L Books

Michelle, I am so glad that I read your book. It served as a reminder that we possess everything we need to be happy and whole!! The book is great and I wish you much success!

This is a wonderful guide,and if you are short on self-esteem- this book will indeed serve its purpose in your life. Michelle speaks with such one on one tone,you would think she was actually speaking directly to you.

I've recommended this book to a few people,and I've passed the word that this is an informative book about a unique lady, that is worth checking out!

I WAS GIVEN YOUR BOOK BY MY SISTER ANDREA ROYAL, TO BUILD MY COURAGE AND SELF ESTEEM TO FOLLOW THE DREAMS THAT I WANTED TO PURSUE IN MY LIFE. YOUR BOOK WAS VERY ENCOURAGING, MAKING ME FEEL AS IF I COULD DO ANYTHING. I REALLY ENJOYED READING YOUR INSPIRATIONAL WORDS AND LOOK FORWARD TO READING ANOTHER BOOK OF YOUR'S IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORDS OF WISDOM.

CHERYL POWELL

Kudos to Ms. Heath for writing a book that share's her life experiences, shares the 7 basic principles that helped her triumph from being a "victim" to being a "victor", and also provides a plethora of resources to assist you on your journey towards becoming "your own super hero". I initially read the book to consider it as a tool for my nieces (ages 14, 17, and 19). However, after reading it I found it not only appropriate and valuable for them, but also for women of all ages--and men too! Truly an enjoyable and informative quick read.

I had the pleasure of seeing Michelle Heath give a motivational lecture at a book signing, and I was impressed enough to buy a copy of the book. I'm very glad I did! If it helped me to become only one percent as dynamic and upbeat at Ms. Heath, it was well worth twice the price.

The best feature of the book is the way in which complex psychological issues are boiled down to terms I can understand. The insight provided gave me excellent motivation to respond to her ideas about positive thinking and a healthier lifestyle.

My fiancee thought it was a great book as well, and that it was particularly relevant on the subject of women's issues. So, we both say, if you buy only one self-help book to help you to think positive and live healther, make it this one!

I have always wondered what was life like aboard a submarine or a navy ship. "Anchors and Eagles" answers those questions covering both the good and the bad, the gritty and grimy. It's all there because Paul L. Adkisson tells all -- from the time he joined the navy as an enlisted man after high school until he retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer. The jobs and the people are discussed, as well as evolution of the naval ships and management systems from after World War II through the Vietnam Conflict including his off-duty adventures as he traveled the Pacific. Also evident is his evolution from a brash teenager to a contemplative adult. His narrative style of writing makes it an easy read with plenty of detail, including references and a glossary, to satisfy anyone with an interest in the U.S. Navy.

This five-star review is attributable to the fact that Paul Adkisson tells the truth, makes good on his vow to tell it like it is, and hooks you into the Navy from stem to stern, top mast to keel. His is not one of those "been there, done that" accounts. It is a report of the author's rise from a dime-a-dozen seaman recruit to the highest enlisted rank during America's fight through the Cold War and Viet Nam. Should you have any respect at all for patriotism and loyalty to the United States, and if you enjoy a tale of triumph, this 676-page book will bring you a lot of reading pleasure, both emotional and technical.

To reinforce the idea of high memoir standards, I will quote Roy Peter Clark in the Tuesday, April 11, 2006 edition of USA Today.

"When you pick up a memoir, you deserve to know what you're reading. You may already think you know - a work of solid non-fiction - but you may be wrong. Along with the non-fiction you may be getting doses of fiction - or gobs. Some authors and publishers are upfront about this. Others prefer to veil their methods, riding the coattails of writers who adhere to stricter standards."

Adkisson does not yield to the reporting of fiction

Master Chief Machinist's Mate Adkisson began Navy life as a rowdy. Respect for traditions of the Navy meant little to him. Liberty ashore was his ultimate goal and avoiding regulations was his forte. Although our first tours of duty were together under the same Commanding Officer in USS Colahan (DD658), he, being a "snipe" and I, being a deck officer, did not cross paths. So this review has nothing to do with cronyism. Well before the end of his 20-year Navy career, Paul Adkisson had grown up to be a true leader and a highly responsible man. Despite his reputation as a tough guy, Adkisson reveals his true love of people. His compassion for those with lesser capabilities arises frequently, for instance his service in the Orient led him to become a teacher of the English language during off-duty hours on behalf of Vietnamese children.

I was unable to put the book down, reading every single word, page by page, until the satisfying end. There is no sense in telling all the details of MMCM Adkisson's autobiographical story. Get the book and read it for yourself.

This is an exciting book for anyone who wants to learn about the "cold war" following the Korean conflict, and before and after the Vietnamese war. This book gives an account of the life of a man who served his country. Paul Adkisson does not hide his feelings behind false bravado or add inflated deeds to impress us. His story is told simply but profoundly in the language of a sailor doing his duty at a time when few of us cared. Paul Adkisson's story is the story of many of us who served during that time. There are no great flashes of adventure nor is the destruction of the world thrwarted by a single act of bold daring-- as one reads in popular fiction. Yet, on every page one learns of the quiet heroism of men doing their duty and living their daily lives. There have been many men like Paul Adkisson but he has taken the time and effort to share his life with us. His personal odyssey is a truly great adventure and should be read by everone. Thank you Paul, for your years of duty and sacrifice. Your life and your story enriches us all.

ANCHORS AND EAGLES is a trip back to a life that is keep in the back of this sailor's mind.It will awaken your memories of things you hoped were forgotten. The many ports we visited and the memories of a life at sea are there.Our loves,our hates,they both say "hello" again. Paul Adkisson decribes SERE training to the point of reality.The chief hasn't told us sea stories. He has told us twenty years of a life.He and many more sailors like him have made our NAVY! The Chief has put to words what we felt and because of our own reasons,we were unable to journal.It was my pleasure to have served with Chief Adkisson in 'Nam on YR-70 in 1966 and 1967. MMCM Paul Adkisson I salute you!

I found Paul Adkisson by reading the reviews of this book. I took a chance, wondering if he just happened to serve with my father, Richard Wooton, Chief Master at Arms. When he wrote me back, not only did he surprise me by indicating he knew my father, but told me he knew him well, and told me stories!! My father passed away in January of 1994, and Mr. Adkisson brought him back just by the stories and the e-mails I received from him. He sent me a copy of his book Anchors and Eagles, and I have read it from cover to cover. This is the most truthful, true-to-Navy-life book I have read, and it also reminds me of the years spent traveling with my father throughout his 26-year Navy career. Like my father, Mr. Adkisson has served his country well, and he should be extremely proud. Thank you again...[sincerely]

The integrity of this man is absolutely astonishing. Out of a possible 10, he gets a 15 from me!

Nanci,

First, a really BIG `Thank You!' for a book that is insightful and honest - devoid of religious platitude and `imaginative goobly gook.'

I have been researching Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) over the past few years and have found correlations between people's NDE accounts and EVP communications.

The wide-ranging variables around the descriptiveness of NDEs is related to individual mindsets, backgrounds and interpretations - and your NDE account in particular helps me to understand the extremely broad `random-type' recorded comments passed on by discarnates from within their new realms of being.

Your insights will also greatly assist other EVP researchers to begin to broaden their own mindsets as they understand that they are dealing with a great number of discarnate energies with a multiplicity of views about their particular disembodied status.

Maybe, rather than considering anything `demonic' in this life, people start to perceive human becomings as being various `shades of grey', rather than simply considered as being`evil' or`good!'

I agree - we are ALL Light Beings who exhibit different facets and hues of our godly basis in human form.

Nanci - Great Work! - You're book is a watershed for me - very much looking forward to the next two books in t

I was relieved to find out that God isn't a humorless, authoritarian parent figure keeping tabs on us. Thanks, Nanci!

Elaine Lewis

I've read just about every book there is about life after death, life before life, etc. and some of them have really touched me deeply, especially Michael Newton's "Journey of Souls" and "Destiny of Souls" and Neale Donald Walsch's "Conversations with God" series. I really thought that this subject had been so thoroughly covered that there wasn't much new that could be offered but this book, "Backwards" by Nanci Danison, somehow captures the best of all the previous books in this genre and then goes beyond that. It is a book filled with breathtaking new insights and mind-expanding revelations. This book resonated with everything inside me that I think of as "me" and then went beyond that to touch who I really am and that is a Being of Light. After finishing this book I bought the CD audio book so that I could listen to this over and over again. After reading this I have gone beyond just hoping that what other near-death experiencers have told us is true to actually believing that what Nanci saw & heard is the true reality. This book takes the FEAR out of life. For the first time, the very first time in my life, I find that I'm actually looking forward to each new day, no matter what it brings, and I'm looking at it without that FEAR that permeated my outlook before. Love is all that matters and no truer words were ever spoken. What an awesome experience this book has been.....and still is every day. Thank you for sharing it Nanci and I hope there are more books to come.

Nanci Danison's Near Death Experience (NDE), as described in Backwards, is the most detailed NDE I have ever read. And I have read thousands of NDE's, since being riveted by my first one in 1977 from Dr. Raymond Moody.

Nanci was a successful lawyer in a large law firm in the Midwest when she crossed over to the other side. She had not spent 10 years in an ashram wondering about the meaning of life. Rather, this "death" happened unexpectedly and changed her life forever - which in many ways makes her book all the more evidential. And for the skeptics, she did not die alone but in a major Midwestern hospital under a physician's care.

Nanci confirms what I have known for a while now; there is no death. Death and dying are a process. What we call death is no more than stepping through a doorway back to our real home. We leave this dimension at death and go back home. There we evaluate our recent life and our recent progress and get ready for another learning experience. Such is the real nature of light beings, she writes.

She confirms what thousands of NDEs teach. We come to this dimension to learn, to teach, to serve our fellow humans and to make a positive difference. The rub is that we come here with free will. Free will allows us to live a life of service or turn and serve ourselves with a dark, selfish, self indulgent evil lifetime.

Nanci confirms, in no uncertain terms, that our "purpose" here is to learn how to love and to give and receive love. Our real purpose is the antithesis of our materialistic "grab all you can get," world we inhabit; yet it is true. All of my travels through various belief systems (religions) confirm what Nanci learned in her grand tour on the other side.

Backwards is not merely a book, but rather it is a journey. You travel with Nanci to the center of the Universe and discover again why you came here in the first place.

I am thankful for Nanci Danison's insightful recall of her personal NDE which resonated deeply within me; and, as I read her account, I had the sense I was hearing truth spoken, finally! I was recently privileged to hear Ms. Danison speak in person and found her personal account of her profoundly life-changing experience surprisingly candid and honest, thus, very credible - a woman who needed to do something with the knowledge she was given during her incredible journey and in so doing, she's become God's Messenger. This is a book I will return to over and over again.

We are just beginning to create an organic produce garden. The information in this book is a great help. The personal stories of how others managed this kind of project - give me hope that we too can create such a business.

Not only is this book a great guide to gardening using organic methods, it goes to great lengths to show you how to market you extra production or even to start a full time endeavor. Very good coverage of modern methods in irrigation, crop rotation, pest controls, and marketing. I highly reccomend this to your library!

I really enjoyed this book. My only complaint, is that I wish the author had gone into the growing aspect a bit more. The book turned out to be more of a marketing book. Great book for a niche that needed to be addressed in a bit more detail, but not the book I thought I was getting. My two favorite books thus far on the subject of mini farming have been Mini Farming for Self Sufficiency and The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener (A Gardener's Supply Book).

This is a good book to have if you decided to get back to nature, downsize your life, get with it or just make ends meet when food prices are going up, up, up. Just know that it takes a lot of work, especially if you are into organic. That said, this is a good start on making money with gardening when you don't have a acres of land. My lot is 1/3 of an acre and it is quite productive. This book helps you make the best of what you have. I recommend it. I didn't give it five stars because it doesn't have all that much that's new to me, but then again I read a lot.

This is a tremendous resource for anyone who believes that you don't have to 'go big' to make money. This is something you must own.

This book was very insightful and I felt it put into words what I feel as an African American woman in today's society. I felt the characters are real and exist. Each story is unique. The one that stand out all by itself and is really great is Prince William blows Good.

I had the pleasure of meeting Prof. Allen at a seminar at a local library. My wife is an English student of his. I read the book and found it very entertaining. His writing skill is great. His life story from car salesman to auther is inspireing. His capacity to change into all these different types characters (and include your life occurances) in both Bounce and Church Boys and Other Sinners is spectacular. It is amazing how he can change from this intellectual man, into a poor woman. Amazingly, his stories were short, but to the point. His characters seem to deveolpe quite rapidly and mature fully as the story tanspires. I found it more enjoyable to hear his lecture and stories than to read them myself. As a speaker he is capable of capturing the audiences attention as well keeping them entertained, much as in his short stories. I wish he would consider writing novels or epic stories, preferably non-fiction (science fiction, fantasy just to name two). I really think his character development in these areas will defiantly get him a new audience as well as some writing award.

The Elwyn stories in this collection need to become a novel. I would pay to read that because they are funny, sweet segments, and the author comes pretty close to making some profound and unique statements about love and faith. Is Elwyn evil for loving Sister Morrisohn? Is their love a sin? They are so holy, and genuinely righteous, in every other way. The other story that touched me was "Get Some." Especially the idea of each of us being a diifferent colored crayon in the crayon box. "Is Randy Roberts There" is a trip! Men are little piglets! That one had me trippin. All the stories in the book are so good that I had to read the one I liked least, "JACK MOVE," twice so that I could really get it. I had come to trust the writer, and I knew he must be saying something in that one that I just didn't get. The second time through it, I focused on his style and the voice that was telling the story, and I came up with something interesting. This character, Chapman, the gay man, turned out to be a churchboy just like Elwyn in the Sister Morrisohn stories, but his question of faith is way more critical: does God consider his homosexuality evil? Notice that after his mugging, he flees back home to that place that he most associated, not with his father (who is just a symbol), but with his childhood and God. Childhood being the time we are most innocent and faith believing. Notice that the room is black and white: everything is either good or evil; he has come home to be judged by the God of his Old Testament. I started liking the story more and looking for symbols after that. I'm just guessing now, but his name is Chap-man (chapter-man--chapters in the bible man). His transvestite girflriend's name is cricket (locust--one of the plagues). Hannibal the bouncer (Hannibal tried to sack Rome, right, the seat of Christianity?). Another good story in the book is "Prince William," even though you will probably figure out its ending before you get there, it is excellent, merging jazz, blues, infidelity, and ambition into a Greek tragedy.

Nelly Fisher

I really enjoyed reading the stories from "Church Boys and Other Sinners."

Growing up in South America and having little exposure to US religions, I never realized how Christians in America behaved and thought. After I came to this country, I started getting involved with local church activities. That is how I realized how different they think and behave in America. Back home I get the feeling that people are involved with God, but they do whatever they want to do with their lives in their non-church time. There aren't so many "rules" to follow as there are here. You kind of accept that you are a Christian. You don't have to prove it as much.

Some of the stories, especially the first three and the Elwyn stories, showed me how the American kind of religion, or maybe religion in general, drives people to do things that they believe are wrong in God's eyes, and so often, despite their resolve, they end up yielding to temptation.

In the first story, Monique is this "statuesque" woman who has serious self esteem issues. In a way, she wears this mask and behaves like everything is fine, but inside she feels weak and wants to be loved. The first love of her life ruined love and trust for her when he played with her feelings. From that point on, she just couldn't value herself as she would have if nothing like this had happened. I feel like religion in her life was just a big disappointment. After having an affair with the pastor of her church, she saw him as a manipulator of minds; everybody's minds, including hers. She was not able to separate a relationship with God and religion itself. Moreover, the biggest disappointment was being dumped for the pastor's wife and being asked to pay for her own abortion of the child she carried for the philandering minister.

Allen redeems Monique by having her change over time, though. She realized that life was not a game and started giving herself more value as she rejects the pretty boy Johnny and never again answers his calls. I would really like to read a continuation of that story, which begins the collection. Hopefully, Monique will find someone trustworthy that would love and respect her and more importantly, teach her how to love and respect herself.

In "Get Some," this eighth grader, Junior, had even worse self esteem issues than Monique in my opinion. Junior could never get over the fact that his father left the family and perhaps even blames himself. Junior constantly rants that no one understood him, and even though he secretly wanted to be "perfect" like his father's other son, he would get into all kinds of trouble. In my opinion, the father figure was missing in the protagonist's life, and he did all he could to get people's attention. I feel like Junior was hostile and angry, but on the inside he was a sweet child just wanting to be loved and understood.

In "Thirty Fingers," the war within the main character between the realism of life and his idealism to keep himself "holy" is very well presented by the dialogs among characters as well as with himself. There is always a struggle to keep on being "the perfect brethren of God." Elwyn finds himself in love and gets very disappointed when he finds out that the love of his life is actually in love with someone else and even worse, committed a "horrible" sin. Angry, Elwyn, like every other human being, just yields to the desires of the flesh. I am actually very glad this story continues, but even if it didn't, I would have been glad with the end of it. Peachie did not deserve to stay with Elwyn, and in a way, he needed what he got. He is too selfish and too blind. He is too much of a "churchboy," which is the point of the whole book I think because these Elwyn stories continue throughout. In fact, after you finish reading the stories, even though only the Elwyn ones are connected, you feel as though you have read a novel. Great job, Preston L. Allen. I am surprised I haven't heard of you before. I am going to read more of your books.

Preston L. Allen is a powerful new voice in African-American fiction. He evokes wonder, amusement, and profundity with every word. These (mostly) coming of age stories are at the same time absorbing and insightful, revealing the author's budding genius for the poignant epiphany and the wry-witted subtext. This is a marvelous book. This is African American literature--American Literature--at its finest and most unapologetic.

In many ways, this collection is a culmination of the pet issues that have heretofore been explored in Allen's diverse and expanding body of work: faith, affection, crime, fatherhood, duty, and especially forbidden and/or unrequited love, which I find particularly well done. For example, in both "Hoochie Mama" (his cynical literary masterpiece cum mystery/thriller) and "Bounce" (cynical literary masterpiece cum erotic urban romance), Allen's vision of romantic love is marked by overt sexual magnificence in the bedroom and a suppression of genuine emotion (or concealing of true desire) in the heart. In other words, there is a clear divide between the physical and the emotional as sexual dynamism replaces affections.

Thus, M Gantry, Allen's hoochie mama cop, can "physically" grope and be groped by her boyfriend Dake (the villain), but her heart yearns for the lesbian girlfriend of her childood. In "Bounce," Roderick Redd makes passionate love to Cindique, but his heart yearns for his ex-wife/cousin. The problem, as always, is that the object of true affection is forbidden, or restricted by a taboo (homosexuality, incest) that the protagonist adheres to.

In "Churchboys and Other Sinners," this idea is played out in a number of the stories: "C+ Baptist Virgin" has the black protagonist fall in love with a white woman; "Prince William Blows Good," an archetypal, Oedipal masterpiece, has the protagonist "desire" his vanished daughter; "His Baby Momma" has a bride-to-be responding sexually to her ex-boyfriend on her wedding day; In "Is Randy Roberts There?", Monique ever longs for Randy Roberts, her first love, no matter who she happens to be with at the time.

Nowhere in the book is the idea more advanced than in the four stories involving the teen evangelical Elwyn Parker in his pursuit of the much older and very beautiful Sister Morrisohn. First, Elwyn pursues Sister Morrisohn, but loves and longs for his childhood crush, Peachie Gregory-McGowan. Then the idea undergoes a brilliant pyscho/social extrapolation, as the protagonist's affection for Peachie wanes; namely, in the later stories we have Elwyn "loving" Sister Morrisohn, but "yearning" for the love he once had for God and the church.

True, it can be argued that perhaps Elwyn's longing is merely a sort of nostalgia, but the motif persists throughout the latter stories to the point where the grown-up Elwyn, long after the affair has so dramatically ended (I shan't reveal how), saying things like "God is Love" and visiting the religious haunts of his childhood.

Finally, Allen does something with this book that few titles by African-American writers have been able to accomplish successfully: he creates stories that are interesting and engaging as stories, not just as examples of the "ethnic" or "minority" flavor of the moment. I have seen him compared to langston Hughes because of his church-based themes, but that is only a superficial connection. I have seen him compared to John Hawkes, and that is perhaps more accurate, for both are master wordsmiths, storytellers, cynics, eroticians. The truth is that Preston L. Allen, with this work, has created genuine "literature" of the sort that Hemingway, Faulkner, Bronte, Shakespeare, and Tolstoi have created: Literature for the world. These stories are not strictly for African Americans, though the protagonists in each are black; these stories are for anyone who wants to read a good story.

Gertrude D., University of Florida

It takes a lot to hold my interest because I am a graduate student pursuing a doctorate degree in education. This book was one that I simply could not put down. I read this book in one day. Every teenager and female with a background in sexual abuse must read this book. Any individual that has been emotionally scared by people they trusted should read this book. It paints a vivid picture of what it is like to be on a road of self destruction but recover to the point where one's life story can be told to others so that they would know that recovery is possible from emotional and sexual abuse for themselves.

This was an incredible book. I could not put it down. Diana's writing is just wonderful. The book was, for me, an excellent example of how God can take what was intended for evil or our destruction, and by His grace, turn it in to something wonderful if we give it to Him. Diana's suffering and triumph is inspirational. God's constant hand on our lives, as seen in this book, is awesome to behold. Our God is an awesome God. :-)

The author and I started out together our first day at kindergarten! Years later after being separated I read the authors book and I became the audience of one who has led a life destined of child like adventure and male survival. The book pictures the spirit of a champion. The character challenges the readers imagination. I applaud the end results for the main character in this book! There is a lesson to be learned through her overcoming lifestyle for all generations. "For those who think this is a man's world" Read on.

A powerful book...by a courageous author. Diana dares to "tell it like it was" and in doing so...brings the reader face-to-face with the awesome love of God.

The real life account of a heart yearning for love...and that heart's circuitous route to peace. If you are a "prude"...this book isn't for you! It reads like an Old Testament Story...with New Testament Grace. Thank you...Diana!

Romance with Jimi Hendrix...Romance with two kings in one life time! AWESOME! I have a copy, my daughter and my mother, we all have a copy of this book!

This book is helpful in dating old photographs, and for those interested in fashion from the 19th century. It is also a very interesting read that is filled with exceptional photos. AAA+++

I thoroughly enjoyed this entire book. The author gives a detailed overview of each decade of fashions for men, women, and children then provides many photographs with indepth explanations of each. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in genealogy research.

As a researcher period clothing and producer of reproduction clothing, I find this book is a fabulous resource! Not only is there a wide scope of social backgrounds represented here, but the accompanying writings are an additional insight to the people on those pages. A great work!

Dressed for the Photographer has a wealth of beautiful images, and has informative and interesting text with each image. Both text and images show the realities of fashion during the era covered. We see how real people dressed, rather than fashion templates which were always more extreme version of the latest fashion.

I liked the descriptions of dresses remade from older dresses to keep up with fashion, as well as her description of how one can tell the dress has been altered. I also enjoyed the way she pointed out little details of outfits. I never would have seen those details otherwise.

I would have preferred a few more examples of upper-class women throughout the eras and middle-class women in the latter part of the 20th century. The reform dress was an interesting movement, but I believe the reform dresses are over-represented. But, overall, the book reflects the diversity of the people in the society very well.

To be honest, I haven't seen a better resource for someone who wants to know what people really wore from 1840-1900.

It is a rare opportunity to see how people dressed in reality so far in the past. Fashion plates show the garment in its perfect form, portraits are idealized, and original illustrations change the proportions, whether purposefully or not, to fit the times of the artist, not that of the garment.

The pictures feature a range of people from different walks of life in different situations, and the reader can enjoy seeing these ordinary people in their clothes, whether dressed to impress or caught looking somewhat odd in ill-fitting garments or clothes that have crooked seams--the details are so telling!

The text dissects the pictures and explains costume of the era in detail, discussing the general trends, exceptions, class distinctions, and how the people in these old photos relate to all this. A Very good book for a costume historian.

This book makes sense to me. I always thought I needed to do more cardio, but everyone was telling me to lift weights. I've been following the program, doing more cardio and now I read every label. I've lost 11 lbs.

In the beginning, this book debunks myths about Personal trainers. After spending years in my local gym and seeing exactly what Ashley Marriott portrayed about such trainers, I knew the book was going to be good.
Unlike a self-help book I recently reviewed where the author was not technically capable of writing for the book, in this case, both authors are, with Ashley Marriott being a certified trainer and Mark L. Paulsen, M.D., sharing sound medical advice. You feel your in good hands from the start. The author's brutal honesty on everything from diets that won't work to the retouching of photos that slim down celebrities for marketing purposes is appreciated, especially from a reviewer who struggles to keep in shape.
The cartoons add a little wit to a typically stiff presentation of black and white photos, fitness programs, and diet plans. With what appears to have been written on a modest budget, the author did the best she could.
I enjoyed the book and look forward to following the diet plan. We'll see how it goes.

I had first planned on trying the "Dump Your Trainer" program back in January after making yet another New Year's resolution. Unfortunately some family issues arose soon afterward and I had to put the program on hold for a while. I've tried so many of the popular diet programs and never really stayed with them - either too unrealistic or they always left me hungry. What a surprise this one was. I think the main difference is the emphasis on integrating a realistic diet and exercise program as an essential part of daily life. With previous programs I've always had to fight the urge to eat rather than exercise - with the eating inevitably winning out in the end. Instead, with the "Dump Your Trainer" program I make sure to get my exercise in long before my hunger pains kick in and the after burn and structured eating plan keep me free of hunger. I'd also really like to thank Ashley for her wonderful aphorisms which were truly inspirational during a time in which I might have been more prone to depression than to development. I've been on the program just under 3 months now and have dropped 24 pounds. My confidence has skyrocketed and my social life blossomed. It's absolutely fascinating how one can lose the temptation toward excessive eating when your life is full of new activities. I love Dump Your Trainer!

I've struggled with my weight for most of my adult life and have tried South Beach, The You diet, and a slew of others without success. I even tried following the Biggest Loser boot camp approach but was quickly derailed by swollen knees and a painful back. I then figured that the best approach might be to get the individual attention of a Personal Trainer. Boy was I in for a letdown! Suffice it to say that 3 months (and big bucks!) into the program I'd actually gained weight instead of losing it. The trainer hit me with a variety of lines like "muscle weighs more than fat," but it was pretty obvious to me that the lard around my waist wasn't shrinking - it was expanding. So much for personal training.

Perhaps as a result of my misfortune with the trainer I nearly choked when I came across Dump Your Trainer. What an eye opener! All the rhetoric, distortions and misinformation are spelled out clearly. In addition the book was totally inspiring in that Dr. Paulsen provides such great insight into his own struggles and successes with his own weight problem. After a hilarious exposition of the PT craze it goes straight into self-assessment and the formulation of a plan depending upon which group you fall into. Wow! After just over 4 months I'm down 36 pounds and have accelerated two levels. The exercise plans are laid out step-by-step, easy to follow and fit into my tight schedule. The diet is completely reasonable, leaves me satisfied and doesn't cause me to double my portions, as I ended up doing with so many other diets.

I totally recommend the Dump Your Trainer program and encourage everyone to look into it. Besides getting you in great shape, it will also save you a fortune on expensive food plans and useless personal training.

Constantly badgering myself about losing weight and getting in shape, well, better shape, I was seriously considering joining a gym and hiring a personal trainer. Speaking with a friend, he recommended Dump Your Trainer. Wow, what an eye opener. The racket of personal training, especially the thought that trainers don't really want you to achieve your goals because then they will lose a client made so much sense.

This book is interesting, entertaining, fun, sensible and best of all, doable. The "fitness test" was easy and provided me with some valuable information. I was very strong in my legs but very weak in my stomach. I won't tell you that how many sit ups I couldn't do, but I have my work cut out for me, big time. I am excited to be joining this program because it seems like something that is possible to do. I am not a big fan of gyms so I was really glad the excercises were also things I can do at home, much more convenient for me. The recipes sound really good and not too hard.

If I could look 1/64th as good as the author, Ashley Marriott, I will be thrilled. Thanks for the encouragement and the great ideas. This book is absolutely worth the price.

For those desiring a 'meat & potatoes' study of the Middle Way, this is an excellent book.

Nagarjuna: Theory and Practice

Nagarjuna was a philosopher of unparalleled excellence, both in the East and the West, and Garfield has presented his Mulamadhyamakakarika with clarity, competence and coherence. If you like philosophy, and are a serious spiritual seeker with an inclination for The Perennial Philosophy, then this book is for you. However, you will need determination and perseverance to finish this book, for it will take you six months to a year to master its contents.

Here is a sample of Nagarjuna's tactics. He begins by attacking causality. He dissects causality down to its root premises (a thing is caused by itself, by another, by both, or has no cause) and then he closely scrutinizes those root premises and demonstrates that none of them possess any "potency", or power, to force, stimulate, compel, oblige, constrain, drive, make or cause anything to come into existence. Therefore, they are "empty". That is, they have no inherent self-nature or essence to affect anything else. They are like Mother Hubbard's cupboard, there is nothing there. Therefore, if the causes are "empty", the thing created is "empty". But all that is theory.

But what about in practice?. Reading this book will change your thinking. You will unconsciously become a Skeptic, and will not be aware of the state of your own mind until you ponder an issue found in Nagarjuna's treatise. Only then will you realize that you are stuck between three equally unsatisfactory propositions "Things exist", "Things do not exist" and "Things both do and do not exist." Not to worry though. You will be experiencing precisely what Nagarjuna intended.

Garfield specifically declares Nagarjuna's intention, page 314, "This, of course, is the key to the soteriological character of the text: reification is the root of grasping and craving and hence of all suffering. And it is perfectly natural, despite its incoherence. By understanding emptiness, Nagarjuna intends one to break this habit and extirpate the root of suffering."

Next to the Heart Sutra (Maha Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra), one of the most important writings for Mahayana Buddhists, and this is a good translation and commentary (there is Ocean of Reasoning, but that is way, way too massive and far more than what is necessary). Stick with the basics and simplicity, I always say. For a book of this magnitude, pick this one. You'll have enough to study while still coming to grips with its message.

i have not studied all of nagarjunas logic carefully in this book, it seems that he is arguing for the underlying emptiness of all things on the basis of his assumption of dependent or mutual arising. perhaps its a bit more complicated than this though. a cup of tea is not a cup of tea in itself. nor does the teabag have any individual or inherent identity, rather the teabag is a collection of collections without any individuality. just as my finger is a collection of cells, so a teabag is a combination of dependent things. infact he believes that everything depends on the presence or absence of something else. tea leaves depend on the presence of tanins, flavins, cells, maturation, drying, there is nothing inherently existent that could be called the individuality of the teabag. this of course defies common sense, but is reasonable. why cannot a collection be at one and the same time an individuality. ie one in many, or many as one. such an argument though would be contrary to nagarjunas thrust, which is to emphasise the existence of emptiness through dependence. ie everything that is dependent has no individual uniqueness (or soul) since all individuals are merely collections.

i am still studying nagarjuna, it seems that a statement such as "walker is not the same as walking, nor is it different from walking" can be argued any way which can. "walker is not the same as walking, if it were how could the two be told apart, nor is walker different from walking, or otherwise there would be walking without walker." it could be argued on the grounds of oneness that walker and walking are one and the same, that structure and function are inseperable. you could just as easily say that walker is the same as walking and that is why there isnt walking without walker. if nagarjuna says that legs are not the same as arms because they can be told apart he is right, because they can be told apart, but wrong because arms and legs are all part of one body and cannot be separated. so paradoxically one can say that walker and walking are not the same, but one can also say that they are the same (the same body/oneness).

it can be argued that walker is walking, walker is not walking, and as nagarjuna says walker is not the same as, nor different from walking. infact whatever you seek to prove, if you are clever enough, you can prove it. this is the nature of reason and logic. a donkey that is lead by the carrot of the person who possesses it.

i find his logic is clear (it is)infact, it is pure genius, but as with all logic one has to realise that at this moment logic is thoroughly illogical. though perhaps when he wrote it was thoroughly logical. logic being logical? logic being illogical? two sides of the same coin. if logical can be illogical why discuss something as important as emptiness using logic? this defies a common understanding of nagarjuna, unless of course he wished to impress buddhist emptiness upon the minds of the common people. or, perhaps he really did believe in the immutable logos (reason) of plato. that insoluble all pervasive notion of truth. personally i see that reason has its uses (many of them groundbreaking and earth shattering), but can often be used to say what you want, especially when it comes to philosophy.

i find the argument for emptiness grounded in dependent arising 'can' be compelling, or not compelling. its just how you approach it. in that a collection does not necessarily indicate an individuality, it could be seen as a collective, for example a sea sponge colony 'may' have no singular conscious individuality as the colony as a whole, but then a human being is a collection with a consciousness . but as i see it, dependent arising could be used as a proof against emptiness just as much as a proof for it. i believe that the buddha would have days where he took time out from such an approach, that is he would respect the agile logical display of nagarjuna, but have said "not on mondays nagarjuna" (but only if you dont mind my friend).

i dont think that the buddha was about dogmatising certain concepts and words such as emptiness, as useful as they may be. even freedom can become an obstacle to relationship and his word "liberation" can be in buddhism taken to mean many different things. it may just be that mental freedom and freedom from suffering are synonymous. emptiness is representative of water and air, but one should not forget the presence of fire, or gold (earth)(male elements)that are representative of fullness/form. to argue away form for emptiness seems unbalanced. just as to argue away emptiness for form would be unbalanced, though it may be an interesting excercise (and not too difficult). infact rising to the challenge if one looks in minute detail/huge magnification at an area of space one will find it a quantum soup, and not nearly as empty as one expected. infact buddha is implacable when he says emptiness is form for this could imply that there is no emptiness, only form. or visa-versa one could argue that all is empty.

i have also read nagarjunas, i think its called the flower garland, which was less a discussion of emptiness and logical proof for such, though his approach in the middle way comes across in this book too. no, i remember now its called the discourse of the precious flower garland.

i realise that my comments on nagarguna's mulamadhyamakakarika may seem disrespectful regarding the buddhist saint, and have no desire to show disrespect, but i do feel that all in all, though brilliant his arguments are not compelling ground for emptiness. this is because i am aware of the bias behind reason. there are other ways to illustrate emptiness. the buddhas "emptiness is form" for example is a much clearer statement of anti-logic, that i find very elegant. also the prescence of the zero in any effective numerical system requires a hypothetical emptiness.

i have no doubt that in the original tongue nagarjuna was a marvellous poet, sadly this does not come across in this translation or in "verses from the centre" a different translation of the same work. perhaps, in his poetic form his genius would have shone out as much as it does from his rational genius.

this is an interesting book to read, a fascinating insight into the mind of an early buddhist saint and an example of how one can use logic to prove anything, even that which intuitively seems almost impossible. but personally i dont feel it tells me anything, other than showing patterns of logic, which are a useful thing to aquire. i must say though that i am 'astonished' by the mans logical dexterity.

i would have found nagarjuna more interesting if he had tried to prove the existence of form and balanced this with a proof for the existence of emptiness. for in truth it is not balanced to prove the existence of emptiness without proving the existence of form. and you cannot prove the existence of emptiness without proving the existence of form, for emptiness is form. it can be argued that all is emptiness, but it can also be argued that all is form. whatever you look for is whatever you find. such is the nature of reality. seek and you will find.

infact... making things fun, and killing the buddhas word, i would say that "form is not emptiness, form is form" is just as true as "emptiness is form". this is the buddas freedom. playing with logic, one does not take reason too seriously on mondays, but... aah, on tuesdays it is profoundly important.

thank you nagarjuna for the encouragement you have given many.

love, flakey xxx.

Before you stare at a wall to practice suchness, you may want to spend some time acquainting yourself with this philosophical presentation that justifies your practice.

It will be no easy task. Both Nagarjuna's text and Garfield's commentary are challenging: I'm sure that would be true for the Western philosophers Garfield's commentary is targeted to and it certainly was for me as a lay person. But I persisted in what often seemed repetitious and tedious to find enough interspersed wisdom to make my patient reading worthwhile. This is not a book I could comfortably have browsed. Without Garfield's commentary, I might have quickly read over Nagarjuna's verses and believed I had understood much of it. Despite much that seemed cryptic, I'd have thought myself well educated in dependent origination, impermanence, emptiness, the self and other key Buddhist concepts. But, if I did that, I may have missed about 99% of what Garfield found therein.

A Sanskrit text by Nagarjuna translated into Tibetan and then into English by Garfield. A commentary informed by a tradition of Tibetan teachings. Understandings which may enrich one's meditation ... on emptiness. It is humbling to consider that Nagarjuna composed his verses in India about the 2nd century A.D. Such a thorough and penetrating analysis must have resulted from many challenges from others. That it holds up is something worth ... experiencing as one reads Nagarjuna and Garfield.

Nagarjuna's text is presented by itself, then again interspersed wihin Garfield's commentary. Garfield proceeds very precisely, keeping his interpretations closely tied to the verses at hand. Together they offer a tour de force in Buddhist philosophy. If you read this book and later hear someone say, as if it were a complete thought, that the self is an illusion, you should understand much better what the too often unstated context for such a statement is.

There are many valuable lessons: about the lack of inherent existence, interdependence, conventional and ultimate truth, dependent origination of all phenomena, the emptiness of even emptiness, even dependent origination as dependently originated, reification, of the self as a conventional designation. There are conclusions I found profound such as that "the conventional nature of conventional entities and their emptiness are one and the same". That "to say of a thing that is dependently arisen is to say that its identity as a single entity is nothing more than being the reference of a word", i.e. that its identity "depends upon verbal convention". Do I follow that? One problem may be that at the time I read such lines I may think I do but a short while later, I've lost it. This is not a book I would want to be tested on anytime soon after finishing it. I don't know when I will be ready for such a test. The answers may not be found through further study of the text and commentary but through meditation ... or perhaps some of both.

I recommend going back over after a first reading and making notes. Even then, it may take ... years ... lifetimes? ... for everything taught in here to sink in, but the intent is to enable you to internalize the teachings presented here through meditation so that it becomes more than philosophy but a way to live. A tall order but that is what Buddhist meditative practice, properly understand, seems to be.

I do feel I understand better from this reading, if only a little better, why meditation seems warranted. Being a less confused about that seems worthwhile.

The first time I read this book, I was a young teenager. I thought the author really captured the essence of a teenager and what kind of pressures they face. I highly recomend this book... It was very well written.

Great book for early teens, even pre-teens. Kids at risk identify with the main charactor, love the animals, wish for someone like the old man to be there for them.

Imagine having a mother who doesn't seem to know you exist. Unless she needs money or someone to take her frustrations out on. Imagine having a father who hasn't had contact with you in two years, even though he lives only a couple of hours away. A father who kept taking you back to an abusive mother until he became too busy to even come see you at all.

Sean just plain doesn't care anymore. So he's been suspended yet again for fighting - big deal. It'll be just another vacation. That is, until he's assigned community service at a local ranch. Starting immediately.

Mr. Hassler, the old geezer ranch owner, puts Sean to work cleaning out stalls, spreading manure, and unloading feed. Things change when he helps deliver a colt that imprints Sean, instead of its mother. Their bond helps him explore his tangle of emotions about his parents and Mr. Hassler.

HERO is a heartwarming story about a young man in search of someone to love and respect, including himself. Rottman leaves the reader wanting more as Sean faces a new future with his dad and the ranch.

Reviewed by: Cana Rensberger

Now here's a book that clearly defines the meaning of "hero". Rottman's books always have a good message for us. They often deal with mature subjects, drugs and alcohol, but never glorified. His books are great for mature readers. A clear look into what life is like for many young adults today.

I think this is a good book. I like all the characters and I like how this book is setup. This book is good for all ages. Good classroom book for teachers. I read this book in my reading class. I got into the book really fast and I couldn't put the book down. My favorite character in this book was Sean. He was a nice kid inside and it shows you in the book. At first he seemed like a trouble maker and later he shows you the real him. With a farmers help (Mr. Hassler). I really don't read books. It's not my thing but when I read this one it had me going for another one.