group.

I first read this book many years ago and bring it out every so often to refresh Two Trees' persona in my mind. This book is full of the author's love for his subject and he passes this on to the reader with great art. The story is in some ways so terribly sad that it is almost unbearable, but Two Trees and his love for nature and his dog can really only ultimately express joy and wonder. I just love this book and hope everyone who reads it follows Two Trees' wish to pass this extraordinary story along.

Some people talk about spirit like it is taught in "Indian 101", but you can experience something very soulful and ancient in the words and earth here.

Joe Two Trees is the last of his tribe. New York in the early twentieth century is not for him. Or is it? As a native New Yorker with a passion for the past, I loved this beautiful story. Whenever I return home, I can no longer visit the Bronx (especially Pelham Bay) without thinking of Joe and his relationship with Theodore Kazimoroff's father. The writing is lovely, and the story evokes all sorts of feelings at so many levels. It was my Aunt, a former teacher, who told me that I should read this book. It has become one of those novels that I recommend to others regularly.

The Last Algonquin is a sad but heartwarming story about a man and his attempts to come to grips with his place in the world. The fact that this man, Joe Two Trees, is the last of his tribe of the Algonquin's makes his journey that much harder and more interesting. If you are looking for an official history of the American Indians, this isn't the book for you. However, if you are looking for a deep and touching story of one American Indian, and what we as a nation have lost by ignoring the heritage of American Indians, then you will enjoy this book. Mr. Kazimiroff has done an excellent job of preserving the story given to him by his father and keeping the memory of Joe Two Trees and the Algonquin Indians alive.

This is a must read, especially for those of us raised in the Pelham Bay section of Bronx. The tale of The Last Algonquin is inspiring and heartwarming. And, I hope that Mr. Kazimiroff realizes that he has given The Bronx, the Algonquin Indians and his father the immortality they truly deserve.
Remember as long as someone tells( hears or reads) this tale, the story of Joe Two Trees will continue to live on among the rocks and trees of Pelham Bay Park.

Would you go hiking without a map? Would you work on your car without a manual? Then why would you even think about going to the Middle East without this book? Poole once again sets the standard in the industry for explaining the tactics, history, and mindset of the Islamic Extremist. From military commander to field grunt to civilian contractor, if you're headed to a desert combat zone do yourself a favor and BUY this book! I also suggest you read this book with a highlighter in hand...but you may just end up highlighting everything. This book undoubtedly has saved lives and will save more in the future!

The book gives a good acccount of the various Islamic militant factions and their interactions. The opinions seemed a bit "armchair general" and opinionated at times, but they made several good points. I'd recommend the book although it had the following drawbacks for me:
-The insertion of outside material to back up the author's words made for a sometimes disjointed read
-The sprinkling of "God (Christian) & country", stereotyping, etc. seemed unnecessary
-20% of the material was a repetition/reiteration of a particular point (not sure if this was to beef up the number of pages or to compensate for a shakey arguement)

This book was kindly donated to my unit by the publishers when I was a Company Commander before I deployed. Everyone over here should read it. Regardless of how much money our government spends on high-tech equipment and contracts, until we gain a better understanding of our opponents sociological and theological motivations we will continue to waste a lot of our military resources. LTC Poole's emphasis on taking a humanistic approach and integrating our forces with the locals is sound, provided that the local forces are properly vetted and aren't infiltrated by insurgents.

Once again H. John Poole has pulled aside the Middle East veil of mystery to show us how the Muslim militants go about their business. Known as the "War on Terror" aka "4th Generation warfare", radical Muslim militants have worked out the ways to challenge the West collectively, on - and off the battlefield. Thus far, their efforts have cost the U.S.of A., not only lives, but billions of dollars, sowing anxiety and terror. How have they accomplished this with slender resources? Against the most technologically advanced armed forces in the world? Poole tells us how.
The book is divided into three parts:
The initial part updates the reader on the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan to the summer of 2005. How the Muslim militants have survived and continue to succeed against coalition armed forces without tactical victory, hi-tech resources or heavy arms; all the while they suffer heavy casualties and continue to burn through the resources - and resolve of the West - are addressed.
The next part examines, through the lense of ancient oriental texts on the principles of warfare, the stratagems employed by the militants. These are the most illuminating chapters: now the daily events in Iraq and Afghanistan make sense if one understands the militants' operational philosophy. Poole's explanations of tactical actions clarifies how these militants are playing "the Game" against coalition forces. What makes no sense militarily in Western understanding of warfare are perfectly acceptable to furthering these militants' ends.
The final section's chapters provide approaches to dealing with "4th Generation Warfare" situations, which Western military forces are more and more wont to encounter. Many of Poole's recommendations reflect the U.S. Marines' experience with the Combined Action Program (CAP)used in Vietnam during the 1960s. Essentially, special Marine units operated with Vietnamese local forces at the village level to root out and undermine the Viet Cong insurgency. He contrasts this approach to the reliance on hi-tech and heavy fire power, the preferred operational mode of U.S. forces. Further, Poole (pp 278-294) describes the changes in tactical philosophy that must come about if U.S. ground forces are to prevail against their current enemy. This, to my mind, is the best part of the book.
Poole's views on training and tactics in the last chapter, come closer to dealing with military cultural reform than in his previous wotks. While he addresses these subjects in other books, these last pages in MILITANT TRICKS come the furthest to combining these previous discussions into a coherent whole which reflects the grunt's eye-level ground view.
Hopefully, the powers-that-be are reading his works - effecting the necessary changes.

This is the best book I have read so far on where and who the real enemy is and who is behind and against the U.S. supporting democracy and the liberation of the people of Iraq.
Breaks down in detail who is Sunni and who is Shiite.
How they work and how they are fighting U.S. Forces together.
How the real enemy is Iran with many proxies to gain control of Iraq.
How the U.S. must change to deal with fighting in Irregular Warfare now and for decades to come.
How the enemy is capitalizing on U.S. democratically controlled Congress to gain victory.

Heading over to OIF II in a few months, active duty CDR O5 who will be working in support of the bravest of the brave (EOD Forces defeating IED's). This book was instrumental in developing a understanding of what is really going on.

I would recommend this book for all Officers and enlisted personnel heading to fight this fight from E1 up.

CDR Bill Noel (Navy EOD Officer)

Victor Wooten writes well. He's a talented and spiritual musician who has the gift of being able to teach others through his music and words. The Music Lesson is not just about how to play the bass guitar or any other instrument, it is about the allowing of music that already exists and the attitude of spirit when creating that music. A wonderful analogy in the book likens the instrument as simply a medium for allowing the music that is already within you in the same way that a pen or computer allows words from within to be created and written onto paper. The pen is not the holder of the words, the writer is. The guitar is not the holder of the music, the player is...

I give four and half stars to this book because as I read I felt as though I had come across some aspects of the writing elsewhere in the past. When I read the acknowledgements page I saw that indeed, Mr Wooten had been inspired by Neal Donald Walsch's brilliant book, Conversations with God which I read many years ago. For someone who has not read Conversations with God, you will gain much from The Music Lesson.

This Book just changed the way i feel music, and how it relates to people and life... a must read for every musician!

Victor Wooten has succeeded in communicating a complete "how to" concerning what plagues most most musicians: the transfer of your emotional attachment to the music to the audience. Many musicians become so wrapped up in the technique they lose the ability to let the music flow and speak to them and through them to the audience. Victor explains how to utilize technique without losing spontaneous communication,the real essence of music, especially American Jazz. A read for every serious musician, and those who want to better understand how to feel the music.

As a music major and literature lover, the first section (and usually only) I visit at the book store is the music section. I was actually searching for another book that was no where to be found, and decided to just browse around. I accidentally stubled upon this book that had only two copies of itself. It seemed intruguing, and then upon seeing its author I definatly had to give it a chance. While leaving the store, I was hoping my money was well spent.

The character Mr. Wooten learns from in this book would most likely call my stumble upon it a sure act of fate. I was meant to pick up this book and it has now given me a new, liberating outlook on my music and developed love for the art better than anything I had ever experienced. Any musician or music appreciator can read this book and change their ability and enjoyment for music perminantly. I have even created a method of incorporating the book with my practice routine. No, I have actually created a new routine based on this book-It is THAT life changing.

Your life and your music are a unity, the same entity, and should be treated as so. This book will teach you to do this naturally, as if you were born with this knowlege. You will connect with Music in the perfect way for the rest of your life, and if you care about her, you will read this book!

Although he has shamelessly "borrowed" from Richard Bach's book, 'Illusions', Victor Wooten has written an inspiring reminder for us. He reminds us that what we wish to know we already know and that we only need to remember that. It's a very zen and easy read; also much funnier than I had imagined it would be. The sound of one hand slapping has never sounded so good.

After reading books like Heart of Darkness, and Benito Cereno, Shadow Patriots was happily read. I loved the character Lizzie, her strength and personality was humerous. I also enjoyed how this book was fictional, yet didn't stretch the truth very far.

After being able to hear Robson speak at my school, I was overjoyed to be given the opprotunity to read her novel. Not long after reading the book I became enthralled and unable to put the book down. Every second of the book was fascinating. The way Robson wraps the historical figures in with her fictional plot is remarkable. As far as I know the book is historically accurate and has all the great names in American history such as George Washington, Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamiliton, and much much more. The main character Kate Darby is truely unique and sensational. She tears down the stereotype of a damsel in distress and proves that women can do whatever they put their minds do. Incredible Novel and quick read.

I read this book in my 11th grade English class not too long ago and it was so much more than I expected. The way the historical figures are mixed in with fictional characters makes it so interesting, and the mixing is so well done, you find yourself wondering who is made-up and who is not. On more than one occasion, I found myself unable to put the book down late at night. When I finished reading, I looked into some of the historical figures in the book, and Ms. Robson was very accurate with her information. All in all, this book makes history come alive!

This book was absolutely incredible for its detail. I loved reading the description of how life was in the time period. Robson's little tidbits-perfectly placed throughout the story- were so fascinating and knowing they were true added to the story. Robson made me feel as though I were there in the war and knew all the characters. It was not a typical book about the Revolution. It was captivating; I could not put it down. Its plot kept getting better and better with each page, and the ending, although sad, was perfect. The book was suprising and entertaing from the first to the last word.

Kate and Lizzie were characters I adored. Kate's bravery to help her brother, and Lizzie's devotion to Seth were fantastic attributions to each character and helped me identify with them. While reading, I didn't feel as though I was learning about history, which is a perfect way for historical fiction book to be written.

If you have interest in revolutionary times in USA this is a must read. The role that Quakers played in the war was very interesting to me. You will not be sorry you bought it.

Beyond the beautifully illustrated cover of this book lies the tale of a quest for truth in a meaningless world and the hope of finding that truth in the wise company of circus midgets. They're braver than us, smarter than us, and they look really great in baggy polka-dotted pants. Through the courageous vision of Kevin Donihe, these noble beings have been cast into the limelight for the betterment of all mankind. Sir, if I possessed a uterus, then I would want to have your baby.

Having really enjoyed Kevin L. Donihe's shorter work "The Greatest...Moment in Sports", I decided to read this one as it has been sitting in my wish list for about a year.

Firstly, there are, indeed, midgets. Now, I happen to like reading books that have midgets (small people). They don't get enough exposure. So that, in my opinion, is a big plus for this book.

Secondly, there's lots of madcap social satire and that spells F-U-N-N-Y. We live in a pretty absurd world as it is and "Shall We Gather.." often dissects that absurdity with bizarre humor. Excellent.

Thirdly, most of the book is quickly paced so you won't get bored.

Now, I want to be fair so I'll now list some "CONS". The first section of the book is a tad bit slower moving than the last 3/4 of the book. So if you find it slow in the beginning, just hold on. It gets better. Much better. Next, the main character isn't as clearly defined as I would have liked. Even in a crazy book like this, I want to be able to somewhat identify with the main character.. A little time is spent on this (especially in the Donut Kiosk section) but I would have liked a little more.

Regardless, the PROS obviously outweight the CONS. However, if you are looking for straight fiction.. you will have many problems with this book ("Oh, it's SO confusing! It's too weird! blah blah blah") but if you appreciate intelligent weirdness, look no further.

This also, at times, reminded me of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It, too, is fun and wacky but "Shall We Gather.." is obviously more surreal and, at times, violent and sexual.

All in all, I recommend this book if you like weird fiction that involves reality-bending and midgets.

I really, really enjoyed this book, which in my opinion is only a taste of what the author has out there as e-books and chapbooks and such. An excellent debut novel, Shall We Gather.... is a philosophy in itself as well as a witty reminder that literature, true literature, has no bounds. An awesome escape from reality, I highly recommend this book to anyone.

Most novels make me feel as if their main characters are taking many long, tedious, and uneventful bus trips to get to and from the interesting parts in their story. This often causes me to skim and ask myself why I'm wasting my time.

"Shall We Gather in the Garden?" doesn't fall under this category. It is an example of condensed storytelling at its best and never fails to entertain, induce laughter, and thrill with its imagination. It's the sort of book that you can start reading at any random page and still get a kick out of it.

I read the ebook edition, and it was even able to hold the attention of my bleeding eyes.

Who controls the world?

The Illuminati? The Freemasons? Gorgulax, the Solar Emperor?

No. All wrong.

The real force that moves the world is a group of reality-bending circus midgets intent on instilling chaos and absurdity into the lives of the human race, engineering colorful ends for all seventy epochs.

The midgets are the engineers, but we are the laborers making apocalypse possible, blindly throwing faith on pop culture messiahs, gladly giving the Grand Dictator power to pulp us. The Wheel of Karma crushes murderous Zen masters while desperate men attempt suicide with a pickle.

What does this all mean?

I'm not totally sure, but that isn't the point. The point is: there is a Pit and a Garden, and if you wish to go to the Garden (or is it the Pit?), you'd best buy this book.

So sayeth the High Priest Gorgulax.

For twenty years, people have gone missing in the small community of Lake Odawa. Since most of them were strangers or temporary residents, the locals rarely paid much attention. When the number of missing long-time residents begins to escalate, though, people grow edgy. Some wonder if there's more to the story of the "haunted" lake. But young Skye Dancer has other worries. The nightmares she's suffered since her mother's death years earlier, for instance, are becoming stronger and more frequent.

These events set the scene for an intriguing story that's not only a mystery but a moving coming-of-age novel. SKYE DANCER has other terrific elements too: supernatural events, mythology, elegant narrative description, and suspense. Needless to say, this book is hard to pigeonhole and maybe it shouldn't be. I especially liked the way author Lila L. Pinord moves elegantly back and forth in time to tell the story from different viewpoints.

I honestly can't recall reading a book quite like SKYE DANCER before. I can also honestly say that I very much look forward to reading more of Pinord's work.

The abduction Of Jessie Dancer,her time in captivity,birth of a daughter,and her eventual murder by a madman whom no one suspects.Thus begins a long dark trail of disappearances and murders haunting a small fishing community on the Washington coast.Lila Pinord's ability to tell a dark story,while including uplifting native american spirituality is superb.Very well done!!Having been hunting and camping in coastal Washington,I can attest to the spookiness of some areas of the dark woods there.I enjoyed the book-excellent reading. Jacamo Peterson Author

How can this magnificent book be out of print?

Skye Dancer is a beautiful and lush landscape full of dazling imagry mixed in a fast paced indian murder mystery. Not previously knowing Ms. Pinord is Native American really added to the knowedlge base offered. It was clear she knew exactly what she was talking about, and her words created a emotion with every word.

She also cleverly crafts the creepest character to hit the written word in years, Charlie Crane. As you learn more about him, the more you feel the evil his essance gives off. Not a feat too many authors can accomplish. But Ms. Pinord seems to do this flawless and with ease.

This book exceeded any and all Tony Hillerman books on the market. A book that should grace everyone's book shelf.

A young girl, Skye Dancer, has to live with the torment of losing her mother at an early age. Raised by her father, Skye is lonely, drawn to once place to seek comfort. Lake Odawa brought peace to Skye. She never knew why.

As time passes, Skye encounters a man named Charlie Crane, "prospector." Skye had an eerie feeling when around him, but never knew why. She never knew Charlie abducted her mother, and held her captive in a cave. Charlie is a killer, someone who is not pleasant to be around.

Ms. Pinord did a fantastic job, plotting and revealing secrets in Skye Dancer. It is a page turner, one that I did not want to put down. It is very suspensful and will make you want to read more. Just when you think you have reached the ending, Ms. Pinord slips in more a little more suspense.

Lila Pinord is a wonderful lady who looks and is one of the sweetest persons on earth...who just has the ability to scare the reader to the point of sleeping with the lights on for a month...
In each of Ms. Pinord's books, the Native Americn culture is almost a character. Indeed Ms. Pinord was raised on the Quinnault Indian Reservation in Washington, and grew up learning what most cultures have forgotten to do to their descendents, their cultures' history.
In Skye Dancer she creates one nasty villian, Charlie Crane. He is this creepy man who hangs around Lake Odawa...he gives everyone the creeps..
One day. long ago, a beautiful young Native American woman, Jessie Dancer, disappears. In those days, sometimes women were taken from other tribes as wives, but she didn't have that fate. Charlie Crane confused Jessie with a long lost woman in his life. He tries to make a home with Jessie - but she fights and will not talk to him.
She then switches tactics and starts to be nice, and tries to run away only to be thrown into a pit like an animal.
Years later, Jessie's oldest daughter Skye becomes a part of the solution to the mystery by the help of her friends and the love of her mother.
The ending is one of the most beautiful and spiritual I have read in a long time.
Love and spirit comquer evil - may take a while...but...
An excellent read - all of Lila Pinord's books are excellent.

This book was given as a gift. The recipient was very pleased to get it.

The book was in good shape. I wish the book were a little more explicit about how to actually do the various projects. I think it assumes that I know about this type of quilting, and I don't. Even after looking it over, I'm still uncertain how to begin. The projects look fascinating, so I'd really like to do some of them.

The quality of the book is great,many delightful color photos.The templates very easy to use.This is a keeper, it will not spend eternity gathering dust on my book shelf.It is a great asset for the never ending search for creativity and inseration.I only wish it was spiral bound.

I watched Simply Quilts on HGTV and thought the this was the book for me. In turning the pages I found myself dreaming of one project after another. I think what this book did for me is give me the confidence in my own choices and inspired me to create my own work of art.

I've now made two quilts from this book. Everyone who sees them is amazed at the seeming complexity and beauty of the designs and the interplay of the colors. I was always intimidated by sewing curves, but this method makes it simple and fairly foolproof. But I was most surprised by how much fun it was. I found myself literally running from the cutting table to the design wall to try out various placements for each block. I've been quilting for less than four years and the projects went together exactly as described in the book. Follow the directions and you'll be amazed with what you can do.

This book is really a great book. I couldn't stop reading it. This is a good book because it tells you what its like for a divorced parent to get married again. It tells about the struggles and the ups and downs of a parent getting remarried. I liked this book because it was very well written

"To Have and to Hold" is a very good Madison Finn book. I really enjoyed it, and had to keep reading. I finished it in three days! This book is mainly about Maddie's dad getting married with Stephanie, in Texas! Madison doesn't want to leave Phinnie, her friends, and her mom. And then, Maddie finds out that she has to do a reading in front of a hundred people! Meanwhile, back home, something very bad happens to Fiona's father, and Maddie wishes she could be back home. Maddie doesn't want to meet Stephanie's huge Texas family.....especially a Posion Ivy like cousin. Will Maddie get through this wedding? What about everybody back home?

This is the BEST Madison finn book EVER! Madison;s dad and Stephanie are getting married! And Madison is a little overwhelmed, and then, she is asked to go and be a bridesmaid in Texas! So she turns to Bigwheels for advice, then, Fiona's dad has a heart attack, and is in the hospital! Will this wedding turn out okay, or will this New Yorker get more than what she can Have and to Hold?

Summer Vacation is on and Madison's dad drops a bombshell. He is got engaged to his girlfriend, Steph and they are getting married in two weeks. Plus, they want Madison to be junior maid of honour and recite a poem at the wedding. Dad says that there will only be 30 people at the wedding. Then Steph's mom gets carried away with the guest list. Before long the wedding goes to 300 hundred people and about five different affairs. How is madison going to survive?

Madison Finn is back! And in a whole new, exciting way. On the first page, the book just sucks you in, wanting you to read more. It begins with Maddie's Dad announcing his engagement to his long-time girlfriend, Stephanie. Suddenly, Madison's world turns topsy turvy, and she's become part of the wedding rush. As if her Dad getting married wasn't enough...it's going to be far away from home...in Texas! Think things can't get any worse? Well, it does. Stephanie's niece, Tiff, acts like a total spoiled brat towards Maddie. Will Madison's luck change? Or will this whole ordeal turn out a disaster...just like Madison thinks it will? Find out in 'To Have and to Hold'.

This is a great resource for teaching kids to hit. Easy to follow, laid out very well.

This is by far the best resource that I've found, and I've seen many, for teaching players the proper swing and approach to hitting. Get it and use it, you won't be disappointed. Appropriate for all age groups.

This book has a lot of good advice. It has additional information for "advanced" hitters, so the separate section does not overwhelm the reader for the majority of applications.

The pictures are clear and very helpful. Each section requiring one has one or more. There are many nuggets hidden here -- I learned one that I had not known in about 15 years of playing and "coaching" (as the author puts it).

Especially good for kids in Little League, so check it out!

It works very well. Our 9-10 girls just finished in 2nd in the state LL tournament. I was the batting coach and our girls carried a team average of .362 against state-level pitching! I have a shelf full of books and tapes. If I had to pick a keeper, this would be it. The first tape is excellent, too.

The pidgeon-toe stance and the inward turn (we call it "tuck") will improve bat speed, power, and balance.

My son is really starting to get into baseball, so I wanted to make sure I knew enough about hitting to get him started in the right direction.

Dusty Baker's book is teriffic because it breaks down the swing into several components. My boy is only 5, so it would be counter-productive to try and cram every component down his throat. Instead of doing that, I was able to keep him focused on one thing at a time - basically, building his swing from scratch. Important basics like "head down, eyes on the ball," and generating power with your lower body are explained well, and given drills or mnemonic devices to help retention, etc.

After working with him for one month, using Dusty Baker's book as my guide, my son had a noticeably better swing, and (amazingly for a 5-year old) better focus at the plate. He was always good at making contact, but this book helped put his swing together and give him better power without sacrificing his ability to get the bat on the ball.

Whether you know a lot about hitting, or you were a novice like me, this book really does live up to its title. Even my wife has picked up on the components of a swing, and can remind my son of something when he's playing around and I'm not there. There are other books that get more philosophical and go deeper (like Charlie Lau, Sr.'s), but for a FIRST book, that helps you teach, this one is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.